t e m p o r a r y t a t t o o s d a y s: January 2011

this is a sure fire way to spend your holidays. however, the idea of sitting in front of a fireplace with your family after a delicious homemade meal was dearly missed.

speaking of food though, i probably have never eaten so well in any two weeks of my life. from salty authentic dim sum to savory penang curry, let's just say my stomach is very happy with me.

malaysia

kuala lumpur

the surprisingly urban capital of malaysia. holds impressive shopping malls and the famous petronas towers.

petaling street, china town. located a few minutes from our quaint and beautiful guesthouse.

uh. i don't think i was supposed to take this picture. yikes.

the first of many cats.

all of these flower pictures are for my mom. jus' sayin.

no jungles and leeches for me!

little india. oh yes.

fruit salad.

mirroring.

looking at the towers.

voila.

the swim park, where we witnessed many a child unwatched slip and fall.

exhibit a.

nice first date i might say.

yes i am creepy like that.

palau pangkor

this is what lonely planet described as "the girl next door" of the islands in malaysia. and i would have to agree. not very touristy among foreigners, this island offered "big time" relaxing.

i'm on a boat.

docking.

thinking.

daily catch.

canned alrights.

sister.

brother.

vermicelli, lime, beef, and hot peppers in a delicious curry broth.

waiting for the meal.

stop looking at his forehead. cause i know that is what you are doing.

sandy feet of daily life. must be nice.

at our hostel.

chillin in a hammock lori.

too many of these. ick.

palau penang

one of the biggest british settlements in malaysia, not only does this island offer beautiful colonial architecture, stunning buddhist temples and a central mosque, but it is known to tourists as one of the best places to eat tasty cuisine in malaysia. lori and referred to it as the 'food island'. and dare i say it was.

fruit, fruit, FRUIT!

YES.

that is 'c' for chinese right?

real duck face.

tasty apple juice.

vermicelli, beef, fish balls, chives, sprinkled with deep fried onions in a beef broth.

georgetown.

traveller lori.

the grind.

lotus root.

mmm. bok choy.

indian textiles.

lazy sunday.

hindu temple.

chinese buddhist temple.

say your prayers.

dear sir, why are you holding a dagger?

temple lori.

too cool for school lori.

reflective lori.

in a chinese club for old peeps who clearly just gather together daily to play mah jong and sing karaoke.

creepy lanterns.

ad for the keg? eh? eh?

in food paradise. actually. that is what it was called. too bad we were too full to eat anything.

how meaty.

don't look so sad kid. you're in food paradise!

this man has the moves.

"i prayed to god that two beautiful girls would sit with me. and then you sat down!"

"do you want a cigarette?"

"uh should you even be smoking?"

palau langkawi

one of the more popular islands. however i can't imagine why except for the fact that the entire island is duty free. the beaches are alright, and the jellyfish are worse.

tanning.

the view.

new zealand?

why good morning.

ugly birds. probably angry too.

barracks.

in samut, the jumping off point for our 14 hour bus journey to thailand.

thailand

chonburi

actually a province, here resides my friend emily. it seems that her city is made up of rich thai kids and a surprising night life.

golden bridge. (this is actually in bangkok before we made it to chonburi).

guava apple, lori's new favourite fruit.

mor di kai to you too ronald.

rayong

where the new year's party is to be held on a private beach. nearby is koh samet, where people go to forget all of their troubles.

en route.

new year's fire show.

10 year old boys with tattoos playing with fire. now how cool are you kid?

giant fire lori.

nebula.

jay.

finn.

astrid.

porting.

so hip and so fresh these thai boys are.

koh sichang

a small island near emily's city. popular with the thai people, and the occasional group of europeans.

the beaches are clean and the water is blue. the food here is delicious beyond compare. if you ever go, you have to try tampang beach restaurants 'deep fried fish'. to die for.

beach daze.

the restaurant.

the view.

friends and watermelon shakes on a beach. what more could a girl ask for?

curry.

nom tok: made with lime, pork, red onions, cilantro and other herbs with sticky rice. make up for one tasty meal.

their infamous deep fried fish. mmm.

oh hai monks.

dreamy emily.

pensive emily.

inner child emily.

hehe.

from the most famous temple on the island.

what monks do in their spare time other than meditation?

make a wish.

back in chonburi.

ayutthaya

the fallen city. full of ruins and broken down palaces (like the movie), this is a must see for anyone who wants to experience the ancient culture of thailand. but be prepared to pay a fee to see EVERYTHING.

wat yai chaya mongkol.

sims: buddhist temple version

wat panan choeng. host of thailand's largest gold buddha. it is said that the beginning of the temple was related to a love myth between a thai prince and a chinese princess.

buddhist dog.

elephants!

trained by this guy... :(

yay ancient ruins!

please do not climb.

posing.

the famous buddha head in a tree. kinda weird but i can dig it.

kanchanaburi

this is where you want to go if you want to see 7 teared waterfalls, ride elephants in the water and kayak through caves. and also if you want to pay an arm and a leg to go do these things. stop here first while your wallet is still fresh, cause unfortunately mine wasn't. so i look forward to looking at your pictures.

creepy chinese graveyard. ran away before i got a better picture.

the bridge over kwai. yes, like the book and the movie.

the view from the bridge.

field trip!

on our bike ride.

this picture is not black and white. poor dog.

lost.

bangkok

the capital of thailand and the ultimate backpacker's hub. i have never seen so many dreadlocks, sleeve tattoos, and fisherman pants in one place. pretentiousness is something that this place is not lacking.

home to a seamy nightlife and amazing shopping, this is a must for anyone who wants to experience anything like it.

mmm tuna sandwich and a mango shake.