Another Chill Day

Today was a great day! I stayed home and did absolutely nothing! Okay, maybe not absolutely nothing but it was relaxing. I got up around 8ish and lounged a bit in the apartment. Felt like doing something productive so I started cleaning. lol I rarely clean so this is one of those "cherish those moments";) I often make things explode according to Brenda =P

Made some lunch. Had leftover meat sauce so I thought I would just cook up some noodles. Sometimes, I just don't learn...I tried to strain the noodles and put the strainer on top of a cup over the sink (because that's what was convenient at the time). Well, let's just say the cup toppled the strainer fell along with all of my cooked noodles and everything went down the sink. Ewww...memo to self...shortcuts don't always work. Had to make another batch of noodles and dump the first batch. The nacho incident should have taught me well the first time, haha

Went grocery shopping and found my way back home! Woot woot. Sadly, they don't give grocery bags here so I ended up carrying all my grocer in the clear plastic bags without handles. Prepped for dinner and then went out to jog for a bit. All in all, I would say it's a good day! Here are my groceries....it will hopefully turn out to be shepperd's pie, Tong-Yum Soup, and Green Curry Chicken!

Earthquake!

Today was a day of rest in Hokota. I was sitting and chilling in the room when the whole apartment starting shaking. I've felt minor earthquakes before but this was definitely bigger. When everything around you starts shaking for a good 5-10 seconds, something is definitely up. At this point, I realize - I have no idea what I should for big quakes. I ended up standing underneath the door frame. I figure things shouldnt' crush me if the quake gets bigger and hopefully the door frame should hold up. The quake subsided after a good 15-20 seconds. After the quake, here I am googling to see what I should do. This was taken off a government site:

During an Earthquake

• If you're indoors, stay there. Get under -- and hold onto --a desk or table, or stand against an interior wall. Stay clear of exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, fireplaces and appliances. The kitchen is a particularly dangerous spot. If you’re in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator.
  

• If you're outside, get into the open. Stay clear of buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you.
  

• If you're driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses. Try to get clear of trees, light posts, signs and power lines. When you resume driving, watch out for road hazards.
  

• If you're in a mountainous area, beware of the potential for landslides. Likewise, if you're near the ocean, be aware that tsunamis are associated with large earthquakes. Get to high ground.
  

• If you’re in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do not rush for the exit. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.
  

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting

I have some catching up to do on my blog again. Hoping to do this in the next few weeks! :) Here's my first blog after me and B went our separate ways. Yes, you got it...we had our fall out finally! hahaha j/k B is traveling for 6 weeks so she's off to HK for the day and then back home she goes. As for me, I am sitting in Seoul airport right now waiting for my next flight.

This was one of the most tiring travelling days EVER! For those who know me, you'll know that I love to travel, BUT (yes, there's always a but), I don't like taking airplanes or getting from point A to point B. I rather just be there! Still waiting for those transporter machines! ;) (that one is for Wendy and her Star Trek thing)

So I took a 5 hour bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh at 9:00 am yesterday morning. Arrived in Phnom Penh at about 2:00 pm and then took about a half-hour tuk-tuk ride to the airport. B's flight was at 6:50 pm and my flight was at 11:50 pm. We parted ways around 6. It was bittersweet. Time really flew when we were traveling together. Each day was so good and we got along so well. We agreed on most things - from places to stay, how long we're staying at each place, food we want to eat, etc. Even when we didn't agree, we somehow managed to find a middle-ground. For example, for high tea - I like black tea but B likes fruity teas (way too sweet for me with all the desserts). Because we had to share a pot of tea, we found an alternative we both liked - Bangkok Blend which was a green tea! Woot Woot! It's hard to believe that our trip together is over or should I say...until next time! :) She was an awesome travel buddy and we had many good laughs together! No fall outs either...yay, I can still go to her wedding! lol

Anwyays, I waited 8 hours at the airport for my flight from Phnom Penh to Seoul for a 5-hour flight. Now I'm in Seoul waiting another 8 hours for a 2-hour flight. I hate waiting but at least the airport is keeping me entertained wiht free-wifi. I can take a free shower here too (too bad I don't have my toiletries), and I found a little nook where I can sprawl out my legs to take a power nap. So far so good. Just can't wait to get to my next destination!

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling!

It was such a good day today! Me and Bee did a "Try Dive" day trip where we did scuba diving off the island of Ko Chang. I was really excited to go scuba diving. It's something I've always wanted to do and finally, I'm making it happen. Where better to go than Thailand? :P

There was no easing into scuba diving. They get you into a wet suit, give you a whole bunch of info, and you take the first plunge and go all the way to the bottom. Key information they gave you.

1) A-okay = make a circle with your thumb and 2nd finger and leave your other 3 fingers in the air
2) Problem = have you palm facing down and teeter-totter your hand. Point to the problematic area
3) 6 steps to take water out of your mask (tilt head, press your mask down, close eyes, breathe in, breathe out through the nose, tilt head back slowly)
4) Step into the water with one big step and hold your mask and weight belt
5) Pinch your nose and blow as you go under the water to equalize the pressure

Me and Bee did well - we went as far as 12 metres below! We saw so many fishes and corals. Pictures to follow very soon!

After scuba diving, we went to chill in our common area and it was so relaxing. I ended up sleeping in a hammock listening to the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks. Saw a beautiful sunset and then went for dinner for some yummy seafood!

End of Habitat, Start of Island Time! :)

Sorry - I have not been blogging much in the last week. I've had a few hiccups on my trip but trying to get back into a "routine" of blogging. It's a bit of work when you don't like to write ;)

Where to start? I've finished building the house for Pond and her 2 sons. What an incredible experience! I've loved every minute. In the last few days, we ended up laying out all the bricks for the entire house, digging up a hole for the septic tank, and completing the concrete flooring at the front of the house. The concrete flooring was actually extra...we were 1 day head of the build schedule and was able to do more for the family than initially anticipated. During the dedication ceremony, we handed over the key to the homeowner. It was so touching while everyone gave their thoughts and feelings. Pond even had tears in her eyes and some of the workers were getting choked up. I really do think it's a great deed to have everyone from the team come all over from Canada to help build the house and also be a part of the homeowner's life for the short period of time. We gained so much more and seeing the smile on Pond's face (very genuine and so happy) was priceless.



What's next? I'm here in Ko Chang with Bee! After many changes, we finally decided to head to Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, and Krabi. Just before we booked our air tickets, we found out that there were heavy rains and monsoons in Southern Thailand. Good thing we checked the weather! After speaking to a couple of the locals in Chiang Mai, many of them recommended Ko Chang and Ko Kut for the 'Island Experience.' It's Day 3 on the islands and I'm really soaking it in. Day 1 was on White Sands Beach and that was enough. While the beach was nice, the strip was waay too commercial and touristy for me. If you like bars and nightlife then this may be for you, but definitely not for me. I just want to chill. :)

So here I am in Bung Bao now for day 2 and day 3 of my 'Island' experience. It's been great so far. Snorkeling in the private coves, lounging in a little fishernman's house right along the cliffs, hearing the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, walking through the small town, and eating fresh seafood! Mmmm *drool* Bee and I like it that much that we've decided to skip Ko Kut and staying in Ko Chang for the rest of our 'Island' experience. Instead of Island hopping, we will go beach hopping! =P So we have White Sands and Bung Bao covered and we will cover Klong Prao next! 9-10 days on one island seems like a lot of time but we already have our days packed with beaching, scuba diving, snorking, jungle-trekking, and maybe even Yoga. Bring it on and I'll keep you posted ;)



P.S. Thanks B for encouraging me to write!

P.S.S. I really like A's sarong....if A doesn't comment, that means I can have it =P Now I just have to convince B to give me first dibs ;) Farewell gift anyone? haha

Tremors, Elephants, and Insects!

Last night, we felt out first earthquake in Thailand! I was chatting with Bee and I noticed that the table and mirror were shaking in our room. When it didn't stop right away, I knew this was probably a tremor from an earthquake. Bee thought it was windy outside at first and then realized that it wasn't the wind ;) lol We both stepped outside of our room only to find a few of our other Habitat team members who also felt the same. Who would have thought there would be earthquakes in Thailand? Somehow everyone was "invited" to our room to research the earthquake (I guess my netbook came in handy) We found out that there was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Burma which is 250 km away from Chiang Mai. If you look at the picture above, you can tell that me and Bee were not expecting guests. We both had our laundry hanging on the window curtains. wonder what our team thought of the new decor althought we had a few questionable looks...I'm sure they were thinking "Those Asians!" lol ;)

So today, we went elephant trekking. It was soooo good. I'm usually nervous with animals but the elephants were so gentle. We randomly chose elephants out of a straw but somehow we all ended up with elephants similar to our traits. Bee got a very obedient elephant (61 years old). I got a foodie (55 years old) - my elephant wouldn't stop eating! She was a little stubborn and a bit hard to command but it's only because she wanted to keep eating. I still loved her! She was adorable and I was happy that I was able to stay on the elephant. I had a bit of trouble getting on her but I got the hang of it by the end of it.



Last but definitely not least, we went to a local Thai market. Believe it or not but I ate a deep fried caterpillar and a grub >< Never would I have even considered eating insects but let's just say opportunity presented itself and I didn't say no. The catepillar was deep fried and seasoned so it tasted a like a chip. The grub was pretty gross. After the first bit, I realized that there was no crunch. I could taste something oozing out and I immediately swallowed and flushed it down with water. At least I can say I tried these bugs (ewww) and check it off my list (though it was not on my list to begin with) but I probably would not eat them again.

Habitat Build Day 3!

Today wasn't any easier but still another awesome day! We started off with putting together a mortar mix which sticks the bricks together. The team started building the walls for both the outside and the inside of the house. We are about halfway done! Woot woot! Tomorrow will be a day off so that we can go elephant trekking and we will resume the rest of the wall-building on a Saturday. Yes, I will be working on a Saturday but with the amazing work that we're doing and me enjoying myself, it doesn't feel like work at all. That's the way it should be. Here are the before and after shots and the wall that me and Holly put up!

Second Day on the Build!

Wow, I'm so beat! It's only the 2nd day on the job but I'm exhausted right now. Today was definitely tougher in terms of physical activity than yesterday. Our task today was to mix the concrete and lay it out on the floor. Sound easy? Well, it's not - each concrete mix contained 10 buckets of sand, half a bag of concrete, 8 buckets of gravel, and 3 buckets of water.

The team made at least 20 batches of the mix...all by hand, no machines whatsoever! We had team members continuously shovel sand and and gravel into the buckets while others took turns mixing the concrete. Stirring the concrete mix was a lot more work than I expected. The mixture is very stiff and you definitely have to use all muscles of the body - back, legs, arms, etc. I am definitely going to be sore tomorrow! Bee and I wanted to go for a Thai massage today but we're even too tired to do that. Ended up doing a Thai cooking class instead...details to follow. :)

Here's some pics on what we accomplished today! We initially planned to be finished by 4 or 4:30 pm today....we started strong kept that energy and ended up finishing around 1:30 pm...just after lunch. I think that is a new record for the Habitat teams in Thailand. Go team! :)

Before the concrete mix was laid out on the floor


After the concrete mix was laid out on the floor

First Day on the Build!

The day has finally arrived. It was my first day on the build site! After waiting for months and wanted to do this volunteer work for years, I'm finally in Thailand with a team of 10 for Habitat for Humanity. So far, so good. We've all gotten along very well and I think we work well together. We started with a very hearty breakfast at the hotel. Bee and me both ordered the French Toast with Banana Syrup. It was deee-licious and definitely hit the spot.

Afterwards, we headed to the build site. Our main task today was to shovel all of the dirt inside the home-to-be so that we can level off the ground. We must have worked very efficiently because we ended up finishing early today at 2:30 pm. What does this mean? We get to head back to the hotel early and shower. Whoo hoo! =) We also met the family who we are building for - a single mom with 2 little boys aged 9 and 14. They seemed very nice and cooked lunch for us.

Here is the 'before' picture of the house that we are building. I'll keep you posted on on we progress :)

Finally in Chiang Mai!

After a long day of traveling, I am finally in Chiang Mai! Bee and I flew in at about 5:00 pm and caught an airport taxi to our hotel. 15 minutes after we check in, Bee and I get a knock at our door and it's our team lead Eloi! Dinner is in 5 minutes...can we make it? Of course we can! :)

We met the rest of our team and both ate some yummy Thai food. I took a picture of the Porpoise at the front of the restaurant. So some of you may be wondering about my blog name. I had created a blog on the fly at the Bangkok airport. I was going to name it 'Traveling with a Purpose' but my friend Bee thought I said 'Traveling with a Porpoise' so that's what it became. Here's the first porpoise on my trip. Funny how it was there to greet us at the restaurant as soon as we landed in Chiang Mai. Enjoy!

Random Fact: Chiang Mai means 'New City' in Thai

My first blog

My first blog! I am at the airport on my way to Chiang Mai for Habitat for Humanity I'm going to build a house for the next 2 weeks. Feeling good and excited but tired at the same time. Been up since 6:25 am (Brenda woke me up 5 minutes earlier...hey, every minute counts! ;) to catch our flight from Saigon to Bangkok. We're both waiting for about 4 hours until we can catch our next flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I hate waiting at the airports, but I know it comes with the traveling package so here I am...waiting...