Chang - The animal not the beer

This elephant gets walked around one of busy non-tourist restaurant strip. For 20B you buy a bag of sugar cane and feed the poor beast. This is the closest I have ever been to an elephant. It's nose is all snotty. I gave him I nice rub on the cheek when I was done, and he gave me a little trumpet.

Gayest. Pants. Ever!

This is why (amongst other reasons) I now call myself a flashpacker and not a backpacker. It is almost as if he wants people to laugh in his face. I mean I did!

Capable Minority

At least in Hong Kong they allow minorities to run business and acknowledge that they are capable people. Much better solution than sectioning them off into ghettos or jails, condemning to the drug trade or landscaping jobs.

Look Both Ways Before You Cross The Street - Pt 2

I posted a video a while back of the traffic in Hanoi. It really must be seen to be believed.
Shops set out little stools where you can sit on the side walk and drink your morning tea or coffee and have a smoke. In fact the sidewalks are little used for actual walking, but rather are used as large motorbike parking lot/cafe.
I filmed this video over my morning coffee (the thick black Vietnamese Style drip coffee) and last Kratak (Indonesian clove cigarette...the two btw are a match made in heaven...if you discount the 10x tar level)

Koh Samui - Mui Bungalows

I hate Koh Samui, hated it 8 years ago and hate it even more now. It is Khao San meets Pattaya (without the pedophilia, just prostitution); basically the only things I hate about Thailand.
That said we found this little piece of paradise on Baan Lamai Beach, called Mui Bungalows and it became the only reason to stay. We hit just before high season so we got a hut away from the beach with A/C, Sat TV and a fridge for 400 B. The night food market was nice too, but everything else sucked, especially the tailors constantly bothering you walking down the street.
A hint to those thinking about having clothes made in Samui. Don't! The quality is shit, and overpriced. Wait for Chiang Mai and do your research. Or better still Vietnam.

Prevent Diseased Rodent Nuisances

These signs appear in Hong Kong alley ways. Often these alleyways hide wonderful little noodle stalls, however I had difficulty finding any. The government has recently started a "Clean Up Hong Kong" campaign and it seems many of these noodle stalls were victims of the purge. That said it is also the lead up to the South East Asia Games which are scheduled for the 2nd week of December, so they will likely reappear after the games are over, which is when I will be back through HKG.

Sea Goddess Temple - Kowloon HKG

Sea Goddess Temple Gates

Kowloon Island - Hong Kong

These are the gates to the Sea Goddess temple in Hong Kong. I always pop into temples to the Sea Goddess after my first trip to Georgetown Malaysia.
For a long time now I have planned on getting a large world map based loosely on Lui Gang's 1418 world map. These temples are rich with references for this huge undertaking. The idea is that I would roughly sketch out the whole map, then fill in areas as I visit them.
While the temples in Hong Kong are very much more alive than those in Georgetown, they will not allow photos to be taken of the interiors. Many white tourists seem to totally ignore the signs warning against photos, I think these people are big douche bags, and are why many Asians hate white tourists. That and the whole colonial oppression and introduction to opium addiction thing.

Sea Dragon Relief Detail