tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74413186458678371512024-03-12T18:23:45.824-07:00Just popping out for milkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-45040928705096286922013-04-10T11:03:00.002-07:002013-04-10T11:03:32.244-07:00Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfhJGx1VifqBeFzLQE7Uw8mW3FsyyTlQld-wB8dJ7Am43S4v-GQ8-CQQww86bBvzTpTumTmDWhU5xyxVWZz2UrIYYum1disE54u-b-lAD0pUVxOoDxAqqqNXpS5T_qXXMmv8Hp8Q49rNN/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfhJGx1VifqBeFzLQE7Uw8mW3FsyyTlQld-wB8dJ7Am43S4v-GQ8-CQQww86bBvzTpTumTmDWhU5xyxVWZz2UrIYYum1disE54u-b-lAD0pUVxOoDxAqqqNXpS5T_qXXMmv8Hp8Q49rNN/s640/a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melbourne Safety (Melbourne)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC-XIG9jBh8G_MrU81VIg5R8kSrC_jZ2xA2GFbDX8tC1zawXqdbwJU6puEM-r2K9nvcbYwdejTAcaIFz5U_zd6dq1I2mLnGetBRMnKR5tchbJv6HjaZerz3d86VCSttGqOh3dh1DSu414/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC-XIG9jBh8G_MrU81VIg5R8kSrC_jZ2xA2GFbDX8tC1zawXqdbwJU6puEM-r2K9nvcbYwdejTAcaIFz5U_zd6dq1I2mLnGetBRMnKR5tchbJv6HjaZerz3d86VCSttGqOh3dh1DSu414/s640/b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bondi Beach (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCuS1sEMx-meyW5O8HPwJYZFwNN2LaFVNEfk2y2V2hikmyx2dMmNpYiCAK0PPecWGJfNnTv22rqzKRap7_hBFcNCEE-axlXsXPpGlGnyYp2D6GqJLyzjVbjkmqPBkO9LbvfZD92ZZDVpi/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCuS1sEMx-meyW5O8HPwJYZFwNN2LaFVNEfk2y2V2hikmyx2dMmNpYiCAK0PPecWGJfNnTv22rqzKRap7_hBFcNCEE-axlXsXPpGlGnyYp2D6GqJLyzjVbjkmqPBkO9LbvfZD92ZZDVpi/s640/c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baha'i Temple (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPC2r69uRJR28uAvAbH2Ltr5xUHT6Hq3aWYrBqFARHaxhc0LQIEbOChYEjs-TxT3hy_iBtK2h6WUrPXu8b4238FpT1hnNBemzhKZfMnOFkEO868KgDOEjeSb6xxQhyphenhyphenzisSBk4F0Fg_MDBK/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPC2r69uRJR28uAvAbH2Ltr5xUHT6Hq3aWYrBqFARHaxhc0LQIEbOChYEjs-TxT3hy_iBtK2h6WUrPXu8b4238FpT1hnNBemzhKZfMnOFkEO868KgDOEjeSb6xxQhyphenhyphenzisSBk4F0Fg_MDBK/s640/d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baha'ism (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUjR4fZbzLDUCUbqFVAA8SyJzbO5eqx4UAK2cJimEWcTaw5Jfl8WqPPs3xh05LXldrrDj2DKvrlpjk1homVgc0R2UR6vvN2ijdd0DDDliWmzLAD5JbRQL15xq3UpwBkIac9xgp9gjSx3L/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUjR4fZbzLDUCUbqFVAA8SyJzbO5eqx4UAK2cJimEWcTaw5Jfl8WqPPs3xh05LXldrrDj2DKvrlpjk1homVgc0R2UR6vvN2ijdd0DDDliWmzLAD5JbRQL15xq3UpwBkIac9xgp9gjSx3L/s640/e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramayana Show (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLHOhAzlnsW6kwVzaAY0jzwcyuriF_KIE73kOMLhVGBrLy1yvjYIWk2GtMnTbY5JWDqk5RHgo98RGp9zj7nyNv3dt0wrmIt2W1IaHAxCSb5CjGFqNfi0-ooez3h0tRwtOQoONL4xyRGqp/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLHOhAzlnsW6kwVzaAY0jzwcyuriF_KIE73kOMLhVGBrLy1yvjYIWk2GtMnTbY5JWDqk5RHgo98RGp9zj7nyNv3dt0wrmIt2W1IaHAxCSb5CjGFqNfi0-ooez3h0tRwtOQoONL4xyRGqp/s640/f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Beach aka Home & Away Beach (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRQYEhyphenhyphensyuv8YbHf4Oo0PSDOeepBZjh-8M7am93ZJbR5yE37So6ppiNWe7wE66PaS8iLIXnmEkfr7lPeZJGHET9km5UKa83GOaWnXmdBCyoE93FJMP_dVc7gg7uVGdi-XCb25Hk1Cxbyl/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRQYEhyphenhyphensyuv8YbHf4Oo0PSDOeepBZjh-8M7am93ZJbR5yE37So6ppiNWe7wE66PaS8iLIXnmEkfr7lPeZJGHET9km5UKa83GOaWnXmdBCyoE93FJMP_dVc7gg7uVGdi-XCb25Hk1Cxbyl/s640/g.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Price List (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CGnr2CtgcNkO4XgMoh-LTxquZr9D5K5kG8wGPG5-Hjh1Qelq3Iypdi6ntS16OFJ81vxLdGBAhn7KuiM8O5NbfAS37XAuKKcpv9PfykLlYRHeSP7Vqx-DOKGYKLV9bnUD4REg9zJJsD2v/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CGnr2CtgcNkO4XgMoh-LTxquZr9D5K5kG8wGPG5-Hjh1Qelq3Iypdi6ntS16OFJ81vxLdGBAhn7KuiM8O5NbfAS37XAuKKcpv9PfykLlYRHeSP7Vqx-DOKGYKLV9bnUD4REg9zJJsD2v/s640/i.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bingo Madness (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__67BPq6B513T-Wa1x7q51OsblAsdcVONhLTpBGH7z8Wn7f3J2P_Q7BaNicbdk2yFnXzI39oCjQDmVMJK4M1VivzAx5FJFKNjXR3EkbqbwfQX0ZZq4NkhVxUNf7R_mFVtuBSwxILGDyR-/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__67BPq6B513T-Wa1x7q51OsblAsdcVONhLTpBGH7z8Wn7f3J2P_Q7BaNicbdk2yFnXzI39oCjQDmVMJK4M1VivzAx5FJFKNjXR3EkbqbwfQX0ZZq4NkhVxUNf7R_mFVtuBSwxILGDyR-/s640/j.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Southbank (Melbourne)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UpnZvN7uM3PrrDsMcQ0C36Aa-vmj1LoUncYimLsmv_ioV-Z5IR_c4WRt4pSzxce8DbLG63eJcDiB726tIdrx4gxZ9JDSvf186uDPYyyf1L2gfyDwo4XRkSW7BECP94Y1dBPzxbQv2-vX/s1600/ja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UpnZvN7uM3PrrDsMcQ0C36Aa-vmj1LoUncYimLsmv_ioV-Z5IR_c4WRt4pSzxce8DbLG63eJcDiB726tIdrx4gxZ9JDSvf186uDPYyyf1L2gfyDwo4XRkSW7BECP94Y1dBPzxbQv2-vX/s640/ja.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just the One Fat Indian (Melbourne)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb0_tSomQ1B7zp2Ndxx8rxOJcw4ur194bstyg5VOgrZAjCLhQi8GorKjacEQbax0MCIvikxpbvb6jjwvROb22WpcMGi0mIXYeT8n3xnvKFBGd_w1HpwHXZTeU4Ti47KjEH4qDPCX9W-ZE/s1600/k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb0_tSomQ1B7zp2Ndxx8rxOJcw4ur194bstyg5VOgrZAjCLhQi8GorKjacEQbax0MCIvikxpbvb6jjwvROb22WpcMGi0mIXYeT8n3xnvKFBGd_w1HpwHXZTeU4Ti47KjEH4qDPCX9W-ZE/s640/k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anish Kapoor Exhibition (Sydney)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC-Lpu_kXnUxWKPaaMs-_xTSiWwEugPT3M5i7NMZJ8u-xh-4r5jPPCGZHRVwjFUQIiLgR8TRTiBJOwJkzajLfR7qe6BObtt2v81cGTu0CV39BblDpF3QGajK5BqfPKppYupD_rYU07AAP/s1600/m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC-Lpu_kXnUxWKPaaMs-_xTSiWwEugPT3M5i7NMZJ8u-xh-4r5jPPCGZHRVwjFUQIiLgR8TRTiBJOwJkzajLfR7qe6BObtt2v81cGTu0CV39BblDpF3QGajK5BqfPKppYupD_rYU07AAP/s640/m.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anish Kapoor Exhibition (Sydney)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvYBySC1Qxj2joSOO1ymZudrWzlq3bA0PlgdQ6aaxyNG5bsInv-rWqc4Gfp2cpzbvgxrxodOEETdSyOE4BWGLBqGXmIXUeOYmHeope71OezPSwYLmPEYOExE7FEdURwVIV1LRLrprpJet/s1600/n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvYBySC1Qxj2joSOO1ymZudrWzlq3bA0PlgdQ6aaxyNG5bsInv-rWqc4Gfp2cpzbvgxrxodOEETdSyOE4BWGLBqGXmIXUeOYmHeope71OezPSwYLmPEYOExE7FEdURwVIV1LRLrprpJet/s640/n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone Cares (Sydney)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuAPEr0UFrot07o6N7He_kq8bEc9lpzGvwwQ3ud0yuX8t8Tgz8vrOm0bsKsYN2SA_-DS1m4OiM2ZJfWYSerFJ721scqaBbcBMws4GFwyqN3uq75q1AerzrFf6m7qAtaImvxGRi3CW-qUK/s1600/o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuAPEr0UFrot07o6N7He_kq8bEc9lpzGvwwQ3ud0yuX8t8Tgz8vrOm0bsKsYN2SA_-DS1m4OiM2ZJfWYSerFJ721scqaBbcBMws4GFwyqN3uq75q1AerzrFf6m7qAtaImvxGRi3CW-qUK/s640/o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racist Washing Detergent (Sydney)</td></tr>
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We didn't expect it but our first impression of Australia was set by seeing a topless man strolling the streets of Melbourne at 8am with a beer in his hand. Unfortunately this was the first and only time we had such beautiful visions of Australian masculinity.</div>
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In spite of this rare spotting Melbourne was great. Streets were lined with cafes, yummy looking food that we couldn't afford, a really nice river front and great hospitality from our hosts. We caught up with some friends, lounged on bean bags by the river and Diana enjoyed a constant high from all the amazing coffee. We stayed for a couple of nights and then caught a flight to Sydney.</div>
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In Sydney Abs' family hosted us for 2 weeks. We were pampered, ate way too much and did all the touristy stuff like Bondi Beach, the Sydney Opera House and Darling Harbour. But our highlight was without any doubt going to Bingo with Abs' grandmother where Diana emerged victorious amongst the other grandmas and triumphantly walked out with 25 dollars in supermarket vouchers. Great Success!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-80703168534174937452013-04-10T10:37:00.007-07:002013-04-10T10:37:28.812-07:00Malaysia Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacl0OdRKx-Im-JXojO9xhIf0s-z1St4f9LG-uDiR2XTxYlX3Fy_zcmH-bbLrerZ_4AdDPb19g54oZbJLfi9UT_ufHg5tBu26OJ4uMPiIE72ohtWlV8h1ApdNZvUcbxzRkHLuT0RIR5QwK/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacl0OdRKx-Im-JXojO9xhIf0s-z1St4f9LG-uDiR2XTxYlX3Fy_zcmH-bbLrerZ_4AdDPb19g54oZbJLfi9UT_ufHg5tBu26OJ4uMPiIE72ohtWlV8h1ApdNZvUcbxzRkHLuT0RIR5QwK/s640/l.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orangutangri (Borneo)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA5kt-1ezcodtYM0zBHYz6UAg4LKIgfaKnLPzueSouPJvgxLlDXiko7gtqHnQ8LngAWPLkEqSf7s1dWAGWfDmf2dgJ5dYsqLwNu3_bB4tiQJjqqT-2nYARg3J8CzhsIHhcbXoSIscoDrC/s1600/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA5kt-1ezcodtYM0zBHYz6UAg4LKIgfaKnLPzueSouPJvgxLlDXiko7gtqHnQ8LngAWPLkEqSf7s1dWAGWfDmf2dgJ5dYsqLwNu3_bB4tiQJjqqT-2nYARg3J8CzhsIHhcbXoSIscoDrC/s640/p.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orangutangri (Borneo)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMJPK39vGGHqudEnXhfY1Cn8nLjZPEGkjvKjqRGWVY6_d8aD0s6MmXH5lVQ4jGsFubbqPR7du0de7RaH-AGIS0D01XyvalaGJPHc7pXgOTz9v6WED3HQ2h_jYuWS140sKScTzX9gpVN33/s1600/r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMJPK39vGGHqudEnXhfY1Cn8nLjZPEGkjvKjqRGWVY6_d8aD0s6MmXH5lVQ4jGsFubbqPR7du0de7RaH-AGIS0D01XyvalaGJPHc7pXgOTz9v6WED3HQ2h_jYuWS140sKScTzX9gpVN33/s640/r.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orangutangri (Borneo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLMqCesEBfINv0-6UsVcw6v71ghyphenhyphenCGsJ5MmFJ_t8duRQTjcXAPxtKfLddYU1aw2aEHaod5n3ZGIi924NLE8kDQI4dnZhGjA3T9So6HmRt0RaFIVjiE9RN6c_Iu-2sPG-t7bBTSemzTOk4/s1600/s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLMqCesEBfINv0-6UsVcw6v71ghyphenhyphenCGsJ5MmFJ_t8duRQTjcXAPxtKfLddYU1aw2aEHaod5n3ZGIi924NLE8kDQI4dnZhGjA3T9So6HmRt0RaFIVjiE9RN6c_Iu-2sPG-t7bBTSemzTOk4/s640/s.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orangutangri (Borneo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9akbqlLkp42d4ydAQHurihwO8yByB59lEBKkef1FHuI18MOl5Cx8-PH42hdW500Wl8wSUqetAq_bNmkYAe7LzDVN2fBqtaKh58qQH9uiehP3uCzZ2bs3eJL9pE4y4BXRGu84iPHaFERMN/s1600/u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9akbqlLkp42d4ydAQHurihwO8yByB59lEBKkef1FHuI18MOl5Cx8-PH42hdW500Wl8wSUqetAq_bNmkYAe7LzDVN2fBqtaKh58qQH9uiehP3uCzZ2bs3eJL9pE4y4BXRGu84iPHaFERMN/s640/u.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riverside Promenade (Kuching)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipXrgM5hVDafyaTspBsTHNvC3Ql81J29am4vS0NGxfLus99t0wy5tDoYXadGvz7LOrSp4ZfwwDpZpy-Ck0xh1esVkD5fWtCn1yhmje96M1m6vdIBfeZ_em3wHT4bOegnahqJpLNQkPAi5/s1600/y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipXrgM5hVDafyaTspBsTHNvC3Ql81J29am4vS0NGxfLus99t0wy5tDoYXadGvz7LOrSp4ZfwwDpZpy-Ck0xh1esVkD5fWtCn1yhmje96M1m6vdIBfeZ_em3wHT4bOegnahqJpLNQkPAi5/s640/y.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling the Car with Petrol Acquired from this Half-Naked Guy (Borneo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvMpGoxrtP0l3Z3gk_amRx9u1fWUe13KuZVTwBXYXYpU5fUfrXyM-exxHcvEZ9gr0an-tBSnThnf3xyOBWwPUnTt2rhf6fsUKrxCj0tCRdGLqjzaJRD2V0Ush5yAyyQdEmwY2r7lmfwDN/s1600/z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvMpGoxrtP0l3Z3gk_amRx9u1fWUe13KuZVTwBXYXYpU5fUfrXyM-exxHcvEZ9gr0an-tBSnThnf3xyOBWwPUnTt2rhf6fsUKrxCj0tCRdGLqjzaJRD2V0Ush5yAyyQdEmwY2r7lmfwDN/s640/z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot Springs (Borneo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AcKtSfnpl2NnjHLazX1K7Kr7P2u5UdTlc16Ds1knB0JlnHV8WRi64LTtiDdbxaDRQbdT7MyB-lO6_UR6ndb-wUe48YafFFwfN8BVA3NMAkGkuxilbollDBge3_UVOhlbZ7EpZvvSw3Hc/s1600/za.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AcKtSfnpl2NnjHLazX1K7Kr7P2u5UdTlc16Ds1knB0JlnHV8WRi64LTtiDdbxaDRQbdT7MyB-lO6_UR6ndb-wUe48YafFFwfN8BVA3NMAkGkuxilbollDBge3_UVOhlbZ7EpZvvSw3Hc/s640/za.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs Wading in the River (Borneo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR34d6kSlwovOrmsvWk0WL7-sWVn2EgI513xK6bK8amDvKTX8iHZY-eNkLoWmUvJv9D24WYz_i44DE6P5-jI6VTQqT7TyvvUTV230mF5lbpvcLEh1a5PurV_96SiR3ezpzBWEfj1KRQsJ1/s1600/zc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR34d6kSlwovOrmsvWk0WL7-sWVn2EgI513xK6bK8amDvKTX8iHZY-eNkLoWmUvJv9D24WYz_i44DE6P5-jI6VTQqT7TyvvUTV230mF5lbpvcLEh1a5PurV_96SiR3ezpzBWEfj1KRQsJ1/s640/zc.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarawak vs Sabah Football Match (Kuching)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisft7heTsyPwwNhaymZrKFH61bs2hY-BdMaWBl7qH51e8-TBOwqv0x0ICdMsDH_Q8z7saUUMCRuhAFr9GaId6s6zrpfpn1Ol50_PDWMRb3r2pVYpGPZRm0JegZWAaU8iG5dud4h4K4nRO4/s1600/zd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisft7heTsyPwwNhaymZrKFH61bs2hY-BdMaWBl7qH51e8-TBOwqv0x0ICdMsDH_Q8z7saUUMCRuhAFr9GaId6s6zrpfpn1Ol50_PDWMRb3r2pVYpGPZRm0JegZWAaU8iG5dud4h4K4nRO4/s640/zd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sarawak vs Sabah Football Match (Kuching)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPQ9WdjQXDf9IWLQvMMhjxxDi5uPD_Xy_p4lVIPlJXe2AuFv_jGSQUZOUnZnwt6gvvPT393d54KwG284h0GFy9zErslIoUB-52K_-c62SymRkwk2Jij-aqqS8W99S1fABFCE9wnY8Pj8M/s1600/zf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPQ9WdjQXDf9IWLQvMMhjxxDi5uPD_Xy_p4lVIPlJXe2AuFv_jGSQUZOUnZnwt6gvvPT393d54KwG284h0GFy9zErslIoUB-52K_-c62SymRkwk2Jij-aqqS8W99S1fABFCE9wnY8Pj8M/s640/zf.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Bus Tour (Kuala Lumpur)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We were back to Malaysia, this
time to Kuching in Borneo. With 5 days to explore the city and surrounding
scenic parks we took it easy and split our time between seeing the orang-utans,
crossing the river by passenger dinghy to sample a local food market, driving
several hours to hot springs in the mountains and watching a local football
derby, Sarawak vs Sabah.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
All in all we liked Kuching,
but our final destination awaited and so we headed back to Kuala Lumpur to
catch the low-cost, no frills, no food, no passenger TV, 8 hour flight to
Melbourne, Australia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-22230943690638135382013-04-10T10:30:00.000-07:002013-04-10T10:30:05.805-07:00Indonesia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlt8IWUkerDJ2C1iqJipPspYBtWGwfzMSRY1J5cV5UxabaeirvRvZbLEHj4n5sumXSBfq484LNlu3S2PfuMSORCKojmT744n2x3KTFNk8lhXsEXvPRbZJ7zbTQEyiq9_czG-MhTsqISNK/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlt8IWUkerDJ2C1iqJipPspYBtWGwfzMSRY1J5cV5UxabaeirvRvZbLEHj4n5sumXSBfq484LNlu3S2PfuMSORCKojmT744n2x3KTFNk8lhXsEXvPRbZJ7zbTQEyiq9_czG-MhTsqISNK/s640/a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borobudur (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyTK1QvmRZgG6gkpOm5vPq77C8YqPrVr-y98PCryb01J10PJX_aXxO4ZvPIPO_92HRZw-6fTLQen5n2c22IIAQndvI84ubxpX9af9q1PiQ5Y2N504RhjrIGbDJMh9U6YedWVSgdzbfTGy/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyTK1QvmRZgG6gkpOm5vPq77C8YqPrVr-y98PCryb01J10PJX_aXxO4ZvPIPO_92HRZw-6fTLQen5n2c22IIAQndvI84ubxpX9af9q1PiQ5Y2N504RhjrIGbDJMh9U6YedWVSgdzbfTGy/s640/b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buda Looking Out Into The Horizon (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvHLuveLs5agNGM9U8LYmsPLiC0xnoa-wJyfQIR5xYo7URgugtxFvC0gIlEQsqYGHewkpl1l6uP49OIRhSTeZwMoM3tz5myBlbbIJvLO844H-oM2gkNCpvLg0etnTMeENp9293tl7m93F/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvHLuveLs5agNGM9U8LYmsPLiC0xnoa-wJyfQIR5xYo7URgugtxFvC0gIlEQsqYGHewkpl1l6uP49OIRhSTeZwMoM3tz5myBlbbIJvLO844H-oM2gkNCpvLg0etnTMeENp9293tl7m93F/s640/e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut Man (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9g-36ZCgE4e8Sn1uGvl6YS8uK2dmmsjXPfIsy54uPseEotJTMr_KL0RtRDIWGSTIbILr_dGA5_arms_r-YFQT7wSiSzjImNLLAxPnwbSCkKa2qTCn4grttJwXQd80HKxu9dL5hlOeR3rM/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9g-36ZCgE4e8Sn1uGvl6YS8uK2dmmsjXPfIsy54uPseEotJTMr_KL0RtRDIWGSTIbILr_dGA5_arms_r-YFQT7wSiSzjImNLLAxPnwbSCkKa2qTCn4grttJwXQd80HKxu9dL5hlOeR3rM/s640/h.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the Next Client (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ieTUQcYhTfeAEGTNxWTvyP5KoKJAeHdNGtep96vaz4vxAAjHx_mEyoI5GbAq5-6XwjJpPB-F-AL7sVtftRFYpuRy3wvJScfyFXONd584KGtrTGBv2UUQCxwr2VgeqoL3gdIl3Gcf1s7R/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ieTUQcYhTfeAEGTNxWTvyP5KoKJAeHdNGtep96vaz4vxAAjHx_mEyoI5GbAq5-6XwjJpPB-F-AL7sVtftRFYpuRy3wvJScfyFXONd584KGtrTGBv2UUQCxwr2VgeqoL3gdIl3Gcf1s7R/s640/j.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rickshaw Parking (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxj3HNrJBctxhLwgNg02CJ96rc_MbokpQA4KrU_CDBR9nCePmut6uFpygCpSrbZVqvBydG4jUWvtiBnxR-wGZdTYlmffIvnSzwLymHuOqJQ110dtaO9bLwBFz0dwPZ6o4F-kU-CeoNPP28/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxj3HNrJBctxhLwgNg02CJ96rc_MbokpQA4KrU_CDBR9nCePmut6uFpygCpSrbZVqvBydG4jUWvtiBnxR-wGZdTYlmffIvnSzwLymHuOqJQ110dtaO9bLwBFz0dwPZ6o4F-kU-CeoNPP28/s640/l.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keepers of the Palace (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8kBYWN9HAPUnWvfF5Hc7yBIrMhxfR1DFRe2IL6xpA4GchtqSmlbE0Lfy_68EHVox8h_GAQ4mtlfuv279LDjy_BbeTY7l5LO04WscFrTw4NZUCjOi8VKOjQHG-K6PUnac9KMCsHCecV8B/s1600/m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8kBYWN9HAPUnWvfF5Hc7yBIrMhxfR1DFRe2IL6xpA4GchtqSmlbE0Lfy_68EHVox8h_GAQ4mtlfuv279LDjy_BbeTY7l5LO04WscFrTw4NZUCjOi8VKOjQHG-K6PUnac9KMCsHCecV8B/s640/m.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Market (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rQ-ZUT2KllR1QSX39YJVk1Y-eHhgg5F3n_6IITpyikZ-BUoZHI_jC0Ef0ZfTNxBwwnUW7NYG6p0Ha7OuuOeRuhFQyoGpppr6UtYzu7YUX7F9ZiJYeMtMoFzVIIxjW2vzvf9txz-FkiKg/s1600/ma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rQ-ZUT2KllR1QSX39YJVk1Y-eHhgg5F3n_6IITpyikZ-BUoZHI_jC0Ef0ZfTNxBwwnUW7NYG6p0Ha7OuuOeRuhFQyoGpppr6UtYzu7YUX7F9ZiJYeMtMoFzVIIxjW2vzvf9txz-FkiKg/s640/ma.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Lover of Beautiful Hair (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJw_Edw-dEVLRdQbakhrvaG48GRbVu39NNq6dVANB73nd9GbUmYi8H3oVEtLYGN_kAdPH9qNx6vIbD-ISF846C1Xhym1ytcvA42ZPo7DrVVCY3tR5UTLmlb3sMwqKRfi3u2m1goNpscFA/s1600/r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJw_Edw-dEVLRdQbakhrvaG48GRbVu39NNq6dVANB73nd9GbUmYi8H3oVEtLYGN_kAdPH9qNx6vIbD-ISF846C1Xhym1ytcvA42ZPo7DrVVCY3tR5UTLmlb3sMwqKRfi3u2m1goNpscFA/s640/r.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping Seems to be a Trend in this Town (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTf3nxnsPf5vRZcLjW3A2Es_0twn-vThjubrzEh4nYlTusHbDCh3FdK5LtRciK50IngeTuYDEiyz0pTMMuL5GREIwAI9Rs4Q-3PmT0A_fqHg0xrVIqgZvlTnWm9Lnxit5BZCeMgoYxDqjJ/s1600/t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTf3nxnsPf5vRZcLjW3A2Es_0twn-vThjubrzEh4nYlTusHbDCh3FdK5LtRciK50IngeTuYDEiyz0pTMMuL5GREIwAI9Rs4Q-3PmT0A_fqHg0xrVIqgZvlTnWm9Lnxit5BZCeMgoYxDqjJ/s640/t.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried fishies (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VPUjjfsh7WTobdQNtoD2wAaTOcZ7fDQt-siUP0IymCrGRcAd9Y2gGygkkZkB1StfTtLspUZHnpDajklQQDepb34VSDYNiucGoD0QCFFn11bO1_fNjX-dH2jGG166pfuXYBFOiai3wSdl/s1600/u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VPUjjfsh7WTobdQNtoD2wAaTOcZ7fDQt-siUP0IymCrGRcAd9Y2gGygkkZkB1StfTtLspUZHnpDajklQQDepb34VSDYNiucGoD0QCFFn11bO1_fNjX-dH2jGG166pfuXYBFOiai3wSdl/s640/u.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onions that are the same size as garlics (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA828CMC8cfJltzA6Xz3LAUCQCfkpRGyev55VYJnnKyStRu7fv4lY_Ik6WmpQqbQ4Y92C7FDJXtQR8AerFTNdV5GhfBxCDd8-p6wfc-Hw0y8eRpFYIowTUEnQVwG74hUNLedPFIsDalZo/s1600/w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA828CMC8cfJltzA6Xz3LAUCQCfkpRGyev55VYJnnKyStRu7fv4lY_Ik6WmpQqbQ4Y92C7FDJXtQR8AerFTNdV5GhfBxCDd8-p6wfc-Hw0y8eRpFYIowTUEnQVwG74hUNLedPFIsDalZo/s640/w.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome Street Art (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv6zmF9INFoUkBUfpkLxKlsmeR4FA2mqFrOJj48CEfp0thkK45YS2ZBQvbcZu2jDPzS3U-GihifKGZXzpPYm6XuyS3Xxd0OKY6lo5qanwT5AGnaJVomzImf8sFQzMwdBdCxsoJP9GonU4/s1600/y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv6zmF9INFoUkBUfpkLxKlsmeR4FA2mqFrOJj48CEfp0thkK45YS2ZBQvbcZu2jDPzS3U-GihifKGZXzpPYm6XuyS3Xxd0OKY6lo5qanwT5AGnaJVomzImf8sFQzMwdBdCxsoJP9GonU4/s640/y.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't Understand What It Says But It Looks Cool (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJjuBpWWLMuRNxyv8QuAX_KSyg4CxRpNp4fj3WSOVQFEBWl6-XRQG1dqXkdAH8T_vFe7s7MVszlGKrpTOKbX4QthUX2u6JrhgO0lrPhSPUZZnVd8AogY-vS81kyZWExtXSJqkvW4C5qFy/s1600/z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJjuBpWWLMuRNxyv8QuAX_KSyg4CxRpNp4fj3WSOVQFEBWl6-XRQG1dqXkdAH8T_vFe7s7MVszlGKrpTOKbX4QthUX2u6JrhgO0lrPhSPUZZnVd8AogY-vS81kyZWExtXSJqkvW4C5qFy/s640/z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtMmJmX7n9uvIbiMsd9oZ_FH4FzYCDEF3mqIwBcswjL4eUcW3nCnc5lZB41Y6UgvAsH22aPGPogx7LwrD0yRjwCjMed3kY5ZbPcnT5-4SqPShvV90kebsYMYFbgCHimpk6Iw923-2Tejs/s1600/zb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtMmJmX7n9uvIbiMsd9oZ_FH4FzYCDEF3mqIwBcswjL4eUcW3nCnc5lZB41Y6UgvAsH22aPGPogx7LwrD0yRjwCjMed3kY5ZbPcnT5-4SqPShvV90kebsYMYFbgCHimpk6Iw923-2Tejs/s640/zb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Lookalike (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp1KDYL18LyttflDnz6bazO9aknZcHYS51-3Fb_GdQG_zXQCG7qWpFfDLKMttNPqbyPPuPdat96kkF-yOEN9pOMaLYSbl4K_cqqf0etxFrqyGLkMbdv2URyZEZtDpsBQZ9n8WzyVIZjsq/s1600/zc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp1KDYL18LyttflDnz6bazO9aknZcHYS51-3Fb_GdQG_zXQCG7qWpFfDLKMttNPqbyPPuPdat96kkF-yOEN9pOMaLYSbl4K_cqqf0etxFrqyGLkMbdv2URyZEZtDpsBQZ9n8WzyVIZjsq/s640/zc.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indonesian Dance at the Kraton (Yogyakarta)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BMwK3xAEf8hiuC0x4PA3YeK8xzMSIhfjiSPiaCz0q804jsnYxIvssDIkvIprcGaHBaQJ0Zg3oOHzK4UZT1tHEtADTFzfmKUs9EgAhoNYoLgZhEZjpRXksbt4OvFV7UOAFKx8dKChqgx4/s1600/ze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BMwK3xAEf8hiuC0x4PA3YeK8xzMSIhfjiSPiaCz0q804jsnYxIvssDIkvIprcGaHBaQJ0Zg3oOHzK4UZT1tHEtADTFzfmKUs9EgAhoNYoLgZhEZjpRXksbt4OvFV7UOAFKx8dKChqgx4/s640/ze.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice Terraces (Bali)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0wbzW0DoqpgI1HQJu5qveOhkmz4zOzPi0rjuga52RMEijHvu_32Vywswm-0CWmm_p2sZTCd-1Yk-FoiNCQTfQli19c_rVENPjeXavcpYIDPajeTE438amQ-e_g55u7U1VoEfTifa46ui/s1600/zh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0wbzW0DoqpgI1HQJu5qveOhkmz4zOzPi0rjuga52RMEijHvu_32Vywswm-0CWmm_p2sZTCd-1Yk-FoiNCQTfQli19c_rVENPjeXavcpYIDPajeTE438amQ-e_g55u7U1VoEfTifa46ui/s640/zh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water Palace (Bali)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWE8U80VEvIYeyip4Gntm4tS0-SpLoiZMA6E4ay1naUVVlImIu06i7l5IH2x53kntajXQBR-xWKfyhceU28wY_87AF-lf-dnhOV8xjlF7Wstd__K8pckgCHTaA4nHiiqAxjDQOhU6C8ZE/s1600/zi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWE8U80VEvIYeyip4Gntm4tS0-SpLoiZMA6E4ay1naUVVlImIu06i7l5IH2x53kntajXQBR-xWKfyhceU28wY_87AF-lf-dnhOV8xjlF7Wstd__K8pckgCHTaA4nHiiqAxjDQOhU6C8ZE/s640/zi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seaweed Farming (Bali)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2uLmP9Pwx7Fb0ap4puPtC_R4qplRlr01umQuHY6KCGfQeIpmNukiYR_LuDphaKOGogB8N2O1ft_aw2K5F5e3X6TqUc-DiOFyw8wOGotWlFzUZ5eXVhF5zWY9WTuMqLAx20r70h0GZda9/s1600/zj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2uLmP9Pwx7Fb0ap4puPtC_R4qplRlr01umQuHY6KCGfQeIpmNukiYR_LuDphaKOGogB8N2O1ft_aw2K5F5e3X6TqUc-DiOFyw8wOGotWlFzUZ5eXVhF5zWY9WTuMqLAx20r70h0GZda9/s640/zj.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Kids (Bali)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jakarta airport was to be the friendliest and most disorganised airport of our entire trip. Between navigating the arrivals area to find the exit, waiting for the sporadic airport bus to the domestic terminal, and getting ushered through "no entry" areas to board the plane, it took us the whole 4 hours of our layover to get on to our plane to Yogyakarta.</div>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yogyakarta was everything it promised to be. A cool, laid back city with cheap delicious food, great street art, Javanese culture and amazing cafes. And after our mini holiday in Thailand we felt it only right to try and see as much as possible. Which meant waking up at 4am to see the sunrise over the Borobudor Temple. Whilst the temple was by no means unimpressive it was the views from the top that gave meaning to our early rise. The backdrop of a never ending jungle covered in mist and the sun rising steadily behind was jaw dropping and made us realize how much we love the early morning and how we love our beds even more.</div>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We spent the rest of our time exploring the city, rummaging around the markets, searching for delicious Indonesian food and buying pretty batiks. We even found time to do an Indonesian cooking class and learn how to make our favourite Indonesian food - gado gado. But after a week in this city, during which we were literally walking knee-deep in water through the streets to get back to our hostel in the middle of the daily monsoon storm, we decided it was time to move on.</div>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And with so many islands to choose from we decided on the easiest. Bali was where we met our friend from Portugal. The empty, sandy beaches and turquoise calm waters that had filled our dreams were nowhere to be found but in their place we found centuries of beautiful Balinese architecture, hundreds of temples and some of the nicest people we had come across on our trip. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We rented a car in an attempt to go beyond the tourist trail and as expected we got lost. Driving through villages nestled in the middle of rice fields and with no tourists in sight we saw temples on every corner, small offerings of rice and flowers in front of every door, kids showering under waterfalls and maidens bathing in rivers. Getting lost was the best that could have happened to us even if the 30 minute journey transformed into 3 hours driving through torrential rain on curvy mountain roads. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Ahmed, on the Eastern coast of Bali, we snorkelled a sunken Japanese warship covered in coral, waited for the rain to stop and experienced the eeriness of a resort town in low season. We left after a couple of days and made our way through the mountains and temples once again and, after a small side trip for some more snorkelling, we went back to the south for a night's sleep and an early rise for a flight to Borneo in Malaysia.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-8476347062860269512013-04-10T09:58:00.000-07:002013-04-10T09:58:40.717-07:00Thailand Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-yc1CsLIh_TQYN01zRq4RqwXJkFtW4z0-aHRPVR5tXdi28kuWFCSp40mFnhVuBw-xNBxCdfVa60CydPsElFLbbxKQXP2tt-VUgypN8O8Y-XG4jBpsvI-kJjqT3pfqWUQcdxhF1VDag79/s1600/v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-yc1CsLIh_TQYN01zRq4RqwXJkFtW4z0-aHRPVR5tXdi28kuWFCSp40mFnhVuBw-xNBxCdfVa60CydPsElFLbbxKQXP2tt-VUgypN8O8Y-XG4jBpsvI-kJjqT3pfqWUQcdxhF1VDag79/s640/v.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Phuket Villa</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6cMbqjGjwZUVsGN5W4RXPAZ5yl6IPR4Qk7VgNN9QOykbIKcFL0bsM-VZdbzjHy82GOx9TBtKYpRUeUzpFrnNox48rq19ymAso89Djq27P-5KcytTZ0R6OHJ73L6cRg97LLA1rgb5n7Cn/s1600/w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6cMbqjGjwZUVsGN5W4RXPAZ5yl6IPR4Qk7VgNN9QOykbIKcFL0bsM-VZdbzjHy82GOx9TBtKYpRUeUzpFrnNox48rq19ymAso89Djq27P-5KcytTZ0R6OHJ73L6cRg97LLA1rgb5n7Cn/s640/w.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach at Phuket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VzabjhqFUF-4nm7jpEejs6Tbg6HJmRM65kExhdtCA9kA7iZC5OHr4DGzUT-N8XJnIpFLbVqGYWso4_tnwjz6JRKUbYJPg-oFjd5M0gSMp0SUSXXgnypdruaJflaFdDmL4VpkdAciXSsq/s1600/x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VzabjhqFUF-4nm7jpEejs6Tbg6HJmRM65kExhdtCA9kA7iZC5OHr4DGzUT-N8XJnIpFLbVqGYWso4_tnwjz6JRKUbYJPg-oFjd5M0gSMp0SUSXXgnypdruaJflaFdDmL4VpkdAciXSsq/s640/x.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant Bathing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJdZaWB6QdpqrLvVVBzg5twPI21qswxGn5eXZJuFUrXNolvoEdQ_GI7lYbJojAO1m3ayVprmz4qyijWbEp7tuZULvl_voyvTCws1GPiNkcrfjUMgJUkC0yQ4zpOuIC9YW31edbGIcympu/s1600/y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJdZaWB6QdpqrLvVVBzg5twPI21qswxGn5eXZJuFUrXNolvoEdQ_GI7lYbJojAO1m3ayVprmz4qyijWbEp7tuZULvl_voyvTCws1GPiNkcrfjUMgJUkC0yQ4zpOuIC9YW31edbGIcympu/s640/y.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voodoo Dolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj3HL25-JkqThwEzCx-a5zJtFOhPaVQ68q7LfcG0K3iV1WPPbMoQqDQtNG12aBBTF-m_cBT_wVs_Mg7fsi4RSDX_XpAaBR6cfQX9x1VFlpQSIJUf5LFnndHjiU67ZP5I3j5zGu-BjTFLZ/s1600/z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj3HL25-JkqThwEzCx-a5zJtFOhPaVQ68q7LfcG0K3iV1WPPbMoQqDQtNG12aBBTF-m_cBT_wVs_Mg7fsi4RSDX_XpAaBR6cfQX9x1VFlpQSIJUf5LFnndHjiU67ZP5I3j5zGu-BjTFLZ/s640/z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsunami Evacuation Sign</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuN9Bo3KEkA0xccIIgN3KzXK6NejSn8m44F_1XJf5Mu0FdlWZhlsmbw2JiihddhpmOC9EyimmQctCY8rsB5ZTQAsYs7NFGw3MsyPH-KaMztvsjhLRFdZSw10wfPteNUzHmtvumvV5M1u5/s1600/za.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuN9Bo3KEkA0xccIIgN3KzXK6NejSn8m44F_1XJf5Mu0FdlWZhlsmbw2JiihddhpmOC9EyimmQctCY8rsB5ZTQAsYs7NFGw3MsyPH-KaMztvsjhLRFdZSw10wfPteNUzHmtvumvV5M1u5/s640/za.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Hair Silhouette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEfodq4rRQpzK1Xky4BqXPzotMF3uYUgIBFYlcPkKSrE92tia6SeIFDL7ZMq112ueLwtyxhz-Rx8upOnCBOt0M_YdBjDqL24eM2Bn0ap_7WnGc3N6fv9dOe8dy0Yc_At9rh7XMMNf2cw0/s1600/zb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEfodq4rRQpzK1Xky4BqXPzotMF3uYUgIBFYlcPkKSrE92tia6SeIFDL7ZMq112ueLwtyxhz-Rx8upOnCBOt0M_YdBjDqL24eM2Bn0ap_7WnGc3N6fv9dOe8dy0Yc_At9rh7XMMNf2cw0/s640/zb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to Ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We couldn't wait to get back
to Thailand after the visa run to Malaysia & Singapore. As before we loved
Bangkok, especially the Thailand vs Kuwait Football game, and hung around for a week before heading down to the warm waters of
Phuket with Diana’s parents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Taking advantage of airbnb.com
again we rented a private villa and car for a week and spent time exploring the
island and its beaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
A short trip to Koh Lanta was
our final stop in the country and allowed us some time to scuba dive and learn
how to ride a scooter, the latter affording us the opportunity to really find
some off the beaten track beaches, which were beautiful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
In true cheap style we decided
on the 2-bus-1-train-24-hour-option over the slightly more expensive 1 hour
flight from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur. From here we caught a flight down to postcard-picture
Bali near the southern tips of Indonesia.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-6645892490070786292013-04-10T09:55:00.002-07:002013-04-10T09:55:42.280-07:00Singapore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGQLZd5ftwUJnR3-maDMGg1p0Bm6euXWZHP0JH_mcX9Y4meaNELpDecFOLbRL1US8WYrqGKsFb-TuoQzX5jbbMo29ddWnTzI3RQHq0WQCw_6embU8TaHH78Sic1Qibup3rhXSP5b19L-L/s1600/DSC_0659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGQLZd5ftwUJnR3-maDMGg1p0Bm6euXWZHP0JH_mcX9Y4meaNELpDecFOLbRL1US8WYrqGKsFb-TuoQzX5jbbMo29ddWnTzI3RQHq0WQCw_6embU8TaHH78Sic1Qibup3rhXSP5b19L-L/s640/DSC_0659.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airport Toilets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZJdeIpfGTaTK5l1GRuqS_ym94JVmJAfKzN7cf9RVxvXe7mqIOFRIG53T28baSuQlCagtKV2uHjcumoL0tfhRSTntIBM5tkUvU5rQ6U1jucinCPuBVlIfVCEH0YNMMdKprDheFi6RAGem/s1600/a-Jew+Ear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZJdeIpfGTaTK5l1GRuqS_ym94JVmJAfKzN7cf9RVxvXe7mqIOFRIG53T28baSuQlCagtKV2uHjcumoL0tfhRSTntIBM5tkUvU5rQ6U1jucinCPuBVlIfVCEH0YNMMdKprDheFi6RAGem/s640/a-Jew+Ear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Delicacy?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDixDibBRCewXcIpcY8InlkmD3eGi64gIeBUwTFRzb-BL580dZTnKWkq0K0j5JarCEjDyEnyHgx66ldeU6lHIQT6OoKqlw95Tqp4OANqlrAzNbu091Y19dKk8dpBKDceOtG_I_GmLmntEK/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDixDibBRCewXcIpcY8InlkmD3eGi64gIeBUwTFRzb-BL580dZTnKWkq0K0j5JarCEjDyEnyHgx66ldeU6lHIQT6OoKqlw95Tqp4OANqlrAzNbu091Y19dKk8dpBKDceOtG_I_GmLmntEK/s640/b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore Skyline</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybDwyssV0MEs2UVXRWyPcm4y5elILXDKkgw_9vWd3HSEXhJfQ_t-xrrcnIUjb8iZVbv1SmQuincLgC7t306eUX2UqiI9TH4DqGFA9Vk9a6sgqexg1Y4UQt5K0X8Xcnz4XTqztdb9RD8IG/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybDwyssV0MEs2UVXRWyPcm4y5elILXDKkgw_9vWd3HSEXhJfQ_t-xrrcnIUjb8iZVbv1SmQuincLgC7t306eUX2UqiI9TH4DqGFA9Vk9a6sgqexg1Y4UQt5K0X8Xcnz4XTqztdb9RD8IG/s640/c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate in Bed...on a tray...in a robe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvZadK4xSY1pimM3FIkXyRZmAFxXe6S5d8SNKt3G5R6-AfoFeP5WC2e3a78_vSXtNsK-14UFYZ3yYt7CJizgtaJ5q8fkA1QBwPLPnGl2HJtGGRFYzfeuYZdIToQILo_R70xRGUNWgfyF7/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvZadK4xSY1pimM3FIkXyRZmAFxXe6S5d8SNKt3G5R6-AfoFeP5WC2e3a78_vSXtNsK-14UFYZ3yYt7CJizgtaJ5q8fkA1QBwPLPnGl2HJtGGRFYzfeuYZdIToQILo_R70xRGUNWgfyF7/s640/d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Third Face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QOoOwDxHExnyAoC18orbXoSEM7zxUwRM9uDiiLLn9JJ5Zv54BsEO5hyphenhyphenFUCX107Lhca7WNnOuZJlDdFsy5SjuNBpkdxu5SXTtEV41r9ZTAGKMV6s5vYXpLSGFvVEdud5-FMGkuwoI0dK6/s1600/f-1st+class+at+Singapore+Airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QOoOwDxHExnyAoC18orbXoSEM7zxUwRM9uDiiLLn9JJ5Zv54BsEO5hyphenhyphenFUCX107Lhca7WNnOuZJlDdFsy5SjuNBpkdxu5SXTtEV41r9ZTAGKMV6s5vYXpLSGFvVEdud5-FMGkuwoI0dK6/s640/f-1st+class+at+Singapore+Airport.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First / Business Class Waiting Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Taking advantage of airmiles
accumulated over several years we checked into a posh hotel in the centre of town where we felt
extremely out of place. We spent a little time walking around the city but 24 hours in this teeny
country proved to be more than enough, with the real highlight being the immaculate airport. And on the second day this is where we headed in order to catch a flight back to Thailand.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-77741766903563738672013-04-10T09:52:00.001-07:002013-04-10T09:52:07.835-07:00Malaysia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvpJXcVmiBtBAnXCJYjANW6ccZ2qlz_eYVrb4gvRaUQ7oxSaRQCXVzqTDBNe92CflScg6B2tBuap2NJHv6WBQHUpq33i83ghiPpxUM1dwkwxjuw_7gR0wGF4joXzvUwDiaUgTaKNbMXQ9/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvpJXcVmiBtBAnXCJYjANW6ccZ2qlz_eYVrb4gvRaUQ7oxSaRQCXVzqTDBNe92CflScg6B2tBuap2NJHv6WBQHUpq33i83ghiPpxUM1dwkwxjuw_7gR0wGF4joXzvUwDiaUgTaKNbMXQ9/s640/a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China Town (Kuala, Lumpur)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRdmmbCjvHSpRNFhcoOz3yHv97uY_XRpUTQr8n_f2G0pWkb9EFU4COs46hGeKZICcBJ9QEePFZWSR7kZr_PvURTkbkmzF4To_nJff8TZXyXwV8XAh4_lGUfpkuTG3wMll-A6Kh3naAR7Z/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRdmmbCjvHSpRNFhcoOz3yHv97uY_XRpUTQr8n_f2G0pWkb9EFU4COs46hGeKZICcBJ9QEePFZWSR7kZr_PvURTkbkmzF4To_nJff8TZXyXwV8XAh4_lGUfpkuTG3wMll-A6Kh3naAR7Z/s640/b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We Started Walking The Other Way (Kuala Lumpur)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhcbCikGMuMNFc5JAAsJdAtaw9ZtnnZpiym_x5Uc3KeZY_FMcHUu8Wf7C82wRXaAq1Thyl_7wcm_8IVbKzPshOMzucvQ1svUSqteoMqU3SDq_UtGeE7eO-LMibNhQ07GhaSH9pKIf3Vhz/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhcbCikGMuMNFc5JAAsJdAtaw9ZtnnZpiym_x5Uc3KeZY_FMcHUu8Wf7C82wRXaAq1Thyl_7wcm_8IVbKzPshOMzucvQ1svUSqteoMqU3SDq_UtGeE7eO-LMibNhQ07GhaSH9pKIf3Vhz/s640/c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet Another Example of How Bad the World Can Be (Kuala Lumpur)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdtPYVj6mUDsOBwfdEu_7ZnJkyWYyAWrQD6NK3bAoaZqPRBkKuxSHQw6Mn1MijpVM7oOAZtAXKi_rdlX3vadRoWEtpHB7Fyk1c8rRm7M481g-oIrYeflWiM67RVAHn_NJRXrE3wTg3_JV/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdtPYVj6mUDsOBwfdEu_7ZnJkyWYyAWrQD6NK3bAoaZqPRBkKuxSHQw6Mn1MijpVM7oOAZtAXKi_rdlX3vadRoWEtpHB7Fyk1c8rRm7M481g-oIrYeflWiM67RVAHn_NJRXrE3wTg3_JV/s640/e.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portuguese Fort Remains (Malaka Malaysia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qzj7wcf-Z290_NYpU_JqeD1-txhsOdElXTMlC5WHrIhP164RN2GZVyvUVe4EUx3ThNhpjjLyxrNGTw9yw4pJ_HfE9l7Ieu_NRgZPuMqUE-Bs2yaM9pfhyphenhyphendPBX1BOSUqM8FBLwI2S18Vi/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qzj7wcf-Z290_NYpU_JqeD1-txhsOdElXTMlC5WHrIhP164RN2GZVyvUVe4EUx3ThNhpjjLyxrNGTw9yw4pJ_HfE9l7Ieu_NRgZPuMqUE-Bs2yaM9pfhyphenhyphendPBX1BOSUqM8FBLwI2S18Vi/s640/f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">China Town (Malaka, Malaysia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPagiOeL_vpZoiejHKSR2DvS6wJQdHIvfnqWbrBv-oEEPybNH26W0-R4XV19nRIQrNTddsxc_c_Zqzh2QTEz8ipX5swYv6I04lVYh3hLQz-ctnbxLtC2_1ZduaF3WgkgVQlAL4mOHoQO5/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPagiOeL_vpZoiejHKSR2DvS6wJQdHIvfnqWbrBv-oEEPybNH26W0-R4XV19nRIQrNTddsxc_c_Zqzh2QTEz8ipX5swYv6I04lVYh3hLQz-ctnbxLtC2_1ZduaF3WgkgVQlAL4mOHoQO5/s640/i.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Malaka, Malaysia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Malaysia was raining.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Tired, sleepy and ill-informed
after 22 hours on a train we arrived in Malaysia with hopes of catching what we
thought to be the quickest way from the border to Kuala Lumpur, the train. Whilst
running to buy the ticket for the train that was about to leave in the
following 2 minutes we ignored all the signs; the bus driver promising a 4 hour
drive at a lower price, an almost empty train and a complete exodus of tourists
from the train station. It took us a mere 1 minute in our deserted carriage to
realize that we had paid a premium to increase our journey by 3 hours and spend
in total 29 hours on trains since leaving Bangkok.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The following day we didn’t
even try to find out if there was a train to Malaka; we immediately headed to
the bus station. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Malaka was small, quaint and
merited a couple of days. Between wandering around town looking for the
remnants of Portuguese invaders and Dutch colonizers we took refuge from the
torrential afternoon rain in our hostel and patiently waited for our next
opportunity to eat. Needless to say our highlights for Malaka revolved around
food. Advised by the hostel owner we spent an hour queuing outside a local
eatery for what can only be described as satay fondue. Incredibly rich and
delicious, we thought it was time well spent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Before boarding the bus to
Singapore we stopped by our vegetarian restaurant of choice for some take away
breakfast and experienced yet another gesture of hospitality and generosity.
Whilst Diana struggled to choose amongst all the food on display a lady
pointed and advised on what we should try; the samosas, egg rolls, Chinese
fried sweets, everything was good. Not wanting to contradict this lovely lady
we asked for one of each and when we attempted to pay she insisted it was her
treat. And so totally unexpectedly, and after less than a week in the country, we hopped on the short 3 hour bus to Singapore with several bags full of yummy vegetarian delicacies.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-80371391075191460712013-04-10T09:37:00.002-07:002013-04-10T09:37:38.850-07:00Thailand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRR2yiviz9WkmElStP1gH86Ijyyk_dty_hGQjuqlw2-h8tZz64xf90TKJVwz0Ddu5uOVhA2nmlU89xmP3SiW8qQzlgzsiBrBO59biD7Nych3KQZWHGGDyVRicPx-_QGQnbGnVENSjM6is/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRR2yiviz9WkmElStP1gH86Ijyyk_dty_hGQjuqlw2-h8tZz64xf90TKJVwz0Ddu5uOVhA2nmlU89xmP3SiW8qQzlgzsiBrBO59biD7Nych3KQZWHGGDyVRicPx-_QGQnbGnVENSjM6is/s640/a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddhas At Wat Pho, Bangkok</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A94Mu5C7LkzCTort2dXccb-8_wS7ThKmmd6jmURu6oL9HE1TlU8pOzklZt__sqnxRMNUftOMQ1NHA5QQ25_73__YqsA_XzY8SI-G5l9R8nNQyGAIDemuWzkwBLR9LEzJiW0UCtStBLGV/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A94Mu5C7LkzCTort2dXccb-8_wS7ThKmmd6jmURu6oL9HE1TlU8pOzklZt__sqnxRMNUftOMQ1NHA5QQ25_73__YqsA_XzY8SI-G5l9R8nNQyGAIDemuWzkwBLR9LEzJiW0UCtStBLGV/s640/b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reclining Gold Dude at Wat Pho, Bangkok</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSq1Xh_Z4WY6MmMzfRKlvG8ytGAsGog90QfQOwKvC66hnv4NjyZrYojjWfZRLW87CyVL2Z2z7E6hpw9Cq_RK-o1dg7LpTMqARV7zlkDvaVmfjKav03-qxIWSSMMy2BQigC6LJNFmr9ZCE/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSq1Xh_Z4WY6MmMzfRKlvG8ytGAsGog90QfQOwKvC66hnv4NjyZrYojjWfZRLW87CyVL2Z2z7E6hpw9Cq_RK-o1dg7LpTMqARV7zlkDvaVmfjKav03-qxIWSSMMy2BQigC6LJNFmr9ZCE/s640/c.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Pho</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-aKRZxz3D_2T9maD0Aye9h2AKGM_2mm0voRbumVW_ReAgiPnRTYgtvSvVKWGMQqGnPEbHOHWspaYSaCN609t2YVUcWK-1pcP90tHJBKKbvQ2_5zXCCB2U2zTlK1S6xIwPZyRVNTYBt-b/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-aKRZxz3D_2T9maD0Aye9h2AKGM_2mm0voRbumVW_ReAgiPnRTYgtvSvVKWGMQqGnPEbHOHWspaYSaCN609t2YVUcWK-1pcP90tHJBKKbvQ2_5zXCCB2U2zTlK1S6xIwPZyRVNTYBt-b/s640/d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thailand Thundercats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HZvhebEtkLhcyC6r6mKWOAZuvqivhheWgPdcoTYo-BtTEtkCfL0ePoF0fqNCYTgDniXU-15yvTH3EDiZ2k6umd0_waAnMEICLsG2DqThgOjPKj4MbmIsbcJZg_uQRBYhiVv225Pq06iD/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HZvhebEtkLhcyC6r6mKWOAZuvqivhheWgPdcoTYo-BtTEtkCfL0ePoF0fqNCYTgDniXU-15yvTH3EDiZ2k6umd0_waAnMEICLsG2DqThgOjPKj4MbmIsbcJZg_uQRBYhiVv225Pq06iD/s640/e.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs' Worst Nightmare</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByScKEXTd-Z4qF4nbXVtaQm0AMoQ8FTktYu5AnhvvlKM5XCG3DrRtBrvIX8v1Fvd5rbgPtIhfU0FB4WiqE-STOAqIHwa8jKQ8TWZTkzWk2HTqnWrLFzslFa8oemkPwYlANDCmjtth4tZt/s1600/f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByScKEXTd-Z4qF4nbXVtaQm0AMoQ8FTktYu5AnhvvlKM5XCG3DrRtBrvIX8v1Fvd5rbgPtIhfU0FB4WiqE-STOAqIHwa8jKQ8TWZTkzWk2HTqnWrLFzslFa8oemkPwYlANDCmjtth4tZt/s640/f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs' Greatest Dream</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIF555ho09Qfur_GiTxe7UDgIx4wpxrXcBIakaUWFKfwlVu1Gmr0kKkzO2Ny2CwRLnMeeILLpmjkZe3cm2-XTk8zltzotVpm9yljs-q98HHrjCaRfMZyUkKbAcgDvqtzDRCTcO6ILcIPQ/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIF555ho09Qfur_GiTxe7UDgIx4wpxrXcBIakaUWFKfwlVu1Gmr0kKkzO2Ny2CwRLnMeeILLpmjkZe3cm2-XTk8zltzotVpm9yljs-q98HHrjCaRfMZyUkKbAcgDvqtzDRCTcO6ILcIPQ/s640/h.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Weekend Market, Bangkok </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXncZ1Cnc5SEx9Nqhd1mY-ohYfFh9b7y5-g0scCA9152Rynb3ktRDIiYyZC3bpA9d-ndiq7JAFL3M76Cpb3YVv9GLMmwZ8WeZofsG6wSHhUlfa6f1dqTvMztjH-nXjefF0gUFnIcBi4DA/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXncZ1Cnc5SEx9Nqhd1mY-ohYfFh9b7y5-g0scCA9152Rynb3ktRDIiYyZC3bpA9d-ndiq7JAFL3M76Cpb3YVv9GLMmwZ8WeZofsG6wSHhUlfa6f1dqTvMztjH-nXjefF0gUFnIcBi4DA/s640/i.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxiXG33pKF_TZRSLvGDx0UpVrlv_-rYPaljAZ2UVXhxIgf0gGvJ0-OQbFvsK7KLyBje6RrvHPpu4w6Jfu0Gba-tdtOO7LzjQcmpg8PjX6lIo0xP2ddUgHQ7RkwR_pVvv3VlWRmyDaesKE/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxiXG33pKF_TZRSLvGDx0UpVrlv_-rYPaljAZ2UVXhxIgf0gGvJ0-OQbFvsK7KLyBje6RrvHPpu4w6Jfu0Gba-tdtOO7LzjQcmpg8PjX6lIo0xP2ddUgHQ7RkwR_pVvv3VlWRmyDaesKE/s640/l.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried Frog</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYWAVL3pOft2XNSziKUTjM_Pcn_gF1vbjSRzZii2uZxr4Ulajk9ijXL3FaFGVePeZTNz1Nb1EsEjXq1MoEHhNU3UPjV_TzDzBYmwblF-4C8Ly3a9qhOsyGCVrMVP53ESwJw4GVFyGI990/s1600/n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYWAVL3pOft2XNSziKUTjM_Pcn_gF1vbjSRzZii2uZxr4Ulajk9ijXL3FaFGVePeZTNz1Nb1EsEjXq1MoEHhNU3UPjV_TzDzBYmwblF-4C8Ly3a9qhOsyGCVrMVP53ESwJw4GVFyGI990/s640/n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Yummy Street Food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWCyle8jLdYAW_mv-1T8_B3ERrPDr8zAlAP-xXSiv49MH5jdSBFAXxZSDif8YFgOM6Bj5jb_PvxP6m7SKLF4yW_2wZoNn1JuZ_ANolde_efAo4ls5J8vTBZeT1vMBWgM9cmvT41fdRpMN/s1600/o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWCyle8jLdYAW_mv-1T8_B3ERrPDr8zAlAP-xXSiv49MH5jdSBFAXxZSDif8YFgOM6Bj5jb_PvxP6m7SKLF4yW_2wZoNn1JuZ_ANolde_efAo4ls5J8vTBZeT1vMBWgM9cmvT41fdRpMN/s640/o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noodles Looking Like Processed Hair</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpQpq8nbDCQl9ihQaz5i5T1URk800_aW2hbZDuQtXQhuLf8wGNW-_JZQB6lqicBpZlnqMVODrG6oOYAhkCRRZPkZVonFOpZUGGjS2R477NCyvcXDq_9G1eHp10S3LQK5WHOtrsmxz4DMq/s1600/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpQpq8nbDCQl9ihQaz5i5T1URk800_aW2hbZDuQtXQhuLf8wGNW-_JZQB6lqicBpZlnqMVODrG6oOYAhkCRRZPkZVonFOpZUGGjS2R477NCyvcXDq_9G1eHp10S3LQK5WHOtrsmxz4DMq/s640/p.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Shop Name Ever</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4juazVNlIbpy_GfSlhkYvXpoKHkPJL3O7Kb2dDgnKYwBSMy4mNkr_l9dT4ArKETnAi-rKaRcxnOMgefWY9gtCG5wBJZQfur-NLCKH20iaAMhrdAs_uBVpukN9IGxIu1oAXSgO-UsFvTk/s1600/q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4juazVNlIbpy_GfSlhkYvXpoKHkPJL3O7Kb2dDgnKYwBSMy4mNkr_l9dT4ArKETnAi-rKaRcxnOMgefWY9gtCG5wBJZQfur-NLCKH20iaAMhrdAs_uBVpukN9IGxIu1oAXSgO-UsFvTk/s640/q.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pig Face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrT0c3vlvH1426OhzigfafVCkrKbbF-5BqwWf1AnGZUjnZkCKKf8lTF43jzex04Oq4oDaNMbAO7RTzUYnynbPquJ9hE-IWth6WclgwlmfNjKIfEAuJJRWkJkakaBVL8-pRLTjByuXRXRg6/s1600/t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrT0c3vlvH1426OhzigfafVCkrKbbF-5BqwWf1AnGZUjnZkCKKf8lTF43jzex04Oq4oDaNMbAO7RTzUYnynbPquJ9hE-IWth6WclgwlmfNjKIfEAuJJRWkJkakaBVL8-pRLTjByuXRXRg6/s640/t.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy Street Food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">There is not much to say about Bangkok. We rented an apartment for 2 weeks through Airbnb.com and sat back enjoying some of the delights the city had to offer, including the outdoor pool that came with the apartment. We cooked, watched movies, visited unbelievable vegetarian markets (in Ari) and explored the city (possibly one of our favourite destinations so far), went for dinner with friends and regained some sense of normality after nearly 6 months on the road.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">(Needing to make a visa run we then caught the short
22 hour train into Malaysia, hopeful that the rainy season </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">wasn't</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> so rainy.</span></span></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-50674274566451808132013-04-10T09:25:00.004-07:002013-04-10T16:13:02.311-07:00Cambodia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoBKt30B-6Y6B5f5ywjXjhwFHZeJbzrczWR6Qwsd19QSXkUEUC9ZsWIzR2BA0w8GNavXFIcVYzsoffSI-hwX425Zz47KKUiTq-83Jo2BLVM3qm_jGCWP4g0UeUVM2hdOBuaUKgJnuQAvt/s1600/1a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoBKt30B-6Y6B5f5ywjXjhwFHZeJbzrczWR6Qwsd19QSXkUEUC9ZsWIzR2BA0w8GNavXFIcVYzsoffSI-hwX425Zz47KKUiTq-83Jo2BLVM3qm_jGCWP4g0UeUVM2hdOBuaUKgJnuQAvt/s640/1a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phnom Penh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHch7f6kfdk6WH7pgK_8HHLnXmGwRQAB3B4jT-bssT7UIqHuRDMkPFRCUKOJH4AMnA8uZFNnwE71c4o-1vxULmO9mmQIY6E80tSdDcDsBs8nDixHDTk-9lT57Sz5wRl_zeVhDSNpmgN13Y/s1600/2a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHch7f6kfdk6WH7pgK_8HHLnXmGwRQAB3B4jT-bssT7UIqHuRDMkPFRCUKOJH4AMnA8uZFNnwE71c4o-1vxULmO9mmQIY6E80tSdDcDsBs8nDixHDTk-9lT57Sz5wRl_zeVhDSNpmgN13Y/s640/2a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S-21 Prison</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vu0Rvpx4LlhwXb2m0Nd1j-VKWELFukucCtP8jBO-YgbSDWfzdrX9FOrzqt6OCo71FMG12qr-xZFwmS-ceX9exiwnDYvymMlXu4uJNl_AbMyqNafLq1gs-F3N7dUnTYsJY-WHKkG_hlut/s1600/2b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vu0Rvpx4LlhwXb2m0Nd1j-VKWELFukucCtP8jBO-YgbSDWfzdrX9FOrzqt6OCo71FMG12qr-xZFwmS-ceX9exiwnDYvymMlXu4uJNl_AbMyqNafLq1gs-F3N7dUnTYsJY-WHKkG_hlut/s640/2b.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S-21 Victim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHg5m3eVfr294yYKAqysOCIY9k7fFJ9-gLxb9I0RoAR5yxDOQL-r7WWIADsrri68jrbSdZkrWKZzCdzLG7qbL2He6W-Hcz_t3DJCSiVZLGnSNcKUQN0p7y3Ja5eWzXtbgOeb_P0mU9jly/s1600/3a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHg5m3eVfr294yYKAqysOCIY9k7fFJ9-gLxb9I0RoAR5yxDOQL-r7WWIADsrri68jrbSdZkrWKZzCdzLG7qbL2He6W-Hcz_t3DJCSiVZLGnSNcKUQN0p7y3Ja5eWzXtbgOeb_P0mU9jly/s640/3a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cycling Angkor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMqhyphenhypheniECff0NLDMl4BbUr35TRow24Z9HGgiqbnWRvPGnwvFGctuRe5XeYISY5jrdjwYcjiLd_1ZYkSFGpleJGt_eTz2WTSU8nlEs1yBpuuC3XUxI1fS7QP5HzdSbOtq5yZdAd1BdnDyTw/s1600/3b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMqhyphenhypheniECff0NLDMl4BbUr35TRow24Z9HGgiqbnWRvPGnwvFGctuRe5XeYISY5jrdjwYcjiLd_1ZYkSFGpleJGt_eTz2WTSU8nlEs1yBpuuC3XUxI1fS7QP5HzdSbOtq5yZdAd1BdnDyTw/s640/3b.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta Promh (we think)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCBw6gXPTAsRI1m9aMYc75AATR3v1ZFDUhZJAejITjwx27VLLxOFS1-FE3oCmM7zvSATPrYkoBymte7tdkHwoCF-E_MxOaEo2Ccpf6H1fQrPRlIYJBWdE6dCclcPN1sUVV0jrXniJEagp/s1600/3d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCBw6gXPTAsRI1m9aMYc75AATR3v1ZFDUhZJAejITjwx27VLLxOFS1-FE3oCmM7zvSATPrYkoBymte7tdkHwoCF-E_MxOaEo2Ccpf6H1fQrPRlIYJBWdE6dCclcPN1sUVV0jrXniJEagp/s640/3d.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks on Vacation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4FEjn9CD-1Q-7QSYcreiyQC_a7Bzizxe4VZhLONjnRz3ow40SaHNVFoEVuV79f_SnQVVVvWz20ACgUykUJq79F-j54g3CG8QNxvixyjTy3BEXACrWry09xgjVBWKACVnNr5oqtEwTu17/s1600/3e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4FEjn9CD-1Q-7QSYcreiyQC_a7Bzizxe4VZhLONjnRz3ow40SaHNVFoEVuV79f_SnQVVVvWz20ACgUykUJq79F-j54g3CG8QNxvixyjTy3BEXACrWry09xgjVBWKACVnNr5oqtEwTu17/s640/3e.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVjnIVTmRuNqS3NLhhcJDFbgE30JI1tyYTlghLtsT6ljqx8-FSaTKfvOpHf8_EbPTwAqf60YVwS7M5r1_3KA5oasshlsFAtq3RUBef623qUykEEuRYV12hRGzzRvo-iCqAj1B3v695dec/s1600/3g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVjnIVTmRuNqS3NLhhcJDFbgE30JI1tyYTlghLtsT6ljqx8-FSaTKfvOpHf8_EbPTwAqf60YVwS7M5r1_3KA5oasshlsFAtq3RUBef623qUykEEuRYV12hRGzzRvo-iCqAj1B3v695dec/s640/3g.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Faces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoVwAGdnz1OUkcm6DsBjUq-necfTNqDDHFG7kT2WJZNem-kWVkmH2_oskmW1f9tKKFp9pt3-bOWQ8Z7ZBkwPNrzYb2K0G-cDnyXG-4TVORqdE_ek3ONUgqoF9-ok12KT5B75Zw92uNv9C/s1600/3j.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoVwAGdnz1OUkcm6DsBjUq-necfTNqDDHFG7kT2WJZNem-kWVkmH2_oskmW1f9tKKFp9pt3-bOWQ8Z7ZBkwPNrzYb2K0G-cDnyXG-4TVORqdE_ek3ONUgqoF9-ok12KT5B75Zw92uNv9C/s640/3j.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHrI9rFtVAkXn5mSPnvcg8IAdc9uIje1CzIdEPnF0Km1HvhSznrHo-PNaab6mKt6LqOPhD57BZAnEgU3QDT32kVgL5eet4zidJhH2_ROvQc1kIWx9vxhLV8vogDOf3ktnihoJKIfMRSD7/s1600/3l.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHrI9rFtVAkXn5mSPnvcg8IAdc9uIje1CzIdEPnF0Km1HvhSznrHo-PNaab6mKt6LqOPhD57BZAnEgU3QDT32kVgL5eet4zidJhH2_ROvQc1kIWx9vxhLV8vogDOf3ktnihoJKIfMRSD7/s640/3l.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countryside Trekking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4UVBsCkPxKVJJuquvOkutSrCio3DlDt5KTHRaJELM7aJEVE4SyR7O9clzV6mlIgY2krhgb5OWtrHESwlZ1EeyouDVMuAoT6YHGBpdOyi0gIemhxq-IYvvQ1yHHRQyJYq5HjL8RYqgVHh/s1600/3m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4UVBsCkPxKVJJuquvOkutSrCio3DlDt5KTHRaJELM7aJEVE4SyR7O9clzV6mlIgY2krhgb5OWtrHESwlZ1EeyouDVMuAoT6YHGBpdOyi0gIemhxq-IYvvQ1yHHRQyJYq5HjL8RYqgVHh/s640/3m.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secret Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUaJSzYgC0-UZJFfY8ryAYyoUZuz3TLtwO2b5L4TTAGoFxCHuvWlbOX7L773poT8-E2SzhV58uTMKovKpyeo6kL0n5e9d1eg3C2LRBREYyK0gLBsA6Rxg_-tcJ_D8z22PpGuLOqj6NdgJ/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUaJSzYgC0-UZJFfY8ryAYyoUZuz3TLtwO2b5L4TTAGoFxCHuvWlbOX7L773poT8-E2SzhV58uTMKovKpyeo6kL0n5e9d1eg3C2LRBREYyK0gLBsA6Rxg_-tcJ_D8z22PpGuLOqj6NdgJ/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmer with Cool Tattoos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDvhSdSDVTcM360Ty4qAQCHjrgnW8wDG3ncGxvIT6w9YNCTm9i3NWXMfkPPd-2kpZ_TUqgZaVz8qo3yCiWjOyKDC4Ovqv6sPOcNBvM2lOSImM0p1za5RQxg9t9hyphenhyphenhEReqFQwGByHJPl6q/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDvhSdSDVTcM360Ty4qAQCHjrgnW8wDG3ncGxvIT6w9YNCTm9i3NWXMfkPPd-2kpZ_TUqgZaVz8qo3yCiWjOyKDC4Ovqv6sPOcNBvM2lOSImM0p1za5RQxg9t9hyphenhyphenhEReqFQwGByHJPl6q/s640/5.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoon School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxhhE2rO6bD36N_SEiAsuUIKZtgRPZYTYIwIl65N7FzZRLENwi-XE6bLXSeaQ362dCVWgxF9Fa8N8SKMMrnYUfOvP8yIIyRmwFOsaGt7tXDt1e19suFqhcz8zB_zf2wTXfjTFQ9TnkHPp/s1600/5b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxhhE2rO6bD36N_SEiAsuUIKZtgRPZYTYIwIl65N7FzZRLENwi-XE6bLXSeaQ362dCVWgxF9Fa8N8SKMMrnYUfOvP8yIIyRmwFOsaGt7tXDt1e19suFqhcz8zB_zf2wTXfjTFQ9TnkHPp/s640/5b.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Cartoon Characters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre8WlYZV442nhTzdurt2kjKeXbEl0wQTp3UUaJ-qDXmNE_DNj789QtL_zM07zM0-3GxV49xmRE339Lt7vubl4B_1cvg1BWO7GUXMzUzznUzxGx5akQD1IrI5h-F4mPvjaZpWHQ83ClyzT/s1600/6a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhre8WlYZV442nhTzdurt2kjKeXbEl0wQTp3UUaJ-qDXmNE_DNj789QtL_zM07zM0-3GxV49xmRE339Lt7vubl4B_1cvg1BWO7GUXMzUzznUzxGx5akQD1IrI5h-F4mPvjaZpWHQ83ClyzT/s640/6a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phnom Penh Central Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXw4jHc3A0sgIxi_tCtGdPI77ajEDI7HdrjFLjc9-thrCOsrnRHMrSn7-guvxTAp-EfpTcsuUdEvQIPeEXm3GHR_FIeE0Bx9y56CD4easSbP1akjU4HPR4u0XtyO1U_caKeAZsax3LOPG/s1600/6b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXw4jHc3A0sgIxi_tCtGdPI77ajEDI7HdrjFLjc9-thrCOsrnRHMrSn7-guvxTAp-EfpTcsuUdEvQIPeEXm3GHR_FIeE0Bx9y56CD4easSbP1akjU4HPR4u0XtyO1U_caKeAZsax3LOPG/s640/6b.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ivj7OQp0XGoWHbtRXgI9JHhJG0d9K1OabEA6nMF1GyAUzW3nskojCQzsNxMUFzc9UY20Czws5d8LNEaFrhKR2w_hkCKD6PDj4vGhveuwKQyQxtpYyivBST26lwwyAuxo0hMC7-LKtCbU/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ivj7OQp0XGoWHbtRXgI9JHhJG0d9K1OabEA6nMF1GyAUzW3nskojCQzsNxMUFzc9UY20Czws5d8LNEaFrhKR2w_hkCKD6PDj4vGhveuwKQyQxtpYyivBST26lwwyAuxo0hMC7-LKtCbU/s640/7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Vision</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM3OwRoSM6znUv881w2pcUcmYVnU0J3Jec4FsIUUEQWfsyIB1GHEvrqEEEd7YARVpzVfR6HPgoR7gJjSbgfacwLPOf_HokQ1RMnkVtxy0buvNKfMjXbF3WZXsHY1nT12UAnfLkH5ZwUcP/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM3OwRoSM6znUv881w2pcUcmYVnU0J3Jec4FsIUUEQWfsyIB1GHEvrqEEEd7YARVpzVfR6HPgoR7gJjSbgfacwLPOf_HokQ1RMnkVtxy0buvNKfMjXbF3WZXsHY1nT12UAnfLkH5ZwUcP/s640/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeking Through The Tree Hole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">Our introduction to Cambodia
started in its capital, Phnom Penh. After Vietnam it was not hard for us to
like the place. The people were friendly, the food was good, and even the tuk
tuk drivers accepted our desire to </span><span style="text-align: justify;">walk without the need of motorised transport
and happily let us be on our way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
On our only full day in the
city we made our way to the infamous S-21 Prison, used during the regime of the
Khmer Rouge as a torture ground for pretty much anyone, and to the Killing
Fields, the most high profile location of mass graves in the country, also from
the time of the Khmer Rouge. It was sad visiting these places, with both of us
debating whether the family bringing along their 10 year old was a good idea.
We were both in agreement, however, that it is always important to visit these
reminders of the worst elements of humanity, hopefully as an educative recap
that genocide is wrong, which should be obvious really, but for some reason
keeps happening anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Genocide monuments aside we
liked the city but not our hotel which did an extremely bad and very obvious
job of going through one of our bags when we were out for the day. Bizarrely
they did not seem concerned by our complaints. Rather than move hotels we
decided to just pack up and move on to the only other place of interest for us
in the country, the famed Temples of Angkor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Basing ourselves in the nearby
town of Siem Reap, we acquired a 3 day pass to see the main drag of temples, as
opposed to <i>all</i> of them which are
spread out over an area of 1000 square kilometres and would take a very long
time to see. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We hired a bicycle for the
first 2 days and every temple we saw was beautiful and distinctly different,
some with striking script etched into the wall, others with huge tapestry-like
depictions of battles from ancient Hindu mythology, and yet more that had been
overrun stupendously with gargantuan trees, a result of poor landscape
gardening 1000 years ago. It was truly fascinating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Having said that we were a
little underwhelmed. When we looked back and tried to remember them they all
seemed to mesh into one. Yes, they were impressive, despite the crowds being considerable
at times, and yes they are definitely worth a visit. However, we think that
they were not the best thing since Harry Potter. In hindsight maybe this is
because we had to share them with so many other people?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Making use of the 3<sup>rd</sup>
day of our pass we rented a tuk tuk with Gerben, a cartoonist from Holland, and
headed out to temples located further afield. These too were unique and
impressive in their antiquity and construction. However, getting bored of even
these temples, we went for a walk into the countryside until we came across
villagers eager to show us another temple very much off the beaten track. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
And so we followed a man and
his young son through the fields, in-between trees, at one point even
frantically tip-toe jumping over a snake (probably poisonous) as it chased a
frog (the frog got away and it was most likely our fault as we scared the shit
out of the snake which had scared the shit out of us) until we came through to the
smallest temple we had seen…and it was beautiful. This is what we had come to
see. Less significant than other temples on the main tourist route, yet it was
exactly what we had been looking for; derelict; ruined; away from the crowds;
our own little piece of Angkor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
It was a shame that we did not
have time to look and discover more of these hidden gems but after nearly a
week here we decided that our yearnings for papaya salads and pad thais was too
great. That night, our last night, we eagerly went along to a class on cartoon
drawing that Gerben was asked to give at a local school. It was great fun and
we enjoyed the company of the students who were kind, helpful and full of
energy. The next day we packed up our bags and headed to Thailand where we
hoped to sit back and relax in an apartment for at least a couple of weeks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-21057031801522101512013-01-20T04:15:00.000-08:002013-01-20T04:15:32.730-08:00Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId6BwNW9rwwK1qt1kZFQycr9h4V27bJfmBJKsJFFG4moEcm0D94F-ETWnSgAHa_0G040owgE_idlQF_H2aKbmjTLyhimW1MP9SRS9CIEvzEAsko0TtMdkgqq7CVtMkD6esDrAkOTkur5p/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId6BwNW9rwwK1qt1kZFQycr9h4V27bJfmBJKsJFFG4moEcm0D94F-ETWnSgAHa_0G040owgE_idlQF_H2aKbmjTLyhimW1MP9SRS9CIEvzEAsko0TtMdkgqq7CVtMkD6esDrAkOTkur5p/s640/1a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi Street Food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw-3VGw9cXzg_fnI83hk-BOTE6Or1fx_I9cQtysS_OZhJ2JaB-LW4SGUOEDiirtub4KdbH1TzEIi2TGeDE3PSpk5giyXH6HUQrJiNW1qiZRFjSCeUCIzwvPcmxnwxzaVt4OferfiV-fKC/s1600/1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw-3VGw9cXzg_fnI83hk-BOTE6Or1fx_I9cQtysS_OZhJ2JaB-LW4SGUOEDiirtub4KdbH1TzEIi2TGeDE3PSpk5giyXH6HUQrJiNW1qiZRFjSCeUCIzwvPcmxnwxzaVt4OferfiV-fKC/s640/1b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scooter Madness (Hanoi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMbZ2mbbS6GcCsMI1_dibPsI__rDAuH0L-91cl8HiILGt1pQyb_3jbgVeDF2IMJt81Qe-xDwrQiYTubpdTN6ia7bQWyOsCdF5tN9-MDJ6fiwxEoFAtZgoyEpDOQadI5cXyNMycbmZZsFb/s1600/1c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMbZ2mbbS6GcCsMI1_dibPsI__rDAuH0L-91cl8HiILGt1pQyb_3jbgVeDF2IMJt81Qe-xDwrQiYTubpdTN6ia7bQWyOsCdF5tN9-MDJ6fiwxEoFAtZgoyEpDOQadI5cXyNMycbmZZsFb/s640/1c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Ice Cream in all of Hanoi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSliyNUP_A9eCpDHwd-TjoarxrNHd8VN6jEwkyc_GvtaAxYQLJbHNBgEaf3Ymu9v8MbteXJL-tAbi27O9bAIZNQeUABn3te-a14Jw3M88HXEGo-iCQVlbd8H2hCPWwTb2yb63EcaEzITE/s1600/1e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSliyNUP_A9eCpDHwd-TjoarxrNHd8VN6jEwkyc_GvtaAxYQLJbHNBgEaf3Ymu9v8MbteXJL-tAbi27O9bAIZNQeUABn3te-a14Jw3M88HXEGo-iCQVlbd8H2hCPWwTb2yb63EcaEzITE/s640/1e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs Inciting Bad Behaviour (Hanoi)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTUV9ksb2ebRjb2jfmif711K5sUvzxlmTaTCmK7cQOPYx-JmJhpFmY8RwuRItStfAeM6TvrYT8n24gdKBh-SYLMHn31iCsnvCw-ZTePgbzWqvSYZEbNdg1tYOsXg-Zno-dZG9tvpd516B/s1600/1f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTUV9ksb2ebRjb2jfmif711K5sUvzxlmTaTCmK7cQOPYx-JmJhpFmY8RwuRItStfAeM6TvrYT8n24gdKBh-SYLMHn31iCsnvCw-ZTePgbzWqvSYZEbNdg1tYOsXg-Zno-dZG9tvpd516B/s640/1f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food Everywhere (Hanoi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLT7o_YeNi04bPPCt6GfKTBuTo-qG57gVshY0d26sC4dFJi3Iem-EpnSNZCOPlR7vIxbT-5SW2eoTXYqcTM7s4B8CCeWgOO7cwuLv3YtihjtBYkdYv_Y360zTRg8KfnQbH1l7NsYtjI08/s1600/1h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLT7o_YeNi04bPPCt6GfKTBuTo-qG57gVshY0d26sC4dFJi3Iem-EpnSNZCOPlR7vIxbT-5SW2eoTXYqcTM7s4B8CCeWgOO7cwuLv3YtihjtBYkdYv_Y360zTRg8KfnQbH1l7NsYtjI08/s640/1h.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautifully Presented Fruit (Hanoi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY46MBeXGT1ZIkojtNcGoZr1F-B0orT2DNhDTCC72HBG-cuuEzoYNtP1xWWLF6iM0nxYUPu7y0rOHp_m9X0ObB47djRXJMVxQ-BR9J5D9TLUa7ytHUF6ASFA96pRsseVbt4RkZ9pxv3LQW/s1600/2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY46MBeXGT1ZIkojtNcGoZr1F-B0orT2DNhDTCC72HBG-cuuEzoYNtP1xWWLF6iM0nxYUPu7y0rOHp_m9X0ObB47djRXJMVxQ-BR9J5D9TLUa7ytHUF6ASFA96pRsseVbt4RkZ9pxv3LQW/s640/2a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paradise Cave, Pictures do not do it Justice (Dong Hoi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSu2nNPH0NvfLrtYBbVNh8yIqcb7uSCYL_SPQirnpREvWn8Sw7l1bOTBbgItp8PgiavTFnGVwab6tuUOBgkZFNI222oMtkpQ66dA49HXbAdNp_Orhgl7WUxmPvOfPF7LTVlWBm0Ylh0_7/s1600/3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSu2nNPH0NvfLrtYBbVNh8yIqcb7uSCYL_SPQirnpREvWn8Sw7l1bOTBbgItp8PgiavTFnGVwab6tuUOBgkZFNI222oMtkpQ66dA49HXbAdNp_Orhgl7WUxmPvOfPF7LTVlWBm0Ylh0_7/s640/3a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crouching down in the Vinh Moc Tunnels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPgIlOqkjOTbK3Nn971HI9vlXxpaw_2YygAYfijec1y5Q5KdzmjwCFuxa9JetlAxJdgwzgoK2_hBCnE_HEDVZ1hfB8OMtHpwnzO9P4U-JRmsdRRcIQi0Udyh4BvSUJxaYT4VVBswAJv4-/s1600/3aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPgIlOqkjOTbK3Nn971HI9vlXxpaw_2YygAYfijec1y5Q5KdzmjwCFuxa9JetlAxJdgwzgoK2_hBCnE_HEDVZ1hfB8OMtHpwnzO9P4U-JRmsdRRcIQi0Udyh4BvSUJxaYT4VVBswAJv4-/s640/3aa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice Fields and Water Buffalos (everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyS9NAfnGfqvAKWR24jenD4CfpaZgzulZEwFvydt9zwtPO6dpFwan4VNWla51MUo3L4NdB9hhmPywa1YC02pXQNTrKiwf4dFeDf5l0b9DiwhiF2aVXQhbls2Zsv8enPZfM9UplkxTy0o0/s1600/3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyS9NAfnGfqvAKWR24jenD4CfpaZgzulZEwFvydt9zwtPO6dpFwan4VNWla51MUo3L4NdB9hhmPywa1YC02pXQNTrKiwf4dFeDf5l0b9DiwhiF2aVXQhbls2Zsv8enPZfM9UplkxTy0o0/s640/3b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snake, Starfish what more could you ask for (Dong Hoi market)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9czcWI3A_Slz3FopOkfYS8n8MVHEIm7TCZ0fgenqMYjJgD1gtJJMlavhhXRhPRKo00Z181LG1Daw1iD5KFiVhdvfiSckDeG0nvlQtNJ1tHcJ6tp6DHdgI96ZX-q3xhVdR2HMuoWRjEgiK/s1600/4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9czcWI3A_Slz3FopOkfYS8n8MVHEIm7TCZ0fgenqMYjJgD1gtJJMlavhhXRhPRKo00Z181LG1Daw1iD5KFiVhdvfiSckDeG0nvlQtNJ1tHcJ6tp6DHdgI96ZX-q3xhVdR2HMuoWRjEgiK/s640/4a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trading (Hue)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm79Xk_Kfs3oSGJHPqlYdeGyifs9XuU-kgRStnVIlVHRcHC-MPq-qcd9n7gHY5_RAMQIOJpuUjsVg1O5h0z4Sk7RYXEvZ7EM-TMyws2TcMpzLka3Ra2X-M0bc1nWGghb5R0DDXA-snW4L0/s1600/5aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm79Xk_Kfs3oSGJHPqlYdeGyifs9XuU-kgRStnVIlVHRcHC-MPq-qcd9n7gHY5_RAMQIOJpuUjsVg1O5h0z4Sk7RYXEvZ7EM-TMyws2TcMpzLka3Ra2X-M0bc1nWGghb5R0DDXA-snW4L0/s640/5aa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man versus fish 0-1 (Floating market in Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJVsx-DYX9kTainRnhznI3aIN87_FVRURCcwTRjK7uC2u42d_Gg2ZGRXO8yNOmPxVQRcJr1sUGH_o9cwgoF3-EWAB1BrNbHFoWQ-EcPUjGLl-Otx5mVt_b_6BWbw-i-urhP-Ka4vr7X5Y/s1600/5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJVsx-DYX9kTainRnhznI3aIN87_FVRURCcwTRjK7uC2u42d_Gg2ZGRXO8yNOmPxVQRcJr1sUGH_o9cwgoF3-EWAB1BrNbHFoWQ-EcPUjGLl-Otx5mVt_b_6BWbw-i-urhP-Ka4vr7X5Y/s640/5b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pineapple Currency (Floating market Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-7jErzY1xL020GfOBVHDWFqix3UOG_Ok4-EWxdroorxriG7BznNh9CSw3Pc_XMsdECBrzixS_l5cyBqj9N8UjwqG9FLVHsgD1gwdMn2NKi0-sx6ewnuXltXxs4_AebvEXs3v-Wiu3qRJ/s1600/5c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-7jErzY1xL020GfOBVHDWFqix3UOG_Ok4-EWxdroorxriG7BznNh9CSw3Pc_XMsdECBrzixS_l5cyBqj9N8UjwqG9FLVHsgD1gwdMn2NKi0-sx6ewnuXltXxs4_AebvEXs3v-Wiu3qRJ/s640/5c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Boat (Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7xPRyiUu82OKDI6bUxJT2KZfSJXsj2GoeXn7-AwoJ6bcysMJSIt7ialsfzFLMH9H1j95Mv3WLtarAc6hyphenhyphenEZgoDTT1G0j5X6Is6dKFkyWU6Qpnj8EeGR5A8XiOukU75cSxqOoPKyW2VGh/s1600/5d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7xPRyiUu82OKDI6bUxJT2KZfSJXsj2GoeXn7-AwoJ6bcysMJSIt7ialsfzFLMH9H1j95Mv3WLtarAc6hyphenhyphenEZgoDTT1G0j5X6Is6dKFkyWU6Qpnj8EeGR5A8XiOukU75cSxqOoPKyW2VGh/s640/5d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down the river (Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEouLxlekkib2_6Qnyf9L_b_7VcZwbo2UYlJUucvJDhXK1hlDY4Mk0GzFRIUsrsyt-HuDeZbB3kJDzZ2I4h9XlEhJqxgwq0PMBkjU-2vQKXWF8h1SMRWH1L34IX331HyH_pumGDvBtoE9A/s1600/5h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEouLxlekkib2_6Qnyf9L_b_7VcZwbo2UYlJUucvJDhXK1hlDY4Mk0GzFRIUsrsyt-HuDeZbB3kJDzZ2I4h9XlEhJqxgwq0PMBkjU-2vQKXWF8h1SMRWH1L34IX331HyH_pumGDvBtoE9A/s640/5h.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs trying his luck as a Boatman (Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0yoo8ePjLlpdiZpHTFYocPd16JvFvLrOxnwttLcYM2K6JRAkocAj-qY2fF1rBa7h4ruDU0JxseJEkk35Gki3P0FVvsqvz_K6Q755d9Ah5eF9uuFl7AzjOiSvXS9b2wuqrtD1NY4BxRO8/s1600/6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0yoo8ePjLlpdiZpHTFYocPd16JvFvLrOxnwttLcYM2K6JRAkocAj-qY2fF1rBa7h4ruDU0JxseJEkk35Gki3P0FVvsqvz_K6Q755d9Ah5eF9uuFl7AzjOiSvXS9b2wuqrtD1NY4BxRO8/s640/6b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Cute Kids (Cat Tho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzp4OwvAuBpqKlD4klzqoH8ByMHR2zYogVBTY6_9p6BPnHQV8BrN9dM4KREciHxAzoylsGZOdvKxLnVTaWwprb8mVBtmqAWaQwYXB22CgWEHTrpPf03Kk4kzn79oTcJysfXvjw8I3JLoi/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzp4OwvAuBpqKlD4klzqoH8ByMHR2zYogVBTY6_9p6BPnHQV8BrN9dM4KREciHxAzoylsGZOdvKxLnVTaWwprb8mVBtmqAWaQwYXB22CgWEHTrpPf03Kk4kzn79oTcJysfXvjw8I3JLoi/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried Squid (everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAjPf6mKm3x1uT3lPKHAll1_MOb7jDnDUO4ipmBDtO1rnIGQe-uwilW7nnmn9NhyuyCwx4hwKjvp9RzkfuooWFfHuerZfbcmYzJVA9rWoTjusY5hZE50a9PKZ3RAIPZXg9MVzfuV191QG/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAjPf6mKm3x1uT3lPKHAll1_MOb7jDnDUO4ipmBDtO1rnIGQe-uwilW7nnmn9NhyuyCwx4hwKjvp9RzkfuooWFfHuerZfbcmYzJVA9rWoTjusY5hZE50a9PKZ3RAIPZXg9MVzfuV191QG/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wish I could do this! (everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Vietnam was not what we
expected.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
On leaving the culinary behemoth
that was China, we had high hopes and dreams of continuing our gluttonous endeavours,
with images of friendly locals stuffing us with delicious Vietnamese noodles and soups. But
it just never happened. Actually what did happen was exactly the opposite. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Hanoi was our first stop and probably not the best place to start. We stationed
ourselves in the touristy Old Quarter and this was also probably not the best place
to stay. But we just didn't know…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Exploring Hanoi’s Old Quarter
is challenging to say the least. Between dodging millions of scooters, dealing
with all the touts that lurk on every street corner waiting to make an easy
dollar and finding a food stall with street food where the owner doesn't tell
you to piss off, it was exhausting just going around. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Up until we arrived in Hanoi
we had never experienced any problems finding street food and allowing friendly
locals to take money off us; here we tried to buy food off the street and were
shooed away by the owners. The one time we did manage to sit and have a bowl of
pho, Diana was slapped on the back and told to piss off moments after slurping down
the last noodle. Surely this was not just their way of being friendly?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After much debating on where
to go next (or whether to just leave the country) we decided to try to find
somewhere a bit off the beaten track and test our newly discovered prejudices.
There are no open bus tours to Dong Hoi and it sees few backpackers, apart from
a steady stream of tourists attracted by the aptly named Paradise Cave, so this
is where we decided to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Whilst we don’t get all
excited over caves and much of our sightseeing is not based on the number of stalactites
we are able to count, this one was definitely worth it. Paradise Cave was spectacular.
With weird limestone structures reaching as high as 100 metres, and with the
cave extending in length to 31km, it ranks amongst the biggest caves in the
world (apparently there is even a National Geographic episode dedicated to it).
Just being inside was like being transported into a science fiction movie and
Diana quickly started prancing around pretending to be Queen Amidala (Abs isn't sure whether Di knows that Queen Amidala is the gun wielding Amazonian-esque character from
Star Wars, and mother of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker – good knowledge Abs - but hopes you get
the point that this cave was indeed other-worldly).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Back in the real world Abs was
already planning our next destination and quickly enlisted us to go see the
Vinh Moc tunnels close by, used as a makeshift shelter for 60 families during the Vietnam War.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Maybe because it was pouring with
rain, or perhaps because it was way off the beaten track, but we were the only ones
here and had the privilege of being taken around by two guides, one of whom was
one of the 17 children born inside the tunnels and who had lost his hearing as a consequence of American bombings during the War. It was truly a humbling
experience walking into this underground labyrinth where people tried to carry
on their daily lives in a space that would be troublesome for a hobbit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
With Christmas rapidly
approaching we moved on to Hue where we planned to splurge out on a luxury
hotel and stuff ourselves with chocolate (mainly Diana). But after much
debating we settled for a friendly budget guest house and stuffed ourselves with
chocolate (mostly Abs). As a Christmas treat we woke up early and made our way
to the best hotel in town for a breakfast buffet where we spent 2 hours eating everything
on display (Abs again). With a minor stomach ache (Diana) and with a desire to
be pampered (Abs) we headed out to a massage parlour run by blind locals we had heard about. Diana sat on the side-lines watching as a highly skilled man
pushed and pulled every muscle of Abs’ body and snapped every bone until an
uber relaxed Abs emerged 60 minutes later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
From Hue we headed down to Ho
Chi Minh City to meet the greatest, most attractive and funny man who ever
lived… Neil Ramchandani who was amazing enough to come visit us from London for
only 3 days! After one day in HCM City we were soon looking to get out
and decided on Cat Ho in the Mekong Delta. This was to be our last stop in Vietnam and we
were glad we made it here.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We booked a boat
tour to the floating markets and a peak of river life, but our highlight was
easily the time spent with Neil, the sweets he brought us from the UK and the
best (and to be honest, the only) duck hot pot we've ever had, though to be fair the latter
was down to the kind people in the Vietnamese restaurant, not Neil. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The New Year came and went
uneventfully. Neil had already left us and so it was with an unheavy heart that
on January 1<sup>st</sup> we boarded a bus for the short hop over to our next
country, Cambodia.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-75309426266751502662013-01-20T00:46:00.001-08:002013-01-20T00:46:24.824-08:00China Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo_NSoezPC6QM9pqsS99-x3ERoo2aeet10NrEGBdsnlqhaGPdMlmueR4PhAPs918Ki9m4addfhUiFbLnMP9SWeBC8163cn9GtdDgb5eh25_eoQdXSNsoSueABZsiSpEXs4mAY65IZnfmM/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo_NSoezPC6QM9pqsS99-x3ERoo2aeet10NrEGBdsnlqhaGPdMlmueR4PhAPs918Ki9m4addfhUiFbLnMP9SWeBC8163cn9GtdDgb5eh25_eoQdXSNsoSueABZsiSpEXs4mAY65IZnfmM/s640/0.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yangshuo By Night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7gdu8poT92HH5bR8BeVucnDfDoBOQMk9H4pxt3v3H-cigQdTSNMOrMuEdWPQPCB-vSF0G97rjGEZY-oeSiw4Q-hDw7vyLPZI0VgJrYg9S0e26ooPf8kswQAWvmlw1umLLsa3oPKbffH5/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7gdu8poT92HH5bR8BeVucnDfDoBOQMk9H4pxt3v3H-cigQdTSNMOrMuEdWPQPCB-vSF0G97rjGEZY-oeSiw4Q-hDw7vyLPZI0VgJrYg9S0e26ooPf8kswQAWvmlw1umLLsa3oPKbffH5/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not The River Li (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww7Xfl7yyZ-qq5N5KsIioFTUr2y033t_T2sJ_XykYjYlLXUbhrGSgDgARSli-kV87M8RBEUBF852v-ErSPI-PeMW69S8He4WMNHGdcOuOj9xUIwUkIFUjCqgEJsGBkxiloN0BLTJvGp_U/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww7Xfl7yyZ-qq5N5KsIioFTUr2y033t_T2sJ_XykYjYlLXUbhrGSgDgARSli-kV87M8RBEUBF852v-ErSPI-PeMW69S8He4WMNHGdcOuOj9xUIwUkIFUjCqgEJsGBkxiloN0BLTJvGp_U/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cycling Along (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvsYzpc5PeDVdsNKXxlDnzVfAC0vL7ZEbF4YBqZwWdJUvoqRBlmBq1KiCBT2SL88NPc0aR7sxgO3tAw89eG-aN1bhpG9FWRoGIlQ2uBkfYeAKtzvjDcaarxiQZQB4DEb29wQwe7NDqG4A/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvsYzpc5PeDVdsNKXxlDnzVfAC0vL7ZEbF4YBqZwWdJUvoqRBlmBq1KiCBT2SL88NPc0aR7sxgO3tAw89eG-aN1bhpG9FWRoGIlQ2uBkfYeAKtzvjDcaarxiQZQB4DEb29wQwe7NDqG4A/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light Peeking In (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U9ggymZzWF_Xpl7kufGGyYhohYNGARt_p-pSlYI2Kxmwx25I9_6eeoRTipkFxgTbqN5D7IX0oAz2O3Z8ABs0afVUZ9r1-4ZYm7OuOpZkIMOk2I6SW3f5uc2MBtLmRQpkuJpl1B75w2CO/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U9ggymZzWF_Xpl7kufGGyYhohYNGARt_p-pSlYI2Kxmwx25I9_6eeoRTipkFxgTbqN5D7IX0oAz2O3Z8ABs0afVUZ9r1-4ZYm7OuOpZkIMOk2I6SW3f5uc2MBtLmRQpkuJpl1B75w2CO/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm So Excited I Just Can't Hide iI! (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXx1IWFe1kw4XEW70PigA9sMcencmslMOhKRH_g3nDl2xlIaRRVy0WRQkjb4YLNAK84Oa2NggXdJKYlWNQj-y6CWxJFGwZ3gcWHUAo3Rfh2KSGL4mZTN-N49pDg9PRtzrQaq8ZtPZyOtx/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXx1IWFe1kw4XEW70PigA9sMcencmslMOhKRH_g3nDl2xlIaRRVy0WRQkjb4YLNAK84Oa2NggXdJKYlWNQj-y6CWxJFGwZ3gcWHUAo3Rfh2KSGL4mZTN-N49pDg9PRtzrQaq8ZtPZyOtx/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah We're In The Karst Region!! (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-yGKk3rXXXKoLZfr2ITAKetAcruiWYDH2JGgukn2JZ74E5M1xLhqTqmFrxXtSuAAtRWVjEiFqLe7H1v18uGFkupnHTAXccIsGW9-i0u9DhEczt68hNuZgk6NdaU3gydhvecM5ivRmVoC/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-yGKk3rXXXKoLZfr2ITAKetAcruiWYDH2JGgukn2JZ74E5M1xLhqTqmFrxXtSuAAtRWVjEiFqLe7H1v18uGFkupnHTAXccIsGW9-i0u9DhEczt68hNuZgk6NdaU3gydhvecM5ivRmVoC/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calming Down (somewhere along the Li River)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAfRkrn0phmJEZGq31ScAzokydNQ3TBlBVZwdppydG-MNUDh3K4PoQvAbvueRNglQ44S9NpSHkAavNl0Fkj8CnmTswn5VByH07qYF4F9LxV5K5rjs3KotW6psrfJvlwP-jv8P3EaHAw-F/s1600/7a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAfRkrn0phmJEZGq31ScAzokydNQ3TBlBVZwdppydG-MNUDh3K4PoQvAbvueRNglQ44S9NpSHkAavNl0Fkj8CnmTswn5VByH07qYF4F9LxV5K5rjs3KotW6psrfJvlwP-jv8P3EaHAw-F/s640/7a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peek Inside & You'll See The Great Leader (Xingping)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bGNS5OgHajAan-7RW6XxjXjJOt5hZwE3T3hfy7qZ9nTzcWABdUlol4dMoZG54CtR5ngZzuMhQBTc-dwmo0iqx9hT19yK9p6HDVAqVdMGTGKG9jlIdaY2yRA3lUKWZAcn6Q64Bvmo2LJW/s1600/7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bGNS5OgHajAan-7RW6XxjXjJOt5hZwE3T3hfy7qZ9nTzcWABdUlol4dMoZG54CtR5ngZzuMhQBTc-dwmo0iqx9hT19yK9p6HDVAqVdMGTGKG9jlIdaY2yRA3lUKWZAcn6Q64Bvmo2LJW/s640/7b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xingping Village (Xingping)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWKgoPnCvYF-_9B22WjVHY8DVPDHLfvJ5dFfmuyQVbWbY3P1mES0JM4_inOJvSJTnsDUc0ps5_yk675kUKLFG1Lo0ayalsYr4pSyvyYM6mfkXIM8H7yW4jliWc-j5I_pOdHi8WOkeN-I3/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWKgoPnCvYF-_9B22WjVHY8DVPDHLfvJ5dFfmuyQVbWbY3P1mES0JM4_inOJvSJTnsDUc0ps5_yk675kUKLFG1Lo0ayalsYr4pSyvyYM6mfkXIM8H7yW4jliWc-j5I_pOdHi8WOkeN-I3/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practising Psychopathic Look (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLAdyfA_uuQcfbBJA44jSSokbo3qjvo0hL7mVoTKda5W3ueDRplyniWGBVwy_fTtVoP7jouEJOXaTcJ6WegJTxNe1mDkt6iZ3beVPiDWUldF1ua8RrxTGqVc93HUiEw-O0UZ9ZpP5tU4A/s1600/8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLAdyfA_uuQcfbBJA44jSSokbo3qjvo0hL7mVoTKda5W3ueDRplyniWGBVwy_fTtVoP7jouEJOXaTcJ6WegJTxNe1mDkt6iZ3beVPiDWUldF1ua8RrxTGqVc93HUiEw-O0UZ9ZpP5tU4A/s640/8a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking Result, Abs's Favourite... Eggplant (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswdNjtiaQ7qlGkKit0juXliPyq3WOgfw2P4TpIfvGKvA6mB_-1D41xAabTo-vYFu4rygyqreVJhyEwIBe7uh89UIx5J_pG7iwVDHe5eUREWvaFQsf2uIm7-K_A2b0X_62hy1JZ7sWW05c/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiswdNjtiaQ7qlGkKit0juXliPyq3WOgfw2P4TpIfvGKvA6mB_-1D41xAabTo-vYFu4rygyqreVJhyEwIBe7uh89UIx5J_pG7iwVDHe5eUREWvaFQsf2uIm7-K_A2b0X_62hy1JZ7sWW05c/s640/9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking Mates (Yangshuo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdX_Y3UnfYXPpxGtYRzM-BiAgRO96hyGQQJqHgyYSy7PXOkJbod-mLFs2_AyBGA4QQyTXC94pFpbkdIjIEDsNUUkHnCMd18jEmhJVK897na2dpFq-x65VBxvErTypn5cX5AIsPzffG5fM/s1600/9a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdX_Y3UnfYXPpxGtYRzM-BiAgRO96hyGQQJqHgyYSy7PXOkJbod-mLFs2_AyBGA4QQyTXC94pFpbkdIjIEDsNUUkHnCMd18jEmhJVK897na2dpFq-x65VBxvErTypn5cX5AIsPzffG5fM/s640/9a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"View" Of The Rice Terraces (Darzhai)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqR9JrIv7lsMKUwinKGBqyk8JKtoOKnh2vkK1O90B-5qKZCYXDr7PbeH9h8NmUbV8mc2ojGMRhWDcbQxDlLuLjT5_MVbl0RvXAOSOso9L5xObLqhenuhJpzcq2wz5BL3Fw4_sb8aG1hVu/s1600/9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqR9JrIv7lsMKUwinKGBqyk8JKtoOKnh2vkK1O90B-5qKZCYXDr7PbeH9h8NmUbV8mc2ojGMRhWDcbQxDlLuLjT5_MVbl0RvXAOSOso9L5xObLqhenuhJpzcq2wz5BL3Fw4_sb8aG1hVu/s640/9b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs Venturing Out In The Cold (Darzhai)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkSEWO7Ibi6bYnX7AMHhbgPswNu4xisY9WAeLp37tJxxfh2PAhxrSHRYmH0CwShrL3AaAJPc2fWec1n_LqYOFr8E3lN4uGn-HZsm8jSo9GcTZlfxPnCFVFH1vch802uZysSeV8LLoKGc8/s1600/9c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkSEWO7Ibi6bYnX7AMHhbgPswNu4xisY9WAeLp37tJxxfh2PAhxrSHRYmH0CwShrL3AaAJPc2fWec1n_LqYOFr8E3lN4uGn-HZsm8jSo9GcTZlfxPnCFVFH1vch802uZysSeV8LLoKGc8/s640/9c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Misty Longji Rice Terraces (Dazhai)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIaCkIRGs7m8i2qKoCxnzGICNYo8OXtJzLADOTYFyAW1MNSNANZw1jrpN4zcrtW2JQLjZLkwOLVNgjLwc1ifOR2pSIkL7qvICJzn0NX7pTVjFBpUOhBgy0PXBtgJ76OfQZH-QZPY5m2yO/s1600/9d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIaCkIRGs7m8i2qKoCxnzGICNYo8OXtJzLADOTYFyAW1MNSNANZw1jrpN4zcrtW2JQLjZLkwOLVNgjLwc1ifOR2pSIkL7qvICJzn0NX7pTVjFBpUOhBgy0PXBtgJ76OfQZH-QZPY5m2yO/s640/9d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professional Noodle Station (Nanning)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjT2cqdDsN72_DM08JqfTH-rifpP4DGv3KVwu8biA3zvRLCh22vMvjo0JgPQT7HXbt0dtfwuW646EsliO6StCk5nQI7TFeUu2rhhNRZNZxfrdQVzRZEaijDnb74ho1y-gNGWvhtXoyb_T/s1600/9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjT2cqdDsN72_DM08JqfTH-rifpP4DGv3KVwu8biA3zvRLCh22vMvjo0JgPQT7HXbt0dtfwuW646EsliO6StCk5nQI7TFeUu2rhhNRZNZxfrdQVzRZEaijDnb74ho1y-gNGWvhtXoyb_T/s640/9e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Outdoor Restaurant (Nanning)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQL1l9lCUiYG5PCCQXF9-kmwJrhHa6jACAKwZz5l_2ASJd6h3Vx12fu3qAsLPaqgtN03pHH5TFJxvO5Qg1w4Oho3TD5bP710jhbPrVNt_BnLFrh90otjuIDil0OpgUc7UZJLyw1zoUzdQx/s1600/9f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQL1l9lCUiYG5PCCQXF9-kmwJrhHa6jACAKwZz5l_2ASJd6h3Vx12fu3qAsLPaqgtN03pHH5TFJxvO5Qg1w4Oho3TD5bP710jhbPrVNt_BnLFrh90otjuIDil0OpgUc7UZJLyw1zoUzdQx/s640/9f.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangerine Market (Nanning)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56_OWXuyLDPWyolUzN0HL8Qi9fRTFC2_-DaaiSshDRhBDKpV7PT7Rgh3p1KEc7hsyZOMPUEm0qAO14N_niOdHzUICSU0GGoPGndYVuX7-uZa4nPgq4yKfnHRJmdpveLqPyd294Bj2MLe8/s1600/9g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56_OWXuyLDPWyolUzN0HL8Qi9fRTFC2_-DaaiSshDRhBDKpV7PT7Rgh3p1KEc7hsyZOMPUEm0qAO14N_niOdHzUICSU0GGoPGndYVuX7-uZa4nPgq4yKfnHRJmdpveLqPyd294Bj2MLe8/s640/9g.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Big Cucumber (Nanning market)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk_aWcLH4mvn1KvHlwxiWoBrsMPDJKRoZ44FYp_sn7WrleseB8hQNYwpQX8NuJAsZN5cihkGWJDhot0HD-gIkFxZrNUscEtfaw0pHc-tguRbkh3jRo5TBSgi9yKLtwV08BqJbMjYwSJUQ/s1600/9h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk_aWcLH4mvn1KvHlwxiWoBrsMPDJKRoZ44FYp_sn7WrleseB8hQNYwpQX8NuJAsZN5cihkGWJDhot0HD-gIkFxZrNUscEtfaw0pHc-tguRbkh3jRo5TBSgi9yKLtwV08BqJbMjYwSJUQ/s640/9h.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Sell Glasses With A Smile (Nanning)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After what turned out to be a
6 week break we finally returned to China. Unsurprisingly not much had changed
in our short stint away and the South turned out to be well worth the return
visit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Yanghou was our first
destination and despite being dropped off from our night bus under a cold drizzle in the dark, early
hours of the morning on an unknown street in town we could
tell immediately that this place was special.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Everywhere karst (limestone)
peaks jutted into the sky like fingers ascending from the ground and reaching
for the heavens, the last remnants of long ago collapsed super caves. From our
hotel room the Li River provided an awesome background on one side, whilst
Monkey Jacks Bar would light up our evenings with pumping music and strobe lights
on the other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We liked this town and stayed
far longer than we intended. Other than the first morning the days were uncharacteristically
sunny for this time of year and we took advantage by hiring bicycles and
heading into the countryside or walking between little-known villages nestled
amidst this extraordinary landscape. Water buffalos munching in the fields and
chickens were our main companions on those days, with the face of Mao peering
out at us from nearly every abode we passed, evidence of his influence having sifted
into every rung of society. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
To supplement our Yangshou experience
we also took a cooking course and would highly recommend one to anyone heading
this way. We were also fortunate to meet up again with friends we had
previously met in Kazakhstan. And when we weren't doing any of the above we
were simply relaxing in a coffee shop in this extremely quaint town
(Disclaimer: “quaint” in this case is defined as rather pleasant other than the
butchered dogs and cats we saw hanging at the local market.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After a week in Yanghshou we
headed to the village of Darzai set amidst the Longji Rice Terraces. It was low
season and we could see why. Not only was it freezing, a temperature that Diana
is innately allergic too, but 90% of the time we couldn't see more than 10
metres in front of us. The other 10% we were usually huddled under the electric
blanket (in fact Diana was constantly huddled under the electric blanket). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We stayed around for 2 nights
in the hope that the weather would improve, but had no such luck, only
momentarily getting glimpses of the layered rice terraces stretching out into
the distance when the mist subsided. It was clear that in good weather this
would be a beautiful place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The unknown 7m people populated city of Nanning was our last stop in China and the last major city before Vietnam. We hung around for a few days, taking advantage of what turned out to be our favourite night market in China before catching the train to Hanoi, the gateway to South East Asia.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-69421530155709663692013-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:002013-01-30T19:14:44.648-08:00Macau<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGOBxrqnUCsSrv_zwKQ_C6N1t5QdPNhrVrpGZU9RLhKlABoOtj0sm4OtAi0FFyYBCqrZ4BMw2Y0Fvy-Mjk6fLhnTCRtJaSW8IFv3L4JDmf5mSHvq1Go1i3aXVehzzoPS25Am6Cv8FNeMm/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGOBxrqnUCsSrv_zwKQ_C6N1t5QdPNhrVrpGZU9RLhKlABoOtj0sm4OtAi0FFyYBCqrZ4BMw2Y0Fvy-Mjk6fLhnTCRtJaSW8IFv3L4JDmf5mSHvq1Go1i3aXVehzzoPS25Am6Cv8FNeMm/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p16tpXvHBKXKhwGKCT-lmBzo5Yrbg1rWkCK-mPEVFm9wayichUKh0dP8Qu-IWEPj6G-Y-vHmLffd-sHCdYGOshPWprfLkbfhxlr6-ROPSBUp6e51YMt_b6S20HvDPMXfamt62Fy6YPmy/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p16tpXvHBKXKhwGKCT-lmBzo5Yrbg1rWkCK-mPEVFm9wayichUKh0dP8Qu-IWEPj6G-Y-vHmLffd-sHCdYGOshPWprfLkbfhxlr6-ROPSBUp6e51YMt_b6S20HvDPMXfamt62Fy6YPmy/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandarin / Portuguese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiM7S2Nrd0eKFwfvcEanN5pk-sct_bpFPurBGdb8o2kbO9j6C9q94_PRoc33NkLAejXWMtf5aDfMpidj_1ZAGekSGjoloGAiBjil2dXBL3bVgFA9afLoYU-UJn5v7Og0azKLG7Iqxq2eY/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiM7S2Nrd0eKFwfvcEanN5pk-sct_bpFPurBGdb8o2kbO9j6C9q94_PRoc33NkLAejXWMtf5aDfMpidj_1ZAGekSGjoloGAiBjil2dXBL3bVgFA9afLoYU-UJn5v7Og0azKLG7Iqxq2eY/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portuguese pavement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQG2BfuDl5yVeANQU7tY5tDzRvtkn3EjiOXYSAJGyQTTzfIpZmNIY3BgVVXsBnUdZBS882JzoubFuaPP4Jbg3IsPUY0xTm5dz4eicRoQ8Ki1I5QcPGQBf5AJUw-inc4aSK3ooO2mDTUyg/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQG2BfuDl5yVeANQU7tY5tDzRvtkn3EjiOXYSAJGyQTTzfIpZmNIY3BgVVXsBnUdZBS882JzoubFuaPP4Jbg3IsPUY0xTm5dz4eicRoQ8Ki1I5QcPGQBf5AJUw-inc4aSK3ooO2mDTUyg/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bemused by Portuguese Food in China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl-RFP6nLVcpAATO_mIANcawyzXvwFYhvOLqvV2AKFkp3GTmsooGxlNj94FAieBHg2zCol35CUnc0mGFmRjxhcezvQ16vcZz1heH7oN76uLW9pVJvohDPZrjE2CZHwcvFf5EdFVTjyYYK/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzl-RFP6nLVcpAATO_mIANcawyzXvwFYhvOLqvV2AKFkp3GTmsooGxlNj94FAieBHg2zCol35CUnc0mGFmRjxhcezvQ16vcZz1heH7oN76uLW9pVJvohDPZrjE2CZHwcvFf5EdFVTjyYYK/s640/6.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Chinese dude</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDvDYNVxyRNrD8AdVf6QrIAobhAfZ7QFiNhmO8234d1pnWYaCI0O6xi3PaZuDoBq26ZnpLVe-8Uv3BlHxePm9jddEVtL96Yw2s0g46gw0_7xQ0ZHKn_JXoeQLG84jP3xh7FMvzre_6ACZ/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDvDYNVxyRNrD8AdVf6QrIAobhAfZ7QFiNhmO8234d1pnWYaCI0O6xi3PaZuDoBq26ZnpLVe-8Uv3BlHxePm9jddEVtL96Yw2s0g46gw0_7xQ0ZHKn_JXoeQLG84jP3xh7FMvzre_6ACZ/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruins of St. Paul's church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6I9jRm2teCOVbNUIwzWd3RGbdb8m51sScE_PNgCs_QADhTACvpEMuxprGLrbQOu1FjzZWgI4inuwkF33TUiwFAXQLMwTyr9Jfx8qkOv84lnDsbL8bllQ1kvGrjU3D5y46B4VouYB6wOL/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6I9jRm2teCOVbNUIwzWd3RGbdb8m51sScE_PNgCs_QADhTACvpEMuxprGLrbQOu1FjzZWgI4inuwkF33TUiwFAXQLMwTyr9Jfx8qkOv84lnDsbL8bllQ1kvGrjU3D5y46B4VouYB6wOL/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvEyx9QV8GQMeg_vLJ9tiHEtaxXY9KNvKnMSiRDbV4idX-a_xSr5SeSriyClUJzrCaHw9xt_KiSCaAnpcvm2m3PdyYpkkx29Nkc7mi3LJ_AVdd2QukJSscynSDhUbNRTJtOEifpHqu5KV/s1600/DSCF0171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvEyx9QV8GQMeg_vLJ9tiHEtaxXY9KNvKnMSiRDbV4idX-a_xSr5SeSriyClUJzrCaHw9xt_KiSCaAnpcvm2m3PdyYpkkx29Nkc7mi3LJ_AVdd2QukJSscynSDhUbNRTJtOEifpHqu5KV/s640/DSCF0171.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana Fitting In</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L_AO3JvcUORg4Pz-bp-UgbmoP2ktWR7B1P3S7BtBhsU77V7y055Y-WeOJk6dEDtiro6Jorfn7XkUCR7Ttup1-2nFopLzUN8lksibo5ZinrjZtLPHpfe215JJHaYvUxlRDL-9I_eE7rJW/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L_AO3JvcUORg4Pz-bp-UgbmoP2ktWR7B1P3S7BtBhsU77V7y055Y-WeOJk6dEDtiro6Jorfn7XkUCR7Ttup1-2nFopLzUN8lksibo5ZinrjZtLPHpfe215JJHaYvUxlRDL-9I_eE7rJW/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disputably the most luxurious casino in Macau</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Macau was to be our peanut
butter and jelly destination; a bizarre combination, of Portugal and China no
less, but it just seemed to work. We loved it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
This little known territory was
a unique fusion. Here Portuguese-style architecture lay interspersed between
high rise Chinese apartment blocks, road signs and shop names were written in
both Portuguese and Mandarin, and cobbled street districts were filled with
Chinese tea shops.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The food was not as good as
back in Europe, but that was only be expected. But it was good to see a little
piece of Portugal still prevalent in one of the old colonies, no doubt never to
be extinguished unless the Chinese somehow manage to destroy the churches and
forts still dominating the skyline.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Abs’ favourite part was the
significant number of casinos which have sprung up over the years feeding the
hunger for Chinese nationals to nip over the border and gamble away their
lives. We tried a little blackjack but failed miserably and walked out after
less than 10 minutes. Our only respite was that we made a lot of use of the
free shuttle buses on offer by every casino and went into several just to pick
up free bottles of water.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We were fortunate enough to
couchsurf here and were tremendously grateful to our host for her hospitality, but due to the
extremely high costs of doing anything (specifically gambling) we packed up our
bags after a couple of days and made the short 20 minute journey via free casino shuttle bus into
China for the final time.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-39365325186178925412013-01-17T03:46:00.001-08:002013-01-17T03:46:08.649-08:00Philippines<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7LQqWam93wb5j382J2ZLArtlGSjjjyF88H1xY73Os7J1_32Xse_ZwvekFOUvvxnv7bPkVAHtNb7nYCYGIKEplYlpFungzgR2XA-y8skzIWFDSQEYo9Gs0NyyAs-A8azA1GMpNcf7okuf/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7LQqWam93wb5j382J2ZLArtlGSjjjyF88H1xY73Os7J1_32Xse_ZwvekFOUvvxnv7bPkVAHtNb7nYCYGIKEplYlpFungzgR2XA-y8skzIWFDSQEYo9Gs0NyyAs-A8azA1GMpNcf7okuf/s640/19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paradise (Pandan Island)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1gNke1Xu_6B2EJqWeqUNXoKgbd9HPHrGlakD41Ni7J20G3Uqk4VZBtnRyHSnMr6T3bki7QTWWWBfTmODBNi73rg-vhs00ATLtDEc6azZeSOE2wdMmtqt_EL5qm6OZgmPjRf1B6cG_3zj/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1gNke1Xu_6B2EJqWeqUNXoKgbd9HPHrGlakD41Ni7J20G3Uqk4VZBtnRyHSnMr6T3bki7QTWWWBfTmODBNi73rg-vhs00ATLtDEc6azZeSOE2wdMmtqt_EL5qm6OZgmPjRf1B6cG_3zj/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on our Private Beach (Port Barton)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwZRl_7VGqmYQEhFZJ1GBuEUv_mIFbVYMv6Yl7o0hyphenhyphenCa95h0ZsrasUCzY1Kl0bXP0GYivx1MyJPFYFhwAXy7gJ6LmCQ_j0UDV7sE7CQPYhekK7fjKaTWQ4a9O6ubPlmCSSXVR_ybwuj-g/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwZRl_7VGqmYQEhFZJ1GBuEUv_mIFbVYMv6Yl7o0hyphenhyphenCa95h0ZsrasUCzY1Kl0bXP0GYivx1MyJPFYFhwAXy7gJ6LmCQ_j0UDV7sE7CQPYhekK7fjKaTWQ4a9O6ubPlmCSSXVR_ybwuj-g/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster Dinner (Port Barton)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R5J8ONIPs0LLzMaOGxivOH6rns3-dM7ZFVy49X-GM_A9k5cQEUfvjyzNJXa29DNpfYdv1oYM3tXxWVDy4IlnjZdS-vTD7GqvcgAUKW9ImjhR8WBQ_enG3BuwP_SuFg_klV9JPQ_TzypJ/s1600/5a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R5J8ONIPs0LLzMaOGxivOH6rns3-dM7ZFVy49X-GM_A9k5cQEUfvjyzNJXa29DNpfYdv1oYM3tXxWVDy4IlnjZdS-vTD7GqvcgAUKW9ImjhR8WBQ_enG3BuwP_SuFg_klV9JPQ_TzypJ/s640/5a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Show Offs (Port Barton)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AjOZ1mLytLHEicpD4QCgeHX8WCM1ZqJAKKmWFNg5U-VoJnU0aM2EUL5kuGw1OwLdxXnAajQz56z_7NCpdMDloqkWvDWJbrdKnm7mqEfgPGVnSVqhQfPiH3PeXo8dRLfhFCCQsyZl5Du1/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AjOZ1mLytLHEicpD4QCgeHX8WCM1ZqJAKKmWFNg5U-VoJnU0aM2EUL5kuGw1OwLdxXnAajQz56z_7NCpdMDloqkWvDWJbrdKnm7mqEfgPGVnSVqhQfPiH3PeXo8dRLfhFCCQsyZl5Du1/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Idle (Port Barton)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIHlfD-4fNobqwI6xfYY_ww30X5BGofZOFEIoWk41pjAZYzY3QIoBRaD3i1MkZaMdNaQF4TkqqKWo9EbSJY0Ib3kQ8gtl9KRO4Q98aoXvzmzI9cjEJYGfH0ZSC6FBHCd_TrlLASVJvGMj/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIHlfD-4fNobqwI6xfYY_ww30X5BGofZOFEIoWk41pjAZYzY3QIoBRaD3i1MkZaMdNaQF4TkqqKWo9EbSJY0Ib3kQ8gtl9KRO4Q98aoXvzmzI9cjEJYGfH0ZSC6FBHCd_TrlLASVJvGMj/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus companion (Port Barton to El Nido)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWLdtV02H13WfFJy9mSXYJKLimVccYO3q1qem7IT0sTmZeJAeQzXK9gL-9iztY7FKwkyqFb6e6_V3LgSM8V0ItGKgOYVwMo4ipB7mzKvUV54VmijQhrqSmkF74hZVpmSz4nwKv5GDVJ_6/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWLdtV02H13WfFJy9mSXYJKLimVccYO3q1qem7IT0sTmZeJAeQzXK9gL-9iztY7FKwkyqFb6e6_V3LgSM8V0ItGKgOYVwMo4ipB7mzKvUV54VmijQhrqSmkF74hZVpmSz4nwKv5GDVJ_6/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Island Hopping (El Nido)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFztTtOfT1zgqett3R9fWZxfpalt2EQsPwkuW4iNaZaLXcbn8uogYfHZ4ccLuoyJN4u5FjXtT56TSi-rR_9e3-ZBR7FHJ6aj5DPF4WZHfQEun3Pb9peFg_QhyphenhyphenSqvm7ThebqcRCaANiSsk/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFztTtOfT1zgqett3R9fWZxfpalt2EQsPwkuW4iNaZaLXcbn8uogYfHZ4ccLuoyJN4u5FjXtT56TSi-rR_9e3-ZBR7FHJ6aj5DPF4WZHfQEun3Pb9peFg_QhyphenhyphenSqvm7ThebqcRCaANiSsk/s640/9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the Planks to our Guest House (Coron)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2yGtEDbz0CmQBmiccXzzwS5YRUrAyfVbvdLFewSq4lyEv1zTwWPhIcB_k_aurZl-wU4m9X-Zv4MUbcco4gW4X8svcxcpBDTsnK08NRsXkOcDhS1hDbcRs4aTJcLb2iPXFUqJEyjoqWv_/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2yGtEDbz0CmQBmiccXzzwS5YRUrAyfVbvdLFewSq4lyEv1zTwWPhIcB_k_aurZl-wU4m9X-Zv4MUbcco4gW4X8svcxcpBDTsnK08NRsXkOcDhS1hDbcRs4aTJcLb2iPXFUqJEyjoqWv_/s640/10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset (Coron)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc802n4JWQfwROkcrfo9jU8w7JHgVGZR5QbI0sdLPdzcalnQzps76A0F-28EGMU8yBf2rdZzEAR96AU1SHEhWeoL2hWCLCSg0VQpIoVeUFyTosm3mvyqMUiF3w0xP99OchYM4klxg_8jVX/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc802n4JWQfwROkcrfo9jU8w7JHgVGZR5QbI0sdLPdzcalnQzps76A0F-28EGMU8yBf2rdZzEAR96AU1SHEhWeoL2hWCLCSg0VQpIoVeUFyTosm3mvyqMUiF3w0xP99OchYM4klxg_8jVX/s640/11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you! (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxMs5Gya_cR_tSDuRGGT_3Q4A-UxAewjf6GIudJAz9FEv2uUzSXGT5PZibyI9ZyfgrdikErnSWTq6egK78wcyEe2ONUBs_wTL4ikN-GU46Z8EB9dLSoxmGWJkzQMUyYyVSKmTuhBEaAUd/s1600/11a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxMs5Gya_cR_tSDuRGGT_3Q4A-UxAewjf6GIudJAz9FEv2uUzSXGT5PZibyI9ZyfgrdikErnSWTq6egK78wcyEe2ONUBs_wTL4ikN-GU46Z8EB9dLSoxmGWJkzQMUyYyVSKmTuhBEaAUd/s640/11a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medium Security Prisoner (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijt9T_xEz3QlfDF9ZU-sWPani2XVXd04-97bBGgd8jiZMUs0Lvp1GpCrGG9H-0EBF_htOWhxmCQ_yFjoJw8L_SDUr4o8aCw9UuDHtCPNPMtfbK8yEwZB02mz9vFvVmw25twiJLqqTsWbv5/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijt9T_xEz3QlfDF9ZU-sWPani2XVXd04-97bBGgd8jiZMUs0Lvp1GpCrGG9H-0EBF_htOWhxmCQ_yFjoJw8L_SDUr4o8aCw9UuDHtCPNPMtfbK8yEwZB02mz9vFvVmw25twiJLqqTsWbv5/s640/12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prisoners working?! (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6J_P5raaOWenNioL7AI8YSGoKSUhORZP1C-7HhwuNgi0L0_ZH36sWGPxVzk-amFd6QpCGBL1xmlMasoZVrV1SPZNkceW0GdZ9SG72jVYSs6NSS2FQSvOeQVlIhsK8qmOPZbBv4mF5p_Q/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6J_P5raaOWenNioL7AI8YSGoKSUhORZP1C-7HhwuNgi0L0_ZH36sWGPxVzk-amFd6QpCGBL1xmlMasoZVrV1SPZNkceW0GdZ9SG72jVYSs6NSS2FQSvOeQVlIhsK8qmOPZbBv4mF5p_Q/s640/13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prison Lake (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0YTVhOt9arfyZZ45nzCRUWiLWI2hdFvcIBtxY1-IPdkSepOPP0K2B71N3SN_U9djAlvXnqmVuR8EDBgVfbPo3_tnbD-bNSaGsJAHnTUpoxKz069Soxa96Wvp5QXPBe6mwyctKDKPX_CQ/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0YTVhOt9arfyZZ45nzCRUWiLWI2hdFvcIBtxY1-IPdkSepOPP0K2B71N3SN_U9djAlvXnqmVuR8EDBgVfbPo3_tnbD-bNSaGsJAHnTUpoxKz069Soxa96Wvp5QXPBe6mwyctKDKPX_CQ/s640/14.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kite Surfing (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrLNT7kPb7N5GDAYSOvczxqW7KRqOJhnuYSsOA_Oy8e2419nJzLgqYZqRUQ6hhhRKSWvSbO6oBIWHaEcctifmfCFTUX4wufBRqnZvU6V0TC4F6RKaega95ujxaV6M5UUsDHPADPda8EHM/s1600/14a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrLNT7kPb7N5GDAYSOvczxqW7KRqOJhnuYSsOA_Oy8e2419nJzLgqYZqRUQ6hhhRKSWvSbO6oBIWHaEcctifmfCFTUX4wufBRqnZvU6V0TC4F6RKaega95ujxaV6M5UUsDHPADPda8EHM/s640/14a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs manly silhouette (Sablyan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ98pKH1qVhnpOSjdGn3xPPAJF1-oGQ2g_4-Bc4Mk1iifUEd692bXXAcfaENXB4fZTrEXptcEisgBTT63OMMxZzZDY1QqAFQvOgGNIim5ib8jX1UPAqI3ZCPu7SA7gEaQsa15IafgeZa-/s1600/14b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ98pKH1qVhnpOSjdGn3xPPAJF1-oGQ2g_4-Bc4Mk1iifUEd692bXXAcfaENXB4fZTrEXptcEisgBTT63OMMxZzZDY1QqAFQvOgGNIim5ib8jX1UPAqI3ZCPu7SA7gEaQsa15IafgeZa-/s640/14b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filipino Boy Band (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq4JqZ1XM40tGQhwrp7LR8_0foatUpDSRUvu8iWQnrf3kXZdLIxyfJDV9rU_UlrHurPG9C9ouO6vnmwSImcFDkpKhSFWoC8810BOr_Ru9PvOxWJrfhtQq8Ky5sN_lpCFhr192w3gmiyr4/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJq4JqZ1XM40tGQhwrp7LR8_0foatUpDSRUvu8iWQnrf3kXZdLIxyfJDV9rU_UlrHurPG9C9ouO6vnmwSImcFDkpKhSFWoC8810BOr_Ru9PvOxWJrfhtQq8Ky5sN_lpCFhr192w3gmiyr4/s640/15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pig on a stick take away style (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzBlvErcSM8JPyA4gY7eDjWYdLBfbNXh8EUYM2ZE8vCX2W2GXs2AuPDS3jeZYg-JQyCNDKG27XspWawsUEQz3MwcqnFcLZfX6UZjylXz8sVwuJAQpNQyXRMxpoEkZH9BN7d4Lup7vSkMF/s1600/15a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzBlvErcSM8JPyA4gY7eDjWYdLBfbNXh8EUYM2ZE8vCX2W2GXs2AuPDS3jeZYg-JQyCNDKG27XspWawsUEQz3MwcqnFcLZfX6UZjylXz8sVwuJAQpNQyXRMxpoEkZH9BN7d4Lup7vSkMF/s640/15a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you grow liquid zinc? If you know please provide further info in the comments section (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv_zjCONCB4UD-wo3kDA_9BI1kiQS3hu4-UdzwQfYflk0kX2h5yPp6x9u95w_x4jFQWTMUNtspBgYYE8g_-8Drp9cA2wRcNRIRGn77_JaDyU3VbyD40eCB6mUytgsBFbBACBb_ibZAhzA/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCv_zjCONCB4UD-wo3kDA_9BI1kiQS3hu4-UdzwQfYflk0kX2h5yPp6x9u95w_x4jFQWTMUNtspBgYYE8g_-8Drp9cA2wRcNRIRGn77_JaDyU3VbyD40eCB6mUytgsBFbBACBb_ibZAhzA/s640/16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome Banana Ketchup that should be exported (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_8wBgTDkWSbY15ZeMDPiSAaezU4R1an0-ujwaAgGoN6TnXT09h3_Q6sdVcCoeq3bfu4q2mZSOzW0EMsGC9h9S87ySL_dx1tS2uCxytnZt8rvdu6Zjt5h8zyQ4RtIAkNx6nRCTVRwlKu6/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_8wBgTDkWSbY15ZeMDPiSAaezU4R1an0-ujwaAgGoN6TnXT09h3_Q6sdVcCoeq3bfu4q2mZSOzW0EMsGC9h9S87ySL_dx1tS2uCxytnZt8rvdu6Zjt5h8zyQ4RtIAkNx6nRCTVRwlKu6/s640/17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit Lunch (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRlK2dQZpN85ev67YRXWA6z1b3nBL3KEDpDqDJ19XUcfnctYDgn_OXZxQLgF1hNIBtm4QfDN_rTfySXRzv9LflYURD-aJgtfyDfsS04SyUCTJPe8ENFq7YuKV1QwPDeFz6xCWzMG6ZOyX/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRlK2dQZpN85ev67YRXWA6z1b3nBL3KEDpDqDJ19XUcfnctYDgn_OXZxQLgF1hNIBtm4QfDN_rTfySXRzv9LflYURD-aJgtfyDfsS04SyUCTJPe8ENFq7YuKV1QwPDeFz6xCWzMG6ZOyX/s640/18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard-core Anti-Smoking Shopkeeper (Sablayan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC821o1YdpLSXxjd0ZUf6iQxe1aRkcdQgPoRxnZz3U-5mDYFdPZzgZhStlTJahZoZsghNC1WPIJMwLyI-PbBgNllEuxqvN0dFe_0oxRa6pAiRB9KoNtmmgo7KPzHorxsKGFGB7FEoUO29j/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC821o1YdpLSXxjd0ZUf6iQxe1aRkcdQgPoRxnZz3U-5mDYFdPZzgZhStlTJahZoZsghNC1WPIJMwLyI-PbBgNllEuxqvN0dFe_0oxRa6pAiRB9KoNtmmgo7KPzHorxsKGFGB7FEoUO29j/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unsung Hero & His Free Library (Manila)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvsu6c-d6NgXah09suzpnkhnhs2aQNYbm-p8cumQVTUnEAytEjSz7QMnpGLUWAoEP-_lP0xW2kEZ2jL04wSPsl1R87cKJp6rQL_ibSWkXRSZcb5G_jOVkjNnId9mNNsX-yAfLGqn2ESVO/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvsu6c-d6NgXah09suzpnkhnhs2aQNYbm-p8cumQVTUnEAytEjSz7QMnpGLUWAoEP-_lP0xW2kEZ2jL04wSPsl1R87cKJp6rQL_ibSWkXRSZcb5G_jOVkjNnId9mNNsX-yAfLGqn2ESVO/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stumbling Upon Commercial Production for Yakult (Manila)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In spite of the 7,000 islands
that make up the Philippines the highlights of our 3 week trip here were far
removed from the status-quo beach holiday one might have expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Perhaps top of the list was a
visit to a Filipino penal colony. There were very few guards, very few
fences and very few checkpoints into or out of this open countryside
penitentiary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But there were lots of
prisoners, arranged in order of their perceived risk-level, from Maximum (rape,
murder, etc…) to Minimum (petty theft), and who wore respectively coloured
t-shirts depending on which category they belonged to. Those sporting orange were
Maximum security prisoners and were effectively the “dangerous” ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, save for those first
few apprehensive minutes, akin to a boy taking a girl out on his first date
before slowly becoming comfortable with the situation, we did not feel nervous
just walking around by ourselves, and were free to talk to all prisoners. This
included one who had been in the colony for nearly 7 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
His job in the prison had been
to take care of his own field of vegetables, which he grew and sold to
supplement the meagre offerings he received from the system. He spoke openly
(for the most part) of what he did on a day-to-day basis, and grinned when
telling us that he had recently been downgraded from wearing an orange t-shirt
(Maximum) to a blue one (Medium). However, he closed up when we brought up the
story of his incarceration and simply replied that he was innocent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When we asked him why he didn't just escape – there were after all no fences, he was allowed a phone to
stay in touch with friends and family outside the imaginary prison walls, and
he was only required to check in with the prison once a week – he said that the
risks were too great. We later heard of one prisoner who had escaped, been
caught, and subsequently placed in solitary confinement…for 3 years and
counting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p> </o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Another one of our Philippine highlights (not quite sure if this should be called a highlight... at least for Di) came in the form of a 5 hour trip to the hospital. After Abs slipped on a
concrete pier, like Superman hurrying to Lois Lane’s rescue, Diana came running
to make sure he was okay. Unfortunately Diana also slipped on the concrete pier
and consequently dislocated her thumb. After rushing to the nearest hospital
several hundred kilometres away Diana was ploughed with drugs (who knew sedatives had such a remarkable effect?!) and her thumb put
back into place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There were a few other
highlights (such as the guy who inadvertently <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19547365">turned his home into a
library in Central Manila</a>) but it would be folly not to mention the beaches
as this was where we spent 90% of our time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Port Barton on the island of
Palawan offered us an idyllic and effectively private beach where we were able
to relax and enjoy the warm South China Sea just a stone’s throw away from our
lodgings. The fresh lobster was a nice touch after we asked a local fisherman
to sell two to us as he was about to throw them back into the sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
El Nido, also on Palawan, was
famous for its island hopping and rightly so as it offered us a chance to
indulge in being shipped around various private islands where we could snorkel to
our heart’s content. Despite the abundance of marine life it was sad to see how
little coral there was, a result of the years of dynamite fishing that we heard
still took place in other parts of the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A 10 hour boat ride to the
island of Busuanga was an apt break from the norm. There was little to do but
read in the shade of the bungka (traditional boat) or watch the frescos of
white and grey clouds traverse whatever direction the wind took them as we
sifted through emerald green waters. During this time we became experts at
looking at the horizon to prevent regurgitation of our lunch during choppy
intervals in the journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wreck diving is a must for all
diving enthusiasts, and Coron Town on Busuanga was the perfect destination with
its plethora of sunken World War 2 Japanese ships. This was definitely one of
Abs’ top diving experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
And then came Pandan Island where Abs was lucky enough to swim with a turtle as
it munched sea grass like a little underwater pac man before surfacing for a
breathe and scurrying off into the depths of the ocean. Diana, still
incapacitated by her healing thumb, was content with lounging in a hammock and
occasionally venturing into the aquatic metropolis moments away from her sandy
paradise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite the Robinson Crusoe,
picture-perfect image of the trip painted in the words above, we decided we had
had enough of pristine beaches, constant power cuts and no fast internet
connection. And so, after nearly 3 weeks in the Philippines, we contently boarded
our flight to our next destination, the Vegas of the East, Macau. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-55820725891625834092013-01-06T01:52:00.000-08:002013-01-20T19:16:38.744-08:00Japan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVTemdvaIblh4rYadkWBptZ0wIh8NkRrMx1JgX2mRIwjcxG7Myk1wGMG61e6MGdKh3RTL39AB8Ftzrrh6UQ45KqUjncnYLcfjqUDfjhWlOjo6bmvpnaznACE8PJiJdX5R-5eb43gwHzwB/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVTemdvaIblh4rYadkWBptZ0wIh8NkRrMx1JgX2mRIwjcxG7Myk1wGMG61e6MGdKh3RTL39AB8Ftzrrh6UQ45KqUjncnYLcfjqUDfjhWlOjo6bmvpnaznACE8PJiJdX5R-5eb43gwHzwB/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Culture Festival (Chiran)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYU8j5D6d8hXj_CID1TWH5gv9hJvZecm1UdND5y1hlukqzluXXEVxrU2vuA1iXL0OQx75BttqM0lmjaelj4WObd4ad40CbT4uS1CykNePUGAjbCvTXXVr9BHJuOsw87Z-WRgSKjlSZPAb/s1600/1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYU8j5D6d8hXj_CID1TWH5gv9hJvZecm1UdND5y1hlukqzluXXEVxrU2vuA1iXL0OQx75BttqM0lmjaelj4WObd4ad40CbT4uS1CykNePUGAjbCvTXXVr9BHJuOsw87Z-WRgSKjlSZPAb/s640/1b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYOsVwuNBhlgrGIImTvR8LmVZ_e0o0cUJEtD9yKstnqagflTTfBzgY6VziNN9kq_Bf7houS2MvtFUnE0SzrpKEh7y4eh9PbwGmC2Ag8SEaBzDnUi-pilIZk0mkt3uoD9LknTuQhHjoZ8N/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYOsVwuNBhlgrGIImTvR8LmVZ_e0o0cUJEtD9yKstnqagflTTfBzgY6VziNN9kq_Bf7houS2MvtFUnE0SzrpKEh7y4eh9PbwGmC2Ag8SEaBzDnUi-pilIZk0mkt3uoD9LknTuQhHjoZ8N/s640/2.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Torii Gates @ Fushimi Iinari Temple (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jnHbHD7f2ArQnuOldm5xAT9VYHgq_NBOHr_Q2OAsdHjn1oT3Ovm9h7sjBwszdt40J1UctshCVZUpFZJfW9VoG5vgMno0qW2BVsRc0LTJV6pJNRuqQj69hknvoSbVMX4SYO5leMBqzLJv/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jnHbHD7f2ArQnuOldm5xAT9VYHgq_NBOHr_Q2OAsdHjn1oT3Ovm9h7sjBwszdt40J1UctshCVZUpFZJfW9VoG5vgMno0qW2BVsRc0LTJV6pJNRuqQj69hknvoSbVMX4SYO5leMBqzLJv/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic Food! (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqpSZhmdgGeYE8TGs-j1GH_H6Mp_YPP9UgyL99JSHvD2s3-akU1DVzTXJG1hyphenhyphenDpFHQh-JGWq_RJdzArz6fBjZH8Ii3fJJ3ISc6P5THaU2fAPWC3qOAwxmZqtN7a0SppC6dEeb3dI9bUe/s1600/3b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqpSZhmdgGeYE8TGs-j1GH_H6Mp_YPP9UgyL99JSHvD2s3-akU1DVzTXJG1hyphenhyphenDpFHQh-JGWq_RJdzArz6fBjZH8Ii3fJJ3ISc6P5THaU2fAPWC3qOAwxmZqtN7a0SppC6dEeb3dI9bUe/s640/3b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have a Child, Need to go to the Toilet? No Problem! (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiXfkLJVAkx8sRIEPRQo2-OpCYUIOXaupJoFdeVjy73U3fmsbyjF0pcmKHycdEtl6H1r0tpaWt1Xlk1CNced4cId1b06I6eHFlNtSEDdCHACQ_krMo2qcIIz92Dgm5uhdPJFBkvk4YTXx/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiXfkLJVAkx8sRIEPRQo2-OpCYUIOXaupJoFdeVjy73U3fmsbyjF0pcmKHycdEtl6H1r0tpaWt1Xlk1CNced4cId1b06I6eHFlNtSEDdCHACQ_krMo2qcIIz92Dgm5uhdPJFBkvk4YTXx/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nishiki Market (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj317pasy4MulK8nPTSPUlxoVPenYy7UsGff-QdwpS8tLEovX87MUnDLmeyrjSOryCzzfW0gE-hT0N2dGrdFNQzm-USCufy6iVWxZabBDq2PvVvn0p_Dfd2QKzwwvhGGbODsvo47ifK_Uj/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj317pasy4MulK8nPTSPUlxoVPenYy7UsGff-QdwpS8tLEovX87MUnDLmeyrjSOryCzzfW0gE-hT0N2dGrdFNQzm-USCufy6iVWxZabBDq2PvVvn0p_Dfd2QKzwwvhGGbODsvo47ifK_Uj/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetables in Miso (Nishiki Market, Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-nJmfLydSWxbj9rbX2Y3OZNOZl6Mm6BCU_zWBI5Jofy9GreyJPnJ-HDUrkgtBYi54A4G18WKpFc_FQ2_2SsIiNvUw0G43DlMFSlWNAWFazjW43PBP9pEmhMUgv_2APGj-WBvPoPsP4hr/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-nJmfLydSWxbj9rbX2Y3OZNOZl6Mm6BCU_zWBI5Jofy9GreyJPnJ-HDUrkgtBYi54A4G18WKpFc_FQ2_2SsIiNvUw0G43DlMFSlWNAWFazjW43PBP9pEmhMUgv_2APGj-WBvPoPsP4hr/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light Festival (Makurazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3gO6JxDZ_DixilxDdHdMx4IHdE_EOTrJ-4Kb1Hz5mCRX_q74dN_l2Kp6Xw9bu7zw8TJ-C2IssDAJx9OVu6jQBpdISpcP1SwBLlms4JkAKIM29S-dMoqIKHzm2b3hUyxoMaVkWzztjG0C/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3gO6JxDZ_DixilxDdHdMx4IHdE_EOTrJ-4Kb1Hz5mCRX_q74dN_l2Kp6Xw9bu7zw8TJ-C2IssDAJx9OVu6jQBpdISpcP1SwBLlms4JkAKIM29S-dMoqIKHzm2b3hUyxoMaVkWzztjG0C/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Chris + Alan 2 + 1 (Osaka)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QXt8qRiIHMKD7aVWtuFnoeZNFlZVHBcG0P99f5zUzxIK61QCcklPkJ2xoKLlVG1locKik6EVjoSmvLtOy0KYCvy6yq4E3W2v3sIhRQM8sz4yDYf4tFE5Pw2iUlUV_NyTk1z70MIuC3zb/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QXt8qRiIHMKD7aVWtuFnoeZNFlZVHBcG0P99f5zUzxIK61QCcklPkJ2xoKLlVG1locKik6EVjoSmvLtOy0KYCvy6yq4E3W2v3sIhRQM8sz4yDYf4tFE5Pw2iUlUV_NyTk1z70MIuC3zb/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going Nuts Over Arcades (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpHiFUEYfU7tbcAhSzqw-A4H0zrq0UiTXolOoYcyj0T-wih032B4hRiunv9IPD_L31sx7a7hdkG1slloiCxDthr9f_z4WX9TPWZ_qBgXjUSBFp5ZTrBDH3etYspMfWYRrNQ6BeAt0vuzw/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpHiFUEYfU7tbcAhSzqw-A4H0zrq0UiTXolOoYcyj0T-wih032B4hRiunv9IPD_L31sx7a7hdkG1slloiCxDthr9f_z4WX9TPWZ_qBgXjUSBFp5ZTrBDH3etYspMfWYRrNQ6BeAt0vuzw/s640/9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiko Challenge Against Taiko Master Wendy (Kagoshima)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ysuWYbCyhlCmWrkbMmbsBl7Ygc6jK4-MZZpunq98ahlUMSgZeFq42FQ3PsVQouiENIVjzmEERlmPSUdi8G9EWtP8-AOwiPNaGC9f2104U_5CKuxjLZ9nvw4iytA4E0lImerNcYfmuh6d/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ysuWYbCyhlCmWrkbMmbsBl7Ygc6jK4-MZZpunq98ahlUMSgZeFq42FQ3PsVQouiENIVjzmEERlmPSUdi8G9EWtP8-AOwiPNaGC9f2104U_5CKuxjLZ9nvw4iytA4E0lImerNcYfmuh6d/s640/10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fake Geisha (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ75I0dAdbL-mnPsmLU_zK1HQlTTm85_JDGRsacVi596oGqT3c4ihOZP1QeUKOqiwH80gvZjBvA8z1k2vgEL3LWVNi9lHVv2dSpeRv1tW8D4t33ujaJTMGBOvsokYA7AKid3pYw_XGS4d2/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ75I0dAdbL-mnPsmLU_zK1HQlTTm85_JDGRsacVi596oGqT3c4ihOZP1QeUKOqiwH80gvZjBvA8z1k2vgEL3LWVNi9lHVv2dSpeRv1tW8D4t33ujaJTMGBOvsokYA7AKid3pYw_XGS4d2/s640/11.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Kyoto's many Temples (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Eo3nwqMZz-MvE5TAHF8pkaHl_yOVkvRGEv3I-N_s-pPl40Sa1xzMdmW2MtkD7ebFIFFNgK9RRPRMwZY23DBIjChscRv8Rrs36S_a9ZCsurU2sweISO7t9MI8bbVR2XbN1xk6itw-UfLE/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Eo3nwqMZz-MvE5TAHF8pkaHl_yOVkvRGEv3I-N_s-pPl40Sa1xzMdmW2MtkD7ebFIFFNgK9RRPRMwZY23DBIjChscRv8Rrs36S_a9ZCsurU2sweISO7t9MI8bbVR2XbN1xk6itw-UfLE/s640/12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple Life Over the City (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y8ug7FweXofSzrCJOR2zRN2q2dL1HO_AtCEPzZDJho6MgcQZiUmg929d0BXRe7lUVfaLsuRu_2H3mIZlsLOGvCcZwQPqVCg0ZNaakFneBJywM-kyp_kY4teH7o187rbaLMoWbxp3sB8l/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y8ug7FweXofSzrCJOR2zRN2q2dL1HO_AtCEPzZDJho6MgcQZiUmg929d0BXRe7lUVfaLsuRu_2H3mIZlsLOGvCcZwQPqVCg0ZNaakFneBJywM-kyp_kY4teH7o187rbaLMoWbxp3sB8l/s640/13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zen Gardens (Chiran)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMll08Zzoi7hds6rSNVYdyCgVm3lZisd4UrsL3ojULcSAf3Vv-jdhOcRG8N6KWXb9axkx9fYzKu6XPbDs8KKOCgF0JNFZSMeHSuhoh26ZVESLYo-KDJbUnx-4-kOlbSDa7SDl1BCIeUTN0/s1600/13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMll08Zzoi7hds6rSNVYdyCgVm3lZisd4UrsL3ojULcSAf3Vv-jdhOcRG8N6KWXb9axkx9fYzKu6XPbDs8KKOCgF0JNFZSMeHSuhoh26ZVESLYo-KDJbUnx-4-kOlbSDa7SDl1BCIeUTN0/s640/13a.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayers (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgbWfr0Ykfj9xsUYhF5lyqicTE2M_LTRYD8uXe9rAE0qIcXHl2a9hpehDtO7dbBKTwKxKzyFvQr5q3KfY1FEyDHqGGCodLmmTiBy-I1ervU2m40uMIZdoHVfuq9mv8p5yIU3PUt-ld_xJ/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgbWfr0Ykfj9xsUYhF5lyqicTE2M_LTRYD8uXe9rAE0qIcXHl2a9hpehDtO7dbBKTwKxKzyFvQr5q3KfY1FEyDHqGGCodLmmTiBy-I1ervU2m40uMIZdoHVfuq9mv8p5yIU3PUt-ld_xJ/s640/14.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple Tree (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFbOAxLZ7isWOc3mNIsvxIR_zik-a5Tx8Aw61IrJ9v4UwKpQgzLHGhLGPUf3HZWIyL1gVeK-au-qyy5TjHcOcc2P3xfhIU64n4aDsXQ5jsukjBLtNrhUb-fhNYXe3QDZ9tzRdTBS8kxqt/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFbOAxLZ7isWOc3mNIsvxIR_zik-a5Tx8Aw61IrJ9v4UwKpQgzLHGhLGPUf3HZWIyL1gVeK-au-qyy5TjHcOcc2P3xfhIU64n4aDsXQ5jsukjBLtNrhUb-fhNYXe3QDZ9tzRdTBS8kxqt/s640/15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inland Sea (from Shikoku)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgQMI5eqcl0IssdWWtnLe3ZB90oQ_RID2Fh4fqJz2IKvppv7zOY51_mZ_l1boruJsv83oQUIVgbTLM8w9Vo6ZELHPSGYT1K4a_bTSLeQvLWFxOASQVzB1SwPUZO1VCgSmlTXn9iGKV6Py/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgQMI5eqcl0IssdWWtnLe3ZB90oQ_RID2Fh4fqJz2IKvppv7zOY51_mZ_l1boruJsv83oQUIVgbTLM8w9Vo6ZELHPSGYT1K4a_bTSLeQvLWFxOASQVzB1SwPUZO1VCgSmlTXn9iGKV6Py/s640/16.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost (Kyoto)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbMV90IORmN9nYA6SLpn8x9doY-Vm3MdiFeIZl90J48xdKTy52YQouFT8EKohb6QfSXVLsIQ0sS525w9-WlchxYFjXuHkTu6cFc7IKeFKvOl_kKOcg7nvYRa8u6dgMGy-dkerT40tvnEM/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbMV90IORmN9nYA6SLpn8x9doY-Vm3MdiFeIZl90J48xdKTy52YQouFT8EKohb6QfSXVLsIQ0sS525w9-WlchxYFjXuHkTu6cFc7IKeFKvOl_kKOcg7nvYRa8u6dgMGy-dkerT40tvnEM/s640/17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tatami on a Ferry (Shikoku to Kobe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJ4rU7A6uqIWcH7HDUGidrLI-M3jK4fvmgG_1DVNe7h6klwJYO4oY7yVw4ypwqVBKmLy9dhBjBhnUmGoXn1twJHsF_o-Zf1-E4t-RKqVVOf_CYTTf8hW9gxXZ9vs6Z-IeCoKPTCM1a26a/s1600/17a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJ4rU7A6uqIWcH7HDUGidrLI-M3jK4fvmgG_1DVNe7h6klwJYO4oY7yVw4ypwqVBKmLy9dhBjBhnUmGoXn1twJHsF_o-Zf1-E4t-RKqVVOf_CYTTf8hW9gxXZ9vs6Z-IeCoKPTCM1a26a/s640/17a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random Picture of Diana's Home Town in a Subway (Kobe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vyZc4oDNd0hQdwg4I0y9an76o2iv0JQrpk3iTnaFo5_X6KqsHfLxjHsQrGOgUCfaHDdfNh7fTUJFxAW3_ikNaNneuer2oq9dOUyMwWECkDBzqyZtxyflX9Or7vOdx6IZDxC5JmjRqERj/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vyZc4oDNd0hQdwg4I0y9an76o2iv0JQrpk3iTnaFo5_X6KqsHfLxjHsQrGOgUCfaHDdfNh7fTUJFxAW3_ikNaNneuer2oq9dOUyMwWECkDBzqyZtxyflX9Or7vOdx6IZDxC5JmjRqERj/s640/18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Private Onsen (Miyazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwg98mTxj2fvM63HT5uf6mk099kXjg-z-qb30IXNWJnqzW5CBGyi4ZU_rDaW_fLyMkcuA5YRxyDrGvqe-O-Qb1YYUERKkMpGJftVH6ykweFCC4WcsABv_m_XUbMxPJPyj8cRjgKOjzguK/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwg98mTxj2fvM63HT5uf6mk099kXjg-z-qb30IXNWJnqzW5CBGyi4ZU_rDaW_fLyMkcuA5YRxyDrGvqe-O-Qb1YYUERKkMpGJftVH6ykweFCC4WcsABv_m_XUbMxPJPyj8cRjgKOjzguK/s640/19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshi & the Hulk (Miyazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUNS3oUacHy7erhVXm1XnZhbmnN6VIwkLE_pPUI_isX7KUvPNzIYbyefQCyfQkiRg3b1WeeIkZdENN4pU_QQ0deatZ9wuhyphenhyphenYBAwdESP6mYvsnO9GOaPbRB6jH23rtbAWhrT9mduI4l0zh/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUNS3oUacHy7erhVXm1XnZhbmnN6VIwkLE_pPUI_isX7KUvPNzIYbyefQCyfQkiRg3b1WeeIkZdENN4pU_QQ0deatZ9wuhyphenhyphenYBAwdESP6mYvsnO9GOaPbRB6jH23rtbAWhrT9mduI4l0zh/s640/20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshi's Wife & Abs (Miyazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI54LsNbCMB8eLwW6rrIZf7ezKDEc9Y0gcKcDSwW0EyMjOP_eN4d9n1frh78dG9Xu3pX5SBUyVDjMYtPUlVCVj3ce6ap3ItmvjZcDzxBugo-55UKQUUAYDAJWCa1Mlr3W5Axafgxf7rfP/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI54LsNbCMB8eLwW6rrIZf7ezKDEc9Y0gcKcDSwW0EyMjOP_eN4d9n1frh78dG9Xu3pX5SBUyVDjMYtPUlVCVj3ce6ap3ItmvjZcDzxBugo-55UKQUUAYDAJWCa1Mlr3W5Axafgxf7rfP/s640/21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in the Park (Chiran)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOiKIbGNrJvWenNxDj6ZX_2Q3lurcc5uhY4v76UcorHJRjF-0blPvqwugvjjFp-ukNMriP52L-hBmuwy5XeL-W0UKkefogXCCXg9tKkfiIRnCORfhlxULbRqsXJe9sbzAwkgyCNjtTRBL/s1600/23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOiKIbGNrJvWenNxDj6ZX_2Q3lurcc5uhY4v76UcorHJRjF-0blPvqwugvjjFp-ukNMriP52L-hBmuwy5XeL-W0UKkefogXCCXg9tKkfiIRnCORfhlxULbRqsXJe9sbzAwkgyCNjtTRBL/s640/23.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colourful Nabe (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ljjq9duILBqlKBd6b_ibJs7HO1GJB237tRQhIn-Y_G4q2TXjgFHBJuKI2ZNoLYqxjf7QNhJhRdSw3nkKVG006giHIeCyKcnNSRsY6X-aib2iKBXF4NEQotE2lC1D_DZM2sGXz3eV7uwR/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ljjq9duILBqlKBd6b_ibJs7HO1GJB237tRQhIn-Y_G4q2TXjgFHBJuKI2ZNoLYqxjf7QNhJhRdSw3nkKVG006giHIeCyKcnNSRsY6X-aib2iKBXF4NEQotE2lC1D_DZM2sGXz3eV7uwR/s640/24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okonomiyaki (Osaka)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec9cesqPmMVyLRWcSrX2NYe-G7Je26_KoUKusjsT901TEPzftVwuRBqJr7LJ0lRk6tJ0pDm30QGj-lUFXIGODuoy73lg55aqIGB6KpkxIG0iIcdvFNOw3NZkPojaEgP4Q9sHb-u9lKom8/s1600/25a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec9cesqPmMVyLRWcSrX2NYe-G7Je26_KoUKusjsT901TEPzftVwuRBqJr7LJ0lRk6tJ0pDm30QGj-lUFXIGODuoy73lg55aqIGB6KpkxIG0iIcdvFNOw3NZkPojaEgP4Q9sHb-u9lKom8/s640/25a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Abs at Kaiten Sushi (Makurazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURHSrMhyVNLt0IKBpBodivslLz2DYPJswgkpfiXNBgBfFTvau-DSYUB5sGx-ajjNVkuVWLKHTOfuVlDAa6SJjrWzeq_lMWotxqKjBC0dPp8a9_DNXtxPu4yzIas_2PDFj4puuECDYj-la/s1600/26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURHSrMhyVNLt0IKBpBodivslLz2DYPJswgkpfiXNBgBfFTvau-DSYUB5sGx-ajjNVkuVWLKHTOfuVlDAa6SJjrWzeq_lMWotxqKjBC0dPp8a9_DNXtxPu4yzIas_2PDFj4puuECDYj-la/s640/26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggplant Sushi! (Makurazaki)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOFq_QxEGJlgMfenrL4n17xK-yrCOVYL4D5IIgKYAcxUDmvkMTrO6fKNlMoqRWZW6jyS0R7JPAmSHep92J98-9S7dncNa3ng3SYEwfNCHPEYgpNy0Wv1D0YoUGV2-hh8xZbAgbXWTaLn9/s1600/27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOFq_QxEGJlgMfenrL4n17xK-yrCOVYL4D5IIgKYAcxUDmvkMTrO6fKNlMoqRWZW6jyS0R7JPAmSHep92J98-9S7dncNa3ng3SYEwfNCHPEYgpNy0Wv1D0YoUGV2-hh8xZbAgbXWTaLn9/s640/27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoko in the Magical World of Recycled Windmill Bottles (Ei Cho)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5gVB7U7-t-lDOFjvrTfq-3-Fv6d8UKL0Z1xOSSPkMNDBq6MYGG0KDHnwi1Dur_PfEsRrRnulzIkEVzF3cLYRoru9gL79KADC5GN8E7HD29slpPy7PckqTO1SdvyKZIRkBaqJdicyQKQ6/s1600/28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5gVB7U7-t-lDOFjvrTfq-3-Fv6d8UKL0Z1xOSSPkMNDBq6MYGG0KDHnwi1Dur_PfEsRrRnulzIkEVzF3cLYRoru9gL79KADC5GN8E7HD29slpPy7PckqTO1SdvyKZIRkBaqJdicyQKQ6/s640/28.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thermal Sand bath at Sunset (Yamagawa)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyRQK5l0zJWJfdKfMXR0ofXhIyaGZ6mL-UL45eZx2r2xR4LscPog-8IgQpzWAUBfYFO1MhoeRL-A4nE8ECRBaCfl-c7DQzcob3NKGlzDWsxOlPmsQOISiya2QsXnYYOAxh7kEmURC4gWP/s1600/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyRQK5l0zJWJfdKfMXR0ofXhIyaGZ6mL-UL45eZx2r2xR4LscPog-8IgQpzWAUBfYFO1MhoeRL-A4nE8ECRBaCfl-c7DQzcob3NKGlzDWsxOlPmsQOISiya2QsXnYYOAxh7kEmURC4gWP/s640/29.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw Chicken (Kagoshima)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKSpCwk66ooXOyXevU_Yzm-UvIe0KYHvyVLEtpjbJoX5GZhCCMn5XavRXJIHlNwGLgyTn4m6InXz9Cwm3PuljdQZd548jzJS4oKSD00tj7ayQ2dEguyu32tS-y0NfsXzoK-OcBDH1gjO7/s1600/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKSpCwk66ooXOyXevU_Yzm-UvIe0KYHvyVLEtpjbJoX5GZhCCMn5XavRXJIHlNwGLgyTn4m6InXz9Cwm3PuljdQZd548jzJS4oKSD00tj7ayQ2dEguyu32tS-y0NfsXzoK-OcBDH1gjO7/s640/30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self Cleaning Toilet Controls (Everywhere)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
For those of you who know Abs, you are sure to know of
his eternal adoration of the country of the Rising Sun. I would go as far as saying that Abs’ top 3
loves would be in this particular order: Japan, food, Diana. Abs loves Japan.
And for my first week I entirely shared his love for the country. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
My introduction to Japan started in Takamatsu on the
island of Shikoku with a big bowl of steaming udon noodles. Sitting in a small
traditional Japanese restaurant on tatami with the waitress constantly bowing
and welcoming customers was enough to make me realize I was in a different
world. The food was delicious, the
people were friendly and extraordinarily polite, service was efficient and the
toilets had bum driers and music. Honestly what more can you ask for? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
That same day I discovered the 100 yen shops and my life
was changed forever. All those products that I had only dreamed of or seen on
the telemarketing channel were now right in front of my eyes and available for
only 1 euro! What’s more, there were all sorts of junk food that I could have
never imagined: chocolate covered crisps, sweet potato donuts, cheesecake
flavoured chocolate... I was won… <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
My infatuation with Japan only kept growing during our
five days in Kyoto. Whether it was the stunning temples that we visited, the Zen
garden guard that happily took our picture after we sneaked in for a last minute snap or
the pumpkin slices that Abs made me taste, I was ready to call Japan my home.
At this point of course Abs was secretly high fiving himself and considering
bumping me up to number 2 in his list of loves (goodbye food, hello Diana). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
But then we flew to Abs’ old stomping ground (Kagoshima)
and somehow during our 4 hour drive from the airport to Makurazaki something
changed… my new found love suddenly didn't seem so perfect. Somehow the scenery didn't seem so beautiful and there was this weird vibe that came from not
seeing anyone on the streets in the middle of the day (except the shopping
areas). It was almost as if the locals had been warned that something was about
to happen and had all escaped (Abs calls this the "countryside"). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Sneaking an apple into my mouth in the
back streets of Kagoshima (Japanese do not eat apples whole or with the skin on)
and concealing Abs eating a bento on the train (Japanese do not eat in public
spaces, excluding parks, restaurants and other designated establishments) was
fun and kind of weird but confirmed that I could have a fling with Japan but
probably not a long term relationship. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
That said hanging out with Abs' old friends, trying karaoke, relaxing in onsens, going crazy over purikura and arcades all made our stay in Japan thoroughly enjoyable and our time a bit too short. And after 3 weeks of visiting countless shrines, 5 nabe meals, 1 game of badminton, 2 excursions to onsens (natural hot baths to the uninitiated), 3 purikura sessions, 1 taiko drum performance, at least 10 kgs of chickes to feed Abs' insatiable appetite for kareage (fried chicken), countless mochi and rice balls and baking 1 birthday carrot cake we left Japan.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><br /></o:p>
(ps just a quick shout out to all the old friends: Ishimoto Sensei + family, Tomi & his wife, Yoshi + family, Kt, Kohei & Yoko, Wendy & Koichi, Natsumi & Chang Wei, Madoka & Ken, Ant + the ever-growing family, the Nishino's (西野), my old students Yusei & Shota and of course the great Mr Kawatoko. It was great seeing you all and we can't wait to see you all again)</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-84566011306813161272012-12-31T07:51:00.002-08:002012-12-31T08:03:40.354-08:00China - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4VxnLSS_WT97X-nHRCx5zhqs21u7BD9y2wODWEf0Hp0DPE5rUI4FtjjmfKDUHJnoiy-Bb1YSPKmwHf06y4A4SiCXR_yP854-o5lz0C4pyyWgtQ1xZreTN8RY_g0zBduhMIRPJgTbloHM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4VxnLSS_WT97X-nHRCx5zhqs21u7BD9y2wODWEf0Hp0DPE5rUI4FtjjmfKDUHJnoiy-Bb1YSPKmwHf06y4A4SiCXR_yP854-o5lz0C4pyyWgtQ1xZreTN8RY_g0zBduhMIRPJgTbloHM/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terracotta Warrior (near Xi'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2l9DpQ4Uz5pWID8RXUc80eDvNyAft9gOSD8P8yOtCaQylfKB9vCvFVvbfHxywloF5MS6oZAzLRC5sDtoOtuOWzLa5DHXWmlUQCZ_M7m62Sx8C61r0v9BCB274yWwfHLKQfHMqWGY5e6l/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2l9DpQ4Uz5pWID8RXUc80eDvNyAft9gOSD8P8yOtCaQylfKB9vCvFVvbfHxywloF5MS6oZAzLRC5sDtoOtuOWzLa5DHXWmlUQCZ_M7m62Sx8C61r0v9BCB274yWwfHLKQfHMqWGY5e6l/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terracotta Army (near Xi'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSgr0ezQD1959-dGEFKJoIR2KvprCCWov2WJhtY03K_m72aHEojoWZKaRn53yWL8KF8Up3pwQ-njcr5BE7_h31bPpAhrH4ULTmS2sAGn9NaPZUrLisSiEtre0MeHRhDdwMPy-Rl6JAjCz/s1600/2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSgr0ezQD1959-dGEFKJoIR2KvprCCWov2WJhtY03K_m72aHEojoWZKaRn53yWL8KF8Up3pwQ-njcr5BE7_h31bPpAhrH4ULTmS2sAGn9NaPZUrLisSiEtre0MeHRhDdwMPy-Rl6JAjCz/s640/2b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centre of Xi'an (Xi'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnMhSCxBk-7r1TNnvC8rbKfCUXTZKues6tb2om5Tx3AlHaK6MGH76V9PerYi-ThlemXBkRocNRbaWTfY_cmIoMkjO5ckgEC1_UE00AA-zZaCnUCNSwV5F3rn9476joJARi9RVHfNpiNWg/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnMhSCxBk-7r1TNnvC8rbKfCUXTZKues6tb2om5Tx3AlHaK6MGH76V9PerYi-ThlemXBkRocNRbaWTfY_cmIoMkjO5ckgEC1_UE00AA-zZaCnUCNSwV5F3rn9476joJARi9RVHfNpiNWg/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mao Statue Outside Museum of Communism (Yan'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VLSQ16kUpIc-u-PfC_BDL9B5fsizRBkCvo4AalKo8mc4HspMgj0JnXRRWKOY_a9XVwPQDuC7YjyinCNRjpkOFEtxa_Y04XvNpV0DVlWljbm693T_dItElQjPmHOeg-50HmyFMo1WBpDQ/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VLSQ16kUpIc-u-PfC_BDL9B5fsizRBkCvo4AalKo8mc4HspMgj0JnXRRWKOY_a9XVwPQDuC7YjyinCNRjpkOFEtxa_Y04XvNpV0DVlWljbm693T_dItElQjPmHOeg-50HmyFMo1WBpDQ/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mao's Old Cave House (Yan'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh538cwWpfI5kkZY3WChhyphenhyphencN_VesDSY4l405a4isTjQzJTUJZfp9dshOOULhlPOSlkGvnzXgeLacwyIe2X36sUcZu-pG5jZ1-bJltck58He0Ri1XLCOOPpDdbeQsLn8uSlCiO10QTPy_kN7/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh538cwWpfI5kkZY3WChhyphenhyphencN_VesDSY4l405a4isTjQzJTUJZfp9dshOOULhlPOSlkGvnzXgeLacwyIe2X36sUcZu-pG5jZ1-bJltck58He0Ri1XLCOOPpDdbeQsLn8uSlCiO10QTPy_kN7/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs sitting on Mao's Bed (Yan'an)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS76dOd1frZp-XB7FZ2KAWjP3B8guRxxsOTe2Sm4fwY7PtiANE2LqV3fbuVTJLDaC9dYzwqObn5yH77_pDMSv-Dw57iIPaEaZTrsQAAO2VrhlQLrHDXAu6ewT7GY-iZzxrZ_w7n-qHyZEY/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS76dOd1frZp-XB7FZ2KAWjP3B8guRxxsOTe2Sm4fwY7PtiANE2LqV3fbuVTJLDaC9dYzwqObn5yH77_pDMSv-Dw57iIPaEaZTrsQAAO2VrhlQLrHDXAu6ewT7GY-iZzxrZ_w7n-qHyZEY/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends in China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eLVM9gmwWiLAFtcUScTkw3LpHI-oaYGHWulbx32gKpshQqakiRjghZYs2a77gXaD9t52wCORS3SQZpFiGh4YPw-OR-UUkBeGV3VCVApCsuOiWK3Wc_dZb1gqE-3uNxGeOQTanyPvHqDV/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eLVM9gmwWiLAFtcUScTkw3LpHI-oaYGHWulbx32gKpshQqakiRjghZYs2a77gXaD9t52wCORS3SQZpFiGh4YPw-OR-UUkBeGV3VCVApCsuOiWK3Wc_dZb1gqE-3uNxGeOQTanyPvHqDV/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anti-Japanese T-shirts For Sale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0myFLWAJr3cUOrRPcJR40Tzu94mAhT8EkDjwpQvyJI2iHmM5duJ0BAICLKzlv8g3-fXUKep3OjDfpj62r9z2ZKHgZuLlGgIyp-Ot-wHqv-QJQCeBQGwp-12YWZqEIJ4jDyeHk8XVci01/s1600/8b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0myFLWAJr3cUOrRPcJR40Tzu94mAhT8EkDjwpQvyJI2iHmM5duJ0BAICLKzlv8g3-fXUKep3OjDfpj62r9z2ZKHgZuLlGgIyp-Ot-wHqv-QJQCeBQGwp-12YWZqEIJ4jDyeHk8XVci01/s640/8b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist Hordes at Forbidden City (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4nRZy8C7E5I7ZmZ89SvBql2FkK-td-WoDhtRwa1hlEk15u_uYxpg2yhhrfpBgrmkHI4sszQKXRdhX59f-AmK4SVrSnRqw-TLVJTwndASs0TN9tTG2qQv3DONL9tv83RIE_3dDnByG0y2/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4nRZy8C7E5I7ZmZ89SvBql2FkK-td-WoDhtRwa1hlEk15u_uYxpg2yhhrfpBgrmkHI4sszQKXRdhX59f-AmK4SVrSnRqw-TLVJTwndASs0TN9tTG2qQv3DONL9tv83RIE_3dDnByG0y2/s640/9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forbidden City with no Tourists (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qjjChWgvx_7muNXHPZ_JJRSkfC0fWBZ1E8O4m4N-RHFGxkvpemruMWhUG8yyidK2nOqpPrFCbg-qNPc9W6-NOGJ_g1PLJHi4DMLRAUlR8rVLs1p4ZxSel46FrZb2M1xnVtNkmwjdJMiB/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qjjChWgvx_7muNXHPZ_JJRSkfC0fWBZ1E8O4m4N-RHFGxkvpemruMWhUG8yyidK2nOqpPrFCbg-qNPc9W6-NOGJ_g1PLJHi4DMLRAUlR8rVLs1p4ZxSel46FrZb2M1xnVtNkmwjdJMiB/s640/11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs + Tortoise Dragon @ Forbidden City (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0CA5V22WvvLv0Z9TMsRJG2juiS-FDSH2GYvLgdALEraDZmukImefX3iDitkJImiV3mC8BgwH21kxNvYBo_j6D8rjNGK2hLHRE8OiFWcNAViThGIfcaaTy1u8vJXWy7BIn58VKnW-YQya/s1600/11b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0CA5V22WvvLv0Z9TMsRJG2juiS-FDSH2GYvLgdALEraDZmukImefX3iDitkJImiV3mC8BgwH21kxNvYBo_j6D8rjNGK2hLHRE8OiFWcNAViThGIfcaaTy1u8vJXWy7BIn58VKnW-YQya/s640/11b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Split Trousers for Easy Exit (All of China)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2olaeyKRd1KvmJDVeus7KxYJtCaEK0LxFHbb68E72GemLIxlA_GEB3U31H_iP2VrYJy7lAtTzQOJFTX3RO-JmJs9rkNmqL31zLh8EpCkMq-DtW5MZNYTNiU02U_QZeNVOckrWj0a9tq8/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2olaeyKRd1KvmJDVeus7KxYJtCaEK0LxFHbb68E72GemLIxlA_GEB3U31H_iP2VrYJy7lAtTzQOJFTX3RO-JmJs9rkNmqL31zLh8EpCkMq-DtW5MZNYTNiU02U_QZeNVOckrWj0a9tq8/s640/12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Wall (Huang Cheng)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoPp8ulWmtEzqa2xDE7eeVZLEVy3cxnWzsdtyd_20_d8WK-b5hTyHlbFj_1COPV22K0bSZdS0zNFT4ZeRkuJi0elZEFWJk-_j5VzzGbP-U_nTtlclf3_KUxmDv59V83TvK6pJdouYZ6-u/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoPp8ulWmtEzqa2xDE7eeVZLEVy3cxnWzsdtyd_20_d8WK-b5hTyHlbFj_1COPV22K0bSZdS0zNFT4ZeRkuJi0elZEFWJk-_j5VzzGbP-U_nTtlclf3_KUxmDv59V83TvK6pJdouYZ6-u/s640/13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Wall - 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUnhXufD2urArQrAjT3xZnHP-9iHsOS5n6RPVa3r3yhMJWZMx2o5E_3ZrekGCRVFfV_AVTOXfGJM0tfMUi5KXDc-vi1mQqK5oai0uM7Xbfq0MtpS9m_f-VULKi3b9j5Asi517uB3kg51b/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUnhXufD2urArQrAjT3xZnHP-9iHsOS5n6RPVa3r3yhMJWZMx2o5E_3ZrekGCRVFfV_AVTOXfGJM0tfMUi5KXDc-vi1mQqK5oai0uM7Xbfq0MtpS9m_f-VULKi3b9j5Asi517uB3kg51b/s640/14.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Wall - 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApqWswnQYfsFC_8J4Nxvp5ZUZDYYkrDLdeFG8BCx75tAmXy6naGD3oy5z9WhbYLpRaJCdfd1MnjHlLlbN9eBhswuwyXhbfn5mSQxg36RDpifQtjPprvgvw5DbAmVIupJGiMagjoox0_El/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApqWswnQYfsFC_8J4Nxvp5ZUZDYYkrDLdeFG8BCx75tAmXy6naGD3oy5z9WhbYLpRaJCdfd1MnjHlLlbN9eBhswuwyXhbfn5mSQxg36RDpifQtjPprvgvw5DbAmVIupJGiMagjoox0_El/s640/15.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Wall - 3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIhjGY0qiDO_M3ZyYTfO6Xl3iO613O-UxVuNYiFznkUnggU0o5u7epAwIntvbERVHJVGzUuLj8gLLI5GkqaNzd_0fJ2NIM2NNrPmNu52w_vAAqKYlqz6OuQ-n2gAUQUoHMZIg30mDtsdD/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIhjGY0qiDO_M3ZyYTfO6Xl3iO613O-UxVuNYiFznkUnggU0o5u7epAwIntvbERVHJVGzUuLj8gLLI5GkqaNzd_0fJ2NIM2NNrPmNu52w_vAAqKYlqz6OuQ-n2gAUQUoHMZIg30mDtsdD/s640/16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brilliant Temple Name @ Summer Palace (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFaMoCByE0b9I4dcK2NokKGoL1rrQC1UEqxDpoLN4Oblmbb9oy9hE-SvoDgF-JALCRoe7_oUZuj-Nws7vbdlG9h2MCQMkIAxMLQ1Q3poV8UMif6KwRg_1C85xPzwig5uQsFGfoifLoBi3/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFaMoCByE0b9I4dcK2NokKGoL1rrQC1UEqxDpoLN4Oblmbb9oy9hE-SvoDgF-JALCRoe7_oUZuj-Nws7vbdlG9h2MCQMkIAxMLQ1Q3poV8UMif6KwRg_1C85xPzwig5uQsFGfoifLoBi3/s640/17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmBJx9yae0o38VtcFXq73fUiNaNeGfXS5OB0_NnnS3T-p7OWRbPp_XyqXnvyM4Jy265pJqFlTljiutSwwZBgX-1FRraRNbItU7rW4qVD4iBE3FDXzMsZIVk6x3I95mZbm7eSH_80Y9V40/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmBJx9yae0o38VtcFXq73fUiNaNeGfXS5OB0_NnnS3T-p7OWRbPp_XyqXnvyM4Jy265pJqFlTljiutSwwZBgX-1FRraRNbItU7rW4qVD4iBE3FDXzMsZIVk6x3I95mZbm7eSH_80Y9V40/s640/18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMTOlZvKZJ6S0njAmSWS4K-cdY814yo_gMrXepL3mxLX9ujW_cPdXY4ONj_kUYZ16rz11gizg0R_JQSGns3pY12Bp2RCMrD_gu2BljYDcOO8YvBQxFrhn413UjdTkx849N6FCqIRqxOG9/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMTOlZvKZJ6S0njAmSWS4K-cdY814yo_gMrXepL3mxLX9ujW_cPdXY4ONj_kUYZ16rz11gizg0R_JQSGns3pY12Bp2RCMrD_gu2BljYDcOO8YvBQxFrhn413UjdTkx849N6FCqIRqxOG9/s640/19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI2egTryTaFJ2nRJA94XGZTh7-6BUyNl7RUvevc9wwCZ-VCJE5ZH2F3xTMlqLFs-Wa5JbTYcEHqm3w7USdiy1Fak6zhmnGp3Sn60m37WT_SgDZelZmxwRbwqmHdRHJMgzFU-lE0WsJVt7/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI2egTryTaFJ2nRJA94XGZTh7-6BUyNl7RUvevc9wwCZ-VCJE5ZH2F3xTMlqLFs-Wa5JbTYcEHqm3w7USdiy1Fak6zhmnGp3Sn60m37WT_SgDZelZmxwRbwqmHdRHJMgzFU-lE0WsJVt7/s640/20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fPCZfeYfqqYF1CSZbf7pPgd6uhnBoatNKMRdwe9R6z8pC196tbHevWDd8SZQ-4UhDOaMQDyM0MkufYVGcniCifYf4-4_nDSjCVWfcT9V5KHGGmN6o6l2Al3kLYQpX93Y7PFl5WcueSfF/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fPCZfeYfqqYF1CSZbf7pPgd6uhnBoatNKMRdwe9R6z8pC196tbHevWDd8SZQ-4UhDOaMQDyM0MkufYVGcniCifYf4-4_nDSjCVWfcT9V5KHGGmN6o6l2Al3kLYQpX93Y7PFl5WcueSfF/s640/21.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3WzjVvESYokKjd-JhXFHC1VpIdajLWyTX83BVTQbTH7Ph0Bcqmeb5QcvjzXjjanSKfh52MDgGt7_YFUbr3D3ztIH_dbdkpDAEtw9JOghtcvsKovGo2EykKVF6ej9fesZSj7Bp3zX9jC-/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3WzjVvESYokKjd-JhXFHC1VpIdajLWyTX83BVTQbTH7Ph0Bcqmeb5QcvjzXjjanSKfh52MDgGt7_YFUbr3D3ztIH_dbdkpDAEtw9JOghtcvsKovGo2EykKVF6ej9fesZSj7Bp3zX9jC-/s640/22.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Korea Propaganda Poster (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYekeiYTGlWh1oABPBizv2FuvBy539mS58vdr5fAwm_HzC3GvmNd7dnz5HWyouG7NdO5Wa8Q4BV9K29LUWb36KnxSNGLd8Wgm0Ss8yMAoH7go_0fRYN-Nwfv-7HETEZxd8xKmdWK3KcU-3/s1600/23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYekeiYTGlWh1oABPBizv2FuvBy539mS58vdr5fAwm_HzC3GvmNd7dnz5HWyouG7NdO5Wa8Q4BV9K29LUWb36KnxSNGLd8Wgm0Ss8yMAoH7go_0fRYN-Nwfv-7HETEZxd8xKmdWK3KcU-3/s640/23.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art District (Beijing)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcI2aFG_yFzIoq6uWfhnoOph9WLpFl6A62n1QIO9S1eG-R50jYWkBLUtil0ZW0NWlQi2rrdJ8NOPheDUobj18_cmIAjMI5zkz9m8-9qJVbd4Io7Hshq94rJFWDDKtp3XqNERw0FvBRKai/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcI2aFG_yFzIoq6uWfhnoOph9WLpFl6A62n1QIO9S1eG-R50jYWkBLUtil0ZW0NWlQi2rrdJ8NOPheDUobj18_cmIAjMI5zkz9m8-9qJVbd4Io7Hshq94rJFWDDKtp3XqNERw0FvBRKai/s640/24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing in the Park (Shanghai)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YHtDZN6T4nH1K11xgVp-nUX8cKXoxq_zV9c1dF6mIyiA6UORWB03bCDkkY-Jh7nwwUlTaaeui6i5fah56us9_gOpoOSqBiorZpD1IXJZCU-g-nTimYhweNsyS8WncBlaw-d8n9TJ-3xO/s1600/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YHtDZN6T4nH1K11xgVp-nUX8cKXoxq_zV9c1dF6mIyiA6UORWB03bCDkkY-Jh7nwwUlTaaeui6i5fah56us9_gOpoOSqBiorZpD1IXJZCU-g-nTimYhweNsyS8WncBlaw-d8n9TJ-3xO/s640/25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down Town (Shanghai)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmSXjeoy0Dnjlqwm1Cc7WiqjDTmuVdXD_MU62nlI2vIaVIMe0wYST1znyIEIdI1po44amABlQ6O_rpa97mkN1jv768rJMkjmI1HWfGYN6gy5EIQ4ebkTm5byPGlYiuB1iRZn5NkgIoGaC/s1600/26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmSXjeoy0Dnjlqwm1Cc7WiqjDTmuVdXD_MU62nlI2vIaVIMe0wYST1znyIEIdI1po44amABlQ6O_rpa97mkN1jv768rJMkjmI1HWfGYN6gy5EIQ4ebkTm5byPGlYiuB1iRZn5NkgIoGaC/s640/26.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danger!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR9iYCDdUzsxOjqU1yHt4acvdQOrk1Kj-cMuHctQSPAJhun0LWCToSbLbShYzw_BaRv2ujufewqrw3yPereCWqAjrOmuO6XHsLu8OFDvK_8yrBx_21pq1EkYPladuvnB7Js0nBh2jwBlp/s1600/27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR9iYCDdUzsxOjqU1yHt4acvdQOrk1Kj-cMuHctQSPAJhun0LWCToSbLbShYzw_BaRv2ujufewqrw3yPereCWqAjrOmuO6XHsLu8OFDvK_8yrBx_21pq1EkYPladuvnB7Js0nBh2jwBlp/s640/27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinglish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RbJ0PDLEFmLWwPfjj3_Cksyjm70xF4t0KSjONZPYE-ylCNeDQcA6eYBq_nFHG2ZkY5BQFbbnokQDR_B4Bu2uoebzzhG6FeTfyCtZqyAMqNnfvV2GCrMeNkc4OSXBGmGwcvagErEtqaV1/s1600/28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RbJ0PDLEFmLWwPfjj3_Cksyjm70xF4t0KSjONZPYE-ylCNeDQcA6eYBq_nFHG2ZkY5BQFbbnokQDR_B4Bu2uoebzzhG6FeTfyCtZqyAMqNnfvV2GCrMeNkc4OSXBGmGwcvagErEtqaV1/s640/28.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danger in the Hotel Shower!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPsQGkrkd_8Nj6571vTfvX6c5DwA4riC5Ns_UHgP2elyD9BKX90-6gRh-cd9TwWLptI0CdYEdOYQbTGZWtfVoqVmCO8IeTzWK_v3iQ1xvIzWo8IbTajHHr67t7H9ZlQGj2p4Pg-WFr1cv/s1600/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPsQGkrkd_8Nj6571vTfvX6c5DwA4riC5Ns_UHgP2elyD9BKX90-6gRh-cd9TwWLptI0CdYEdOYQbTGZWtfVoqVmCO8IeTzWK_v3iQ1xvIzWo8IbTajHHr67t7H9ZlQGj2p4Pg-WFr1cv/s640/29.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patriotic Anti-Smoking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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World-renowned; inspirational;
a legacy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
These are the words that often
come to mind when one thinks about Nottingham Forest Football Club and for all
intents and purposes they are apt. For many these also bring to mind the
Terracotta Army of Ancient China. And this baffles us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, they are reasonably
impressive in the fact that they are so old, but there’s just something
uninspiring with the whole experience. The bus dropped us off outside the
entrance, from where it was a 20 minute walk through a fabricated village built
to accommodate the hordes of tourists. There was even a shop selling fruit and
vegetables by the bus stop that Chinese tour groups were led through, no doubt
another attempt to wring every possibly Yuan out of all hapless visitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The quality of the excavation
sites themselves seemed more akin to construction sights than archaeological
digs. We watched unsurprised as someone carelessly threw dirty washing water on
the ground in a cornered-off area of one of the main sites.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
As dusk approached we finally
walked outside to find that there were no more buses back to Xi’an, the nearby
metropolis where we were staying. A kindly old Chinese man, seeing our
predicament, aided us in our quest for transportation and after a short search,
and some haranguing, an off-duty bus driver offered to give us a lift to a bus
stop 20 minutes away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
And so despite the capitalist
mentality that seems to have engulfed the country, it is worth noting that the
biggest surprise has been the people. Where we expected rude and egotistical we
instead found generosity and altruism. And continuing the trend of finding
random acts of kindness we came across 2 such youths when we visited the town of
Yan’an.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Yan’an is a little off the
beaten track for Western tourists but is important in China’s history as the
headquarters of the Communist Party on their rise to power. We visited the hall
where Mao was first elected leader of the Party, as well as the paltry,
minimalist caves where he lived with other initial prominent members.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
On the way here we met 2 boys
(is it okay to call 21 year olds boys?) who became our unofficial guides. As
with a vast majority of the population they revered Mao, describing him in
their broken English as a “Great Man”. We didn’t read too much into this, nor
judge them as this is all they had known. However, in the evening we went for
dinner with them and started to see cracks in their collectivist ideals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
“We don’t have access to
Facebook, but after being restricted for so many years, the government needs to
take its time fully opening up the internet to the people.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
It was interesting hearing
these opinions. In fact it was a little inspirational that in spite of all the
propaganda that permeates through the society (a trip to the Museum of
Communism earlier in the day had highlighted more than once that “good for
nothing individuals” had to be re-educated) here were 2 individuals from the
upcoming generation speaking with such openness and maturity. And what’s more
they were great hosts, epitomising the goodness that we had often seen in the
local people. They graciously, and insistently, paid for our dinner before
making sure we reached the train station in time for our night transport to
Beijing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Beijing as can be expected was
a behemoth of a city. A sprawling mass of some 20 million people and we had 4
days to see it all, or at least some of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The Forbidden City is one of
the biggest tourist destinations in Beijing if not China. As with the
Terracotta Army it was the atmosphere that numbed the experience for us. Flocks
of Chinese tourists meant it was difficult to see anything close-up, except for
perhaps the parents who were letting their baby urinate through the ubiquitous
split trousers that allowed for easy exit. We had seen these trousers used more
than once in our time in China but were amazed that anyone would let their
child soil one of the greatest Chinese heritage monuments. I guess that was
China for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
In fact we were only impressed
at the end of the day when most people had left and we could finally see the grandeur
of this vast complex in those final 10 minutes before closing time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The other highlight worth
mentioning was the Great Wall. And it was truly a highlight. We rank this as
one of the most amazing sights we have ever seen. We made our way to an unknown
part of the Wall north of Beijing called Huang Cheng. This great engineering
feat that we had read so much about was indeed great and fully worthy of its
name. What’s more we were the only people here, save for the Argentinian guy we
had met in our hostel and who had accompanied us. On ascending a rickety rusted
iron ladder and literally rolling head-first into the Wall battlements at the top
we could immediately see why we were the only ones here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We traversed the Wall for 1-2
hours, before exhausting ourselves through the sheer steepness and scale of it.
This is a definite must for anyone who comes to Northern China and we greatly
encourage you to visit one of these more remote sections of a very big Wall.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Nanjing was our next stop, if
only for the day. Abs had been fascinated with the place since reading The Rape
of Nanking, written about the atrocities committed by Japan against China
during World War 2. And they were truly horrific. Abs rates these on a similar
level to the Holocaust. The museum was sombre with a great emphasis on how bad
the Japanese were. Perhaps Abs is biased but it was a shame to see so much
anger to an old (current?) enemy, whereas the opposing animosity was not as
evident from the Japanese.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The last stop on the tour was
Shanghai. It was a nice little Western fix, but the highlight was not the city
but our couchsurfing hosts. Mychilo and Leilei were fantastic hosts and it was
refreshing hearing their views on the possible future of China.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We took a break from China at
this point. In light of a dispute over unimportant islands no one was flying between
China and Japan and fortunately one airline decided to offer free flights to
remedy the situation. So we bought a couple of them and much to the joy of Abs headed
over to his previous home of Japan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07361162782086492541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-9723881412793566302012-12-19T07:19:00.002-08:002012-12-19T07:20:25.910-08:00China - Food<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVdTbk1Epwan6bLspBvgKwb-vsnKw4iDPEusRrXiC4-Kc2xRHljGdiEd7GIPaq-gMaceO23xZcsLRZAZyNI7er7KdgbHEICSNmM1cIuqauLzr-THMEEywUJiLh9ZaE4XNWJ3CuTeOKKo/s1600/DSCF0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVdTbk1Epwan6bLspBvgKwb-vsnKw4iDPEusRrXiC4-Kc2xRHljGdiEd7GIPaq-gMaceO23xZcsLRZAZyNI7er7KdgbHEICSNmM1cIuqauLzr-THMEEywUJiLh9ZaE4XNWJ3CuTeOKKo/s640/DSCF0065.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisrt meal in China</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasP4ZL9uPTqFkEBT2cEiQgaja64Zo4q-XZsYisBb4tFOunRvf1PN_we97wko-lCD82-vsn4YLqecjY9soJwFCOZNHJvZjJu7tz_hT_eiEgUaQr_lBfteqCtXmUDp81aTWJ-EOTpxBfQg/s1600/DSCF0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasP4ZL9uPTqFkEBT2cEiQgaja64Zo4q-XZsYisBb4tFOunRvf1PN_we97wko-lCD82-vsn4YLqecjY9soJwFCOZNHJvZjJu7tz_hT_eiEgUaQr_lBfteqCtXmUDp81aTWJ-EOTpxBfQg/s640/DSCF0068.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ever present delicious tomato and eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKVqHC-Od1ptUwEGsLWce4eszUshCVDD385vZsx04ooIpayZMa2KQ9Ha6yXbLusGwZGTMvKg-iTp9gOKogQrXdiS5dRLaS1VLqBE9gCcJK33NngJMp5HL5UBSg5IWYfYsiObVdhFAk8g/s1600/DSCF0079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKVqHC-Od1ptUwEGsLWce4eszUshCVDD385vZsx04ooIpayZMa2KQ9Ha6yXbLusGwZGTMvKg-iTp9gOKogQrXdiS5dRLaS1VLqBE9gCcJK33NngJMp5HL5UBSg5IWYfYsiObVdhFAk8g/s640/DSCF0079.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green beans with meat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAoqERtz2ZBexDu4km0w9CQFlXGTmS-qgRoUuEYbX2pVPCmU2TMpXylGbpaUZEBNdWoih_wbqcccHFMTXmGhR7k5lEv_tgkElbN96vdEA9c2a6uReVyYOhIyCHgUmj7x42lhYqrIOo5U/s1600/DSCF0080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAoqERtz2ZBexDu4km0w9CQFlXGTmS-qgRoUuEYbX2pVPCmU2TMpXylGbpaUZEBNdWoih_wbqcccHFMTXmGhR7k5lEv_tgkElbN96vdEA9c2a6uReVyYOhIyCHgUmj7x42lhYqrIOo5U/s640/DSCF0080.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meaty sichuan style dish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpbMxd5C4izGobsl9jAbQB3wGS9hyphenhyphenGJDr4_HpD7PkZ70aDjmuQfe3dc6T3NUy_sAlxJDbaDP93vRgDe2PXILXG0ZPe_4yuvgKemdpHl_xWu9SWvBjKm3a7ZVN4hHkTWuZ9ztYQh-xwiA/s1600/DSCF0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpbMxd5C4izGobsl9jAbQB3wGS9hyphenhyphenGJDr4_HpD7PkZ70aDjmuQfe3dc6T3NUy_sAlxJDbaDP93vRgDe2PXILXG0ZPe_4yuvgKemdpHl_xWu9SWvBjKm3a7ZVN4hHkTWuZ9ztYQh-xwiA/s640/DSCF0102.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy candied fruit on a stick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C6SmoIMWTMjHqLLBzrhrS5pTWTcz-T62JNCHGeQ1hhPVcg4ZaYr7NKzUd6ti9Rd_XihrfHr1H2J6x1_6siQQoCUt1Vr3amZV0HfoQoA2KnbGM6L-JkJ0_fT_0XhfxmvgWxsj8tlehKo/s1600/DSCF0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C6SmoIMWTMjHqLLBzrhrS5pTWTcz-T62JNCHGeQ1hhPVcg4ZaYr7NKzUd6ti9Rd_XihrfHr1H2J6x1_6siQQoCUt1Vr3amZV0HfoQoA2KnbGM6L-JkJ0_fT_0XhfxmvgWxsj8tlehKo/s640/DSCF0111.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bean there, done that - great name for a pastry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vnZ-fsH0BBEkOkEdbImooeuQazIt_DVvZlIficBiscb7gz10N5EX3mnbdJ4CyHer0LY_IWUwMcE6WysXM0ngOekNzkosplb7_N-LlT69vNcjGyp3hmJV1cuADWCBu1-ceJ9uVlg6sfM/s1600/DSCF0153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vnZ-fsH0BBEkOkEdbImooeuQazIt_DVvZlIficBiscb7gz10N5EX3mnbdJ4CyHer0LY_IWUwMcE6WysXM0ngOekNzkosplb7_N-LlT69vNcjGyp3hmJV1cuADWCBu1-ceJ9uVlg6sfM/s640/DSCF0153.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir fried vegetables</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJuoQUHLhk0vxLUjq0WGWy6TWNW2mog1OKfKslCW-N20Ye_GdghSCOxnDRYs8NTAEMrpzRNEalBgJRs3xG5kHIzNQOq0hC9VlPkKIKRO1LY_EUnw1EroM0VxcC0LTy9Vftjo7ZNeYx4E/s1600/DSCF0656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJuoQUHLhk0vxLUjq0WGWy6TWNW2mog1OKfKslCW-N20Ye_GdghSCOxnDRYs8NTAEMrpzRNEalBgJRs3xG5kHIzNQOq0hC9VlPkKIKRO1LY_EUnw1EroM0VxcC0LTy9Vftjo7ZNeYx4E/s640/DSCF0656.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faux meat pork ribs (even Abs liked these)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ySIM_nIIBSwS86I8-1giPFXBIpG-eWi8AMC406-Z5on_7xWGEZnzdMftghyzQGk23rBfo_nUW6-eqmDE3_zrvIfhgjgSDwGMAIweSF498xPu2a8kTEVMbVoAvH3-II5Qn-oR9PATGKo/s1600/DSC_0304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ySIM_nIIBSwS86I8-1giPFXBIpG-eWi8AMC406-Z5on_7xWGEZnzdMftghyzQGk23rBfo_nUW6-eqmDE3_zrvIfhgjgSDwGMAIweSF498xPu2a8kTEVMbVoAvH3-II5Qn-oR9PATGKo/s640/DSC_0304.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ubiquitous food sticks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-jVeWLYp5EOKds59WMBlVHOLmJbjieI2Nu7wOepB3mYKBfwZqls1Og3nohhpJmVGw8y8zUN_241jFvbyv4fCDIrYcuCbYTdk2bknzX7SLJ4pNaHDWR0O7xhOUuvgwQyxsB01X4nswGM/s1600/DSC_0390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-jVeWLYp5EOKds59WMBlVHOLmJbjieI2Nu7wOepB3mYKBfwZqls1Og3nohhpJmVGw8y8zUN_241jFvbyv4fCDIrYcuCbYTdk2bknzX7SLJ4pNaHDWR0O7xhOUuvgwQyxsB01X4nswGM/s640/DSC_0390.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meaty noodle salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0ZwcTRnno46JoTSS_IscJl1lTMV2qopNRrcwUKJOWIrupJdVsVJT-Fs-UpTuIbL0aElRIJ4yj84Ams_Fii5r337D5cj2Vs6Wik26HdMpZ7q2d6J9Tsq1KIq3DSvi2qpavKD9tSBETjo/s1600/DSC_0392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0ZwcTRnno46JoTSS_IscJl1lTMV2qopNRrcwUKJOWIrupJdVsVJT-Fs-UpTuIbL0aElRIJ4yj84Ams_Fii5r337D5cj2Vs6Wik26HdMpZ7q2d6J9Tsq1KIq3DSvi2qpavKD9tSBETjo/s640/DSC_0392.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut rice cake with rose water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AuBaasrgvx05AP-MwdHBnwDihSi41j8szVgwCrl6aw6C6wdrek5FaQ1pvfFkwvG2Enyq_HUhR_MINfAVtzVBrr36Zxkl5syxTMTfWRKIdjnmBtGnEDARcPNa1vrDEGRGpGDGXTp1GDI/s1600/DSC_0394+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AuBaasrgvx05AP-MwdHBnwDihSi41j8szVgwCrl6aw6C6wdrek5FaQ1pvfFkwvG2Enyq_HUhR_MINfAVtzVBrr36Zxkl5syxTMTfWRKIdjnmBtGnEDARcPNa1vrDEGRGpGDGXTp1GDI/s640/DSC_0394+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried persimmon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSDmP13Hexm2pAfOAMDPb6xxAu_2-RFuL5k0vhpYDrnTTXH-f4ZgfL9yQQqoOekcD8FdtyKN2ckDMdI1MrIAPSzUzz5mqeEHTPzftWMOd7bLd7N8YY3iHbvKp1dn9rrBc_53sm54lNeA/s1600/DSC_0415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSDmP13Hexm2pAfOAMDPb6xxAu_2-RFuL5k0vhpYDrnTTXH-f4ZgfL9yQQqoOekcD8FdtyKN2ckDMdI1MrIAPSzUzz5mqeEHTPzftWMOd7bLd7N8YY3iHbvKp1dn9rrBc_53sm54lNeA/s640/DSC_0415.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggie hot pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX2fNOlmcbS-QCY4-xSsjSUYS3Bq2YbmixDIlbt6Lam7BgLqypHgCrNE5PYZU1k8odml_Nq3_HujLHz2wFE-UhV3G23rMrPGwsUzplEmYQhkapNNwImbSa_bk26m-0YrsgpM3Eo4JIsU/s1600/DSC_0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX2fNOlmcbS-QCY4-xSsjSUYS3Bq2YbmixDIlbt6Lam7BgLqypHgCrNE5PYZU1k8odml_Nq3_HujLHz2wFE-UhV3G23rMrPGwsUzplEmYQhkapNNwImbSa_bk26m-0YrsgpM3Eo4JIsU/s640/DSC_0439.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We miss these</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUIH-RAqv6V9PiXTbQ3F5eSwjDzv3jZbCWnbLc14fyur2J9ITvL6hyphenhyphenS0B1JaygKfkhnVU7dz8w9763hajnyT_sbgf46QhPVn4YZP8eV10kTXFPQ2IBJ6hplJT6mpYWOvCPEa4qRiV7NM/s1600/DSC_0463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUIH-RAqv6V9PiXTbQ3F5eSwjDzv3jZbCWnbLc14fyur2J9ITvL6hyphenhyphenS0B1JaygKfkhnVU7dz8w9763hajnyT_sbgf46QhPVn4YZP8eV10kTXFPQ2IBJ6hplJT6mpYWOvCPEa4qRiV7NM/s640/DSC_0463.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried twirled sweet dough</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sl_af7TF4mj-vxtPL1sKs2D1u2ZvyGn87grCGVqjtW-WDRhH3P6prNa3uCDAzyPrdTW7aY-ngHXmROlqdQ_aC25WvXcHOoNQ0zM5dqDTrwA5BSDV2lBwvGbP2RPGE_EWyfVuSZrq0Ms/s1600/DSC_0480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sl_af7TF4mj-vxtPL1sKs2D1u2ZvyGn87grCGVqjtW-WDRhH3P6prNa3uCDAzyPrdTW7aY-ngHXmROlqdQ_aC25WvXcHOoNQ0zM5dqDTrwA5BSDV2lBwvGbP2RPGE_EWyfVuSZrq0Ms/s640/DSC_0480.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mutton dumplings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZTmX9P0zdTxqOHeXrdknntwTWxtbapjM1um_1trP9-tAylglpY_ms1xlmixkLL0TNbFWCyWluDqVNwBSWQW6knxquInMXDnN5tQcKpiBsts4VdP0Hq-opedksfF2-9ND1AGxc0HSnyo/s1600/DSC_0491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZTmX9P0zdTxqOHeXrdknntwTWxtbapjM1um_1trP9-tAylglpY_ms1xlmixkLL0TNbFWCyWluDqVNwBSWQW6knxquInMXDnN5tQcKpiBsts4VdP0Hq-opedksfF2-9ND1AGxc0HSnyo/s640/DSC_0491.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another veggie soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR12QGdxud-Jvad9Vw1mHth5WgdmO5A03nizDJtErEI9eLvMhb0NSf0_SHNCi2oZq1He8e9C2mSFZW6bUO4Yg5hVJUjiYwiUziY0F14nt2nKYImCiYt4__IOBoz7obaYB2kdt1WRGx99s/s1600/DSC_0515+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR12QGdxud-Jvad9Vw1mHth5WgdmO5A03nizDJtErEI9eLvMhb0NSf0_SHNCi2oZq1He8e9C2mSFZW6bUO4Yg5hVJUjiYwiUziY0F14nt2nKYImCiYt4__IOBoz7obaYB2kdt1WRGx99s/s640/DSC_0515+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barley to be wrapped in some kind of leaf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfQpdpLaGJMsUnQe9nNqrgFxJMMXDGEE4tO4qL-8bvUnDONKc0PCjdk9-SFPH-doVcab3awR1CxzO7VArZj-Vh7vQARNEAibiWzQjwE3cx8oA00CRCDPlDQdEpeQcanZZN6fNpmgG7o/s1600/DSC_0797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDfQpdpLaGJMsUnQe9nNqrgFxJMMXDGEE4tO4qL-8bvUnDONKc0PCjdk9-SFPH-doVcab3awR1CxzO7VArZj-Vh7vQARNEAibiWzQjwE3cx8oA00CRCDPlDQdEpeQcanZZN6fNpmgG7o/s640/DSC_0797.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caramelised potato</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3XaGMMJUDDWca7RQzfgLrOgZHnLYGU93iBW3xABckOkjbhv2tFvdBvEyaq5GgkxiAUaY8sLHAZNGkaE6HgoO7dN9K7xUht46JTSQfSHC8kWeK2p2-LOdNheY5SpumFXMESuq1oj8h0U/s1600/DSC_0807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3XaGMMJUDDWca7RQzfgLrOgZHnLYGU93iBW3xABckOkjbhv2tFvdBvEyaq5GgkxiAUaY8sLHAZNGkaE6HgoO7dN9K7xUht46JTSQfSHC8kWeK2p2-LOdNheY5SpumFXMESuq1oj8h0U/s640/DSC_0807.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yak yogurt (surprisingly really good)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy4dTBB8ShWVixVxLU3ZKNyE4ag8nSWNKoGuCRZjlD_G352cdQ7Dku6h2sc7IWVCX-NsUaEC8rqbgm2v8o7WX7fPWk26GBy_NYfE2tg-DrkbTRbPj8F0rf9myfA9bEeA_aY_K1I4hWtk/s1600/DSC_0840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTy4dTBB8ShWVixVxLU3ZKNyE4ag8nSWNKoGuCRZjlD_G352cdQ7Dku6h2sc7IWVCX-NsUaEC8rqbgm2v8o7WX7fPWk26GBy_NYfE2tg-DrkbTRbPj8F0rf9myfA9bEeA_aY_K1I4hWtk/s640/DSC_0840.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uyghur dumplings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD6_wl4MB-d0AdYQyqKcPOZ88j0yEa415RVaeNoXJVROc5egLJ2B-ZaxYflzLAJmWWi0z7_6ePGuVhOO2XHqidRXY3xwnAYLtpcLv1hbPjfqmLZ_hJLjb1FnncDnjQJL4jLX_m_C5A4k/s1600/DSC_0887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD6_wl4MB-d0AdYQyqKcPOZ88j0yEa415RVaeNoXJVROc5egLJ2B-ZaxYflzLAJmWWi0z7_6ePGuVhOO2XHqidRXY3xwnAYLtpcLv1hbPjfqmLZ_hJLjb1FnncDnjQJL4jLX_m_C5A4k/s640/DSC_0887.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starfish for dinner?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZH-duTe7ynayYJ8p9n_uKSPet9QPV0glSVY_2P1XC8Cak88hIsNFTCTnwXAfPvrXG8IgnTvtPvIJgJnnKR2iMRR6dek5Tc_NXfKu6eWuzzRUSJhSzULA8Z1Aav6baDzUFeNRbPBywpY/s1600/DSC_0894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZH-duTe7ynayYJ8p9n_uKSPet9QPV0glSVY_2P1XC8Cak88hIsNFTCTnwXAfPvrXG8IgnTvtPvIJgJnnKR2iMRR6dek5Tc_NXfKu6eWuzzRUSJhSzULA8Z1Aav6baDzUFeNRbPBywpY/s640/DSC_0894.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumplings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMUnb9gaXVjDZqMtD_wOZzsL7dzawLq29WsrB_60fbgczNxNf6K-bQb-kc-V4NXo6FIw1dFNHG6rZ5G696NGKGuvXENWA55e21XLvAw57QvVZB1UB9IWoZdCTOQOVZSxB_9CE7auBDXw/s1600/DSC_0901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMUnb9gaXVjDZqMtD_wOZzsL7dzawLq29WsrB_60fbgczNxNf6K-bQb-kc-V4NXo6FIw1dFNHG6rZ5G696NGKGuvXENWA55e21XLvAw57QvVZB1UB9IWoZdCTOQOVZSxB_9CE7auBDXw/s640/DSC_0901.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yak butter tea and treasure tea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_xT7_3XpFt-_1Hyad41MpyvbRpLDG5N6LIjFrPBsls21VkQ5ofDOPLn4PAvnWaYa0kAETDQiKGKsYygplF2rCvR2yoUTS1Sw1kOial2GFLbSn0cFrClKCUMzHjTSaKC4BLr0wkNOYhA/s1600/DSC_0907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_xT7_3XpFt-_1Hyad41MpyvbRpLDG5N6LIjFrPBsls21VkQ5ofDOPLn4PAvnWaYa0kAETDQiKGKsYygplF2rCvR2yoUTS1Sw1kOial2GFLbSn0cFrClKCUMzHjTSaKC4BLr0wkNOYhA/s640/DSC_0907.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SGRBNyXC8ZR9FvSRhZvGmqfK4vOpdf7yNqVz_pBu4kBe0YyIptw767nDKMOAXWfKq6rmGIbhrRvQGLrOm7LWL_l8xW6ORMNfBlnoKd5bU1-9MI3g3M_YUnBqlTPfI4VNeEbWZk2fH5A/s1600/DSC_0918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SGRBNyXC8ZR9FvSRhZvGmqfK4vOpdf7yNqVz_pBu4kBe0YyIptw767nDKMOAXWfKq6rmGIbhrRvQGLrOm7LWL_l8xW6ORMNfBlnoKd5bU1-9MI3g3M_YUnBqlTPfI4VNeEbWZk2fH5A/s640/DSC_0918.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tofu skin sticks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-67760514082882651332012-12-19T05:49:00.001-08:002012-12-31T08:07:22.931-08:00China - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuTCJ1dZyYtmXJJMarkJNBzWAfyqOiKPRLeJCw55dBKTaQTsh8GaF5RErPa5BH_y0SuS-zBf8wxB82E3CFI9QdkMZogdJmKGZm8NmHOoj8DJ2v7M8Gs6hb8GrIF9kYjnhoNE0wciFD5M/s1600/DSC_0306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuTCJ1dZyYtmXJJMarkJNBzWAfyqOiKPRLeJCw55dBKTaQTsh8GaF5RErPa5BH_y0SuS-zBf8wxB82E3CFI9QdkMZogdJmKGZm8NmHOoj8DJ2v7M8Gs6hb8GrIF9kYjnhoNE0wciFD5M/s640/DSC_0306.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market street (Urumqui) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeezxFmchSHy8r597kfm0oZKWMqw0O_3tz8tmaAva9FTlO_UQOSGhO-T91_G8fNT-2c6yUB13QBtBsfcIlv1vS303mV7YTRYgr6JnY3CWOzzwmbAeZO9GLI1Q1i07cZXHSrOpNb8mTh_0/s1600/DSC_0517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeezxFmchSHy8r597kfm0oZKWMqw0O_3tz8tmaAva9FTlO_UQOSGhO-T91_G8fNT-2c6yUB13QBtBsfcIlv1vS303mV7YTRYgr6JnY3CWOzzwmbAeZO9GLI1Q1i07cZXHSrOpNb8mTh_0/s640/DSC_0517.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dentist anyone? (Urumqui)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIi-IRKslgk4N0ucqSez0xRg92ekmDciQMen7tuwyrHLJrkMjxqQWzjl3dR6aUfbtORhaoEp0oD_H8ncLVVSf-xEh1prqf_fCUf5wOai1fQG_s527LnbUaWtres4t613P7YwW082t5Wk/s1600/DSC_0437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIi-IRKslgk4N0ucqSez0xRg92ekmDciQMen7tuwyrHLJrkMjxqQWzjl3dR6aUfbtORhaoEp0oD_H8ncLVVSf-xEh1prqf_fCUf5wOai1fQG_s527LnbUaWtres4t613P7YwW082t5Wk/s640/DSC_0437.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Uyghur man (Urumqui)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WFbiOIRcQJRW3wU7W2gwyg6u495wpb2zGFEPUNZjTeP4BDKUp_PBJgY8LFAtDuV-0Ye903oyOrMuncmRPlFa9CkWEQdidqoAG3xghxxnjnZiSYKYgXhQpnzRhCmAiJeQAOm_Ps13FYg/s1600/DSC_0524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WFbiOIRcQJRW3wU7W2gwyg6u495wpb2zGFEPUNZjTeP4BDKUp_PBJgY8LFAtDuV-0Ye903oyOrMuncmRPlFa9CkWEQdidqoAG3xghxxnjnZiSYKYgXhQpnzRhCmAiJeQAOm_Ps13FYg/s640/DSC_0524.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg cooking the alternative way (Urumqui)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnqLMWFUfiRvwuLpe30toOtreGquGQVGRG0wLqpbkg5Y_wLTXfoKMIMYnMGk7knovjN2pYnSPShUA4sMYI67BA4Q6PyY8yRVXSGzvYdXPDTR8oGqNvXMN3dHsnhOvyoxJrG9xGLYhDQE/s1600/DSC_0493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnqLMWFUfiRvwuLpe30toOtreGquGQVGRG0wLqpbkg5Y_wLTXfoKMIMYnMGk7knovjN2pYnSPShUA4sMYI67BA4Q6PyY8yRVXSGzvYdXPDTR8oGqNvXMN3dHsnhOvyoxJrG9xGLYhDQE/s640/DSC_0493.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly lady (Urumqui)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1_QG9bZYgx3s576lDPV6AM5edBrleUWn1zr0bKZccDzZgjo5A52snE7vQsG3G1Lj7ugurLc4_GcNDuVAtfew_L-nesKG616eGAdnXnwAEklJf3V-MhYZdcd7yF8PrmlQNgVhfFjjOYY/s1600/DSC_0641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1_QG9bZYgx3s576lDPV6AM5edBrleUWn1zr0bKZccDzZgjo5A52snE7vQsG3G1Lj7ugurLc4_GcNDuVAtfew_L-nesKG616eGAdnXnwAEklJf3V-MhYZdcd7yF8PrmlQNgVhfFjjOYY/s640/DSC_0641.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turpan minaret at dusk (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyda5EweZfNhwCQ1fwzKkWtKGQEpVCcd93Utf3L4YmbwiJ7pKP3Uj9nFQFZJFMMCt1EabNNuSLwm4HH03JBy50tLy5m_1ze7HAhW84S-rJ3YQUkIumryHibnPuXbXYelddQmMiccuI_8/s1600/DSCF0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyda5EweZfNhwCQ1fwzKkWtKGQEpVCcd93Utf3L4YmbwiJ7pKP3Uj9nFQFZJFMMCt1EabNNuSLwm4HH03JBy50tLy5m_1ze7HAhW84S-rJ3YQUkIumryHibnPuXbXYelddQmMiccuI_8/s640/DSCF0141.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing tall (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapvf6a9f7GiJnzVA0HqDhdP4ljTONngAkiXwwGwlfevrJTP8eRaKeNbHyXGJBoThylTDkWsWfL5OcUolL2hWf88H4Iq-IlpRSpmC7j4lfI2OzGD1VGHIhUMvRp0m6d6xXIncMblzI62E/s1600/DSC_0819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapvf6a9f7GiJnzVA0HqDhdP4ljTONngAkiXwwGwlfevrJTP8eRaKeNbHyXGJBoThylTDkWsWfL5OcUolL2hWf88H4Iq-IlpRSpmC7j4lfI2OzGD1VGHIhUMvRp0m6d6xXIncMblzI62E/s640/DSC_0819.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flame cooking (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEi1ygrrcQm8fnT40XPuYqsdj4lFmkYG-DvzivIP3i7ALsnjEZ6lzVtLp1LAh5LnE4mv-QWlBUMGG-XFeXCzFDft_14jkD0B-2X6dZ_xv8J8JdPy7fc28q35ZH0Lery8AuHDZ0MCK6wU/s1600/DSC_0842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEi1ygrrcQm8fnT40XPuYqsdj4lFmkYG-DvzivIP3i7ALsnjEZ6lzVtLp1LAh5LnE4mv-QWlBUMGG-XFeXCzFDft_14jkD0B-2X6dZ_xv8J8JdPy7fc28q35ZH0Lery8AuHDZ0MCK6wU/s640/DSC_0842.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch time at the bazaar (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLiyjj1ubgZlXOyS5BbMsqvIIIU0LtyLbIkTaCuonpISKREQfzh8-MuBHPN6V5LOe-8CoqEalpeHR_Ip8t2RDjpSKEixzgE-ENHrrQkD2mKnjdr5_QuXf485EimKSaPMh14cJohZVNY4/s1600/DSC_0856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLiyjj1ubgZlXOyS5BbMsqvIIIU0LtyLbIkTaCuonpISKREQfzh8-MuBHPN6V5LOe-8CoqEalpeHR_Ip8t2RDjpSKEixzgE-ENHrrQkD2mKnjdr5_QuXf485EimKSaPMh14cJohZVNY4/s640/DSC_0856.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling watched (Turpan)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7JjB2xn3rrVx9kUMDi6ffBi6QOajMQKLLssnN6uRqrVU00BCj_EZtzJ_5nPFyGWf6BU9KqrM76T6NK9Uq5pfnZOci6ZhvNmOj_OXOrNK7eu9FIl0lbN8u1RLgY4z240OSJNkEeojm08/s1600/DSC_0804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7JjB2xn3rrVx9kUMDi6ffBi6QOajMQKLLssnN6uRqrVU00BCj_EZtzJ_5nPFyGWf6BU9KqrM76T6NK9Uq5pfnZOci6ZhvNmOj_OXOrNK7eu9FIl0lbN8u1RLgY4z240OSJNkEeojm08/s640/DSC_0804.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slurping like the locals (Turpan)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2lWfNJJh_tIPvuzdyqMHWEt3x95SVKF2a4setn9qbrsFrFmuNwZs814NiYBZJ2Ihla6p5wf0-WBxf73cLmUNuNSyHrP0WwbBnmzb78nGqVw_D1LaoH19zYMk6RGekL_YmeQATCxDly0/s1600/DSC_0924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2lWfNJJh_tIPvuzdyqMHWEt3x95SVKF2a4setn9qbrsFrFmuNwZs814NiYBZJ2Ihla6p5wf0-WBxf73cLmUNuNSyHrP0WwbBnmzb78nGqVw_D1LaoH19zYMk6RGekL_YmeQATCxDly0/s640/DSC_0924.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing hide and seek (Turpan)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWHz7dcnl_7G4x2PkT9afju59lqpAyIthM-AZiBHY-0hU57RvWtBRUf6vEkKIHufwjfWdVWlg3sJKC2vu-ybLBnF_t8V7Ul2QcCmtxovCgB1NM8-YjD1XXONwfHmgNW9HM87-CqW7Eag/s1600/DSC_0590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWHz7dcnl_7G4x2PkT9afju59lqpAyIthM-AZiBHY-0hU57RvWtBRUf6vEkKIHufwjfWdVWlg3sJKC2vu-ybLBnF_t8V7Ul2QcCmtxovCgB1NM8-YjD1XXONwfHmgNW9HM87-CqW7Eag/s640/DSC_0590.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls just want to have fun (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcXKgV-GMYo6BV55nTCvp7FR-qOqo6EO_oSqKTjL_XtqJv5pR1x-AVEdUL14kgvgcoQtQH5-P9yh5UKKCHIq99MaPIB22rT10MLF8Li67OMTbMTeYBMIRc6ZFsywXafenWkYBltksSeg/s1600/DSC_0711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcXKgV-GMYo6BV55nTCvp7FR-qOqo6EO_oSqKTjL_XtqJv5pR1x-AVEdUL14kgvgcoQtQH5-P9yh5UKKCHIq99MaPIB22rT10MLF8Li67OMTbMTeYBMIRc6ZFsywXafenWkYBltksSeg/s640/DSC_0711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jiaohe ruins (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqfp-KUvByobOqLFwcZ3axEDsEHvAbESJgNIdcFGOjT9tIwh0zZNOwL2E59rU_TXxX0n8HXt6Ih8iFehXzTLj9sQ0x8qd9mhv9N0KGFshFubYaqhUTtN3_zl5KOYJzH3gi_rmP4BKeGs/s1600/DSC_0732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqfp-KUvByobOqLFwcZ3axEDsEHvAbESJgNIdcFGOjT9tIwh0zZNOwL2E59rU_TXxX0n8HXt6Ih8iFehXzTLj9sQ0x8qd9mhv9N0KGFshFubYaqhUTtN3_zl5KOYJzH3gi_rmP4BKeGs/s640/DSC_0732.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow games (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzCxs4TVukud0dIjKUJv7AJqcJaHpm6JTYyiPg2YMgk2WhLdS3PYXtpaqarIPdp6H8SK5f_mzTdDhP3FXzLHpji8N0fDJIUWc-s4G5JKZnUQpomYCn2lI6y8P3Df7nT7dxR5qZI5pZ0A/s1600/DSC_0750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzCxs4TVukud0dIjKUJv7AJqcJaHpm6JTYyiPg2YMgk2WhLdS3PYXtpaqarIPdp6H8SK5f_mzTdDhP3FXzLHpji8N0fDJIUWc-s4G5JKZnUQpomYCn2lI6y8P3Df7nT7dxR5qZI5pZ0A/s640/DSC_0750.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruin posing (Turpan)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfmJoOnm85bS2C5eDdLI-r_5CAf7zJZ4VkuMpWqOAW2uiKulyDlySfB6psIp97LbAStIWXghhxeGmnARtJJo64wGO7dDyOsxCShqnj1nArKwMh06nZPzArpl06ziEeACWMOJFRHs41-0/s1600/DSC_0613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfmJoOnm85bS2C5eDdLI-r_5CAf7zJZ4VkuMpWqOAW2uiKulyDlySfB6psIp97LbAStIWXghhxeGmnARtJJo64wGO7dDyOsxCShqnj1nArKwMh06nZPzArpl06ziEeACWMOJFRHs41-0/s640/DSC_0613.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilling with friends (Turpan)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAfKAJG1iOym5NZOrryQ1RVhaX3_zeW3pJHrDU7ZdS3Aqf15xCgo2CmeNG3fTESF_0C2Fg_ndFf5cCeW2TPd-0yLKzcaDVF59mkhwq0OY7EM8zFPR4O3Uez5gBAJFaKB7xvk8iSqw3pQ/s1600/DSCF0219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAfKAJG1iOym5NZOrryQ1RVhaX3_zeW3pJHrDU7ZdS3Aqf15xCgo2CmeNG3fTESF_0C2Fg_ndFf5cCeW2TPd-0yLKzcaDVF59mkhwq0OY7EM8zFPR4O3Uez5gBAJFaKB7xvk8iSqw3pQ/s640/DSCF0219.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mati Si Temple (Mati Si)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7CkPGeKdyXF-q96rDDK9fCd5AArvwTp-gm7dn5mcT9ZpRDAvIbsrVffCcQogYoqsEdXFDv8fFHsLAQCYXtNlGNNKpC_woPGk1-OWXE3dBnkzJRZHBefb0fKeohed0FPE8zbj7bjRipo/s1600/DSCF0250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7CkPGeKdyXF-q96rDDK9fCd5AArvwTp-gm7dn5mcT9ZpRDAvIbsrVffCcQogYoqsEdXFDv8fFHsLAQCYXtNlGNNKpC_woPGk1-OWXE3dBnkzJRZHBefb0fKeohed0FPE8zbj7bjRipo/s640/DSCF0250.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice capped mountains in the background (Mati Si)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHL8MN3P0wR6gPKHcR9_iYcot6quQXhgoiR-xgcQ1PfPwaG3I0sfmyqhLNvf8k1dgLry61NOlVfpyJbBTNIFIy9HvFhqR8j7cE3Bst-SVQuSz4fhaqlcO3t-UTs1oQFdLH_AU2vCz03M/s1600/DSCF0263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHL8MN3P0wR6gPKHcR9_iYcot6quQXhgoiR-xgcQ1PfPwaG3I0sfmyqhLNvf8k1dgLry61NOlVfpyJbBTNIFIy9HvFhqR8j7cE3Bst-SVQuSz4fhaqlcO3t-UTs1oQFdLH_AU2vCz03M/s640/DSCF0263.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any resemblance is purely coincidental (Mati Si)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWqMF51NC8_eVLnvdohQW2Tm0_J68G_dRZYDPNvNNaTN4dX6a2o3v8vdOAAlRykT_azPgnyRlDNtkId6ilLYCtte01y0zasPJq3hHIzfjM3HCEhhQ7mDHWoVLHHwimQQ3DveuXErEPeM/s1600/DSC_0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWqMF51NC8_eVLnvdohQW2Tm0_J68G_dRZYDPNvNNaTN4dX6a2o3v8vdOAAlRykT_azPgnyRlDNtkId6ilLYCtte01y0zasPJq3hHIzfjM3HCEhhQ7mDHWoVLHHwimQQ3DveuXErEPeM/s640/DSC_0117.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guard (Mati Si)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir1XIUgoIys8e6rWTUi85OIAJZKqOKFqGHQTSUHN4R9xDCBqc9QyoPqZRTwMd0ZBjr92RrJGaB8cFmsI3wLxFYFCynrl6bgZP2QR6F-l0hQ_UawdC__PI4u6-vO-TJhyphenhyphenLkdSEUgLwL3I/s1600/DSCF0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir1XIUgoIys8e6rWTUi85OIAJZKqOKFqGHQTSUHN4R9xDCBqc9QyoPqZRTwMd0ZBjr92RrJGaB8cFmsI3wLxFYFCynrl6bgZP2QR6F-l0hQ_UawdC__PI4u6-vO-TJhyphenhyphenLkdSEUgLwL3I/s640/DSCF0266.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the edge of the tibetan plateau (Mati Si)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBo1QNovMMFrUAKT3-5FFU3JICb01v8zU4nCpMDjQ8bibGxfK4QplDI1VgIjLNF42iY-udHpgCWDSmIR2uPyHlUX4jj4MbJxBkVKUqU8n8fv4SDqQX1Qyfs7vw4Na0fFPm1CPpcYwJ4w/s1600/DSC_0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBo1QNovMMFrUAKT3-5FFU3JICb01v8zU4nCpMDjQ8bibGxfK4QplDI1VgIjLNF42iY-udHpgCWDSmIR2uPyHlUX4jj4MbJxBkVKUqU8n8fv4SDqQX1Qyfs7vw4Na0fFPm1CPpcYwJ4w/s640/DSC_0274.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back (Mati Si)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gK1jHmMRZbsS9axF0F2XqnvDkkpdPRU-TCR1DHyYi-wQjJY4LDG34AjsubCw_NLNI0soSZurEo8HlsSG0GYtiOKmYhJs0EGbwJwm7CZ28s-Yn0panmt8ExjgH2vTIue9tP8Jq1m96vo/s1600/DSC_0398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gK1jHmMRZbsS9axF0F2XqnvDkkpdPRU-TCR1DHyYi-wQjJY4LDG34AjsubCw_NLNI0soSZurEo8HlsSG0GYtiOKmYhJs0EGbwJwm7CZ28s-Yn0panmt8ExjgH2vTIue9tP8Jq1m96vo/s640/DSC_0398.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pagoda (Zhangye)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJRyfiUQF6qVW4j7guXUL5Z9Z63562HiBLXuNA6ClgK4ZtxPHySYmzEo9PcMBMXnPgYWtV8N4zrRbbam5GER7fDH9WaHQ-H7P7g_IwYuWfARnTY2MMkruv45PQePfa-WTR2kdfw_fbIA/s1600/CSC_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJRyfiUQF6qVW4j7guXUL5Z9Z63562HiBLXuNA6ClgK4ZtxPHySYmzEo9PcMBMXnPgYWtV8N4zrRbbam5GER7fDH9WaHQ-H7P7g_IwYuWfARnTY2MMkruv45PQePfa-WTR2kdfw_fbIA/s640/CSC_0004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village life (Outside of Zhangye)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixAzbd6VSvaw47uS9JJE3zxi2lC5W7d_kvH14uLn7fCVxTX8Y4amogX820UDStg3_22qneotVETwDHsxPXOSV0hSzfX0pgdu2_DptoY4O2OKnyJpkGkw9s8n35Bw5em7XY41SPgwR2wI/s1600/CSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixAzbd6VSvaw47uS9JJE3zxi2lC5W7d_kvH14uLn7fCVxTX8Y4amogX820UDStg3_22qneotVETwDHsxPXOSV0hSzfX0pgdu2_DptoY4O2OKnyJpkGkw9s8n35Bw5em7XY41SPgwR2wI/s640/CSC_0005.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making solar tea (Zhangye)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CRywa2VnT8LM_9w_AHB-YdBeNcJ9EV301CCeohdBes0CYvXQaWozrfilnZhG24ZDRZlDNXoF_0npvUSYcpSSb92mUzjZZJOQUtt3xePh2ulMyoCPijOeiwCRFpi5S0vB1JxQZll_QEc/s1600/DSC_0367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CRywa2VnT8LM_9w_AHB-YdBeNcJ9EV301CCeohdBes0CYvXQaWozrfilnZhG24ZDRZlDNXoF_0npvUSYcpSSb92mUzjZZJOQUtt3xePh2ulMyoCPijOeiwCRFpi5S0vB1JxQZll_QEc/s640/DSC_0367.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Wall (Outside of Zhangye)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo80RAEHPkjEQEdE_shYrq2h6ZgDqrRbHaNwFpIUMpb3bC0RnHc-PHMJpm1K_XZWhwZR9GpP9pZwlh986HZ8_OUWwwICNFTQoh21iOrQHzEawwq7v_hVbcXQDoogTODTAsUZOcbnnMXwc/s1600/DSC_0327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo80RAEHPkjEQEdE_shYrq2h6ZgDqrRbHaNwFpIUMpb3bC0RnHc-PHMJpm1K_XZWhwZR9GpP9pZwlh986HZ8_OUWwwICNFTQoh21iOrQHzEawwq7v_hVbcXQDoogTODTAsUZOcbnnMXwc/s640/DSC_0327.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs conquering the Great Wall (Outside of Zhangye)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8DUi4YlosuYZITpAXy5_cnxaEB0QswFweIHrCTSQNzdNScwXTweLbgG9qJQedzjsHhPxw9Kf3CwG2YcSgN8IJTjtKSWgKTs-AzEmbNHkpmJ5RREFt2wz36zsPjHv0OGJhDxJCc6nsYI/s1600/DSC_0481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8DUi4YlosuYZITpAXy5_cnxaEB0QswFweIHrCTSQNzdNScwXTweLbgG9qJQedzjsHhPxw9Kf3CwG2YcSgN8IJTjtKSWgKTs-AzEmbNHkpmJ5RREFt2wz36zsPjHv0OGJhDxJCc6nsYI/s640/DSC_0481.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Development (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUfVzcLCr_5maR3G_EPwSbviWVTl4ZMTAaGeYRXPON5_-av_8ZkfJTPUIntJb3aoypY9UPN6z4Ud-6-9sjRpD04SQJS8wfIwEYoMFw41bCIPyL_R_5F1LES0Q8R0eab50EW7lBI_JdQA/s1600/DSC_0882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUfVzcLCr_5maR3G_EPwSbviWVTl4ZMTAaGeYRXPON5_-av_8ZkfJTPUIntJb3aoypY9UPN6z4Ud-6-9sjRpD04SQJS8wfIwEYoMFw41bCIPyL_R_5F1LES0Q8R0eab50EW7lBI_JdQA/s640/DSC_0882.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiritually above the city (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnIGuWY5z3KrGnjKT5Xqs79zNZiU68Re5OZQJghRGEHlK_dOiohLjQgW6KnFHoIWiLUL6IVsyc96Kcv0xURocXkPmJhQ9CODlrbdBM1OOix5yClTmjq9y5AlpkC5bdx1njsaduoqjE7g/s1600/DSC_0825+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnIGuWY5z3KrGnjKT5Xqs79zNZiU68Re5OZQJghRGEHlK_dOiohLjQgW6KnFHoIWiLUL6IVsyc96Kcv0xURocXkPmJhQ9CODlrbdBM1OOix5yClTmjq9y5AlpkC5bdx1njsaduoqjE7g/s640/DSC_0825+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demons and hell on the walls of the temple (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHrSa35rBysOlPb4FIDVrRefZzEV7hBHPc3fUZYsvle-h1P9842ps-qevC1ptGltvVW5Iu3GRPZC4gs80N4Ts_u6i7MxBYSpppDt2EP8HgtiCze8CW7iRTYpGK1yt34vy1sLChJCK44M/s1600/DSC_0842+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHrSa35rBysOlPb4FIDVrRefZzEV7hBHPc3fUZYsvle-h1P9842ps-qevC1ptGltvVW5Iu3GRPZC4gs80N4Ts_u6i7MxBYSpppDt2EP8HgtiCze8CW7iRTYpGK1yt34vy1sLChJCK44M/s640/DSC_0842+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beichan Temple (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWLHzlhOv2-OaLuAduw5-2YVZmr2w-dVoH34UKeAkoTM2xweBXX5vLer5IIY5KzPWj8Zq10ltQgNpcJ8mABelVvRcMmmfsyXanVd6S7wjCl1dFf3SPwlLFNmCEypzzusNHZcdCYaOcOc/s1600/DSC_0709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWLHzlhOv2-OaLuAduw5-2YVZmr2w-dVoH34UKeAkoTM2xweBXX5vLer5IIY5KzPWj8Zq10ltQgNpcJ8mABelVvRcMmmfsyXanVd6S7wjCl1dFf3SPwlLFNmCEypzzusNHZcdCYaOcOc/s640/DSC_0709.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kumbum Monastery (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpqnepKfFSCR_wjLiHHOUC_TJstZ0J8XVOZNqskNaxo1rUf1xT3SCnQpcbN_XWwOfklQrU5Omp1oEppQbEG_nkA0j48GiR9kCdhOESD8ZOxhm7NWGpS9myDRNh1b2wnChNVptqy0ctdM/s1600/DSC_0548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpqnepKfFSCR_wjLiHHOUC_TJstZ0J8XVOZNqskNaxo1rUf1xT3SCnQpcbN_XWwOfklQrU5Omp1oEppQbEG_nkA0j48GiR9kCdhOESD8ZOxhm7NWGpS9myDRNh1b2wnChNVptqy0ctdM/s640/DSC_0548.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yak butter (Xining)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JPoiZhCyE1JeeCa6hHXxGzAYiYTDLsvaWCKbZTMVFe_vuBeUoXRee322BOMcR3qGTLr1IkJyiM747E1f4sIMV12elS1bF_kaVb1Rdm4td1jGfNx2yPWNHAwiB4vaNsjQ056unUUYCeQ/s1600/DSC_0931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JPoiZhCyE1JeeCa6hHXxGzAYiYTDLsvaWCKbZTMVFe_vuBeUoXRee322BOMcR3qGTLr1IkJyiM747E1f4sIMV12elS1bF_kaVb1Rdm4td1jGfNx2yPWNHAwiB4vaNsjQ056unUUYCeQ/s640/DSC_0931.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Labrang Monastery (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8rGmv2hgERAXarIXudxqcBeGLZsm0TqgxGuietFPY_vs2jdXpnhIptDRu4ZQsNFQYYCBPGFDVQ_Dx7a6tNOgL4i2m6nqO0sE_VKumNCxYyWtJ2auxfOXm8PquaR62krZZssW1NK1DMM/s1600/DSC_0722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8rGmv2hgERAXarIXudxqcBeGLZsm0TqgxGuietFPY_vs2jdXpnhIptDRu4ZQsNFQYYCBPGFDVQ_Dx7a6tNOgL4i2m6nqO0sE_VKumNCxYyWtJ2auxfOXm8PquaR62krZZssW1NK1DMM/s640/DSC_0722.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Details (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUPRv29b-ZE6-G26WOZWfwyG5VBJYzKGHMkGTC9QvZfMv9WlGBnHBGMhZzoJoKB56OJdNpVJ1oBOfiBaFOwj2Zl1gchst2_5vf1BaEa4E2qcJ1XqaCzJU0mKoFbPA29nS6zwPmfCMuwc/s1600/DSC_0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUPRv29b-ZE6-G26WOZWfwyG5VBJYzKGHMkGTC9QvZfMv9WlGBnHBGMhZzoJoKB56OJdNpVJ1oBOfiBaFOwj2Zl1gchst2_5vf1BaEa4E2qcJ1XqaCzJU0mKoFbPA29nS6zwPmfCMuwc/s640/DSC_0035.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving the prayer wheels (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mv_Ja7_PG80QR2B68naY-hOlzzLRX5zH9fXHBoBpaL3I8YKIhlCMJ0HvGviXi8AWMQYRlQhHo4jTvUm5AsSfmy1U_ZZh40HfmaadV4BPO8rv15KA-weSyOAhhcUkKnQFFPF_FD4uPJQ/s1600/DSC_0080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mv_Ja7_PG80QR2B68naY-hOlzzLRX5zH9fXHBoBpaL3I8YKIhlCMJ0HvGviXi8AWMQYRlQhHo4jTvUm5AsSfmy1U_ZZh40HfmaadV4BPO8rv15KA-weSyOAhhcUkKnQFFPF_FD4uPJQ/s640/DSC_0080.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tibetan lady (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDmJyXcn0Vr2X2Bbm9SCd4bPz7PomPwbNntp_oN8GX3M1PMcVRKlHPdo7ZyupEBNFW143f4S8A5fVTmNx2rFXfbVb4uW_M8h23nu9pWzrwfvJRv7tgEeDIHEdjgmA_uias_q6vCt34gt2/s1600/DSC_0631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDmJyXcn0Vr2X2Bbm9SCd4bPz7PomPwbNntp_oN8GX3M1PMcVRKlHPdo7ZyupEBNFW143f4S8A5fVTmNx2rFXfbVb4uW_M8h23nu9pWzrwfvJRv7tgEeDIHEdjgmA_uias_q6vCt34gt2/s640/DSC_0631.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinning Wheels (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QyNaa6rBwvucFUVvtPOd3nBJSqrj3dGOkjwvggB635BZqvq_YNlYbGAHDRrz9xv4bLAc1DOarTMuFReYu8Lt7TmCoNiQgjIumr03RQJWugKiw8RQuuu7wNuB-FR00f5J1M5v56KqaWA/s1600/DSC_1037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QyNaa6rBwvucFUVvtPOd3nBJSqrj3dGOkjwvggB635BZqvq_YNlYbGAHDRrz9xv4bLAc1DOarTMuFReYu8Lt7TmCoNiQgjIumr03RQJWugKiw8RQuuu7wNuB-FR00f5J1M5v56KqaWA/s640/DSC_1037.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lollipop kids (Xiahe)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxLb3K7kfonTwn1gS-38J8xndlVmuSpnmDhBSsLOmQhEupANKXiXO1fdbR6l4PhpWeeLJb_pv9SjOhlzFBVSMANV8c_tzsa-rNhVCL0SXfKEhHn_1X8zST-0P2j-8DWY10-LwgM3UvEE/s1600/CSC_0933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxLb3K7kfonTwn1gS-38J8xndlVmuSpnmDhBSsLOmQhEupANKXiXO1fdbR6l4PhpWeeLJb_pv9SjOhlzFBVSMANV8c_tzsa-rNhVCL0SXfKEhHn_1X8zST-0P2j-8DWY10-LwgM3UvEE/s640/CSC_0933.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Older generation (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSzleLHbTj0wnLKhfCERn9h2J9vzpzoM4n3jL3bkMHMQUcvRtlspBktZJP6fLXcTPRckGRn95ZNoRQWzoKAuUTPIZMjmZr8mOZT9pSNANX6YgCuzC_XU01KLZpRO1QgedG6ydMdc9lkw/s1600/DSC_0798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSzleLHbTj0wnLKhfCERn9h2J9vzpzoM4n3jL3bkMHMQUcvRtlspBktZJP6fLXcTPRckGRn95ZNoRQWzoKAuUTPIZMjmZr8mOZT9pSNANX6YgCuzC_XU01KLZpRO1QgedG6ydMdc9lkw/s640/DSC_0798.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling monks (Xiahe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The heaving mass that is China
surprised us. Gone is the collectivist economy we thought it would be and in
its place sits a very capitalist market run by a very totalitarian regime. In
China they call this “Communism with Chinese ideals” and, sadly, for the most
part people are fairly tolerant of this regime, or so it seems.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
With few obstacles to bar its
way, and with corruption percolating through every crevice of the system, the
sweaty beast that is China continues to plough on at an exhilarating speed either
ignorant, or simply unconcerned, by any ramifications of its actions.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our first impressions of China
were set by the people we had met on the road who had just left the country.
They had all talked about the dirtiness, the rude people, the kids defecating
on the street (because it was normal, not because they were being overtly rude),
the horrendous toilets, the constant staring and the strategically placed
ticket booths at every possible scenic view point.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The more we heard the less we
were looking forward to entering China. But then we arrived in Urumqi in the
far West of the country and all our fears seemed groundless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes the public toilets were pretty bad and
the staring was constant but the people were friendly, the food absolutely
delicious and most of the time the interesting things were free and could be
easily found from walking within a market or just down the street.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Whilst Urumqi in itself it is
not particularly beautiful on the surface and just seemed like any another
middle sized city in China (which in Chinese terms means a population > 1
million) with skyscrapers, construction rigs and bright lights, once we walked
around the Muslim quarter and its night market we were captivated. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We stayed exploring the city
before heading further east to the grape town of Turpan, also a very Islamic
town with a thriving night market. We stayed for a couple of nights, renting
bicycles to explore the countryside and the ancient city of Jiaohe, before
moving onto Dunhuang, a reasonably sized town on the periphery of the Gobi Desert.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
In true China style people
were charged to enter the desert, which was ridiculous as it’s a desert and
anyone could simply find another part of one of the world’s biggest deserts and
just walk into it. But that was China for you. We hung around for a while,
visiting the highly rated Mogao Buddhist caves (very over-rated in our opinion)
before moving onto the next town a mere 24 hour train journey away, Zhangye.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
There was nothing to do in
Zhangye…but we liked it. There were very few tourists, but lots of life and
what’s more we discovered that a thousand years ago the Great Wall had extended
this far West of China (2000 km from Beijing). And so at the behest of Abs, we
spent an afternoon taking the bus 30 minutes out of the city, where we saw the
sandstone wall intermittently crumbling by the roadside. At one point our road
even bisected the Wall.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
It was very unimpressive in
terms of the<span style="color: red;"> </span>status quo image of the Wall we are
used to seeing in guidebooks, but nonetheless impressive in the fact that we
were standing on something so iconic with no one around but us.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
After Zhangye we headed south
to unknown, and un-touristy, Xining in Qinghai Province. The road that led here
was beautiful, and the bus caressed the edges of the Tibetan plateau as it weaved
its way over snow-capped mountains. The city was a nice introduction to some
Tibetan culture before a journey to Xiahe, the highlight of our trip, where the
Labrang Monastery awaited us.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Labrang is home to the largest
number of monks outside Tibet and subsequently the largest group of ipad
carrying monks. Yes, that’s right, they had ipads. Or iphones. And yes, all of
them had at least one of these items. Our enquiries led us to discover that
these had all been acquired through donations. And so as we sat drinking salty
yak butter tea in a cafe, sheltering from the cold and rain outside, we would
stare with wonder as the monks sitting on the next table browsed itunes.
Perhaps the cessation of material desire wasn’t being taught with great fervour
in this particular monastery?<span style="color: red;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
In spite of this oddity we
thoroughly enjoyed Xiahe; the setting was beautiful, nestled placidly amongst
the hills on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, there were very few tourists and we
experienced a degree of spirituality when we took part in the 3km prayer wheel pilgrimage
that circumvented the religious complex. The more devout were taking part in
the Chak Tsal, the pilgrimage to Lhasa whereupon they prostrate their entire
bodies to the ground every 3 steps. It was truly humbling.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We stayed only a few days in
Xiahe. The land of clichéd China lay ahead and so we packed our bags and headed
further East in search of the Terracotta Army, the Great Wall and warmer
climates before winter finally set in.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-20669668901185127852012-11-08T02:23:00.000-08:002012-11-08T02:28:50.903-08:00Kazahkstan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WJ-AWOfhuL6x0zewpGzqKKdYX3A4Ev4Ahdt_fDf65XqcNDYHxYYOJ04C6sdJSBqiAaUq4pmj_6aj3PGuQm4puwn9fbzOX5z2bEWzG0Kv8g_a2FkhR0OZqZekHojjGanCTo8ya2O_KOw/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WJ-AWOfhuL6x0zewpGzqKKdYX3A4Ev4Ahdt_fDf65XqcNDYHxYYOJ04C6sdJSBqiAaUq4pmj_6aj3PGuQm4puwn9fbzOX5z2bEWzG0Kv8g_a2FkhR0OZqZekHojjGanCTo8ya2O_KOw/s640/DSC_0048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astana looks like mini Dubai</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2p_276MzJOB7tlGnSvGqp0Ih4E1uso3qeSFspe7nLy_vkCLoNpoypSCZqxG5Ya9TwXTHWKxXMiXlg8xAr0JNc1yttA_jtfH0kBVDnjSL0kNVsLc1QkLW45vKDGFSUeBvk4ffAQsZl2g/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2p_276MzJOB7tlGnSvGqp0Ih4E1uso3qeSFspe7nLy_vkCLoNpoypSCZqxG5Ya9TwXTHWKxXMiXlg8xAr0JNc1yttA_jtfH0kBVDnjSL0kNVsLc1QkLW45vKDGFSUeBvk4ffAQsZl2g/s640/DSC_0011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Astana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfJ5gGGivKJk9Pddovv7Dv-pfO-YLXmtXt7Ul5fmb3UbmPmaAKdm7h2j0wEhW41xOjmW5UVhzGJ2N8lbgx31IJIw8cPiZhXtguXvF6TMyHk5l6mw0_vXsGjDERqE62e8BKDhtL-RgW9I/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfJ5gGGivKJk9Pddovv7Dv-pfO-YLXmtXt7Ul5fmb3UbmPmaAKdm7h2j0wEhW41xOjmW5UVhzGJ2N8lbgx31IJIw8cPiZhXtguXvF6TMyHk5l6mw0_vXsGjDERqE62e8BKDhtL-RgW9I/s640/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astana concert hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpSbbH2rWtbYye7g1WsTBr01jafcr1_FZbCc-6r9TEgHOCAiZHDr0hEYOcrGsO5wN5TNIqOEyJjaUN6Lmk5mL3bv0RfqLcP2WnHq7CHTBt0neabFGXNeNcE331nv6ViI1m5ZbOnMstJI/s1600/DSC_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpSbbH2rWtbYye7g1WsTBr01jafcr1_FZbCc-6r9TEgHOCAiZHDr0hEYOcrGsO5wN5TNIqOEyJjaUN6Lmk5mL3bv0RfqLcP2WnHq7CHTBt0neabFGXNeNcE331nv6ViI1m5ZbOnMstJI/s640/DSC_0051.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs trying out the president's hand cast </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLGHEjbgevf5155E82O3pLWalWXtaPIMNJ60gkgCUadkkeMq3TlQ5WrW5pz73pL7-YNb4OQ6c5ON2_z9wzSOOkH4x0wfr1rar1ziz5qD5faPSnDaxABqV43KqSwyqEk8tgsq4i-fD5Wk/s1600/DSC_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLGHEjbgevf5155E82O3pLWalWXtaPIMNJ60gkgCUadkkeMq3TlQ5WrW5pz73pL7-YNb4OQ6c5ON2_z9wzSOOkH4x0wfr1rar1ziz5qD5faPSnDaxABqV43KqSwyqEk8tgsq4i-fD5Wk/s640/DSC_0058.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mass construction </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_wsz2YVKkB8Cr_MTO6WdmMEhTEvF2WrwNCojZyvgAfWCzQhOox_xoqZWYOHkIng-OBV40TVrZcZKaM3py-AJgcx-ZH50XwA-jTx3wurEYZxsO1T-pj-mDHbg0gI98g4vpmd88pncX4c/s1600/DSC_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_wsz2YVKkB8Cr_MTO6WdmMEhTEvF2WrwNCojZyvgAfWCzQhOox_xoqZWYOHkIng-OBV40TVrZcZKaM3py-AJgcx-ZH50XwA-jTx3wurEYZxsO1T-pj-mDHbg0gI98g4vpmd88pncX4c/s640/DSC_0101.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Davis cup in Astana, Kazakhstan vs Uzbekistan - hard core fan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzmWrIuVMvsyfOxuy-FA3Ed2q1EnckYoZpQn0CHMVWPagnAzAaNUV-s8tI9UDDfhLE4Qy8-INf6tbkiTh7I1xA0QuNhweszIht0K9KR7ZHTEtyzJn1p_p0fFsfru7LE7utuOocNo7VaA/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzmWrIuVMvsyfOxuy-FA3Ed2q1EnckYoZpQn0CHMVWPagnAzAaNUV-s8tI9UDDfhLE4Qy8-INf6tbkiTh7I1xA0QuNhweszIht0K9KR7ZHTEtyzJn1p_p0fFsfru7LE7utuOocNo7VaA/s640/DSC_0163.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Davis cup - Kazakhstan champion<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ4Rkzso13PqZ63EZeKb6WJRhnT0NoC5LJkfukM7x7a-LrUhGwsHw8i9UJNdnjASjmFho5dTyaWpoM_azykEpzjeyIW0t1ximg43FcqLjsxts51KuN73tuiKtMr0ROfGWYxlEaCBGl3M/s1600/DSC_0216+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ4Rkzso13PqZ63EZeKb6WJRhnT0NoC5LJkfukM7x7a-LrUhGwsHw8i9UJNdnjASjmFho5dTyaWpoM_azykEpzjeyIW0t1ximg43FcqLjsxts51KuN73tuiKtMr0ROfGWYxlEaCBGl3M/s640/DSC_0216+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astana by dusk<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwJgsnIKNIKgHTzi9OWDd1ZgJXJ1XVY1phGFhyphenhyphenUFopoTJLrroXs22xTY2LiXQxpasU2RY-si3fvNQSnPSEtKbnUxbQh2SAjcPuCEOFFNcii8gMEh1h-r7v1_VPzMgG1l3E8iA1TzagjM/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwJgsnIKNIKgHTzi9OWDd1ZgJXJ1XVY1phGFhyphenhyphenUFopoTJLrroXs22xTY2LiXQxpasU2RY-si3fvNQSnPSEtKbnUxbQh2SAjcPuCEOFFNcii8gMEh1h-r7v1_VPzMgG1l3E8iA1TzagjM/s640/DSC_0149.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almaty metro station<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYSObfgR7Y0B4cW-TVsX1eFTAcpM235IjPBEPOeldVGa8xhti6qtYDbcUZRC9aecqDDYgUeVQ_SAaZJMwTIoGaF6nPqQtI06kFYW0gach1vJKbQfR1yVa0gg1p7GCVNaIA7Qz-9_Uxa8/s1600/DSC_0206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYSObfgR7Y0B4cW-TVsX1eFTAcpM235IjPBEPOeldVGa8xhti6qtYDbcUZRC9aecqDDYgUeVQ_SAaZJMwTIoGaF6nPqQtI06kFYW0gach1vJKbQfR1yVa0gg1p7GCVNaIA7Qz-9_Uxa8/s640/DSC_0206.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ascension Cathedral in Almaty - 2nd tallest wooden building in the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmwFuqqZ1MnhbeGvfEjfK5X0d-dkO25HGC6wsPuQi-Th-YNsjnSknw6ZFhYeVGy5jGBrikuNcLhp9skKROZEnvZ6bZxaNE454dQSbCyuxR58NQV0qVGqQNZBlhMvwJA7pRmhwx9nKefY/s1600/DSC_0201+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmwFuqqZ1MnhbeGvfEjfK5X0d-dkO25HGC6wsPuQi-Th-YNsjnSknw6ZFhYeVGy5jGBrikuNcLhp9skKROZEnvZ6bZxaNE454dQSbCyuxR58NQV0qVGqQNZBlhMvwJA7pRmhwx9nKefY/s640/DSC_0201+(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladies selling yummy korean pickles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC-zdOFpLXAK0sDC1GuqtEN_Z8GOSzTvQMNKi_TVv0gmUtDztNm-tnO3sMULM0uHh4CMRsf2-y_s6_A_OkM4r4DMR_zoKoLuy_YQhpthwueZ0s1VPaSfV8hXBk2AcgpVHDn_WgODFsyE/s1600/Kazakh+Movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwC-zdOFpLXAK0sDC1GuqtEN_Z8GOSzTvQMNKi_TVv0gmUtDztNm-tnO3sMULM0uHh4CMRsf2-y_s6_A_OkM4r4DMR_zoKoLuy_YQhpthwueZ0s1VPaSfV8hXBk2AcgpVHDn_WgODFsyE/s640/Kazakh+Movie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filming in front of our hostel in Almaty</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgal0xQi0YyPiuB3XLwfzMZNTn0r6QaZjXeL4bzl5YCplOp_-EBUdM2Kom1dtb-NrpbVHhfdsZnJ8O41HN_a1aOmBcOW2OEKC8rktCPs-4IbK0cUW3HqRg1rv9fGQpxzP9STM5SnApC02k/s1600/DSC_0137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgal0xQi0YyPiuB3XLwfzMZNTn0r6QaZjXeL4bzl5YCplOp_-EBUdM2Kom1dtb-NrpbVHhfdsZnJ8O41HN_a1aOmBcOW2OEKC8rktCPs-4IbK0cUW3HqRg1rv9fGQpxzP9STM5SnApC02k/s640/DSC_0137.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almaty by night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KriwKHB5VrJcxNcMn9E_I1FZjgPq243T9Qj4ASe6OwzlIT9cKGSPpUQo2gGepyoetJrlDhxyFxV8eEJhLsj0Zrt0CgULMn9zmS59StrDFilLWt7y8mMKLaqFZ21nSy5hjj8f5uxfUnM/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KriwKHB5VrJcxNcMn9E_I1FZjgPq243T9Qj4ASe6OwzlIT9cKGSPpUQo2gGepyoetJrlDhxyFxV8eEJhLsj0Zrt0CgULMn9zmS59StrDFilLWt7y8mMKLaqFZ21nSy5hjj8f5uxfUnM/s640/DSC_0109.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool batman in Almaty<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLAlLhC5r7YEahrKHSZlH-JcZ9eDD9lGJ8q5qz5Ftjh4J8cyyNGAO04asYqyXtaysn-oVFs7tFqzd9SQqRsaf3xk9ZkjkhvUZhWv8GMMVRsLqGZC9hmLOJ_gJosQmUmfdBvcMqoTKi1M/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLAlLhC5r7YEahrKHSZlH-JcZ9eDD9lGJ8q5qz5Ftjh4J8cyyNGAO04asYqyXtaysn-oVFs7tFqzd9SQqRsaf3xk9ZkjkhvUZhWv8GMMVRsLqGZC9hmLOJ_gJosQmUmfdBvcMqoTKi1M/s640/DSC_0018.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs's favourite Kazakhstan chocolate - he ate 4 of these<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGYGsQtxoqFRJAkdRRurEaMls4diexmI043F99rk-PJo0pnhIfX5-Hl2KbEadilWJqsU1EjqX3q65sHZbLTEjf523DWOnhA1xEl6G8SQRID8-nY_xANstgxPTJd01Tmoz5qzwns9lmcA/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGYGsQtxoqFRJAkdRRurEaMls4diexmI043F99rk-PJo0pnhIfX5-Hl2KbEadilWJqsU1EjqX3q65sHZbLTEjf523DWOnhA1xEl6G8SQRID8-nY_xANstgxPTJd01Tmoz5qzwns9lmcA/s640/DSC_0198.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organic dog??<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8RKdr12a45UZHo5Cq-s-LhdHUhcLylI7iFVRgZmqzlLIMHoSoSiQgTsVj3-X7iGIAGeIC0DRi39YUm_QUIMI3fuprakXX_wf0l9tUYPsfvoWJIkduvPdloPLOQZoneSN-OzmG3cjL_k/s1600/DSCF1832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8RKdr12a45UZHo5Cq-s-LhdHUhcLylI7iFVRgZmqzlLIMHoSoSiQgTsVj3-X7iGIAGeIC0DRi39YUm_QUIMI3fuprakXX_wf0l9tUYPsfvoWJIkduvPdloPLOQZoneSN-OzmG3cjL_k/s640/DSCF1832.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X factor recruiting in Almaty<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZexFza7t9RxoKMJQSf3pO1wnqT9gn2fkn7P-I-T9494V0kryHJSto1k8xwH_qMhaYuBkTk1rk5VlkWCKAlL19-gDwg1-nb6rAFty26krsKMHGfuK8dxXjNvOhqkmypvj8p5U8v1AXCiI/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZexFza7t9RxoKMJQSf3pO1wnqT9gn2fkn7P-I-T9494V0kryHJSto1k8xwH_qMhaYuBkTk1rk5VlkWCKAlL19-gDwg1-nb6rAFty26krsKMHGfuK8dxXjNvOhqkmypvj8p5U8v1AXCiI/s640/DSC_0240.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lenin statue graveyard in Semey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
There are no mankinis in
Kazakhstan. Nor are there any cages for retarded people. And if there were any gypsies
we did not see them. And so it transpired that all we had been led to believe
by a certain Borat Sagdiyev disappointingly appeared to be a fallacy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
In the end our stay in this
oil/coal/mineral-rich Stan encompassed 4 cities, 3 overnight train journeys, 2
bus journeys, and 1 bottle of vile-tasting fermented horse-milk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
On crossing the border from
Uzbekistan we headed by cramped minibus to Shymkent, home to…well, nothing
special at all. We stayed for a few hours, changed some money, drank some tea,
and booked a couple of bunk-beds on the overnight train to the country’s
biggest city, Almaty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Almaty is Kazakh for ‘apple’,
for it was from here that this now global fruit originated. The fruit trees,
though still prominent, have now been replaced by a modernised albeit
Soviet-like city, with all the usual Western establishments, such as Zara and
Gap, now scattered throughout the city.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
There really wasn’t much to do.
But we liked this city. And I think a lot came down to our lodgings here. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our accommodation was more of
a homestay, where a few rooms were being offered by a couple and their 3 year
old baby in their apartment. We gratuitously welcomed the good internet
connection, use of kitchen facilities and, most importantly, unlimited access
to nice toilet paper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
We stayed a few days to relax
before deciding to head up to the capital, Astana, on our second overnight
train journey. During the trip a mother got off the train and didn’t get back
on in time. An 8 year old boy was left by himself. Other than this, the journey
was fairly uneventful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Our entry into the world of
couchsurfing continued in Astana and we were extremely fortunate enough to stay
with 4 expats teaching English in the city. They were the perfect hosts,
offering us a bed for several nights, fantastic company and use of their full
size table tennis table. Diana lost <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
Astana itself was a whacky,
peculiar and futuristic city, almost reminiscent of Dubai in some ways. It has
literally sprouted up over the last 10 years, a result of the never-ending
supply of money that has emanated from the country’s substantial oil and gas
fields, some of the largest in the world, and the huge swaths of every known mineral
that lie within its borders. This is not the poor country that popular media
(i.e. Borat) has led us to believe it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
And so we walked through the
streets amazed at the unusual, perhaps even inexplicable, structures, designed
by some of the most renowned worldwide architects, and resembling anything from
Dr. Who-like Daleks to the football world cup. Shopping malls were plentiful, including
one situated inside the largest tent in the world, occupied with any Western store
we would ordinarily find in Central London.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
To top it all our stay in the
capital was made complete by being able to watch a classic grudge match in the
tennis Davis Cup; Kazakhstan vs Uzbekistan. Support for the local team was
boisterous and we were fortunate enough to see some top-ranked tennis players
(top 30 in the world) in what turned out to be an enthralling day out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
4 days in Astana turned out to
be enough, after which we headed to Semey, better known as the location of
Russia’s nuclear weapon tests over the last century. We did not drink the tap
water. We hung around for a few days, taking in the Lenin statue graveyard (the
Kazakhs had to put them somewhere) and the old home of Dostoyevsky.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
What followed after was a 30
hour bumpy (and subsequently sleepless) bus journey into our next country, the
powerhouse that is becoming Capitalist China.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-80887431090266312232012-09-18T02:21:00.000-07:002012-09-18T02:21:43.459-07:00Uzbekistan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaiUkk8Wn-DXMlMKRe9NlXALRRXzB2a6ET8-zZXouEbVFV0aweMXd28abdHnUS6kzKye8RdQcwD5uShcCsYt5bRTC8hp7HBueWBrxdLJkVTlQebXVeQzgyXKYRpjrm_SrYozKb2C27DY/s1600/CSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaiUkk8Wn-DXMlMKRe9NlXALRRXzB2a6ET8-zZXouEbVFV0aweMXd28abdHnUS6kzKye8RdQcwD5uShcCsYt5bRTC8hp7HBueWBrxdLJkVTlQebXVeQzgyXKYRpjrm_SrYozKb2C27DY/s640/CSC_0069.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samarkand by night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCrO6_Wxb2jGpZs25PTr93G4OCR1mvhYdBS5ZgJOXEnHm6sLPdGNC_n0mBlKLZa-ibUNcXqNJ74D7S0I1riOkf-_NT0lDngoib6kYB4JWSINgJPlmGGa82TpZbK6L6rHVQvDesRrWPik/s1600/DSC_0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCrO6_Wxb2jGpZs25PTr93G4OCR1mvhYdBS5ZgJOXEnHm6sLPdGNC_n0mBlKLZa-ibUNcXqNJ74D7S0I1riOkf-_NT0lDngoib6kYB4JWSINgJPlmGGa82TpZbK6L6rHVQvDesRrWPik/s640/DSC_0806.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samarkand Medrassa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQRrI-ZXQdye_U5YyL6hr-5qWqqfgqIgzKWiKk4a3GWV0Pc1CAXobZhuHwyEQKtzeqR7Fb6wpjgQqbuqLLM1XO-DsEvmzvJWOfeSiROguumw3OM8gbmDj2WfHlOV3g3vS_Xt0ApfEO10/s1600/DSC_0837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQRrI-ZXQdye_U5YyL6hr-5qWqqfgqIgzKWiKk4a3GWV0Pc1CAXobZhuHwyEQKtzeqR7Fb6wpjgQqbuqLLM1XO-DsEvmzvJWOfeSiROguumw3OM8gbmDj2WfHlOV3g3vS_Xt0ApfEO10/s640/DSC_0837.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden walls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUX1ZCMwU8bptkassaX2Lo72vvyXeZi8rjA8ossaWyctggNOLenIryDsEHYugrPgKotQ8Dh1Sd4qXuTnGTH_zr8NVm_x-sYBvrugfnSq2HgChNF2_MnBBq2KP_l2_7YjEJcDY9v9mk8A/s1600/DSC_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUX1ZCMwU8bptkassaX2Lo72vvyXeZi8rjA8ossaWyctggNOLenIryDsEHYugrPgKotQ8Dh1Sd4qXuTnGTH_zr8NVm_x-sYBvrugfnSq2HgChNF2_MnBBq2KP_l2_7YjEJcDY9v9mk8A/s640/DSC_0901.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peep Show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIUyy4VnzL_cJLg1Vou1CwQ-Be2m3ICU_cGqBJl-w779WI0FbPzuph-_WPEoEtWmoc0LpQUDX71jgQ9tR8BKhf5VooTpmjF7V8GXs0lps9Jm5kaPYGc-bl5OkWtAXrTv-AaPqg383ivo/s1600/DSC_0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIUyy4VnzL_cJLg1Vou1CwQ-Be2m3ICU_cGqBJl-w779WI0FbPzuph-_WPEoEtWmoc0LpQUDX71jgQ9tR8BKhf5VooTpmjF7V8GXs0lps9Jm5kaPYGc-bl5OkWtAXrTv-AaPqg383ivo/s640/DSC_0868.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-Nu8ZKVt5EI-_3yaNxhJHn-nMiayVtRZNdtuyNgGMqKxRuYdvxocULg7OovSMcqyXB9nuA2xVhOnrJzFU-Ia1-Zu-TMpyMxXQwwIHDuY4qp2GIL3_hXv7Ii_aLjN7EI1EWRXTY0J7qg/s1600/DSC_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-Nu8ZKVt5EI-_3yaNxhJHn-nMiayVtRZNdtuyNgGMqKxRuYdvxocULg7OovSMcqyXB9nuA2xVhOnrJzFU-Ia1-Zu-TMpyMxXQwwIHDuY4qp2GIL3_hXv7Ii_aLjN7EI1EWRXTY0J7qg/s640/DSC_0968.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samarkand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK0PfRr5GkJW2hfc5lUyZqAPbzn_J-iUZmudPY5d-Rb2_kdaKeyfn9NlCwhWsJhFOQk7lrskf3MRPfHtz0lA2OYscHLnGFfabnHOvFTcsmze-G6xTHYXl7fwzfZ9LkQKFFvi5y4QfYs4/s1600/DSC_0870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK0PfRr5GkJW2hfc5lUyZqAPbzn_J-iUZmudPY5d-Rb2_kdaKeyfn9NlCwhWsJhFOQk7lrskf3MRPfHtz0lA2OYscHLnGFfabnHOvFTcsmze-G6xTHYXl7fwzfZ9LkQKFFvi5y4QfYs4/s640/DSC_0870.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the cool lions on top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-961MIjv4GAHeHYl5qz40j9CaxvZqY7JTp7my0PL0OoACVGXQLbzvTpxrfaaACXH4lNFs16qrhHOioBdGgilcNZvTGBcOw2UcDjV5pT22JTda6CKqs1JlAocie86V0vHYDiMPAJcCpM/s1600/DSC_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-961MIjv4GAHeHYl5qz40j9CaxvZqY7JTp7my0PL0OoACVGXQLbzvTpxrfaaACXH4lNFs16qrhHOioBdGgilcNZvTGBcOw2UcDjV5pT22JTda6CKqs1JlAocie86V0vHYDiMPAJcCpM/s640/DSC_1251.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids and watermelons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64zj-BWcGjJcGQzKty4CaAT5fC4e5xgnSP4rI5EeWnNB5KNypdV1xcwAHy17RVjXVgwAQ4hJfCtwT0WQTBseM4y16KDvNkp19AQ3inBitOgwvVlB1Ml9zysuTi1Zkcek0VcpgnD8DHv4/s1600/DSC_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64zj-BWcGjJcGQzKty4CaAT5fC4e5xgnSP4rI5EeWnNB5KNypdV1xcwAHy17RVjXVgwAQ4hJfCtwT0WQTBseM4y16KDvNkp19AQ3inBitOgwvVlB1Ml9zysuTi1Zkcek0VcpgnD8DHv4/s640/DSC_1184.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superhero wannabe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vvlpAqikFeGzTxrDH9jCxHhFr6cbHF0OAJ7DfUtv2L6F5ho_Igm79QUm1hAnwxKXdDO2AeRe93MYnAaLRXlOUqLYCpFklYFZ5-_vTwGbDeF1M8IqsOzQyug020JOoCDVx3-x17kDUKY/s1600/DSC_1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vvlpAqikFeGzTxrDH9jCxHhFr6cbHF0OAJ7DfUtv2L6F5ho_Igm79QUm1hAnwxKXdDO2AeRe93MYnAaLRXlOUqLYCpFklYFZ5-_vTwGbDeF1M8IqsOzQyug020JOoCDVx3-x17kDUKY/s640/DSC_1171.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another that's been scared off by Abs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQa2DEJPulpXH5LGuIScdBvuzYDdVw4nyXkN-4nOpds4tVj1fNsxEyjVsFVWHc8WNpwfvZCpEeOmN_2ple08Qxr5uXa0x740Ia6Y0gxEe9qk8Hbz9m2Kz-Gc2l70qC9PAwck8aGG_ftJE/s1600/DSC_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQa2DEJPulpXH5LGuIScdBvuzYDdVw4nyXkN-4nOpds4tVj1fNsxEyjVsFVWHc8WNpwfvZCpEeOmN_2ple08Qxr5uXa0x740Ia6Y0gxEe9qk8Hbz9m2Kz-Gc2l70qC9PAwck8aGG_ftJE/s640/DSC_1045.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian resting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeFV7t8P1a2XlojdUT7XfQ0A-5Dudz4oWmmfAgGvH-gjabbEfV2t7WoYUN1y2DN_RRGAV43iwPx630JXMyhTKBH1VwPyxsWAnvHVIS9Lz-QhwvqKmkmWhWrshWNBeKzzmiSt-daJFZzg/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeFV7t8P1a2XlojdUT7XfQ0A-5Dudz4oWmmfAgGvH-gjabbEfV2t7WoYUN1y2DN_RRGAV43iwPx630JXMyhTKBH1VwPyxsWAnvHVIS9Lz-QhwvqKmkmWhWrshWNBeKzzmiSt-daJFZzg/s640/DSC_0026.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samarkand by dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhw3ID2Y79xEDA38ain2Bhzi7ow8gyuUW762O-nV7CYWq5wptO660Dnmlwr5_y2uzB5JeSb0gYgf9rPJBPjONgK2UhU2ResfuW2CaqN-OeP2qPleH0Ns7XyXR2_Ndd6YVnEwyduAGuZw/s1600/DSC_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhw3ID2Y79xEDA38ain2Bhzi7ow8gyuUW762O-nV7CYWq5wptO660Dnmlwr5_y2uzB5JeSb0gYgf9rPJBPjONgK2UhU2ResfuW2CaqN-OeP2qPleH0Ns7XyXR2_Ndd6YVnEwyduAGuZw/s640/DSC_1378.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bukhara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_7iprx6Kvd4J2En-6JlHZBF11UlNMq-xEAvRJptAwi9dEKn1mbNie-pon852uGKjdNKmoEKzCxZHpTjxry_yd_-z6y-dUh5TzKkAePTPb67Y4xRVIt4xq7JsYAkl3drKEjofWXNsaVc/s1600/DSC_1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_7iprx6Kvd4J2En-6JlHZBF11UlNMq-xEAvRJptAwi9dEKn1mbNie-pon852uGKjdNKmoEKzCxZHpTjxry_yd_-z6y-dUh5TzKkAePTPb67Y4xRVIt4xq7JsYAkl3drKEjofWXNsaVc/s640/DSC_1403.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J1uF2GWJrFtRkLy1lgmrOzh4r0NwPdTzeytU5GfXoI7kl1ozEWwA57a-wzPnE7wL4rB6mS3oTXzdGJS16ewH6q5rgfZiVSc6c_eUw28vq-7bGD24QLBaTgzYNVy3ZR6Q3ykkEFzgbXA/s1600/DSC_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J1uF2GWJrFtRkLy1lgmrOzh4r0NwPdTzeytU5GfXoI7kl1ozEWwA57a-wzPnE7wL4rB6mS3oTXzdGJS16ewH6q5rgfZiVSc6c_eUw28vq-7bGD24QLBaTgzYNVy3ZR6Q3ykkEFzgbXA/s640/DSC_1371.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revolutionary kids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjvSfTwLNHA3fC5xVkuolDU_7fmfFT8kqaTfv_FiIcN8ZJL8N6Duve0C6OA1FeInPVZJCYdWcqB9Wkzg4baUPbLQIGZrl-lWB1djPfa-YX7Jt-IYF2AYqXdo31SQbLYMu5FIWtVRD5QM/s1600/DSC_0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjvSfTwLNHA3fC5xVkuolDU_7fmfFT8kqaTfv_FiIcN8ZJL8N6Duve0C6OA1FeInPVZJCYdWcqB9Wkzg4baUPbLQIGZrl-lWB1djPfa-YX7Jt-IYF2AYqXdo31SQbLYMu5FIWtVRD5QM/s640/DSC_0856.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bukhara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzulZZYtDVGls6eZJi0IbMspyUsgsyUpjSj8AAaSt37SlftoNDUurCQZD3Pol9Ta8J084K6K-m-Yp5iFiJ30nsPpKHjgadlf3krcYkIKU9ENjrM4QOpatyhVsjLzkDDOdl7WsaXNCoCU/s1600/DSC_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzulZZYtDVGls6eZJi0IbMspyUsgsyUpjSj8AAaSt37SlftoNDUurCQZD3Pol9Ta8J084K6K-m-Yp5iFiJ30nsPpKHjgadlf3krcYkIKU9ENjrM4QOpatyhVsjLzkDDOdl7WsaXNCoCU/s640/DSC_1669.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFrV-ABoxVaw4gA1pzNdMuILSLt3_DugPS2Mk-pV8XdYsNYiBXTHRtW1lxLYrIO1ZFnIpZoRY4ZpJ51N9tZ-ooLFvralVr2DLf55tr1XOh5IbnEICvgaNpteWyBvxCoGc9af9nS-QLpw/s1600/DSC_1452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFrV-ABoxVaw4gA1pzNdMuILSLt3_DugPS2Mk-pV8XdYsNYiBXTHRtW1lxLYrIO1ZFnIpZoRY4ZpJ51N9tZ-ooLFvralVr2DLf55tr1XOh5IbnEICvgaNpteWyBvxCoGc9af9nS-QLpw/s640/DSC_1452.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bukhara at dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMq8tWj7dotdzGl3jz-8Un4MKtzDs9ngC_c1U07PZaqRBsTALAIIsIuybZsmzI4qLaqIZ9s1YSlQE5VI3hmCidz-aU0P7_P803S3RgejRVHSgvrlf04JXDiEOb7mO6aPMHXapsZ8EDrm8/s1600/CSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMq8tWj7dotdzGl3jz-8Un4MKtzDs9ngC_c1U07PZaqRBsTALAIIsIuybZsmzI4qLaqIZ9s1YSlQE5VI3hmCidz-aU0P7_P803S3RgejRVHSgvrlf04JXDiEOb7mO6aPMHXapsZ8EDrm8/s640/CSC_0075.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bazaar sleeping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGZ293GMZfIkufsbdW3fBiryu4FU43RolThU26QuNtgZcLXnLXxohsBHqnXN1NAd-QzQJ9ZfsSmg_kf19APMa-01ensX3909jwIoVdzSLcO0NG6eIKRYU0oFTMDXB-AhKs0h_fsn4SDI/s1600/DSC_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGZ293GMZfIkufsbdW3fBiryu4FU43RolThU26QuNtgZcLXnLXxohsBHqnXN1NAd-QzQJ9ZfsSmg_kf19APMa-01ensX3909jwIoVdzSLcO0NG6eIKRYU0oFTMDXB-AhKs0h_fsn4SDI/s640/DSC_1295.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souvenirs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kk3cqPo_c4DKWft-BvnC9fdiyGyv_pqXYfMFnBk1JT_yhsdx1S4ujs0p5c4I9RYFw9jSJDaFAAlfS-OHgjiK2bREE-c5cyYkRm0WCD0AF6KSN_UAIuA2Kz32r1q3V__57JpTjJlLJ8Q/s1600/DSC_1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kk3cqPo_c4DKWft-BvnC9fdiyGyv_pqXYfMFnBk1JT_yhsdx1S4ujs0p5c4I9RYFw9jSJDaFAAlfS-OHgjiK2bREE-c5cyYkRm0WCD0AF6KSN_UAIuA2Kz32r1q3V__57JpTjJlLJ8Q/s640/DSC_1301.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs lost</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7t4H-V86NCtAJaf8LuQiUPDmc5OT5C-F8smvEzyYtrTXEPc1fBzW4y9xO5pqX5_IhHAwaN0Qw4dW78Km_M5MK4K8Jz7jtepYSa3sQM-cVelD77awrjO7jXlVZ4rx7VFVbeNz8CyaUMs/s1600/DSC_1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7t4H-V86NCtAJaf8LuQiUPDmc5OT5C-F8smvEzyYtrTXEPc1fBzW4y9xO5pqX5_IhHAwaN0Qw4dW78Km_M5MK4K8Jz7jtepYSa3sQM-cVelD77awrjO7jXlVZ4rx7VFVbeNz8CyaUMs/s640/DSC_1639.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Indiana Jones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBDoEi-R8pe6uWj2CjnuuTcYbyXmRYVJ8Mgpoy013v1FDib1A_bZdZ0aCPa3DoV2NdS75Ty2zjlEkmf5RhSnnOSw4vDVfr8dyBw88NYwmMdxBVFonjcJaOjPHYInqF70uBIm4eFumgT8/s1600/DSCF1645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBDoEi-R8pe6uWj2CjnuuTcYbyXmRYVJ8Mgpoy013v1FDib1A_bZdZ0aCPa3DoV2NdS75Ty2zjlEkmf5RhSnnOSw4vDVfr8dyBw88NYwmMdxBVFonjcJaOjPHYInqF70uBIm4eFumgT8/s640/DSCF1645.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best bread of all of Central Asia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDYnQRt5zS0QYpeesVmtwoTwZJtGq39G6fGEysy4fIlBrPHrQETiPGrGg0-rXV33Ee5yf8SkHn3LYMTMv5F_B3NzX0cgvCg1k99uozlAjW8RS6m7-0LrsWctehEellmwfC8-_RXDAa8k/s1600/DSC_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDYnQRt5zS0QYpeesVmtwoTwZJtGq39G6fGEysy4fIlBrPHrQETiPGrGg0-rXV33Ee5yf8SkHn3LYMTMv5F_B3NzX0cgvCg1k99uozlAjW8RS6m7-0LrsWctehEellmwfC8-_RXDAa8k/s640/DSC_1572.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plov... again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4mpo7m0p-dIjKHDSQfYWcYn7OxdLpleTJ7kHttN5AFDkzsiyCwLmoLh8fp3JHvaWPfG9tb52VMqD2bA2svl4pIfH8mNa0WZnVBSG3LmFX93RrnXSUX6VwBaGyaTUWb_Zsc1hPWwVbcE/s1600/DSCF1806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4mpo7m0p-dIjKHDSQfYWcYn7OxdLpleTJ7kHttN5AFDkzsiyCwLmoLh8fp3JHvaWPfG9tb52VMqD2bA2svl4pIfH8mNa0WZnVBSG3LmFX93RrnXSUX6VwBaGyaTUWb_Zsc1hPWwVbcE/s640/DSCF1806.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guesthouse in Bukhara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignX24ssw6_rCTmZpegWXGr36Up8BFnnyHOzoZMAwA7YVAW1GwmqAjW8E-05Xswcg5STcCuM6PZv9CbW-ziqETB0eo5fY_ZJpOWoXj4d6dt8EE2D6ZfnzXQQ2lu_95GTzSclUrfNiGFgc/s1600/DSCF1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignX24ssw6_rCTmZpegWXGr36Up8BFnnyHOzoZMAwA7YVAW1GwmqAjW8E-05Xswcg5STcCuM6PZv9CbW-ziqETB0eo5fY_ZJpOWoXj4d6dt8EE2D6ZfnzXQQ2lu_95GTzSclUrfNiGFgc/s640/DSCF1704.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train from Samarkand to Bukhara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6ZP8_uUZ5nXGnuAlhLKNaQJuEONucxHbQxMDg95dnsMEgTb_naQ-IIcfk0_GQBXfTpNmnbpPRyzj6n2OY6MYL7zWiqhuyE-o8oqwLQgxamCA2ewaIAKPhpv1O8RulgpUUDwpsVI24t4/s1600/DSC_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6ZP8_uUZ5nXGnuAlhLKNaQJuEONucxHbQxMDg95dnsMEgTb_naQ-IIcfk0_GQBXfTpNmnbpPRyzj6n2OY6MYL7zWiqhuyE-o8oqwLQgxamCA2ewaIAKPhpv1O8RulgpUUDwpsVI24t4/s640/DSC_1536.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When people close to go shower??</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8qTSEALxFy822kL0jEZ-jhlIyBaELlYf_GhPGoN9alD9FZgYUYClnFMZjKeKI0mZAWH6v57tAds9gbSwT9Mnu_qCsbgVIqgFase0eWi6cjCW8tzp1QKsRkO23M_aHp_Qu6DNjW2f7Gw/s1600/DSC_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8qTSEALxFy822kL0jEZ-jhlIyBaELlYf_GhPGoN9alD9FZgYUYClnFMZjKeKI0mZAWH6v57tAds9gbSwT9Mnu_qCsbgVIqgFase0eWi6cjCW8tzp1QKsRkO23M_aHp_Qu6DNjW2f7Gw/s640/DSC_1544.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 pounds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwLK93fmUEtVQQZvduirqu_kyNCttXy2WKGicRwDYc0ihgjCHd0SQsGS_voL_xBEx-Y93ENXjUacRcGQ76i8kNZOwl_zMFZEZHoNpJNZ6wzp5TlfVQ-2Dw7dE2OxNHP8SH7CwRI4c8k0/s1600/DSCF1745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwLK93fmUEtVQQZvduirqu_kyNCttXy2WKGicRwDYc0ihgjCHd0SQsGS_voL_xBEx-Y93ENXjUacRcGQ76i8kNZOwl_zMFZEZHoNpJNZ6wzp5TlfVQ-2Dw7dE2OxNHP8SH7CwRI4c8k0/s640/DSCF1745.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schoolgirl uniform</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-gdxtir-03bAXBY2PhDZ0-V44ji7PnzXzCSDB9enDMZ3YWBNM5j2MtlYNCvoPxVs9SGOfRkR575s6Dni0ZBqUGuXobj1Y_FExxIARLv6ztDrKv-yAIba5vpRgDfB5ovvGmpoyjTd8Po/s1600/DSCF1824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-gdxtir-03bAXBY2PhDZ0-V44ji7PnzXzCSDB9enDMZ3YWBNM5j2MtlYNCvoPxVs9SGOfRkR575s6Dni0ZBqUGuXobj1Y_FExxIARLv6ztDrKv-yAIba5vpRgDfB5ovvGmpoyjTd8Po/s640/DSCF1824.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over night train to Tashkent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53NPhar53vOgWoQxPYPIQSl1eKBfWZU11VY-ANnJic2k7Ro3Cn7_P_KpabpV2p3c1wqAzKIV4s-YTSnLBx8AXa8WXfFxqQeb3XSBcmToPMdtZCqyp4DiJX9eMNFV2_u3hGEAk_yIaWVM/s1600/DSC_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53NPhar53vOgWoQxPYPIQSl1eKBfWZU11VY-ANnJic2k7Ro3Cn7_P_KpabpV2p3c1wqAzKIV4s-YTSnLBx8AXa8WXfFxqQeb3XSBcmToPMdtZCqyp4DiJX9eMNFV2_u3hGEAk_yIaWVM/s640/DSC_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barselona</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzPxXhLL-OoenKBWBcNJpk2kLZLucVEAqfCn0myRU-tgi0V4EvAkahEyWe_Gx0OsFuXBiB6rZU7F0zPRp4tPoCzf0FnRG4sgEMhaiz2rSucI3zWkhaqTq_NSD67lX9XrmWFIevs-i-OE/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzPxXhLL-OoenKBWBcNJpk2kLZLucVEAqfCn0myRU-tgi0V4EvAkahEyWe_Gx0OsFuXBiB6rZU7F0zPRp4tPoCzf0FnRG4sgEMhaiz2rSucI3zWkhaqTq_NSD67lX9XrmWFIevs-i-OE/s640/DSC_0046.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat Porridge at the National Food Centre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TAWWFPKidxKoZr5mBz4Nq6nsu0yBak7l2QVcvQLwXzqEpc2hea5hpEtX4RkbWKu9aNXEVPoNT6ZtVNLQNfwfWydBrvmGDXkzGPSZFq-ObwRMBia13JQ2bvJiH9KMspKxhnI5FAp3dxM/s1600/DSC_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TAWWFPKidxKoZr5mBz4Nq6nsu0yBak7l2QVcvQLwXzqEpc2hea5hpEtX4RkbWKu9aNXEVPoNT6ZtVNLQNfwfWydBrvmGDXkzGPSZFq-ObwRMBia13JQ2bvJiH9KMspKxhnI5FAp3dxM/s640/DSC_0052.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meetball and potato dish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssugw65ivhF1Josw30S46_koi_F4QoTs6Jv8NBk0tlZoZQgv9PEJ7iFKaFMIusUe6Niu9ij7035qvtbZ5pljLNAKinTC1LRiRn5JKLJ8-huGjDjjIGIvjE2v_-yWJjlFdKuIw4Pu3eAk/s1600/DSC_0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssugw65ivhF1Josw30S46_koi_F4QoTs6Jv8NBk0tlZoZQgv9PEJ7iFKaFMIusUe6Niu9ij7035qvtbZ5pljLNAKinTC1LRiRn5JKLJ8-huGjDjjIGIvjE2v_-yWJjlFdKuIw4Pu3eAk/s640/DSC_0988.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs charming the bread lady</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">London airports have a reputation
of taking longer to process a plane load of tourists through border control than
it takes the paparazzi to take a nude photo of a member of the royal family. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Nonetheless we deeply and humbly appreciate
that however long the queues, there is always at least one person working away
letting yet more illegal immigrants into the country. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">In complete contrast we
discovered that Tajikistan border control take lunch for approximately 2 hours
from 12-2 every afternoon. And so despite the lack of any queues it was here
that we were stuck waiting for a guy to finally finishing eating his lamb kebab
and spend the 2 minutes it takes to look at and place exit stamps into our
passports.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Uzbekistan wasn’t much better. Our
hand luggage was minutely searched and even the paper napkins were under
scrutiny. Trying to explain to the border guards that we still had a 6hr
journey that day was of little use. And thus we were introduced to the police state
of Uzbekistan. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Little did we know that this
would only be the start of our multiple encounters with the Uzbek police and
that our 6hr drive to Samarkand would in the end take 10hrs due to the ridiculous
number of police checkpoints on the road over the next leg of our journey. Every
hour or so we were forced to pull over and have every passengers’ documents checked
and scrutinised. Some were asked to go through metal detectors and all baggage
was put through airport style security scanners. Despite this being a relatively
remote road it was one that unfortunately led straight to the opium fields of
Afghanistan. Whether the police actually stopped any drugs getting through or
simply asked for their cut we don’t know but it made for a frustrating journey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The only positive was that we
were fortunate to sit through yet more spectacular views as we rapidly snaked
our way through valleys lying beneath sediment-layered mountains. But night
soon approached and brought with it a view that consisted simply of the large over
ground pipes that hugged our road and carried the country’s ubiquitous amounts of
oil and gas to other parts of the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We finally arrived at Samarkand
well after midnight. Our taxi driver struggled to find our pre-booked lodging
for the night, but our saviour came in the form of an elderly gentleman who
happened to be just outside his house at 1am and gave us directions to our
final destination. Despite speaking no English he also invited us to his house
the next evening for a cup of tea. And we duly obliged.
Unfortunately he had failed to mention this invitation to his family, no doubt surprised
when a man, starting to resemble Bob Marley, and his girlfriend turned up that
evening. Nonetheless Timur (the son) and his family were the perfect hosts.
Conversation and tea flowed easily, and we were able to sample some fine
Uzbek cooking prepared by Timur’s wife and his mother. As if their
remarkable hospitality was not enough Timur’s mum also proffered gifts to Diana
in the shape of a silk scarf and a <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-gbGB495GB495&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=Zs3OmoXsFNU4bM:&imgrefurl=http://www.etsy.com/listing/100258787/vintage-1970s-uzbek-hand-woven-silk-ikat&docid=enyjsqKn7uWUjM&itg=1&imgurl=http://img3.etsystatic.com/000/0/5705268/il_fullxfull.338529935.jpg&w=1136&h=1000&ei=xuxVUKfgOOr64QSmlYHwDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=638&vpy=319&dur=0&hovh=211&hovw=239&tx=175&ty=232&sig=117909406484105066240&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=169&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0,i:129">beautiful
local ikat textile</a>. Meeting Timur and his family was
definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We spent a few days in Samarkand,
taking in what remains (and has been restored) of this fabled Silk Road City.
And it was mesmerising. Beautiful mausoleums commemorating the great leaders of
the past dominated the Eastern skyline. Madrassas lay interspersed throughout
the city, glittered with the ever-present turquoise mosaics, somehow kindling
one’s imagination that it was here that travelling caravans stopped and traded
their wares amongst each other in the bustling bazaars. And perhaps most
importantly we savoured what was possibly the best ice cream in all of Central
Asia, no doubt a recipe passed down over the years from family to family until
it finally ended up in that one supermarket situated next to the main tourist
attraction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And to fuel our love of this ice
cream we needed money. Lots of it. And Uzbekistan turned out to be the most apt
place. With the smallest note in circulation being worth approximately £0.30 /
$0.50, changing simply $100 (£60) resulted in us being handed a wad of cash
made up of approximately 250 separate notes. It took endless time to count and
recount and was so volumous that we ended up having to stuff most of it into
our bags.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To complicate matters we also had
to change all our money on the black market, where rates were approximately 40%
better than the official bank rate. Why there is a black market and why the
rate is so different never really became clear to us but it seemed common
practice. In any case if you are as baffled as Abs (an accountant at heart) and
it is of any interest to you, you can find more information <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Uzbekistan#Buy">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After spending a few days in
Samarkand we moved onto the next Silk Road City, Bukhara, home to some of the
brightest minds to have ever lived…about 1,200 years ago (it was here, for
example, that the algorithm was invented - by Mr Algauizin no less).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was without a doubt also
another smart man that decided to call the focal point of the old city “Lab-i Hauz”,
a reasonably small pond, which, whilst beautiful, created confusion for us on arrival
at the train station. We thought we were being heckled by all the taxi drivers
asking if we wanted to go the “Love House” and it was only later that we
realised that this was not the name of some red-light district establishment,
but rather the city centre.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Bukhara, like Samarkand, was
beautiful and rightly deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage Status. However, it
seemed almost like the sole source of income for most its inhabitants was
tourism. With the highest concentration of hotels and guesthouses that we
encountered in central Asia, artisans, wood carvers and photo galleries spread
liberally around the historical centre it was a tourist heaven. German, French & Swiss tourist groups
rummaged through the many tourist shops scattered around the main sites making
Abs immediately flee to the outskirts of the city. Abs was also extremely upset
when rummaging for souvenirs we came upon a shop that was being run by a 14
year old girl, simply because she spoke good English. We never did see her
parents. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Having seen most of the city in
half a day we stayed just one night before catching an overnight sleeper train
to the capital Tashkent. Our intention on reaching Tashkent was to catch the
same day train into Kazakhstan but the runs got the best of Diana and we
decided to instead stay the night. Abs as always was immune to these intestinal
disorders and quickly took advantage of our unexpected stay to visit the
National Food Centre filled with vat upon vat of locally made “yummy” (“yummy”
being largely debatable and dependant on whether horse meat and meat porridge
are enjoyable to the vegetarian or in fact any non-British-Indian palate) delicacies.
Whilst there is no accord on whether the food was appetizing we are now in
agreement and firmly believe that every country should have a National Food
Centre by law. And so after a day of repose and eating (at least for Abs) we
moved onto our final Central Asian country, Kazakhstan, which we heard from an
unnamed source, was the greatest country in the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-65765606487773452522012-09-09T09:28:00.001-07:002012-09-09T09:28:30.263-07:00Tajikistan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUGhDoOBchw9nIRa1wHQ0OapyakS6s0az0Brr2FxnfsxDnkjPHYDeVZ9TL2Ncvf-k-hVJI6HqoyAYVkPlFBhLNFvRWztVmPk2HFJatAu2ThGdDbOOcpedAj_oppaRCvijlH30_qnzARQ/s1600/DSC_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUGhDoOBchw9nIRa1wHQ0OapyakS6s0az0Brr2FxnfsxDnkjPHYDeVZ9TL2Ncvf-k-hVJI6HqoyAYVkPlFBhLNFvRWztVmPk2HFJatAu2ThGdDbOOcpedAj_oppaRCvijlH30_qnzARQ/s640/DSC_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Istaravashan Bazaar </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy14ddezPE2YJRWldqNkYk-1bd4V9_mqFwq8iJIbOieZUj8JMWIQuYMpg1JN8ZMwJSoWMIWkSoOrRsIk_B6cUMt7NAGXKrg-yyFLljexc9pfZE83O2dVeEyl9I6MYNqEJ9r82cne1SVLM/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy14ddezPE2YJRWldqNkYk-1bd4V9_mqFwq8iJIbOieZUj8JMWIQuYMpg1JN8ZMwJSoWMIWkSoOrRsIk_B6cUMt7NAGXKrg-yyFLljexc9pfZE83O2dVeEyl9I6MYNqEJ9r82cne1SVLM/s640/DSC_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool pepper dude</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedBJ966tJeNaM30uuB6XaI659DxHxOTJlWn9gqs7F6xOXDMtUB9qcQYpVxx-u40MYG0lHOydw9FhCqcyfDAq_5xnDdXbyHX7966N9YvE-SPORrhyphenhyphenUpf0oQmN411ojMiYSXX0t1w-N4f4/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedBJ966tJeNaM30uuB6XaI659DxHxOTJlWn9gqs7F6xOXDMtUB9qcQYpVxx-u40MYG0lHOydw9FhCqcyfDAq_5xnDdXbyHX7966N9YvE-SPORrhyphenhyphenUpf0oQmN411ojMiYSXX0t1w-N4f4/s640/DSC_0068.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDm2LGwvvq5oy3qkrxE_CNTHYNieDUrqwGrrJxbrpCtry_kv3tvugb5gaOna1ulDinszZj0LONuy_60FwHfEHabd6xRsYEi4nx0npK6WMLzgP6Abo4uSMNpET9ArEB2l4xk2s51JwbcIM/s1600/DSC_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDm2LGwvvq5oy3qkrxE_CNTHYNieDUrqwGrrJxbrpCtry_kv3tvugb5gaOna1ulDinszZj0LONuy_60FwHfEHabd6xRsYEi4nx0npK6WMLzgP6Abo4uSMNpET9ArEB2l4xk2s51JwbcIM/s640/DSC_0101.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread man</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirG_uQDwA6B3OfA69A6saB46PzoUKOKMVQSyqAcScBazeYSml-dOwWTZyxmNde7GFvPFI10265YamsbrWSNougq1csJxS6sq9ZKL-UIE_UhAtfKh82mZcsOZSRDDnw7cDO2Xk9ReAmqsw/s1600/DSC_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirG_uQDwA6B3OfA69A6saB46PzoUKOKMVQSyqAcScBazeYSml-dOwWTZyxmNde7GFvPFI10265YamsbrWSNougq1csJxS6sq9ZKL-UIE_UhAtfKh82mZcsOZSRDDnw7cDO2Xk9ReAmqsw/s640/DSC_0199.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids at our guesthouse<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViFk1QJGyiI341qLIauLRNB2dZuW1nBNzGTd4IOB9rB6uzLaZlC2z6HgwugL9XvTIYGYCK_zrM8IM0E9YgcTlKJD4mT0wd98_bbzcn1HDeQ_qc1ib3O3NHup10nw6iEonSptjMiBLaM8/s1600/DSC_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViFk1QJGyiI341qLIauLRNB2dZuW1nBNzGTd4IOB9rB6uzLaZlC2z6HgwugL9XvTIYGYCK_zrM8IM0E9YgcTlKJD4mT0wd98_bbzcn1HDeQ_qc1ib3O3NHup10nw6iEonSptjMiBLaM8/s640/DSC_0322.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apricots with a view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb7zpvxZ4b0ij-nX0LiWexQTRSLp3efhVCRw4DeN1ZU0TyCG_B86UPWNmK1nVUnqnT3SqS50QeatQeUb4d6Jv0g9K02us1_u0C_wjYnnDL9sxxNAOkDv9QPgYuWh5FJ4lz9mUulID68Q/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb7zpvxZ4b0ij-nX0LiWexQTRSLp3efhVCRw4DeN1ZU0TyCG_B86UPWNmK1nVUnqnT3SqS50QeatQeUb4d6Jv0g9K02us1_u0C_wjYnnDL9sxxNAOkDv9QPgYuWh5FJ4lz9mUulID68Q/s640/DSC_0346.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady in Veshab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrzgAvO8H2-NEXVEtJiRGPPv8NUyZ68rATdgLEsR0NHxCUngseFIXWA9wnDEqb2PFHxq7AM2FY4_Q1e1UCaa6Sq4s4vrYd7b5QkCTpoELjkGvAs9Gnjs-3JzRk0YkYNZukTMdI5ErZpg/s1600/DSC_0364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrzgAvO8H2-NEXVEtJiRGPPv8NUyZ68rATdgLEsR0NHxCUngseFIXWA9wnDEqb2PFHxq7AM2FY4_Q1e1UCaa6Sq4s4vrYd7b5QkCTpoELjkGvAs9Gnjs-3JzRk0YkYNZukTMdI5ErZpg/s640/DSC_0364.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBbWU7oCXj0QMy-MypawfKAKZrVb4ZAcXx68dX9cKH6Qd8H6sJLjs50YybtOi9dHR-IqmstDJnW16GBTUyxpfC7hyphenhyphenfLPuBZUvYATI35ukMngAuyXVG2zFotgJmwFJyeXVBtA7dX7OhW8/s1600/DSCF1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBbWU7oCXj0QMy-MypawfKAKZrVb4ZAcXx68dX9cKH6Qd8H6sJLjs50YybtOi9dHR-IqmstDJnW16GBTUyxpfC7hyphenhyphenfLPuBZUvYATI35ukMngAuyXVG2zFotgJmwFJyeXVBtA7dX7OhW8/s640/DSCF1510.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefvPJd2Lf0sf4naqv6SqMPffF7LCuugpbhgxFcZCMUsoYZybvT1eBpDqKUMX_siDD2qJUHnOqtQdDRXYntTivWksjTsCCrBt19lRaGSjiG0A_Br01qT_P7FamO-LbQ7GSWTorbUozaW4/s1600/DSCF1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefvPJd2Lf0sf4naqv6SqMPffF7LCuugpbhgxFcZCMUsoYZybvT1eBpDqKUMX_siDD2qJUHnOqtQdDRXYntTivWksjTsCCrBt19lRaGSjiG0A_Br01qT_P7FamO-LbQ7GSWTorbUozaW4/s640/DSCF1519.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Invitation for lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtqKhDQl1iMjM3MQhfWctwHTfdaESpuz_0G16gyJpNYW-AEVWEIdJvqQS28UnLrTstLdlkZsweg5Nb3W5oNcVeWaUtmc6j20ii9RLEYAIidMBgIj2inDdCItGQQXjx9Ryan5bLHNExr0/s1600/DSC_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtqKhDQl1iMjM3MQhfWctwHTfdaESpuz_0G16gyJpNYW-AEVWEIdJvqQS28UnLrTstLdlkZsweg5Nb3W5oNcVeWaUtmc6j20ii9RLEYAIidMBgIj2inDdCItGQQXjx9Ryan5bLHNExr0/s640/DSC_0383.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dushanbe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNIcLCH1CyArS6yQJpCOj0Iavua85QKwkYyk0VM_ScdzDcE1E1p9Z0W-YdM17TdnNwFDzuB53kDMQ8Ds9gUFIVwKIReRhQjKges7p4F-_kFcoYhKkl_IEEXZsXmvMyZpJmMAhqC8XtlQ/s1600/DSC_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNIcLCH1CyArS6yQJpCOj0Iavua85QKwkYyk0VM_ScdzDcE1E1p9Z0W-YdM17TdnNwFDzuB53kDMQ8Ds9gUFIVwKIReRhQjKges7p4F-_kFcoYhKkl_IEEXZsXmvMyZpJmMAhqC8XtlQ/s640/DSC_0679.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opera at 10 am with a chicken and a cat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm8y9jX_G0J57xSCMudkr_-x1zTVKYzzyM526B9i57qrh6DS3rw8BDJ8VIaCTz7RnkNZwNwg6eS-wFWRgNBloxTMHUiroqQpM6uqz1PLPwgqNLnjn3Mxars76t1mWU89bgLw2ZbTlY1s/s1600/DSC_0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm8y9jX_G0J57xSCMudkr_-x1zTVKYzzyM526B9i57qrh6DS3rw8BDJ8VIaCTz7RnkNZwNwg6eS-wFWRgNBloxTMHUiroqQpM6uqz1PLPwgqNLnjn3Mxars76t1mWU89bgLw2ZbTlY1s/s640/DSC_0702.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music and light fountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOkVTiW-abepepxKfE4JUVKAeAH0_ZBouJYiY4uqJna_gC6NruSsu9zt118LI_am_K5sQD3AGlHKaKG1oIVNWwOw8y55j0KUjOz1XPHLZMMVdbO61x0pzcuXQkZjPRK8ob4q09msB9FU/s1600/DSC_0719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOkVTiW-abepepxKfE4JUVKAeAH0_ZBouJYiY4uqJna_gC6NruSsu9zt118LI_am_K5sQD3AGlHKaKG1oIVNWwOw8y55j0KUjOz1XPHLZMMVdbO61x0pzcuXQkZjPRK8ob4q09msB9FU/s640/DSC_0719.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More music, more lights, more fountains and in the background the Palace of Nations - one of the President's numerous houses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKutkK2egsubsu1XDA3L_kJsuK3k7ehoisK-cXqA-txyF7qre1Wzt-RTcqbVux7EcVRPIR3Bqc49My4Mco3d6AyQQ4p_FTdfwKhyphenhyphen0lbbtR8bMV5FDDoNRh6QOyVKV0AztD_pTODvTmxvE/s1600/DSC_0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKutkK2egsubsu1XDA3L_kJsuK3k7ehoisK-cXqA-txyF7qre1Wzt-RTcqbVux7EcVRPIR3Bqc49My4Mco3d6AyQQ4p_FTdfwKhyphenhyphen0lbbtR8bMV5FDDoNRh6QOyVKV0AztD_pTODvTmxvE/s640/DSC_0722.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presidential palace number 120</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6KEOy8tQA6BnwUYyEuZrmK0aRn1Dlv_3ftuQxmxjrZ8ZriYHCYKt_BjovMiJf3_1oCWIc_Bh8FQ7fOl9EMhhMDTkCcUX3RHlvT_L12TdYhb3eLzvF4vlpWG5M0PIpaWw_I_DqPZSMi4/s1600/DSC_0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6KEOy8tQA6BnwUYyEuZrmK0aRn1Dlv_3ftuQxmxjrZ8ZriYHCYKt_BjovMiJf3_1oCWIc_Bh8FQ7fOl9EMhhMDTkCcUX3RHlvT_L12TdYhb3eLzvF4vlpWG5M0PIpaWw_I_DqPZSMi4/s640/DSC_0739.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brick fast, lunch, diner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7L1iSz6vL3-Egejqfa6YjSiBIlj-RQgXUR-024xbvkEQlylFD0d8jVuihtntjWvqBOhL-hd7YdMDKedVqQ4m4mAaeHbrLYqM4Ot_dGkIT98OhLTuVOTqUkxKFR_oz6MRpZeCrSVkuSOE/s1600/IMAG0424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7L1iSz6vL3-Egejqfa6YjSiBIlj-RQgXUR-024xbvkEQlylFD0d8jVuihtntjWvqBOhL-hd7YdMDKedVqQ4m4mAaeHbrLYqM4Ot_dGkIT98OhLTuVOTqUkxKFR_oz6MRpZeCrSVkuSOE/s640/IMAG0424.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dream has come true for Abs...gamburger for 7c</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It didn't take long to discover that Tajikistan was different. On trying to find a bus to take us to Khujand Abs made our first contact with the locals and soon had an old man enthusiastically showing him a picture of a naked woman on his phone, as if he was a pubescent teenager who had just discovered that girls were different (the old man, not Abs). I guess Abs just has that special ability of bringing out the best in people. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a brief interlude in Khujand we decided to head down to a small town called Istaravshan that the guide book claimed to be a smaller, less touristy and less impressive version of Samarkand. The guidebook didn't lie and apart from a busy bazaar, and a few mosques and medressas there was not much to see. But we still liked it, in fact we liked it so much we ended up staying for 3 days. Maybe it was all the attention we got at the bazaar, or the smiles from the 10 kids at our guest house, or the free food we kept getting from our hosts but we really didn't want to leave. And so after 3 days of eating and relaxing on the guesthouse's tea bed we said goodbye to Istaravshan and followed some fellow traveller's recommendations to head over to a small village in the mountains called Veshab.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Transport was scarce and we had no choice but to accept anything going our way. This turned out to be a ride with 10 other people in a jeep meant for only 5. By the time we had arrived in the village Abs no longer felt his legs and couldn't let go of the melons he had been cradling for the past 2 hours up the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a consolation however we were able to take in yet another beautiful landscape. As we crawled along the mountainside in our human cattle truck we gazed upon beautiful auburn mountains that seemed to sweat out acres of jade green foliage into the ravine below. It was truly unique.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite being thoroughly exhausted by the long day's travel we managed to drag ourselves to the guesthouse and still had some energy left to go and see a traditional music show in the middle of a small apple orchard. Whilst Veshab had little to see it was beautifully located in the middle of the mountains and gave us a rare glimpse of Tajik country life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed one night and the following day decided to move on to Dushanbe, the capital city. Getting out of the village turned out to be a challenge. It was a Sunday, someone important had died in the village and no one seemed to be interested in leaving. After a 1.5hr wait and shaking hands with all the village elders a kind soul decided to take us to the next village at no cost and to arrange a car for us from there on to Dushanbe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It must have been our scrawny faces and withered bodies (Abs paid a man to weigh himself and is now "apparently" 8kg lighter...) that made them take pity on us and invite us for lunch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had Russian/Chinese/Tajik chocolates, sweet dried almond-filled-apricots, home made bread, the ever present tomato salad and a delicious creamy onion soup. And for desert we were introduced to the grandmother, who happily gave us a hug and told us all about her aching back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A shared taxi was soon found to take us to Dushanbe and we were sent on our way with a bag filled with dried apricots and several pieces of fruit from the orchard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eight hours, and one car wash later we arrived at our destination. Wide, tree lined streets and pastel coloured buildings welcomed us and made this a comfortable stop for the next 5 days of waiting for our Kazakh & Uzbek visas. We spent our days eating ice cream, lounging around the city's only air conditioned cafe, looking at the several faces of the "democratically" elected president (there were posters on every corner of him either holding a baby, cooking bread, wearing a hard hat, or some other random "I'm just an ordinary man" pose) which went along famously with his several summer houses dotted around the city centre. With little to do we found another entertaining past time finding weird named government departments, including out favourite "Department for the Struggle Against Corruption". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also decided to go the opera which was bizarrely on at 10am one Thursday morning. It was only when the human chicken came on stage and started talking that we realised that this was in fact a kiddie opera spoken / sang entirely in Russian. It was extremely entertaining but we were happy that the show lasted only an hour and we were still able to force smiles of gratitude to the staff clearly proud of their production.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With our visas for subsequent countries issued and the Pamir Highway closed due to the conflicts in the area, one of the main reasons we came to this area in the first place, we decided it was time to leave the country and so headed onto our next destination Uzbekistan.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05956355463934174453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441318645867837151.post-7391956419452390122012-08-28T05:24:00.000-07:002012-08-28T05:24:54.046-07:00Kyrgyzstan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyrIVppDJ766NLWZZ1ewlESewhGyV_GIsFc3RDlYc7K7TL1JEKogyxni2Ah7OSXxjF4itA0nt4tPB8G5J8L0KgTeuMOwUyShiqhBZGc5Q1vNw5XmLtTSUfGJjoVeC6WQh30jFswoNQxs/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyrIVppDJ766NLWZZ1ewlESewhGyV_GIsFc3RDlYc7K7TL1JEKogyxni2Ah7OSXxjF4itA0nt4tPB8G5J8L0KgTeuMOwUyShiqhBZGc5Q1vNw5XmLtTSUfGJjoVeC6WQh30jFswoNQxs/s640/DSC_0028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osh Bazaar - Bishkek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9_NnwLGMiFDjAhkXo3kO_nDMfiLRimjF86kUufRVNBQFBj4wnrKwWnUereWKhf4o9Tv6dI3zQzY06kN6twGpuHw0lkSntgYMttoetiNoVx8YlWlCSurmxAQfTgieztfVjlSeNRdXcuQ/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9_NnwLGMiFDjAhkXo3kO_nDMfiLRimjF86kUufRVNBQFBj4wnrKwWnUereWKhf4o9Tv6dI3zQzY06kN6twGpuHw0lkSntgYMttoetiNoVx8YlWlCSurmxAQfTgieztfVjlSeNRdXcuQ/s640/DSC_0030.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osh Bazaar - Bishkek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfWDB1MfPNECzL0UsZlFNatCB6pXsvCZwzYTStmgzx63s3zhh_mV830rGCq_2HYa6iKQAapRkNc4QRNdB5EmX4bDiptgVvzem4yt3MOXqfCSdVj-LY7iJRD-UaKaeghzU7ZRyl4d_66c/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfWDB1MfPNECzL0UsZlFNatCB6pXsvCZwzYTStmgzx63s3zhh_mV830rGCq_2HYa6iKQAapRkNc4QRNdB5EmX4bDiptgVvzem4yt3MOXqfCSdVj-LY7iJRD-UaKaeghzU7ZRyl4d_66c/s640/DSC_0047.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osh Bazaar - Bishkek<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UhkeuBA-74fq0APwMxYrrEK0e-AruR6udh4eeYo_jlIKOB9A4aBGRt4p9uICUO2KQxrfhAfnTVS0xC-1L7BwumVkMFX0V8DSB0gX-CnZkGD3JUVH5cXoXTBx5gkSg-HMOawCmx8CvlQ/s1600/DSC_0062+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UhkeuBA-74fq0APwMxYrrEK0e-AruR6udh4eeYo_jlIKOB9A4aBGRt4p9uICUO2KQxrfhAfnTVS0xC-1L7BwumVkMFX0V8DSB0gX-CnZkGD3JUVH5cXoXTBx5gkSg-HMOawCmx8CvlQ/s640/DSC_0062+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shared Taxi to the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vPlHWD2ybIlvJdm56iIDgqwW6_YNLbZdgQFE-4ATh_2YjC_9c0ZG3ez0hHsfYHneFBSa88FALgylIk2IXbFeSrhAoPniQ0bj6a0zMzILzf-d576Xp3zVWzb5cW0mEXEJEtJlDNJ-5ng/s1600/DSCF1341+-+to+add.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vPlHWD2ybIlvJdm56iIDgqwW6_YNLbZdgQFE-4ATh_2YjC_9c0ZG3ez0hHsfYHneFBSa88FALgylIk2IXbFeSrhAoPniQ0bj6a0zMzILzf-d576Xp3zVWzb5cW0mEXEJEtJlDNJ-5ng/s640/DSCF1341+-+to+add.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Issyk Kul<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQu2FXWMOZU9uX38bWDnXPWBA7ZZpi4wJya8wc1StNSpZcMnVvvW6gFf0XGc_s2g8U5hcpBdSt1T-mFrxwQM8DoRnhyT-zL8jfvHBwHbXeEeJDArt8c_kSKKe1LXXCG-7CpMiNDRs9N0/s1600/DSCF1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQu2FXWMOZU9uX38bWDnXPWBA7ZZpi4wJya8wc1StNSpZcMnVvvW6gFf0XGc_s2g8U5hcpBdSt1T-mFrxwQM8DoRnhyT-zL8jfvHBwHbXeEeJDArt8c_kSKKe1LXXCG-7CpMiNDRs9N0/s640/DSCF1346.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confused</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmolJFGktz4jAPs_sluyuVI5-hTSvyMjg_c1cd4MLHT-REZVHkwc8IYowCq-IJXls8e-5vinVP2OVFeRANkViQhaRU8AG91UdP23n-F2b6kaB_lPTk90c1a67WEAhlwWHGgSjptPqV8GY/s1600/CSC_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmolJFGktz4jAPs_sluyuVI5-hTSvyMjg_c1cd4MLHT-REZVHkwc8IYowCq-IJXls8e-5vinVP2OVFeRANkViQhaRU8AG91UdP23n-F2b6kaB_lPTk90c1a67WEAhlwWHGgSjptPqV8GY/s640/CSC_0103.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamchi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdVt5cB1_JGwDBdaEUNyi6KiAdtudgLxOR686EEasXOVqpRIplnYx-E8-mXGllK4Dq0J9aR-HNhBg2CeGINAipyZSgx1W04TrY3bZjt5CHlzBOZ52asWtMLJU_yQjMk4d-Cd9ORNXOh4/s1600/DSC_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdVt5cB1_JGwDBdaEUNyi6KiAdtudgLxOR686EEasXOVqpRIplnYx-E8-mXGllK4Dq0J9aR-HNhBg2CeGINAipyZSgx1W04TrY3bZjt5CHlzBOZ52asWtMLJU_yQjMk4d-Cd9ORNXOh4/s640/DSC_0180.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altyn Arashan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHNtMcE6LWEAvizc6ayNx9j7so1tf2WrFsewbfOgGNwx6WzZUopEk_T-93Mt9oU71S9o2uQ3w4igYK_F3SrU7JCwcd_ZUAcUjStdK5XVlVRDoIkwvAaovsaExg06NCIvJVxF6K2WRGeA/s1600/DSC_0166+-+to+add.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHNtMcE6LWEAvizc6ayNx9j7so1tf2WrFsewbfOgGNwx6WzZUopEk_T-93Mt9oU71S9o2uQ3w4igYK_F3SrU7JCwcd_ZUAcUjStdK5XVlVRDoIkwvAaovsaExg06NCIvJVxF6K2WRGeA/s640/DSC_0166+-+to+add.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roughing it in a tent<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS6iQrquyvz7e3ujVmEpxc1W9w1djiOCH7P_drqE73fduIWMDmBFzuJiTbJMIorj3sXdAfp6GpVxYEkPaCprzYJLGwezc9AytzfBjFwRzYVakb6I7mVBZjGyCg128n6j52uTQjRhF1sw/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS6iQrquyvz7e3ujVmEpxc1W9w1djiOCH7P_drqE73fduIWMDmBFzuJiTbJMIorj3sXdAfp6GpVxYEkPaCprzYJLGwezc9AytzfBjFwRzYVakb6I7mVBZjGyCg128n6j52uTQjRhF1sw/s640/DSC_0274.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to Lake Song Kol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSRkCwFfRnK-G5NAY8zOB34i3vI0jzC_E_Nkm9EVuztWSpPk5YDQU4McDzuNDkB3K3veYjaBIQ1lDC8K07rUPjLds2zz7mZiX1IUET32y0_KSfsf0MOtGQsPfEWT_THbIbfFsALkrt4A/s1600/DSCF1446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSRkCwFfRnK-G5NAY8zOB34i3vI0jzC_E_Nkm9EVuztWSpPk5YDQU4McDzuNDkB3K3veYjaBIQ1lDC8K07rUPjLds2zz7mZiX1IUET32y0_KSfsf0MOtGQsPfEWT_THbIbfFsALkrt4A/s640/DSCF1446.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our yurts at Lake Song Kol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Fk0o-Bvjr0gDbId2rv3JJp1sK1we2nnEnOoF_SOxIlHaswOelfNs88OlxhOPuCPj0BnIn1WhiwWKX8hgdoYqijM5UVOOoMXs6cal5eytdc7ILx7Y2Pb6_5wu8hmjg1q7QBTfQ0PSI2o/s1600/DSC_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Fk0o-Bvjr0gDbId2rv3JJp1sK1we2nnEnOoF_SOxIlHaswOelfNs88OlxhOPuCPj0BnIn1WhiwWKX8hgdoYqijM5UVOOoMXs6cal5eytdc7ILx7Y2Pb6_5wu8hmjg1q7QBTfQ0PSI2o/s640/DSC_0482.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse Wash<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoD33jaPkGVXpthk8e8cVcw1agNqqOpelduVUXmzO_ye6k9v4LacKdrd-IMRzDkkCHU0z-c-Eh8F54tW_JF0p4uDMIsAS7bANfdZLkDl6OKJyegZkn_Nt4dY3hBsZCfogXtIP2BrOwxA/s1600/DSC_0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoD33jaPkGVXpthk8e8cVcw1agNqqOpelduVUXmzO_ye6k9v4LacKdrd-IMRzDkkCHU0z-c-Eh8F54tW_JF0p4uDMIsAS7bANfdZLkDl6OKJyegZkn_Nt4dY3hBsZCfogXtIP2BrOwxA/s640/DSC_0471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buzkashi - polo with goat's carcass</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g6i2aaEd4ev_6FQFYEax_y690kS0LelasVT1WC_DEh26WHAuSLCmFTqAgyEyaTjybVtT1b54FlSoeoTO87bRgmmuVMto-N-68Q3x6dZlgnsQ0cnmCFomV2qhPf_otK3M-GT1rQzj1JU/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-g6i2aaEd4ev_6FQFYEax_y690kS0LelasVT1WC_DEh26WHAuSLCmFTqAgyEyaTjybVtT1b54FlSoeoTO87bRgmmuVMto-N-68Q3x6dZlgnsQ0cnmCFomV2qhPf_otK3M-GT1rQzj1JU/s640/DSC_0313.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Song Kol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvdHA_EpoGn4WG24HWBT_rwRqVxOS3Q8dn9lq5yzdOHTdJbX4-n6rTAZQVK-rPrAqPb87-IZniPXXb2TqMki0G07vg1rnXK201LjfXUs2f59nLgoEdf2rRMdz1IepTT0UOxg2MrLyCV4/s1600/DSC_0521+-+to+add.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvdHA_EpoGn4WG24HWBT_rwRqVxOS3Q8dn9lq5yzdOHTdJbX4-n6rTAZQVK-rPrAqPb87-IZniPXXb2TqMki0G07vg1rnXK201LjfXUs2f59nLgoEdf2rRMdz1IepTT0UOxg2MrLyCV4/s640/DSC_0521+-+to+add.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night yurts<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJkHyd0yASB-C0c_YyazDL-k8EFmyC_GEpLXPK3N2Zc30Ms1qfaBHaVVeXkNGQTBLmEDApKpW537dyGSUh5c0eM50HOTcWfiQPwWMtJs18H2rf4k3aZ-5R55DxFChG6M2NzL5vW5KDts/s1600/DSC_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJkHyd0yASB-C0c_YyazDL-k8EFmyC_GEpLXPK3N2Zc30Ms1qfaBHaVVeXkNGQTBLmEDApKpW537dyGSUh5c0eM50HOTcWfiQPwWMtJs18H2rf4k3aZ-5R55DxFChG6M2NzL5vW5KDts/s640/DSC_0207.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Mosque with no nails in Karakol<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORVyS2FyW61EC9ckrwQyi4ANrK3KRSjSmRISzdODHJg_7bk7RbEHDRjKn2IlsLQYDU1TyydpNcHoZu2z1osawB9BaDTp6kjfa1LEsd1MRTFOAoz6K-IMoPGB2_CEdTyL9xfIa92YYtw0/s1600/DSCF1427+-+to+add.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORVyS2FyW61EC9ckrwQyi4ANrK3KRSjSmRISzdODHJg_7bk7RbEHDRjKn2IlsLQYDU1TyydpNcHoZu2z1osawB9BaDTp6kjfa1LEsd1MRTFOAoz6K-IMoPGB2_CEdTyL9xfIa92YYtw0/s640/DSCF1427+-+to+add.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ubiquitous dried apricots</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlbCkhjeUm92OZNv7bNgJz6dv59NRHBxDSOI79ubg-xFReEJdj4oXTPFSciX1uGa6FDqzGw2ouqS-v3n-XCaKx5dcEmS6DGjnoaBpFAhX9o3B6V1XfdaYS5YN0WifPT2Q2dlcPop_7mI/s1600/DSC_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlbCkhjeUm92OZNv7bNgJz6dv59NRHBxDSOI79ubg-xFReEJdj4oXTPFSciX1uGa6FDqzGw2ouqS-v3n-XCaKx5dcEmS6DGjnoaBpFAhX9o3B6V1XfdaYS5YN0WifPT2Q2dlcPop_7mI/s640/DSC_0247.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aslanfu - finally a veggie dish</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-L0W703Xvob4GhzBaASd0rSwkGCgU4EtCBxgq-hUlem5BSnDO-vkNo483vNQRXZWJJA4WPf9JBFV95dh31F899u5o-1tKAzyxts8PAb0Ow0_RmIIlxTlqBo-LiUbgWX6KgXrpI0Mthno/s1600/DSCF1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-L0W703Xvob4GhzBaASd0rSwkGCgU4EtCBxgq-hUlem5BSnDO-vkNo483vNQRXZWJJA4WPf9JBFV95dh31F899u5o-1tKAzyxts8PAb0Ow0_RmIIlxTlqBo-LiUbgWX6KgXrpI0Mthno/s640/DSCF1479.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bishkek to Osh roadtrip</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__iz9ERG3snNLeYFsOzmetyvTtdm4rzlicQU_GGr7rdb7gjRIArlF0mlAYdujvD0c3WS1eb49pxSYXemoqWNjxmLe2jzhPE5ibk_gr8PO57OVopHmcQQuA4hcPuQpbgPJKd7JJm0naB0/s1600/FC+Dordoi+Player+-+Osh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__iz9ERG3snNLeYFsOzmetyvTtdm4rzlicQU_GGr7rdb7gjRIArlF0mlAYdujvD0c3WS1eb49pxSYXemoqWNjxmLe2jzhPE5ibk_gr8PO57OVopHmcQQuA4hcPuQpbgPJKd7JJm0naB0/s640/FC+Dordoi+Player+-+Osh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abs with FC Dordoi at our hotel in Osh</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jobs quit, insurance paid for, immodium at the ready - we were finally
ready for our first stop; Kyrgyzstan.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We didn't really know what to expect with this bizarrely named country.
After spending nearly 2 weeks here we have discovered it to be a land of horse
milk, old (drab?) soviet architecture, loud Russian pop and possibly the most
beautiful women (after Portugal) that we have come across.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our trip started with a couple of sleepless, jet-lagged, swelteringly
hot nights in the capital Bishkek. After two days walking around the leafy, green city and</span>
being stopped twice by the police for a "random" search we decided we'd had enough of the capital. So we<span style="font-family: inherit;"> picked up a visa for our next country, Tajikistan,
and headed to the "beach".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so Tamchi was our next destination. Situated on the northern shore of Lake
Issyk-Kul we arranged a home-stay relatively close to the
shore in some random lady's house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hundreds of Russian / Kazakh tourists at the beach created what can
only be described as a very poor man's Ibiza, though probably a little dirtier.
Nonetheless despite the Russian pop music emanating from the numerous eateries
it was a beautiful setting for a swim in the 2nd highest alpine lake in the
world, cushioned on all sides by a vista of beautiful snow-capped mountains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We headed further East the next day to the town of Karakol from where we
started a 2 day hike to Altyn Arashan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We do not exaggerate when we say that the14km one-way, uphill hike nearly
killed us. Too unprepared, too old and several years of using London's fantastic
(?) public transport system meant we were not used to walking more than the
distance between our desks and the nearest toilet. But at least there we had
some respite from the rain, which started during the final hour of our trek. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so after six hours of slowly hiking up our tired legs finally made it to our destination where we set
up a rented tent for the night under a drizzle of silvery rain, more
reminiscent of the grey skies of England than the +35C heat that we had become
accustomed to since landing in Central Asia. Being so high up in the mountains
(3000m) however the temperature slowly plummeted in the evening and we warmed
ourselves by eating soup prepared by the site manager and drinking copious amounts
of Russian & Kyrgyz vodka with the fellow campers, who included no less than
German cyclists, a Canadian backpacker with his Kyrgyz girlfriend and a Russian
couple who could not help but laugh when realising that Diana was a vegetarian.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The night passed slowly and coldly with both of us waking up several times
in the night through the bitter cold that had penetrated our tents, sleeping
bags and several layers of clothes. And so it was with relief that morning came
and we were able to finally take advantage of the hot springs for which the
area was famous for. Situated on the edge of the roaring glacier-formed river,
the setting was perfect with a natural hot spring pool providing some relief to
our sore muscles, before we packed away all our gear and made the 14km walk
back down to Karakol.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A day of relaxation was followed by a long day trip to Lake Song Kol,
situated in the middle of the country and offering a stay in a yurt for 2
nights. Our compatriots for this leg of our journey came in the form of 4
Czechs and a French couple on a 2 week holiday in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The tranquillity of the lake provided a nice break for a couple of days.
We sat around, ate some local food (including some amazing home/yurt-made
cream, jam and delicious bread), went swimming in the lake and were fortunate
to catch a glimpse of the national sport, buzkashi, in which players ride around
on horses trying to get the carcass of a dead goat into the opposition’s goal.
Nottingham Forest it was not, but nonetheless it was both fascinating and
disgusting (especially when they decapitated the goat’s head – Diana couldn’t
look). Abs was also fortunate enough to give an interview to the South Korean
film crew in the area doing a documentary on Kyrgyzstan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still in the company of our 4 Czech companions we made our way to Osh in
what was probably the best vehicle we had taken during our two weeks in
Kyrgyzstan. Little did we know that a modern suspension and a four wheel drive
would provide minimal relief for the 10 hour trip ahead. Our driver had six
children, spoke no English and had a death wish. Overtaking on blind corners,
driving on the wrong side of the road, ignoring every traffic sign for danger
or reducing speed gave Diana several minor heart attacks and made her wish she
had brought a stash of sleeping pills. Between bouts of screaming and praying
we caught glimpses of sand colored mountains that rose high above turquoise
lakes making this the most beautiful scenery we saw in Kyrgyzstan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Osh was a pleasant enough city to spend the next 3 nights. We walked the
tree lined boulevards, took pictures of a random plane in the middle of one
of the city parks and explored the closed bazaar which was probably one of
the biggest we’ve ever come across.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was here that after spending 2 weeks in Kyrgyzstan we decided it was
time to move onto Tajikistan. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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