Autumn

Autumn
Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

我還來不及紀錄過往的陽光，轉眼腳下已經踩泛黃的落葉。
我還來不及多看一眼那片遙遠的金黃色的山丘，睜開眼，窗外的那個屋簷已經被一層白雪覆蓋著。

這是我第一個秋天，也是我第一個冬天。

我住在韓國sauna里的日子

我住在韓國sauna里的日子
Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Lectures

Lectures
Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

小小滾 doesn't seem to like lectures too. yawn~

期待

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

The beauty of waiting is the anticipation. Running out to the corridor to check if the mail man is outside the door. And gradually giving up thinking it will never arrive.


Where are you, Mr Postman?

我會慢慢等。。 慢慢等。。 慢慢等。。 慢慢等。。
慢慢等。。 慢慢等。。 等紅燈變綠燈

慢慢等。。 等到我都睡著了
耐心等只為了心動的那一刻

It's a nice change from the hectic city, people is out having a stroll, people are not rushing pass you on the escalator, everybody wait patiently for the bus and there's no glares from the queue if you're at the cashier searching for change.

But yeah, everything else is slower too.

Post box

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Back home, I would walk pass a postbox and never take a second look at it. I don't send letters and i don't know anyone who does. But now receiving and sending something in the post is like the happiest moment ever. Clicking the "send" button is definitely not the same.

St andrews

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Now i'm really away from the khmer architecture, chinese temples, random stupas, busy streets, kids playing by the river. Those sweaty days.

These days I'm enjoying the greenery around, feeling the warmth of the sun and not looking for the next air-conditioned place constantly or feeling like the entire population is walking on the same street as me.

=)

My window

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

It's almost a month.

I've gotten used to life here and everything is great, sitting in the kitchen feeling like I've lived here all my life. But somehow I still feel kind of unreal that I'm actually here.

A while ago, I made a quick decision to quit my job.
Next, I was carrying my backpack walking everywhere.
And suddenly I'm back home like nothing had happened.
Now here I am, having to live my next few years of my life in a continent that I've never stepped foot on before.

I feel like I'm still stuck in this period of transition, in the surreal complexity of this weird dream that I might wake up from every minute. Sometimes I wonder if the realization that I am here will only come when I leave this place. But at least I'm enjoying every bit of it. (Well, at least for now) Sometimes, I don't really know what I'm doing everyday. Most days, I'm running on auto-pilot for the first half, wondering what to eat for the rest of the day and doing nothing on the laptop all night.


噢。。真的是很充實的人生！

Sri Lanka

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Ceylon tea, train rides, ruins

I could be in this country just for this daunting train ride. Endless tea plantation on the mountains, sticking my head out of the window for the cool breeze, getting my head back into the train just in time before hitting a tree and hearing the local kids scream when the train go through the tunnel. There's something about trains that i really like.

On the choot choot train

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

I like trains, they are assuring. You don't need to worry about anything and just sit (or stand in this case) and look at the passing scenery. It can't go anywhere else, it will always reach where you want to go. Eventually.

Trains

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

And of course i chose to be on the carriage for clergy.

Lipton tea!

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Polonnaruwa

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

There's something about the wheat fields too. Blue sky, coconut trees and wheat fields, it's hard to not like this place.

Thuparama dagoba

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Ruvanvelisaya dagoba

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

The deepening of the twilight is followed by nightfall. It's another curry curry night.

只要能天天看到海，就一定很幸福

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

我家雖然沒有
泰國歷史悠久的古鎮
寮國簡單的生活
Mekong邊laid back的感覺
四處瘋狂的派對
如畫的雪山當背景
香格里拉感覺很自由的草原
四川的高原
花蓮沿海的稻田
蘭嶼清澈的海水
還是台北那種總之就是不在家的那種感覺。

但是我家也很美！

HDBs

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Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Now that I'm back home, there's no more rivers, mountains or fields of wheat. I'm back to my concrete forest that changes colour not based on the season but the decision of the housing board.

221

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

221天的旅程，一轉眼就過去了。

有點不舍，不知道是已經厭倦了新加坡繁忙的都市人的生活，還是真的習慣了這一段在外漂泊的日子。

Getting to a new place every other day.

Looking for the hostel, train station/bus station (usually involve walking long distances).

Key the new password for the WIFI into my iphone. (And check if it actually works)

Looking for the best food in town recommended by the hostel/lonely planet.

Shower back in the hostel, praying that there will be hot water. And don't get your hopes up when you see a heater in the shower that lights up when you on the water. Sometimes all the heater can do is to just light up.

NIght time are usually spend in the hostel chatting with other travelers over beer till the last person go to bed.

Going to the attraction in town the next day (feeling really tired). And somehow, it always involve walking long distances(again), climbing mountains, cycling or swimming.

Night time are always the same unless there's a party in town or something interesting.

Waking up at the sound of my alarm (or someone else's), packing my stuff in lightning speed. But somehow things in your backpack will expand on the mornings that you're rushing and doesn't fit in your backpack anymore.

Finding your way to the next destination again.

And this repeats.



Sometimes, I find it more tiring than working but of course I enjoyed every moment of it.
This trip I had swam in different part of the mekong, walked ridiculous distances, climb too many mountains, seen enough temples, cycled to the strangest places, met interesting people, searched for cordyceps on snow mountain, seen beautiful places. It's alright to be tired.

My backpack need to do some sit ups.

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

It's time to go home. My backpack is going to burst. Like a fat man wearing a t-shirt too small for him. Arghh 有三層肉！

Back to reality

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

I had a new haircut, bought a bag and some clothes to adapt to city life again.

I felt out of place in taipei walking down 忠孝東路 in my backpacker's clothes and messy hair. I'm starting to miss walking down the street barefoot, wearing the same vang veng tubing singlet everyday and stopping to wash my hand by the stream or river that is flowing through town.

阿嘉的家

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

No matter what, i have to visit 阿嘉的家 since I'm in 墾丁!

My head-turning hummer

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

From rickety bangla bikes, to korean drama lady bikes, and then professional giant bikes and then a head-turing hummer.

Wouldn't you take a second look at this? Just like what it's written,

Like nothing else.

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

This random picture is worth a lot of effort. One day of cycling and one day of taking the bus and walking along the highway. Just to search for "一種我要的感覺". At least i found it.

王子麵

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

王子麵沒有王子。
（包裝上的，可能是便衣的王子吧。）

魚香茄子沒有魚。

雞絲麵沒有雞絲。

臺南菜粽

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

菜粽里也沒有菜。

這到底是什麼世界啊！

But anyway the dumpling is really good even when there's only peanuts in it. It taste really yummy with a hint of some kind of veggie smell and the sauce on top with peanut powder.

I can't help but to complain again about the dumpling i had during 端午節. I was somewhere in the tibetan part of Szechuan when I bought a dumpling to celebrate 端午節 with a group of farangs. I wanted to have a dumpling even when i can't remember why did Qu yuan killed himself.

The very first bite, I have to bite off the tip of the dumpling. It doesn't matter what filling does it have, maybe a mushroom, chestnut, azuki beans, lumps of fat, meat or other fancy stuff. It's more of the anticipation than really finding what's inside.

One bite, two bite, three bites.
.........
Finally i saw the filling, it has 3 green beans sitting right in the middle of the dumpling. Tell me about disappointment.

蝦米？

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

The taiwanese are really cute people, it shows in their conversation, daily life and all of their products.

But this is so true!

After awhile..

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

After awhile, I don't like to answer some questions. I just had a really fun day with the locals at a place and they will ask if I will be coming back. It's strange that within a day or two, they are almost like the close friends you have back home. And if I stay for a week or so, I know almost everybody in the village and I start to feel like a part of them. Goodbyes are so hard, everybody come and wave goodbye and tell you that you must come back one day. I really want to spend more time with them, keep in contact and of course see them again in the future.

But sometimes, deep down I know that maybe I might never come back to this place again in the future, or even if I do, it will be very long time later. From the "Sure!" and "Of course!", gradually I started answering with "I"ll love to!" and most of the time the people never probe further.

There is always a silence that follows. Then they will continue cheerfully about where can we go when I come back again.

I think they too know that the tourist don't always come back after awhile, and they might never have a chance to leave the place in their entire life.

Goodbyes are the hardest when you know you might never meet again.

Too many mountains

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Sometimes it's nice to stand at the view point and just take a picture instead of climbing the mountain.

Mary had a little lamb

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

(or maybe a little yak)

Looking for a reason

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

It's good to be alive.

How many more roads do I have to follow?
How many more mountains do I have to climb?

Over here, the sun never seem to set and I never seem to get to where I'm going...

加油，因為之後的路還很長。

我是好人！

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

日照金山！！

這就是傳說中的日照金山！！只有好人看得到，看到會落淚的日照金山！

Suddenly, the torturing long journey on the minivan is all worth it. Everything for this.

At this moment when it's there right in front of you, it looks so natural. Like a normal phenomenon that happens every single day. People really take things for granted so easily.

But apparently, it doesn't happen all the time. On my last day, I wanted to catch the sunrise again but to my dismay, there wasn't even a mountain in sight. No wonder people flock here and stay for days waiting for a glimpse of the magical sunrise.

Is this the Shangri la?

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

How can a place be this beautiful?

Somehow everywhere else seems more beautiful than home. Not just the grass are greener, the sky is bluer and the clouds are whiter.

Where flowers bloom and river meet..

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

It's hard to leave. Everyone seem to stay longer than they planned. Maybe I was getting tired of moving everyday too but I'm getting a little too comfortable.

Baguette for breakfast, 3 fruit shakes a day, a dip in the pool in the hot afternoon or a herbal sauna in the evening, a movie at night, beer laos & fussball at utopia after that and of course a nice bed to sleep till noon. Why would anyone want to go anywhere else?

To Burma..

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

I sat down, I waited. And once i'm not ready they snap my picture. I think they want to capture my 最真實的一面. But it's true, they will probably find me walking around in Burma like this than pinning up my fringe.

10usd or 500baht? What do you think?
And despite the rumors, they do give change (if you ask nicely)

This is where I escape the big earthquake. Well, Bagan next time.

Go go go!

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

After awhile, everything seems possible. It doesn't matter what terrain, what kind of bike or even how bad is the weather.

If you want to get to a place enough, just keep cycling and you will reach there. Eventually.

I started out with 20km, then 40km, and sometimes ended up with 80km. Maybe i can buy a bike and ride all they way home. But of course it will be better with a real bike, those pretty bikes from mtvs and korean movies doesn't really work well when there's a slope in front (even the slightest one).

This is the day that I should have worn some flowery dress and a straw hat and act like I'm in some fancy korean drama. And maybe some flowers that I picked, my frappuccino in my basket and snapping pictures with a holga. At least I might feel better on the 13km of highway back to Chiang Rai.

Mae Salong, Thailand

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Nope, this is not China. Obviously this place have strong chinese influences. I didn't know the KMT were in Thailand.

After awhile I felt like traveling is really good exercise. There will always be a temple or a vantage point that you MUST see. And of course it's on a mountain(or a "hill"). Monks must be really fit in the past.

No matter where you go, a flight of stairs awaits...

不到山頂非好漢？
我到了山頂在流汗! x_x|||

Sukhothai! (Sounds like some kind of spicy thai sukiyaki)

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

Now I understand something, it is so true that 頭沒那麼大就別戴那麼大頂帽子 (especially if you are riding a bicycle).

Everybody like fried spring rolls!

Originally uploaded by Abducted by pirates

世界上最遙遠的距離不是生與死，而是menu上美食當前卻無法品嚐. Sore throat, cough and flu. The irritating trio. 

"Fresh or fried spring rolls?"

I really want some spring rolls. So I settled for some fresh ones. Obviously it's the fried ones that are good. Like some guy said any thing deep fried taste good, frogs, insects, any kind of animal. And even if they deep fried the sole of your shoe, he bet it will still taste good. 

It's strange. What I miss most is some decent Tom yam soup. And since eating leafy spring rolls are not getting me any better I had a bowl of Tom yam soup for dinner. Maybe a different strategy of 以毒攻毒 or is it really 自我安慰. I just want some Tom yam soup. 愛到飛蛾撲火是種墮落.