Travel Guide to South East Asia

I stumbled upon TravelHappy while browsing MyBlogLog directory a few days ago. I got blown away by the amount of travel information and the extended travel tips provided there. Whether you're a backpacker to Thailand, a first timer to Japan, or an adventurer to Cambodia, you'll find some juicy stuff on TravelHappy. Go check it out.

Spring Skiing at Whistler Blackcomb

If you are a ski/snowboard enthusiast, you've gotta check out this video tour of Whistler Blackcomb. They've got record breaking snow this season. We've been up there a few times, and the snow is truly the best this year.


I took this photo at the peak of Symphony, which just became accessible to public this season. Symphony Express, the high-speed quad chair lift provides access to acres of previously inaccessible high alpine terrain. Ski lovers used to hike 40 minutes from the top of Harmony Express to Symphony to enjoy the spectacular undisturbed mountain. Now, it's accessible to everyone.

Snowboarding Sasquatch on Mt. Whistler

Nick and I spent all day riding the thick powder up and down the trails at the Symphony bowel near the Whistler peak. That is when we ran into the big furry sasquatch hanging out near the top of the chair lift of the new Symphony high speed chair. Dressed up exactly like the evasive snowboarding sasquatch on the Kokanee beer commercial, this dude was just sitting there enjoying the spectacular view at the peak. I took out the camera, and snapped it away before he had a chance to slip down the mountain.

Rang Yai Island

Among the many places we visited during our trip in Phuket, Rang Yai Island stood apart for its subdued beauty and tranquility. Also known as Pearl Island, Rang Yai is only 15 minutes speed boat ride away from the main island. Unlike other activity packed day trips, we decided to pick a tour with the most relaxed schedule, which means plenty of time to relax, swim, snorkel and just explore the island on our own. Unbelievably, we were the only visitors on the island that day, possible due to the fact it was near the tail end of the low tourism season. After a quick tour of the pearl farm, our guide led us to the beach basically just to roam around and do whatever we desired.
As Nick snorkeled, I found this huge squid washed up on the beach. I have never seen a squid besides in a restaurant or supermarket, so it was quite an exciting discovery for me. One of the guides picked it up, and when asked what their plan was for this unexpected guest, he said flatly, "we eat".


After lunch, we borrowed a couple of bicycles and set off on our own little expedition around the island. This lovely little island can be circumnavigated in just over 15 minutes. The path were damp and soggy in certain places due to the rain storms that hit sporadically throughout the morning, so we had to be careful not to get our bikes stuck in the mud. Peeking through the trees, we would spot stretches of white sandy beaches so secluded that we just had to stop and take a closer look.

True to the nature of their laid back attitude to life, the Thai guides on the island enjoy playing a relaxing game of mini golf. The tranquil setting of the sandy beach and the palm trees provided a stunning back drop for the golf game. We would remember this island for what it stands for, much like its alias, hidden jewels in this paradise.

Almighty Mt. Robson, BC

We've had a lot of snow on the west coast this year, which is very uncommon and reminds of my first trip to Jasper National Park. Driving on the trans Canada highway through the BC rockies on the way between Vancouver and Jasper National Park, we came across the formidable Mt. Robson. It sits majestically like an impenetrable fortress on that crisp winter day. It's easy to be captivated by the sight of Mt. Robson as you drive on the long road winding through the BC rockies. The sky was overcast and air was cold, the snow from the previous nights still visible on the side of the road and the trees extending into the hills, all of which contributing to the eerie shade of light blue tone in this phone. It would take hours to wind our way pass Mt. Robson and into the Alberta Rocky mountains, where even more breathtaking mountains awaited us.

Cash, Traveler's Cheques, or Credit Cards

One of the most common questions travelers ask on the online travel forum is whether they should bring cash, traveler's cheques or credit cards for their trips to Thailand. Here's my 2 cents based on my personal experience.

Cash - bad choice. In general, it's inconvenient to bring a large sum of cash when you travel. And you'll never get it back if it's lost or stolen. I only brought a small amount of cash with me for emergencies.

Traveler's Cheques - good choice for people who are conscious about exchange rates. All banks in Thailand accepts TC. TC offers away better rate than cash and credit cards. Credit card companies offer you the worst rate of the day and take a big chunk out of each transaction. That's how they make money. There's a service charge (about $1 CAD or 30-33 baht) to process each TC, so it's wise to get TC with large dominations like 100s. The main advantage of TC is high reliability of safe keeping of your cash. No one else can use it if it's lost. One tiny inconvenience is that you need present your passport at the time of transaction. I used TC for the first time while in Thailand, and now I'm a strong advocate of using TC.
Credit Cards - good for people who are not bothered by the low exchange rate. It's extremely convenient when you shop at department stores buying big items like jeweleries and digital cameras. I used it a couple of times at the duty free shops at the airport when I ran out of Baht.

Oh I almost forgot to mention bank cards. Yes, it's another option. You can use your bank card to take out Baht from ATM over there as long as your bank shares the same network as that of ATM, commonly Interac, Cirrus, or Maestro. The major downside of using ATM abroad is that you bear two service charges. One's from your bank, and the other is levied by the Thai bank. Your bank MAY or MAY not charge you a fee each time you use it. I say MAY because some banking plans come with a couple of free ATM usages. I bank with BMO, and my banking plan comes with two free ones every month. The fee charged by Canadian banks varies from bank to bank. Some charge up to $5 CAD, which I think is quite high. I don't know how much Thai bank charges (probably $1 or $2 CAD, my guess), you may be able to find out about it online.

Hope this helps. Happy travel!

Orchids in the Wild

Snowbabie's Snowdrops inspired me to post this photo taken on Rang Yai Island, Phuket. Wild orchids are seen everywhere on the island, and are extremely easy to grow in the warm and high humidity weather. They grow almost everywhere, even off the tree trunks, like the one seen in this photo.

New Year's Eve Celebration, Whistler, BC

It's been an eventful and memorable year for us, so what better way to send off 2006 than spending New Year's Eve up in Whistler, BC, the official winter party central. After spending the whole day on the slopes, we had dinner and ventured straight out in the village, which by then was already full of revelers in high party spirits for Whistler's First Night 2007 Celebration. The stone paved streets of whistler village looked inviting and lively on this night, illuminated by the glowing lights on trees throughout the place. People congregated here from the entire globe, with one common goal, to count down the hours and minutes with family and friends in this amazing paradise. After the performance by funk singer Zaki Ibrahim, DJ Grand Theft brought the party to a fever pitch with some hot mixes off tunes from the 90s, 80s and even some old school disco. We danced the night away under a light drift of snow that started earlier in the evening. We welcomed 2007 with a count down and great fireworks display. We will always remember this New Year's Eve, let's hope there's even more snow in 2007!