Kit Kat, Take A Break

As engineers, we often work excessively. So much so that we get caught up in it. We don't even know it, until our nostrils flare, ears burn and alarms start ringing in our heads. 


I knew I needed a break when severe acne broke out all over my scalp recently. Luckily it did not spread to my face. Otherwise, it would have been permanently scarred. Whatwith the freckles I have now, acne scars are the last thing I'd like to deal with. 

So, where's the place to go for a real holiday? Definitely someplace out of reach. A clean break from everything for 4 whole days. Eradicating the need to worry about pressing financial matters, dire working situations, as well as social obligations. 

The  best place of course, would be to visit my uncle in Phuket. No financial constraints, and definitely a real stress reliever since I would be seeing my lively 6 year-old cousin too! Naturally, there would no social functions to attend whatsoever. After all, the only people we knew in Phuket were my uncle and his family! Perfect holiday destination! And so, off we went, flying for about an hour and a half to reach this blissful aea. 

Jack and Jill, went up the hill, to sip coffee and chill...

Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand. Before I came, I imagined it to be around the size of Langkawi or Labuan. I presumed it would take about 1 hour to tour the whole island. Little did I know that it is 5 times larger than Langkawi (550 sqkm vs 110 sqkm).

So, when I climbed up the Big Buddha Hill and stared at the topography of Phuket, I was surprised at the extent of the island's coastlines. It extended kilometres away. And my! Everywhere I turned, I saw hills! I thought Phuket was just about beaches. Nobody ever mentioned hills and peaks and mountains! I had to see for myself to believe it. 

In some of the deepest parts of these hilly jungles, one can even bungee jump from waterfalls or trees! 

 View from Big Buddha Hill

Hills, Hills everywhere I turn...

Next, we visited Khao Rang - Phuket Hill. There's a cafe here which is built right above the trees, overlooking Puket town. It's lights are so attractive that even red bottom monkeys with greying eyebrows gather here for grand feasts in the evenings. The view point is stunning. I bet the monkeys wait 'til 'the city is dotted with bright, orange sparks before they retire back to their homes. 

Monkey with God of Wealth (Cai Shen Ye) Eyebrows

Cafe Among Trees

Sipping Coffee on the Mountain Top

The highlights of our trip, was visiting Promthep Cape. It's a beautiful place to feel the sun settling behind faraway hills. Sun rays spread across the marine bay, like snowflakes, floating gently down into the ocean. Windmills turn as the light sea breeze whistles by. Little white yachts dot the coast, bobbing up and down, up and down according to the rhythm of the waves.  

Ahhh... what a sight to behold. Soothing, calming... it makes you forget all your troubles... and reminds us of the reason we're alive. It's the kind of place that floods you with a sense of inner peace as soon you set foot on it. 

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun; Home again, home again, market is done

I like visiting markets in foreign countries. It gives me an insight of the various types of food people consume daily. It's also a great opportunity to increase our general knowledge on the types of vegetables available. Who knows, we might even consider importing these common commodities and create a high demand for it in our home country. 

Holidays are a good time to bring young kids to the market to expose the process of marketing, shopping and cooking to them. They'll have so much fun exploring, get an inkling on what goes onto their plates, fresh from the market, and begin to select what they eat with care, not gobbling down everything in sight. 

Crabs on a tray

It's also an eye opener on varying perspectives of people from various countries. For example, in New Zealand, little ducklings are reared as pets at home. In Beijing, however, ducks are grilled, roasted and served on the table as a delicacy, commonly knowned as Peking duck. In Sudan, crabs are left to roam freely on the beach, laying their eggs, hiding in big holes, coming up when the tide is low, when the beach is drying up. In Malaysia, black and floral crabs alike are trapped in cages. With its sharp claws still tightly bound together, it's thrown into the hot, bubbling wok, cooked alive under high heat 'til it turns bright orangey-red. A real appetizer for Malaysians, but a turn-off for Sudanese. They just can't comprehend how we have the heart to stomach lively little crabs which are supposed to be running happily on the soft, white sands. 

As we walked in Phuket market, the very first thing that caught my eye were the rows and rows of meat and different animal parts hung on hooks in rows. Some shops sold rib cages, while some sold only meat. Some sold livers, stomachs, intestines, ears, tongue, blood cubes too! Almost every imaginable body part that you can think of. 

 Horse shoe crab

Some vendors sold turtles, snails and horshoe crabs as well. I wonder how they cook it. When I was 5, there were abundant horshoe crabs on the beach opposite my grandfather's house. My cousin, who was 10 years older than me, used to dig into the wet, salty sand, and catch these horshoe crabs with his bare hands, holding it high up in the air for all to see. But I don't remember any of us consuming it at all! As far as I remember, we just caught it for fun, and threw it back into the sea hours later. In some countries, horse shoe crabs are caught for their medicinal properties and released back into the sea. So, I wonder why do Thais consume horseshoe crabs for centuries? Is there any flesh? Is it delicious? Doesn't look too edible to me. Looks like it consists of just a coat of hard shell and fluids within. 

 Another rare species I discovered were helical shaped pea pods! 

 Oranges... they turn into delicious orange juice! 

 Small Snails

 Fish! huhu! So bloody! 

 Turtles - for Turtle Soup

 Snails! Millions and millions of them - to be steamed/fried

Ahhh! I love markets, even though I only visit them when I'm out of the country. hahah!

Islands & Beaches

Phuket is blessed with tremendous amount of natural resources. In the area of agriculture, it's suitable for the cultivation of cashew nuts, rubber trees and dragon fruits. With regards to natural resources, it 's a haven for tin miners. Naturally, its surrounded by islands with lush greenery, white sandy beaches. It feels just like living out of a travel magazine. Within a day, we hopped across three islands, Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Ley and another whose name has slipped my mind. 

Probably because I've been studying too much, the moment I saw these outcrops, I began to think, "Hmmm.. are these sandstone or limestone?"

I think they're limestone formation, because I can see staglatites and staglamite sticking out. I can even see caves here and there. Ahh... they must be limestones. Pity I didn't bring any acid with me, to test. 

Judging by its shape, it looks very much like the shape of homes to corals too. Growing upwards, with a steep decline towards the flank. Definitely carbonate formation. Wow... I wonder what would we observe when we acidize these formations. 

The sands here are so white, definitely no organic material. They're fine too, definitely low porosity. A hah! It's a wonder they fracture easily, creating pores to store hydrocarbon! 

Since the water here is calm, and shallow, corals grow happily along this shelf. Colourful fishes feed on them, and the corals multiply every day.

Carbonate Reef Patches

Limestone Hills

 

Come Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

 Look out for the Rainbow Fish!

Schools of fishes (presumably anchovies) swimming around us!

Fish Feeding Frenzy. 
Blue fish! Can you spot the blue fish? 

Wow... Amazing! 

Everywhere I turn, I see mountains and clear, blue water. Psalm 23 springs to mind: 

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want,

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul..."

Now, I can see where the writer got his inspiration from. He was probably on a long holiday by the beach, stretching his legs, looking up at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, seated in the valley. (",)

Sticks and stones may break our bones, but we will never, ever waver....

On Boxing day, 26th of December, 2004, certain parts of Phuket was hit by tsunami waves with thousands of casualties reported. I remember watching news footage of this natural disaster the day after it happened, shocked that some place as calm as Phuket could be destroyed in just a matter of seconds - by waves. Then again, that's the risk we expose ourselves to when we stay by the beach. 

About 70% of the inhabitants here are Buddhists. Desperate times call for desperate measures. After the tsunami, the number of wat (temples) and altars have sprung up like mushrooms. There are Buddha statues overlooking the island inhabitants from mountain peaks; Buddha statues at homes, as well as by the seaside. . So, images of Buddha are a fairly common sight. 

These days, citizens of Phuket are more prepared just in case a Tsunami hits. At the foot of the mountains, as well as by the beaches, the very first thing that you will see are signboards which state "Tsunami Evacuation Route. Follow this direction to evacuate to higher grounds." On the boards, are arrows which point to the peak of the mountain. 

So, even if you are a tourist, new to the place, on unfamiliar territory, you will know what to do. Should you need any reassurance, just look up, and you'll spot Big Buddha overlooking your safety, protecting your wellbeing. 

 Buddha overlooking Phuket

Big marble Buddha on a Hill

 Wat Chalong

       

 Altar on a Khao Rang Hill

 Ladder for spirits to climb up to the altar

Miniature statue housed in miniature temple

Eat, Drink and be Merry!

I am always hungry. No matter where I am, I need to munch some snacks every two hours when I'm awake, especially when my brains are idle. So, in Phuket, I was practically chewing and biting away every second. 

On the first day, we were whisked away to the local dimsum shop. I expected it to be like our Malaysian style, waiters pushing trolleys with bamboo baskets containing little dumplings. However, it was very different. The moment we were seated, the waiter brought a tray of minute snacks (steamed and fried). All we had to do was point at our favourite dishes, and the waiter would place it on our table instantly. The most delicious delicacy at that shop was a piece of fish fillet in spicy, sweet and salty soup, served on a metallic saucer. Oooooooh... yummy!  Stimulating our taste buds at eight in the morning! 

And my! The cup we drank in were shrunk to a fifth of the giant Starbucks mug. I felt like a giant holding the handle of the cup with my thumb and index finger, the remaining three fingers sticking out like a lopsided 'three'. 

In Thailand, every dish is loaded with spice. Even its fried chicken was seasoned with curry leaves, lemon grass, cinammon, turmeric, green and red chilli, etc. Every bite was an adventure, you never know what to expect. 

At night, we had super-sour-spicy-salty-sweet mango salad, steamed fish, and stir-fried vegetables, on the hilltop. Ahhh... we were in seventh heaven. 

The next morning we had Thai Laksa, where a variety of curry flavoured gravy were mixed and poured onto a place of freshly made rice noodles. Sprinkled on it, were finely sliced banana shoots, cucumber, pineapples, basil leaves and other plucked green leaves. A mixture of white,yellow,green, blue and red. A delightful concoction to brighten our day!

Other interesting things related with food include:

 A Bouquet of Pandan Leaf Flowers

 Bunch of coconuts

 Coconut spoon

 Black-Pepper biscuit

 Tom Yam Cashew Nuts

 Pigeon walking determinedly with an aim 

(Pigeons are cooked too!)

Pigeons... conversing and deep in thought...

Once Upon A Time...

I like Phuket. It's quiet, it's calm. Just the place one would come in search for inner peace. It reminds me much of my hometown, before it was developed a decade ago. Single storey shop lots along the road with narrow corridors; faithful, old time customers enjoying cups of tea and coffee, as they chat about their children and politics throughout the day, are a common scene.

As we head towards the outskirts, rubber trees increase in number.  Soon, we are lost in the midst of rubber estates, save for a stretch of tarred road, leading us ahead. As we drive on in silence, we can even hear chirping birds and croaking frogs. 

Phuket is blessed with amazingly beautiful views by the beach, and from the hills. As if it is insufficient, there's even a park with a big lake, for citizens to exercise, and breathe in fresh, unpolluted air. The aesthetic landscape is just superb.

King Rama IX Park

People here seem to be pretty contented. They don't mind the routined lifestyle or the slow traffic. In fact, they often open their doors to give alms to temple monks in faded yellow robes, who offer a prayer or two in return for their generosity.  When life becomes too hectic, or too much to bear, with rough trials and tribulations, the temples offer refuge for its devotees too. Lost souls with nowhere to go, and lost aims in life, seek solace on tranquil temple grounds, until they regain their footing. 

One thing that caught my eye was the number of 7-Eleven outlets in Phuket. At one corner, we spotted three 7-Eleven outlets at the T-junction. One before we turned, and another two more after we turned, directly opposite each other. 7-Eleven stores must be the most popular convenient store among the locals and tourists. Apparently, in Thailand, it requires just about THB 600-700 thousand ( That's RM 60-70k equivalent) to open a 7-Eleven outlet. Much more affordable, compared to McDonalds and KFC. No wonder everybody can afford to own one.

Smile, and the World Smiles with You

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 "The world is like a mirror, you see? Smile, and your friends smile back." –Japanese Zen saying.
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Every so often, we need a holiday. Phuket is definitely the place to go if you plan to take a long, delayed, deserved rest. 

It strips life down to the bare necesseties, and makes one think, "Why? Oh Why? Did I ever place such high priority on my work? You see.. life goes on, regardless of the turmoil you're experiencing. So, take it easy, one step at a time. Control your emotions. Stay positive, resilient. Persevere. It's not worth it to get soooo... emotionally worked up." 

In the sea, on the hill, by the beach, I pause in my steps. Each time, keeping my heart and mind silent. I have found my true calling. No matter where I am, and what I do, I will always take pride in my profession as a reservoir engineer.