Stuff I Like - October

Holy %#@%ing crap! It's Melbourne! (These guys are in the CBD)

1) Melbourne
Last night I landed in Australia after a grueling 8 hours trapped in a cylinder with people incapable of parenting their children. I must admit, although I am sad - even kind of gutted - about leaving Asia, arriving in the calm and clean oasis of Melbourne is nice. I wasn't expecting the sub Arctic (well, 11 degrees C) temperatures but the fresh rainy air reminds me of home and I ate the best veggie burger ever - so I am feeling happy. Today my friend Lindsay (whom I am staying with) showed me the CBD (which, I am informed, is never called 'downtown') and we bummed around her place in St Kilda. Tomorrow? Sydney for four days. Any suggestions on things I should do?

Heres is a link to the original poster for the film - hilariously inappropriate. Did the ad men watch the movie? This movie?

2) Harold and Maude
I half-assedly watched Harold and Maude when I was about 14 – it came on Bravo or somesuch channel and I think I was on the phone for most of it. I went the last half of my life claiming to have seen it, thinking I had seen it – but when I watched it on my flight from Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne (on my laptop peeps, Air Asia has not gotten into cult classics or anything) I realized that I hadn't. I have been missing out All. These. Years. It is the ultimate Violet Dear film – featuring the strangely eccentric rich ( I do love my Grey Gardens), a skinny weird boy (meet S, ladies and gentlemen) and macabre scenes of faux violence (I've never met a zombie film I didn't like). Plus, Ruth Gordon's Maude reminds me of my wacky Grandma – and even looks a wee bit like her.

I can't help but think that perhaps if I had been paying more attention so long ago my current crush on Bud Cort (at the age he was when playing Harold) would be more age appropriate. But then again, I hear he likes older women....

I bit blurry, but you get the picture. Ha! Pun!

3)Shoes
So I like shoes, right? I bought two pairs in Manila and I love both. Yay! Yay Shoes!

4)Louis CK
Because his standup has finally made me feel okay with and hell, even proud of my lifelong hobby of choosing someone who is standing in a line with me and thinking of irrational reasons to hate them, y'know, just to pass the time.

5)Travel Cutlery
Some people need carabiners to secure their mountain climbing gear or for other similarly strenuous athletic endeavors. Not me! The only one I own holds all m' forks and spoons together. It's quite fitting really – I have specific travel accessories that ensure that no matter where, no matter when – I'm good to eat. Need something sliced? Have you been presented with soup? Got some pasta to twirl? I'm at the ready, like some gluttonous version of James Bond or Inspector Gadget.…..because while you are trekking up Everest or repelling down a cliff face somewhere I'll be in the cafeteria eating my fucking face off. Priorities, people.

....And 1, 2, 3 - collective "awwwwww!"

6) S, my amazing partner
When I woke up yesterday morning in my room at the Tune hotel next to the LCCT terminal in Kuala Lumpur I leisurely stretched out on the big comfy bed, checked the fast and affordable wifi and then had a hot shower with the best pressure in all of Asia. Oh wait, this isn't about my love for Tune hotels? It's about S? Oh, right..... After having the lovely shower and then blowing my hair straight with the amazing hair dryer (sorry, I'm getting there) I rummaged around in my bag and found a tiny memento that S had slipped into my backpack in Manila without me noticing. We bought some similar ones as gifts in Ubud - that means that he has been toting these around for over 2 months. Swoon. It makes me even sadder that I won't see him for a month...

Goodbye Asia - and Thank You.

Our very first day on this trip, over one year ago - jetlagged and haggard in Bangkok.

It seems strange but fitting that here I am spending my last night in Asia eating some slightly soft gouda cheese and watching The 400 Blows, two very decidedly Un-Asia things to be doing as I try to ease myself back into the West. I am on a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur where I will spend the night before flying to Melbourne tomorrow afternoon, and as the gouda hits the bitter umami area of my tongue and the film mesmerizes me as Truffaut always does I am numb. It doesn't feel real.

I landed in Bangkok on October 4^th 2008 with a stick (that I did not know was there) firmly up my caboose, 25 extra pounds of doughy flab around my midsection and a brain full of stress and trivial matters. After a year of backpacking and living in Asia I have none of those things.

What I do have is a changed life.

I go back to the West with memories and experiences that no one can ever take away from me. I snorkeled in the Maldives and trekked in Nepal. I karaoked in Vietnam, climbed ancient ruins in Cambodia and gave alms to monks in Laos. I volunteered with animals in Thailand and slept at a monastery in Burma. I ate my face off in Singapore and Hong Kong and saw a real live Orang Utan in Malaysia. I survived two typhoons in Philippines, heard the haunting call to prayer in Brunei and lazed on an idyllic tropical island in Indonesia. I freakin' lived in India, for Shiva's sake. How could all of these things not change a person?

I was scared, ecstatic, sad, empathetic, apathetic, overjoyed, hot, frustrated and excited. I rode in contraptions and vehicles that make a simple Thai tuk-tuk look like a limo, I ate things that should have made me sick and once I did get sick, like dysentery sick - from Israeli food in Goa. I walked around in a daze after landing in the topsy turvy land of Delhi and then walked around in a daze 6 months later in the shiny meccas of consumerism dotted around Bangkok's Siam Square. All manner of noises - LOUD chatty Karnatakans, confused roosters, a mosque's loudspeakers, fornicating geckos and pigs being slaughtered to name a few – have kept me awake. I slept on bug and mice infested trains, used toilets that would make a Calcutta beggar wince and politely endured the endless barrage of questions from people very curious about me and S. (No, for the record, this is not my natural haircolour and no, I do not bleach my skin.)

We donated money to roof a monastery in Thailand, by putting our names on one tile we ensured that we would be together in Thai afterlife.

I cried over sick dogs (and discovered a trick in poor countries with no pet food: crack some eggs on the sidewalk for them). I cried over begging children and yet refused to condone the act by giving money, in principle at least – I broke down more than a few times. I cried great hitching sobs of fear when S was in Mumbai for the terrorist attacks and I was trapped in the North. I cried over unjust governments oppressing their people – the Tibetan population in India and the sweet people of Burma. I cried for personal reasons too – this year we lost S's beloved Grandma (she was 98 years old and fought til the end) and my best friend's brother – there were many, many tears when I went home for the funeral. Sometimes there still are.

But I laughed too – man, did I laugh. I laughed when my Mum got gored (only a little) by an angry bull in Rishikesh, when S got the worst haircut ever (no, I am not kidding) in Mumbai and when Gia sold me that amazing anklet. I howled at the Moustache Brothers in Mandalay, at the unintentionally hilarious Engrish posted everywhere and at the epic 1970's Ramayana on Indian TV. I laughed at myself a lot, at S even more and loads and loads when Bran, Willie and Alexis all visited.

I learned. I learned to relax and give up and let it go. Asia taught me patience, to be laid back and that a smile is the most important weapon you can brandish to win favour and friends. I learned how to make a momo, how to best eat a whole fish with just chopsticks and how to take apart an entire crab without a cracker, using just my fingers and teeth. I learned that most people can be trusted and that your gut will tell you who cannot, and most importantly I learned how to say “Thank You” in 10 new languages. I used that a lot.

It's crazy – Asia is life in real time. Colours are more vibrant here, flavours more piquant and fresh, noises are louder and everything is so in the moment that even the most cautious person turns fatalistic – and I can't believe that it is over! This wasn't my first time to Asia, and I will come back again and again, but will it feel the same? Will there be that same sense of freedom and adventure and let's face it, awe and pride in myself for taking a year to travel and fulfilling my dreams? Will I throw caution to the wind and just dive in and live, really live life so freely? I really hope so.

************

S has left Manila on a different flight – he is headed to LA to work and after I visit Australia and Fiji I will join him there. He is bidding goodbye not only to Asia but to this amazing year of travel. While I know he is ready for home and a break he too had tears in his eyes as we reminisced about it all.

I keep thinking about that first night when we landed in Bangkok. I looked at him over our first Chang beers and asked “What do you think we'll feel a year from now when we are going home?” Neither of us could fathom it – it seemed so far, so abstract in nature. He shrugged.

“Only time will tell, I guess.”

It has. It's said a lot.

From Thailand to the Philippines: the most recent photo of us, taken in Vigan.

HELP - just a quick comment'll do!

Hi guys!

I just learned about a great travel industry internship that I am dying to get. It is for GAP Adventures, and Bruce Poon Tip (the dynamic owner) is treating the interview process like a contest - and I found out about it mere days before the deadline! I have 24 hours - and I need you guys to help me!

Creativity is key - and I thought, what better way to show off my winning personality and great salesmanship (womanship?) then to ask all of YOU, my faithful readers, for some personal references?

So why do you think I deserve the job? Let Bruce know by leaving a comment below. It'll take 2 minutes - give a lady a hand, willya?

*Note - I am closing down the commenting because I am sending this to Bruce now. Thank you so much for your kinds words, and wish me luck!

Cheers!
xoxox
Violet Dear

Confusing Photo of the Week #7

Well, it's better than the "totlet for lamer"...

Oh India, home to the world's most inventive and resourceful people - if there is a solution to be had using cheaper materials someone will have already duct taped it together somewhere on the subcontinent.

A similar photo was featured on Failblog a few months ago, but I swear that this is the real deal - I spied this gem in the Cathedral of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. Apparently the remains of St. Francis Xavier are also there, but I hardly noticed, so fixated with this marvel of ingenuity was I.

The next time someone you know is complaining about their life, show 'em old deckchair here.
That oughtta do it.

(Thanks so much to Benson at Benson's Scene for pointing out that this chair is actually the product of an amazing charity project called "The Free Wheelchair Mission" - it's designed to supply disabled folks from poor countries with affordable means of transportation. Wow! Please click here to learn more about the cause and donate some moolah!)

The Wind Began To Switch! The House, To Pitch! - Surviving Typhoon Parma

SK - Hurricane Ninja all up in your bidness.

Growing up in severe-storm free Vancouver it was with a dull horror that I would watch news reports of hurricanes and tornadoes ripping across the American trailer-belt, uprooting trees and slackjawed locals alike. Sure, Vancouverites live with the abstract threat of the "Big One", a catastrophic earthquake that has threatened to plunge us right into the chasm of the Juan de Fuca faultline since before my birth but at least, I reasoned, that would be a quick one time thing rather than this endless yearly cycle of catastrophe.

"Why don't they move?" I would ask any adult nearby, but I no matter who I asked I never got a satisfactory answer.

"Well, it takes money to move, and a lot of people can't afford that."
"But doesn't the annual "Act of God" cost these people even more money, year after year?"
"Well, they have roots there – families, friends...."
"But wouldn't their families and friends all like to all remain alive with their posessions unscathed?"
It has never made much sense to me.

Which is why it is sheer irony that I now find myself in a Category 5 Typhoon (which, I discovered, is pretty much just a hurricane) trapped indoors with no power and no real hope of leaving for a few days.

It all started in the crazy days after the first major typhoon, Ketsana, finished wreaking its ugly havoc on Manila. We tried to continue our plan of trekking in the North – but the major bus stations were all under a few feet of water – our only choice was to fly. We thought briefly about heading South but the flights were booked solid for days – we chose to fly North to Laoag, 2 hours from Vigan.

This was originally a good plan – we would spend a few nights in Vigan and then continue on to Baguio, Sagada and Banaue – after about a week we would then fly back down to the South and enjoy the beaches, Chocolate Hills and tarsiers of Bohol. The first few days in Vigan were great – we wandered the cobblestone streets, took a kalesa (horse'n'buggy) ride and visited the UNESCO site of Santa Maria church one hour away. Our hotel, the famed Villa Angela (yes, Tom Cruise and Willem Dafoe stayed here filming Born on The Fourth of July, we know. Stop telling us) was a lovely splurge - and it was there that we heard about Typhoon Parma.

Another one. Another effing typhoon just days after the devastating Ketsana. It was tracking to head North on the other side of the Philippines – the opposite coast. We knew that no matter where we were we would still feel the rain – we thought about trying to head South immediately but were worried about getting caught on a night bus if the storm reared its head. We decided to stay put, unsure of how bad it would get.

But then boredom set in, and nothing kept happening. Sunny skies, a few light rain drops here and there – we decided to head 3 hours North to the beautiful "Boracay of the North" – Pagudpud. We reasoned that being near the coast could have its advantages, as there was no way we could get trapped in a flood this way. Besides, there were no warnings for this area in specific – we reckoned that we might just get a lot of rain but otherwise be able to relax and enjoy.

Anderson's just out of the frame...

Do you ever wish more than anything that you could go back to yourself of three days ago and shake your head sternly and just say "No" really firmly? I do.

We really should have done whatever it took to get to Manila, and then onto the South, because now we are trapped in this "resort" (some concrete buildings set in a yard scattered with trash and some yes – slackjawed locals – looking at us strangely when we ask for candles) with no power. Our windows are spackled with plant bits and debris keeps flying by. The restaurant and hallways are all open air so we cannot leave our room, and we have to shove towels under the door to prevent the stream of water outside from getting in.

Outside the rain is blowing sideways – I keep expecting to see Anderson Cooper in a yellow slicker row by the window in a boat. The sound is unlike any I have ever heard – catterwauling, holwing wind and stacatto snare drum rain mixed with moaning creaking metal. The palm trees outside have been stripped bare of their coconuts and threaten to topple. The wind is pushing the waves back – and I didn't even know that that was possible. Everything is just howling scary weather and though we are safe I do find myself on the edge of getting terrified at times. I keep thinking about the people who live in small huts who must be losing everything they own right now.

This is a very real reminder of the ugly reality of global warming – easy to ignore until you are trapped like a mouse by a big scary cat-storm. The moment that it is safe to do so – the very second – we are hiring a driver to take us to Laoag where we will stay in hotel with indoor hallways and plan on how to get South to the sun and beach as soon as we can. I wish with my whole heart that we had done so days ago.

And I guess it really has given me a whole new respect for all of those people in the States who live in the "hurricane zone" and ""tornado alley" because.......oh who am I kidding: MOVE! Get the hell out of there! This is awful! Why would you choose this? Skedaddle!

Once is enough for me, thanks.

(*2 days later we were able to leave Pagudpud and finally watch the news - the storm had veered and yes, hit us directly.

We left on a bus back to Laoag (2 hours South) and halfway through the trip had to alight and walk for an hour in knee deep water across a washed out bridge. The rush of the floodwater was fierce and I would have lost my footing and been swept away had it not been for the amazing group of guys that literally held my hands and escorted me across - even running to fetch my flip-flop when it was sucked off of my foot. The made sure that S and I - completely soaked to the bone, bags included - made it to the waiting jeepney on the other side. That night our flight back to Manila was cancelled - we barely made it out of there. Nature scares me. We were so lucky - many others weren't. Donate here.)

Filipino Typhoon Fashion Statement (Note - the poncho photos were actually taken in Vietnam - there was no time for that in the typhoon!)

A Little Q&A (no T&A)

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr DeMille....wait, Mr De Mille? Come back! I thought you wanted to take my pic....oh nevermind. Who's got a poutine?"

A few weeks ago I posted an entry asking if people had “Any Questions?” Here are the questions I received and my answers. Cheers!

How do you afford this mammoth trip? Is S a millionaire?
-Dolly Daydream

Both S and I saved a ton of money – really dedicated ourselves to scrimping and pinchng and socking huge amounts of dosh away. S does make a great living (and was paid a handsome consulting fee while he working in India) but I'm not too shabby myself! I find it interesting that that wasn't your first conclusion – the old patriarchal instinct has kicked in! :) So far I have cashed some of my savings but I look forward to returning home with more than half still in the bank – along with a zero credit card balance (so important for a variety of reasons – I hate being taken advantage of!)

We also travel on a tight budget of no more than thirty Canadian dollars per person per day (flights not included) and this really helps to stretch the money we do have – extravagances do happen, but we try to keep them in check as much as possible!

How do you manage to travel without working? Do you work online?

-kanmuri

Other than blogging my heart out and making a few bucks from Google adsense, I have not worked one iota since September 30 of last year. If someone wants to pay me I would glady accept an assignment! S did work as a consultant in India (for visual effects on Bollywood movies – he had a hand in “Chandni Chowk to China”) for 2.5 months – this is when we lived in Mumbai (and yes, it was during the attacks.)

The picture from your title area - did you take that? It instantly conjures images of faraway places, shimmering sand and hot mystical nights!

-Rainysoul

I did take this photo – I am glad you like it! It was taken on a sand dune just outside of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan while we were waiting for the sun to set while on a camel safari. In reality it was a bit less idyllic than it seems – they were singing and dancing and begging for money – if we didn't give them any they would launch back into their repetitive song! It will haunt my brain forever..... Here are a few more!

I was wondering why you cuss a lot in your posts?

-Kristin

Well, to be honest – I swear in person and in my quest to always keep my blog as true to my actual personality I just write what comes to mind, in the way that it comes to mind. Sometimes it is really important to the feel of the piece – for instance when I am really upset or angry about something – ie: Burmese politics or suicide – I feel that they are more than warranted.

I did a search of my own blog and could only find the eff word 4 times in fifty posts – pretty good, I'd say! I do use euphemisms (such as eff or f%#@) quite often as well, but those hardly count....do they? :)

Lastly, I just really like to swear.

Where have you been that has been your most worthwhile, absolute best trip, and why?

-Chymere

That is so, so hard to say. Part of me actually wants to say that it was the 6 week trip I took by myself to Eastern Europe when I was 22 – I went to Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Hungary. That journey really had a profound effect on me – it wasn't my first trip to Europe, but it was my first time traveling alone and with a really good plan. I learned so much about Europe, myself and well...myself! I highly recommend that everyone takes a trip on their own at least once.

As for this trip to Asia (does an entire year count as one trip?) I would say that India, though I often hated it when I was there, was the most important place we visited. It is hard, it is full on and it is stinky – and it is wonderful.

An old alter ego - thanks to Pappa Jay for the artiness.

How did your pen name Violet Dear come about?

-Marilee in Portland Oregon

I have been using pen names and psuedonyms since I began writing as a young teenager. Originally I wanted to at least partially control my identity amongst the people that I know - bosses, colleagues, unwanted aquaintances, crazies - but that went out the window when I was chosen as Blog of Note!

As I wanted to remain at least partially anonymous on this site I chose to write under the name Violet Dear. Some of my previous pen-names have been: Violent Violet, Violet Femme, and Ultra Violet – I like Violet Dear because it is feasibly a real name and is less crazy and wild than the names I chose when I was younger. To be very honest Violet, dear (their comma) was also the name of a limited edition MAC eyeshadow that I purchased when I was about nineteen – it always stuck with me. (I am also getting a tattoo of the word "Violet" when I am in Melbourne - it means a lot to me!)

I love your practical tips. I am traveling to India, Thailand, Laos and Japan - can you recommend a visa company or would you just do it yourself?
-Stephanie C

Thanks! I always try to add a little practical info because it can be sorely lacking online... For the visas, if you live in a city with an Indian consulate than it is very easy – just pop down in person and you should be able to come back in a few business days to pick yours up. I really recommend paying a bit extra and grabbing the multiple entry one year visa – plans can change and this is a great way to avoid headaches later (for instance, the Bangkok Indian consulate is supposed to be a nightmare.) Your Indian visa is activated from the day it is issued, so make sure you have enough time – you might want to get it issued close to the date you depart.

Thailand, Laos and Japan – visas are issued on arrival at most borders. For Thailand, if you arrive by air you will be issued a 30 day visa, but by land it is only 14 days – don't get caught out. Hopping across the border to Cambodia (I recommend Angkor Wat wholeheartedly) Laos or Myanmar for a visa run is common and easy – and with Air Asia's cheapest deals even flying to S'pore, Malaysia or elsewhere is also feasible. Laos is a 30 day visa – I belive you can get more (and a prettier visa) by applying in advance – but for most people this is enough. Japan – I have little clue, as I have never been! Your trip sounds great – let me know if you have any other questions along the way!

How much money would you recommend for 5 weeks in India?
- Master Kevin

It is really up to you! You can spend from 10 USD/day all the way up to hundreds. For us, on a slightly higher than average backpacker lifestyle (ie: no dirty rooms, second class trains and nice restaurants sometimes) we found that 25USD/day was more than enough. Some days we went over, and some days under – it balanced out. If you are traveling by yourself than you will probably have to add another 10 bucks to your budget.

I was wondering what do you do when you aren't travelling?[:)]

-Nikki

Before I started traveling on this trip I worked as a consultant for a major travel company in Canada - my bonuses really helped us save money for this trip! When I get home I will be heading back to University - and traveling as often as a can to keep you guys entertained!

That's all guys - if you have any other questions for me feel free to ask - I can always do this again sometime. Cheers!

xoxo

Violet Dear

Everybody Cha Ca Tonight: Fried Fish in Hanoi

A frying pan full-o-magic.

Vietnam has to be the home of my favourite food in Southeast Asia (other than crab and crab-based menu items) - Cha Ca.

Cha Ca is a Hanoi speciality - small pieces of fresh white fish fried (they say grilled, but it is clearly a fry situation) in oil with fresh herbs, chilis and spices and served sizzling hot over cold rice noodles. The heat of the still-cooking fish warms the noodles and makes them slippery and ready to be chopsticked from their small bowl into my waiting mouth.

Spam, spam, spam and spam.

Hanoi residents are serious about Cha Ca. We wanted the real deal, so we headed to Cha Ca La Vong - the famous two hundred year old restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter that famously invented the dish. The DIY fish fry joint has spawned many imitators - the entire street (now named Cha Ca Road) is lined with copycat joints. They serve one thing and one thing only: Cha Ca.

Sometimes one choice is all you need....

The price is hefty for a local's resturant but we were determined to sample the real thing. Moments after we sat down the table was laid with bowls of sticky rice noodles (the same that are in Pho,) heaped servings of dill, parsley and scallions, chilis, crushed peanuts and a mix of fish sauce, shrimp paste and lime.

These caused us great discomfort in Laos...

As we sat sipping on our Bia Ha Noi a piping red hot clay barbecue was placed in the middle of the table, topped with a gleaming metal frying pan. In the pan were the succulent chunks of fish, swimming in an inch of yellow oil dyed with tumeric. The ancient Vietnamese waitress took pity on us and became our cheerleader, showing us how to dump the greens and chilis into the pan to cook with the fish.

All mixed up

Once the fish was a perfect golden brown and the greens were wilted we spooned some of each along with the wonderful golden oil out onto our noodles. Topped with the fish sauce and peanuts each bite was savoury, oily and wonderful, the scallions and dill combining into a kind of tartar sauce flavour.

Every last bite

We scraped the hefty pan empty and cleaned the table - even the cackling cheerleader seemed impressed. I was all for another full pan-o-goodness, but pub quiz time approached and we needed to get to Le Pub.

Bia Ha Noi and pub quiz - a match made in heaven.

Out of all of the expat bars and pubs in SE Asia that I have visited, Le Pub is my favourite. Their Tuesday night pub quiz is one of the best I have ever done, and the food, atmosphere and drinks (including free shots!) are all great. They have another location in Saigon, but that is not the best part.

A Canadian feels at home, at last

No, the best thing is the Quebecois style poutine available at both locations. While it is lacking the proper cheese curds it does use some nice grated mozzarella and is pretty perfect. Sometimes you wanna feel completely out of your element, completely culture shocked and worldly - but other times you just wanna eat a poutine. We did not win the quiz, but for a team of two (against teams of 6, 8 and 10) third place is pretty good.

So, if you are in Hanoi I definitely recommend the splurge - go to Cha Ca La Vong. And if it is Tuesday? See if you can take second place, and for the love of god eat the poutine.

Inspiring Travels - An Interview with Travelfish.org's Stuart McDonald

While trying to navigate the myriad guidebooks for SE Asia S and I were lucky enough to have travelfish.org recommended to us by a friend. Travelfish is a godsend for independent travelers who want accurate, interesting and thorough reviews that are also - gasp - up to date. Possibly the most important tool that we used for our year in Asia - can you tell that I love it?

I had a ton of questions that I was dying to ask founder Stuart McDonald and I figured that you guys might like to hear 'em as well!

What gave you the idea for Travelfish, and how did you begin to execute it?
I had written guidebooks to Vietnam in '94/95 and Thailand in '96/97 so that gave me some grounding in what it was about. After a few years working in Bangkok, Samantha and I threw around various ideas as I wanted to get back out of the office and travelling again. I had taught myself web design at one of the Bangkok jobs and so we brought that and the travel writing together to create the idea behind Travelfish.

At the time it was just a few scratchings of pen to paper -- very, very broad strokes -- but the central tenet was to take advantage of the internet to get good travel information out there for travellers to use. The idea has developed a lot since then, particularly with regard to our very successful Travelfish Guides, but the main idea is still the same: helping travellers get the most out of their trip to Southeast Asia.

At the start, execution involved really just me -- I coded the site from scratch and did all the research. Sam kept a full time job and I maintained a consultancy I had. We started very slowly, just covering a couple of places we really liked, but it has been over five years now and the site has expanded dramatically.

It obviously left a good impression on you – where was your first trip to Asia, and how did it go?
Thailand was an after-thought on my first solo trip away. I had a round-the-world ticket ex-Australia to the US, Europe, India and Thailand. India was the focus for me, but in the end I had a pretty hard time there, and Thailand turned out to be the classic "Eastern" experience I had been looking for. That was in 1993 and I've been returning ever since. My first Thai sojourn was a pretty typical jaunt -- partying on Khao San Road, trekking in Chiang Mai, lazing on Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Phi Phi, taking 10B tuk tuks in Bangkok and getting shuffled through dodgy gem stores -- generally all the things I now tell people to skip!

At the time, information was more limited. Sure, there were guidebooks -- and I'd say the books on Thailand at the time, the blue Lonely Planet and Carl Parke's book for Moon, were easily the last good guidebooks to the country -- but generally you didn't see the same degree of trip-planning and research that you do today. It was more of a "choose your own adventure" thing.

There is a dearth of information online for Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar (not to mention India). Any plans to start covering these destinations?
We won't be covering Burma as a destination, though we do have a Burma section on the messageboard that has some very knowledgeable people posting to it. We live in Indonesia and may be making an announcement about this in the coming months. I've never been to the Philippines, so if we were to look at expanding to there, I guess I'd have to do a few trips up there to have a look around first! India -- ahhh that definitely falls into the "way too much to chew" department. IndiaMike.com does a pretty good job on it.

Could Travelfish become global, or do you see it staying solely in Southeast Asia?
That's a good question, but I think one of the appeals of Travelfish is that we cover just one part of the world, and cover it well. We could hardly write with any authority or experience on travel through Chad, Peru or Portugal and while I think there are a lot of of websites out there that are trying to take a global view of things, there are none that I would say are doing it successfully from the reader's point of view. Six or seven countries home to a few hundred million people is enough to keep me busy.

Stuart catching a boat with a cow in Champassak.

Which travel blogs do you read?
Well Madness and Beauty for starters! Food is an integral part of the Asian experience and one of the best places to start are the food blogs -- not only will you get an inside angle on what to eat, you'll probably learn oodles about the country and culture as well. Austin Bush's food blog is Thai focused, but probably the best in the region. For Malaysia, Eating Asia by Robyn Eckhardt is excellent, while for Vietnam look no further than Sticky Rice. Cambodia Phnomenon is where it is at for that corner of the world. While not food blogs, Lao Bumpkin and Lao Miao are very useful for facts on the ground and "off the map" travel.

Some non-food blogs:
http://thelunaticexpress.com/ (I admire that this terrific idea was undertaken with so little noise online)
http://www.ephemerratic.com/ (their Asia stuff is very good)
http://itinerantlondoner.wordpress.com/ (good writing and pics)
http://primitiveculture.blogspot.com/ (good writing and pics -- disclosure: this author used to work for us)
http://nomadic-tendencies.blogspot.com/ (not so much to read but to look at)

A side note about personal travel blogs, is there's often a tendancy for the writers, as they develop a wider readership, to get waylaid trying to cook up an earning out of the blog. While I certainly understand the desire to make a bit of dosh on the side, I think it's an unfortunate distraction and often adversely affects the blog as it switches from good interesting writing to a more "Top 10 things to pack for whatever" style -- often with little more than a nominal reward for the writer.

Given the internet's obvious strengths for planning, do you think that the travelfish model will force the big travel companies to re-evaluate their way of doing things?
I think the big travel publishers are already re-evaluating how things get done, but not always in ways that improve the product for the traveller. Yes the internet can be a very handy tool for planning, but as I said in an open letter published over on Matador, the internet isn't infallible and the best info is often gathered by talking to a traveller who has just been where you want to go.

The big publishers often use a team of writers from outside the region, who all fly in and cover the country in as quick a time as possible (they're mostly paid a set fee so it pays to do the ground work asap to keep costs down). The information is then boiled down, edited and published perhaps nine months to a year after they were there. This is a broken model and should be changed. They could take advantage of the internet and a wider variety of locally-based authors/researchers to put the product together -- it would be faster and certainly more accurate and you'd no longer have researchers put in the position where they have six weeks to cover Indonesia. Is this going to happen? Probably not.

Lonely Planet has been doing some interesting things with its BlogSherpa program, but not all are satisfied with it from a blogger's point of view, and, well, a lot of the writing isn't too hot. I think they'd be better off having their writers creating this content to retain a more professional angle.

I don't subscribe to the idea that the internet will kill guidebooks. People will always need them -- and (thankfully) the internet isn't everywhere. And who wants to throw their Toshiba notebook at the rat chewing through their pack -- that's what a guidebook is for!

What are the site's statistics in terms of contributors and visitors?
Travelfish at the moment has six paid researchers in the field. It varies depending on what is going on -- we've had as many as 12 and as few as one. All live in the region and most have other jobs (which is why the number fluctuates month to month). Site-wise we do around 1.5 million page impressions a month via around a quarter of a million unique users.

Are people using travelfish over the big name guidebooks?
Most are using both. Some are using just Travelfish. We don't see Travelfish as a replacement for your guidebook -- rather as complement. We cover places that no other guidebook does, so for those who really want to get off the beaten track, Travelfish can be especially useful. Researchers for Lonely Planet and Rough Guides use Travelfish, so that's a good sign I guess!

You have traveled extensively in Asia. Any new destinations that you're dying to visit?
I'm just about to start doing regular exploratory trips in Indonesia, which I'm very excited about -- heading to Southern Sulawesi next week. While we've been living here for a few years, we've also just had two children and they're now getting old enough (one and nearly three) that I'm more comfortable taking longer trips away from them. So I've got a lot of travel in Indonesia planned.

What is your number one piece of advice for first-timers to Southeast Asia?
Less is more. Planning a trip is like packing a bag. When you're packing, lay everything you want to take out on the bed -- then put half of it back in your cupboard. The same goes for route-planning. Plan out an itinerary then cut half the destinations (or ask the boss for more time off!) so that you can spend more time in each place. Southeast Asia doesn't lend itself well to whistlestop tours.

You are a long term expat. Do you think you'll ever move back to the West?
My answer depends on whether my Mum is going to read this! I think we've probably got another 6 years or so in Indoneisa before we need to make a serious decision about our kids' schooling -- at this stage that is what would take us back to Australia.

What is your absolute favourite Southeast Asian city, and why?
Phnom Penh. We lived there for two years a few years ago and it really struck a chord with me -- as did Cambodia as a whole. For a place so wracked by pain and suffering the people are an amazing lesson in human spirit. I found it a fascinating place to live, though very depressing in some ways -- especially regarding how the city is being developed. There was something about just sitting around on the riverfront that will always stay with me. I also asked Sam to marry me there -- that counts for something!

A Beer Lao in Attapeu.

I am a dyed-in-the-wool foodie when traveling. What is your top priority when you visit a country?
Eat, eat and eat some more. But I also like to get the lay of the land -- just to take a wander around wherever I'm staying helps to get a feel for the place -- if there is waterfront -- be it river or sea, I'll spend some time down there. It's always interesting to see how others relax.

As I am a foodie, I need to know – what has been your most memorable meal in Asia?
The one dish I wish we had ordered was "Black Male in Ash", listed on a menu in Lak Sao in Laos. The best I ate was in the Mekong Delta on my first trip there (1994). My travel companion and I took a frieghter from My Tho up to Chau Doc on the Cambodian border. Late in the afternoon, the boat stopped at a fish farm-like thing -- it was really just a floating deck that had an absolutely massive wok with boiling oil on it. They caught the fish and they went straight off the hook and into the oil -- they didn't ever touch the ground -- a matter of minutes later we had these steaming clunks of fish with condiments and a batch of cold beer. With the sunset coming and the constant drumming of the Mekong, I'll never forget it.

When writing a guide for a city and researching all of the nitty gritty details is it possible to still relax and enjoy the destination, or is it more like a business trip?
Well it certainly takes some of the pleasure out of it. But at the same time you get to do stuff you may not otherwise have bothered to do -- there is an upside and a downside to this kind of work. I tend to pace myself, so if I allow a week for a city I'll be working half the day and then doing my own thing (which may or may not double as research) the other half. I tend to eat dinner then write-up the day's work, then do bar research -- not the other way around!

Finally, for all of my readers who haven't used travelfish, why should they start? (shameless self-promotion is allowed...)

If you're looking to get off the beaten track in Southeast Asia, Travelfish is, simply, the biggest repository of independently researched information online. We've got more than 4,000 anonymously reviewed places to stay across around 400 destinations in six countries. The forum contains a wealth of travel planning advice -- from myself, other Travelfish researchers and travellers and expats. And best of all, it's free. There are PDF guidebooks you can buy (or even Travelfish T-shirts!) but just about everything you need is available on the site 100% free. Travelfish has also launched an application for iPhones - check it out here!

Well sold, Stuart! Thanks again for the interview.

Stuart, pictured with partner Sam (who is also an integral part of travelfish)

(Stuart previously lived in Thailand and Cambodia for around eight years between them, where he worked as an under-paid, under-skilled language teacher, an embassy staffer, a newspaper web-site developer and various other stuff. Before all those non-travel jobs he authored two travel guides, one to Vietnam and one to Thailand. He still spends a lot of time travelling and can sleep anywhere, anytime - even on the road to Bokor. His favourite read is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. He lives in Bali, Indonesia.)

Endtimes, and Am I Causing Them?

The Burmese fortune teller said nothing of my disaster causing abilities....

This continent that I love – the countries that I have visited and loved and still dream about are getting pummeled and beaten and battered in a rapid succession usually only seen in disaster movies. A catastrophic typhoon floods Philippines with a month's rain in one day, and then moves on to Vietnam and Cambodia to kill hundreds more – landslides now threaten entire cities. Sumatra is rocked by two massive earthquakes in as many days, leaving thousands buried in rubble in a country with scant resources to pull them out. Samoa and Tonga, tiny Polynesian nations also in the so-called "Ring of Fire" of seismic activity, have been ravaged by tsunamis, killing more than one hundred.

I am in Northern Luzon - you know, that top part of the Philippines that is smack dab in the projected eye of the new "super" typhoon scheduled to slam into land tomorrow. We are heading to a coastal beach resort in the North tomorrow, but neither of us are thrilled at the prospect of getting doused with the inevitable buckets of rain sure to come with the storm. The coast seems better than Manila, however – at least there won't be floods. A romantic beach end to our time together? Not exactly.

I can't help but wonder - what is next? After S heads to LA for work I am heading to Sydney next month – home of the recent red skies and dust storms. After that I head to Fiji – near the epicentre of the South Pacific quakes that caused the tsunamis. I'll end in LA and who knows what will happen to the Angelenos when Violet Dear gets nearby?

Maybe I have been reading too much Stephen King, watching too much Hitchcock – but I can't help but feel that I am cursing these places. In October I was in Bangkok during the coup, in November in Mumbai during the attacks, in Jakarta days after the Marriott bombings and in Yangon during Aung San Su Kyi's arrest. I was even in the Taipei airport the day that the deadly typhoon there started. What next? Is the world coming to an end?

It may come as a shock to you, but I was raised an atheist – with a few twinges of half-assed Christianity from my Grandma (She said a mean 'Grace') but that doesn't mean that I don't know my scripture. In fact, during my morbid semi-goth teenhood I read the bible cover to cover (I skipped the begats – doesn't everyone?) and I feel like I know the signs of the Rapture pretty well (yeah I do, Debbie Harry rapping and referencing Fab 5 Freddie....oh, not that Rapture? Not the Siouxsie Sioux album either? Sorry....)

Blood red skies at the bottom of the earth? Plagues and disasters? Massive earthquakes within hours of eachother? S made the comment that we are "riding the wave of disaster wherever we go." Good god, if I see any type of horsemen..... Usually I give the wackadoo street preachers downtown Vancouver a wide berth, but I think I may just stop and see what they have to say...or, er, yell. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. Especially when I seem to be cursing all of the places I visit.

All I know is that it really sucks that this seems to happen to Asia more often than anywhere else. These people have so little, so few possessions compared to what we have and it seems like a dick move on Nature's part to keep destroying their homes and killing their families. Maybe those street preachers and I do have something to talk about...

Click to donate to UNICEF Philippines, to Red Cross Indonesia (via the US) or Oxfam Samoa (via NZ.) Please help - a lot of folks could use a hand.

Confusing Photo of the Week #6

Why, ass captain is the most important job on board, along with the bikini inspector and the muff diver....

Thank god the Cleaner and his helper were off that day, otherwise we would have all been in for a surprise.