Beijing musings

So we've started off our Asian trip with Heiko,who's come to visit from Germany.
We'r having a ball of a time here in the other side of the world.
Starting off in Vietnam, we're in Beijing now and off to Shenzhen tomorrow.
Hannah's there to teach English,all the way from sunny Trinidad,Caribbean! God knows why!
Then we'll catch the train to Hongkong, see Emily, n finally Japan for some good food and catchin'up with Miho!

Vietnam's been coool, with its amazing sights and sounds
millions of bikes on the streets, vietnamese bent over the streets slurping on Phos
and traditional ladies in their vietnamese hats,ploughing thru the rice fields.

Beijing's an odd city of modern and old.
I dont really know how to describe it,but an intriguing mix.
We'r still oddly puzzled and disgusted by the Chinese. They spit everywhere you go... parks, streets, even in a nice restaurant!

Heiko and Alberto were practising hard today, while we were resting on the Great Wall. They were doing their best impersonation of the typical Chinese spit, with the sound of their spits and my laughter echoing thru the walls. Puzzled tourists walked past with that disgusted look,wondering what us trio were up to. Ay such funny memories.

The images of Africa

Tanzanian women in traditional kanga

East African women dress in colourful clothes,

Vitenges are dresses tailor-made to fit their figures

and bring out the curves of African women.

Seamstresses lining the streets with their sewing machines

Dala-dalas with bus captains shouting out destinations
to attract passengers.

In the dala-dala

Adorable african kids gearing up for a picture

In the weekly markets

huge variety of colourful fruits and vegetables for sale.

I love scoaring thru the stalls of food,

and uncovering new species of fruits...

loads of green bananas for sale

intriguing Masai tribes welcome dance

they jump as high as they can

in tune with their rhythmic music

the Masai men become warriors at the age of 18,

after circumcision, they have to kill a lion with their bare hands

to be considered a real warrior.

the Masais build their houses with cow dung

streets of Zanzibar



typical Zanzibarian mudhouse

Machame market

a local lady frying bananas (ndizi), a popular tanzanian dish

and preparing my personal favourite mishikaki

barbequed meat sticks

vendors selling fried preserved fish in the market

fish market in Dar Es Salaam

hot n steamy, frying fresh fish and calamaries

Stone town, Zanzibar




Tall coconut trees line the coast of Zanzibar

Coastal houses in Jambiani, Zanzibar

they build their houses with white rocks found on beaches

Beautiful beach of Paje

local women gathering at the beach

Roaming the deserts of Egypt & Jordan

Suddenly the desert feeling comes back to me...
the vast sand, endless desert, miles n miles of nothingness

extreme heat in the day, extreme cold at nite

sleeping under the stars, they'r so close that u feel u could grab them in ur palms.

I yearn to have that feelin again...

entering the Bahariya Oasis of the Western Desert, Egypt
u could see many women, esp in villages, all wrapped up in their Muslim dresses

Crystal Mountain

frolicking in the sand

our safari jeep - ah all the bumpy rides

The White Desert
sheer whiteness - minerals naturally form an amazing desert

Night falls, setting camp in the middle of the desert

Our guide Mohammed fixing us sm true blue Bedouin meal.

Rice with sauteed potatoes n Roast chicken.

His food was probably the best we had in Egypt.

bbrrr freezin cold as day breaks. breakfast by the sand..

how I love the soft feel of sand...

i think i belong there..

the Mushroom phenomenon!

Alberto n his safari do

at the flower rocks desert.

JORDAN!

Rite in the heart of Wadi Rum,

our driver-guide brought us all over the desert n dropped us in the middle of nowhere

luckily the camp was soo chilled-out

comfy arabian couches n shisha for us to float on Aladdin high...

our sleeping tents

Many Bedouin nomads roaming the desert on their camels...


the Bedouin family we met in the heart of the desert,

who made tea for us n treated us with hospitality.

Sand dunes!

love sliding down these dunes, getting all sandy


our guide

on the bridge in the desert


on top of the bridge