Cooee

So we came all the way back, just to go back - Cambodia

2011-12-06T17:36:00.001+07:00

We've been back in Oz for just over one month now. Happy to say Mr Bundy's ears are still intact, minus the points (Solar Dermatis, fancy name for my cat can't tolerate the sun. So he's doomed to a life of zinc cream coated ears). And, I've given into the fact that I WILL have to move more than two chairs and a bed back into the house and have started to do so. Can see a big garage sale coming

Reflecting on Marriage

2011-11-20T17:44:00.001+07:00

Seems like a life time ago...and then again, just like yesterday. Nearly 33 years of knowing and 29 years of marriage. I think there must be some sort of medal or prize forthcoming...lol. Must have been a bloody hot day, get a load of that candle. Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

From Chiang Mai to Australia

2011-11-05T10:21:00.000+07:00

From Chiang Mai to Australia (23rd – 28th October) THAILAND FLOODS It’s been three WHOLE days since we landed on Australian soil...we left with very mixed emotions, and that’s not taking into account dodging the flooding in Bangkok. For those living in, or keeping a close eye on, Thailand, the feelings have been mixed, if not angry at times. There have been many discussions across

Heading home via BKK

2011-10-23T15:07:00.000+07:00

So, here I sit with a pore pack on my nose, relaxing in our Bangkok hotel writing this update. After arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday we dumped our cumbersome luggage (including camera>PC cable, grrr) at the ‘Left Luggage’ facility and sky trained it into the city. Apart from the usual swampy areas along the way, there was little excess water to be seen. Looking down, only several

So what does it cost to live in Thailand?

2011-10-14T22:06:00.000+07:00

So what does it cost to live in Thailand? Of course that question is loaded with variables (especially rent), but for us, who needed a wall/door separating the bedroom from the living area (bonus two bathrooms)....around 28 000 - 32 000 Baht per month in total, for both, for everything. Our abode was far from the Taj Mahal, but was decent and about 1.5 km from the city walls/moat. Near to two

Breast slapping - not sure if it's for me!

2011-09-23T18:55:00.000+07:00

You know how you get those emails (thank you Ernie) from time to time, that you just want to share with everyone. Couldn't go past putting this on Cooee....since it's so totally Thailand. "Sometimes we have to refuse treatment because some breasts are too small to be enlarged." I can just see the tears now. This is the original article in the Herald Sun Apparently it's not a new concept -

Cue the queue rage

2011-09-21T16:09:00.001+07:00

So...just exactly what is a 'queue'? Well, according to Wiki it's 'where a line of people wait' = first come, first served. In Thai it's spelt คิว (kew) and sounds the same as the English word 'queue'. "French (out of Latin coda), from the French cue, a word originally meaning "tail", but evolving over time by the 1700s at least in French to also mean line." Askville Amazon If you've

Looking for a good massage in Chiang Mai?

2011-09-18T15:15:00.002+07:00

So, I'm lying there...on my back...fully arched over the raised knees of the masseuse underneath me. I'd usually have some reluctance about being in this position, being, well not the lightest compared to most Thai women. However, my lady today is not what you'd call 'delicately boned'. But boy, does she and her colleagues know what they're doing! Anyway, as she's massaging my temples,

September 11 is a little different for us

2011-09-11T00:02:00.000+07:00

Today will no doubt be a solemn day for many as they recall the horrific tragedy of ten years ago. For us however, it has a very different meaning. 27 years ago today CJ came into our world. We were completely spun out that we'd actually created another human being. She arrived determined, intelligent and one of those kids who is sixty years old trapped in a tiny person's body. Exactly

Heaven in a banana leaf cup

2011-09-09T20:43:00.002+07:00

Yes, the pursuit for delicious and different food continues...just ask my butt! Mouse took me to the market yesterday, where I bought Hor Mok Bplaa. The thing about going to the market, with a local, is that they know who sells the best, freshest, whatever and at the best price. Oh, and they can explain to you exactly what it is you’ll be eating later. Hor Mok Bplaa is a Steamed Curry

A Day Out In Bo Sang

2011-09-01T13:15:00.001+07:00

If you’re looking for something to do around Chiang Mai, the Bo Sang area has a lot to offer. Apart from the fishing park, there’s silk weaving, clothes and embroidery, pottery, jewellery and silver shops and the parasol factory to visit. Factory probably isn’t the right word, although there is an assembly line of sorts, as the umbrellas are all made by hand. How? The bark of the mulberry

Vietnam - Inside And Out - a pictorial.

2011-08-18T21:04:00.000+07:00

The photos in this post were collected over a few trips to Vietnam. I love to look at architecture, whether it be temples, old historic buildings, new houses or crumbling ruins. And sometimes the interiors can be just as intriguing. I've weeded out some of my favourites to share. A new house in Que Nhon Many houses and hotels, no matter what they may look like on the exterior, go

Graduation Night - Volunteer Teaching

2011-08-08T22:51:00.003+07:00

Last week Stray's English class graduated and we made sure we were back from Pattaya in time for him to attend. Here's a few photos that don't need any words.... ...except perhaps, blue band aid. I suppose if you have to wear one on you nose on graduation night, you may as well make a *statement* ;) Congratulations to all the kids in passing not only English, but also Thai

Sanctuary in Pattaya

2011-08-04T14:26:00.009+07:00

Stray and I have just returned from Pattaya where we celebrated an old mate’s birthday, quite successfully I might add. So, for a fewui days we hung around catching up and enjoying the big event...and before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, I DO know that there is more to Pattaya than what first meets stabs you in the eye. However, apart from my own grey hair and big belly, one can’t

Angel's Juice

2011-07-29T03:57:00.004+07:00

Angel, along with her sister, runs a modest eatery not far from our apartment. We sometimes drop in for a stir fry or Stray’s omelet. When she’s not cooking, Angel can often be seen sitting behind large plastic tubs, big enough to bath a small child in, and pots. You would be forgiven for thinking this was something one might find on a forest floor, or possibly stuck to

Tag, you're it for 'My 7 Links' - when bloggers get tagged.

2011-07-26T16:07:00.003+07:00

Recently I became aware that Cooee had been nominated to do 'My 7 Links', by Megan's Bangkok Reality Smackdown. It's a project that was started by Tripbase, and along with Lani at Tell Thai Heart and three other bloggers, Cooee has been passed the baton. I'm also surprised that Megan named our blog, because there are so, so many out there with much more worthy content. Cooee was

Same, same, but totally different - Thailand and Vietnam

2011-07-24T14:46:00.005+07:00

Thailand and Vietnam have some things in common...they're both in Asia (obviously) and over time, have been home to some of the same ethnic tribes. And, each have given and taken from the Mon Khmer language in years gone by. But they are very different. After having been in Thailand now for 9 months, I guess one tends to notice, well, odd, trivial or smaller differences when

Ho-ax Chi Minh City

2011-07-21T17:30:00.004+07:00

I suppose I shouldn’t just single out Ho Chi Minh, because wherever there are hoards of tourists in big cities, there are bound to be scams. And, to be honest, some of the practices back in Australia regarding foreign tourists leave a lot to be desired. But, this time, Ho Chi Minh took the cake. It started at the airport. Generally taxi coupon services are there to save you from

Da Lat (and what costs what).

2011-07-18T20:59:00.011+07:00

About two weeks ago... It’s a very short flight from Danang to Da Lat, only an hour and twenty minutes, and after a bit of shut eye, coffee for me and energy drink (relieved to find out Vitamin PP is another name for B3) for Stray, we’d landed. Body of water on the way to Da Lat Shortly prior to landing Da Lat's Lien Khuong International Airport had only recently been built when

A Vietnamese Wedding - Day 2

2011-07-17T12:04:00.002+07:00

About two weeks ago... The ladies are dressed in their embroidered and beaded Ao Dais by the time we reach Dung's house and some of the girls are putting the finishing touches to the bride's wedding costume. It doesn't take long before the groom's procession is delivered by mini van and they make their way inside the house to 'receive the bride'. In day's gone by the groom's mother may

A Vietnamese Wedding - Day 1

2011-07-16T12:46:00.002+07:00

About two weeks ago... The reason for our visit to Vietnam is upon us. Our friend, Dung's wedding. Danang is the closest city that has an airport, major bus or train station, which is only around 40 minutes away from Hoi An by car. Along the way, the coastline and local houses are being devoured by gigantuos resorts, contrasted by the quonset huts, still standing from the war. The

Where in the world is Pho Chien Phong? Part II

2011-07-15T15:22:00.002+07:00

...continued Some hours later back at the hotel, our friend Thanh arrives and Stray expresses his desire to find Pho Chien Phong. Thanh was with us the first and only time we'd eaten it, but isn't sure where we can find it close by. He reassures us that what we're having for dinner is just as appetising. And it is, but it's not PCP. We break up the evening of eating with a trip to the

Where in the world is Pho Chien Phong?

2011-07-14T11:53:00.004+07:00

About two weeks ago... In March last year our friends took us to West Lake, Hanoi, to dine by the waterside. One of the dishes we enjoyed was Pho Chien Phong. Little square pillows of deep fried puffed up rice noodle, topped with meat and water spinach. Since that time Stray, especially, has had a hankering is determined to try it again. We did try to find it all the way down the coast of

Hanoi - 4th Impressions

2011-07-13T16:14:00.003+07:00

About two weeks ago... This was our fourth visit to Hanoi and it's just as kaleidoscopic and cacophonic, as we left it 18 months ago. During the drive from the airport into the city we noticed many more motorbike helmets (and not sitting in the scooter basket), than last time...the smog haze, sadly, looked just the same. London to a brick she's wearing stocking socks. Just as in

Safe and sound in Vietnam

2011-06-29T15:03:00.000+07:00

Stray and I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam this morning...it's just as vibrant and crazy as we left it, last year. Blogging won't be a priority until we return to Chiang Mai. Too much to do, fear of getting another virus in my camera and limited commenting access (Martyn, there's a funicular up to Wat Doi Suthep, isn't there? ;) will keep me quiet for a while. Anyway, I've caught up on some sleep with