Who doesn’t like the movie babe? Only people with one eyebrow I think.

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We awoke at 7:30 am, yay! We made it past 3, and 4 and 6 am. However, I did wake up many times as I was sweating while I slept. We had a cool fan and a breeze from the window, but a comforter! not a bed sheet. I am going to have to learn to sleep without any covers. Alas, I had a shower, it was a sandal’s on kind of place, only because the last occupant had his/her shoes on and they left muddy footprints everywhere. The shower had the option of hot, but I chose luke warm. I used my quick dry towel as there were no towels in the room, something to get used to I’m sure. I asked at reception for a towel and was given one, so that Kirk could also shower.

For breakfast Kirk had an egg and cheese omlette and I a “sexy omelette” (basically an omelette with chicken, onions and barbecue type of sauce in it). We also had bacon (just not the same, not even like precooked bacon). I think will stick to cooked thai dishes for breakfast. The omelette was good but nothing like my Dad’s or like the rest of the thai food we have had so far at our guest house.

After a leisurely morning we rented bikes from our guest house and travelled around town. A super way to see the town, cool breeze, and great sights. Lots of kids waved from their homes or on the street and said allo (hello). Very friendly. We were off to see the town and maybe find the sculpture park. We didn’t locate the park (as our map had no street names) but we saw life in Nong Khai. See the gallery for some pictures of oxen (cows?) we saw crossing the road. » Read the rest of the entry..

Our overnight train trip was very easy. The swede accross from us was talkative, although hard to understand due to his way of speaking low and mumbling while barely moving his lips. Sleeping was easy, I was out by 10, heather an hour later so she says. She had the upper bunk and I the lower. We slept with our packs to prevent theft of which there was none. » Read the rest of the entry..

Written October 12, 2005

Our last day in Bangkok (thankfully!). We checked out after a leisurely morning and left our packs at the hostel as we had to return that evening to pick up passports with newly acquired vietnam visa. First stop was lunch at the Whitanhya (spelling?) building. It is a school of some type and we ate in the cafeteria. Heather had something (we don’t know what it was because the menu was in thai) that tasted like licorice a bit with rice and some crunchy sweet thing. I had a spicy chicken dish topped with a fried egg, it was very good but very spicy. Spicy + 33C temp + high humidity= extreme sweaty kirk, not pretty. » Read the rest of the entry..

What happens when you create a massive online image gallery (flickr), monitor what people are looking at, and mix?

…automated discovery of interesting images based on heavy duty analysis of user behaviour around the photos.

Whatever that means. Anyway, what you get is some very interesting photos.

When you send or bring your passport to an embassy, consulate or high commission for the stamp or sticker required by a given country, it’s natural to assume that you will get exactly what you ask and pay for. But an issuing officer can sometimes make a mistake. If that happens, the onus is on you to discover it and have it corrected.

Take the case of Jean Pierre Hamelin of Midland, Ont., who on arrival in Mumbai India was told by immigration officials that his visa (recently acquired) was expired. He was ordered to reboard the plane he came on wrecking his travel plans. Even though Mr. Hamelin when through all the proper procedures to secure a visa, the visa was issued incorrectly and Mr. Hamelin neglected to check it before leaving for India.

�the conditions of contract for international air tickets make travellers responsible for having all necessary documents. Someone denied entry to a country can’t claim a refund from the airline and must bear the cost of being flown out.

He did not get much sympathy from the Indian consulate here in Toronto either,

The Indian consulate says it was Hamelin’s responsibility to check the visa when he received it and to ask for a change if one was required. “He can read. He’s an educated person,” says S. R. Grover, acting consul-general.

When planning for your next trip, make sure you check out with the Foreign Affairs Canada website, voyage.gc.ca to find out if you need a passport, visa or other documents. Make sure to check well in advance of your planned travel. It is also important to make sure that your passport be valid for six months beyond the end of your stay in a country, as some places will bar entrance. Be very aware of when you can enter and when you have to leave the country.

References: Globe and Mail on Saturday, April 23, 2005 Page T8, by By DOUGLAS MCARTHUR

Written October 11, 2004.

I awoke on my birthday, early, as per usual. Definitely before 6am! Breakfast starts at 7am and we were there with bells on. We waited in the tv room till 8am for the US presidential debate to start broadcasting live. It wasn’t till nearly 9am that others joined us, and out of all of us only one American. I’m sure that there are many Americans staying at the hostel, I guess Saturday morning is too early for them.

The nightlife in Bangkok apparantly is huge, with bars (inside and out) opening in the evening. Kirk and I have not been able to stay awake that long to find out, and it’s not the reason why we came here. After the debate we headed to the sky train, an above ground subway. Our hostel is a 2 minute walk to “Nana” station. We were on our way to the weekend market at the end of the sky train north line (Mo Chit). Chutachuk (surely spelled wrong) is a massive open air market crowded with thais and foreigners. We arrived at the market at 11am, and it was ram-jammed! » Read the rest of the entry..

Mashups are getting better and better. With Trent recently releasing a single for the remix / mashup crowd some odd combos were sure to happen. This is one of them, except its really good. Check it out at: nathanchase.com

Update: 17/05/04, check out this little mashup too. It will make your mind explode.