Emerald Isle Revisited: Behind Bars

Approximately four hours of drive to Dublin from Tralee... View of rolling fields and farms transformed into buildings and motorcars. But I was still pleasantly surprised that Dublin is not unbearably congested or made up of concrete jungle, or filled with smog and cars (like the city I'm currently living in... or the one I previously lived in... ). There is also a height restriction on buildings in Dublin, so no skyscrapers here, which is kind of nice as it doesn't give the intimidating sneer as you approach the city.

It's one of the nicest cities I've been to, in my opinion. A canal stretches through the city and willow trees hung low, almost dipping into the waters. People jogging, cycling and walking the dogs. 

Think Dublin, think Guinness Storehouse!

Oh but wait, I absolutely must show you what I had for breakfast that morning! The fresh strawberries and blueberries we got from the market before! So sweet, it's unbelievable. I couldn't stop eating them  <-- favourite emoji.

Anyway. Back to the Storehouse.

Top left beautiful drive towards Dublin with a welcoming rainbow to greet us.
Top right - what else, Guinness stout!
Bottoms - monkeys.

Pretty interesting tour through the storehouse. Learnt how stout is produced, a distinct flavour extracted from water, barley, yeast and hops. Then we were brought into this bright, white room with no decoration whatsoever, except for a few high top tables. There were fumes coming out of these tables and we were asked to go around and smell each of them - each a unique aroma of the separate ingredients - some very intoxicating, I must say!

I may just have to exclude a photo description in the photo itself, I'll just lose material to blog about. Hmmpf. Anyway there's a cafe in the storehouse which serves cakes, breads, drinks etc. It seemed natural to order something Guinness-related and so I did. The pie was mediocre, truth be told. Prepared in advance, and popped into the microwave to re-heat. Chewy meat, hard crust... need I say more? 

Took a 2-minute learn-how-to pour your own Guinness draft too. Thought I looked funny here...

My almost perfectly drafted pint of stout, coached by Anthony... and the Chinese girl who works for Guinness, lol. She told us that she's only been there for two weeks... Hmm... The Chinese are really taking over, me thinks. I also think I aced the pint on my first try. An alternative future plan, perhaps?

It's also interesting to note that the water used to brew Guinness stout comes from, and only from the Wicklow Mountains in Dublin. Taken from the Gravity bar, which gives a 360 degree view of the city.

.... And all sorts of memorabilia of the Guinness stronghold. We easily spent 3-4 hours roaming the storehouse.

Oh.. and a considerable amount of time was used browsing the souvenir section of the storehouse. Got a few chocolate bars infused with Guinness - these were incredibly awesome! It didn't look so much like it, but it was so cold! I ended up with a runny nose when we came back. 

Emerald Isle Revisited: A Stroll, and A Bite (OK, more than a bite)

I'm quite excited to blog about one of my favourite places, just because of all the beautiful pictures I've got!!

Been lucky with the travelling. I was in Crawley again for another course - did not explore the place this time though; unless you count the town's only mall. I suppose I'd done the grand tour of Crawley. Let's see... London, Brighton Beach.... aaaand that's about it.

First shot - first day of arrival in the UK and decided I was too tired to head out for dinner so I ordered a room service instead .

The hotel's fish and chips were unbelievably good (despite the depressing hallways and colours of the hotel) - Take a good hard look at the mushed peas and you might just agree! Lovely shade of green - not like the horrible Harrod's ones, brownish green those are. And zen washed down with a glass of orange juice. I love my company :D

Autumn is coming and look what I found on the walk to work! Blackberries and raspberries sprouting all over the side of the pavements. Un.believable... And here we are, living in the South East Asia and paying $5 for a small box of these berries. While they're growing all over like weeds here. I plucked a few and they tasted very sweet and juicy! Why T_T

So, yea.... KERRY, I'VE MISSED YOU!!

Le spread de breakfastze la jour une .

I'll say this, I'm getting rather spoilt and accustomed to the beautiful and delicious food here . Perfectly toasted brown bread, grilled tomatoes, fried sausages and egg, two mouth-watering slices of black pudding (love them to bits) and the attention stealer fried back bacon. 

I love topping my egg onto buttered toast - the combination of the slightly runny yolk and bouncy-soft whites mixed with the crrrrunchy toast is out of this world. The slightly darkened sausage dipped in a wee bit of ketchup and in between chews, a bite of black pudding with a tear of back bacon. Washed down with a cup of flat white. Mmmm....

On the way back, we stopped by at the market for some cheese and berries . The market set up here is for local farmers and growers to sell their produce. We saw some delicious looking crepes but decided the breakfast has taken all of the space. Maybe next time.

A ceremony of cheeses. 

1 - It was a beautiful and perfect first day in Ireland! But the grand weather did not last long... meh.
2/3 Stroll on the Rose of Tralee park after the heartily stuffed meal.
4 - Flake 99 again on the go!

And we are on our way to Glanteenassig again! One of my favourite places in the world ... 

Family of fungus and little ones dotted here and there . I personally prefer the three shots on the right, especially the big shroom sheltering the smaller one .

Which way is up, which way is down?

The forest and the lake is breathtaking as always. We are very lucky to have this beautiful weather!  But it was also increasingly chilly. The last time I was here, I was clad in a skimpy top and shorts. This trip I was fully covered, leggings, and a windbreaker. I've always enjoyed an overcast, gloomy sort of days, but now I finally understood why it's such a big deal when you get some sun out here. The days are much beautiful in the summer, temperature is cool and the sun helps you to keep warm.

I tried persuading Anthony to have a picnic but it didn't work out. Not that I'm complaining because we then left for Castlegregory (no castles here, Anthony said) and the food is a-ma-zing!

Autumn is here 

(You probably find it annoying with the sudden overflowing use of emojis but I really think they're quite cute. And addictive to include hehe).

Castlegregory - where surfs are up and aplenty. Should have gotten some surfing lessons but it was too chilly to even consider a dip!

But we were more interested in what's opposite the coast.

Oh my, oh my. What gorgeous, absolutely fresh food served by Spillane's!

Clockwise from 5 o'clock - Appetiser of a baked crab in cream sauce. Omg the cream sauce was oh so good. We finished every last trickle of it lol. And don't get me started on the crabmeat...

Anthony's main of baked cod. It was beautifully done. I love how Spillane's had the fish covered in sesame and something else (lol) to give it a crispy outer crust. Perfect for people like me who do not like their fish soft and squishy.

And my main - the Jimbalaya seafood with rice. WOW. I've never quite tasted anything like it before. It's a little like paella, only much, much better! Scallops, crab meat, mussels, prawns, snap peas and that humongrous crayfish, married together in one vibrant plate.  Bliss. Needless to say the everything was fresh and juicy. It felt like a crime that I did not manage to finish it.... It was quite a big portion, in my defense!

So this is what falling in love feel like nom nom nom nom.

A Stroke of Yangonese Gold

Goodness me, what a month it has been! Back one day on a flight then out on another flight the next day. But been busy in a good way, I must say.

 First stop, Yangon!

This trip was only planned a week before it actually happened. A friend was working in the city and I decided to visit. Got an early flight in and arrived at the airport just before noon. Around here, things work with Myanmar Kyat (pronounced Chyat) or in USD. Now, if you decide to pay in US Dollars, things get a little bit more complicated. Well, kind of. You just need to make sure that the USD notes you bring are new; without any fold marks, scribbles, or any form of defacement. The Burmese will reject your money if they do not like the condition of the notes. Which can be quite a pain if you need to get somewhere in a jiffy.

Got into a cab at the airport for almost a 30-minute ride to the Kandawgyi Hotel in town (only USD10!). Nice cabbie tried talking to me, explaining how to get to some of the temples from my hotel. He also taught me some words in Burmese (complicated words!!), his English wasn't very good but it's nice that he tried to be hospitable in his own way .

On a side note... Been going mad with the photo editing tool that I just discovered. Love how easy and beautiful pictures look now, exactly how I wanted them to look like. Tell me what you think!

Yangon International Airport... fancy schmancy hor...

I was so starved that I put off checking into the room and instead, dragged my luggage to the hotel restaurant straight away.

First meal upon touching down on Yangon. Ordered a dish of pork curry with rice and some vegetables of carrots, cabbage, celery. Oh. My. God. The curry. was. absolutely. divine!!! It has got to be on my list of one of the best curries I've ever had. I couldn't get enough of it! Tons of fried shallots add a beautiful crunch. Pork wasn't the most tender of meats I've had but the gravy more than makes it up for it. Completely out of this world. Needless to say, I wiped the plates clean.

A quick shower later and I am out within the hour. Not very lucky with the weather as it started drizzling softly. Anyway, first stop to the main Yangon attraction, the Shwedagon Pagoda!

I must admit that I was most impressed and quite taken aback by this beautiful structure at first sight... Even with the overcast skies, the sheen of the gold is not diminished... The very top of the stupa is a wealth of treasure. Gold rings, rubies, jades, emeralds, diamonds adorn the topmost tip. There are a few binoculars placed around the pagoda so you can try and spot them but I couldn't tell!

Usual rules comply for entry into the temples, no short shorts and no shoes. But the tiles were really clean and probably washed quite often!

The skies seemed really kacau back then but I like to think they bring out the gold of the stupas nicely. If the sky had been a clear, vivid blue then the gold colours wouldn't stand out as pretty, eh?

Devout ladies

As a friend rightly said, the display of wealth is at odds with the economy and its citizens. Some people barely making a living and all. But I like it that the people here are not pushy about selling their items or services to you. I've been to Vietnam where this is a major headache. They put the pressure on you to purchase their goods and if you say no, they linger on and wait till you break.

The Burmese believe that the days which we are born determine our fate and horoscopes. I was born on a Friday and thus, that makes me a guinea pig..... As it was also a Friday when I was there, many other 'guinea pigs' are out at the temple praying and making offerings...

So that's how they kept the tiles clean.... Tile by tile...

As I was trying to get my 100th shot of the main stupa, a dark Burmese tour guide told me to stand at another corner to capture a better image. Then he started going on about the temple and how he used to live in Japan (he speaks fluent Japanese!); married a Japanese; but eventually got a divorce. He (Myo Aung, but can opt to call him Chris) went on lamenting about how local Burmese women are not interested in him any more, as he is a divorcee. I told him to get a girlfriend instead of a wife and he gave me an earful hehehe

He then dragged me to the guinea pig altar and taught me how to perform a prayer.

He also told me that female 'guinea pigs' generally have many boyfriends and are quite a player. I vehemently denied all such accusations, lol.

Seen anything interesting in this line of crafted statues? hehehe... I'll give you a hint, balls!!! 

This row of little imps are high up on the roof and it obviously wasn't me who spotted them... Chris did! He's the funny tour guide who eventually nicknamed me 'Sweetie' (suka hati give nickname... Such a casanova!). He fed me with all sorts of stories of the temple, Yangon and Burmese in general. A charismatic person to talk to. I casually mentioned to him that I intend to visit the Bogyoke (pronounced Bo-jowk) Aung San market. He was keen to bring me there and managed to persuade me to take a local bus and visit another temple (because he hasn't got any customers at the moment).

And into a bus we got into. My, my...

Most Yangonese (quite a mouthful, this) take the bus (a tad obvious from the top picture, I guess) and I was eventually pushed into a corner but managed to get a seat when the previous tenant got out. As I made myself comfortable, more people started inching in until this lady, who was standing right in front of me, had her crotch pushed against my knees! I'm just glad that that part of her is covered and I am furthermore wearing long pants.... Literally too close for comfort!

Saw this roadside stall selling pancakes. I was definitely keen to try.

The pancakes were delicious - crispy and sweet. Anyway, shopping time!! I went straight to a jewellery stall to look for a jade bracelet - one caught my fancy but I cannot reveal how much it costs; way too much .

Betel leaves/nut chewing (a quick search revealed that it is the very same as the daun kaduk!) is very common here. It used to be pretty common back home as well. I remember Ah Kong would chew them sometimes, for his nicotine fix. Road stalls are set up like a convenience store where you can get your supply of cigarette, nuts or betel leaves.

The leaves are slathered in limestone juice and some pieces of betel nut (areca nut) are added. The nut is red and gives off a black/red stain, evident among the dark-enameled smiles of the locals here. 

After the impulsive shopping, Chris brought me to one of the highest viewing point in Yangon city, a building called Hitachi tower, lol.

View from top of the tower (inside a cafe). See if you can spot the famous landmark! It's just strange for me that the tallest building is a corporate tower, here in Yangon.

Next temple.....

Look closely and you might just be able to spot the single strand of hair from Buddha! This is by far the most luxurious temple I have ever stepped foot into.

Filled with treasures; gold, antiques from thousands of years ago, diamonds, rubies, some notes and coins from the olden days, jaw dropping stuff!

Chris requested I put my arm over his shoulders for this photo. After the lone tourist who was randomly targeted to take this photo handed back my camera, Chris explained the significance of the casually rested hands on shoulders means a satisfied customer. Erm.... okay.

Chris insists that I put my hands together in a prayer and to shove my forehead to the statue's pointing index finger. I felt silly doing it while he took a picture but nevertheless started furiously wishing for a number of things 

By then, Chris has started confessing his love for me and that I must, must call him by tomorrow hahahaha, what a strategy to pull off on your customers! But if you are ever keen to visit Myanmar, this guy here is the person you want to go to!

Day 2 - Breakfast and walk to the Kandawgyi Park. We realize that there are just too many couples hanging out at the park - even though the weather is less than ideal (small shower); and umbrellas start popping all over while we left it to imagination as to what was going on under the guise of the umbrellas.

On a hindsight, the park looks really appealing from the photo. But lake is green and gross in reality... :/

Lunch of roast pork with stir fry vegetables. Roast pork is a bit like our version of char siew - I liked it.

Tea time at this cosy French-influenced place and I ordered some crepes of which I forgotten to take photos of!!! They were absolutely divine - banana with chocolate crepes. 

And last photo...

Finally dinner at Monsoon. Vinnie & I were contemplating where to go, and finally settled on Monsoon after having read some good reviews of the place. Ordered a 'Tea Salad' which is something very different - I've never had anything like it before. Made with tea leaves and a combination of peanuts, dried prawns, shallots, (not spicy, despite the daunting green chillis poking out of it- decorative purposes) and some unknown ingredients. It's bitter and slightly sweet. Quite nice but couldn't finish it!

And just like that went my day and a half in Yangon, wish I had more time to explore other places - Old Bagan, Inle Lake and the Mandalay - legendary Myanmar destinations...