Thursday, 29 May 2014

Holiday Inspiration: Thailand

There is so much to explore in Thailand, two weeks did not feel enough. Considering, I wanted to spend a good amount of time doing nothing but lying on the lovely beaches, taking a deep in the turquoise blue waters, sipping my cocktails and having as many of those cheap massages as possible while the sun blew away. 
I managed to enjoy a number of things though, and can say it has been one of my most memorable travels.
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The official language is Thai but many of the natives make an effort to speak English especially with tourists who are major contributors to the country's income.



Our first stop was Bangkok. We stayed at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, found in one of the world's tallest buildings. The view, the view! You could see the whole city and beyond from up there.
This hotel also had the best and biggest breakfast buffet I have ever seen. A whole floor dedicated to cuisines from all over the world.


View from the Baiyoke Sky Hotel Restaurant 

After all that food, a good walk was must. So we hit the busy streets. The people were so polite and welcoming. The city is generally chaotic but interesting. 
The prices of things in this country will have your jaw dropping over and over again, that called for some intense shopping. And you can haggle over almost everything too :-)
Don't miss trying a ride in the three wheeled taxis popularly known as the 'tuk-tuk' while you get around.



The tuk-tuk taxi

We then took a tour of some of the beautiful, historic temples and palaces in the land. These landmarks have amazing architecture.




Wat Pho temple of the reclining buddha
                              








Golden Buddah at Wat Traimit


The floating market where goods, mostly fruits and vegetables are sold on boats was quite colorful and fascinating. They also cook some local delicacies on those boats that you can give a go.







After few days in Bangkok, we went over to Thailand's largest island, Phuket, located in the South. It has beautiful, long sandy beaches, some more active than others depending on your preference. 
Some of the activities to indulge in on the island are snorkeling, island hopping, diving, sailing, cave touring, elephant rides, not forgetting the bustling nightlife on the beaches.
The party central is Patong beach, full of bars, pubs, restaurants, and discos. There was never a dull moment. The atmosphere in this place made me understand why Thailand is a famous destination for bachelors too.


Canoe tour through the caves




Phi phi islands (location for the movie 'The Beach'), just 45 minutes away by speedboat were simply paradise. Planning a getaway? This could be the place for you.







Spending some time with the locals


Another 40 minutes away is the famous James Bond island (Khao Phing Kan) that featured in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. And yes, it's as lovely as it appeared in the movie.



The elephant rides were another pretty interesting activity. Trekking through the tropical forest, going up and down some hills on the back of an elephant was an amazing experience. I must admit it was a little terrifying being up there. I imagined what could happen if the elephant suddenly got mad in the middle of nowhere. But we were assured that our safety was guaranteed.






I love to try new foods when I travel. Thailand was no exception. Eating local is an experience in itself. 
Thai food is delicious so it was great tasting it right from the origin. Even if, there were a few things on the menu that I was a bit hesitant to try like the wood worm and bamboo worm insects.


 Popular snack in Thailand, fried insects


For 10 dollars or less, I could have a 90 minutes Thai massage. Awesome! :-)
You will find more than one massage parlor on every street. Watch out for the dingy ones,  it's better to have a good look around before you lay down.






Fantastic scenary


  Meals on the beachside


 A glimpse of the entertainment on Patong beach


All in all, Thailand should be on every traveler's must-go list. 
Keep in mind that there is always an inflated price on things for tourists, the trick is to negotiate.
The weather is typically tropical so you can visit all year through. The highest temperatures are around April while July to October is 'the rainy season'. 
I was there in August and it was perfect. Just few showers some days for a short while which was ok to cool down the air a bit. Otherwise, there was more than enough sun to go out and enjoy the beach. 


LT

Sunday, 18 May 2014

For the love of twins

I picked interest in twins back when the series 'Sweet Valley High', starring the Wakefield twin sisters still showed. I always wondered what it felt like to be a twin. Did they have a special connection that other siblings don't have? A telepathic sort of thing? Could they read each others minds?

Me and my sisters look so much alike and have been mistaken for the other a few times. I kind of have an idea what it's like to have someone out there who looks like you. But someone who looks EXACTLY like you, born on the same day, at more or less the same time, that must be far more interesting.


Where I come from, there are special surnames reserved for twins as well as their parents. (Babirye for the older twin girl, Nakato for the younger twin girl, Kato for the younger twin boy and Wasswa for the older twin boy. The mother and father are Nalongo and Salongo respectively). So you can tell who a twin is from their names. There are also so many rituals and myths that surrounded twins, like special songs and dances that took place when twins were born to officially welcome them to the family. Twins born out of wedlock had to be revealed and brought into their father's main home. If one twin died, something to represent a piece of the other twin had to be buried with them. To mean the other twin could not be left to rest alone. They also said that if the twins were not treated exactly the same, the twin that is treated less fairly could bring bad omen in the home. Twins sort of came with a 'handle with care' tag on them. A lot of that has changed now though.


On the other hand, being a mother of toddler who is keeping me on my toes, I can't imagine the work load of raising twins on the parents. I have so much respect for them. Taking care of two of my sons at the same time would send me to a mental hospital.


Maamun and Hashim
Hashim and Maamun's parents had a schedule for who looks after which baby in the night. I'm thinking each one prayed that their baby behaved or anxiously waited for the shift with the 'good' baby. All worked out fine apart from the day they found the toddlers who slept separately in a decker bed, both in the bottom bed. Neither of the parents had moved either one of them. There was panic and they blamed each other for confusing their roles. It was a mystery how the babies moved so they concluded that these boys probably did not want to be separated. They slept in the same bed from that time until much later in their teens. It took me years to tell these two apart.



Reginah a mother of 16 months old twins says, 'you would think having an extra pair of hands to help is enough but nope.' The toddlers often walk in different directions, you have to figure out which one to run after first. If you're travelling, multiply how long it takes you to prepare for one kid times two. She says the best way to manage is to set up a fixed schedule and stick to it. She delegates chores to different days of the week. When it comes to folding clothes, she has to wrestle with her twins as they keep unfolding what she gets done. It takes her days to get anything completely finished. Her twins Gabe and Khloe have different personalities. One is shy and quiet while the other is more outgoing making it a challenge to discipline them. When one of them is having a time out, the other one cries and bangs the door in protest.

Reginah's twins at 3 months 
Reginah's twins; Gabe and Khloe


Judith and her twin had a special bond growing up. When one twin hurt, the other one hurt too. When one cried, so did the other one as if to support the each other. Her twin brother roughed her up when they played or fought, probably because to him they were just the same, he forgot she was a girl. There was a lot of competition between them and her brother thought she was favored, being the female twin. They did most things together including taking bathes and slept in the same bed too. They often wore the same clothes even if they were not of the same sex.

Judith and her twin John wearing
the same outfits
Judith Babirye and John Kato
 today


Becky and Marieanne are exactly how I imagined twins. They are best friends and share everything minus spouses, haha. They were inseparable growing up and even went to the rest rooms together. The coolest part is that they share dreams. They wake up and narrate the exact same thing like they were in a movie together.
Becky says sometimes she would plan an outfit for the next day (without mentioning it to anyone) and wake up to find her twin Marieanne wearing the exact same thing. Telepathy right?
These identical twins look so alike, they confuse their own family members. They remember a funny story when their grandmother gave a cup of porridge to Marieanne then stepped out to get another for Becky. When she returned she gave the other cup to Marieanne again and when Becky complained all she got was 'one cup per person is enough Becky'.
Once, a guy hit on Marieanne, when he came around a few days later, he did not realize he was speaking to a different twin. He continued with the conversation from the previous encounter and Becky played along until he saw them both at the same time, he almost fainted. Such are the pranks I would have loved to pull if I were a twin. The stories about this pair go on and on.
They are so connected, when one falls sick so does the other one. Becky's husband is actually a twin too. Becky is more bubbly than her twin and very protective of her even if she's 5 minutes older.


Becky and Marieanne


My cousins who are fraternal twins say they grew up just like any other siblings. No mysterious connections, no telepathy, just two siblings who happened to be born on the same day.
So I guess its's different for every pair but still special.


Some of my favorite celebrity twins:

Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield



Tasha and Hidra Smith
Tia and Tamera Mowry
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen





And then there are some celebrities I was surprised to learn are twins:

Keifer and Rachel Sutherland
Vin Diesel and Paul Vincent


Scarlett and Hunter Jonhasson


Ashton and Michael Kutcher
Gisele and Patricia Bundchen














As if being twins isn't interesting enough, these pairs bring an even more exciting twist to it:

Black and white twins

Twin sisters who got married to twin brothers

In a perfect setting, with nannies running around and the right amount of resources, I would love to have more than just twins, triplets, even quadruplets. Well, who knows what the future holds.
Blowing twin dust to all soon to be moms!

LT