Bracing the cold weather in South East Asia

Coming from Singapore, we practically experience hot and humid weather. Anything below 25°c is already cooling for us. Like sleep weather, where everyone just wanna stop what they're doing and just take a nap. Lol!

As far as my travels went, South East Asia do have pretty cold countries. Some cold enough to even get snow! Night times are mostly cool; and mountain peaks are obviously super cold. So I don't even bother going there. What I'm looking at are cold low lying places in South East Asia.

Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Once you land on its airport, a whiff of cold air just sweeps you off the ground. Prepare to withstand around 20°c-23°c daytime. Kinda like aircon weather already.

Everywhere in Laos.
Laos is surprisingly a super cold country. Probably due to its vast amounts of untouched mountaineous regions and forests. At night, it can go as low as 14°c. We went to Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. Everywhere we went, its like aircon weather. Some places even worst.

Northern parts, Mui Ne, Vietnam
When we were in Vietnam in 2013, the weather is super cooling. There was even snow in some parts of northern Vietnam. Even in Mui ne, it was quite challenging to get from one place to another without shivering.

Sagada, Philippines
Temperatures can drop till 10°c.

Just be prepared when going to these places. Bring extra layers of clothings!

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Crazy Ride - Driving from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

By far the most craziest ride I've ever taken. The 5hr ride from luang prabang to viang vieng is so full with emotions. At times i cried out loud for help. At times i cried cos the scenery is so beautiful, it made you realise how wonderful God's creation are. I'm talking about sceneries you can only hear about in geography books. That beautiful! I've rode for many miles before. Seen plenty of wonderful places along the way. But this is something different.

We took a minivan and it scaled mountains via steep roads, passing by scenic rivers, streams and valleys. Not only that. As we rode through mountains, riding as much as its pretty cool to ride through clouds, they're blinding and pretty scary; especially when making sharp turns, gradual descent and it made the road more slippery. To add on, the roads were very windy and bendy that it messes your head and its nauseating. Not only that. Falling rocks, boulders and gravels made the journey more bumpier and less pleasant. Yes. FALLING! Literally saw rocks coming down from the steep facade of the valleys. At times the road was so damaged by these rocks, that we had to manoeuvre our way into roads so narrow that we were literally balancing on the edge! Scary indeed. Well, as of now, our ride isn't over.

InsyaAllah we will reach safely in 2 hours. Moments like these, I'll remember forever.

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Masjid talk

I've always wondered... How a person can be so diligent in performing his Muslim duties, yet have a poor attitude and character.

I've always wondered... How can one be so determined in memorising Qur'an, reading the Qur'an everyday and yet still have trouble praying 5 times a day.

I've always wondered... Why aren't there any movies about our prophets. Or our sahabats or any Islamic movies which portrays the goodness in Islam during those times.

I've always wondered... Why are there people who knows the Arabic language, lives in the Arab world, yet is not a Muslim. How can they not embrace Islam when they know and understand the beauty of the Qur'an. Why people like us who don't understand Arabic language loves Islam the same way the Arabs does?

I've always wondered... Why are there so many divisions and subdivisions of Islam.

I've always wondered... Why are there every divisions and subdivisions of Islam frown upon one another. Some go till such extent of killing one another.

I've always wondered... How, or rather why Muslims in those areas have such a difference in beliefs from us until they have the urge kill in the name of Islam. What have they been thought? Or which parts are we missing? What are they missing? What values have they been instilled upon and we did not? What values have we been instilled upon that they did not? Never have I and will I ever understand why people hate one another until going to the extent of killing.

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"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted." - Surah Al-Hujarat

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Prata talk

I'm typing this while having my favourite cheese prata session. Alone. In my own zone. Cold.

Ok whateva

Lots of people close to me have recently been reaching milestones in their lives. Be it marriage, engagement, graduation, getting new jobs. All that. I'm so very proud of them all. Love to see people accomplish their dreams.

My next #goal2015 and life accomplishment will come in December Insyaallah, when I attempt to backpack for a month and complete the remainder of Southeast Asia. Hiking up Thai peaks and Philippines' volcano, Laotian jungles and caves and witnessing different cultures and beliefs.

Much has been documented about my travels and I will be updating here daily throughout the month.

It will be difficult and challenging. However, I believe that nothing is ever too difficult for the things we love.

I am passionate about many things. Football is well documented. I can go for 5 football sessions in a week without complaining. That is a good example of the quote above. Normally, people would simply cringe at that thought. But for me, it is a challenge and its not that difficult of a challenge if its something close to me.

I believe it's the same for everyone too.

Speaking of challenging, im challenging myself to learn Thai by December. I love the Thais. Their culture. Their way of life. I used to think that one day, that's the place I wanna settle down. Been watching quite a lot of Thai movies too. Learning how to speak their lingo's and common phrases. I believe my progress has been good. I think my Thai is on par with my Arabic language(which is not that great either. Lol).

Alright. Ive been typing this for a good 20mins. My cheese prata will get stale soon. Yes, stale! Haha

Till then my fellow friends.

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On a magical boat ride

About 3 years ago today, I embarked on my first ever backpacking trip. This was one experience I still remember ever so clearly and will never forget!

It was raining. We got on a local boat to a secluded place. This tiny boat was the only way the locals used to transport raw food and groceries. These seamen looked like regular housewives and normal men. Little did we knew that this innocent looking boat wasn't so innocent after all... 20 mins into the open ocean, the boat suddenly stopped. These seamen started smoking. However, it smelled different; not the typical cigarette smell. Within just a few minutes, the whole boat was engulfed with smoke. We were the only foreigners, seated right in the middle of the enclosed boat, in the middle of the ocean. Trapped!! 

Once they were done and all seemed so weirdly happy, we continued our journey.

Unfortunately, things got even worse! About 5 mins in, something from the engine somehow broke apart!
It was so hilarious looking at how these seamen attempted to repair the engine. They stumbled, tripped, slipped. Some even fell into the sea. Everyone was laughing and there was absolutely no signs of panic. HAHA!

After awhile, the boat somehow got partially repaired and we managed to land safely. All still smiling...  #adventuresofyanparker #yanparkertravellogue

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Knowledge. Cultures. Diversity

I often hear people ask me, "Why do you go to Country X? What's there? It's so boring." Every time I venture overseas, I often come back tired. So tired I usually take MC the following day just to sleep in. 

My purpose of backpacking/travelling is to open my eyes to other cultures, beliefs and practices, their way of life and its simplicity. And most importantly, to appreciate the good life we have in Singapore, Alhamdulillah. Every place has something new to offer no matter how 'boring' it seems to be. These are experiences we can't find here in Singapore and these experiences are ever so invaluable.

 "Travel for the sake of knowledge. Pursuing knowledge is ibadah." 📷: @_aniq_

#adventuresofyanparker#yanparkertravellogue #rgn2k15

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Circle train? Circular train??

Probably the most colourful train ride I've ever taken. The 3hr ride costs 20cents and it showed me the diversity of the Burmese people and how they go about their daily lives. In this picture, the guy in green/sarong beside me was openly promoting (complete with pull up posters) his tongkat ali and some pills of which I'm clueless of. Probably I should use his style to promote my cycling tights too. Lai lai!! ✌

😂 #adventuresofyanparker #rgn2k15#yanparkertravellogue

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On Foot!

On our typical adventures overseas, we usually clocked about 20km on foot daily exploring the areas, finding halal food, learning different cultures, and also errr.... getting lost! Maps, GPS, motivation and big sets of balls are essential tools to ensure we do not get extra mileage on our foot. Haha 📷:@_aniq_

#adventuresofyanparker#yanparkertravellogue #southeastasiantour#coolkids #rgn2k15

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Rangoon City

After trekking volcanoes at Mt Bromo and Ijen, we're back to exploring cities and off beaten paths. Visiting Rangoon City was an eye opener to say the least. I never thought Myanmar had a multi racial society as well. 

To me, the laws created are comparable to Singapore's. Muslim food are super easy to come by. There are plenty of Indians. It is a super safe city. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Many of the men wore tattoos. Heck, even Singapore itself is a brand!! And so so much more... 

I wouldn't have known all these if I didn't have the opportunity to visit Myanmar. Alhamdulillah.

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids#yanparkertravellogue#southeastasiantour #goal2015

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Dreams - Introspeksi 2015

I had sleepless nights prior to last Friday. I kept on dreaming that I was backstage doing my job. Some were nightmares. Some were very pleasant. Guess that happens when I'm fully focused on achieving my lifelong dreams.

Many of you know me as this sports person who love travelling. Its well documented. Not even my closest ones know that there's this part of me which is into the artistic scene as well. Throughout my life, performing was a thing. From being part of an classical ensemble to rock band to kompang and nasyid. Even video making, silat, angklung and dikir barat as well.

I love watching plays. I was gutted not to be part of Gentarasa 2015 due to my work n school schedule. However, Allah swt presented me with the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong dreams. One of my many bucket lists; to actively be part of a theatrical production.

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to those who made this possible most importantly, @simcms as a whole. They provided me this opportunity to fulfill my dreams.

Thank you.
Bucketlists  no 10✅

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Sulphur gases of Ijen

This is probably one of the things I will never attempt again. Climbing down to the sulphur pits of Ijen and dancing with super hot sulphuric gases. Oh. The emerald yellow liquid you see is molten sulphur. Yep. It was super hot. After taking this pic, I can't breathe well; I was choking. My eyes were red and teary. My body felt uncomfortable. 

For a moment, I thought I was transforming into a real-life mutant. A superhero.

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids#yanparkertravellogue #ijen

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Conquering Ijen

"The aim of every step we take should be to please and worship our Lord, and a necessary component of this is to fully appreciate the beauty around us in all its magnitude and depth. On my journeys, I realized that the meaning of being a traveller is far deeper than I had first thought. It is to see, hear and feel its beauty; to marvel at the artistry of Allah swt. 

With the right mindset, travel becomes a spiritual process that fundamentally transforms your existence, and it is essential for every Muslim to experience. In this way, I understood that the purpose of travel was not just to go, but to be."

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids#yanparkertravellogue #ijen

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To the depths of Ijen

09082015. To the depths of Ijen. 

It was a gruelling one. Just when we thought Bromo was tough... Woke up at 12.30am. We cambered super steep slopes in the dark at freezing temperatures. We were literally on our hands and feet! 

At times, we slipped on loose rocks and gravels and obtained bruises and blisters. But the challenge was all worth it. At the end, we saw a natural gas stove. This mysterious electric blue sulphur flames emerges from cracks. It was just astonishing. And behind it is the largest highly acidic crater lake in the world, Kawah Ijen. 

Subhanallah.

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids
#yanparkertravellogue #ijen

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Princess Tamina

08082015. 10.15am. Princess Tamina. As we gradually took our time to ascend the towering steps, we began to realise the air was getting weird. The higher we got, a strong pungent smell of something toxic became ever more prominent. 

Armed with N95 masks from which @frvii stole from his workplace, we scaled upwards. The wind blew away @noohadams 's mask. So apparently he became a mutant after the whole trip. So, when we reached the peak, we saw an active discharge of sulphuric gases in the middle of somewhat like a massive cauldron. Super cool! So that was where the strong sulphur was coming from! If only we could see what was inside the 'cauldron'. Probably live magma! 

As we scoured the area, we saw the vast sea of sand from which we crossed. From the top, it was so reminiscent of scenes from Prince of Persia - Sands of Time! Time stood still when from afar, the shadow of the princess I've been pondering about were casted right upon my sight. (I shall not divulge into what happened afterwards. Haha). We had a moment together talking about how tiny those people were on the ground. Unfortunately, as I have other priorities on hand, I, unwillingly had to leave her, let her go and hope she'll find a better man. It will be better off if we go our separate ways. 

Moving forward, we, #coolkids, descended the crater to our Jeep and drove back to our bungalow. 

Oh, did I mention we rented a full BUNGALOW just for ourselves and just for our 2-hour beauty sleep? Hahaha! Yup. Backpacking indeed. 😵😵 We were really broke and its still the second day plus we have another volcano to climb. To top it all off, we have not had a good sleep and a meal after more than 28 hours.

 When we arrived at our bungalow, we got only 30 mins to shower, pack our bags and grab some food and we're back on the road to Mount Ijen... 

Still hungry. No Sleep. No Money. Day 2.

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids
#yanparkertravellogue #bromo
#nofilter #xiaomi #princesstamina

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The Sea of Sand

08082015. 9.30am. The Sea of Sand. Our Jeep brought us to Mount Bromo's crater which was surrounded by a vast plain called the Sea of Sand. At the end there was this towering steep steps, which reminded me of some scenes from Mortal Kombat and also the thigh-killer steps of Wat Arun at Bangkok. 

We had no idea what was in store for us at the top. We just knew that we had to cross the sea of sand and climb up those steps... We have to know what was there at its peak. And yes, our feet were still like jelly. It didn't help that we were walking on sand and sand dunes. Every step we took, our feet sunk in. It was as though the ground leeches energy, whatever that's still remaining from us. 

As we dragged our feet, we had to avoid incoming dust clouds which at times sting our skin. They hurt more when speeding ojeks aka motorcycles and horses raced past us. So we had to cover up wisely. It somehow felt some sort like Prince of Persia-ish. A slight comfort came from wondering whether or not I'd get to find my Princess Tamina at its peak. Haha. Reality check. We haven't even started our climb up the steep flight of steps. 

And @noohadams just lost his mask after the wind blew it away... 

"My body wants to go. My legs just don't want to move."

#adventuresofyanparker #coolkids
#yanparkertravellogue #bromo#seaofsand #nofilter #yicamera

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