Lambaian Kaabah aka Umrah 2016

#adventuresofyanparker this time round brings me to a special place.
Since I was young, I've always had great interest in the stories of our Prophet saw. Seerah and Akhlaq were two of my favourite subjects during the madrasah age. Back then, I could only imagine what was it like in those times. To finally be here and experience parts of Islam's history is just surreal. Alhamdulillah. I pray that all will one day visit this place, InsyaAllah.

#adventuresofyanparker #lifeasatravelagent #rafflesiasg

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Stories From Kampong Treas

Stories from Kampung Treas: His name is Omar. It was our final day in Kampong Treas. So we spent some time with the kids teaching them how to fold stars and battle cars.

While seated on the floor, teaching the boys, I noticed that Omar had isolated himself from the group. I thought he probably wasn't interested. However, 10mins later, he stood beside me, tapped my left shoulder and quietly presented me with a flower he folded from paper! As he doesn't speak Malay/English, he then pointed to the stars that we've made and gestured for me to follow him.

So, I followed him back to his corner while Hanif entertained the rest of the boys with their newly made battle cars. I witnessed him patiently crafting a box from paper and after which he gathered the stars we folded previously and put them all in.

The flower has a note which says 'Thank You' and the box has his name on it and also a Khmer saying which I forgot what it means.

I'm soo touched and humbled by this. As I've said before, we came there with an intention to touch their lives. However, we were moved even more.

It's even more awesome that this seems all too familiar ain't it. It's like deja vu. Hmm.

#adventuresofyanparker#StoriesFromKampungTreas#projectgivebackstories#projectgiveback2016 
#giveback2016

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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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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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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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