Bangkok to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) on two wobbly wheels: part 1 of a series

In the second moon of the year 2015 A.D. Noah had a vision. He saw himself flying through a land of rolling hills and flat wetlands for a distance that could either make or break him. Determined to make that vision come true Noah built the ark - actually he bought 2 bicycles so he could begin training for the trip. 

Based on the Google maps the distance would be about 410 kilometers and if done by car it would only take about 6 hours. By bicycle would be much different considering elevation gain/loss, hydration condition, heat and rain, amount of vehicular traffic, condition of the bike, among others.

The time of the year to do this trip would depend on the weather, because the Indochina region is notorious for sizzling hot days in summer and is drenched and flooded in the monsoon season. April and May of 2016 came and left but the temperatures were hovering in the vicinity of 35 - 45 degrees Celsius, which could fry any crazy bloke on the open road. June and July was also too wet and Noah didn't want another flood in his lifetime.

Everyday he kept an eye on the weather forecast hoping to spot a window of good weather for his mad dash across two countries. 

Finally he saw this weather report:

Aha! looks like there's some sunshine peaking through the thunder clouds. In haste he packs up, takes his precious Mir city/touring bike to the mechanic for a final checkup, buys some supplies including a raincoat, kisses his missus and family good bye and was off before anything came up that could keep him from leaving.

this is a photo taken by Noah's daughter a few minutes before he 

took off. That's Mir with panniers, a backpack and a thermal case 

in front to hold food. At this point Noah had no idea how much 

weight Mir was carrying. Later in the trip the effects of the 

heavy load would be evident.

As Noah crossed the Rama 7 bridge the realization of a dream about to come true came flooding into his mind. All the months of preparation didn't actually prepare him for this particular moment and Noah's eyes welled up with tears while thanking God for a rare opportunity to make such a grand trip in his lifetime at the overripe age of 60. Four hundred kilometers of roads stretched out before Noah to be taken one kick on the pedals at a time. It would also be his first time through this part of the world and the excitement was evident in his galloping heart.

To be continued at this link:

http://sunnimoreno.blogspot.com/2016/07/bangkok-to-siem-reap-angkor-wat-on-two_20.html

samsung smartphone: a losing investment - part 2

This is a sequel to the samsung smartphone topic I posted a few days ago: http://sunnimoreno.blogspot.com/2016/07/samsung-smartphone-losing-investment.html

Exactly 5 days after the Galaxy Note4 was repaired (mainboard changed) the phone went into a grand mal seizure. It started restarting over and over and wouldn't stop. The removal of the battery was the only thing that made the seizures go away. After that it hibernated and won't turn on for about 3 hours and then it was miraculously functioning again.

So here's a phone worth about 800$ that only lasted for 20 months and in its resuscitated state for only 5 days.

So what does Noah do? He takes the phone to the Samsung service center and he was told that the mainboard should be replaced again... after just 5 days? You could imagine Noah's blood almost at boiling point. Anyway he decided there and there to demand a full refund for the 200+$ that he spent for repairs, and the phone went straight to the trash.

So that's it my friends. Never ever buy a Samsung smartphone in your life - never!

samsung smartphone: a losing investment

The iPhone has been this writer's choice and previous phone before Samsung came into his life. It was a choice prodded by the good reviews about the great shots that the Samsung Galaxy Note4 made thus negating the need to tote a bulky camera during short trips.

True to the reviews this smartphone produced awesome night shots and some good unprepared shots just when you needed a cam in the nick of time.

15 months into the life of the Note4 some battery weakness was noted. The battery life became shorter and it was necessary to recharge twice a day in spite of minimal use.

20 months from purchase the phone just died without preceding signs and attempts to resuscitate it failed. Diagnosis? "mainboard damage." This came about a few days after a friend's sumsung phone spontaneously passed away and one day before my son's S4 also gave up the ghost - both diagnosed with the same fateful pronouncement: mother-freaking board failure.

With the phone costing as much as a good laptop computer, 20 months life-span is just pure failure of a product. No wonder the gadgets with this brand name have a very low resale value.

The photo below shows the damaged motherboard that was replaced...

... to the tune of 7,900 Baht or about 200 US$.

The reader is advised to avoid purchasing any Samsung product that has a motherboard. Apparently, it is the mother that is the problem.

Noah revisits cave-diving in the Hundred Islands national park

In scuba diving lingo, cave-diving means diving into a cave that is found underwater. This could be either under sea level or on any body of water with a cave full of water that would require full scuba gear to dive. In the case of this episode the cave is on an island with one opening on top of a hill and another opening at sea level. The subterranean plunge is done from the top cave and the diver exits at the second opening.

To get to the diving platform you will have to climb the hill of the island via a pathway that they carved out of the limestone. (The dame in the photo below probably chickened out and headed back down. Note the sea below - i said sea).

some more climbing and you will get to a spot that is almost at the top of the hill... (the guy below is  my cousin Tagore, answering some of jo ann's questions)

...to the opening of a cave that is swarming with bats. There is a sign that warns would-be divers about wearing a life vest. In Noah's heyday - some 45 years ago, there was no such sign nor guard to enforce it and we would just jump off the cliff without a care in the world. (note some swimmers below)

from the opening there's a stairway leading to a platform. Noah obediently complies to the rule and dons a life jacket.

he checks his gear...

...and the spot were he will land to see if all is clear. (note the other divers below)

...and jumps

This is a shot showing both openings into the cave.

Some differences that noah noted comparing before and now:

1. The pathway. There was no carved-out pathway before.

2. The stairway. This too didn't exist.

3. The hoards of swimmers. It used to be just noah and his cousins and a couple of strangers.

4. The trek up the hill - jump off the cliff - swim out the other opening - climb - jump - swim... didn't as much as increase the heart rate in years past. Now it's quite complicated.

Why coming home to the islands is worth all the trouble

Hundred Islands - a group of rocky outcroppings in the gulf of Lingayen is practically the backyard of noah's kin in the maternal side with the ancestral home located at Alaminos Pangasinan. Summer vacations were a regular treat for for me and to come back now after so many years brings back memories in awesome detail.

satellite view of the hundred islands national park

Here are the reasons why the trip is worth all the trouble:

1. It is a chance to be with the guys that I used to share all those memorable vacations on and around the islands. L-R: Marilyn, Toots, Boots, Bong babae, Noah and Bonchit. the others who used to be with this bunch, but are not present are: Ethel, Jackie, Yvonne, Bitoy, Bong lalake and Ronnie.

2. The trip from manila is always with these guys (with whom i share my nasal and cheekbone features), although back in those days we were the kids and our parents had control over the following details: the type of vehicle - hired jeepney or regular bus, time of departure, where to stop, what snacks to bring, etc.

3. The food... includes the freshest seafood, the best padas bagoong, the best talong + shrimp paste fusion, etc. etc.

4. Gorgeous mornings:

5. Beautiful islands, pristine beaches, crystal clear water...

It was in these waters that I had the chance to accompany my mom's brother on early morning trips on a pumpboat to harvest the fish that where caught in the traps that we placed a day before. We also gathered arorosep - seaweeds that look like clusters of grapes. It was also here where I was introduced to scuba diving by a skinny instructor - Jackie.

This recent trip brought all the memories back and in a way gave me back my youth.

A graduation story

Let's call the graduate in this story - Maria, to hide her true identity. We shall also consider this story as fiction so as not to get too carried away by what transpires.

Maria as she prepares to march to her seat in front.

The consul general of the United States Embassy in Manila places on Maria the  Summa Cum Laude medal. Note the smiles on the faces of those caught in the pic... the consul though doesn't display that smile. He is too focused on the gorgeous face in front of him.

What's in the mind of the guy? It seems that Maria's mom 

knows what he wants.

Maria's mom closes her eyes knowing that the inevitable will soon take place. In the meantime Maria keeps her face turned up at the right angle. Noah deliberately focuses on something distant. He doesn't want to be a living witness to this moment, while Dr. Webb seems to be setting up the right momentum. The distinguished consul by this time has butterflies in his stomach by the stoned appearance in his eyes. for him it is now or never.

"OMG...he did it!" Maria's mother-in-law blurts out. The muscles on Maria's face go taut for a few seconds as she savors the imperialist's kiss. Everything that transpires is seen through the corner of noah's left eye (upper left).

that 20-second affair seemed like eternity, but when it ended they all had a good laugh. At that moment no one ever thought that 20 years later the photos taken of that ceremony would be twisted to come up with this story.

Grandpa's not-so-lil girl and the dinosaurs

The very first person to directly benefit from Noah's retirement was his lively granddaughter - Kailee. Two days after grandpa's termination she was spotted in the Dinosaur Planet at Sukhumvit road, Bangkok.

 she's got her tickets!

believe it or not, but there were footprints of the dinos at the sidewalk in Sukhumvit.

 this is the first photo when she got in and she was really excited.

she ran from one dino skeleton to another trying to soak up

everything and noah had to steady her for some shots.

kaileesaurus with her dinomic smile

She's imagining that she's in a jurassic time-warp

straight out from a book

a rubbery raptor that was chasing the kids around. Just imagine

the guy inside sweating like a pigosaurus.

dunkin donuts with their yummy dino treats

just done with the raptor extreme experience

a valley full of dinos

on a vintage weapons carrier jeep

she could have taken this cuddly t.rex baby home if

only it's mom wasnt watching

Noah didn't allow the dinos inside the ark so we

just had this shot to remember them by.