Our Travelations

If there’s something strange
in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS

If there’s something weird
and it don’t look good
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS

~ Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr

Remember that song? It’s the theme song to that classic cartoon J and I (and I’m sure many of you) grew up with. The cartoon is not so much scary as it was funny. The theme song is such a fun one that we remember it till this day, many years on. So catchy, don’t you think?

Well, I sure felt like singing it last weekend – at the Night Safari Halloween Horrors! The whole park will be turned into some sort of a gruesome Halloween wonderland every weekend (Friday and Saturday, and the last Sunday of the month) in October, with a climax on Halloween itself. Actually, it’s more like monster-land for us humans but certainly a wonderland for ghosts!

Here are some we encountered at the Haunted Village:

Erm, the Chain Man?

A serving of severed human head, anyone?

Brave woman!

More scary experiences followed during the Train of Terror ride on the tram. At one point, while meandering through darkened areas lined with thick bushes, we were suddenly set upon by a man with blood dripping down his face. He thrust an object into the cabin in front of ours and it was followed by shrill screams – turned out it was a severed head! Then, there was a long-haired woman, wearing white, with a pale face and blood red lips. As the tram conveniently slowed down, she just stood there by the side of the road and peered right into our cabin, straight into this girl’s eyes! (Actually, I think the girl’s boyfriend was enjoying the entire ride, because she would hug him tight when she got scared. And let me tell you, she was scared pretty easily! Haha!)

Check out Our Travelations facebook page for a video of what I mean – see it to believe it!

Then, there were the amazing props and sets, including a Chinese ghost wedding set up and a Malay wayang kulit stage complete with an automated show.

Of course, there were the animals too, but our photos didn’t turn out that great as we couldn’t use the flash. Here’s one of arty flamingos:

Arty flamingos

After the tram ride, we wanted to go for the animal show, but unfortunately, the queue was an hour long and we were seriously hungry by then. But before we left, we did manage to see one more animal in action – the Garra rufa or as I call it, the fish spa fish. Check them out, man:

Attack!

This experience certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, but most people would enjoy it. Many visitors that night really got into the spirit of the occasion, donning headbands with glowing ‘Devil’ ears and witch’s hats. We certainly had a lot of fun, even though some parts were scary and adrenaline-inducing. It was definitely a creative way to experience the Night Safari.

Overall, we were very impressed with the effort put into making this such an authentic experience for visitors. Kudos to Night Safari for a job very well done!

And many thanks to ICON for the invite

Esther

As it was the week of the Perth Fashion Festival when we arrived in the capital of Western Australia, we attended several events including Restyle.

Restyled fashion at the Perth Fashion Festival 2010

Restyle, a catwalk cum workshop, features clothes sourced from various op shops (short for opportunity shops), also known to some people as charity shops, in Perth. They were combined together stylishly and put on real models, and honestly, did not look like rejects at all! In fact, we learnt that great bargains and sometimes, even that rare designer or vintage item, can be found in op shops. The trick is to develop a keen eye and lots of patience.

Read more in an op shop/Restyle piece I wrote for My Paper. Jeff’s pretty pleased with how his fashion photos turned out too.

Esther

We’re back from the most fantastic, eye-opening trip ever!

We went on a self-drive up the Coral Coast of Western Australia – from Perth, to Cervantes, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Shark Bay, Denham and finally, Monkey Mia!

Thanks to the kind sponsorship and arrangements made by Tourism Western Australia, Red Spot Car Rentals and Jetstar, we experienced and saw so many fascinating things that we can’t wait to share with you all. We also met tremendously friendly people who were all so passionate about what they do – like Capes the aboriginal tour guide, Nic the manager at Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, Brianna and David from Australia’s Coral Coast, Barbara at the tourist information office at Kalbarri, and many more.

Here’s a small preview collage of some nature photos I took on my iPhone. Enjoy! There’s more to come!

Inspired by nature (from top left): A beautiful spring scene in the Chapman Valley; Hutt Lagoon (yes, it's really pink!), on the way to Port Gregory; the Murchison River in Kalbarri National Park; leaning tree along the road on the way to Geraldton. All taken in Western Australia, September 2010.

Esther

A lot of backlog, people. Bear with us. And yes, many apologies!

First up, let me tell you about Green School Bali, which I had the privilege of finally visiting in April.

I had known about Green School since last year in my previous job, but only recently did I manage to visit. We were hosted by the warm and friendly Ron Stones, Green School’s consultant director.

With its tagline, “Equipping Children for 2025″, this school is seriously a school for the future. It is almost entirely made of bamboo and is such an interesting, inspiring place to learn. Famed Canadian jeweller John Hardy and his wife, Cynthia, built this school because they wanted to teach children about sustainable living – they also built what could possibly be the world’s largest bamboo building, the Heart of School, a grand, imposing, three-storey structure, located within the school grounds.

Miniature model of Heart of School, made out of bamboo

Besides teaching the standard International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus, there is also a Green Studies programme, which includes topics like carbon footprint analysis, water studies and even, organic farming and gardening.

Within the Creative Arts and physical education programmes, students delve into yoga and batik painting using natural dyes made from vegetation on site, and martial arts, with the Balinese traditional art of Mepantingan being an important component. Students, aged between three and 15, learn by doing, with each child tending to their very own vegetable patch.

I wrote about the Green School at the SE Forum site, so feel free to click on the link to find out more.

Jeff wasn’t with me on this trip – oh, how I wished he could have seen the school with his own eyes – so, this post is as much for him as it is for you, dear readers! Enjoy!

Part of Heart of School, entirely made of bamboo

School football field

The students' tomato patch

Students are encouraged to use reusable water bottles to collect the spring water that is made conveniently available from water points within the school compound. Do not use plastic. Make a choice.

Hydro-energy harnessed from the fast flowing Ayung River which divides the school

View from the bridge at the entrance of the school

A beautiful set of photos (not taken by me) of the school can be found here.

*****

• Green School Bali is located at Jalan Raya Sibang Kaja, Banjar Saren, Abiansemal, Badung, Bali 80352, Indonesia.

*****

Esther

Its so serene at the Bayon temple of Siem Reap in Cambodia in 2007

The Bayon temple within the Angkor Thom complex in Siem Reap vies with Angkor Wat as the most favourite attraction in Siem Reap. Over 2,000 large faces carved on 54 towers give this temple its majestic character. Built nearly 100 years after Angkor Wat, Bayon was built in the late 12th century to early 13th century, by the King Jayavarman VII, and it was dedicated to Buddhism.

This smaller, more intimate temple was certainly one of our favourites and we visited twice, just to soak up the calming and peaceful atmosphere of the place. This temple is also situated along the running route of the annual Angkor Half-Marathon, and as a running enthusiast, I hope to run the race and gaze at the temple as I pass.

~ Esther

Esther