Torstein's World

Everything Good Comes to an End

2009-07-27T01:59:00.006+02:00

For more pictures check out this album

It's now about five months (!) since we returned to Norway from our Asia trip, so I won't bore you with details about the final stage. However, despite being 'long time ago', 'old news', and all that, I feel like ending what I've started. The reason why I haven't posted anything from the last few destinations until now is simply due to the fact that the last months have been extremely hectic. Since we got back to Norway we first moved back in to our old apartment, then started looking for a new apartment, I started at my old job, working long days while I was looking for a new job, then we found a new place which meant renovating and moving, then I got a new job, and in the midst of all this we got a wedding to plan... Anyway, here are a few pictures and a very short description of the last two weeks of backpacking Asia.

The last post ended with us leaving Cambodia to put our feet on Thai soil again. After a short ferry trip we settled down on Koh Chang, a beautiful island in the eastern gulf. We spent four days relaxing on the beach, eating good food and, eh.. not much else I guess...

Idyllic Koh Chang

Katrine is enjoying the final night of dining on the beach -
next awaited a big, polluted metropolis...

The hostel/hotel we stayed at had an inviting roof-top pool.
On the ground level there was definitewly more fuzz...

Every night the pubs and restaurants send out their door touts
to attract costumers

Last time we were in Bangkok we didn't have time to do much, so this time we had planned to spend a week here. Too long you might think, but it didn't feel like that at all. Bangkok and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer, so you can easily spend a week here. We stayed in the two most popular backpacker streets, the pulsating Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri. Most of the time was spent shopping, sightseeing, eating and sleeping. Yea, I know, it's a hardknocked life being a backpacker...

From Bangkok we went on a day trip to the world famous floating market, the Tiger Temple and River Kwai, where we stumbled accross this charming little fellow (below)

Our final stop in Thailand was the fancy new airport that was occupied by demonstrators last December

From Bangkok we flew to Hong Kong where we enjoyed three more days of big city life. Hong Kong is simply awesome. I won't tell you much more about it now, you should check it out for yourself. But, if you want to learn a bit more about why you should visit, take a look at the post from last time I was there. See Magnificent Hong Kong

Two of Hong Kong's trademarks:
colourful neon-light signs and skyscrapers

Dried lizard or gecko (or whatever it's called) is obvioulsy
a local delicacy in Hong Kong...

With backpacks crammed with cheap shoes and clothes, stomachs filled with Chinese food, and heads dizzy from pollution and impressions we left Hong Kong. After more than three moths on the road exploring South East Asia, it was now time to start a routine life in Oslo. As the bus took us out of the city and towards the airport I had a feeling of both wistfulness and excitement at the same time. It was sad to leave such a laid-back and trouble free lifestyle, but I was happy and eager to get back and get 'serious'. Although we occasionally miss the freedom and excitement of travelling we are very happy in Oslo. But, I can promise you that you that the world outside of Norway hasn't seen the last of us.

WE'LL BE BACK!!

The Asian sky gave us a clear, blue farewell,
while the European sky gave us a sweet, but cloudy welcome

Not only the highway, but also the skyway is getting busier,
as this picture illustrates (flying out of London Heathrow)

Cambodia - Kingdom of Contrasts

2009-05-26T16:25:00.015+02:00

For more pictures check out album 1 and album 2

Although it's one of the least developed countries in the region, Cambodia was a positive surprise to us, and it immediately joined the Philippines on top of our list of favorite Asian countries. Poverty and developmental problems are much more visible in Cambodia than in its neighboring countries, but the feeling of sincere hospitality and big smilies are also more apparant here. Cambodia is a land of enormous contrasts. One day you'll find yourself walking in the footsteps of the ancient kings of Angkor, taking in the breathtaking architecture and the greatness of the Khmer history. This aspect of Cambodia will fill you with veneration and pride. The next day your heart and mind is filled with disgust and sadness as you walk in the footsteps of Pol Pot and his comrades of the Khmer Rouge. Learning the awful and heartbreaking stories and witnessing the infamous S-21 (Tuol Sleng) and the Killing Fields make a lasting impression and teach you about the cruelty and atrocities of humankind. And from there it's just a short drive to white beaches, calm sea and 'no worries'.

The people of Cambodia are still struggling and suffering from the outcome of the dark era, due to underdevelopment, poverty and, not least, unexploded ordinances. Cambodia is one of the countries with the most unexploded ordinances and land mines in the world. Every year between 800 and 900 people are hurt or killed by land mines. It's so bad that guidebooks warn you against even going off the main roads to 'make water'. If you follow international news you'll also know that some of the leaders of the Khmer Rouge are facing charges in the long waited genocide tribunal, set up by the UN in Phnom Penh. Although Pol Pot, the mastermind behind the nightmare, died in 1998 many other leaders are still alive and live among it's own people or in exile. I will return to this dark period in Cambodia's history later, but first let's check out the mystical and fascinating temples of Angkor.

We arrived Siem Reap by bus from Saigon, a 12 hour journey, including a lunch break in Phnom Penh. On the way we stopped for some snack at a road side market, and I soon realized that when Khmer people talk about snack they don't always have potato chips in mind... As we got out of the bus a little girl approached us, and in her hand she held a huge black spider. As you might know, I'm not a big fan of spiders, but I'm quite fascinated by them (meaning I hate spiders, but I have to check 'em out). Anyway, I kind of forgot about the spider incident, but not for long. As we walked around the market we saw several women cooking something in big frying pans. We went over, and as we got closer we understood what they were frying; huge black spiders! On one side the women had big 20 liters buckets filled with live spiders, on the other was another bucket, filled with deep fried crispy take-away ready-to-eat spiders. So, if you feel like munching on spider meat, go to Cambodia.

Spiders before and after a hot round in the frying pan.

(Check out these videos from youtube video1; video2; if you dare...)

Still a bit flummoxed by the spider experience we arrived Siem Reap. The city is mainly a gateway to the temple complex at Angkor, but the city itself is also very nice. We only stayed for two days here, and we regret we didn't stay longer (good reason for going back I guess...). Anyway, we had a very long and interesting day exploring the temples. If you ask Katrine, she'll tell you that it was a bit too long. I, however, loved it and think it was an amazing, almost divine, experience. I felt like Indiana Jones being on tour with Lara Croft!

We rose at 4:30 in the morning, had a quick breakfast in our room (bread with liver spread! We found liver spread!) and met our tuk tuk driver at 5 a.m. sharp. We stopped only to buy a pass to the temple area before heading straight to the world famous Angkor Wat. It was pitch black when we arrived and we hadn't, of course, brought a torch. We stumbled our way through the first temple entrance and groped over to a small pound, from where we, apparently, had a good view of the main temple. As night turned to day the mystical silhouette of the majestic Angkor Wat appeared in front of us. While people were still waiting for the sun to work its way higher on the sky, Katrine and I moved gently away from the crowd and entered the past. We actually had the temple more or less to ourselves for the first half hour. The feeling of being alone and exploring this amazing structure was awesome. Hot tip, stay ahead of the crowds!

As the light changes throughout the day
Angkor Wat also changes its mood

When it got too busy we left Angkor Wat and started the rest of the adventure. The temple area is huge and you need some kind of transportation to get around, at least if you plan to spend only one day in the temples. Our tuk tuk driver took us around the whole day, but we explored on our own. I think we managed see more or less all the temples of Angkor, and were feeling very tired at the end of the day. In between all the temples we also visited a small orphanage. To meet a bunch of lively children was a welcomed break from all the monumental and dead buildings. The last temple we saw was situated on top of a hill, and together with thousands of tourists we saw the same sun that rose behind Angkor Wat set in the distance. I won't bore you with detailed descriptions of the temples, symbols, funny tourists, history etc., I'll rather let the pictures speak for themselves.

The twilight gives Angkor Wat an even more mystical
appearance than it already possesses

The temples are not only grandiose and massive, there are also
beautiful details and fascinating designs wherever you turn

Katrine is trying to get a hold on the history of the ancient Khmer era.
Were and what does this hallway lead to...?

Khmer people (Cambodians) are a smiling people. Perhaps they're inspired by these huge smiling faces

Many of the buildings have almost totally succumbed to mother nature. But since the Europeans 'discovered' the temples humans have slowly retrieved them. Massive preservation and restoration has, and is still taking place. Many of the temples still serve the purpose as spiritual meeting places and religious rituals still take place today.

From Siem Reap we took the bus back to the capital city. Despite some magnificent royal palaces, Phnom Penh is not the most attractive city in South East Asia. It's situated by a rather dirty river and large parts of the city looks a bit run down, but it still has a lot to offer, such as good food, interesting history and most important of all, friendly people. A very cool and interesting aspect of Phnom Penh is the many charity restaurants, cafés and shops. These places have been established as funding initiatives for worthy causes and as training centres for young staff, orphans and street kids in particular. They are being trained as waiters and chefs, and they're taught different arts and skills. And honestly, this is where we were served some of the best food on our trip and they definitely offered us the best service!

Two of the main 'attractions' in Phnom Penh are related to the Khmer Rouge era (1975-79); the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. In 1975 Pol Pot's security forces turned Tuol Svay Prey High School into Security Prison 21 (S-21), which became the Auschwitz of Cambodia. Only a handful out of an estimated 20 000 inmates survived the torture and the unimaginable conditions at S-21 (read the story from a survivor of the Tuol Sleng). We spent a few hours at S-21 learning the horrible and bizarre history and ideology of Pol Pot and his communist comrades. The goal was to 'restart civilization' in 'year zero' and to create an anti-capitalist, anti-intellectual state based on collectivity and agriculture. The ideology led to systematic killings of teachers and people who, inter alia, wore glasses, spoke foreign languages, or had lived in a city. The irony is that many of the Khmer Rouge leaders represented exactly what they wanted to eliminate. For instance, Pol Pot, the great leader himself, were educated in Paris and had previously taught French litterateur at a college. Their sick attempt of social engineering led to the deaths of around 1/5 of Cambodia's population (an estimated 1,5 million people; some claim the number is much higher), through executions, torture, starvation and forced labor. After our visit at S-21 we met up with our tuk tuk friend and drove to Choeung Ek, which is known under the name Killing Fields. This was the final destination for most of the inmates of S-21 and others. Thousands of men and women, old and young, were brutally bludgeoned to death and dumped in one of the 129 mass graves. It's impossible to comprehend what actually took place at these sights. Children's laughter, the green, lush vegetation, the nice warm breeze, the singing birds, and the friendly, smiling people makes the whole scene very self-contradictory and it makes it even harder to imagine and understand what actually took place. I had the same feeling when I visited the concentration camps in Poland and Germany and some of the sights of the genocide in Rwanda.

Clockwise, starting from the large photo: Originally a high school, S21 stands as a symbol of the meaningless and systematic mass killings and torture carried out under the leadership of Pol Pot; the classrooms were used as chambers of torture; S21 was surrounded with barb wire and tall fences; one of many children kept at S21; an anonymous scull of one of thousands of innocent victims; thousands of profile photos of the 'inmates' are displayed at S21; painting showing one of the modes of torture; even babies didn't escape the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge.

Inside the monument lies hundreds of anonymous sculls that have been removed from the mass graves in the so-called Killing Fields. The excecutioners beat children against this big tree till they were dead.

Over the last couple of weeks we had learnt a lot about the Vietnam War, the old Cambodian kingdoms and the Khmer Rouge. But it was now time to check out Cambodia's beaches and engage in some serious relaxation. About four to five hours south of Phnom Penh you'll find one of the major beach side tourist hot spots in Cambodia. It's called Sihanoukville, named after an earlier king, and it's definitely more touristic and developed than we'd expected. However, it's way less touristic than most places in Thailand, and much cheaper. Having said that, don't expect to escape the big crowds of backpackers and charter tourists, especially in the main tourist areas. But if you don't feel like hanging around drunk tourists and you're on a tight budget it's definitely easier to find more quiet beaches and much cheaper accommodation and food here than in neighboring Vietnam and Thailand. So, next time you're in the region, remember that you don't have to stay in crowded Thailand to find beautiful beaches and good food.

Cambodia has a beautiful coastline; even monkies love it!

We really enjoyed Cambodia, but eventually all good things come to an end. We're certain that we'll go back one day. But for now it was time for us to cross the Thai border again and start preparing ourselves for the long flight home. However, we still had about 10 more days to work on our tan (which we did on Koh Chang) and do some sightseeing and final shopping in Bangkok. We also had three days in Hong Kong before embracing the Norwegian winter again. So, stay tuned for the last chapter of tour de Asie 2009. I promise it won't be as comprehensive as this one...

I'm not a veteran, but I've been to Nam

2009-04-21T12:00:00.000+02:00

For more pictures click album 1, album 2 and album 3

For a lot of people the name Vietnam is automatically associated with the horrible Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s. Many people also automatically think of the involvement of the US and the massive popular anti-war movement. As the title illustrates, I also have those associations. But, it was now time for us to broaden our knowledge and get some new perspectives and associations to the name Vietnam.

Our first meeting with, and impression of Vietnam can be summarized in two words; 'charmingly chaotic'. The chaotic part is most likely connected to the fact that Vietnam holds more than 86 million people (13th in the world), in an area smaller than Norway! However, many factors made the seeming chaos appear rather charming. For instance, the atmosphere was good and people were happy as a big holiday was about to take place. As part of the preparations for the holiday people were buying big fruit trees that they strapped onto their motorcycles, making the whole scene look even more chaotic and, yes, charming...

Chaotic and charming ;)

We arrived Hanoi in the late afternoon without a visa and no ticket out of the country. This could've caused us problems and perhaps even a night or two at the police station (at least that's what we had heard). Katrine was quite anxious and didn't enjoy the flight too much, but luckily we had no problems getting a visa upon our arrival. Together with the Chileans (seven of them by now!) we went straight for the old quarter, where we found a small hostel/hotel. For the first time in a while we felt that we got great value for our money; 12 US$ for a spacious double room with AC, cable TV, breakfast and free internet. Not bad, huh! Hanoi was pretty cold and very stressful, but it was all somehow very charming and interesting, at least for the few days we spent there. The traffic is among the worst I've ever seen. Thousands of motorcycles honking their way through the narrow streets and crowds of people, and buses that don't stop for no one. The traffic isn't controlled by robots (or traffic lights as most non-Africans would call them), so at first you feel like you're walking the green mile every time you try to cross the street. But, after a while you realize that you just have to walk, and the sea of motorbikes will pretty much treat you like the Red Sea treated Moses back in the days... (Alright, I get it, enough with the amazing anecdotes)

After some sightseeing in the capital, we were off to one of the most famous tourist attractions in Vietnam, Halong Bay. Our spirits and expectations were high and we were looking forward to see this natural wonder, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But, in the end we were quite disappointed. Not because of Halong Bay though. The bay area itself is truly stunning and unique, with thousands of small and big islands erected straight from the ocean. We were disappointed because of the way the trip was arranged, the unprofessional tour guides and the fact that we didn't get what we had paid for. In addition, it was windy, cloudy and freezing cold. We didn't have warm clothes at all, and despite us buying gloves and beanie, we were still shivering. And, believe it or not, on top of it all we had a huge rat running around our cabin eating our Orios in the middle of the night! We spent two days floating around Halong Bay, but unfortunately we didn't enjoy it too much. I'm sure, though, if you go there in the summer, when the weather is nice and warm, it should be an amazing experience. The tour company reached a new level of unprofessionalism (if that is even a word...) when the bus driver, for no obvious reason, started yelling at his costumers on the way back to Hanoi. Well, at least we can say 'been there, done that', and from there it could only get better...

Katrine was freezing and very happy;) One of the oddly shaped islands that make Halong Bay unique and beautiful

The tour also included a visit to some amazing caves (the lighting is not natural, if you wondered...), and some floating fishing villages. This is a floating house, but they also had a floating bank and a school!
Traditional boats and typical Halong Bay scenery

The same evening that we got back from Halong Bay we 'checked in' on the night train from Hanoi to Huê. This was the night when the Têt holiday started, which explains why suddenly the happiest Vietnamese guy you can imagine jumped into our cabin singing 'happy new year songs' and offering us gifts(!). For non- Vietnamese people the Têt holiday isn't too exciting as almost everything close and the prices for accommodation and transport get much higher than normal. Têt is the Vietnamese New Year and it's the most important and popular holiday in the Vietnamese calendar. Traditionally it's a celebration of the ancestral spirits that return from heaven for their annual three day visit with their family. And, the holiday goes on for days. At least the main attraction in Huê was open, the Citadel (the old city). Within the city walls of the Citadel you can see the forbidden city with the old palace and other historic monuments. Much of this is in quite bad shape as it's one of many places that suffered severe damages from American bombings during the Vietnam War. We decided not to stay in Huê for very long, and our next move was down to the charming city of Hoi An. We could easily have spent a few more days in Hoi An, but because of the Têt we figured we'd rather spend some time traveling down to the warm weather and get there by the time things opened up again.

Inside the Citadel in Huê. The picture of Ho Chi Minh (communist revolutionary and former president) is seen everywhere in Vietnam.

From the charming city of Hoi An

Nha Trang, one of Vietnam's most touristy cities, was next on our list. We arrived at sunrise and were feeling a bit stiff after a night on the sleeping bus (a bus with actual beds). We walked around looking for a place to stay, but it was pretty hard to find. Finally we managed to find a decent room at a fair price. We spent two nice days in Nha Trang; one day on the beach and one on a boat. The boat was packed with people, but since most of the Asian tourists by all means try to avoid sunlight and don't like to swim, we enjoyed a spacey roof top almost by ourselves;)

From Nha Trang we experienced a horrible and nerve wrecking bus trip. We were going to a small beach side tourist village called Mui Ne, and I have never, not even in Africa, experienced more idiotic driving. 'Maniac' is the only adjective that rightfully describes our driver. And the scary and sad part is that there are thousands of maniacs like him on the roads in Vietnam. Miraculously we arrived Mui Ne in one piece, and it was a good place to get rid of the tension created by this bus ride. Mui Ne is also a perfect place for kite surfing and wind surfing. I've never seen so many kites in the air at the same time. At the most I counted around 100 kites; an incredible sight.

Mui Ne is El Dorado for wind surfers and kite surfers

However, if you turned your head 180 degrees you would have a clearer view. The next picture is from Nha Trang where more traditional tourist activities are popular. (I had to make it bit arty to make it interesting though...)

Katrine had been singing and talking about 'Miss Saigon' for weeks already so we were quite enthusiastic when we finally got to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City which is its official name. Saigon soon became our favorite destination in Vietnam. Cheap and central accommodation was easy to find and the city had a lot to offer. In many ways Saigon was very different from Hanoi. Overall we found that there are many differences between what used to be North and South Vietnam. If you ask us, we'd tell you that the southern part was the most enjoyable. We spent much time walking around the city, sightseeing and shopping. The most interesting was the War Remnants Museum, which gives you a rich insight into the Vietnam War. It must be a bit embarrassing to be an American visitor at this museum as the the whole exhibition was, not surprisingly, very anti American.

Another interesting war related activity that we enjoyed was the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels are part of an impressive network of connecting underground tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong during the war. It was incredible to see how the Viet Cong soldiers lived and fought. Most of the tunnels are really narrow and claustrophobic, and although the ones that tourists try are widened, I still had problems, and I ain't too big... In the tunnels there's also lack of fresh air and light. Learning about the Viet Cong and seeing the tunnels was very interesting, but we also needed some non-war related fun. On our last night in Vietnam we went to a fancy live jazz club. It was cool, very western and ridiculously expensive, even for a Norwegian! That was the end of Vietnam. We have definitely gotten some new, different and nice associations to the name Vietnam, but I don't think we'll ever stop thinking about the war when we hear the name.

Saigon is a lovely mix of designer shops and communism, local snake wine and international jazz clubs

...and war history

From Saigon we headed to another country with a recent history of violence and war. Stay tuned for the next post from what came to be one of our favorite countries in the region - the amazing Kingdom of Cambodia.

Wild and Beautiful Laos

2009-03-22T19:45:00.003+01:00

For more pictures click album 1, album 2 and album 3

Katrine and I had extremely high expectations about Laos. A majority of the people we have met, who have travelled in South East Asia, had already awarded Laos with the 'Best Country Award'. Like with a movie that has received an Academy award, you obviously have high anticipations about a country that has received so much praise from fellow travellers. It can be a bit unfair, I guess, to go to a place having too high expectations. This will surely make it harder for that place to redeem. This was the case of Laos.

We crossed the boarder from Thailand into Laos by boat crossing the mighty Mekong River. On the other side it was all pretty chaotic, with lack of information and people running wild with our passports going crazy when we were asking politely to get our passports back. Our initial plan was to take the 'slow boat' down the river, all the way to Luang Prabang, a two day journey. But we changed our minds when we found out that we could go by bus instead, and arrive the same night. At least that is what we were told. When we first asked it was a nine hour bus ride leaving 'now'. Then someone told us it was 11 hour, leaving 'soon'. Asking a third person, we were now told it was a 12 hour bus ride arriving at 11 p.m. It ended up 13 hours on the bus, arriving Luang Prabang (LP) at two in the morning! And just to make it even worse the bus driver stopped around seven kilometres outside the city centre, where some of his friends (at least we assume they were) were waiting for us like blood hounds to take us into town for 10 times the tourist price (meaning 20 times normal price). And when we got to the city centre everything was closed, or rather barricaded. Luckily we were a good group of people travelling together. We had met five cool Chilean guys on the bus from Chiang Mai a few days earlier, whom we were to stick with fro the 10 days or so. The eighth member of the group was a guy from South Africa. Like restless zombies we roamed the dark streets of LP for more than two hours, knocking on the doors of more than 20 guesthouses before someone would let us in. By that time we were seriously considering sleeping outside one of the wats (temples). The first 20 hours of our Lao experience had been everything but great. We hoped for better days ahead, and fortunately they were. LP presented itself from a much better side the next day.

Group shot from our first night in Laos. At least we all look happy...

The UNESCO-protected World Heritage City of Luang Prabang is truly beautiful and charming. The old city, were we were staying, is built on a peninsula with the Mekong River making a natural moat around the city. French colonial architecture mix nicely with traditional Laotian and Buddhist architecture. In the middle of the city is a big hill. If you climb the steps to the top you will be rewarded with a beautiful wat and a spectacular 360 degree view. And if you are there at the right time you will witness one of the most magic sunsets you can imagine.

The first day was spent biking and walking around the city center. On the second day we (the Chileans, Mr. South Africa and us) went to Pak Ou, around 25 kilometers upstream the Mekong River. Pak Ou is a holy place and famous for its limestone caves filled with Buddha sculptures.

For 'good luck' you can buy different birds and animals and then release them. They will most likely be recaptured soon after, and then resold to other tourists.

Later that same day we went to see the amazing waterfalls of Tat Kuang Si. As I wrote in an earlier post, for a waterfall to impress a Norwegian it has to be pretty spectacular, and this one certainly was. The river system of Tat Kuang Si consists of a series of smaller waterfalls and pools and one big waterfall at the top. The pools and waterfalls look almost artificial and the colours of the water are verdiris green and clear blue and turquoise. It was the perfect place to take a dip, although it was a bit too cold to really enjoy it... The park also has a rescue center for bears that have been confiscated from traffickers and poachers.

The pools and waterfalls of Pak Ou look more like a man-made amusement park than a natural river system. Every morning in Luang Prabang the monks walk through the city collecting food and other things from the locals.

The following morning we left the South-African guy behind and caught a minibus down to Vang Vieng. When we arrived at the bus station the bus guys tried to disregard all physical laws and squeeze way too many people into one minivan. It took us almost one hour of heavy verbal arguing, and not until 'chica' (Daniela, the Chilean girl) physically pushed one of the local guys into the minivan they understood that we wouldn't fit. Well done chica! Once on the road it took us about seven hours to get to Vang Vieng (VV). The extraordinary nature of Northern Laos really unfolded as we moved southwards. The scenery in VV was also truly spectacular. Our room only contained a mattress on the floor and a mosquito net, but we had a magnificent view of the river and the mountains, and it was cheap!

Vang Vieng is more or less famous for one thing, that is the activity of tubing. For you who aren't familiar with the Laotian Tubing, it means floating down the river on an inner tube only conveyed by the current of the river. It may not sound very exciting, but all the 'watering holes' along the river don't only make sure people aren't dehydrated. Most of the bars attract the 'tubers' with free shots and some serious water activities, or they simply throw the 'rescue line' in your head... Some people, or should I say most people, tend to get a bit too drunk and start acting like Supermans and Catwomen, which often end up in bad injuries. A few people have actually drowned, and believe me, the river is not that vehement... Anyway, it was fun and the water wasn't too cold once you got used to it. Another strange Vang Vieng feature is the 'Friends' restaurants. These restaurants are showing the TV series Friends non-stop. I'm sure Jennifer Aniston and her colleagues receive a large sum in royalties from these places; or perhaps not... It isn't a bad idea though, but I wish they had a Seinfeld and a Simpson restaurant as well.

One classic example of a wannabe catwoman without the power of a super hero (pic 1); one guy who actually hold at least one of superman's powers (pic 2); and a water slide that doesn't require any super powers at all.

Our last stop in Laos was its capital, Vientiane. We only stayed here one night, so we didn't see too much of the city, but honestly, I don't think we missed out on anything extraordinary. Sitting on the river front watching the sun set behind the Mekong River one last time was very pretty though. All things considered, Laos was alright. It didn't live up to our expectations, which probably was too high in the first place. It was more expensive than what we've been told, the people were a bit reserved and didn't speak much English, and we had some awful restaurant experiences. However, the natural beauty and the good times we shared with our new friends surely made it memorable in many good ways as well.

Thailand Part 2 - More than just 'Neo-Syden'...

2009-03-15T14:35:00.003+01:00

For more pictures click album 1 and album 2

I've been really busy lately, that's why the cyber-version of Torstein's world has been so stagnant. However, the real world has not been stagnant at all. Over the next few weeks I hope to show you the rest of the amazing Asian adventure. Here comes the second, and final, part of our Thai experience...

Before I continue the story in north Thailand, I have to tell you a funny story from Bangkok. Five years ago me and my buddy Per were in Bangkok where we bought some tailor-made suits. I remember that they took a picture of us, posing in our new outfits, but I never thought I would see that picture again... Now, five years later, I walk into the same tailor shop. I talk to one of the guys there asking about prices etc. I told him that I had been a costumer back in the old days, and suddenly he asks if I bought a winter coat last time I was here, which I did. 'Yes'. The next thing that happens is that he pulls me over to one side of the shop and points to a big picture of Per and I! "This picture has been good business for us" he said smiling and certain that I would continue to be a costumer of his...

Then and now, five years later!

Since we were going back to Bangkok again after touring around Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, we decided to stay for just one night before getting on the road again, or rather on the rail this time. We took the night train to Chiang Mai, the biggest city in the northern part of Thailand. As Lonely Planet so eloquently puts it, Chiang Mai (CM) is a 'cool place to kick back and soak up the Thai-ness that may been missed on the beaches of the south coast'. The city and the region as a whole has a unique cultural heritage, which is displayed nicely through the 300+ temples in CM. We arrived CM at the same time as the sun. The cool air reminded us that the northern hemisphere is still lulled in winter, and it was an indicator on what we were to expect for the next couple of weeks. It was a bit hard to get used to wearing shoes, socks, trousers and sweaters again. During daytime, however, it got nice and warm. On the first day in CM we walked around the old city admiring a few of its many temples, with all its glitter and gold and the peaceful monks dressed in orange.

Later that day we went to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre where elephants are given medical treatment and young elephants are being trained to do all kinds of crazy things. The elephants can for instance make paintings of trees and flowers, play soccer, play harmonica, throw darts at balloons, and swing their trunk like a fan (!)... On the second day we went on a full day tour with elephant riding, trekking through the jungle to a waterfall (the waterfall wasn't very impressive. Keep in mind that Norway has some spectacular waterfalls...), white water rafting (not too exciting rapids, but nice scenery), and bamboo floating (useless way of transporting tourists down the river). Perhaps I don't sound too enthusiastic about the tour, but it was good overall, although our guide was pretty annoying, running around with a megaphone in the jungle (!). That night we went to the huge night bazaar, and later to a Lady Boy bar from where we were watching live Thai boxing, a very interesting combination...

Two days packed with fun were over and the next morning we headed off to Chiang Kong, a small town situated on the bank of the Mekong River. Our hostel was overlooking the river and Laos on the other side. As we were sitting at the restaurant talking to our new friends suddenly the whole sky was lit by a huge firework sent off from the Lao side. And, two hours later it started again. This time even bigger. We don't know why, but we figured out that it was all arranged to welcome us to Laos the next day. Was this how Laos would be; fireworks every night, to honour us? Well, not exactly... See what happened in Laos in the next post. Coming to a computer near you!

Thailand Part 1 - The Ultimate 'Neo-Syden'...

2009-02-17T16:00:00.005+01:00

For more photos of 'neo-Syden' click album 1, album 2

After a few relaxing days on Langkawi, we were off to the all time Scandinavian favorite, Thailand. Thailand to me is the ultimate 'neo-Syden'. Most of you Norwegians reading this blog are familiar and probably very comfortable with the concept of 'Syden'. When explaining this concept, some of my foreign friends have found it quite amusing. For you who don't know it, let me explain it very briefly. Traditionally 'Syden' has been the warmer areas of southern Europe; places with beaches, cheap food and drinks; places that are a little different but not too different from home. In Syden you can get Norwegian food, Norwegian newspapers and you'll meet Norwegians working in the restaurants etc. Another characteristic is that you can go on charter or package tours directly from Norway. Traditional Syden destinations are, for instance, Mallorca, Cyprus, the Greek islands, the Canary Islands etc. You get the picture. In recent years, however, Syden as a geographic area has broadened and Thailand, among other non-Mediterranean countries, has emerged as a top Syden destination; or what I will call 'neo-Syden'.

Anyway, from Langkawi we took the boat across the border and got on shore in Satun, a city that doesn't have too much to offer, so we went straight to Krabi. Krabi is a quiet and charming town worth staying for a day or two, although it is not too exciting. We stayed here one night only, but we had time to walk around the night market and go on a boat trip up the river to see a cave and a fish farm. Early next morning we were picked up and started the journey towards the famous Phi Phi Islands. Phi Phi is not only known for its towering mountains, pristine beaches, and marine life. The islands were also devastated by the tsunami in 2004. On the main island, Ko Phi Phi Don, which is the only island that is inhabited, around 5000 people was killed by the tsunami. Today it is all rebuilt and not much remind you of that tragic event four years ago.

Krabi is a small and charming city nicely situated by a river. We had an interesting encounter with a few of the inhabitants of the fish farm...

To get to the Phi Phis we booked a day trip to some of the islands, and as the tour stopped at Phi Phi Don for lunch we grabbed our luggage and left the group. The next two days were spent here, on one of the most touristic islands you can imagine. We hadn't seen too many Scandinavians on our travels so far, but Phi Phi almost gave us an overdose...

The islands around Phi Phi Don are stunningly beautiful, if you manage to see past the masses of tourists, which isn't always so easy. For instance, we stopped at the famous 'the Beach', known from the movie with the same name, and we literally had to fight our way through all the speedos in world. At least that is how it felt. 'The Beach' was more packed than Bondi Beach on a hot Australian summer day. But again, with a little effort, you can see through the crowds and experience some extraordinary natural pieces of art. Imagine to be the only one there! I made an effort to capture these natural sights without too many people spoiling them, and I think it worked. However, here is one showing how the Phi Phi islands really look like....

On one of the days we went sea kayaking. We figured it would give us a better chance to get a bit away from biggest crowds, and we were right. Although Monkey Beach was quite packed at times, we had some moments almost by ourselves. After two days of Swedish meatballs, Norwegian waffles, Russians wearing stilettos on the beach, restaurants named 'Viking-something' and techno music it was time to move on. We took the ferry to Phuket, on the other side of the Andaman sea. In Phuket we stayed for one night, in the city, before taking the long road up to 'the Venice of Asia', also known as Bangkok, and further up to the north of Thailand.

Sea kayaking is a nice way of escaping the biggest boat-loads of tourists

The next part of our Thai adventure is under construction, but will be out soon. So stay tuned for 'Thailand Part 2 - More than just 'Neo-Syden'!!

Hospitalized in Kuala Lumpur

2009-01-26T21:00:00.014+01:00

For more photos click album

Was it the Christmas dinner? Or was it the 'not-so-well-done' fried egg I had for lunch? Or perhaps it was the toxic water I swallowed in Kuta? Whatever the cause, my stomach and body wasn't happy at all. As I told you in the previous post, I was pretty stupid and went shopping and surfing in the heat, even though I was suffering from fever, dizziness and dehydration. After spending a whole day in Bali waiting for our flight, we arrived Kuala Lumpur (KL) at two in the morning, where we spent another night at the airport, this time on a bench though... I woke up the next morning feeling very dizzy and having stomach cramps. We stumbled around the airport for a while, being a bit worried as I had discovered blood in the diarrhea. (Maybe too much information.) Anyway, we got to Chinatown where we checked in at the worst hostel we've been staying in on this trip. For the rest of that day I wasn't feeling any better, but we decided to stay there overnight (after consulting our medic friend, Tore, on phone from Norway) and pay a visit to a doctor in the morning. Katrine was also feeling a bit sick, but fortunately she was feeling better than me. By the way, it is pretty nice to travel around with a personal nurse;)

Our first hostel in KL. Not the best place to be sick. The hospital was a lot better.

The first picture shows the view from our hospital room. It was quite nice at midnight when the fireworks started. The Petronas Twin Towers are world famous, both for their height and architecture.

The next day we went to the emergency room at one of Malaysia's better hospitals. One hour later I was receiving fluids and antibiotic through a tube while enjoying the view of KL's skyline from my private room on the seventh floor. We got an extra bed for Katrine, and that's how Glenewagles Medical Center was to be our 'hotel' for the next two nights, one of them being New Years Eve! I had probably been food poisoned in Indonesia and I was very dehydrated when we arrived the hospital. (Later we found out that I had dysentery.) We went for a couple of 'home leaves', which we spent window shopping at some of KL's many huge shopping malls. This made us feel even more dizzy, so it didn't take long before we crawled back into our hospital beds. New Years Eve was spent in bed watching the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy on TV. Not the most exiting start of the new year, but definitely memorable. When we were 'released' from the hospital it was time for real shopping and sightseeing. Actually, before we left the hospital, Katrine was also prescribed some antibiotic. So, high on nasty bacterias and antibiotic we jumped on a tour bus to take us around the city. We went to see the majestic Petronas Twin Towers, made some great bargains in Jalan Petaling (the market in Chinatown) and walked up the 227 steps to the famous Batu Caves.

KL is a nice city. It is very multicultural and has a somehow calm atmosphere, for a big city. Our stay here was a bit hectic as we moved six (!) times and stayed in five different places (including the airport) in seven days. One of these places being a nice Arabic 'home stay' in the Arabic Square. Our stay became longer than we had planned for, but KL is definitely not the worst place to get stuck for a few days, and especially if you need medical treatment. It is not cheap though, so I am glad I have travel insurance. (I have already been refunded everything!)

From KL we took one of Malaysia's luxurious buses (only three seats in each row and great space for your legs) to Alor Setar, from where we caught a taxi to Kuala Kedah and then with boat to the island of Langkawi. Langkawi (situated on the north west coast) is one of Malaysia's hottest tourist spots, and it has a lot to offer, including tax-free shopping... However, we didn't feel like doing too much the two days we were there, except laying on its fine white sand beaches, swim in the warm, clear ocean, and eat fried rice. We rented a sea kayak for a couple of hours just to get some exercise and to get to a small island with a beautiful beach. We stayed in Pantai Chenang, on the western part of the island, so we enjoyed beautiful sunsets.

The white sand beaches in Langkawi

The sunset made us a little bit corny....

From Malaysia we headed into Thailand...the adventure continues exclusively on torsteinsworld

Christmas in Indonesia

2009-01-20T22:31:00.016+01:00

For more photos click album 1, album 2, album 3

As you probably have understood from reading the previous post, we both enjoyed the Philippines a whole lot! But, after three incredible weeks it was time to move on. And in South East Asia, exciting destinations is one thing that there is no lack of. From Cebu we flew to Kuala Lumpur, via Kota Kinabalu on Malaysian Borneo. We had a spectacular view of Mt. Kinabalu (4095 m) as we approached our mid-way stop. In Kuala Lumpur we stayed one night at the airport floor. Even though KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) has been awarded 'world's best airport' three times (03, 06, 07), its floor is still pretty hard...

The airport floor wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. Eating Banana Split in Bali was much better...

Anyway, we got some sleep and the next day we disembarked on the legendary island of Bali. I'm not really sure what we had expected, and perhaps the recent visit to the pristine Filipino islands was still on our minds, but we were quite disappointed with Bali, or rather Kuta-Legian. Kuta beach has obtained a special, almost mythical status amongst Norwegians, and honestly, I can't understand why. Sure, there are some good aspects, such as the shopping and the blood red sunsets. The highly visible Hindu culture is another nice side of Kuta-Legian. However, these aspects do not outweigh the pollution, the dirty, smelly beach, the traffic, and the rubbish that is everywhere. The surf is supposedly world class, but it is hard to fully enjoy it as pieces of plastic stick to your arm on every paddle, dead fish float around you, and as you have to concentrate more on not swallowing any water than actually catching a wave. Having said that, on one of the late evenings in Legian I had one of the best surfs ever:)

Every evening the rather dirty and smelly Kuta-Legtian beach turns into a postcard-perfect sunset, displaying every possible nuance of yellow and red.

We stayed for three nights in Legian, in a nice, spacey room surrounded by a fantastic Hindu garden, full of gods, the smell of incense, and a couple of dogs. We spent the days mostly shopping. But we also went for a half day to the cultural city of Ubud, which was a welcomed get-away from Kuta-Legian. On the way to Ubud we stopped at an impressive Hindu temple. In Ubud we visited the palace and spent some time together with the monkeys of the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. It was all good fun until I felt a stream of warm liquid running down my neck. A little monkey bastard who was sitting on my head (!) suddenly thought it was a good idea to pee on me!

The monkeys were very cute, until one peed one me. The picture is taken at the exact moment when it happened. Enlarge it and see for yourself. As you can see he was struck by a red lightening and suffered a slow death...

Some of Bali's several thousands nice sculptures

Outside our room and on the bottom of our pool

We were glad to leave smelly Kuta-Legian on 'lille julaften' (the day before Christmas Eve), going to its less touristic neighbour, Lombok. First three hours bus ride to Pandangbai, via Ubud. Then five hours on a ferry to Lembar, before getting on a minibus to Senggigi, another two hours. Senggigi, and Lombok in general, has a much more relaxed, laid back atmosphere than its big brother to the West. So it was all laid out for a relaxed and joyful Christmas;) As the sun set in the ocean, making Bali's volcanoes yellow and red in the distance, we were dining on the beach, being almost alone in the restaurants. We both missed our families and the Norwegian Christmas, but we, at least, had a good three course Christmas dinner on the eve of the 24th.

On Christmas day we actually came pretty close to a white Christmas. Together with our new friend George, a language professor from Minnesota, we drove two hours south, from where we took a small boat to the amazing Gili Nanggu. I guess this island was everything we wanted Indonesia to be like. The beaches were so bright that we had to wear shades. The ocean changed from light green to light blue, reflecting the silky sand and the colorful corals, before the deep gave it a dark blue color. When we entered the water we were immediately surrounded by hundreds of fish, and even more when we revealed our treat, a banana and a couple of slices of bread... Gili Nanggu is a small island, it only takes you about 15 minutes to walk around it. However, you can easily spend hours taking inn the empty, white beaches that surround the island. Hidden in the lush vegetation that comes all the way down to the beach were thousands of grasshoppers. We also had a close encounter with a couple of big and nasty spiders. One looked like the devil himself. The island is also a turtle sanctuary, hosting a new generation of teenage mutant ninja turtles. Well, all good things come to an end and soon it was time to work our way back up to Senggigi. On the way we stopped to look at a couple of wedding parades that literally blocked the road. Awful music, but hopefully a happy marriage.

Gili Nanggu has most of the features a tropical paradise
should have...

...including giant spiders and pagurus bernhardus

The next day was spent by the pool, frying our dark Latino skin in the Indonesian sun. Then, during the final night in Lombok our stomachs started making trouble, a revolt that would later culminate in a couple of nights in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. (I'll get back to the hospital story in my next post.) We both took a few pills and got ready for the bumpiest and most hazardous boat ride we have ever experienced. And keep in mind that the oceans around Norway aren't the calmest... I can't tell how high the waves were, but we couldn't see above them when we were in the 'valley', and they broke (!) onto the boat. It wasn't very pleasant, and most people got pretty sea sick. The only peaceful thing to rest our eyes on were the dolphins that seemed to enjoy the rough sea. Anyway, we came across to Bali, where we spent one more night before flying out the following evening. By that time I had a fever and felt pretty awful. It didn't stop me from having a last surf in the toxic sea though, probably a very bad idea as I just got worse.

To be continued...

How to Choose from 7107 Tropical Islands?

2009-01-02T00:20:00.027+01:00

For more photos click

album 1, album 2, album 3, album 4, and album 5

When traveling to foreign and unfamiliar countries you always have to make some really difficult choices; what places should you visit; where will you find the most unique, the most authentic or the most exiting place? There is always the danger of leaving out places that you should've visited, and going places you shouldn't have gone. There is so much to see and do, but almost every time I travel I feel that my time is too limited, and of course, my budget doesn't always allowing me to do everything I want. Choosing where to go and what to see was particularly difficult in the Philippines. This vast tropical country consists of no less than 7107 islands! Katrine and I ended up with three main destinations: Manila, Boracay and Palawan, all of which gave us some unforgettable experiences and memories, both good and bad.

When you're exploring new destinations,
it is extremely important to keep your head above the surface...

Unfortunately, we had some problems starting our travels on time, due to the occupation of Bangkok International Airport. Because of this we lost three days in Manila, but it could have been much worse as Thai Airways wouldn't promise to get us there at all. However, as a result of hard work and hours on the phone we managed to get a flight via Singapore instead, and at least get two full days in Manila. In Singapore we stayed overnight with two god friends. We even had a few hours to kill the next day before our flight. Chen and Miki were our personal guides to the plethora of shopping malls in Singapore.

Our first meeting with Manila was rather chaotic and not too pleasant. First of all, we didn't really arrive in Manila, but at Clark, an old American military base, two hours outside Manila. Anyway, we got on a bus and a couple of hours later we were dropped at a run-down bus terminal in the deepest of Manila, at midnight... We grabbed the first taxi we saw and headed for Alabang, where some of Katrine's family live. We tried to bargain on the taxi, but failed miserably. I guess it was both because of the fact that we were way out of 'practice', and who wants to stay downtown Manila at midnight with all your belongings trying to save a couple of bucks? Not us... We arrived Alabang safely and Katrine's uncle, Ingar, welcomed us with dinner at around 1 am! The next day we went with Ingar to see one of the projects he's working on. Driving through Metro Manila in daylight was undoubtedly nicer than by night, but Tondo, the place we were going, was definitely not the sunny side of Manila. Tondo is one of the poorest and most dangerous places in Manila, and the Philippines overall. (A couple of weeks later, sitting in a bar in Puerto Princesa (far from Manila), telling two guys that we had been to Tondo, they both just said 'Wow, and you came out alive!?'). Here we visited some abandoned warehouses that have been taken over by Filipinos, desperate for shelter. These warehouses have the somewhat ironic name 'Happy land'. Ingar and his companions have started clearing out tons of garbage, installing electricity, and offering medical help to the most needy. Walking through these warehouses, smelling and seeing the unbearable situation, where people live in conditions many times worse than what animals experience in most countries, seeing critical cases of mal-nutrition, extensive sniffing, and the lack of essential human needs, made a strong impression on us both. At the same time, experiencing the smiles and the laughter, the joy of the kids, and seeing how the situation actually has improved, was good proof that even the worst cases can get better; and it isn't much that is needed.

The next day we went to see a very different side of Manila, the Mall of Asia. It is currently the fourth biggest shopping mall in the world. What can I say, it was BIG... After two days full of contrasts and good company, we headed off to the premier tourist destination in the Philippines, Boracay.

The day we arrived in Boracay it was raining cats, dogs, and cattle... Luckily, it got better. Boracay had some colorful markets with the freshest fruits and live seafood.

After an hour on a small aircraft and a 15 minutes boat trip, we found ourselves on an island referred to as both a paradise and as a prime example of the destructive effects of mass tourism. We found it somewhere in between, but closer to a holiday paradise that the opposite. The thing is, you have to accept Boracay for what it is. If you don't like tourists, resorts, 2-for-1 cocktail deals, cheap massage, jet skis, Richard Clydeman for breakfast, Boney M for lunch and DJ Tiesto for dinner, buffet dinners on the beach, etc., Boracay is probably not the place for you. I can definitely do without most of this, but at the same time Boracay's snow white 'White Beach' that stretches for 3 km. and is covered by palm trees, the smiling Filipinos, the crystal clear water, the fresh mangos, the chilled out beach oasis where you can sleep in bean bags or hammocks, and the lovely old women who gives you the cheapest massage while criticizing the government, make it a beach holiday destination far beyond most you'll find in, for instance, Europe.

The good thing about the Philippines, however, is that it has thousands of other islands to chose from, when you are fed up by Korean charter tourists, corny Christmas remixes, and neon-lit palm trees. We chose Palawan. And we couldn't have chosen better!

Palawan is, according to Lonely Planet, the last ecological frontier of the Philippines, and it sure is wild, beautiful, and untouched. We flew from Caticlan (near Boracay) to Puerto Princesa in a tiny aircraft, with too much air condition. Just as we took off I actually spotted a gigantic whale shark. I could even see the white spots on its back! Domestic flights in the Philippines is not just cheap and necessary, but also very enjoyable, if you are seated by the window that is. You'll see massive mountains, endless palm tree forests, and small isolated islands surrounded by white beaches, reefs, and turquoise water. In the baggage claim in Puerto we met an Italian guy and a Filipino girl. Together, the four of us hired a driver and a car, and from the airport we went straight north to El Nido. First three hours on sealed road to Roxas, and from there four hours on an extremely bumpy dirt road full of pot holes and stray dogs. Except for the times our heads almost hit the roof, the scenery made you forget about the bad road; the green, lush hills, the even rice paddies, small villages of bamboo huts, the overloaded and colorful jeepneys, the winding, narrow roads, and the mighty mountain tops. We arrived El Nido after dark and little did we know of the amazing view from our beach cottage that was revealed the next morning.

The first picture shows the view from our beach cottage.
The others are from around the archipelago.

The following six days were spent island hopping, exploring the most exotic, idyllic, and post card perfect islands of your dreams. The Bacuit Archipelago (bay) is an extraordinary seascape, consisting of numerous big and small islands. Our Creator has sure let his imagination run wild here. The bay is a collection of jugged limestone islands that leap hundreds of meters to the sky from crystal clear water, where all the nuances of green and blue are represented. On many of the islands there are sheltered bays that conceal white-sand beaches, tall palm trees, stunning lagoons, hidden caves, and vivid coral gardens. We spent three full days exploring the archipelago by bangka (traditional Filipino boat) together with out good boatman, guide and cook Delon, and a few other travelers. We also spent one day sea kayaking and found ourselves a personal little paradise on a small island. There were no people other than the two of us, so we felt a bit like cast aways... The rest of the time was spent reading Obama's well written and engaging Dreams from My Father (which I stole from my American house mate in Australia, thanks Tom), eating, sleeping, and wandering around the small and charming El Nido.

The underwater world is amazing around the islands of Bacuit. The visibility was extraordinary and we even found Nemo!

After six fantastic days in El Nido it was time to get back to Puerto, where we strolled around the city and its big Christmas market for a couple of days. We also had time for a day trip to Sabang (two hours west of Puerto) and its world famous underground river. We dressed up in life jacket and helmet and took a seat in a small paddle boat which brought us into a spectacular cave opening and 1,5 km upstream the river. (You can actually continue upstream for another 7 km!). Inside it was, obviously, pitch black, but we had a big torch and for the next 45 minutes we paddled inside the mountain, surrounded by thousands of bats and unbelievable natural sculptures. It was good to return to fresh air and daylight after that dark and sticky experience. Outside we were greated by a bunch of monkeys and some giant lizards. From Puerto we flew to Cebu, the second biggest city in the Philippines, where we spent one night before heading towards Christmas in Indonesia.

Outside the underwater river

We had an exceptional experience in the Philippines

and the best tip we can give you is:
JUST GO THERE!

Some of Australia's Finest

2008-11-27T08:40:00.055+01:00

During the last couple of months of our time in Australia, Katrine and I experienced some of the beautiful landscapes and cities of Australia. We went to Sydney for a long weekend, seeing legendaric Stevie Wonder in concert, surfing and getting sunburned on iconic Bondi Beach, taking the ferry out to the beautiful Manly, eating grøt (traditional Norwegian rice porridge) at Sjømannskirken (the Norwegian church in Sydney), enjoying a jazz symphony (!) in the world famous Opera House, and wandering around Sydney. A few weeks later we went south to the capital of Victoria, Melbourne, and the surrounding areas, enjoying breathtaking scenery along the Great Ocean Road, walking on top of the rain forest (tree top walk), feeding weird animals, watching the Fairy Penguins as they returned home after a long day in the sea at Philip Island, and waled the streets of Australia's cultural capital. Then after the exam we flew up to Australia's third largest city, Brisbane, to walk along its river and swim by its artificial beach, before spending three stormy days in the flashy and trashy Surfers Paradise. Next stop was the all time favorite Byron Bay, offering an overdose of the relaxed and enjoyable Australian beach culture and good surfing. Before getting back to Canberra we also had a night in the sleepy city of Newcastle. Following are some pictures from these places. Please click the links for more pictures. More detailed updates on our Tour of Asia will come soon, until then please enjoy some of Australia's finest....

BRISBANE / SURFERS PARADISE /
BYRON BAY / NEWCASTLE
See more album 1/album 2

Brisbane's artificial city beach and rainy Surfers Paradise

My beloved surfboard and fiance

The spectacular beach in Byron Bay

The 'far east' and 'ocean meets sky'

Although a very nice city, there isn't too much to do in Newcastle...

MELBOURNE / PHILIP ISLAND /
GREAT OCEAN ROAD
See more

One of the more lively koalas and some lush rain forest

The so-called 'Twelve Apostles' are amazing natural sculptures, shaped by time, sea and wind

Breathtaking view of some of the 'Apostles'

SYDNEY

Stevie Wonder was wonderful, and James Morrison Quartet together with Sydney Symphony gave us a memorable evening at the Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge by night. The pink is for the breast cancer campaign.

The Opera House by day. Sydney's harbour is definitely a 'must see' if you're ever in Australia.

Bondi Beach is perhaps Australia's most famous and iconic (as the Australians would say) beach. Katrine is about to find out whether Bondi is good for surfing....

Magnificent Hong Kong

2008-11-27T05:23:00.018+01:00

After spending five magic summer weeks in Norway with my fiancé, my family and friends, it was time to work my way back to the southern hemisphere again. But instead of going straight back to Australia I put in a three day stop-over in Hong Kong. Here are a few photos from a very busy and crowded, but interesting and awesome city.

Hong Kong is an amazing city with an impressive skyline.

Every night you can go down to the Victoria Harbour and witness the spectacular multimedia display ' A Symphony of Lights'. It is described as the 'world's largest permanent light and sound show by Guinness World Records, and it includes 44 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. (It obviously looks more impressive in real life than on this photo...).

I also visited the 'Big Buddha' on Lantau Island. It is the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha... You can either walk, take a tourist bus or jump on the cable car. I'm very glad I didn't decide to walk.

After three hectic days of being constantly blinded by neon lights and designer shops, sweating like crazy and being laughed at by Chinese teenagers for my unconventional use of chop sticks, it was time to leave. Although surrounded by millions of people all the time, it did feel a bit lonesome to be there on my own. However, I can warmly recommend all of you to put in a few days in Hong Kong if you ever have the chance. Katrine and I are going back for a three days in the end of February. Come join us;)

Check out this photo album for more pictures of my Hong Kong experience.

Torstein's World is back on its feet...

2008-11-26T06:30:00.030+01:00

Although 'torsteinsworld' has been very silent for a long time, I can assure you that Torstein's real world has been far from quiet. Since I last 'blogged', I have been back in Norway for a few weeks, I have walked the streets of Hong Kong, Katrine has moved 'down under', we have traveled a bit of Oz, and I have gone through some extremely intense and demanding months of essay writing and exams. However, it's all done now and I finally have my Master of International Affairs!

Over the next few posts I will show you some of what have been going on for the last six months, and I will start with some good memories from the few weeks of Norwegian summer. I hope these pictures will bring some warmth to those of you who are freezing in the cold Norwegian winter... If you want to see more photos, there will be links to photo albums at the end of each post.

BBQ and 'Per i solnedgang'. Always good times at Tore's summer cabin in Gamle Hellsund.

Traditional houses in southern Norway and a perfectly performed swallow dive...

After some nice and relaxing days in Oslo, Skien and Kristiansand it was time for a road trip through the mountains and up to the west coast, or more precisely, Bergen and Øygarden. We drove via Hemsedal and Lærdal, making it a long but extraordinarily scenic detour.

Crossing Hemsedalsfjellet

Aurlandsfjorden; Katrine and I; the view from Stalheimskleiva, near Voss.

In Øygarden we stayed at our modest summer cabin with the whole family. The first picture is the view from our summer cabin; the North Sea as far as you can see. (2) Katrine and I in Bergen.

I guess these pictures disprove the myth that it always rains in (and around) Bergen....

And finally, a traditional family photo...

Check out these photo albums (album 1; album 2 ) for more pictures of the Norwegian summer 2008.

Holiday! Part 3: Western Australia

2008-06-02T03:00:00.008+02:00

OK, this has obviously taken too long, and I apologize for that. But, since I'm here to study...eh...no excuse... Anyway, here's the final part of a holiday that is already in the history books.

After a couple of days in Perth it was time to explore a bit more of Western Australia, so we decided to go on a combined ‘camping’ and surf safari. We borrowed Hugh’s dad’s 4x4 (firehjulstrekker), tied four surfboards to the roof, put on some ‘Rage against the Machine’ (even though we had a representative from the main ‘Machine’ in the car – Tom, sorry about this bad IR joke. Tom is American if you didn't get it) and headed south. After about 3-4 hours we reached a small town called Yullingup. Yes, it sounds really Danish, but we were still in Australia. After ‘checking in’ and unrolling the sleeping bags in our own private little caravan (in other words, no hard core camping) we were off to meet King Ocean. The conditions for surfing were not the best, but a sunset surf was too appealing to turn back.

Tempted to go for a surf...?

...Oh yes!

The following days were spent on different beaches, surfing, playing poker with cardboard chips, playing the same songs on guitar over and over again, discussing the relations between Realism and Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War (!), and basically enjoying time away from Canberra. We also went further south to a lighthouse where we got some wind in our hair.

The area around Margaret River is famous for two things, surfing and wineries; a nice combo some would say… Let’s start with the surfing. The area has something for everybody, beach breaks, reef breaks, nice round waves as well as choppy, mad waves. All this combined with magnificent sceneries is all you can ask for. One of the more interesting incidents was when Francesco managed to break a massive soft board in two… Enjoy the pictures! (sorry Fra)

Me trying to drop into a wave

Hugh is cruising on a nice little wave

Game over for Fra. We came to the conclusion that it was
better with a broken board than a broken neck...

On the last day it was time for some wine ‘tasting’ around Margaret River. Our designated driver was Hugh and he did a good job showing us around five different and very beautiful wineries. It cannot really compete with South African wineries, but close enough. We also manage to stop by a liqueur factory and a coffee ‘distillery’. In other words, a good end to a perfect expedition.

The group and a red flower...

The days went by too fast and we were, unfortunately, a bit unlucky with the weather. But as we say in Norway, “there are no bad weather, only bad clothing”, and what clothing is better than a wet suit when it rains?

As in Melbourne it was really convenient to have a local guide. Thanks Steve and Hugh for showing Tom, Francesco and me around!!

This is it for now. In a couple of weeks I'll return to the social-democratic Utopia for a little while. I hope to see ya'll there! Take care till then!

Some people might wonder how it is in Canberra as well. The next post will be about life in Australia's 'bustling' capital...

Holiday! Part 2: Perth

2008-04-30T20:56:00.003+02:00

After spending a few good days in Melbourne our holiday continued two time-zones further west. Perth with its 1.5 million people is the most isolated ‘big’ city in the world. For those who don’t know

Australia

that well, Perth is situated on the west coast. For instance, between my current home in Canberra and Perth are four days of driving through sand and bush. I believe the Beatles wrote a song about it called ‘Kangaroo Fields Forever’. We chose to fly...

Downtown Perth is rather small and peaceful (not compared to Norwegian standards, obviously), with a couple of nice pedestrian streets, hot dog stands and surf shops. We also had time to visit the infamous micro brewery in Freemantle called Little Creatures, which beer is a lovely odyssey in citrus flavored beer…eh… whatever…

The city of Perth seen from Kings Park

I've grown pretty tall down here... Tom & me, and Steve lurking in the background.

In Perth we met up with our good friend Hugh (another ‘Oslo student’). We stayed at his father’s place; a big house from 1910 in the nice suburb of Clairemont. The house has a big garden, numerous surfboards and two small, but loud dogs; Missy & Bill. Both Hugh and his dad are former local surf celebrities (right Hugh?). We even saw a picture of a young, blond Hugh posing for the newspaper revealing his dream about surfing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I think the only reason why Hugh never got an Olympic gold medal is that surfing never became an Olympic sport….

Our temporary residence. Francesco, Tom, me & Hugh.

Around Perth there are some superb beaches (especially in Cottesloe) and the water temperature was pretty comfortable (around 22-23 ’C). Living in Canberra, which is an inland city, makes you really enjoy having sand in your hair, the smell of salt water and even the odour of dead fish and sun dried seaweed. I'm not sure whether it was something in the water or just the feeling of freedom, but being at the beach transformed us all into wild teenagers again... and, of course, it ended with a nice cut right in between my eyes.

Some action shots from our beach days.

As the sun set in into the Indian Ocean we all became very sentimental...

In a few days I'll publish the last part of this Holiday Trilogy, Holiday! Part 3: Western Australia, so keep your eyes open!! Surfing, camping and a nice flower are some of the treats coming up...

Holiday! Part 1: Melbourne

2008-04-29T22:47:00.001+02:00

Hey folks!!

Since you’re reading this it means that I’ve finally found some time in between work, work, holiday and work to write my blog again! I just handed in an essay last night, which means that I only have three big ones left before escaping the Australian winter and going back to my lovely fiancé for the summer. As you read this you might notice that something is different; yes, it has to do with language. Somebody told me that Norwegian is not a ‘world language’ (what!!), and after intense research I have come to the conclusion that English is spoken by slightly more people than Norwegian. This shift means that even more people can enjoy or hate my self-centric, non-political blog… To those of you that don’t like or understand English, well, what can I say…

Since I last updated the blog there has been some good days of traveling, surfing and laziness, but also a whole lot of long and stressful days of essay writing. I’ll concentrate on the fun part. On Friday 11 April a two week teaching-break finally started. The teaching-break is supposed to be a time for students for self-study, reflection and catching up with essay writing, yeah right… After class on that Friday Tom, Steve and me packed up Steve’s lovely Holden (weird Australian car brand) and headed south towards Melbourne, a trip that normally takes 7-8 hours. In our case a snapped fan belt in the middle of nowhere, very inefficient road service and an incredibly grumpy, chain-smoking tow-truck man and his not-so-lovely wife, made our trip last for almost 12 hours.

The next morning, after royal treatment in casa de família de Steve and a good night sleep, we headed downtown to watch an Australian football match, also known as ‘footy’. What is it with people using the term ‘football’ for every game where people run around with an oddly shaped ball, and then on top of it all they ignorantly refer to proper football as ‘soccer’!! Anyway the stadium, MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), is one of the nicest stadiums I have ever seen. It can accommodate more than 100.000 people; unfortunately there were only about 25.000 this day.

Melbourne is a fairly big city (approx. 3.8 million people), but it still has a nice, calm and cool atmosphere. The downtown area is a mix between modern, high rise buildings and old stone buildings and churches. The river Yarra which runs through the city adds a nice dimension to the asphalt jungle Melbourne also proudly presents itself as the home of the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere, and we obviously had to check out the view from there.

Melbourne is not just tall buildings, you can also go fishing in the Tasman sea

Some of the Melbourne suburbs have lots of trendy cafés, bars and clubs, and the architecture looks like a modern version of the Wild West. In these areas you’ll find a lot of colorful street art (graffiti) and ‘alternative’ shops, something you’ll really learn to appreciate after living in the well polished city of Canberra.

The days in Melbourne were spent walking around the city, visiting Steve’s church, having a lively dinner-party with Eleanor’s family (Eleanor was in our Oslo class last semester), hanging out with Steve’s friend Bec, and eating good food at Steve’s place. As you probably have figured out already, Steve was our local guide. On Monday morning our Italian friend Francesco entered the party. Exhausted after a long night on the bus and pissed off at the people that stole his bike in Canberra, he really needed a good vacation.

Stay tune for Holiday! Part 2: Perth, to be released on 30 April 2008

Husker dere Skippy the bush kangaroo?

2008-03-11T07:37:00.020+01:00

I Canberra koker det for øyeblikket. Jeg snakker ikke om ekstasen over at byen fylte hele 95 år på mandag, men det faktum at gradestokken endelig ser ut til å ha satt seg fast på godt over 30 grader. Men opp i all denne gleden over godt sommervær må jeg nok innse at det bare er en siste liten sommerflørt før vi blir lullet inn i Australias kalde vinter... Det kan kanskje høres ut som en spøk, men vi snakker faktisk minusgrader... på natta i alle fall... Det gjelder med andre ord å benytte seg av siste rest av varme.

Jeg må innrømme at det er litt vanskelig å bo i innlandet, særlig når man vet hvor lang og deilig kyst dette landet har. En vis mann sa en gang ”havet kommer ikke til deg, du må gå til havet”. Han la senere til ”...og husk solkrem og speedo”. Jeg tar denne mannen på ordet, med en liten ”rettelse” naturligvis; til ergrelse for noen, men til glede for de aller fleste har jeg byttet ut speedoen med shorts.

Den nærmeste kystbyen heter Batemans Bay (ca. 16 000 aussier) og ligger ca. 2 timer unna med bil eller annet lignende transportmiddel. Utenfor denne byen ligger det milevis med deilige, folketomme strender. Forrige helg reiste vi dit uten surfebrett og det var masse flotte bølger. Denne helgen reiste vi dit igjen, denne gangen med surfebrettet mitt skvist inn i en liten Mitsubishi, og det var naturligvis ikke en eneste bølge...

Hva gjør man når man ikke kan leke seg i bølgene? Man går da selvfølgelig på kangaroo jakt!! Det var ikke lenge vi trengte å lete før vi fant en fin gjeng oppi krattet. Jeg brant meg forøvrig på en brennesle mitt oppi kangaroo hysteriet, men det går greit meg altså. Bare litt kjipt å assosiere søte dyr med umenneskelig smerte... Husker dere Skippy, eller dyreverdenens svar på McGyver som jeg liker å kalle han (eller er det kanskje en hun?). Her nede synes alle det er veldig gøy at de faktisk viser Skippy på norsk tv fortsatt. Serien ble tross alt produsert i perioden 1966-1968. Etter å ha fremført Skippy-sangen i ulike (utallige) anledninger har jeg etterhvert også opparbeidet meg kallenavnet Skippy hos enkelte... Uansett, her kommer noen bilder av starnd og rare dyr.

En av mange strender utenfor Batemans Bay

På tide å revurdere Darwins evolusjonsteori?

Kangaroos i sitt naturlige habitat

Kangaroos i noe mer unaturlige omgivelser...

Down Under & Into the Bush...

2008-02-27T10:05:00.004+01:00

G'day Mates

Javel der, da var det vel på tide å gi litt lyd fra seg... Mye har skjedd siden sist jeg snakket med mange av dere. De fleste har vel fått med seg at jeg i desember 2007 forlovet meg med verdens beste og flotteste jente!! Hurra! Men det er nok ikke alle som har fått med seg at jeg også har reist fra denne jenta og flyttet meg litt sør-vestover på vår lille jord; nærmere sagt til Australia og hennes noe merkverdige hovedstad Canberra. Canberra har i underkant av 350 000 innbyggere og er typisk den eneste australske byen av en viss størrelse og betydning som ikke ligger ved kysten... Så, hvorfor velger en urban, metroseksuell (tja) kystelsker å flytte til the 'bush capital'? Vel, nå har det seg slik disse aussiene faktisk har klart å stable sammen et av verdens beste utdanningstilbud innenfor International Relations nettopp her. De færreste av dere vet vel egentlig hva jeg studerer så her er det en gang for alle: Master in International Affairs med spesialisering i Peace and Conflict Studies. Ikke spør meg hva jeg blir...
Det er et meget internasjonalt program med studenter fra over 30 land. Studentenes bakgrunn er naturligvis veldig variert og jeg kan nevne alt fra en sørlending med en ussel bachelorgrad fra HIO (meg) til Indonesias ambassadør i Australia.

Hvis alt går etter planen så skal jeg tilbringe de neste 10-11 månedene her, men i slutten av juni kommer jeg på en liten 3-ukers turné til Norge. Jeg håper å treffe så mange som mulig da før jeg reiser ned igjen i midten av juli. I slutten av august flytter Katrine også ned hit. Vi skal da bo i Canberra frem til desember for derette å legge ut på to måneders backpacking i Indonesia Fillippinene og sørøst Asia.

De siste par ukene har jeg sovet på gulvet i little Italy og Chinatown, d.v.s. leiligheten til to italienere og ei kinesisk/kanadisk jente. Det er nesten som å være hjemme hos mamma igjen, de vasker klærene mine og lager mat til meg... Men på fredag (29.02) må jeg klare meg selv, da flytter jeg endelig inn i egen leilighet sammen med min amerikanske venn Tom. Regner med at italiensk og kinesisk mat da blir byttet ut med peanutsmør og pannekaker!

Fra venstre: Miki, Francesco, Chen, meg og Tom. Legg spesielt merke til det store hodet mitt!

Utover dagliglivet og skolarbeidet i Canberra så håper jeg på litt reising rundt i Australia. Forrige helg var jeg og tre kompiser på roadtrip til Sydney, som ligger ca. 3 timers biltur unna. Sydney er en utrolig deilig by, og det var godt å komme tilbake dit nesten 4 år etter forrige besøk. Høyepunktene var naturligvis Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House og Bondi Beach. Bondi Beach er på en måte som bystranda i Kristiansand, bare litt annerledes... Det var utrolig deilig å få surfet litt igjen. På søndagen dro vi til Blue Mountains som ligger vest for Sydney. Stikkordet for Blue Mountains er Natur.

Det berømte operahuset i Sydney

Harbour Bridge og Circus Norway on Tour

Surfing på Bondi Beach

Fra venstre: meg, Tom, Steve og Francesco

'The Three Sisters' i Blue Mountains og litt regnskog

Dette får være nok for denne gang. Jeg kommer tilbake med flere bilder senere. Skal se om ikke jeg klarer å ta et par fine bilder fra Canberra også.... Håper alt er bra med alle og hvis noen skulle befinne seg i nærheten av Canberra så er det bare å ta kontakt. Leiligheten vi flytter inn har tre toalett, så er man trengt så er det bare å komme!

Mitt nummer er +6145 045 5731, men husk at det er natt her når det er dag i Norge....

Snakkes

Christmas Holiday in The Gambia

2008-01-08T12:58:00.000+01:00

Christmas is by most people associated with traditions and certain practices and rituals. Every year we do the same things in order to get into the 'right' spirit. Pinnekjøtt (rack of lamb ribs, Norwegian Christmas speciality), big family gatherings, Christmas concerts, Santa and angels, going to church, gingersnaps and a bunch of other cookies, presents, dressing up, candlelight and, of course, the Christmas Gospel are all part of the Dale family's tradition. However, last year we decided to skip most of this and just fly away. The choice, more or less by coincidence, fell on the African mainland’s smallest country, The Gambia. The 'party of tourists' were my mum and dad, my older brother Andreas and his wife Edel, my younger brother Preben and Katrine (my fiancé) and me. Here are a few photos showing our Gambian Christmas holiday.

Here we are!

Our women ...and the men

The closest we got to a white Christmas

Sunset Cruise on the River Gambia

A touch of African magic...

Some kids near the Aslaug School

...and we all agreed that it had been a relaxing, enjoyable, exciting and very memorable Christmas.

One Semester in South Africa

2008-01-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

From July to December 2006 the city of Durban in South Africa was my home. Here follows a few snapshots from that experience. Enjoy...

From one of the townships outside Durban centre

Watering the South African flora

The University campus - University of KwaZulu-Natal

One of South Africa's coolest places; Coffee Bay. Me, Øystein and Semund

Surfing the famous Super Tubes of Jeffrey's Bay (it's unfortunately not me...)

As a first-timer on a horse-back, climbing the mountains of Lesotho was in the first place pretty stupid. But afer two days of intense horse riding I basically became one with Snip...

Little Miss Froggy and Mr. Beetle

Our guide, who was walking in front of me, was just a few inches away from stepping on this giant Python (between 4 and 5 meters long)

Snapshots from Southern Africa

2008-01-04T11:20:00.000+01:00

As part of my Bachelor degree in Development Studies I did a fieldwork in Zambia. It was a group assignment about the concequences of the privatization of the Zambian Copper Industry. We also got to travel quite a bit around Southern Africa. What follows are a few snapshots from Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.

The first picture is taken by Per Arne Juvang right before entering one of Zambias biggest copper mines, Konkola Copper Mine in Chnigola. The white guyes in the clean coveralls are me, Solveig and Heddy.

Hard work over 700 meters underground (photo: Per Arne Juvang)

Kids playing outside one of the copper plants in Kitwe, Copperbelt

Xhosa kids turning home as the sun sets behind Coffee Bay

Xhosa kids singing and dancing

On top of the magnificent Victoria Falls (Zambian side)

Traditional Zambian village

Cape Town seen from the infamous Robben Island

Og plutselig var jeg en blogger...

2008-01-03T13:24:00.000+01:00

Hei og velkommen til min nye blogg!!

Etter hva jeg har forstått så ble blogging hipt allerede i 2004; her er jeg fire år senere...

Blogger kan brukes til så mangt. Tanken bak opprettelsen av denne bloggen er hovedsakelig å fornye min korrespondanse med dere mens jeg er ute på mine reiser. Om det blir i tilegg til eller i stedet for mail vil tiden vise. Det som er sikkert er at her kommer jeg til å legge ut en del bilder underveis. Det er vanskelig å si hvor ofte jeg kommer til å oppdatere siden, og kjenner jeg meg selv rett så blir det nok ikke så veldig ofte... men jeg kommer til å sende ut mail med beskjed om oppdateringer.
Noe som er veldig fint med blogg er at DU også kan skrive til meg. Dette kan du gjøre ved å bruke 'kommentar'-feltet under hver post. Postene som jeg legger ut kommer til å bli en salig blanding av norsk og engelsk, dette er av den logiske grunn at en del av dem som forhåpentligvis kommer til å besøke siden er sånne utlendinger.

Som mange kanskje vet så reiser jeg til Canberra i Australia i midten av februar. Her skal jeg fullføre min påbegynte Mastergrad- Master in International Affairs / Peace & Conflict Studies - ved Australian National University. Katrine, min forlovede, vil flytte ned til Canberra i løpet av høsten 2008, og hvis alt går etter planen så er jeg ferdig i desember 2008. Planen er da å backpacke sør-øst Asia i ett par måneder før vi returnerer til Norge og starter jakten på jobb og bosted...

Dette får holde for nå. Håper dere liker det dere ser, og igjen;

Karibu sana!!