A new path for JoCharvel in 2016

JoCharvel is venturing into uncharted territories in 2016! In around July, we will have a new addition to the family, and we will become parents!!!!

From now on, a new adventurer will be part of our journey, accompanying us on our quest of “living life to the fullest”! It sounds cheesy, but for real, this is the moment I feel that life is full of magic, and nothing is more magical than creating life. From confirming the news to sharing it; from reading about parenting to planning for the future, everything makes a memorable experience. And when that big day comes, chaos, sweat, sleepless nights, and I am sure tremendous joy, fear and anxiety, would overwhelm us. But hey, that’s life, and that’s what JoCharvel live to experience.

We are ready for the responsibilities. At the same time, we are also ready to take this little adventurer on our back to see this awesome world!  

Classic Tourist Conundrum - Sapa, Vietnam

(Him: Charlie)

Sapa is an amazing place! The endless rice terraces canvassing the mountain slopes have transformed the otherwise ordinary valley into a breathtaking man-made wonder.

We took part in a two-day tour to the Muong Hoa Valley near Sapa and tribal villages in the surrounding area, I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek into the life of a Hmong family.

Hosting us at the Waterfall Homestay was Su, a member of the Hmong ethnic tribe in Giang Ta Chai village. The village is idyllic - children play in the muddy rice fields or catch fish in the river, livestock and baffalos wander aimlessly on village streets, elderly chit-chat under bamboo trees while sewing traditional dresses. The serenity is exactly the reward we needed to rest our worked up souls.

Su and her family live in a rustic house next to rice terrace, overlooking the river. The house itself is very simple with virtually no furniture - it takes "simple" to its most basic form. The only appliances, the fridge and hot water tank, are most likely added to service the tourists. Su's family has traditionally relied on the rice fields for their own food and rarely sell for money (I suspect there isn't much of a surplus anyway as crops only grow one round per year in this region due to high altitude). The tribal people have always managed to be self-sufficient, as they live off the mountains for firewood, water and food. They even sew their own traditional dresses every year. Once in a while, they would make a trip to town to buy essential items such as salt or tools. For generations, time seems to have stopped in the village.

Compared to the outside world, the villages in Sapa is severely under-developed. From an economics perspective, the tribal people and their society generate tremendously slow growth as they have very little surplus. So maybe it does make sense to bring in tourism to increase their revenue and to spur better economic growth so their life can be improved.

Or, does it? After years of tourism influence, the "development" has begun to take its toll on the local culture. A couple of Canadian travelers we met on the train told us that their group in Sapa consisted of 10 people and the homestay during their visit housed 20 people. The tourists were able to "enjoy" WiFi at the homestay and a bar in the village. What an authentic experience! Jo and I were lucky that our visit was a very pleasant and authentic one, but even Su also has her plan to expand her house to host up to 20 people.

Hosting more people will certainly boost income, but it is also the fastest way to change cultures. As the local community becomes heavily reliant on tourism income, things will never be the same! As a traveler puts it, “Sapa is changing fast, and the next generation will probably not be able to see the authenticity. So here comes the classic tourist conundrum – we often like to travel off the beaten track, but we are also at the forefront of making culture changes, particularly to places that are vulnerable to outside influence. The more we visit these places, the faster they will lose their characteristics and individualities. Alas… what to do? 

 Children selling souvenirs to tourists

Tribal women selling hand-made traditional cloth pieces

What's the difference between third orld and first world?

Street life of Hanoi reminds me a lot of the Hong Kong from my childhood - the street vendors with delicious speciality sometimes appreciated only by the locals, neighborhs gathering randomly on the streets sitting on small plastic chairs chit-chatting with a fan in their hands, and neighbors run into each other on the street, stopped, and catching up with each others.  There was always time to talk to others and offer a helping hand to others.  Food stall owners knows you by name and know exactly what to serve you as soon as you sit down.  Doors was always open for my playmates of next doors at my grandma's.  I can go in and out of my neighbor's house and have meals with their family needing no prearrangements.  It is expected to take care each others it seems without anyone saying out loud.  The sense of community was very strong.

At Sapa, the lady at our homestay asked me, 'you don't know your neighbor 10 feet away from you? Not even one?'  She was astonished and unbelievable that we people from so call first world country doesn't know our neighbor, let alone having a relationship with them like the Sapa people do.  It is natural for people in Sapa to help each other.  During rice planting or harvesting seasons, the community first help the elderly at their land before they do their own.  All neighbor help each other to finish their land.  There seems to have you mind your own business. 

Life in Singapore so far - 2 weeks

(Him: Charlie)

First time in Singapore… I have been planning to visit Singapore on a weekend-getaway type trip, but the plan of a 3-day trip turned into a 3-month long project assignment. How wonderful!

While the primary reason I am here is to help out the project, I will definitely take the opportunity to explore the city, and given the length of the stay, I will delve into the Singaporean society and the experience life in this city state.

Expectation: Singapore has been known for its spotless garden cityscape, tough government with strict rules and harsh punishment. Reading up the internet before coming only made me more scared, and I actually took out a pack of gum from my pack to avoid any potential trouble.

On arrival, the city does appear to be neat and orderly, but it’s not excessive. Unlike HK, where greeneries are left on the mountain slopes, the Singaporean city planners made sure trees and shrubs are ubiquitous in the city – along city streets, surrounding properties, and even on building walls.

The first two weeks at work has been quite busy. I am surprised that I got my hands full only a few days into it. The joint-venture office where I work comprises of people from three engineering companies, which are supposedly competitors. The diversity of people in the office is just amazing, with engineers from North America, Europe, Australia, and of course local Singaporeans and Malaysians. We are all drawn here to work on the same project, so it’s a beautiful experience to meet so many new friends!

My serviced apartment is in a pretty fancy neighbourhood (River Valley, this is also where Lee Kuan Yew lives!!), but the traffic connection is not as convenient as it should be. To get to work, I would need to take a bus. But the problem is that not only the bus route is convoluted, the bus stops are excessively frequent! So the short distance to and from work (4km by the shortest route) would take over half an hour! Not impressed, so much so that I bought a bike last Wednesday, and started to bike to work!

Having a bike allows me to venture out from my area for further exploration, but I have to say this country is not cyclist-friendly at all! There are practically no bike lanes in my area, so riding alongside traffic is my only choice!

One thing that constantly caught my attention is the eye-catching architecture of private condos. You don’t really see this kind of gleaming, lavish looking, cool residential building in Canada or HK, but they are everywhere here. Apparently, this is one of the selling points that private developers use to attract potential buyers. Since 80% of Singaporeans live in Housing Development Board (HDB) buildings, private developers must work really hard to create the aspirations for people to want to own private condos.

Interface 

Tree House

Orchard Residence

Park Royal on Pickering (It’s actually a hotel)

AECOM SG Office

The other thing that is hilarious in Singapore is its unique language, Singlish. People here all speak with the same accent, be it Chinese, Malay and even Indians! It is just weird to hear an Indian speaking Singlish with the sentences ending in Chinese tones such as “la and ma”. I used to think Singlish is just English with a peculiar tone, but it turns out that it’s WAY more complicated than that. It is actually classified as an English Creole, which has been strongly influenced by various dialects of Chinese, Malay and even Tamil. I was astonished last week at a meeting when I was only able to catch 70% of what the plant operator was saying!!!

The Art of Giving.

Giving chocolate wafer to 5-year old monk.

Myanmar Trip Highlights

(Him: Charlie)

Yangon: The centre of commerce and culture in Myanmar. Most travelers only stay long here, but you can easily spend 3-4 days if you venture out to the nearby towns and villages.

 Architecture from the colonial era

 Yangon cityscape 

 The holiest place in Myanmar - Shwedagon Pagoda

 The love for Aung San Suu Kyi and her father is ubiquitous

 Yangon seen from across the river at Dalah village

 Rustic wooden house built from colourful planks (possibly from old boats)

 Yangon public bus (notice the wooden floor)

Street food

Bagan: Thousands of pagoda and temples scattered on this sacred land really do make the view spectacular, especially during sunrise and sunset. Temperature soared to above 40 degree during the day. We had to rely on electric bike to get around - biking on unpaved roads can be treacherous and would have been lethal under the scorching sun!

 Ananda Temple

 Sunset view from atop a Bagan pagoda

 Pagoda and temples relics

 More pagoda and temple relics

 Temple in dire need of repair with dozens more pagodas in the backdrop

Pagodas in nostalgia 

Picture on top of the famous Shwesandaw Temple

View from Shwesandaw Temple

Inle Lake: We left the arid Bagan behind and went on to Inle Lake (Nyuangshwe). The scenery that greeted us, unlike the brownish desert in Bagan, was lush green mountains and endless rice paddy fields! The lake makes the air cooler and the ambience more relaxing.

 View from one of the two wineries in Myanmar overlooking the Inle Lake valley

 Boats lining up to take tourists out to the lake

 Leg-rowing Intha fisherman

 Fishermen and their villages in the backdrop

 Close-up of leg-rowing Intha fisherman

 Monastery on Inle Lake 

 Classic Burmese houses on stilts

 Stups and ruins at Indein

Villager's life by the lake

Bridge connecting a floating garden and a monastery

Mandalay: Bustling city in central Myanmar. Instead of visiting the tourist attraction, we simply rented a scooter to check out local life. i.e., markets, river-side slums, etc. Of course, we managed to make it to the famous U-Bain bridge in sunset view.

 Bustling produce market in Mandalay

 Fruit vendor and local men in traditional changyi

 Myanmar spices with pungent smell

 Monks crossing the market toward the padoga

 Slum by the Ayeyarwade River

 The famous U-bain bridge on Taung Tha Man Lake

 Scenery seen from U-bain bridge

 U-bain bridge under twilight

 Serene scene from U-bain bridge

Monastery under twilight