Will I ever go on a backpacking trip again?

Guat & I in front of the Victory Gate, Vientiane

That day, I chanced upon a CD of photographs which contained my backpacking trip to Laos in December 2004. As I viewed them all, one by one, I could not help but longed for that kind of feeling again, the feeling of embarking on a journey filled with adventures, fun and excitement. But I was also hit by a sudden tinge of sadness and a burning question came into my mind – will I ever go on a backpacking trip again?

Crossing to Laos from the Thai border


Vang Vieng, the mid point between Vientiane and Luang Prabang


You have to get past the toll keepers...

Looking at these pictures, I was reminded of my youthfulness then. It all started with my first trip to Cambodia in 1999. Encouraged by my good friend, Angela (who is a far greater adventurer than I am), I embarked on my first backpacking trip to Cambodia alone, accompanied only by the latest copy of the Lonely Planet Cambodia guide book [which I still have in my possession, as a reminder of my great feat then J ]. During that trip, I almost ‘fought’ with a moto-bike driver who wanted to charge me double of what we agreed on, I made some new friends, I tried Cambodian and Burmese food for the first time, I trekked up a mountain just to see stone sculptures of Shivalingam and Vishnu on the bed of a water fall, I witnessed the sun setting on some of the most wonderful temples in the world and met the most innocent and happy group of children in Siem Reap. At that time, it was the most liberating and enlightening experience of my life.

On our way to see the limestone caves with our guide





A day trip along the river, Luang Prabang



Our favorite noodle stall at the Luang Prabang market

More backpacking trips followed subsequently- India (1999-2002), Silk Road (2000), Tibet (2001), Vietnam (2002) and Laos (2004) and my collection of Lonely Planet Guidebooks grew. I was bitten by the travel bug!

It had been 4 years since I last went on a backpacking trip and my bag is dusty and moldy now. Of course, I haven’t stopped travelling but they were of a different nature. They were of a certain comfort level, no off the beaten track itineraries, no trekking or sleeping in a tent or at the foot of the Himalayas, no pee-ing in the open….

Some of my friends lamented that as we grow older, we no longer possess the same degree of energy and patience we once have when we were younger. We reject the idea of travelling 12-36 hours on a train just to reach a destination (we rather take a plane), nor are we willing to share a train ride with a cabin full of unfamiliar faces (we go for the first class cabin), nor would we want to stay in a dormitory and use the common bathroom (we prefer a hotel or at least our own rooms with en-suite facilities).

All the children I 'traumatised'








Hmongs celebrating the New Year

But is age the main culprit that is holding me back? Or have my expectations of trips changed? After all, we are often so fickle minded about what we want in our lives. As I try to imagine my next backpacking destination –Rajasthan? Burma? Europe? The other half of my inner self also wants to go Taipei, Shanghai or New York for a shopping trip!

It seemed futile for me to find an answer to my question now. But I am still very optimistic that one fine day, when I have decided on my next destination, I would pick up my moldy and dusty backpack again and continue with my journey of adventures. Meantime, please bear with me as I continue to indulge in a state of nostalgia by posting these photographs.….

p/s I would like to thank all my friends who had travelled on these wonderful trips with me….

Think Pink !

Recently, I saw the pictures of a friend’s friend baby room. While I think it is sweet that the parents- to-be had taken such great efforts in preparing for the arrival of their new born child, I can’t help but feel a sense of regret for the child. Eerh…no offence to all the parents out there.

You must be wondering if I am out of my mind since she has her own ‘Princess Room’ with pretty pink floral lights decorating one side of the wall, her own mini wardrobe filled with pink dresses and pink hangers! And all the couple’s friends commented that the child is so 幸福(fortunate).



But I still can’t help but shudder at the thought that the child is going to grow up in a ‘pink environment’. I have always wondered what is it in us that make us so sure that girls like pink while boys prefer blue?



While one’s sex is determined by biology, whereby the difference between the male and female is distinguished by our procreative function, gender is a product of culture and it refers to the social classifications of “masculinity” and femininity”. So, who actually sets the rule that a female have to have traits of femininity while a male should not and v.v? Why are women often associated with dresses and not pants and in this case, why is it that the first thing that the new born child is introduced to is pink and not another colour? Honestly, I think, we are all guilty of propagating such ideas to people around us. “Oh, you should wear a skirt so that you look more feminine” or “men should never wear pink or red shirts!” These notions of “masculinity” and “femininity” are so deeply entrenched in our daily lives that we not only behave in certain ways so as to conform to what is acceptable by society, but also used clothes as a way of displaying these traits.

So, should we, as adults, parents and parents-to-be, be more aware of what kind of gender values we are imparting to our young ones? Perhaps, in future, when we decorate our children’s room or buy things for our nieces and nephews, we could just exercise a little bit of liberty and not stick to some of these stereotypes? I am not trying to rock the boat, but maybe, a little bit more openness and imagination could help to open the world of our little ones so that she knows she does not have to wear a pink dress to be a girl……..

p/s Seriously, I really have nothing against pink, in fact, I like fuchsia!