Another discovery on the trip was a temple near Krabi called the Tiger Cave Temple -Wat Tham Sua.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Cave_Temple 
It's actually a complex of temples plus a hike up 1237 stairs to the top of a cliff overlooking the region.  The view was well worth the climb!  

The story behind the name Tiger Cave Temple in summary is that many years ago a local priest was meditating in the area and would see a tigers living in, and around the cave.  There are no longer tigers in this part of SE Asia but the cave was named for them.  It is one of the most sacred areas in the Krabi province.  

The hike up those stairs was brutal as they were very steep.  Actually, it was worse coming down!  My legs were jelly!  I was lucky I've been exercising as we didn't stop there.  We went up and down some more stairs and then around the back of the next hill.  We followed a  trail through a canyon with thick trees that took us by more caves, plus a Buddhist monk village.  It was absolutely beautiful and felt like we'd gone back in time.  Their rust colored robes were hanging out to dry on the clothes lines outside petite, well-kept shacks.  This area was all arranged near the caves and a large outdoor worshipping area with a large Buddha statue.  It seemed most people don't do this extra hike, so once again we were pretty much the only ones there taking in the wonderful sights.  The air was thick with humidity but the rain stayed away.  

Hey, blog readers!  I notice when I get this blog in my email it only seems to show single pics.  Some of the sections of most posts have a slideshow imbedded.  Please let me know if you are seeing the slide shows.  If you are not, try viewing the blog in your browser.  This is easy to do by clicking on the title of the blog in your email.    
You can always visit our website- www.sailgirldesign.com  and check out the last page of the site which is the blog.
Thanks!!  Just wanted to make sure you were seeing all the fun pics.
Cheers,
Peggy and Corey

Recently I did a work trip that had me visiting 6 Chinese cities in 5 days.  I flew into Beijing and took trains and planes between cities.  I finally flew out of Guangzhou back to Singapore.  Basically I was tasked with lecturing to local clinicians about IV Therapy.  It was a grueling trip but I found some fun along the way.  My favorite part of the trip was the very warm reception I received from the nurses.  
When traveling in China for work I am usually accompanied by one of our local team members.  This trip, I needed an interpreter for all my lectures so Shu, our Marketing Director and basically "jack of all trades" for China and I spent a lot of time together.  Shu was born and raised in China but spent many years in the US so her English is great.  The pic at the left was taken at a wonderful temple in Wuhan called the Yellow Crane Pagoda. We ended up with a few hours of down time so Shu took me to explore.  I was very lucky to have her to translate information at the temple and I made sure that she appreciated some of the Chinese to English translations that I noticed along our way.  I think at both work and fun, we made a great team.

I love the signage and translations in China.  Chinese is extremely hard to translate for more than one reason.  To a native English speaker the meaning of the translated sign is usually very clear, although the actual wording is just not quite as we'd usually expect it.  These signs make me smile.  
This sign was directing us through the Yellow Crane Temple.  
This Pagoda style temple in Wuhan is very well known.   There have been many beautiful poems written about this temple over thousands of years.  
I feel very lucky to be able to visit such a beautiful place.  More pictures in the slideshow below.

The nurses in China were amazing!   As I mentioned I was tasked with lecturing to groups of nurses in a variety of cities.   Since I don't speak Mandarin, I had She with me (thank goodness) and as a team we tackled lecture after lecture- usually at least 2 per day.   I would guess this was at least as exhausting for her as for me.  The nurses quizzed me with thought provoking questions and shared their local experiences. Long days...  however, the huge hugs and hearty hand shakes I got from the white capped nurses made it all worthwhile.  I love meeting nurses in different countries.  You can see from the pics Chinese nurses proudly continue to wear caps.  It was like going back in time but the heart of nursing shines through the ages.

So, I mentioned that I rode the high speed trains.  Here is the max speed I noticed on one of the legs of my journey-305 km/hr!  These trains are clean, comfortable, timely, and relatively low cost.  It was an amazing experience.  
When the new train driver (engineer?) replaces the current driver he saluted the oncoming train in a neat little ceremony.  
Although I'm not sure if I could figure out how to buy a ticket without some Chinese assistance, I would recommend riding the trains!  Once you have the ticket, it's pretty easy to figure out from there.

Vesak Day is celebrated by Buddhists in a variety of forms and on slightly different dates across SE Asia and beyond.  It is the celebration of the birth, enlightenment, and death of Guatama Buddha.  The dates are based on the different Asian calendars and it is usually celebrated in related to the full moon.  Wikipedia has a nice summary of Vesak Day.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak 

There are some basic aspects of Vesak Day that I really admire such as bringing happiness to others, especially children, the elderly, and handicapped.   Worshippers plan a trip to the temple that day to buy incense, pray and offer flowers in worship.  Traditionally animals have been let free on this holiday in a symbolic act of liberation.  This is to signify the liberation of those in captivity against their will.  Singapore had a government announcement to encourage people to let bugs go as a gesture instead of any other animals.  Vesak is also a day where many Buddhists will eat a totally vegetarian diet.

I really like this description of how to celebrate Vesak Day and pay homage to Buddha from Wikipedia:
 " Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself instruction on how to pay him homage. Just before he died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how Buddhists are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity."

Mom made it all the way to Singapore! Thanks to Corey for picking her up at the airport and getting her to our current apartment.  He is a champ! 

Mom travels so well.  She came in about 1:00am and she and Corey made it back to the apartment after 2:00am.  Although I did wake up enough to give her a big hug, I had a crazy work day coming up so back to bed I went.  When they got to the apartment, Corey took Mom to the roof so she could get a view of Singapore at night.  Our rooftop pool area is an amazing place.  As you can see from the pic to the left we can view the Singapore Flyer and much of the downtown financial district from our current building.  Later the day Mom arrived,  I made it home for lunch and Mom was already up and ready to start exploring Singapore!  Corey flew back to Thailand and Mom hung out at the pool and walked around the general area.

Over the first weekend I showed Mom how to use an MRT pass.  Singapore has an amazing public transport system that includes trains, buses and cabs.  It is actually very easy to get around, and if you aren't afraid to walk a little you can see a lot of Singapore on foot (locally we call that using Bus 11).  Saturday Mom and I took a walking tour in Little India.  It was so much fun!  Our tour guide was a local guy named Bernard.  His laugh was contagious!  He was full of information, from the history of Singapore to current day politics and more.  We learned a lot about his home town/country of Singapore and especially the Indian community since that was the focus of the tour.  The pictures below are mostly from our Little India Walking Tour.

This lovely building is Raffles Hotel, named after the British founder of the colony in 1819.  Up until that time the area had been under the rule of India, Thailand, the Portuguese, Dutch, Malaysia, and more.  Singapore gained it's independence in 1965.  Much of the city was destroyed during WW2 bombing raids by the Japanese but some very wonderful little neighborhoods remain.  I have been lucky enough to find a small apartment in what is called the "Arab Quarter."  Mom will help me move this coming weekend.  It is an area of mostly renovated shophouses that are clustered around the oldest Mosque in Singapore.   Just down the street is a lovely old Catholic church and both Buddhist and Hindu Temples are just a few blocks further.  Singapore is a wonderful melting pot of cultures.   Mom and I took a Hop on- Hop Off Bus Tour around the city this past Saturday.  It was a great way to get your bearings and see the city from an open topped bus!  Here are some pics of our adventure.
We saw many of the main landmarks of Singapore and spent some time in Chinatown walking around as well.  

Our last stop on Saturday night was down at Marina Bay.  We had taken the train to watch the light show, which is well worth the effort, and happened upon the Singapore Jazz Festival.  The main stage was right in front of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.  We were standing, elbows over the fence that was keeping the non-paying observers out, and a nice guy asked, "would you want some free tickets to the concert?"  Well, anyone that knows me, knows how fast I said, "YES!"   He handed us two passes and pointed us in the direction of the entrance.  I asked, "Why us?"  He answered with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, "Why not?"  

What a treat!  We relinquished our tickets for RFID bracelets, very Singapore, and were able to catch 3 acts.  The first was an amazing singer named Allen Stone.  He was from the US and his band was excellent.  Mom and I both loved him, his music, and even more so... his vibe.  We then were lucky enough to hear James Morrison and his band.  He could play about any horn available as well as other instruments.  The closing act was none other than than the amazing India Arie!  Some of her songs literally brought tears to our eyes as she is one of the most soulful singers I have heard in a long time.  What a night!  

I've been in Singapore for a almost a month and am very soon moving into an apartment right near Arab Street in Kampong Glam.  Work has me put up in a wonderful serviced apartment that I will hate to leave!  Mom is actually here as well and the very next blog will be of our adventures.  

However, just prior to really getting to work in Singapore I was in Thailand with Corey and we had a grand adventure to Koh Yao Noi.  It is a smallish island just east of Phuket.  To arrive there you must take a boat (or swim?).  There are 2 choices, a fast boat or a slow boat.  We chose the fast boat, after all I was with Corey Parker...  I now can't remember how much it cost but it wasn't very expensive, about $20 each in USD total to go and return.   We rode our motorbike up to the ferry terminal at Bang Rong Pier in NE Phuket.   The only negative to the whole wonderful day was that when we returned some monkeys (seriously) had vandalized our motorbike and my helmet.  They had basically chewed the lining out of my helmet (my sweat must have been appealing??) and taken a bite out of the seat.  Corey was not happy as this motorbike was in prime condition.  Anyway, back to the adventure.

Corey had been contacted by an American living there that had heard about some skydiving happening on Phuket.  He ended up on Koh Yao Noi as a friend of his had basically homesteaded there with his Thai wife and kids and he lives a good part of the year there, going back and forth to the US to work.   He is very interested in pursuing more experience as a skydiver and was hoping for a nearby drop zone.  Alas, we are still in the process of getting that going so we went over to meet and hang out.  I absolutely loved the vibe of the island!  So different from frantic Phuket.  

Here are some pics from our day...  enjoy!   If you ever get a chance to visit us, be sure to take the jaunt over to Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai.  Oh and by the way, if you are a rock climber- bonus for you!  This island is known for it's rock climbing.  Our pals on the island are avid climbers and I'm sure they'd happily show you the sites.  

Happy Chinese New Year!  This Lunar New Year we enter the year of the Wooden Horse.  There were big celebrations going on all over Asia and since we were in Phuket we attended the Chinese New Year celebration down near the Parliament Building.  We joined at least a thousand local revelers to watch a live show that was basically a Cirque du Soleil type performance with a Snow White theme (I know, a little strange?).  There were acrobats, jugglers, singers and dancers!  The entire show was done in Mandarin with Thai subtitles so we were happy we knew the story very well.  We do not know the relevance to Snow White, if any... but all in all it was a great spectacle!  
I was hoping to see some dancing dragons and such but alas, we didn't.  I'm hoping to still do so in Singapore as Chinese New Year Celebrations go on for at least 15 days.

All week there were firecrackers going off around Phuket island.  This is one traditional part of the celebration as well as decorations, with red as the dominant color.  Both of these traditions are based on an old legend, as they are meant to frighten away the Nian who was a mythical beast- not a nice one either.  Singapore was decked out in red before I left to return to Phuket.  The night of the big show in Phuket I saw many adults and children dressed in their best red outfits.  Pink was also very popular that night.  
You will see pics below of Phuket and also of Singapore.  Lots of red!  Enjoy!  
May the year of the horse bring you much health, wealth, and good fortune.  

Last Sunday Corey was out working on a dive boat so took myself on a little adventure.  A short walk from where we live in Kathu (a township on Phuket Island) is a motorcycle taxi stand.  It's the cheapest way to get around the island if you don't have your own wheels.   The motorcycle taxi stands are easy to recognize.  There is usually a wooden structure where guys in blue vests are lounging around and multiple motor bikes parked right in front.  The sign lists destinations and pricing, in English.
I walked up, pointed to where I wanted to go on the sign and hopped on behind my driver.  I'm becoming used to commuting by scooter, whether behind Corey or a local driver.  In fact, last night I really went all out and rode "side saddle" behind Corey as I had a skirt on!  
Phuket Town is about 20 minutes by scooter away from where we live and is the original town on the island.  It is said that less than 10% of all tourists visiting Phuket make it to Phuket Town.  There is a section called Old Town and that is where I was headed.  Most of you know that old architecture is one of my favorite things.  
A blurb from Lonely Planet about Phuket Town:  "Long before tourist T-shirts or flip-flops, Phuket was an island of rubber trees, tin mines and cash-hungry merchants. Attracting entrepreneurs from as far away as the Arabian Peninsula, China, India and Portugal, Phuket Town was a colourful blend of cultural influences, cobbled together by tentative compromise and cooperation. Today the city is proof of the island’s historical soul. Wander down streets clogged with Sino-Portuguese architecture housing arty coffee shops, galleries, wonderful inexpensive restaurants and hip little guest houses; peek down alleyways to find Chinese Taoist shrines shrouded in incense smoke.But it’s not just some lost-in-time cultural archive. Bubbling up throughout the emerging Old Town is an infusion of current art, music and food that attract a very hip crowd, both foreign and Thai. Investors have finally caught on that culture, not just slinky beaches and girly bars, is a commodity. Old shophouses and homes, once left to rot, are being bought up and restored, resulting in flash-forward gentrification." 
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/andaman-coast/phuket-town#ixzz2q9NFRxcX

I safely made it to my destination and started walking.  I found a very sweet little coffee shop called Kaffe Phuket where I treated myself to a cappucino.  It was the best coffee I've had so far on the island besides what we have been making at home.  Along my walk I ran into some lovely flowers.  The orchid was hanging along with many more, available for purchase and the lotus was in a little fish bowl in front of a shop.  Couldn't resist capturing their delicious colors!  
I meandered around the streets and found Old Town.  See the pictures below.  Lady Luck was on my side as it turns out that Sunday evening, starting at 4pm, is Old Town Market night!  It was amazing!  Food, drinks, and fun things to buy all set up in the center of Thalang Road which is blocked off for the evening.  Corey came and joined me there after work.  We will definitely be back!  Maybe tonight... as it's already Sunday again.  

Today Corey and I are going to ride our motorbike down to the south western part of the island and explore that area.  More ramblings to be recorded!  Stay tuned!

Well, Corey has been in Thailand pretty much full time for over a year.   I have finally caught up with him and even remain employed by CareFusion!  My new title is Clinical Application Manager- Asia.   Basically, I'm doing pretty much the same things as I did in Asia before I relocated but now I'm officially- here.  I will be based in Singapore but traveling back and forth to Phuket, Thailand (to hang out with Corey) pretty much weekly, as well as working all over Asia.  So, we are now officially transferred out of Australia and living quite near the equator.  Pretty exciting stuff!  If you are looking for a hot, humid vacation come visit!  

This picture is from our recent live aboard dive trip.  We spent the 4 nights over Christmas on a boat in the Similan Islands of Thailand.   It was a fabulous trip!  Kath, our tour leader and the entire crew were amazing!  Plus, we had a great group of divers aboard.  A few photos are below.  The trip started in Chalong, Phuket Island and as we motored out of the harbor the crew set off firecrackers to frighten away any bad spirits or bad luck that may affect our trip.  There was also a wonderful banquet and flowers presented on the bow to ask for safe travel and blessings.  It must have worked as we had great weather, smooth sailing and beautiful diving.  Corey took more of the underwater photos this trip and we were having some equipment challenges.  At least I got some fun topside pics.  The topography in the Similans is quite unique.  Lots of big boulders both above and below the multi-hued water.   Our fireworks must have also spooked the whale sharks that had been sighted recently.  No worries, Kath took us to her favorite spots and I now can't wait to go back for more.

Before I jump too far ahead to Asia, I have to talk about leaving Australia and it was downright hard to do!  I have made friends for life in both Australia and New Zealand.  I absolutely will miss everyone and I hope that we meet again, sooner rather than later.  

After returning from America, I was basically "homeless."  This was a non-issue as many people offered me a place to stay.  I house sat for Maree for almost 2 months which was quite an opportunity.  Her cute little house was just down the road from where I was living before, so it made getting around easy- I just continued to ride my bike!  Then after Maree returned, I bunked at Stephen and Louise Devine's.  Living at the Devine's was DEVINE!  Louise is a great cook, they love good wine, and have a nice warm pool... what else could anyone ask for.  Oh, did I mention they are a lot of fun!  Part of the time I was there, it became a bit of a hostel as I roomed with Josie.  So much fun and many, many laughs.  Thanks for everything Louise and Stephen.  

Oh, and just before leaving Australia we took a quick trip to Byron Bay.  I LOVE that place!  The friends I went with made it extra special.   In addition to a lovely trip to Byron, I had party after party to attend.  Christmas parties and going away parties.  Also squeezed in a couple big dance nights at the Mon Komo and as much yoga as I could...  I'm so missing my yoga on the beach and particularly my yogi friends!   

I really can't say enough about everyone I love in Australia.  The people truly made it feel like home because it is a long way from where I'm from.  I miss you already but know I will see you soon!  That is why I really couldn't say goodbye, I stuck with "See Ya Latah."  Hopefully done in my best Aussie accent.

Corey has become the first person to ever jump a tandem skydive over Phuket.  He also was part of another air show and did a solo skydive, landing on Patong Beach, one of the main tourist beaches in Phuket- See below.  Stay tuned,  Skydiving in Phuket in slowly becoming a reality.  In the meantime have a very happy New Year's Celebration where ever you may be.  Here's to a happy and healthy 2014- Cheers!
p.s.  I have more pictures to load but am out of patience tonight.  Keep checking back for more!