Note the URL is now http://blog.timothyfletcher.com instead of http://www.timothyfletcher.com. It will automatically forward for now but I’ll be using www.timothyfletcher.com for other stuff at some point in the future.

Update: You can probably tell that I’m on new hosting by the fact that pages now load lightening fast. Goodbye MediaTemple, hello SliceHost!

1. Is Tim Fletcher married
2. kombodscha ladyboy
3. Khao San Road ladyboys
4. Tortured ladyboy
5. Corporal punishment females prison (?!?)
6. Massage by ladyboys in Brighton (My personal favourite)

It is important to research the climate for your destination and pack clothes appropriately. There is nothing worse than not sleeping because you’re cold! Planning this is more difficult than it sounds because the elevation of the area also has a significant effect on the temperature. Even warm climates have cold areas. My classic example is in South India where in Cochin at sea level the temperature was well above 30C but a mere day’s bus ride up to Munnar (1600m) in the Nilgiri mountains and it had plummeted 10 degrees. Out of sunlight hours that can become as cold as 5-10C which is easily enough to give you a bad night’s sleep if you’re not prepared. My solution to this occasional situation was to buy a THIN and cheap blanket. Surprisingly it is more than enough to keep you warm at night and is so cheap as to be virtually disposable. I paid Rs. 250 (£3) for my blanket and it was an absolute lifesaver.

It’s vitally important to remember that in Asia clothing is really, really cheap. If you’re a budget traveller (and most of us are!) then you can save a good bit of cash by buying your clothes out there. Nepal is a fine example. If you’re going trekking in Nepal and need to purchase trekking gear then do it in Kathmandu. The tourist centre of Thamel houses a multitude of trekking shops selling mostly cheap but reasonable quality knock-offs of brand name trekking gear. If you’re a budget backpacker and you need kit this is the place to get it. There are a few things I wouldn’t buy there; a long-term purchase like a pack or gortex jacket for example but hats, gloves, thermals etc. are great buys… especially if you haggle! India and South East Asia are also great for cheap clothing purchases. Almost always cheaper than the UK (unless you buy £3 t-shirts from H&M like me!)

Clothing

• 2 x t-shirts (You can buy these INFINITELY cheaper than in the West)
• 2 x vest tops (As above but also very compact)
• 2 x trousers (1 warm pair with moisture wicking for trekking and cold areas, 1 pair VERY thin cotton for hot climates)
• A pair of shorts. (Thin, Thin, THIN! Forget your thick stylish-at-home winkle pickers. You’ll regret them in the heat.)
• A short sleeved shirt (Smartish in case I need to look presentable at any point)
• A long sleeved shirt (Thin cotton to keep the sun off without getting too hot)
• Swimming shorts
• A fleece (Waterproof, windproof and breathable – Absolutely ESSENTIAL in all climates – Get a string tie bag and use as a pillow.)
• 4 x Underpants (Moisture wicking is good as are very thin lycra or similar in the heat.)
• 4 pairs of socks (I ended up ruining every pair)
• Sandals (Buy in Asia. I made a $2 pair of flip-flops last 5 months.)
• Trekking Shoes (Do take sturdy boots if you’re trekking a lot. My trail runners got absolutely WRECKED.)

Day Pack

• Country Guide (Footprint or Let’s Go HIGHLY recommended)
• Digital Camera + spare battery
• iPod (Bring the cable and charger – Leave some space on it for backing up your camera photos)
• Mini Compass (Lifesaver when you arrive confused in a new place)
• Anti-bacterial Hand Hygiene Gel (Awesome stuff)
• Insect Repellent
• Small supply of pills (Diarrhoea, sleeping, anti-malarial, paracetamol)
• Mini post it markers for marking the guide
• Earplugs (Get latex ones that completely block out the sound. These are lifesavers)
• Travel Documents (Flight tickets, passport, vaccination records, another $50, insurance docs, etc.)
• Journal / Notebook

Main Pack

• Clothing from above list minus what I’m wearing onto the flight.
• Large Trek Towel (Really compact, light and all-round well worth the expense)
• Silk sleep sack
• Medical kit (See below)
• Wash bag (See below)
• Additional pills
• Sewing kit
• Deck of cards
• Chargers and cables for iPod and camera
• Worldwide mains adapter
• Old toothbrush for cleaning things.
• Mobile phone plus charger (In case of emergency and as an alarm clock/calender.)
• Mini Swiss army knife
• Journal and pen (To log anything interesting so I can write it up on here!)
• A small head torch
• Aquapak camera case (Hmm.. This did save the life of my camera once but you can’t take underwater photos)
• Sunglasses
• Hidden emergency cash (Other account bank card, cheques, £50 traveller’s cheques, $70 USD)
• 2 x elastic bungees (A thousand uses – Washing line, securing pack ontop vehicles, compressing sandals.)
• Combination lock and cable.
• Small padlock
• Roll of toilet paper (Annoyingly takes up too much space…you could learn to use your hand – I did!!)
• A couple of books (You will swap and buy secondhand as you go along)

Medical Kit

• Sticking plasters
• Antiseptic wipes
• Sterile single use scalpel
• Steri-Strips
• Micropore tape
• 2 x Syringes
• Strong painkillers
• Stretch bandage
• Rubber gloves
• Safety Pins

Wash Bag

• Shampoo (Can be used to wash – Just lather it in your hair)
• Moisturiser
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Razor+blades (Use disposables when it runs out)
• Anti-histamine ointment for insect bites
• Deodorant
• Condoms (Bulk pack, obviously)
• Small scrubbing brush (Your feet will get filthy)

Buy When You’re There (as you need)

• Thin, light and cheap blanket – look for what the locals use
• Flip-flops
• Extra layers of warm clothing (except for expensive items like fleeces)

Everything above save my fleece and sandals fits into my Eagle Creek packing cubes and the compactness is pretty impressive. It’s amazing what you can squeeze in when you roll clothes tightly and the cubes interlock into the pack space. I took got one full size cube, two half sizes and one quarter size. That’s enough to fit in everything without cramming!

Panang Curry with Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of coconut cream
• 2 tbsp Panang curry paste (see below for recipe)
• 300g sliced chicken breast
• 2/3 cup coconut milk (make from half coconut cream / half water)
• 1/2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 large red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup torn sweet basil leaves

Method

1. Boil the coconut cream in a wok ove a low heat until oil appears on the surface (when it bubbles)
2. Add the curry paste and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant
3. Add the chicken and cook until it turns white (but not completely cooked) then add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
4. Add the red chilli with the lime/basil leaves and cook for 5-10 seconds only.
5. Remove from the heat and serve with plain rice.

Red and Green Curry Paste

Ingredients

• 4 large, red dried chillis chopped and with seeds removed. (For the red curry paste)
• 8 medium green chillis. (For the green curry paste)
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 tsp roasted coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp rosted cumin seeds
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
• 1 tsp chopped galangal (I dunno, google it)
• 1/2 tsp chopped coriander root (good luck)
• 1/4 tsp chopped Kaffir lime peel
• 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 tbsp chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic

Method

1. Grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar until they are a powder.
2. Add all the reamining ingredients except the shallots and garlic and pound to a smooth texture. This takes a while!
3. Add the garlic and shallots and continue to pound until smooth
4. Finished!!

Massaman Curry

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of coconut cream
• 2 tbsp of Massaman curry paste (see below for recipe)
• 200g of 3cm chunks of chicken
• 50g (1/4 cup) of 3cm chunks of onion
• 200g (1 cup) of 3cm chunks of boiled potato.
• 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk (make from half coconut cream / half water)
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 – 2 tbsp tamarind puree
• 4 roasted crushed cardamon pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 – 4cm cinammon sticks
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts

Method

1. Boil 1 cup of the coconut cream in a wok over a low heat until some oil rises to the surface.
2. Add the curry paste and fry for one minute until fragrant.
3. Add the meat, onion and potato and stir continually until almost cooked.
4. Add coconut milk and bring to the boil.
5. Add palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind puree, cardamons, bay leaves and cinammon and simmer on a low heat until meat is tender.
6. Add the remaining coconut cream and peanuts.
7. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and serve with plain rice.

Massaman Curry Paste

Ingredients

• 4 large red dried chillis – soaked and chopped.
• 5 peppercorns
• 2 roasted cardamon pods with shells removed
• 1 tsp roasted coriander seeds
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted mace
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted shallots
• 1 tbsp roasted garlic
• 1 tbsp roasted lemongrass
• 1 tsp roasted galangal
• 1/2 tbsp chopped and roasted coriander root
• 1/2 tsp baked shrimp paste

Method

1. Grind all the spices to a powder in a pestle and mortar.
2. Add the chilli and pound until small.
3. Add all the rest of the ingredients and grind to a smooth paste.

Papaya Salad

Ingredients

• 2-5 small red chillis (Depending on whether you like the taste of molten lava or not)
• 100g (1/4 cup) of green beans cut into 3cm lengths
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 150g (1 1/2 cups) unripe papaya, peeled and shredded
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1-2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 finely sliced tomato
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts

Method

1. In a pestle and mortar pound the chilli, bans and garlic uniil just starting to break up.
2. Add the shredded papaya followed by the fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice. Pound a little until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the dried shrimp, tomato and peanuts.
4. Combine well and then serve with sticky rice and grilled chicken (not essential though!)

Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 50g minced pork (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup beansprouts
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup glass noodles
• 8 sheets spring roll wrapper
• 1 beaten egg (for sealing)
• oil for deep frying

Method

1. Soak the glass noodles in water for 15 minutes and then cut into 6 inch lengths
2. Heat the oil in a wok over a low heat and fry the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the pork and cook until white then add the vegetables and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the light soy sauce, pepper, sugar and water and combine well.
5. Add the glass noodles and cook for about a minute until they are translucent.
6. Divide into small portions that suit easy wrapping and frying and wrap the cooked mixture in the spring roll sheets (good luck)
7. Deep fry for about a minute, turning after 30 seconds.
8. Serve with plum sauce.

Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango

Ingredients

• FOR THE STICKY RICE:
• 1 cup of sticky of glutinous rice soaked for about 6 hours.
• 1 cup of thick coconut cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 pinches of salt
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1/4 cup coconut cream

Method

li>FOR THE STICKY RICE:
1. Drain the rice and steam over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
2. Remove rice from the steamer and mix with the coconut cream, sugar and salt immediately.
3. Stir gently then cover and leave for about 1/2 an hour.
4. FOR THE SAUCE:
5. Mix all ingredients together.
6. Bring to the boil over a medium heat.
7. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved and then remove from the heat.
8. Pour sauce onto the rice and serve with chunks of gorgeous ripe mango.

Chiang Mai Noodles

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp red curry paste (see below for recipe)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp hot curry powder
• 300g sliced chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• Pickled cabbage, pickled red onion, dried red chillis in oil and dried (snack like) noodles to serve.

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp of the coconut milk until fragrant and bubbling.
2. Fry the red curry paste for a couple of minutes.
3. Add and fry the chicken pieces until white but not browned.
4. Add the sugar and fish sauce.
5. On a high heat add the rest of the coconut milk and bring briefly to the boil.
6. Serve with the pickled cabbage, onions and chillis to taste and the snack noodles.

Vegetable Masala

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 green beans, chopped (Not sure what type of beans)
• 1/2 a mug of cabbage, chopped
• 1 small potato, diced
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
• Approximately 1 mug of water
• Approximately 1/2 mug of milk

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok (or similar) and fry garlic/ginger for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the tomato and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the spices and fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
7. If necessary, add 1/2 tsp flour to thicken the sauce.
8. Add the milk and cook for 1 minute until it looks like a curry!

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 small potatoes, diced
• Cauliflower in small pieces (about as much as the potatoes)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Approximately 1 mug of water
• 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok (or similar) and fry garlic/ginger for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the potato and cauliflower and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the spices and fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes until vegetables are soft and most of the water has evaporated.
6. Add salt to taste then add the milk and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
7. Crush up the curry a little with a spoon to thicken it then sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve!

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 small handful of cashew nuts
• 1/4 tsp aniseed seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 10-12 cubes of Paneer cheese (You could use Haloumi or tofu)

Method

1. Heat butter in a wok (or similar) and fry the garlic, ginger and aniseed for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 1 minute on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the tomato and continue to fry for another minute.
4. Add the cashew nuts and fry for a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the spices and fry for 2 minutes.
6. Now remove from the heat and allow to cool for a 5-10 minutes.
7. Liquidise with a little water until a very smooth mixture is formed the consistancy of a thick soup (At least a couple of minutes)
8. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok and return the blended sauce to the heat for a couple of minutes.
9. In a side pan deep(ish) fry the Paneer until golden brown.
10. Add the fried Paneer to the sauce and voila!!

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 1/2 a mug of rice
• 1/2 a mug of freshly grated coconut
• 6 curry leaves
• A small handful of cashew nuts
• A small handful of sultanas
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Boil the rice according to the packet instructions and set aside.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a wok (or similar) and fry the mustard seeds, cumin, onions and curry leaves for 1 minute.
3. Add the cashews and sultanas and continue to fry for a futher 30 seconds.
4. Now add the grated coconut, salt and cooked rice and fry for another minute on a low heat stirring contantly. Done!

Parotta

Ingredients

• 1/2 a mug of water
• 1 tbsp milk
• 8 tbsp plain white flour
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of sugar
• 1/2 an egg (mix it first, don’t ask which half like me.)
• 1 tbsp vegetable/sunflower oil

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients to form a dough. You may need to add more flour/water to get the mix right.
2. Knead for 5-10 minutes on a floured surface until the texture of the dough is very smooth.
3. Round the dough and place into a bowl containing the oil and leave for 20 minutes. Make sure the top of the dough also has a good covering of oil.
4. Split the dough into 4 pieces and flatten into small (10cm) discs.
5. Next perform the impossible and kind of slap the dough out onto a work surface a few times until it becomes a very thin and rough circle.
6. Cut the dough circle in half and attempt to make a viennese whirl from it, then flatten it with your hands again into a disc of around 15-20cm in diameter.
7. Fry with a little oil in a very hot pan for 10 sconds each side. Watch out because it burns VERY easily!!

The Legendary Masala Chai

Ingredients

• 1/2 a litre of water
• 1/2 a litre of milk
• 1/2 tsp aniseed seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinammon sticks
• 1/2 tsp crushed cardamons
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsps fresh mint leaves
• Sugar to taste
• 2 tsp fine tea powder (Open up a teabag maybe?)

Method

1. Boil the water and milk together in a pan with the spices (but not the mint yet!)
2. Once boiled add the mint foillowed by the tea and mix for 20-30 seconds.
3. Pour through a tea strainer and serve to be amazed by the awesome flavours!!

Ok, maybe it’s not that close in this pic but TRUST ME, he’s a dead ringer in real life.

Over the last couple of months I’ve been slowly but steadily organising and uploading all my photos onto the photo sharing website Flickr. I now have 2612 photos uploaded which is pretty much my entire life’s work. If you want to see images from India, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Iceland, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA…then pop over here or click the link in the sidebar to have a look or click. Cheers!

Taken on a recent 620km drive around some tower sites for work

I’ve managed to land a job off the back of the groundwork I did in January (brrrr!) and I’m now working as an RF Technician for a company that provides wireless broadband internet to the 1 million residents of rural Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is quiet, very quiet. The province is geographically 1/3 larger than the UK yet supports 1/60th of the population. That makes for some pretty quiet (and straight) roads and a whole lot of wheat. Hundreds upon hundreds of miles of wheat. It’s not exactly a picturesque part of the World although it can have some great sunsets. For the most part it’s flat as a pancake which means you can see the sun right to the horizon. It’s a bit weird to be driving down a road that you can see 30km of stretching straight in front of you. My job requires quite a bit of driving so I guess I’ll have to get used to the countryside. My main duties are to install and maintain the equipment situated in the small buildings at the base of the transmitter towers. It’s fairly straightforward although there’s quite a bit of theory to learn. My experience with sound studio work and my degree have prepared me pretty well though. HOWEVER, whilst it’s nice enough in the summer I’m not too sure how I’ll be feeling aboot (Canadian phonetic spelling) it when it’s down to -30C in the Winter. That is some serious weather. Hmmmm…

Aside from work Mai-Linh and I are settling into a routine of washing up / cooking / laundry and all of those really fun things that you have to do when you’re a ‘grown up’. Ha! Ok, seriously we’re into a military-esque programme of running, weight training, rugby training (me) and triathlon training (Mai-Linh). It can get a but tiring sometimes but I guess one day I’ll be old and frail and then I’ll wish I’d been more active. Mai-Linh and I did the ‘I Love Regina’ 10km run last weekend although I’m not so sure I subscribe to the slogan. Anyway we did pretty well and finished approximately (it was not timed) in the top 20. Not bad considering there were a load of triathletes/ironman/marathon runners in the field. Some of them went twice around the course. Show offs. We also did a 16km run as part of Mai-Linh’s triathlon training. Not fun. I have eternal respect for anyone that can run the 42km of a marathon. AGH!

My other non-work activity (for which I get up at 5am for) is working on improving my web programming skills with a view to taking on some part-time freelance work at some point. My visa doesn’t allow me to be self employed in any capacity (thus stifling entrepreneurship, the lifeblood of any economy but there you go). I’ll work something out so I can do a bit of paid work though. My day job seems to have fairly predictable hours (unlike my previous experiences) so I should be able to find time to work. My design skills need a bit of work first though. I’m ok at the technical side of coding but not so hot at making things look pretty – A common web developer problem. Anyway, that’s all for now. I’ll write more in a few weeks when I’ve learnt more about the wonders of back-end-of-nowhere Canada!  

Im looking forwards to finally getting a job and having a bit of routine to my life. I’ve not worked since September 2006, 18 months ago and although I’ve very much not been wasting my time, I need to get a bit of cash in the bank so I can treat Mai-Linh to all sorts of luxuries!

Finally an apology for the lack in frequency of writing on timothyfletcher.com. The time I’ve spent not working has been used studying web development and coding my ‘other’ blog dream.adeli.ca It’s a tech blog that I’m trying to get a reasonable readership going on. That requires a lot of time and effort, not only with creating original and interesting content but also with promotion. It’s not going too badly but there’s always much more you can do.

So farewell for now. Next post will be from Canada when hopefully I’ll have a job!!