The Suan Lum Night Bazaar (for those who haven't visited yet -- hee hee) is our next door neighbour. It's a 45 acre compound (or so this site claims - it doesn't seem that big to me), 3,000 stall, government (vs. mafia) run market. It's actually pretty good with a lot of unique vendors and artisans. We especially appreciate its surprisingly effective sound-absorbing system (intentional or not). Despite the giant stage with loud live music every night to entertain beer garden crowds, somehow the deafening din doesn't penetrate to our little community on the other side of the wall. We're not sure how that's possible, but we like it!

WARNING!! - No children should read this section!

I took the above photo while viewing the wheel with a couple of visiting Cannucks - friends of friends (now first tier friends in their own right). I won't mention names to preserve the reputation of a soon-to-be successful lawyer, but there's a tale I have to tell. As we got chummy, and chatted about home, a daring confession was made: my new friend had been, as a boy, in love with a certain blue beauty - Smurfette. He could still describe vividly the photo he was lucky enough to capture in her embrace as a 10-year-old at Canada's Wonderland. The punch line? That Smurf was ME! I thought it was hilariously funny at first, but then... he seemed a little freaked out. Like I had shattered something of his childhood. And then I realised I had broken the cardinal rule for costumed characters - I destroyed the magic.