Helicopter Charters in Paradise

I often get emails asking what life is like over here as an expatriate and among other things why I never post any photos. Well hopefully things are going to change this year as soon as I can afford to get myself one of those new digital cameras. And one that note, did you know there are over 300 posts here at "An American Expat in Southeast Asia"? Surely you haven't read them all. Ever wondered what you missed? Just below the "donate button" (remember every little bit counts) you will find the new Google search button that enables you to search the complete site. Trust me it's the best thing since sliced bread.

A good American friend of mine Cliff who shares my affection for fine Tex-Mex cuisine (I cook it, he eats it.) sent me this video a while back. Cliff is an ex-marine helicopter pilot who now lives over here and operates his own small helicopter charter service. For me, when I'm not working my virtual street corner here in the blogosphere (remember your donations help keep Lao off the street), I'm cooking Tex-Mex and when we're not scratching our heads trying to understand America's suicidal fascination with Obama or drinking tequila, this is what my friend Cliff does for a living. Enjoy the video!

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Secrets of the Rainforest

I haven't always been a believer in the superiority of traditional medicine despite it's widespread practice here in Southeast Asia, but interestingly enough over the years I've found myself using one specific traditional medicine on occasion and been quite pleased with the overall stamina I seem to get from it. It's an herbal supplement called "tongkat ali".

When I first came to Southeast Asia years ago, you didn't hear much about tongkat ali, the locals used it along with a lot of other herbal and traditional medicines from the jungle but expats like myself generally stuck with the western medicines and supplements from back home that we were familiar with. Often times tongkat ali is touted for it's aphrodisiac properties and marketed as a kind of herbal viagra. Don't get me wrong, it does have those qualities, but personally I've found that used regularly it seems to give me a lot more stamina and energy.

Getting good quality tongkat ali is not easy even here in Malaysia. Over the last few years, I get mine from an aboriginal bomoh near the national rainforest in Kelantan up near the Thailand border. Not all bomohs are bad, there are some who are more like naturalists and who are learned experts in the materia medica of the tropical rainforest. My friend tells me that the people buying larger amounts of tongkat ali to sell overseas are only interested in getting a cheap price and so they never purchase the higher quality portions of the root.

What I've found interesting recently is how herbal medicines and supplements like tongkat ali and "kacip fatimah" are becoming quite popular in many other countries as well.

Kacip fatimah is a small plant here in Malaysia used by local women and it is touted like tongkat ali as a herbal viagra for women. Well, although I don't have any personal experience taking it, I can tell you that it is not used locally as a female viagra. It is used traditionally by the local women to facilitate childbirth as well as a post-partum medicine to regain stamina and strength. There is however another traditional herbal medicine used as a female viagra that is sometimes called "sekali sebulan" which means in Malay "once a month". I've been told that this one is the real deal.

So it looks like there might still be some secrets of the rainforest yet to be divulged.

Next month I plan to make another trip up towards the border and hope to get some more information of this herb.

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