Well…India! What to say…
I am writing this beginning 4 days in, sitting in a hostel in Agra so everything I have to say is still through early eyes, and of course I can only speak for the places I’ve seen but, India is (so far…) undeniably a complete sh*thole! (Excuse my French.)
So lets start with Delhi. The morning we left Kathmandu I cried, it was that bad. I really really didn’t want to go to India. Everyone had just made it out to be so bad and nasty and the people so awful that I just couldn’t bare the thought to going and spending our final weeks there. I mean I am READY to come home and I just didn’t want to go out on a bad note.
The flight was fine; only 1.5 hours and I’d been telling myself over and over and to just go with the flow.
In the passport queue I asked an English guy behind us if he knew where he was staying as we didn’t have a clue. We were going to head to Parharganj which is the backpacker district but which is also the biggest slum area of Delhi where you’ll get hassled and probably pick up some disease, so when he said he lived in Delhi I was beside myself!! I asked if he knew of any decent place to stay and he said that South Delhi is a much better bet if you want to enjoy the city. He kindly offered to share his taxi and drop us off at a place nearby his house in GK-1 (a district in the South) and all of a sudden I could relax. It was all going to be so much easier with someone who knew the wheres and whyfores, and it was.
Delhi is hot! I mean like 42 degrees hot and stiflingly humid, so in other words, sweat city!! John, the kind English guy quickly got a pre paid taxi and off we went.
Now I thought Kathmandu traffic was madness but India is a whole other level. There are no rules, lanes don’t apply and it’s each man for himself. All the cars have scratches and dents. There is building work going on everywhere and debris of that building work everywhere. There are people living under bridges and on the side walks and every spare inch of space they can claim if needed.
We pulled up outside the hotel that John suggested but on inspection it was way out of our budget. I mean EUR45 per night in Delhi is like paying EUR1000 for a hotel in Rotterdam, it’s just ludicrously expensive. So we declined expecting to make our own way from there, but John walked off with Tymon to look for another place which was so nice of him. He had just got back from South Africa, had had a really long delayed flight, the last thing he wanted was to probably take twice as long to get home as usual, but he did! Anyway the boys finally came back and we all unpacked the taxi and walked down to the hostel. (John walked home too as he was close by.) The hostel from the outside looked awful, building work going on all around, but inside it was a very nice room – and with aircon!! HURRAH!! It also had a TV which was a great bonus, but then we were paying EUR25 so I should bloody well hope so for that kind of money!! Still ludicrously expensive.
So we freshened up and went for a walk around the area. Round the back of our hostel were 2 streets with a sort of park like strip between them in the middle, full of shops and restaurants. And it was really nice. All very civilized and so far no one had grabbed onto me asking for money!
We dived into Pizza Hut (sorry Willem, I know you’ll be disappointed that we ate pizza on our first night instead of local cuisine :0) and hit the sack with the TV ready for the bombardment that was surely coming the following day!
But it didn’t really come. We’d asked John how much roughly we should pay to get into town with an auto rickshaw which are these yellow and green little 3 wheel van things, so bartered a price and set off into the killer traffic. It was another scorcher of a day, with no sign whatsoever of the monsoon, much to our surprise and relief. The streets were just as mad and we made our way to the train station to buy tickets out as we heard they get pretty booked up. New Delhi train station was supposed to be a hovel, with the worst of the worst kinds of people hanging around, and while it wouldn’t win any awards it wasn’t that bad. It was a bit confusing where to go but everyone had told us that the tourist booking office was on the first floor and under no circumstances were we to believe anyone who told us otherwise.
You see India is pretty much one big scam! Hotel touts and taxi touts will tell you that your hotel is full, overbooked, poor value, dangerous, burned down or closed or sometimes even that there are riots in that area. They will then attempt to take you to a hotel where they’ll get commission. Some will even ‘kindly’ take you to a ‘tourist office’ where a colleague will phone your hotel and corroborate the driver’s story. In reality of course he’s talking to his mate in the next room! They will do anything to get money out of you and it has the worst rep on our travels so far.
And try they did. A guy standing by the metal detector pretending to work at the station told us that the tourist bureau was ‘under construction’ so we had to go around the corner to another office. He took us to one counter to prove that we could only buy same day travel tickets there and kept telling us that we had to go round the corner. We thanked him for his time and went on into the main building where we saw the sign for the tourist office and went on up. We even had a nice view as we came up the stairs of a man standing in the corner with his pants around his ankles, willy and all hanging out in full view while he was rubbing his leg. God only knows what he was doing; he had a far away look in his eye and was obviously oblivious to what he was doing! Hahaha – a nice welcome! The guy downstairs was a big fat liar. The office was all in working order and within 20 minutes we had our onward ticket to Agra and Jaipur booked.
Next stop the Red Fort. We weren’t that far away so no auto rickshaw would take us so we had to get a cycle rickshaw. We were asking around a couple who knew what we were even saying and who would go for a fair price and before we knew it we had several locals hanging around us butting in trying to help or just getting involved and being annoying. We finally found a guy to take us and we entered the part of Delhi I was so glad not be staying in. It was a mess. The noise level of the horns is extreme and the roads a battle. There are cows and dogs and man pushed wagons, people everywhere. After a while he stopped and told us we were there, but we couldn’t see any fort. He spoke no English so we tried to communicate where we wanted to go and off he set again but only round the corner to where 2 police guards were to ask for help. They told us we had told him to go the wrong place and not the fort (there were 2 gates with the same name apparently) and while we were talking to these guards I swear within minutes we had a crowd of about 15 locals all around us. They were all staring and peering at us thinking some action was going on. They are so nosey. I have the feeling that privacy or personal space are things that do not exist in India. It was so funny. Eventually we got to the bottom of where the fort was, agreed to pay extra and arrived at the fort.
From the outside it looked quite impressive, big red sandstone walls, but I have to admit, once inside it was a bit of a let down. It was all over the place and really run down and just not that interesting to be honest. It was a strange experience though as it was packed with locals (it only costs them RP10 while it costs us RP250!!) and they just stare. Not just stare and move on but stare and stare, head turning stares. It’s quite unnerving at first. Tymon found it extremely rude as they were mainly staring at me (so he thought) and I tried not to look at them so I wouldn’t notice. But I have to say – Indian men (I’m talking very generally here) are, well, they’re pervy! They’re really lechy and creepy the way they look at you. But they’re fascinated and even more so with white women and men (I have of course become a foreign local here!) Tymon was like a famous person. Indian guys would come up to him and ask to have their picture taken with him, it was hilarious! You’d find them slyly trying to take pictures of us on their mobile phones, it’s all very bizarre and a little weird. They are fascinated by Westerners.
We left the fort, grabbed a bite to eat at McDonald’s before jumping in an auto rickshaw back to the hotel. The thing about the rickshaws is you have to be sensible and stick to your guns as they will try and rip you off. As long as you stick to your price and make sure they know you will not stop at any shops or wait for them to get gas for half an hour on the way, its fine. You get to where you want to go with no problems. In all honesty so far I haven’t found them to be so bad or dishonest, a bit cheeky sometimes, but for the most part, decent. Indians are friendly, if not annoyingly persistent. Everyone talks to us and wants to know where we are from (we say Iceland as they don’t where it is or have any knowledge about it so they leave us alone – haha it’s a brilliant tip we got that works like a charm!) and at the end of the day yes they are trying to sell you something, but they are only trying to survive.
That night we chilled in the hotel with Star World (the TV channel with all the good stuff like Friends, White Collar, America’s Got Talent etc. lols!) and Tymon popped out to get KFC. We were embracing the Indian food as you can tell! Hahaha, but strangely enough I had a dodgy belly from McDonald’s – go figure!
The next day we did some more sight seeing. We went to tomb of one of the old rulers, which was pretty impressive and the modern art gallery, which I think someone needs to explain the definition of modern to the manager, before heading back to the hostel to meet up with John for some drinks.
He took us to the Defence Colony which is another upmarket area full of restaurants and bars. He brought a friend too, Elliot who also lived in Delhi so it was nice to be out with some people who know the area and good restaurants, especially seeing as we hadn’t even eaten any Indian so far! It was a really great night. The food was very good and in the end as we moved onto another bar there were quite a few people out. It was a nice crowd and a bit surreal really to be out in a bar in Delhi. It was very unexpected as usually we just sit in our hotel room and watch TV!
The next day we were off to Agra, by train. This was another moment I was dreading. I had heard all sorts of stories about how awful the trains are (people getting chloroformed and held up at knife point!) so I wasn’t looking forward to the journey and this was only a short one being 3.5 hours. But it turns out that Delhi train station was way worse than the train itself. God it was absolutely FOUL! The track was an open sewer, there was rubbish everywhere, people everywhere and enough flies to be classified as a plague. It was disgusting!!
As time has gone on (I’m now in Jaipur, 1.5 weeks in) I really am baffled with the general mass people here in India and their mentality. I mean no one wants to live in a sh*thole right? You’d think that at some point people might say – you know what, if we stop defecating and pissing in the streets as if the whole city is our personal toilet, and if we stop throwing rubbish at our feet as if the whole city were our personal rubbish bin, we might be able to live a bit better!! I mean it really is amazing, the state of these cities. But nothing will change if the people’s mentalities don’t and that’s something that needs a hell of a lot of time and education, the latter of which is severely lacking in India. What the hell the Government is doing I’ve no idea because how they can think they are doing these people a service or looking after their country they must be dumb deaf and blind! It’s astonishing that a system allows this to happen.
India has one of the strongest and fastest growing economy’s in the world right now, and raising the standards of living has been on the agenda since Independence in 1947, over 60 years ago. So what the hell has the Government been doing for 60 years?? Recent estimates place around a third of the world’s poor in India with an estimated 250 million of those people living BELOW the poverty line in India. That’s a quarter of a BILLION people!! It is said that these people, according to a recent survey, live on less than 20 Rupees a day –that’s about 25 EUR cents! It’s not even conceivable to us as to how this is even possible, but then you see the streets and these people and their living conditions and you see exactly what it means to be living below the poverty line. It’s there right in front of your eyes and in your nostrils. The desperation and desolate lives that equals their existence. And no matter how much of an optimist you are, these people are not happy. They have nothing and are treated like dogs by their own kind and us (Westerners.) Most of the time we can’t even bring ourselves to look at them, we ignore them when they come begging at our feet and we especially don’t make eye contact as we know that if we look in there, make the smallest connection to these souls we will see the ugly bare truth reflected back at us. Our own greed and ignorance and self importance. Whoever coined the phrase ignorance is bliss was spot on. It’s part of the human condition.
Education for the masses is little if not non existent, literacy rates are low and the gap between the rich and poor is growing.
It’s so very easy for me to sit here writing from up on my western high chair, to say that India and Indians (in general) are disgusting, but they are simply of a product of what their Government wants them to be. I fear there is no help for India and no change to come that can help these 250 million people. The problem is so completely out of control and too big that it’s impossible. Sometime when I look around some of these cities I think it’d be better if you just scrapped the place and started again. India is certainly the worst poverty affected country I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t even compare to places like Bolivia or Cambodia. It’s overwhelming and very very sad. And what’s even worse is that no matter what anyone says, I will speak honestly and truthfully to you here - you cannot help but still judge, and still be disgusted and irritated. It’s too intense for any outsider to not acknowledge.
But aaaanyway – Delhi station. All I can say is thank God our train wasn’t delayed for 20 hours like some of the others! It was pretty much on time and the train was great. We booked an AC 6 seater cabin, although there was a family of about 9 which also ended up squeezing in, but apart from that it was great. Comfy and cool and actually arrived on time! Nothing to worry about at all.
Agra – well if you ever do research about a trip to Agra all the guide books and people who have been will say, go see the fort, go see the Taj Mahal in one day and get the hell out. And I’d have to agree with them. Agra is even worse than Delhi. The streets are loaded with rubbish everywhere you look, dead horses heaped at the side of the road (which upset me a fair bit as you can imagine) the air carries the scent of urine and well it’s pretty nasty. We stayed in Agra for 2 days. The first day we walked around the market place which was chaos and ended up at the fort, which give it its due is impressive. It’s made out of white marble and was originally built as a military structure but one of the King’s turned it into a palace and it later became a prison for it’s creator 8 years later when his son seized power and imprisoned him in it. He was the one who also built the Taj Mahal, a tomb for his wife, which he could gaze out at from the fort till his dying day.
After the fort we walked back to the hostel via a large empty football field sized area full of kids and teenagers playing cricket mostly. They were so interested in us and kept wanting to touch us and shake our hands. Mostly Tymon at first and then me. A couple of boys asked for a photo with me so I said yes and before I knew it I had about 10 kids jumping on me and wrapping their arms around me and of course then came the moment to ruin it all, they starting grabbing at my bum! I broke free, a little relived as it had got a little bit grabby anyway and started shouting at them that it was out of order. Little perves, honestly what is their problem!!?? After that we made a swift exit as a group started to follow us out to the other side of the field. I mean they didn’t mean any harm I don’t think, but it also had that slight off feeling too that at any moment they could turn and start to mob us and take our stuff or something. I don’t know, it didn’t feel right, but we made it out and back to the safe haven of the hostel.
The next day was the one of I was most interested in, the one we had come all the way to Agra for – the Taj Mahal. We were up at 5.15am as we were told that we could catch sunrise then but the sun was already up when we left at 5.45am to get to the gate for opening at 6am. Wrong time of year!! But the sun was still very nice and low. I’d already caught the view from afar the day before from the fort but as you round the corner to see that famous classic image for yourself, it’s beautiful – a definite wow moment. Unfortunately the fountains and canals in front were empty of water as they were under construction which did kind of ruin the whole vision and meant that we couldn’t get that great picture of the Taj reflected in the water, but still, totally gorgeous. It’s amazing to think that all these stunning, humungous monuments are tombs, I mean if that’s not a declaration of love I don’t know what is! It is a shame though that even inside these peaceful places there are locals trying to scam you and squeeze money out of you. There was a guy who saw Tymon with his big camera and was like ‘oh yes I’m a photographer too, let me show some “secret” photo spots for great shots!’ Tymon followed, even though I told him that the guy would want money. Very few Indians will do anything out of the goodness of their heart, when there’s money to be made. And of course after he’d been given the “tour” of photo moments the guy asked for 250 Rupees! Tymon gave him something small, but it’s annoying that touts are allowed to parade around inside.
But it was definitely another tick off my list of things to see in my lifetime and definitely worth the train ride down to Agra. The marble work is stunning and so intricate. Although not as intricate and delicate as the Baby Taj which really is beautiful. The marble lattice screens there are stunning.
But if you’ve found this first entry to be on the negative side then I’m sorry for that. India is a two sided coin that has you spinning between two extremes. One minute you are ready to get on the next plane home as far away from the place as possible, the next you find yourself in the backstreets of some town, witnessing the sweet and simple pure life, being greeted by smiles and waves from everybody amongst the rubbish and open latrines. People say India is beautiful. Well, I wouldn’t go as far to say that just yet, but beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. What I find to be beautiful are the colours of the womens saris that light up the streets in all the colours of the rainbow, the spices and vibrancy of the street markets and perhaps the fact that I find India to be a sh*thole, well, as a traveller, perhaps that’s the biggest beauty of all!
So after a hectic introduction to India, our next stop is Rajasthan which I’m really excited about. It’s meant to be a lot nicer than Uttah Pradesh so fingers crossed…
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Crazy Kathmandu
The new adventure begins in Kathmandu, Nepal. We finally left S.E Asia for the final leg of our trip. We were a bit worried as to what was going to happen in India about our visa as it was a connecting flight to Kathmandu via Delhi and the new rule is you cannot enter, leave and re-enter India within 2 months so we had to go somewhere to get special approval. But in the end Jet Airways were fantastic. We were met off the plane and told to wait at the terminal entrance. We were then escorted through to transits and assured that our bags would be collected on our behalf and moved onto the connecting flight. So officially we didn’t enter India and our visa would be fine. No need for special permission or anything and thankfully our bags did arrive in Kathmandu!! In the transit Duty Free we also managed to pick up the cheapest alcohol ever. A big bottle of Absolut Vodka and captain Morgan Rum for about EUR6 – a complete steal!!
It was an early morning arrival at about 6.30am. We got our visa on arrival very quickly with no problems and headed out to somewhere completely different. We had no idea where we were going to stay and at the airport exit there is a small tourist office who called us over. They told us about a hostel in town that looked clean and in the area we wanted to go to, Thamel, which is the backpacker district, and it also meant that we would get a free taxi transfer so we didn’t have to handle the onslaught of drivers that were waiting for us on the other side of the sliding doors!
Thank fully the driver came and got us so we walked out to the car with him which deterred most drivers trying to hassle us even though we still had more than a handful trying to steer us to another car. Once we got our bags in and climbed into the car, another guy also got in the front passenger seat. He was a local so I thought it was perhaps a friend of the driver who was going to drop him off somewhere too, but he was like an escort for us. He was going to take us to the hotel and settle us in. He was really nice and friendly but he obviously got some money somewhere along the line. He also tried to sell us immediately into the trekking, but it was the last thing I was thinking about at that time! We had been travelling all through the night and I hadn’t slept a wink. I was knackered and just wanted to get into a room and sleep for a couple of hours – not talk about trekking and hiking up mountains!
But what can I say about my first impressions? Well…the roads are utter madness!! I thought Vietnam was bad but this was just insane. There is absolutely no order and bikes, rickshaws, cows and buffalo, motorbikes and cars and taxis (which by the way are all Maruti Suzuki’s that, well let’s just say they woulnd’t pass the MOT test back home!!) are all hooting and weaving in and out along these tiny streets. You would think that surely they must be one way only, but no, 2 way traffic comes from all angles! The streets were old and busy and noisy, the buildings all higeldy pigedly. It had a great atmosphere even from the car.
The hostel was nice. It too had a nice atmosphere and was clean and seemed to be in a good location. Upon arrival we got settled in and was immediately introduced to the in-house travel agent to talk about trekking! We briefly discussed it but I put my foot down as talk about going to the office broke out and said I wanted to sleep first. So we arranged to meet at 12pm. They were really hot on it and obviously didn’t want to lose us to someone else. They were quite pushy which I didn’t like, but at the end of the day we did want information so we agreed to go to the office.
At 12pm we met the agent and took to the streets for the first time and WOW! I fell in love with Kathmandu immediately. Thamel is full of narrow streets that all meet up at junctions and spread out to the outer city limits. They are full of shops selling all sorts of local textiles, clothes and statues and jewellery and my goodness could I shop here!! You do however walk along the streets at your own will and risk. It’s madness! Cars and motorbikes drive like lunatics and you have to be really careful if you want to make it to your destination with all 10 toes intact! And the beeping – oh the beeping. It was even worse than Vietnam. The streets are so small and the horns soooo loud that when they speed past you, horn blaring it takes a moment before your ears stop ringing! No one cares, everyone has right of way and pedestrians seem to be the least of anyones concerns! But it makes it all the more fun.
We arrived at the office and settled in to be talked to about tours. I won’t bore you with the ins and outs, but basically we were in there for about 3 hours going over options. We haggled down to a decent price for a 6 day trek up into the Himalaya’s, checked out some other offices but came back to this one as it seemed to be the best. After being in the office for what seemed like a day we set about walking around this enchanting city. However, the monsoon rains had other plans. No sooner had we stepped out of the office the heavens opened and I mean OPENED. I have never in my life seen so much rain, so forcefully fall. We ducked into a local restaurant for some lunch in the hope that it would let up and within 15 minutes the streets were flooded. It was crazy, there was water everywhere. For a city that obviously deals with this every year, the sewer system seems to be in less than good working order! We ordered a local dish – momo (which is basically a steamed or fried dumpling with minced chicken or beef in) which was delicious, but by the time we were done it was still raining. Albeit not as bad, but we had no idea in this maze of streets where we were so we grabbed a rickshaw back to the hotel. This was great! We were squished up in the back going along the flooded streets hoping that a wheel wouldn’t get stuck in a hole that was invisible under the water, which would catapult us out!!
All in all it had been a great first day!
We had 2 days in Kathmandu before we left for Pokhara which is the jump off town for the trekking. So the following day we set off for a walk around the city. We followed a walking tour in the Lonely Liar which would take us all around the small streets and out to Durbar Square which is where the city’s Kings were once crowned and from where they ruled. It’s the traditional heart of the old town and Kathmandu’s most spectacular offer of traditional architecture. It’s also a UNESCO World heritage site since 1979. The walk down was just amazing. Kathmandu sets your senses on fire, there is just so much to take in. The noise and craziness, the daily life, the culture, the smells (not all nice) and the colours are astounding. Especially the colours. Most of the women wear saris and they choose the most beautiful bright colours. Blues, reds, hot pinks, oranges, lime greens with glittering gold outlines walk past you making a rainbow in the streets. There are men carrying massive loads of boxes or whatever on their backs supporting the weight with a strap around their head, and I mean they are carrying some heavy stuff up and down the hills and manic streets. There are children running around and the further entangled you get in the streets away from the main tourist drag the more amazing the scene becomes. Local life going on, people hanging out on the streets, playing and talking. The streets themselves become more muddy and dirty, as for within Thamel, the tourist district is impeccably clean. And everyone is sooooo friendly. Tymon was going beserk taking photos as it’s simply one great shot after another and they loved it. Everyone wanted to see them and it was rare that someone wouldn’t let him take a photo. You simply want to capture everything you see to share.
Durbar Square was great, full of temples and very peaceful compared to everywhere else. We were approached by several guides and we finally decided it would be better to get some proper information on the place rather than aimlessly wander about with our noses in the LL. Religion is central to Nepali life. Hinduism and Buddism have mingled into a blend of the two, where both are worshipped in harmony alongside each other. Kathmandu is full of temples small and large all over the city and places like Durbar Square which are complex like full of temples are extremely busy with locals coming to pray. The young and the old pray fervently coming to take the paint dye off the temple to place the third eye on their foreheads. Everyone is wearing the third eye of Shiva and women also have the red smeared through the middle parting of their hair. This indicates that they are married. If they wear yellow, they are widowed. The culture is so strong here and it’s beautiful to watch.
We also went to the house where the Living Godess lives. I find this such a strange custom. The Kumari Devi is a young girl who lives in a building in Durbar Square. There a several stories as to how the practice of having a Living Goddess came about, but my personal favourite is that a King from the 1760’s was a paedophile and had sex with a young girl. She died as a result of this and in penance he started worshipping a young girl as a Goddess. There are actually a couple of Goddesses in the Kathmandu Valley but the Royal Goddess in Durbar Square is the most important. She is selected from a particular caste of Newari (one ethnic group) gold and silversmiths. She is usually between the age of four or five when chosen and must meet 32 strict physical requirements ranging from the colour of her eyes and the shape of her teeth to sound of her voice. She must also have been born at the correct time and have the appropriate horoscope.
Once they have selected a number of candidates they are put together in a dark room where terrifying noises are made, men dance by in horrific masks and 108 gruesome buffalo heads are on display! The girl that stays the calmest is declared the new Goddess as these things are unlikely to scare her if she is a true incarnation of Durga! Remember these are four and five year olds!!
She then moves into the house in Durbar Square and is kept inside at all times. She is not ever allowed outside except for half a dozen times throughout the year for festivals!! Our guide told us that she does not live with her family but has guards, however, the parents can visit. She gets schooled inside and cannot meet anyone other than the people teaching her and looking after her! Sometimes she will come to the window in the courtyard to wave at tourists and worshippers but you cannot take any photos of her.
Her reign ends with her first period, or any serious accidental loss of blood. Once the first sign of puberty appears she reverts to the status of a normal mortal and the search for a new Kumari begins. She gets paid a retirement income and is then left to live freely. However, that life will most likely be a lonely single life as the legend is that anyone who marries a Kumari will die within six months!! It’s said that marrying an ex-Kumari is extremely unlucky!! I’ll say!
So all in all, in my humble opinion, it sounds more like a prison sentence to be chosen as a Goddess than something to be honoured by!! Can you imagine being stuck in doors all day every day never being allowed outside to play, being taken away from your parents and then being left to grow into an old spinster!? Great – thanks for that!! Lols.
But in Nepal, it is a great honour for the families and thousands enter their daughter every time!
It was an exhausting day as we had taken in so much and the city does batter your senses, but we were so satisfied. After being in Malaysia and Singapore, which, don’t get me wrong were great, they are much more civilized that the rest of S.E Asia and being in Nepal was a bit like going back to Cambodia and Vietnam. Although completely different in so many ways there are certain similarities. For instance, unfortunately we have not escaped the hacking up of phlegm routed deep down inside that is then gobbed out on the street. It is actually even more intense here in Nepal that anywhere in S.E Asia. It is utterly disgusting!! Honestly everyone does it all day everyday, women, children, grandma, everyone. No one tries to hide it or do it in any kind of polite way, it’s down right plain dirty. I asked the guide about it and he just said that as the pollution is so bad, people get a lot of dust and dirt in their mouths and throats and it’s the best way to get rid of it. He found it funny that we find it so rude and nasty. Here it’s just normal! Another similarity is the rubbish. My god, they certainly have no concerns about their surrounding environment. While the roads and pavements are generally clean in the tourist areas, once you get into busier more local areas of the city there is rubbish everywhere. They throw everything on the floor, in the gutters and the ‘rivers’ are piled high with rubbish! I’ve never seen anything like it.
But, Kathmandu just really brought back the feeling that we were travelling. Getting down and dirty and witnessing something so totally different. This is what you come to experience when you pack your bags! This is what it’s all about!
Our final day in Kathmandu, we had agreed for the guide from Durbar Square to meet us at our hotel and take us around some of the towns on the outskirts of Kathmandu. First stop was Pashupatinath, the ultimate city of Hindu spiritural power, housing Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. Devotees of Shiva come from all over the subcontinent and many Nepalis choose to be cremated on the banks of the holy Bagmati river. It was on this day that I witnessed my first dead body.
Along the river in the complex of Pashupatinath Temple they have cremation ghats (platforms) on which Nepalis are cremated daily. Bodies are carried in on stretcher like boards, wrapped in shrouds and are laid out on top of a wooden pyre. It’s rather formal and business like. There are many people surrounding the ghats but there is no crying or somber mood. There are rituals carried out about the body and we saw the unwrapping of one in order to be blessed before being covered and set alight.
How did it feel? Surreal. You can’t quite contemplate the fact that there is a dead human being, being set on fire. That there are infact 3 or four raging fires of humans infront of your eyes, but it is a powerful place to contemplate death and mortality. In the end, the ashes are swept into the river, along with any shrouds that were removed before the cremation and any other debris to take it’s journey to the sacred Ganges in India. Although, at this time of year as the rains have not fully come in, the river is rather low and barely flowing, so a lot of it just sits and coagulates!
Infront of the main temple is where members of the royal family only can be cremated and is where the funerals of 10 members of the Nepali royal family took place after the massacre in 2001. “On June 1st 2001 they were gunned down in a hail of bullets during a gathering at the Royal Palace by the deranged, drunken Crown Prince Dipendra who eventually turned the gun onto himself. However, he did not die straight away and despite being in a coma was pronounced King of Nepal! His rule ended 2 days later when he was declared dead!
The real motive behind the massacre will never be known, but many believe Dipendra’s murderous, drug-fuelled rage was prompted by his parents’ disapproval of the woman he wanted to marry. In the days that followed the massacre a tide of emotions washed over the Nepali people – shock, horror, grief, disbelief and denial. A 13 day mourning period was declared and in Kathmandu impromptu shrines were set up for people to worship their King and Queen. About 400 shaven headed men roamed the streets around the palace carrying photos and half a million people turned out on the streets for the funeral procession. All over the city barbers were shaving the heads of other men, a mark of grief in Hindu tradition.
Following the disbelief and shock came suspicion and a host of conspiracy theories, many concerning the new King and his son.
A surreal royal exorcism followed on the 11th day of mourning, as a high caste priest, dressed in the gold suit, shoes and black rimmed glasses of the King and donning a paper crown, climbed onto an elephant and slowly lumbered out of the valley taking with him the ghost of the dead King. The same ritual was carried out for Dipendra also, except that a pregnant woman dashed underneath his elephant en-route, believing this would ensure she gave birth to a boy. But she was trampled by the elephant and died, adding a further twist to the tragedy. No one will know what happened that night and as one reporter said ‘We lost the truth; we lost our history.’ Only stories and anecdotes are left to content themselves with.” Lonely Liar
There are also many Sadhus in the complex. Sadhus are Hindu’s who have left their homes, jobs and families and embarked upon a spiritual search. They usually wander around half naked, smeared in dust, faces painted brightly, with matted dreadlocked hair, carrying nothing but a trident and a begging bowl. Some are simply beggars disguised in religion (a bit like monks if you ask me) but apparently most are genuine in their search. So no need to say that Tymon spent a fair amount of time negotiating fees to take photos! (Yes, exactly you have to pay to take a photograph!) But you have to check out his website: www.melikepainting.com as he got some fantastic shots!!
After that slightly depressing start to the day, we went to the much more joyful and beautiful Bodhnath. Thousands of pilgrims gather here daily to walk around the stupa under the watchful eyes of the Buddha which gaze out from the central tower. There are colourful scripture flags hung all over the stupa and square and it’s absolutely beautiful. It has a very old quaint feeling about it and reminded me a little of Delft. The shops surrounding the stupa all add to the charm selling everything from beautiful artwork, butter lamps, ceremonial horns, drums, singing bowls and other paraphernalia essential to Buddhist life. It’s wonderful and you get great views from the roof top terraces of the city and hills.
Our final stop for the day was Monkey Temple in Swayambhunath, another Buddhist temple. It’s aptly named Monkey Temple as there are hundreds of monkeys and it is soaring above the city on top of a hilltop. The complex is centered around a gleaming white stupa topped by a spire painted with the eyes of Buddha. (These eyes appear all over Kathmandu.) It’s another lovely complex with ancient carvings on every spare inch of space and the smell of incense and butter lamps hangs in the air. Of course no temple complex is complete without some shops selling masks and jewellery and paintings. Tymon fell in love with a little mask, which personally I find rather frightening, so we spent a while haggling the price for that before heading back into Thamel, back to the hostel.
That night the Netherlands were playing Cameroon so we cracked open the rum, met up with some nice people and sat in the lounge area of the hostel to watch. However, I was soooo tired, so when the screen froze I took it as my chance to get away to bed. Play resumed after about 20 minutes I was told and they were just lucky that it only froze. If the power had gone out that would have been worse! I don’t think there are many capital cities in the world where electricity is unavailable for up to 16 hours a day! Electricity cuts are a fact of life in Kathmandu. Electricity is currently rationed across the city shifting from district to district every eight hours or so. (They had a similar structure in Indonesia) so in most hostels you will find a schedule of planned electricity cuts. At first this is kind of endearing, but after a while it’s just plain annoying!
So it had been another incredible day! The following day we were leaving bright and early to Pokhara, to start our trek into the Himalayas!!
It was an early morning arrival at about 6.30am. We got our visa on arrival very quickly with no problems and headed out to somewhere completely different. We had no idea where we were going to stay and at the airport exit there is a small tourist office who called us over. They told us about a hostel in town that looked clean and in the area we wanted to go to, Thamel, which is the backpacker district, and it also meant that we would get a free taxi transfer so we didn’t have to handle the onslaught of drivers that were waiting for us on the other side of the sliding doors!
Thank fully the driver came and got us so we walked out to the car with him which deterred most drivers trying to hassle us even though we still had more than a handful trying to steer us to another car. Once we got our bags in and climbed into the car, another guy also got in the front passenger seat. He was a local so I thought it was perhaps a friend of the driver who was going to drop him off somewhere too, but he was like an escort for us. He was going to take us to the hotel and settle us in. He was really nice and friendly but he obviously got some money somewhere along the line. He also tried to sell us immediately into the trekking, but it was the last thing I was thinking about at that time! We had been travelling all through the night and I hadn’t slept a wink. I was knackered and just wanted to get into a room and sleep for a couple of hours – not talk about trekking and hiking up mountains!
But what can I say about my first impressions? Well…the roads are utter madness!! I thought Vietnam was bad but this was just insane. There is absolutely no order and bikes, rickshaws, cows and buffalo, motorbikes and cars and taxis (which by the way are all Maruti Suzuki’s that, well let’s just say they woulnd’t pass the MOT test back home!!) are all hooting and weaving in and out along these tiny streets. You would think that surely they must be one way only, but no, 2 way traffic comes from all angles! The streets were old and busy and noisy, the buildings all higeldy pigedly. It had a great atmosphere even from the car.
The hostel was nice. It too had a nice atmosphere and was clean and seemed to be in a good location. Upon arrival we got settled in and was immediately introduced to the in-house travel agent to talk about trekking! We briefly discussed it but I put my foot down as talk about going to the office broke out and said I wanted to sleep first. So we arranged to meet at 12pm. They were really hot on it and obviously didn’t want to lose us to someone else. They were quite pushy which I didn’t like, but at the end of the day we did want information so we agreed to go to the office.
At 12pm we met the agent and took to the streets for the first time and WOW! I fell in love with Kathmandu immediately. Thamel is full of narrow streets that all meet up at junctions and spread out to the outer city limits. They are full of shops selling all sorts of local textiles, clothes and statues and jewellery and my goodness could I shop here!! You do however walk along the streets at your own will and risk. It’s madness! Cars and motorbikes drive like lunatics and you have to be really careful if you want to make it to your destination with all 10 toes intact! And the beeping – oh the beeping. It was even worse than Vietnam. The streets are so small and the horns soooo loud that when they speed past you, horn blaring it takes a moment before your ears stop ringing! No one cares, everyone has right of way and pedestrians seem to be the least of anyones concerns! But it makes it all the more fun.
We arrived at the office and settled in to be talked to about tours. I won’t bore you with the ins and outs, but basically we were in there for about 3 hours going over options. We haggled down to a decent price for a 6 day trek up into the Himalaya’s, checked out some other offices but came back to this one as it seemed to be the best. After being in the office for what seemed like a day we set about walking around this enchanting city. However, the monsoon rains had other plans. No sooner had we stepped out of the office the heavens opened and I mean OPENED. I have never in my life seen so much rain, so forcefully fall. We ducked into a local restaurant for some lunch in the hope that it would let up and within 15 minutes the streets were flooded. It was crazy, there was water everywhere. For a city that obviously deals with this every year, the sewer system seems to be in less than good working order! We ordered a local dish – momo (which is basically a steamed or fried dumpling with minced chicken or beef in) which was delicious, but by the time we were done it was still raining. Albeit not as bad, but we had no idea in this maze of streets where we were so we grabbed a rickshaw back to the hotel. This was great! We were squished up in the back going along the flooded streets hoping that a wheel wouldn’t get stuck in a hole that was invisible under the water, which would catapult us out!!
All in all it had been a great first day!
We had 2 days in Kathmandu before we left for Pokhara which is the jump off town for the trekking. So the following day we set off for a walk around the city. We followed a walking tour in the Lonely Liar which would take us all around the small streets and out to Durbar Square which is where the city’s Kings were once crowned and from where they ruled. It’s the traditional heart of the old town and Kathmandu’s most spectacular offer of traditional architecture. It’s also a UNESCO World heritage site since 1979. The walk down was just amazing. Kathmandu sets your senses on fire, there is just so much to take in. The noise and craziness, the daily life, the culture, the smells (not all nice) and the colours are astounding. Especially the colours. Most of the women wear saris and they choose the most beautiful bright colours. Blues, reds, hot pinks, oranges, lime greens with glittering gold outlines walk past you making a rainbow in the streets. There are men carrying massive loads of boxes or whatever on their backs supporting the weight with a strap around their head, and I mean they are carrying some heavy stuff up and down the hills and manic streets. There are children running around and the further entangled you get in the streets away from the main tourist drag the more amazing the scene becomes. Local life going on, people hanging out on the streets, playing and talking. The streets themselves become more muddy and dirty, as for within Thamel, the tourist district is impeccably clean. And everyone is sooooo friendly. Tymon was going beserk taking photos as it’s simply one great shot after another and they loved it. Everyone wanted to see them and it was rare that someone wouldn’t let him take a photo. You simply want to capture everything you see to share.
Durbar Square was great, full of temples and very peaceful compared to everywhere else. We were approached by several guides and we finally decided it would be better to get some proper information on the place rather than aimlessly wander about with our noses in the LL. Religion is central to Nepali life. Hinduism and Buddism have mingled into a blend of the two, where both are worshipped in harmony alongside each other. Kathmandu is full of temples small and large all over the city and places like Durbar Square which are complex like full of temples are extremely busy with locals coming to pray. The young and the old pray fervently coming to take the paint dye off the temple to place the third eye on their foreheads. Everyone is wearing the third eye of Shiva and women also have the red smeared through the middle parting of their hair. This indicates that they are married. If they wear yellow, they are widowed. The culture is so strong here and it’s beautiful to watch.
We also went to the house where the Living Godess lives. I find this such a strange custom. The Kumari Devi is a young girl who lives in a building in Durbar Square. There a several stories as to how the practice of having a Living Goddess came about, but my personal favourite is that a King from the 1760’s was a paedophile and had sex with a young girl. She died as a result of this and in penance he started worshipping a young girl as a Goddess. There are actually a couple of Goddesses in the Kathmandu Valley but the Royal Goddess in Durbar Square is the most important. She is selected from a particular caste of Newari (one ethnic group) gold and silversmiths. She is usually between the age of four or five when chosen and must meet 32 strict physical requirements ranging from the colour of her eyes and the shape of her teeth to sound of her voice. She must also have been born at the correct time and have the appropriate horoscope.
Once they have selected a number of candidates they are put together in a dark room where terrifying noises are made, men dance by in horrific masks and 108 gruesome buffalo heads are on display! The girl that stays the calmest is declared the new Goddess as these things are unlikely to scare her if she is a true incarnation of Durga! Remember these are four and five year olds!!
She then moves into the house in Durbar Square and is kept inside at all times. She is not ever allowed outside except for half a dozen times throughout the year for festivals!! Our guide told us that she does not live with her family but has guards, however, the parents can visit. She gets schooled inside and cannot meet anyone other than the people teaching her and looking after her! Sometimes she will come to the window in the courtyard to wave at tourists and worshippers but you cannot take any photos of her.
Her reign ends with her first period, or any serious accidental loss of blood. Once the first sign of puberty appears she reverts to the status of a normal mortal and the search for a new Kumari begins. She gets paid a retirement income and is then left to live freely. However, that life will most likely be a lonely single life as the legend is that anyone who marries a Kumari will die within six months!! It’s said that marrying an ex-Kumari is extremely unlucky!! I’ll say!
So all in all, in my humble opinion, it sounds more like a prison sentence to be chosen as a Goddess than something to be honoured by!! Can you imagine being stuck in doors all day every day never being allowed outside to play, being taken away from your parents and then being left to grow into an old spinster!? Great – thanks for that!! Lols.
But in Nepal, it is a great honour for the families and thousands enter their daughter every time!
It was an exhausting day as we had taken in so much and the city does batter your senses, but we were so satisfied. After being in Malaysia and Singapore, which, don’t get me wrong were great, they are much more civilized that the rest of S.E Asia and being in Nepal was a bit like going back to Cambodia and Vietnam. Although completely different in so many ways there are certain similarities. For instance, unfortunately we have not escaped the hacking up of phlegm routed deep down inside that is then gobbed out on the street. It is actually even more intense here in Nepal that anywhere in S.E Asia. It is utterly disgusting!! Honestly everyone does it all day everyday, women, children, grandma, everyone. No one tries to hide it or do it in any kind of polite way, it’s down right plain dirty. I asked the guide about it and he just said that as the pollution is so bad, people get a lot of dust and dirt in their mouths and throats and it’s the best way to get rid of it. He found it funny that we find it so rude and nasty. Here it’s just normal! Another similarity is the rubbish. My god, they certainly have no concerns about their surrounding environment. While the roads and pavements are generally clean in the tourist areas, once you get into busier more local areas of the city there is rubbish everywhere. They throw everything on the floor, in the gutters and the ‘rivers’ are piled high with rubbish! I’ve never seen anything like it.
But, Kathmandu just really brought back the feeling that we were travelling. Getting down and dirty and witnessing something so totally different. This is what you come to experience when you pack your bags! This is what it’s all about!
Our final day in Kathmandu, we had agreed for the guide from Durbar Square to meet us at our hotel and take us around some of the towns on the outskirts of Kathmandu. First stop was Pashupatinath, the ultimate city of Hindu spiritural power, housing Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. Devotees of Shiva come from all over the subcontinent and many Nepalis choose to be cremated on the banks of the holy Bagmati river. It was on this day that I witnessed my first dead body.
Along the river in the complex of Pashupatinath Temple they have cremation ghats (platforms) on which Nepalis are cremated daily. Bodies are carried in on stretcher like boards, wrapped in shrouds and are laid out on top of a wooden pyre. It’s rather formal and business like. There are many people surrounding the ghats but there is no crying or somber mood. There are rituals carried out about the body and we saw the unwrapping of one in order to be blessed before being covered and set alight.
How did it feel? Surreal. You can’t quite contemplate the fact that there is a dead human being, being set on fire. That there are infact 3 or four raging fires of humans infront of your eyes, but it is a powerful place to contemplate death and mortality. In the end, the ashes are swept into the river, along with any shrouds that were removed before the cremation and any other debris to take it’s journey to the sacred Ganges in India. Although, at this time of year as the rains have not fully come in, the river is rather low and barely flowing, so a lot of it just sits and coagulates!
Infront of the main temple is where members of the royal family only can be cremated and is where the funerals of 10 members of the Nepali royal family took place after the massacre in 2001. “On June 1st 2001 they were gunned down in a hail of bullets during a gathering at the Royal Palace by the deranged, drunken Crown Prince Dipendra who eventually turned the gun onto himself. However, he did not die straight away and despite being in a coma was pronounced King of Nepal! His rule ended 2 days later when he was declared dead!
The real motive behind the massacre will never be known, but many believe Dipendra’s murderous, drug-fuelled rage was prompted by his parents’ disapproval of the woman he wanted to marry. In the days that followed the massacre a tide of emotions washed over the Nepali people – shock, horror, grief, disbelief and denial. A 13 day mourning period was declared and in Kathmandu impromptu shrines were set up for people to worship their King and Queen. About 400 shaven headed men roamed the streets around the palace carrying photos and half a million people turned out on the streets for the funeral procession. All over the city barbers were shaving the heads of other men, a mark of grief in Hindu tradition.
Following the disbelief and shock came suspicion and a host of conspiracy theories, many concerning the new King and his son.
A surreal royal exorcism followed on the 11th day of mourning, as a high caste priest, dressed in the gold suit, shoes and black rimmed glasses of the King and donning a paper crown, climbed onto an elephant and slowly lumbered out of the valley taking with him the ghost of the dead King. The same ritual was carried out for Dipendra also, except that a pregnant woman dashed underneath his elephant en-route, believing this would ensure she gave birth to a boy. But she was trampled by the elephant and died, adding a further twist to the tragedy. No one will know what happened that night and as one reporter said ‘We lost the truth; we lost our history.’ Only stories and anecdotes are left to content themselves with.” Lonely Liar
There are also many Sadhus in the complex. Sadhus are Hindu’s who have left their homes, jobs and families and embarked upon a spiritual search. They usually wander around half naked, smeared in dust, faces painted brightly, with matted dreadlocked hair, carrying nothing but a trident and a begging bowl. Some are simply beggars disguised in religion (a bit like monks if you ask me) but apparently most are genuine in their search. So no need to say that Tymon spent a fair amount of time negotiating fees to take photos! (Yes, exactly you have to pay to take a photograph!) But you have to check out his website: www.melikepainting.com as he got some fantastic shots!!
After that slightly depressing start to the day, we went to the much more joyful and beautiful Bodhnath. Thousands of pilgrims gather here daily to walk around the stupa under the watchful eyes of the Buddha which gaze out from the central tower. There are colourful scripture flags hung all over the stupa and square and it’s absolutely beautiful. It has a very old quaint feeling about it and reminded me a little of Delft. The shops surrounding the stupa all add to the charm selling everything from beautiful artwork, butter lamps, ceremonial horns, drums, singing bowls and other paraphernalia essential to Buddhist life. It’s wonderful and you get great views from the roof top terraces of the city and hills.
Our final stop for the day was Monkey Temple in Swayambhunath, another Buddhist temple. It’s aptly named Monkey Temple as there are hundreds of monkeys and it is soaring above the city on top of a hilltop. The complex is centered around a gleaming white stupa topped by a spire painted with the eyes of Buddha. (These eyes appear all over Kathmandu.) It’s another lovely complex with ancient carvings on every spare inch of space and the smell of incense and butter lamps hangs in the air. Of course no temple complex is complete without some shops selling masks and jewellery and paintings. Tymon fell in love with a little mask, which personally I find rather frightening, so we spent a while haggling the price for that before heading back into Thamel, back to the hostel.
That night the Netherlands were playing Cameroon so we cracked open the rum, met up with some nice people and sat in the lounge area of the hostel to watch. However, I was soooo tired, so when the screen froze I took it as my chance to get away to bed. Play resumed after about 20 minutes I was told and they were just lucky that it only froze. If the power had gone out that would have been worse! I don’t think there are many capital cities in the world where electricity is unavailable for up to 16 hours a day! Electricity cuts are a fact of life in Kathmandu. Electricity is currently rationed across the city shifting from district to district every eight hours or so. (They had a similar structure in Indonesia) so in most hostels you will find a schedule of planned electricity cuts. At first this is kind of endearing, but after a while it’s just plain annoying!
So it had been another incredible day! The following day we were leaving bright and early to Pokhara, to start our trek into the Himalayas!!
Luxury, Food, Sleep and More Food!!
We arrived back in KL earlier than my parents but had been given the confirmation to take to the hotel so we could check in before them. Last time we had arrived in KL it had been really easy to get about and find our way to the hostel so we decided to get the monorail from the station drop off to the hotel. There was a station right by it so it would be easy. However, outside it was raining, pouring and when we got to the monorail station there was a big crowd of people and we were gutted to find out that it wasn’t running. We were told we could take a bus so we walked across the road to get the bus which was packed out and dropped us off about 5 minutes down the road actually right at the end of the road where we had stayed the first time round. We got off that bus and tried to figure out where the hell the next one would leave from. We walked in the rain around the corner and finally found a stop with the right bus. Or so we thought. On we got and asked if it went to the road the hotel was on. On the map we had it looked like a very long road and in the end the guys on the bus had no idea where we wanted to go or had never heard of our hotel. I mean it was a big 5 star hotel, I thought a bus driver would have heard of it. They then told us to get off at a shopping mall and told us that our hotel was in the shopping mall!! Confused and annoyed we got off the bus and asked the guard in the mall who said it was a 15 minute walk up the road. It was still raining so we hailed a cab and finally within minutes we were pulling up into a driveway of a huge glittering hotel. The doors were opened by doormen, our luggage taken in on trolleys and we were ushered to reception. The lobby was massive with dual spiral staircases going up in the middle and a piano lounge bar underneath them.
I thought perhaps we would have some trouble checking in without dad as it was all in his name and on his credit card, but it was no problem. We established which room we were in and grabbed our bags off the trolley, as the porter was not about, which would also save us having to tip (there’s nothing worse than tipping rubbish cos you can’t afford a lot. It’s best not to bother at all in that case, but then you feel even worse cos you’re staying in a 5 star hotel and don’t tip!!) and headed up to the room.
The room was amazing, very big and plush with a huge king size bed and the bathroom was about the same size as our spare bedroom at home. It was great!! We dumped our bags, looked at each other and ran and jumped on the bed like little kids! After 8 months travelling – this was bliss!
We showered and watched TV and waited for my parents to arrive. I rang reception to ask them to call us when they checked in and a couple of hours later my dads voice was on the phone saying they were down stairs. They were coming up in the lift, so I ran out into the corridor like a child on Christmas morning and the doors pinged open and there they were. Oh it was soooooo good to see them. I hugged my mum and we both shed a tear – what a reunion! Haha.
We settled them into the hotel (after finding out that we had actually been given their room as it was better with a balcony view of the twin towers – but they did refuse to take it and swap with us – we tried!!) and we got ready to go out for dinner.
Dad has been to KL quite a few times on business and he said he knew of a good place nearby, so we went for a walk to find it. The thing was that it had been a while since Dad had been in KL and he had to get his bearings. We walked and walked and were looking for an Irish bar on the corner, but we came to the main junction and couldn’t find it anywhere. It was getting late so we found a steak house and went in.
It was so surreal to be sitting in KL with my parents having dinner. It was lovely. We ordered some wine which was amazing and steak and the whole meal was delicious. A real feast for us.
Breakfast was included in our stay so we got up early and went down and oh my lord – what a spread!! Bread and cheese and olives and curry and fresh made omelets, fruit and whatever you could imagine! It was brilliant. I gorged myself on brie and bread – yummy!!
That morning we went back to hand in our passports as clearance had come for our Indian visas, so we decided to meet up with mum and dad later at the KL Tower. You can go up the Petronas Towers (the Twin Towers) but you have to queue early in the morning and then return at a designated time for your 15 min slot to walk along the bridge and quite frankly the KL Tower is higher and much better. It’s like a much bigger Euromast in NL. The views are pretty impressive and you get a great 360 degree view over the city with a headset with a lady who sounds like she’s being held at gunpoint, telling you what you can see from each window.
Following the Tower, mum and dad headed back to the hotel to sit around the lovely pool and Tymon and I went for an extra walk around town, as this time we were staying in the classy part! It was much nicer than seedy China Town. We headed towards the Twin Towers which are the tallest Twin Towers in the world…now. There’s a big shopping mall attached to one of the towers so we went to have a look around and grab some lunch before heading back towards the hotel. We walked through a lovely park which had a huge playground in for kids and a fountain pool area which was packed. It was so lovely. I have never seen such a large play area for kids in a public park; it was so nice, something that would be great in the UK – although it would probably be vandalized within a week!
Back at the hotel we joined mum and dad by the pool for a quick swim before relaxing in the room, taking a bubble bath and getting ready for dinner.
That morning while we had gone to do our visas mum and dad had gone for a walk again to look for this Irish restaurant/bar as dad was adamant he knew where it was. It had taken them a while but finally they had found it. It was closed down! That was why we had walked right by it, but dad knew where things were now so we grabbed a cab and headed to a road not far away which was full of bars and restaurants. We went to a lovely Latin bar for some pre dinner drinks and it was so sophisticated. I was just gutted I didn’t have anything nice to wear. I am so sick and tired of living in the same 5/6 outfits everyday no matter what the occasion!! But the drinks were great and dinner even better. Dad took us to a tapas restaurant that he has been to before where they do suckling pig which he wanted to have. But the tapas just looked too good for Tymon and I so we ordered that which we shared and then the suckling pig. But it was a whole charade that came with the pig. First they brought it whole to the table and then with a plate the waiter gets one of you to make the first cut with it. Tymon did the honours and after you’ve made the first cut you then smash the plate. It was all quite good fun. They then take the pig away to cut it up properly. It was much better than the pig we had had in Cantho, Vietnam, but I have to admit – I’m not actually a fan. I thought I liked suckling pig but infact I don’t really. I like pork belly with a bit of crispy skin but the rest of it has too strong a flavour for me. But another gorgeous meal had been eaten and completely stuffed we headed back to the hotel.
After another eat till you burst breakfast, for our final day in KL we went to a butterfly farm and bird avery. Both were really big and open with nets high above so that they are enclosed, but for the most part it’s as if they are free. Both were really nice. The bird park was a bit too big for mum to walk around so after seeing the best part her and dad went back to the hotel while Tymon and I finished up. Towards the end of the park it started to pour with rain and at the entrance they only had organized taxis that you had to pre pay a fixed amount for which was quite a lot. We didn’t want to pay that as personally I think it’s a big rip off and before I forget actually the taxis in KL are disgusting! By law they are supposed to be metered, but when you get in they won’t put it on and will charge you a lot up front. When you stop a taxi and ask them to put the meter on they refuse so you have to flag down about 5 taxis before you find a legit one. It’s so annoying. But when we confronted several drivers they said it’s a pact that taxi drivers have made as the metered fares set by the government are too low. They just don’t cover the time and cost for the drivers, and I have to admit, fares are really cheap! What would cost you GBP10 in a black cab back home would cost you about GBP3 in KL. So you can kind of understand their viewpoint but it’s still really irritating.
But anyway, we couldn’t find a cab so we waited by the main road hoping to get one but a local guy at the bus stop with some tourists said that none would stop as they all have to go via the registered pre paid booth. The next thing you know he is offering to drive us into town. He said he was a private tour guide and he said he’d take us for a decent price so we agreed and got in the car. Now ordinarily you’d think this was a recipe for disaster, but the Malaysians are so friendly. We didn’t feel threatened or that he was going to drive us off into the middle of nowhere so we hopped in back to town. And it was fine, he dropped us off as promised where we needed to go. We did a spot of shopping before going to collect our passports. Mum and dad needed beach towels for our next stop, Sibu Island, so afterwards we went to the market mall to see if we could get them some cheap ones. I found some in a personalized embroidery shop so we decided to buy them as a present. We got their names and the Malaysian flag put on and 2010 so they would remember this vacation!!
Their response was funny – dad just opened the bag and looked at it and said ‘oh Cathy…’ and stuffed it back in the bag. He didn’t even realize that they were personalized! Hahaha. But hopefully they liked them, even though it meant more baggage for them to take home.
That night came another, if not the best dinner! Oh my goodness it was such a feast every day! Tonight we walked back to the main strip where we had been the night before and went to an Italian, and we knew we’d hit jackpot when at the back of the restaurant we saw a ham counter with all the antipasto meats – wow! We swiftly ordered some crisp white wine and a plate of meats, which on arrival I nearly demolished all by myself. The serano ham was incredible and salami oh yum – it was heaven!! We’d also ordered mains of pasta etc but couldn’t finish. It was all soooo utterly delicious, probably the best Italian I’ve had, but it was too much. Already in 3 days I felt like I’d gained a stone! (And probably had lols!) So with a belly that could pass for a 6 month pregnancy we returned to the hotel for our final night in utter luxury before heading to Sibu Island where we had a completely different kind of trip awaiting.
Dad had managed to find a hotel on a small island not far from Tioman Island in S.E Malaysia. He said it was going to be very basic huts on the beach and the resort was all there was. It was on a cove island all to itself and you had to walk through the jungle across the island to get to next resort. It sounded great – complete relaxation. We’d pre-purchased our bus tickets so arrived at the bus station and boarded for the 6 hour journey. Dad had already booked a pick up for us to take us to the island so when we got off the bus the driver was waiting for us. We piled into the private minibus thinking that we would have a quick 10 minute ride to the jetty to get the boat to the island, so were surprised when we found out we had another 3 hour journey out to the coast. The traffic was really bad so when we finally hit the narrow winding roads, we were all holding on for dear life as the driver put his foot to the floor! Finally we arrived at the jetty and got on the boat for the 20 mins journey to Sibu.
It was so funny to see mum and travelling like this, on a bus and getting on a boat and putting on life jackets. Tymon and I and dad to some extent, are so used to schlepping from place to place by bus or train, but it was strange to have mum and dad do it too. But in a good way. I was so happy and proud to be sharing this whole adventure with them.
20 minutes later we pulled up to a beautiful strip of beach surrounded by coral that was twinkling beneath the surface of the turquoise ocean. Beth, the lady who dad had been dealing with was waiting to meet us. She helped us off with our luggage and the porters came and took them to our cabins. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but was thinking it was going to be along the same lines as some of the huts we had stayed in in Thailand, but the cabins where so much nicer. They were really nice and spacious with a nice open bathroom (not completely, but open at the top with a view out) and they weren’t like saunas. Good first impression! As for the rest of the resort, there was one main hut which was the bar/lounge area and a balcony where we ate dinner overlooking the beach and ocean. It was perfect, idyllic and exactly what dad had been hoping for – a break away from it all. Mum was stressing about her hair as she had no hair dryer so I just explained that that’s the way to be on the beach – au naturel!! All our meals were included, breakfast, lunch and dinner and they were set meals which at first I was a bit dubious about, but after the first dinner which was a BBQ I had no worries. Well maybe one – my hips and butt were in for another bashing!!
We were on Sibu for 5 days and it was superb. Dad was right, there was absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go apart from the beach and ocean. We snorkeled and the coral was beautiful and it was everywhere, so many fish and Tymon even saw a reef shark one day. I was gutted I didn’t see it, although seriously relived also as I think I would have had a heart attack if I had seen it. We sunbathed, drank a lot, ate a LOT, read, played scrabble (which we bought in KL as Tymon and I are now quite addicted) and cards. We only had one days rain but the rest was lovely and hot and cloudy in the afternoon which was nice so it was cooler. It was perfect temperature at night also so the fan was just right – no need for aircon, which they didn’t have anyway.
One day we decided to walk across to the other side of the island to the other resort. It was about a 20 minute walk through the jungle and all four of us went so that meant taking it slow. As most of you know mum suffers real bad from arthritis and has bad feet and unfortunately she isn’t doing too well with her knees at the moment, so it was a really challenging walk for her. All I want to say is – mum I am sooooooo extremely proud of you. You did so well and I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you, but you did it! You were amazing and I hope you are proud of yourself, I know it wasn’t easy for you.
On the otherside the resort was much bigger than ours but also much less intimate. It didn’t have half the charm or appeal as ours so we were really pleased. Also there was no coral this side so we really had gotten the best deal! None of us were eager to walk back through the jungle as we had all gotten bitten to bits! There were sooo many mosquitoes, so we got the resort to take us back on the boat. It only took 5 minutes to round the cove and it was way better than going through the walk again!
We also did a dive trip seeing as we are newly licensed. We went out to a nearby reef island and it was ok. It was nice to be back under water and hone up on our skills but the reef was pretty lifeless and the water real murky. I’m looking forward to the next trip to be able to do some diving in some great places like the Philippines.
As the week went on the oddest thing happened. Mum and dad were up usually fairly early and one morning dad said that at about 7.30am he looked out of the balcony and the tide was completely out for miles. All the coral was exposed and it had looked really spooky. When he told us how far out it had gone I didn’t really believe him as it seemed impossible that it would be out that far, but the following morning we set our alarm and low and behold the tide was out. Far far out. We walked out inbetween the coral and could see all the plants flopped out all jelly like. It was really bizarre. The most puzzling thing was what happened to the clown fish (Nemo’s). Clown fish live in one anemone and don’t leave it, they are fiercely protective of it, so it seemed impossible to think that they got swept out to sea and would return. When we asked the dive instructor about it he said that the anemone was attached to the ocean floor by a cord like stem and the clown fish retreat into this stem when the tide goes out to hide and wait it out. How cool is that? When we were looking at them all exposed the clown fish were in them – madness. We walked to the end of the cove and along the rocks to the point where the cove rounds off and the water starts. Underneath the shallow water we could see the coral shining and shimmering and coral really does look way more beautiful underwater that out of it. Let’s just hope the tidal movements don’t destroy it!
So what else for Sibu…did I say it was heaven? After much relaxation it was time to get back on the boat and head down to Singapore for the final part of the trip with my parents.
The journey to Singapore was much shorter. We had a private transfer again which was great so we could relax and sleep back down the windy roads. We got dropped off right at our hotel and unlike last time we were in a much better hotel. The Royal Chulan it wasn’t (hotel in KL) but it was very nice.
We had 2 days in Singapore with mum and dad before they flew onto Hong Kong so after freshening up we went for a walk around the area. We were staying in Little India so walked through all the streets lined with local restaurants and market stalls selling saris and bangles. We brought some drinks from 7 11 so we could have some drinks in the hotel before dinner.
That night in order to say thank you for taking treating us so much Tymon and I took them for dinner at the all you can eat Japanese restaurant that we got taken to last time we were in Singapore. We were so excited to have the crab and lobster and all the yummy food!! And it didn’t disappoint. It was just as good as last time, although they had hot lobster instead of cold which wasn’t as good, but everything else was just the same so we slowly started through the food stuffing ourselves full!
The next day, after a disturbing night for mum and dad (they moved rooms twice due to noise and aircon problems) and after breakfast that we got given because of the problems, we jumped in a taxi down to Sentosa, the island of Singapore. There’s a lot to do supposedly down there, what with casinos, and a fun parks and beaches, but I have to admit, it’s the most confusing place. We arrived at some sort of main mall type place where they have a big Vegas type show on and the entrance for Universal the mini version and asked around as we had no idea where we needed to go. We finally found out we needed to take the monorail to Sentosa side which we did and then we were right back in the same situation. There were signposts everywhere but not a lot going on. We started walking in one direction but couldn’t walk on the road so had to go back. We found ourselves walking along to the beach which was ok, it looked nice if you had come prepared for the beach but seeing as we had just spent a week on the beach we were hoping to something more. But there was nothing going on so we walked back got in a cab and asked to go a boat quay where we thought we could perhaps pick up a cruise tour. However, on arrival there was only one but it was leaving for another 2 hours or so, so we gave up. We hopped into a cab, dropped mum and dad off at the Singapore Eye (the same thing as the London Eye) and Tymon and I went back to the hotel.
That night, NL were playing in the WC so we decided to head to Orchard Road which is the main shopping street like Oxford Circus to find a bar that dad knew from when he had been in Singapore for business. But unfortunately as with in KL it had been a while and he wasn’t exactly sure where on orchard Road we needed to be. The taxi driver managed to mention the name of an office tower that dad recognized the name of so we got dropped off there. There were a couple of Irish bars and sports bars but dad didn’t think there were the ones so we went for a walk further up the road to find it. However, time was running out. Kick off was imminent and Orchard Road is a long road. It could have been anywhere. So, we headed back to where we had got dropped of and went into a sports bar. We managed to secure a table as it was pretty busy and got to the business of drinking, eating and hupping for Holland. Dad went across the road to have a look at the other bar incase they had a better table, but when he came back he said it was full – but…it was the bar that he had been talking about!! Hahaha. You got there in the end dad!!
And that was it – their time was up and they were leaving first thing in the morning for HK. I couldn’t believe it, time had flown but it had been soooooo good to see them and so great to share the experiences with them. Mum has never done anything like this and I was so happy for her to have travelled to this part of the world.
Tymon and I had another 2 days in Singapore until our flight to Nepal and it was also Tymon’s birthday. The night we had been in Orchard Road, there was a supermarket next to the bar, so I made up and excuse and took mum in to buy a birthday cake for Tymon. It was a bit difficult to pass it off so that he wouldn’t know, but I had a cover. The day mum and dad left was Father’s Day, so he thought I was sorting something out for dad. He didn’t question what was in the bag so I managed to get the cake back to the hotel with no questions asked. Phew! Mum left it with the restaurant staff so the next day at midnight I arranged to have it brought up to the room!
On Sibu we had met a really nice guy called Guy who lived in Singapore so we invited him over to the hotel to have some drinks and watch the football (a Brazil game) and we were pretty chuffed when he turned up! Even though I looked a right mess as I just been to the gym!! Finally.
Anyway I’d arranged for the cake, an Oreo cheesecake, to be delivered to the room, but then Tymon wanted to go down to the Lobby to watch the football, so I then had to sneak about at reception to ask if they could bring it to the Lobby, but then the lady said the cake was in the fridge in the bar we were sitting at so she wouldn’t be able to get it out without him seeing it! So it was all going wrong. But!...thankfully the game ended and after a bit of chat with 10 minutes to go to midnight, Tymon said we should go back up to the room. So I loitered behind and told the lady that the original plan was back on.
Back in the room, 5 minutes later there’s a knock on the door. Tymon opens it and there’s the lady with another guy holding the cake singing Happy Birthday! Lols. Bless her, and Tymon was totally surprised! Ah, mission accomplished! Midnight came and Tymon was 31!! Old bastard!! Hahaha! We ate the cake which was really good, continued on the bacardi and talked the night away.
For his actual birthday I surprised him with a picnic in the botanical gardens. I went back to the store where I had brought the cake as it had a fantastic deli counter and brought parma ham and salami and old Amsterdam cheese!! Olives and garlic butter and baguette. Oh it was like a Saturday afternoon after a trip to Aldi back home. Brilliant. It was a lovely day and I hope he enjoyed it.
And that’s it really; our time in S.E Asia was over. A new adventure was waiting in Nepal and India.
The last 8 months have seemed like a life time and it seems so long that we were in SA.
2 months to go, 2 countries….
I thought perhaps we would have some trouble checking in without dad as it was all in his name and on his credit card, but it was no problem. We established which room we were in and grabbed our bags off the trolley, as the porter was not about, which would also save us having to tip (there’s nothing worse than tipping rubbish cos you can’t afford a lot. It’s best not to bother at all in that case, but then you feel even worse cos you’re staying in a 5 star hotel and don’t tip!!) and headed up to the room.
The room was amazing, very big and plush with a huge king size bed and the bathroom was about the same size as our spare bedroom at home. It was great!! We dumped our bags, looked at each other and ran and jumped on the bed like little kids! After 8 months travelling – this was bliss!
We showered and watched TV and waited for my parents to arrive. I rang reception to ask them to call us when they checked in and a couple of hours later my dads voice was on the phone saying they were down stairs. They were coming up in the lift, so I ran out into the corridor like a child on Christmas morning and the doors pinged open and there they were. Oh it was soooooo good to see them. I hugged my mum and we both shed a tear – what a reunion! Haha.
We settled them into the hotel (after finding out that we had actually been given their room as it was better with a balcony view of the twin towers – but they did refuse to take it and swap with us – we tried!!) and we got ready to go out for dinner.
Dad has been to KL quite a few times on business and he said he knew of a good place nearby, so we went for a walk to find it. The thing was that it had been a while since Dad had been in KL and he had to get his bearings. We walked and walked and were looking for an Irish bar on the corner, but we came to the main junction and couldn’t find it anywhere. It was getting late so we found a steak house and went in.
It was so surreal to be sitting in KL with my parents having dinner. It was lovely. We ordered some wine which was amazing and steak and the whole meal was delicious. A real feast for us.
Breakfast was included in our stay so we got up early and went down and oh my lord – what a spread!! Bread and cheese and olives and curry and fresh made omelets, fruit and whatever you could imagine! It was brilliant. I gorged myself on brie and bread – yummy!!
That morning we went back to hand in our passports as clearance had come for our Indian visas, so we decided to meet up with mum and dad later at the KL Tower. You can go up the Petronas Towers (the Twin Towers) but you have to queue early in the morning and then return at a designated time for your 15 min slot to walk along the bridge and quite frankly the KL Tower is higher and much better. It’s like a much bigger Euromast in NL. The views are pretty impressive and you get a great 360 degree view over the city with a headset with a lady who sounds like she’s being held at gunpoint, telling you what you can see from each window.
Following the Tower, mum and dad headed back to the hotel to sit around the lovely pool and Tymon and I went for an extra walk around town, as this time we were staying in the classy part! It was much nicer than seedy China Town. We headed towards the Twin Towers which are the tallest Twin Towers in the world…now. There’s a big shopping mall attached to one of the towers so we went to have a look around and grab some lunch before heading back towards the hotel. We walked through a lovely park which had a huge playground in for kids and a fountain pool area which was packed. It was so lovely. I have never seen such a large play area for kids in a public park; it was so nice, something that would be great in the UK – although it would probably be vandalized within a week!
Back at the hotel we joined mum and dad by the pool for a quick swim before relaxing in the room, taking a bubble bath and getting ready for dinner.
That morning while we had gone to do our visas mum and dad had gone for a walk again to look for this Irish restaurant/bar as dad was adamant he knew where it was. It had taken them a while but finally they had found it. It was closed down! That was why we had walked right by it, but dad knew where things were now so we grabbed a cab and headed to a road not far away which was full of bars and restaurants. We went to a lovely Latin bar for some pre dinner drinks and it was so sophisticated. I was just gutted I didn’t have anything nice to wear. I am so sick and tired of living in the same 5/6 outfits everyday no matter what the occasion!! But the drinks were great and dinner even better. Dad took us to a tapas restaurant that he has been to before where they do suckling pig which he wanted to have. But the tapas just looked too good for Tymon and I so we ordered that which we shared and then the suckling pig. But it was a whole charade that came with the pig. First they brought it whole to the table and then with a plate the waiter gets one of you to make the first cut with it. Tymon did the honours and after you’ve made the first cut you then smash the plate. It was all quite good fun. They then take the pig away to cut it up properly. It was much better than the pig we had had in Cantho, Vietnam, but I have to admit – I’m not actually a fan. I thought I liked suckling pig but infact I don’t really. I like pork belly with a bit of crispy skin but the rest of it has too strong a flavour for me. But another gorgeous meal had been eaten and completely stuffed we headed back to the hotel.
After another eat till you burst breakfast, for our final day in KL we went to a butterfly farm and bird avery. Both were really big and open with nets high above so that they are enclosed, but for the most part it’s as if they are free. Both were really nice. The bird park was a bit too big for mum to walk around so after seeing the best part her and dad went back to the hotel while Tymon and I finished up. Towards the end of the park it started to pour with rain and at the entrance they only had organized taxis that you had to pre pay a fixed amount for which was quite a lot. We didn’t want to pay that as personally I think it’s a big rip off and before I forget actually the taxis in KL are disgusting! By law they are supposed to be metered, but when you get in they won’t put it on and will charge you a lot up front. When you stop a taxi and ask them to put the meter on they refuse so you have to flag down about 5 taxis before you find a legit one. It’s so annoying. But when we confronted several drivers they said it’s a pact that taxi drivers have made as the metered fares set by the government are too low. They just don’t cover the time and cost for the drivers, and I have to admit, fares are really cheap! What would cost you GBP10 in a black cab back home would cost you about GBP3 in KL. So you can kind of understand their viewpoint but it’s still really irritating.
But anyway, we couldn’t find a cab so we waited by the main road hoping to get one but a local guy at the bus stop with some tourists said that none would stop as they all have to go via the registered pre paid booth. The next thing you know he is offering to drive us into town. He said he was a private tour guide and he said he’d take us for a decent price so we agreed and got in the car. Now ordinarily you’d think this was a recipe for disaster, but the Malaysians are so friendly. We didn’t feel threatened or that he was going to drive us off into the middle of nowhere so we hopped in back to town. And it was fine, he dropped us off as promised where we needed to go. We did a spot of shopping before going to collect our passports. Mum and dad needed beach towels for our next stop, Sibu Island, so afterwards we went to the market mall to see if we could get them some cheap ones. I found some in a personalized embroidery shop so we decided to buy them as a present. We got their names and the Malaysian flag put on and 2010 so they would remember this vacation!!
Their response was funny – dad just opened the bag and looked at it and said ‘oh Cathy…’ and stuffed it back in the bag. He didn’t even realize that they were personalized! Hahaha. But hopefully they liked them, even though it meant more baggage for them to take home.
That night came another, if not the best dinner! Oh my goodness it was such a feast every day! Tonight we walked back to the main strip where we had been the night before and went to an Italian, and we knew we’d hit jackpot when at the back of the restaurant we saw a ham counter with all the antipasto meats – wow! We swiftly ordered some crisp white wine and a plate of meats, which on arrival I nearly demolished all by myself. The serano ham was incredible and salami oh yum – it was heaven!! We’d also ordered mains of pasta etc but couldn’t finish. It was all soooo utterly delicious, probably the best Italian I’ve had, but it was too much. Already in 3 days I felt like I’d gained a stone! (And probably had lols!) So with a belly that could pass for a 6 month pregnancy we returned to the hotel for our final night in utter luxury before heading to Sibu Island where we had a completely different kind of trip awaiting.
Dad had managed to find a hotel on a small island not far from Tioman Island in S.E Malaysia. He said it was going to be very basic huts on the beach and the resort was all there was. It was on a cove island all to itself and you had to walk through the jungle across the island to get to next resort. It sounded great – complete relaxation. We’d pre-purchased our bus tickets so arrived at the bus station and boarded for the 6 hour journey. Dad had already booked a pick up for us to take us to the island so when we got off the bus the driver was waiting for us. We piled into the private minibus thinking that we would have a quick 10 minute ride to the jetty to get the boat to the island, so were surprised when we found out we had another 3 hour journey out to the coast. The traffic was really bad so when we finally hit the narrow winding roads, we were all holding on for dear life as the driver put his foot to the floor! Finally we arrived at the jetty and got on the boat for the 20 mins journey to Sibu.
It was so funny to see mum and travelling like this, on a bus and getting on a boat and putting on life jackets. Tymon and I and dad to some extent, are so used to schlepping from place to place by bus or train, but it was strange to have mum and dad do it too. But in a good way. I was so happy and proud to be sharing this whole adventure with them.
20 minutes later we pulled up to a beautiful strip of beach surrounded by coral that was twinkling beneath the surface of the turquoise ocean. Beth, the lady who dad had been dealing with was waiting to meet us. She helped us off with our luggage and the porters came and took them to our cabins. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but was thinking it was going to be along the same lines as some of the huts we had stayed in in Thailand, but the cabins where so much nicer. They were really nice and spacious with a nice open bathroom (not completely, but open at the top with a view out) and they weren’t like saunas. Good first impression! As for the rest of the resort, there was one main hut which was the bar/lounge area and a balcony where we ate dinner overlooking the beach and ocean. It was perfect, idyllic and exactly what dad had been hoping for – a break away from it all. Mum was stressing about her hair as she had no hair dryer so I just explained that that’s the way to be on the beach – au naturel!! All our meals were included, breakfast, lunch and dinner and they were set meals which at first I was a bit dubious about, but after the first dinner which was a BBQ I had no worries. Well maybe one – my hips and butt were in for another bashing!!
We were on Sibu for 5 days and it was superb. Dad was right, there was absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go apart from the beach and ocean. We snorkeled and the coral was beautiful and it was everywhere, so many fish and Tymon even saw a reef shark one day. I was gutted I didn’t see it, although seriously relived also as I think I would have had a heart attack if I had seen it. We sunbathed, drank a lot, ate a LOT, read, played scrabble (which we bought in KL as Tymon and I are now quite addicted) and cards. We only had one days rain but the rest was lovely and hot and cloudy in the afternoon which was nice so it was cooler. It was perfect temperature at night also so the fan was just right – no need for aircon, which they didn’t have anyway.
One day we decided to walk across to the other side of the island to the other resort. It was about a 20 minute walk through the jungle and all four of us went so that meant taking it slow. As most of you know mum suffers real bad from arthritis and has bad feet and unfortunately she isn’t doing too well with her knees at the moment, so it was a really challenging walk for her. All I want to say is – mum I am sooooooo extremely proud of you. You did so well and I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you, but you did it! You were amazing and I hope you are proud of yourself, I know it wasn’t easy for you.
On the otherside the resort was much bigger than ours but also much less intimate. It didn’t have half the charm or appeal as ours so we were really pleased. Also there was no coral this side so we really had gotten the best deal! None of us were eager to walk back through the jungle as we had all gotten bitten to bits! There were sooo many mosquitoes, so we got the resort to take us back on the boat. It only took 5 minutes to round the cove and it was way better than going through the walk again!
We also did a dive trip seeing as we are newly licensed. We went out to a nearby reef island and it was ok. It was nice to be back under water and hone up on our skills but the reef was pretty lifeless and the water real murky. I’m looking forward to the next trip to be able to do some diving in some great places like the Philippines.
As the week went on the oddest thing happened. Mum and dad were up usually fairly early and one morning dad said that at about 7.30am he looked out of the balcony and the tide was completely out for miles. All the coral was exposed and it had looked really spooky. When he told us how far out it had gone I didn’t really believe him as it seemed impossible that it would be out that far, but the following morning we set our alarm and low and behold the tide was out. Far far out. We walked out inbetween the coral and could see all the plants flopped out all jelly like. It was really bizarre. The most puzzling thing was what happened to the clown fish (Nemo’s). Clown fish live in one anemone and don’t leave it, they are fiercely protective of it, so it seemed impossible to think that they got swept out to sea and would return. When we asked the dive instructor about it he said that the anemone was attached to the ocean floor by a cord like stem and the clown fish retreat into this stem when the tide goes out to hide and wait it out. How cool is that? When we were looking at them all exposed the clown fish were in them – madness. We walked to the end of the cove and along the rocks to the point where the cove rounds off and the water starts. Underneath the shallow water we could see the coral shining and shimmering and coral really does look way more beautiful underwater that out of it. Let’s just hope the tidal movements don’t destroy it!
So what else for Sibu…did I say it was heaven? After much relaxation it was time to get back on the boat and head down to Singapore for the final part of the trip with my parents.
The journey to Singapore was much shorter. We had a private transfer again which was great so we could relax and sleep back down the windy roads. We got dropped off right at our hotel and unlike last time we were in a much better hotel. The Royal Chulan it wasn’t (hotel in KL) but it was very nice.
We had 2 days in Singapore with mum and dad before they flew onto Hong Kong so after freshening up we went for a walk around the area. We were staying in Little India so walked through all the streets lined with local restaurants and market stalls selling saris and bangles. We brought some drinks from 7 11 so we could have some drinks in the hotel before dinner.
That night in order to say thank you for taking treating us so much Tymon and I took them for dinner at the all you can eat Japanese restaurant that we got taken to last time we were in Singapore. We were so excited to have the crab and lobster and all the yummy food!! And it didn’t disappoint. It was just as good as last time, although they had hot lobster instead of cold which wasn’t as good, but everything else was just the same so we slowly started through the food stuffing ourselves full!
The next day, after a disturbing night for mum and dad (they moved rooms twice due to noise and aircon problems) and after breakfast that we got given because of the problems, we jumped in a taxi down to Sentosa, the island of Singapore. There’s a lot to do supposedly down there, what with casinos, and a fun parks and beaches, but I have to admit, it’s the most confusing place. We arrived at some sort of main mall type place where they have a big Vegas type show on and the entrance for Universal the mini version and asked around as we had no idea where we needed to go. We finally found out we needed to take the monorail to Sentosa side which we did and then we were right back in the same situation. There were signposts everywhere but not a lot going on. We started walking in one direction but couldn’t walk on the road so had to go back. We found ourselves walking along to the beach which was ok, it looked nice if you had come prepared for the beach but seeing as we had just spent a week on the beach we were hoping to something more. But there was nothing going on so we walked back got in a cab and asked to go a boat quay where we thought we could perhaps pick up a cruise tour. However, on arrival there was only one but it was leaving for another 2 hours or so, so we gave up. We hopped into a cab, dropped mum and dad off at the Singapore Eye (the same thing as the London Eye) and Tymon and I went back to the hotel.
That night, NL were playing in the WC so we decided to head to Orchard Road which is the main shopping street like Oxford Circus to find a bar that dad knew from when he had been in Singapore for business. But unfortunately as with in KL it had been a while and he wasn’t exactly sure where on orchard Road we needed to be. The taxi driver managed to mention the name of an office tower that dad recognized the name of so we got dropped off there. There were a couple of Irish bars and sports bars but dad didn’t think there were the ones so we went for a walk further up the road to find it. However, time was running out. Kick off was imminent and Orchard Road is a long road. It could have been anywhere. So, we headed back to where we had got dropped of and went into a sports bar. We managed to secure a table as it was pretty busy and got to the business of drinking, eating and hupping for Holland. Dad went across the road to have a look at the other bar incase they had a better table, but when he came back he said it was full – but…it was the bar that he had been talking about!! Hahaha. You got there in the end dad!!
And that was it – their time was up and they were leaving first thing in the morning for HK. I couldn’t believe it, time had flown but it had been soooooo good to see them and so great to share the experiences with them. Mum has never done anything like this and I was so happy for her to have travelled to this part of the world.
Tymon and I had another 2 days in Singapore until our flight to Nepal and it was also Tymon’s birthday. The night we had been in Orchard Road, there was a supermarket next to the bar, so I made up and excuse and took mum in to buy a birthday cake for Tymon. It was a bit difficult to pass it off so that he wouldn’t know, but I had a cover. The day mum and dad left was Father’s Day, so he thought I was sorting something out for dad. He didn’t question what was in the bag so I managed to get the cake back to the hotel with no questions asked. Phew! Mum left it with the restaurant staff so the next day at midnight I arranged to have it brought up to the room!
On Sibu we had met a really nice guy called Guy who lived in Singapore so we invited him over to the hotel to have some drinks and watch the football (a Brazil game) and we were pretty chuffed when he turned up! Even though I looked a right mess as I just been to the gym!! Finally.
Anyway I’d arranged for the cake, an Oreo cheesecake, to be delivered to the room, but then Tymon wanted to go down to the Lobby to watch the football, so I then had to sneak about at reception to ask if they could bring it to the Lobby, but then the lady said the cake was in the fridge in the bar we were sitting at so she wouldn’t be able to get it out without him seeing it! So it was all going wrong. But!...thankfully the game ended and after a bit of chat with 10 minutes to go to midnight, Tymon said we should go back up to the room. So I loitered behind and told the lady that the original plan was back on.
Back in the room, 5 minutes later there’s a knock on the door. Tymon opens it and there’s the lady with another guy holding the cake singing Happy Birthday! Lols. Bless her, and Tymon was totally surprised! Ah, mission accomplished! Midnight came and Tymon was 31!! Old bastard!! Hahaha! We ate the cake which was really good, continued on the bacardi and talked the night away.
For his actual birthday I surprised him with a picnic in the botanical gardens. I went back to the store where I had brought the cake as it had a fantastic deli counter and brought parma ham and salami and old Amsterdam cheese!! Olives and garlic butter and baguette. Oh it was like a Saturday afternoon after a trip to Aldi back home. Brilliant. It was a lovely day and I hope he enjoyed it.
And that’s it really; our time in S.E Asia was over. A new adventure was waiting in Nepal and India.
The last 8 months have seemed like a life time and it seems so long that we were in SA.
2 months to go, 2 countries….
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Malaysia, Truly Asia (You Have To See The Advert To Know The Song...)
So with a heavy sad heart we arrived in KL at 4.30am on the night bus. It was a pretty luxurious, so for the first time I actually slept pretty well!!
We were dropped off pretty central, although it was hard to tell at that time in the morning, but a very friendly local who had also got off the bus helped us with the map and figure out where we were. We were actually close to China Town and as with all big cities; it was going to be expensive for decent accommodation, which is why we headed there as it was supposed to be cheaper. Even if the Lonely Liar did say that when they were there last most of the hostels in the area were full of bed bugs!! But luckily a guy had driven by on a scooter with a flyer for a place not in the book which was a short walk and is where we headed. On arrival and when we got into the room it was – well cheap and nasty! Just what we expected!! The room was a twin room, the size of a box with a shared skanky bathroom that looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned for about 1 month! But the beds did look ok and the room fairly clean so we took it. At that time in the morning we really didn’t fancy trekking about.
The plan for the day was to grab a couple of hours sleep and then get up around 9am to go straight to the Indian consulate to sort out our visa. But as usual, once we fell asleep, when the alarm went off I felt as if I had been hit over the head with a hammer. I was so groggy and tired that we decided it could wait until the following day. We promptly fell back asleep.
Once up and about a few hours later we went outside to realize that we really were in the heart of China town. Our hostel was at the end of a huge wide road that was sheltered full of stalls selling the usual. Fake bags and clothing and watches. I was surprised as for some reason I had envisioned KL to be a bit more classy than that, but I guess we were just in the non classy part of town! First impressions were the area was really run down. Once outside of China Town we soon stumbled into the Indian district and the buildings while slightly colonial looking also looked like they would crumble if the wind blew strong!
We had been in contact with my parents a fair bit as we were trying to organize them flying out to meet us. The plan had been simple. They would fly into KL then we would get an internal flight up to Perhentian Islands, NE of Malaysia, then back to KL, a quick stopover in Melaka and then head on down to Singapore with them. However, once we started looking into accommodation we realized that sods law, it was the school holidays the time they were arriving and we couldn’t for love nor money find any accommodation on the islands. ANYWHERE!! Dad spent hours, I spent hours, we spent 2.5 hours that first afternoon in KL in a travel agents trying to find something, but it was all fully booked. It was crazy. We decided to leave it in the hands of my dad and left the travel agents rather frustrated although we were dry. We had avoided the huge thunderstorm and down pour which is typical of KL at this time of year. Stiflingly hot, but wet!! We continued to walk around the Indian area and actually stumbled across the consulate office for India so we popped in a picked up the application forms for the following day. The rest of day we wandered about. We stopped off at a local restaurant for some Murtabak, the dough baked like bread with meat inside, which we had first sampled and loved in Singapore, although it was nowhere near as good. We had a look through the market come mall which wasn’t very fascinating and then took a walk out to the centre area to see where we would end up, which was walking around a ring road like area. It all seemed very seedy although we could see the KL Towers looming over the town letting us know there were better areas to be in. All in all this time round in KL we didn’t really do much as we wanted to save all the big things like the KL towers for when my mum and dad arrived, so we headed to one of the big shopping malls for a look around. I tell you what; the Malaysians know how to do shopping malls. It was MASSIVE!! I have never been in such a megatropolis in my life. It’s so big it even contains Asia’s longest roller coaster!! As you are walking along window shopping you can feel this rumble and hear faint screams as it plunges off to goodness knows where. It’s not like it’s screeching around the middle of the mall and for some bizarre reason we didn’t actually go and have a look. We heard it was quite expensive so we didn’t bother. What we did do was go to the cinema and watch the final Shrek in 3D. It was brilliant. I love Shrek and it didn’t disappoint, even though it felt like we were sitting in a freezer, literally – the aircon was sooooo cold!!
The following day we got our visa sorted and dropped off our applications and we were very glad that we had decided to come straight to KL and sort it out as we were told it would take a minimum of 5 days for the application process alone to go through. We would than have to come back and submit our passports for a day for the visa to be put in. If we had left it until my parents arrived and we were back in KL we would have come into all sorts of trouble time wise!!
The plan with my parents had also been fixed by this time. We would travel around Malaysia and for a little bit South to Melaka and then travel up to the Cameron Highlands before returning to KL to meet them. So as soon as we had dropped off our applications we got our bags and grabbed the local bus to the bus station which had been moved out of town to go to Melaka.
As the local bus pulled into this makeshift bus station, which was chaos by the way, no sooner as the doors opened and we had stepped off we were accosted by people asking us where we were going. But it wasn’t like in other countries in Asia where you just want them to back out of your face of punch them. This was like just overly efficient. They gave us space, but wanted to get us on the next bus. The first destination they were shouting was actually for Melaka so they lead us off straight away into the ticket booth area, where we also stopped by a few other counters to check out the deals, but we had a good one and before we knew what was happening we were whisked off to the bus which was waiting for us as it was just about to leave and we would have had to have waited for another 1.5 hours otherwise. Our bags were put on and we were given the front 2 seats on this very plush bus and off we went. It was like we had been given special treatment rather than harassed within an inch of our lives.
It was so nice to be on a decent bus as well and we were like the cats that got the cream. We also acted like them when we pushed the seats back as far as they would go and curled up to go to sleep, even though we had only been awake for 3 hours or so!!
It wasn’t a long journey to Melaka only 2 hours so we were there before we knew it. Melaka is an old Dutch town and really historical and beautiful.
We got on a local bus from the main bus station which the Lonely Liar recommended would take us straight to the backpacker district and it actually did. It was easy and before we knew it we had found the street with the budget hostels and Tymon had found us a nice place with aircon to boot which was great as it was bloody hot! It also had a kitchen which was sooo exciting, so we went to the bottom of the road to the supermarket and went shopping!! It was very exciting! Although we thought we would easily be able to get some nice food for dinner with the money we had but we were like right paupers at the till and had to give stuff back!! How embarrassing!! Lols. We’d only gotten chicken fajitas and some soda with some goodies like broad beans but we ran out!! But once back Tymon cooked up a storm in the kitchen. He was so happy with the pots and pans and made delicious fajitas. We sat on the roof top overlooking Melaka before hitting the sack with our books.
The next day we had a leisurely start, as if we ever do anything else, and headed out to see the sights. It’s a very historical town so we went to the old quarter and fort with a lot of war burial grounds of English and Dutch men. The streets are cobbled and it’s so peaceful and quaint. At the entrance of the fort we met a bicycle tuk tuk driver who was an old guy and just chatted away to us like there was no tomorrow. He was so proud of Melaka and wanted to tell us all about the history so we agreed to go with him after we had looked around for a quick tour. We told him straight up that we wouldn’t pay him a lot and we settled a price beforehand as usually no matter how lovely, sincere, friendly or old these people seem there’s always a catch and you end up getting stung!
Anyway the fort was lovely and as always moving to walk around the graveyards. It’s just so humbling knowing that all over the world are buried and lost soldiers who fought for our world today. And look what we’re doing to it!
We met a guy and a girl, a Dutchie and a UK girl who were travelling together and we got talking and agreed to meet up later that night for some drinks as we continued looking around and finally met up again with the bicycle tuk tuk driver. We squeezed in the back and let him chat on as he drove us to what we thought was going to be a nice old traditional tea house, but what in the end was just a plain old local restaurant, one that he got commission for taking us to obviously. But it had been a nice experience with him. We left him in the restaurant with his ridiculously expensive beer (alcohol is not allowed if you’re Muslim so it’s really expensive to buy alcohol in Malaysia!)and took a wander through China Town. It wasn’t the best China Town, infact there wasn’t really much going on at all, it was a more a bric a brac town, but nice all the same. We were pretty tired by this point as it was really hot and it’s hard work doing nothing you know. So we headed back to the hostel to chill out.
That night we met up with Harriet and Chris on the rooftop for some drinks and chats and had a really good night. We sat up till 4am and it was really nice to have a girl to chat to, we got on really well. I was hoping that maybe we would be able to travel a bit further with them but they were spitting up in 2 days time and Harriet was flying to Borneo! But we had agreed to go to the zoo together with them the next day.
I was a bit skeptical about going to the zoo as I don’t really like them. I always get really sad but I have to admit this one was pretty ok. It was a really big zoo and the enclosures were fairly spacious. Although they chained the elephants up as they were closing and you could see they were distressed as they were rocking backwards and forwards which was really sad to see. I mean that I just don’t get. Put them in a proper enclosure for god sake so there’s no need to chain them! We had hoped to be able to go to the butterfly park too but we had left pretty late due to our late night so before we knew it, it was 6pm and everything was shutting so we jumped back on the bus back into town. Across the bus station was a Tesco’s and we were craving a nice bit of meat so Tymon offered to cook dinner for the four of us. We went to get groceries and it was soooo much cheaper than the local supermarket we had gone to previously. We got quadruple the stuff for less!! You gotta love Tesco’s! We brought some steak and potatoes and salad and raced back to the hostel as we were all starving!! We had another really lovely evening and the food was yummy!! It felt so nice also not to be eating out in a restaurant and to have a bit of a homely feeling. Chris and Harriet both had really early starts to the airport so they went to bed early and we got talking to another 2 guys from Sweden. I even got them into poker so we played a game. To make it a little more interesting we all put in RM5. It was a loooong game. As soon as you get money involved everyone plays it safe as you want to win so I think in the end we played for about 4 hours!! But – in the end I won!! Whoo Hoo! I earnt my bus ticket up to the Cameron Highlands which was our next stop the next day, so that was a bonus.
I was really excited to get to the Cameron Highlands. It sounded really beautiful and also it was higher up so it would be cooler! I was really looking forward to wearing a jumper in the evening. The bus was pretty plush again so we settled in for the ride. It was going to take about 6 hours and we’d heard it was a pretty hairy ride, twisting and turning up the into the Highlands, but as usual we didn’t have to worry about that as we conked out as the wheel started turning.
The ride up wasn’t actually as bad as we had heard. It was twisty and neither of us could stomach to read but it actually went by fast and the views up were just magical. We drove through vast valleys of tea plantations and it was stunning. So much tea!!
When we arrived at the bus station there was one pick up bus for a hostel called Father’s Guesthouse. We’d read about it in the book and it sounded decent so we hopped in. It was only a 2 minute drive through the tiny town centre which comprises of one street with about 52 shops/restaurants in. The hostel sat atop a hillside overlooking the town and it was a really lovely place. Most all of the tourists that got off the bus had piled in up to Father’s Guesthouse and when we got out a man gathered us all up and was so enthusiastic about the place. He was the owner and showed us around with so much gusto Tymon and I just looked at each other and laughed. The place was great. There was the main brick house at the top with the restaurant and big living room and down the hill were the barracks. These were the cheap accommodation rooms which is where we stayed and it was pretty cool. They are actual old barracks for the British Army, cylindrical tin huts which are really basic, just a bed really but they were all full and it had a real camaraderie feeling to it. The shared bathrooms were pretty gross, but it felt like camping, just with a roof over your head. It was nice.
We went for a walk through ‘town’ and grabbed some food which was the worst food we have this trip. Oh it was sooooo bad, it had been sitting in the back for what could have been days, and it was hard and dry and just disgusting. We picked at it for a few minutes before leaving it all and asking for the bill and going somewhere else.
Our plan for the Cameron Highlands was to go for some hikes through the hills and plantations so the next day we got a map and decided to start with an easy route. Problem was the map in the Lonely Liar was rubbish and the other map we had was actually a photo taken from the hostel wall on Tymon’s camera. To say it was a bad map is a bit of an understatement. It took about 45 minutes to get through town and find the start point! I thought it was one way but Tymon was sure it was another and seeing as he is usually right when it comes to map reading we went his way only to find ourselves back at my point 10 minutes later. So slightly smug, we finally started the walk! It took us by a little river and we walked to the forestry department where once again the map failed to show us which way to go. We had to ask a few people and look at a big map and we decided in the end to just see where we ended up – surely it would be easier. So after a few wrong turns we finally got to the golf course which had been the goal. It was so lovely the golf course was in the middle of the town and you could walk around it with lovely vintage boutique Tudor hotels around the side and cafes. We followed the signs to one of the strawberry farms which is what the Highlands are also famous for. It was a pretty big farm at the top of the hill where they sell all sorts of strawberry goodies. Jams, fresh strawberries with cream and chocolate, popsicles which we had and oh my lord – they were sooo good. They were the fruitiest and most strawberry flavour I’ve ever had. Oh I’m salivating now writing about it. They were yummy. We also had some fresh ones with cream and chocolate. Once full we continued back around the course and took another trail back towards the hotel. This took us up a hill and into the forest for a really great track. It was windy and twisty through the forest and thankfully easily signposted when we had to change tracks to head back in the right direction. It was a really great walk, very enjoyable – all we were missing was a dog and it would be a perfect Sunday afternoon. (Even though it wasn’t Sunday – I don’t think…Lols.)
That night we cuddled up in the living room with some hot chocolate and really good food from the kitchen watching the movie of the day.
We spent five days in the Highlands, mainly relaxing at the hostel, playing scrabble and watching movies. We met another couple and decided one day to do the walk up the highest hill top which was another awesome hike. It was very steep uphill through the forest and as we got the top it really was climbing up tree trunks and vines. Totally cool, and the views from the top over the valleys were amazing. All the patterned hills formed by the tea plantations look stunning. We started walking down and kept walking and walking and walking and we realized that the way back was a looooong way. It was all on the road too so not as fun as hiking in the woods. In the end we flagged down a convoy of 2 cars and asked if we could sit in the boot and hitch down the hill. And thank goodness we did. The drive was about 15 minutes, so god knows how long it would have taken us to walk! Even once at the bottom of the hill we found out we were still miles away from town. There was a small market so we wandered about and some local woman miraculously started speaking Dutch straight away to Tymon, as if she knew where he was from. Lucky guess I think, but it’s amazing all over Asia how many locals speak Dutch. It’s funny when they start saying ‘kijke kijke, mooi dingen, mooi pakkie.’ (Look look, beautiful things, beautiful suit) As it was a national holiday it was really busy everywhere and we needed to get a cab but there was none anywhere. We asked some locals to call us one who said that no one would come out as the traffic was so bad, which was completely not what we wanted to hear. In the end we managed to persuade someone to call a friend to come and get us which would take an hour so we found a café and sat down for coffee. I couldn’t walk anymore, my feet were killing me, I had blisters on my little toes and all I wanted was to go home!
Finally the cab came and we flopped for the night. I can’t tell you how much I loved the Highlands and Father’s Guesthouse. It was so homely and the owners were great. They gave us free movies and the atmosphere was great. A really sorted hostel. So if you ever find yourself there you know where to stay.
Our last day we rented a scooter and went for a ride around the area to another strawberry farm which I had seen on the bus on the way in. It was overlooking the valley plantations and it looked gorgeous, plus they did afternoon tea, scones and jam with tea so we went to check it out. It was breathtaking. I could have stood looking at the view for hours. It was so vast and so neat and tidy and you just have to wonder how on earth they begin to make these grooves and plantations, it must take so much work to maintain them. The afternoon tea was delicious and it was a first for Tymon to have scones and jam. He liked it – I mean what’s not to like right? It was expensive for what it was and a complete tourist trap but just one of those things you have to do.
And that was it. After 5 wonderful days hiking and relaxing we headed back to KL to meet my parents. I was sooooo excited!! It had been just over 8 months since I had seen them which is actually the longest in my entire life that I have not seen them so I couldn’t wait. We were also looking forward to a little pampering, so the next blog will be from a 5 star hotel! :0)
We were dropped off pretty central, although it was hard to tell at that time in the morning, but a very friendly local who had also got off the bus helped us with the map and figure out where we were. We were actually close to China Town and as with all big cities; it was going to be expensive for decent accommodation, which is why we headed there as it was supposed to be cheaper. Even if the Lonely Liar did say that when they were there last most of the hostels in the area were full of bed bugs!! But luckily a guy had driven by on a scooter with a flyer for a place not in the book which was a short walk and is where we headed. On arrival and when we got into the room it was – well cheap and nasty! Just what we expected!! The room was a twin room, the size of a box with a shared skanky bathroom that looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned for about 1 month! But the beds did look ok and the room fairly clean so we took it. At that time in the morning we really didn’t fancy trekking about.
The plan for the day was to grab a couple of hours sleep and then get up around 9am to go straight to the Indian consulate to sort out our visa. But as usual, once we fell asleep, when the alarm went off I felt as if I had been hit over the head with a hammer. I was so groggy and tired that we decided it could wait until the following day. We promptly fell back asleep.
Once up and about a few hours later we went outside to realize that we really were in the heart of China town. Our hostel was at the end of a huge wide road that was sheltered full of stalls selling the usual. Fake bags and clothing and watches. I was surprised as for some reason I had envisioned KL to be a bit more classy than that, but I guess we were just in the non classy part of town! First impressions were the area was really run down. Once outside of China Town we soon stumbled into the Indian district and the buildings while slightly colonial looking also looked like they would crumble if the wind blew strong!
We had been in contact with my parents a fair bit as we were trying to organize them flying out to meet us. The plan had been simple. They would fly into KL then we would get an internal flight up to Perhentian Islands, NE of Malaysia, then back to KL, a quick stopover in Melaka and then head on down to Singapore with them. However, once we started looking into accommodation we realized that sods law, it was the school holidays the time they were arriving and we couldn’t for love nor money find any accommodation on the islands. ANYWHERE!! Dad spent hours, I spent hours, we spent 2.5 hours that first afternoon in KL in a travel agents trying to find something, but it was all fully booked. It was crazy. We decided to leave it in the hands of my dad and left the travel agents rather frustrated although we were dry. We had avoided the huge thunderstorm and down pour which is typical of KL at this time of year. Stiflingly hot, but wet!! We continued to walk around the Indian area and actually stumbled across the consulate office for India so we popped in a picked up the application forms for the following day. The rest of day we wandered about. We stopped off at a local restaurant for some Murtabak, the dough baked like bread with meat inside, which we had first sampled and loved in Singapore, although it was nowhere near as good. We had a look through the market come mall which wasn’t very fascinating and then took a walk out to the centre area to see where we would end up, which was walking around a ring road like area. It all seemed very seedy although we could see the KL Towers looming over the town letting us know there were better areas to be in. All in all this time round in KL we didn’t really do much as we wanted to save all the big things like the KL towers for when my mum and dad arrived, so we headed to one of the big shopping malls for a look around. I tell you what; the Malaysians know how to do shopping malls. It was MASSIVE!! I have never been in such a megatropolis in my life. It’s so big it even contains Asia’s longest roller coaster!! As you are walking along window shopping you can feel this rumble and hear faint screams as it plunges off to goodness knows where. It’s not like it’s screeching around the middle of the mall and for some bizarre reason we didn’t actually go and have a look. We heard it was quite expensive so we didn’t bother. What we did do was go to the cinema and watch the final Shrek in 3D. It was brilliant. I love Shrek and it didn’t disappoint, even though it felt like we were sitting in a freezer, literally – the aircon was sooooo cold!!
The following day we got our visa sorted and dropped off our applications and we were very glad that we had decided to come straight to KL and sort it out as we were told it would take a minimum of 5 days for the application process alone to go through. We would than have to come back and submit our passports for a day for the visa to be put in. If we had left it until my parents arrived and we were back in KL we would have come into all sorts of trouble time wise!!
The plan with my parents had also been fixed by this time. We would travel around Malaysia and for a little bit South to Melaka and then travel up to the Cameron Highlands before returning to KL to meet them. So as soon as we had dropped off our applications we got our bags and grabbed the local bus to the bus station which had been moved out of town to go to Melaka.
As the local bus pulled into this makeshift bus station, which was chaos by the way, no sooner as the doors opened and we had stepped off we were accosted by people asking us where we were going. But it wasn’t like in other countries in Asia where you just want them to back out of your face of punch them. This was like just overly efficient. They gave us space, but wanted to get us on the next bus. The first destination they were shouting was actually for Melaka so they lead us off straight away into the ticket booth area, where we also stopped by a few other counters to check out the deals, but we had a good one and before we knew what was happening we were whisked off to the bus which was waiting for us as it was just about to leave and we would have had to have waited for another 1.5 hours otherwise. Our bags were put on and we were given the front 2 seats on this very plush bus and off we went. It was like we had been given special treatment rather than harassed within an inch of our lives.
It was so nice to be on a decent bus as well and we were like the cats that got the cream. We also acted like them when we pushed the seats back as far as they would go and curled up to go to sleep, even though we had only been awake for 3 hours or so!!
It wasn’t a long journey to Melaka only 2 hours so we were there before we knew it. Melaka is an old Dutch town and really historical and beautiful.
We got on a local bus from the main bus station which the Lonely Liar recommended would take us straight to the backpacker district and it actually did. It was easy and before we knew it we had found the street with the budget hostels and Tymon had found us a nice place with aircon to boot which was great as it was bloody hot! It also had a kitchen which was sooo exciting, so we went to the bottom of the road to the supermarket and went shopping!! It was very exciting! Although we thought we would easily be able to get some nice food for dinner with the money we had but we were like right paupers at the till and had to give stuff back!! How embarrassing!! Lols. We’d only gotten chicken fajitas and some soda with some goodies like broad beans but we ran out!! But once back Tymon cooked up a storm in the kitchen. He was so happy with the pots and pans and made delicious fajitas. We sat on the roof top overlooking Melaka before hitting the sack with our books.
The next day we had a leisurely start, as if we ever do anything else, and headed out to see the sights. It’s a very historical town so we went to the old quarter and fort with a lot of war burial grounds of English and Dutch men. The streets are cobbled and it’s so peaceful and quaint. At the entrance of the fort we met a bicycle tuk tuk driver who was an old guy and just chatted away to us like there was no tomorrow. He was so proud of Melaka and wanted to tell us all about the history so we agreed to go with him after we had looked around for a quick tour. We told him straight up that we wouldn’t pay him a lot and we settled a price beforehand as usually no matter how lovely, sincere, friendly or old these people seem there’s always a catch and you end up getting stung!
Anyway the fort was lovely and as always moving to walk around the graveyards. It’s just so humbling knowing that all over the world are buried and lost soldiers who fought for our world today. And look what we’re doing to it!
We met a guy and a girl, a Dutchie and a UK girl who were travelling together and we got talking and agreed to meet up later that night for some drinks as we continued looking around and finally met up again with the bicycle tuk tuk driver. We squeezed in the back and let him chat on as he drove us to what we thought was going to be a nice old traditional tea house, but what in the end was just a plain old local restaurant, one that he got commission for taking us to obviously. But it had been a nice experience with him. We left him in the restaurant with his ridiculously expensive beer (alcohol is not allowed if you’re Muslim so it’s really expensive to buy alcohol in Malaysia!)and took a wander through China Town. It wasn’t the best China Town, infact there wasn’t really much going on at all, it was a more a bric a brac town, but nice all the same. We were pretty tired by this point as it was really hot and it’s hard work doing nothing you know. So we headed back to the hostel to chill out.
That night we met up with Harriet and Chris on the rooftop for some drinks and chats and had a really good night. We sat up till 4am and it was really nice to have a girl to chat to, we got on really well. I was hoping that maybe we would be able to travel a bit further with them but they were spitting up in 2 days time and Harriet was flying to Borneo! But we had agreed to go to the zoo together with them the next day.
I was a bit skeptical about going to the zoo as I don’t really like them. I always get really sad but I have to admit this one was pretty ok. It was a really big zoo and the enclosures were fairly spacious. Although they chained the elephants up as they were closing and you could see they were distressed as they were rocking backwards and forwards which was really sad to see. I mean that I just don’t get. Put them in a proper enclosure for god sake so there’s no need to chain them! We had hoped to be able to go to the butterfly park too but we had left pretty late due to our late night so before we knew it, it was 6pm and everything was shutting so we jumped back on the bus back into town. Across the bus station was a Tesco’s and we were craving a nice bit of meat so Tymon offered to cook dinner for the four of us. We went to get groceries and it was soooo much cheaper than the local supermarket we had gone to previously. We got quadruple the stuff for less!! You gotta love Tesco’s! We brought some steak and potatoes and salad and raced back to the hostel as we were all starving!! We had another really lovely evening and the food was yummy!! It felt so nice also not to be eating out in a restaurant and to have a bit of a homely feeling. Chris and Harriet both had really early starts to the airport so they went to bed early and we got talking to another 2 guys from Sweden. I even got them into poker so we played a game. To make it a little more interesting we all put in RM5. It was a loooong game. As soon as you get money involved everyone plays it safe as you want to win so I think in the end we played for about 4 hours!! But – in the end I won!! Whoo Hoo! I earnt my bus ticket up to the Cameron Highlands which was our next stop the next day, so that was a bonus.
I was really excited to get to the Cameron Highlands. It sounded really beautiful and also it was higher up so it would be cooler! I was really looking forward to wearing a jumper in the evening. The bus was pretty plush again so we settled in for the ride. It was going to take about 6 hours and we’d heard it was a pretty hairy ride, twisting and turning up the into the Highlands, but as usual we didn’t have to worry about that as we conked out as the wheel started turning.
The ride up wasn’t actually as bad as we had heard. It was twisty and neither of us could stomach to read but it actually went by fast and the views up were just magical. We drove through vast valleys of tea plantations and it was stunning. So much tea!!
When we arrived at the bus station there was one pick up bus for a hostel called Father’s Guesthouse. We’d read about it in the book and it sounded decent so we hopped in. It was only a 2 minute drive through the tiny town centre which comprises of one street with about 52 shops/restaurants in. The hostel sat atop a hillside overlooking the town and it was a really lovely place. Most all of the tourists that got off the bus had piled in up to Father’s Guesthouse and when we got out a man gathered us all up and was so enthusiastic about the place. He was the owner and showed us around with so much gusto Tymon and I just looked at each other and laughed. The place was great. There was the main brick house at the top with the restaurant and big living room and down the hill were the barracks. These were the cheap accommodation rooms which is where we stayed and it was pretty cool. They are actual old barracks for the British Army, cylindrical tin huts which are really basic, just a bed really but they were all full and it had a real camaraderie feeling to it. The shared bathrooms were pretty gross, but it felt like camping, just with a roof over your head. It was nice.
We went for a walk through ‘town’ and grabbed some food which was the worst food we have this trip. Oh it was sooooo bad, it had been sitting in the back for what could have been days, and it was hard and dry and just disgusting. We picked at it for a few minutes before leaving it all and asking for the bill and going somewhere else.
Our plan for the Cameron Highlands was to go for some hikes through the hills and plantations so the next day we got a map and decided to start with an easy route. Problem was the map in the Lonely Liar was rubbish and the other map we had was actually a photo taken from the hostel wall on Tymon’s camera. To say it was a bad map is a bit of an understatement. It took about 45 minutes to get through town and find the start point! I thought it was one way but Tymon was sure it was another and seeing as he is usually right when it comes to map reading we went his way only to find ourselves back at my point 10 minutes later. So slightly smug, we finally started the walk! It took us by a little river and we walked to the forestry department where once again the map failed to show us which way to go. We had to ask a few people and look at a big map and we decided in the end to just see where we ended up – surely it would be easier. So after a few wrong turns we finally got to the golf course which had been the goal. It was so lovely the golf course was in the middle of the town and you could walk around it with lovely vintage boutique Tudor hotels around the side and cafes. We followed the signs to one of the strawberry farms which is what the Highlands are also famous for. It was a pretty big farm at the top of the hill where they sell all sorts of strawberry goodies. Jams, fresh strawberries with cream and chocolate, popsicles which we had and oh my lord – they were sooo good. They were the fruitiest and most strawberry flavour I’ve ever had. Oh I’m salivating now writing about it. They were yummy. We also had some fresh ones with cream and chocolate. Once full we continued back around the course and took another trail back towards the hotel. This took us up a hill and into the forest for a really great track. It was windy and twisty through the forest and thankfully easily signposted when we had to change tracks to head back in the right direction. It was a really great walk, very enjoyable – all we were missing was a dog and it would be a perfect Sunday afternoon. (Even though it wasn’t Sunday – I don’t think…Lols.)
That night we cuddled up in the living room with some hot chocolate and really good food from the kitchen watching the movie of the day.
We spent five days in the Highlands, mainly relaxing at the hostel, playing scrabble and watching movies. We met another couple and decided one day to do the walk up the highest hill top which was another awesome hike. It was very steep uphill through the forest and as we got the top it really was climbing up tree trunks and vines. Totally cool, and the views from the top over the valleys were amazing. All the patterned hills formed by the tea plantations look stunning. We started walking down and kept walking and walking and walking and we realized that the way back was a looooong way. It was all on the road too so not as fun as hiking in the woods. In the end we flagged down a convoy of 2 cars and asked if we could sit in the boot and hitch down the hill. And thank goodness we did. The drive was about 15 minutes, so god knows how long it would have taken us to walk! Even once at the bottom of the hill we found out we were still miles away from town. There was a small market so we wandered about and some local woman miraculously started speaking Dutch straight away to Tymon, as if she knew where he was from. Lucky guess I think, but it’s amazing all over Asia how many locals speak Dutch. It’s funny when they start saying ‘kijke kijke, mooi dingen, mooi pakkie.’ (Look look, beautiful things, beautiful suit) As it was a national holiday it was really busy everywhere and we needed to get a cab but there was none anywhere. We asked some locals to call us one who said that no one would come out as the traffic was so bad, which was completely not what we wanted to hear. In the end we managed to persuade someone to call a friend to come and get us which would take an hour so we found a café and sat down for coffee. I couldn’t walk anymore, my feet were killing me, I had blisters on my little toes and all I wanted was to go home!
Finally the cab came and we flopped for the night. I can’t tell you how much I loved the Highlands and Father’s Guesthouse. It was so homely and the owners were great. They gave us free movies and the atmosphere was great. A really sorted hostel. So if you ever find yourself there you know where to stay.
Our last day we rented a scooter and went for a ride around the area to another strawberry farm which I had seen on the bus on the way in. It was overlooking the valley plantations and it looked gorgeous, plus they did afternoon tea, scones and jam with tea so we went to check it out. It was breathtaking. I could have stood looking at the view for hours. It was so vast and so neat and tidy and you just have to wonder how on earth they begin to make these grooves and plantations, it must take so much work to maintain them. The afternoon tea was delicious and it was a first for Tymon to have scones and jam. He liked it – I mean what’s not to like right? It was expensive for what it was and a complete tourist trap but just one of those things you have to do.
And that was it. After 5 wonderful days hiking and relaxing we headed back to KL to meet my parents. I was sooooo excited!! It had been just over 8 months since I had seen them which is actually the longest in my entire life that I have not seen them so I couldn’t wait. We were also looking forward to a little pampering, so the next blog will be from a 5 star hotel! :0)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thailand's Final Chapter
We actually arrived in Koh Phangnan a day earlier than planned as we were originally going to Koh Samui to stay and get the boat over just for the party. And it was a good job that we did go early and stay on the island as when we arrived, the party was the next day! (Part of me was quite sad as I was slightly dreading the party!) I wanted to experience a moon party but from what I’ve heard it really isn’t my kind of thing – the music mainly and we were told that half moon would be hard techno – brilliant!!! So I wanted to go but didn’t, so if we had missed it I wouldn’t have been too sad!
As usual while everyone else who got off the boat disappeared within 5 minutes, 10 minutes later we were still standing there surrounded by ladies with leaflets trying to sell us their hostels. I was hoping to find a decent priced place with aircon but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Only Barry and Art would be lucky enough to afford it! :0( There was one place that looked nice and seeing as we had been in party areas pretty much the whole time since the boys arrived I was trying to push to go North of the island which was much quieter but there was a lot of to and froing and in the end I gave up trying to say what I would like – I just wanted them to choose somewhere!! In the end we did go to the place I wanted which was quite a drive away but I was hoping that when we would arrive it would be worth it. However, it wasn’t! It was supposed to have its own private beach which it did – if you can call a rocky algae filled bay a beach! The huts were shacks and one even had a hole in the roof with the coconut still sitting on the floor! Dangerous!! So no need to say that we left there and went to another resort around the corner. The beach was lovely this time as a beach should be and quite deserted really. The boys found a lovely room, even though we had to go without aircon, and I really wanted to stay here the whole time as we could have easily have got a tuk tuk down to the party but it was too quiet for the boys so before we had even had dinner it was decided that we would move on to the bar strip the next day, which I was not happy about, but the boys were only out for another couple of days and it was their holiday so I had to go with it.
We didn’t hurry out the next day, had breakfast, relaxed on the beach for a while and then hit the town. The hunt for a place to stay was on again so I sat in a bar with the bags and let the boys go off. They were gone a while and came back in a car which took us to the hostel. Again it was a pretty nice room up the hill from the beach and bless Barry – he paid extra so we could have aircon!! THANK YOU!!! The room was nice but even nicer with aircon!
It was party night! We had some dinner and then went to another hostel for some pre party drinks and it was at this point that my dread was starting to take over. I was on the verge of not going. The drinks weren’t really going down very well and I was really torn between wanting to go and not wanting to. I thought maybe I could go for a while and then if it was really bad I could always grab a tuk tuk and leave the boys to party on, so off we went. All four of us!
Now, the half moon party is supposed to take place in the jungle so when we got in the tuk tuk I was expecting a 20 minute ride right out into the middle of the island. Well – I’m not sure what the definition of jungle is in Thailand but it can’t be the same definition as mine because we barely went anywhere in the 20 minutes let alone into the ‘jungle’! We pulled into a clearing in the woods shall we say. There were phosphorescent lights everywhere and glow sticks and glow tattoos so it looked quite atmospheric. Then came the entrance fee which was about EUR15, although you did get a cd with that!! As we walked up to the main area of the party we passed lots of food stalls and then to the left it was there. Just this large round space with a big tree in the middle. Jungle my ass!! It wasn’t even that big an area and it was absolutely empty. I mean we were quite early as it was just coming up to midnight but still – I thought these parties were the highlight of everyone’s trip to the islands. However, the music was not hardcore trance, so for now I was happy. It was just like any other club music – house, which I could deal with. We got some drinks and milled around before finding a quiet spot in which to fill up the buckets with our own booze that we had smuggled in. (Well that Tymon managed to smuggle, Barry and Art got busted so we lost 2 bottles of rum :0( ) All in all I’m not going to go on about the party. It was ok, it got fairly busy but no where near what I thought it would have done. Thankfully the music stayed housey all night so it was bearable, Tymon tried to get a MC gig but they didn’t trust an unknown in the end which was a shame, but maybe another time back in Thailand! I left the boys there at around 3am as I was done. Noting exciting was going on and I had done what I came to do – experience it. Although I certainly won’t be rushing back next year. What a hype for nothing!! But the boys seemed to enjoy it so that was the main thing.
The following day was Barry and Arts last day so we relaxed and sobered up on the beach in the sun, had a nice last supper and then had a fairly early night as the boys were up at 6am to get the boat back to the mainland.
It had been nice having the boys around for 2.5 weeks, although I didn’t realize it was going to be quite so girl mad as it was. I think we were both hoping for at least a couple of nights chilling, drinking and paying poker or something, but hey when you’re single you want to party right? And they had a great holiday!
Tymon and I hung around for one more day, hired a scooter (and saw the puppy get run over which I can’t even bring myself to talk about!) and then we headed to Koh Samui, our final destination for Thailand.
Most backpackers stay away from Koh Samui as it’s the honey moon island so it’s expensive, but I really like Koh Samui and finally we had a normal beach. The water was lovely and clear and there was water at the beach that graduated out normally so you could swim. You didn’t have to walk half a mile into the ocean and then another half mile to get wet beyond your waist!! We met a guy in the taxi from the jetty who said he had a decent place that was quiet and towards the end of the strip so we decided to follow him to check out the room. It was pretty decent and budget for the area so we decided to stay.
There’s not a great deal going on in Samui, I mean most people are there to drink and lie on the beach for 2 weeks. The main strip is about 7km which parallels the beach and is full of shops, bars and restaurants. It had all the Western requirements – a McDonalds, Starbucks, Boots etc. It also has loads of counterfeit shops selling bags and watches etc – so we did a little shopping!! The restaurants look amazing with all the fresh seafood and BBQ food out the front on ice and the bars look lovely, so it was definitely another island where I wanted some nice clothes, to be staying in a nice hotel and eat and drink lots of yummy food. I mean we still had a few beers and all the food we ate was yummy – it’s hard to go wrong when you’re in Thailand and we found this great food stand that we went to every morning for breakfast/lunch. I would get a papaya salad and a couple of satays and Tymon would get satays and sticky rice – she was amazing, the best papaya salad and the satay was delicious too. God I miss papaya salad!! :0(
We basically spent 5 days lazing on the beach, playing a lot of Frisbee. One day we hired a bike and decided to cruise around the island which was pretty nice. They had a huge prayer complex that had several massive Buddha statues which was pretty impressive and lovely beaches all around the coast. We also went to a boxing training gym that we had been told about. The owner wasn’t there yet and Tymon wanted to ask about taking some photos so later that day he went back while I sat doing the internet. When he came back he said he’d met 2 Moroccan boxers from Holland and they had sponsored him a ticket to watch the fighting in the stadium – the real Muay Thai and not a ‘show’. We had both wanted to go but it was really expensive! In the end we decided that Tymon would go alone and we’d save the money for buying me another ticket. He was going to be off at the ringside taking photos all night and I knew I’d get bored after one or two fights so it was great that he’d been given the money by the guys. It was sooo nice of them.
It was very tropical on the island and would usually cloud over and rain torrentially in the evenings. And I mean RAIN, but at this point we were either in the restaurant or the room watching TV. One night we were going to have a big night out but ended up getting drunk in the room until 2am playing cards (which was a feat for me as Tymon never plays cards with me – even though he beat me rotten at shithead! Beginners luck!!) We did amble up the long dark road to the bar area but it was soooooo dead! The bars were all barely a quarter full, if they had any people in them at all. And it was pretty young too. Drinks were expensive so we had a wander with our bottle of rum and coke, got a burger and headed back to the room!! Exciting!!! :0)
One night we could hold out no more. Walking past this amazing restaurant every night with all this food was too much – so we caved. I mean it’s pretty cheap really but just not for our budget, but the imported Australian steak was calling. So we went on in.
We had a blow out!! Oh my God it was heaven!! We got a platter with steak and ribs and schnitzel and jacket potato and corn on the cob and a beer and glass of red wine. It was perfect – so delicious and worth every penny!! It was a good job we didn’t have far to walk back to the hostel as I thought my belly was going to explode I was so full. But that was definitely a good night!
Mmm…what else. Not much I don’t think. Our time in Thailand came to an end. After 6.5 weeks travelling the country from North to South our time was up. It was onto Malaysia. We’d been struggling with our route into Malaysia as my mum and dad had finally booked their tickets to come out and meet us. We were hoping that we could go to the Perhentian islands which are North East of Malaysia, then travel down to the highlands, and onto to KL to meet them, but then we were on a tight schedule with my parents and we needed to sort out our Indian visas in KL so we really had to figure it all out for a while. In the end we decided to go to KL first and sort out our visa as that was the most important thing. Then we could go to the Cameron Highlands for a couple of days and Melaka while waiting for my mum and dad and then we could fly up to the Perhentian islands with them before heading to Singapore. It was messy but seemed the most logical.
And that was it, we booked our bus to KL and left on the 24 hours journey the next day.
So – Thailand. What can I say? I absolutely LOVED it! It wasn’t one of the countries I was really looking forward to. I mean I wanted to go, but thought it’s just full of Westerners on holiday – which it is! But Thailand’s charm and beauty is hard to deny. It’s relaxed and fun and you can find some home comforts too which is great after being on the road for a while. We met some great people and did some great things. The Thai New Year in Changmai is an event I will never forget! INSANE!! Playing with tiger cubs, scuba diving and the islands. It’s an incredible country and let’s not forget the food! YUMMY doesn’t even cover it. And it’s also where I started my love affair with dried broad beans. Seriously if you see them in the shops anywhere – buy some. They are super lekker!!
So with a heavy heart was boarded that bus onto our next adventure….
As usual while everyone else who got off the boat disappeared within 5 minutes, 10 minutes later we were still standing there surrounded by ladies with leaflets trying to sell us their hostels. I was hoping to find a decent priced place with aircon but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Only Barry and Art would be lucky enough to afford it! :0( There was one place that looked nice and seeing as we had been in party areas pretty much the whole time since the boys arrived I was trying to push to go North of the island which was much quieter but there was a lot of to and froing and in the end I gave up trying to say what I would like – I just wanted them to choose somewhere!! In the end we did go to the place I wanted which was quite a drive away but I was hoping that when we would arrive it would be worth it. However, it wasn’t! It was supposed to have its own private beach which it did – if you can call a rocky algae filled bay a beach! The huts were shacks and one even had a hole in the roof with the coconut still sitting on the floor! Dangerous!! So no need to say that we left there and went to another resort around the corner. The beach was lovely this time as a beach should be and quite deserted really. The boys found a lovely room, even though we had to go without aircon, and I really wanted to stay here the whole time as we could have easily have got a tuk tuk down to the party but it was too quiet for the boys so before we had even had dinner it was decided that we would move on to the bar strip the next day, which I was not happy about, but the boys were only out for another couple of days and it was their holiday so I had to go with it.
We didn’t hurry out the next day, had breakfast, relaxed on the beach for a while and then hit the town. The hunt for a place to stay was on again so I sat in a bar with the bags and let the boys go off. They were gone a while and came back in a car which took us to the hostel. Again it was a pretty nice room up the hill from the beach and bless Barry – he paid extra so we could have aircon!! THANK YOU!!! The room was nice but even nicer with aircon!
It was party night! We had some dinner and then went to another hostel for some pre party drinks and it was at this point that my dread was starting to take over. I was on the verge of not going. The drinks weren’t really going down very well and I was really torn between wanting to go and not wanting to. I thought maybe I could go for a while and then if it was really bad I could always grab a tuk tuk and leave the boys to party on, so off we went. All four of us!
Now, the half moon party is supposed to take place in the jungle so when we got in the tuk tuk I was expecting a 20 minute ride right out into the middle of the island. Well – I’m not sure what the definition of jungle is in Thailand but it can’t be the same definition as mine because we barely went anywhere in the 20 minutes let alone into the ‘jungle’! We pulled into a clearing in the woods shall we say. There were phosphorescent lights everywhere and glow sticks and glow tattoos so it looked quite atmospheric. Then came the entrance fee which was about EUR15, although you did get a cd with that!! As we walked up to the main area of the party we passed lots of food stalls and then to the left it was there. Just this large round space with a big tree in the middle. Jungle my ass!! It wasn’t even that big an area and it was absolutely empty. I mean we were quite early as it was just coming up to midnight but still – I thought these parties were the highlight of everyone’s trip to the islands. However, the music was not hardcore trance, so for now I was happy. It was just like any other club music – house, which I could deal with. We got some drinks and milled around before finding a quiet spot in which to fill up the buckets with our own booze that we had smuggled in. (Well that Tymon managed to smuggle, Barry and Art got busted so we lost 2 bottles of rum :0( ) All in all I’m not going to go on about the party. It was ok, it got fairly busy but no where near what I thought it would have done. Thankfully the music stayed housey all night so it was bearable, Tymon tried to get a MC gig but they didn’t trust an unknown in the end which was a shame, but maybe another time back in Thailand! I left the boys there at around 3am as I was done. Noting exciting was going on and I had done what I came to do – experience it. Although I certainly won’t be rushing back next year. What a hype for nothing!! But the boys seemed to enjoy it so that was the main thing.
The following day was Barry and Arts last day so we relaxed and sobered up on the beach in the sun, had a nice last supper and then had a fairly early night as the boys were up at 6am to get the boat back to the mainland.
It had been nice having the boys around for 2.5 weeks, although I didn’t realize it was going to be quite so girl mad as it was. I think we were both hoping for at least a couple of nights chilling, drinking and paying poker or something, but hey when you’re single you want to party right? And they had a great holiday!
Tymon and I hung around for one more day, hired a scooter (and saw the puppy get run over which I can’t even bring myself to talk about!) and then we headed to Koh Samui, our final destination for Thailand.
Most backpackers stay away from Koh Samui as it’s the honey moon island so it’s expensive, but I really like Koh Samui and finally we had a normal beach. The water was lovely and clear and there was water at the beach that graduated out normally so you could swim. You didn’t have to walk half a mile into the ocean and then another half mile to get wet beyond your waist!! We met a guy in the taxi from the jetty who said he had a decent place that was quiet and towards the end of the strip so we decided to follow him to check out the room. It was pretty decent and budget for the area so we decided to stay.
There’s not a great deal going on in Samui, I mean most people are there to drink and lie on the beach for 2 weeks. The main strip is about 7km which parallels the beach and is full of shops, bars and restaurants. It had all the Western requirements – a McDonalds, Starbucks, Boots etc. It also has loads of counterfeit shops selling bags and watches etc – so we did a little shopping!! The restaurants look amazing with all the fresh seafood and BBQ food out the front on ice and the bars look lovely, so it was definitely another island where I wanted some nice clothes, to be staying in a nice hotel and eat and drink lots of yummy food. I mean we still had a few beers and all the food we ate was yummy – it’s hard to go wrong when you’re in Thailand and we found this great food stand that we went to every morning for breakfast/lunch. I would get a papaya salad and a couple of satays and Tymon would get satays and sticky rice – she was amazing, the best papaya salad and the satay was delicious too. God I miss papaya salad!! :0(
We basically spent 5 days lazing on the beach, playing a lot of Frisbee. One day we hired a bike and decided to cruise around the island which was pretty nice. They had a huge prayer complex that had several massive Buddha statues which was pretty impressive and lovely beaches all around the coast. We also went to a boxing training gym that we had been told about. The owner wasn’t there yet and Tymon wanted to ask about taking some photos so later that day he went back while I sat doing the internet. When he came back he said he’d met 2 Moroccan boxers from Holland and they had sponsored him a ticket to watch the fighting in the stadium – the real Muay Thai and not a ‘show’. We had both wanted to go but it was really expensive! In the end we decided that Tymon would go alone and we’d save the money for buying me another ticket. He was going to be off at the ringside taking photos all night and I knew I’d get bored after one or two fights so it was great that he’d been given the money by the guys. It was sooo nice of them.
It was very tropical on the island and would usually cloud over and rain torrentially in the evenings. And I mean RAIN, but at this point we were either in the restaurant or the room watching TV. One night we were going to have a big night out but ended up getting drunk in the room until 2am playing cards (which was a feat for me as Tymon never plays cards with me – even though he beat me rotten at shithead! Beginners luck!!) We did amble up the long dark road to the bar area but it was soooooo dead! The bars were all barely a quarter full, if they had any people in them at all. And it was pretty young too. Drinks were expensive so we had a wander with our bottle of rum and coke, got a burger and headed back to the room!! Exciting!!! :0)
One night we could hold out no more. Walking past this amazing restaurant every night with all this food was too much – so we caved. I mean it’s pretty cheap really but just not for our budget, but the imported Australian steak was calling. So we went on in.
We had a blow out!! Oh my God it was heaven!! We got a platter with steak and ribs and schnitzel and jacket potato and corn on the cob and a beer and glass of red wine. It was perfect – so delicious and worth every penny!! It was a good job we didn’t have far to walk back to the hostel as I thought my belly was going to explode I was so full. But that was definitely a good night!
Mmm…what else. Not much I don’t think. Our time in Thailand came to an end. After 6.5 weeks travelling the country from North to South our time was up. It was onto Malaysia. We’d been struggling with our route into Malaysia as my mum and dad had finally booked their tickets to come out and meet us. We were hoping that we could go to the Perhentian islands which are North East of Malaysia, then travel down to the highlands, and onto to KL to meet them, but then we were on a tight schedule with my parents and we needed to sort out our Indian visas in KL so we really had to figure it all out for a while. In the end we decided to go to KL first and sort out our visa as that was the most important thing. Then we could go to the Cameron Highlands for a couple of days and Melaka while waiting for my mum and dad and then we could fly up to the Perhentian islands with them before heading to Singapore. It was messy but seemed the most logical.
And that was it, we booked our bus to KL and left on the 24 hours journey the next day.
So – Thailand. What can I say? I absolutely LOVED it! It wasn’t one of the countries I was really looking forward to. I mean I wanted to go, but thought it’s just full of Westerners on holiday – which it is! But Thailand’s charm and beauty is hard to deny. It’s relaxed and fun and you can find some home comforts too which is great after being on the road for a while. We met some great people and did some great things. The Thai New Year in Changmai is an event I will never forget! INSANE!! Playing with tiger cubs, scuba diving and the islands. It’s an incredible country and let’s not forget the food! YUMMY doesn’t even cover it. And it’s also where I started my love affair with dried broad beans. Seriously if you see them in the shops anywhere – buy some. They are super lekker!!
So with a heavy heart was boarded that bus onto our next adventure….
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Islanders
We had accommodation booked for our return to Bangkok and for the boys (Barry & Arthur) as they would arrive the next day. The first thing we noticed about being back in Kho San Road area that it was noticeably quieter and there were more police on the streets. We had been following it in the news and it seemed like one minute an agreement had been made, the next it was all going off again, although the worst finale was still a few weeks away yet! And it had obviously affected tourism what with the bar on all travel to the country – although I still to this day think it was a completely overhyped media sensation and no where near as awful as it was. (Not belittling the deaths and destruction that happened!! Just that it wasn’t ALL over Bangkok and Thailand. It’s like the action happening in Wimbledon and you want to visit Chingford and all travel to London and then the UK is banned! Or for you Dutchies, action in Amsterdam, you want to be in Rotterdam, all travel to Holland banned!) A little over the top I feel.
Anyway – the following day bright and early Tymon went off the airport to meet the boys. They arrived at the hostel safe and sound and it was really great to see them after all this time. Especially for Tymon as his mates are such a big part of his life and he’s really missed that. Which is why I let him go to the airport alone, so they could get all their male bonding and silly sayings like ‘Gerard, kenkerzooi, dat meen je niet, Duitser!!’ out of the way! These don’t really mean anything and are not said like normal words, it’s more like a string of funny sounds they come out with – boys!! I can only compare it to the kind of thing girls do when some exciting news is announced, a baby is around or an engagement ring is shown :0)
Even though they had had a really long flight and had hardly slept, they freshened up and we went straight out for a walk around town. It was déjà vu for us but it was good to be able to kind of show the boys around Kho San road. We decided to go a bit further out on the road to see where we would end up and at the main road a very nice friendly guy asked us how we were and where we were going. We said we were going to walk around and he started giving us some tips. He said that it was a holiday day so we should flag down a government tuk tuk as it would only be 10 Baht and all the temples would be free. He started telling us all these things and for the first time on our trip, what with the boys taking it all in, when 2 tuk tuks conveniently pulled up shortly after, while the guy was still talking to us, we climbed in. He told the drivers where we wanted to go after he had convinced us we wanted to go there and they took us to the temple we wanted to go which was fine. Then as we got back in to go to the next he said ‘oh we just stop at a clothes store for you to look in and then a jewellery store!’ We got scammed. Basically the nice guy would have known the drivers and got some money in the end and the driver gets commission for when he takes people to these shops and even more if they buy something so we ended up being carted around town, ‘shopping’. Even the guy in one of the temples was expecting us! Tymon was pretty annoyed as he prides himself on picking out a scam when he sees one! It was as if the boys had ‘new arrivals’ stamped on their foreheads! Can’t believe we got scammed! But all in all, it wasn’t so bad. I mean we were under no obligation to buy anything and it didn’t cost us anything. Tymon even said that if he went to one more place then we wouldn’t even pay him the 10 baht as he’d earned a fortune from carting us around to the shops so in the end it cost us nothing, and we got to see some of the sights.
What with being up so early (something we’re not used to) when we got back we all took a nap for a while before heading out for dinner. While we were out Tymon and Barry ended up going into a tailors and getting a suit made each so there was a lot of backward and forward there for fittings but the suits were looking pretty swish!!
We’d decided to leave the following day as we all wanted to get down to the islands as soon as possible and away from the unbearable heat of Bangkok. Luckily there was a night bus as it was going to be a mammoth journey. Ideally we would have gone to Koh Tao first, then to Koh Phangnan, onto Koh Samui and then cross overland to Koh Phi Phi, but the boys really wanted to go to a moon party on Koh Phangnan so our whole trip had to be tailored around the dates of the party. We weren’t going to be around for the full moon but if we travelled in a completely illogical way we could be there for half moon. So we were going to Koh Phi Phi first, which was the furthest away hence the mammoth journey! It involved several mini busses, a boat, one big bus, a boat and another mini bus! But 18 hours later and severely sleep deprived we finally arrived in Koh Phi Phi.
It was pretty hectic when we got off the boat. We had called ahead to one hostel to make a reservation and they said they would be at the jetty to meet us. There was someone there, along with loads of other touts pushing leaflets in our faces, and he told us to walk up to the main hotel office. We loaded our backpacks onto a trolley contraption that a local pushed and walked through the labyrinth small streets that made up central Phi Phi. It was scorching, so I was really happy that we didn’t have to carry our packs as it was quiet a walk. (Well not really but it always feels like miles away with your back pack!) The hostel was decent enough, clean room with bathroom, which believe me has become a luxury! It was mid afternoon so we immediately changed and headed to the beach and in all honestly I wasn’t that blown away. I guess I was expecting beautiful crystal blue water right up to the beach with a sand bottom, but the water was miles away! The tide was out (but even when it wasn’t it was still pretty far out to go before you reached anything above waist height!) It was really rocky and the whole stretch of beach within the ‘cove’ just wasn’t all that. I guess it was a bit like when we were in Indonesia – I had such high expectations that in reality it didn’t quite match. I mean don’t get me wrong, it was nice. It wasn’t a skank hole but for what you imagine from all the postcards of the islands…it was lacking. We tossed a Frisbee around for a while, grabbed some food before heading to the rooms to freshen up and have a nap before dinner. (We seemed to have fallen into a child like day with our afternoon naps – otherwise we got groggy! Haha) That night we walked around the main town area following the pathway that twisted and turned. There were lots of stalls selling jewellery and clothes and lots of bars. It was pretty busy and was quite a young crowd. And very British! You could hear all the shouting and yobbing going on, getting wrecked – ‘f*cking this and f*cking that mate! Havin’ it!!’ Girls wearing not very much (which pleased Barry and Art ;0) and god I sound old, but once again the whole atmosphere just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was still pretty knackered as was Tymon so we left the boys to go out and explore the girls!
As we were on quite a tight schedule to fit all four islands in, thankfully, we only had 2 days in Phi Phi before heading to Koh Tao. Our final day we took a boat trip out to ‘The Beach’ where they filmed the film, and I can’t argue, it is a lovely beach. The water is clear and sandy, although still not deep for a long way out, the sand clean and it’s set in a lovely cove surrounded by jungle. It even has a hanging penis!! Haha. There is a large rock formation hanging from one of the overhangs of a cliff that is unmistakingingly shaped like a willy. And of course the pictures of Barry hanging off it (like a sperm) was a great image the boys couldn’t pass up!
We also went round the corner of the island of ‘The Beach’ to the lagoon where they filmed the shark scene. This again is lovely, the water an amazing topaz blue with a lot of coral. We had a refreshing dip which was nice until something started taking nips out of us! At which point I promptly swam back to the boat!!
That night we went to the Reggae Bar which has a boxing ring in where you can train in the daytime with Muay Thai boxers and by night they have fights on. Or so they lead you to believe. When we first walked in it was the tourists turn to have a go in order to each receive a free bucket, so they put on the sweaty stinky shorts, leg stockings and helmet to fight an opponent, usually a friend. I mean in a very loose sense this is funny, especially when they aren’t friends and one person is better than the other and they actually get a bit of a knocking, and its even more entertaining of course when it’s girls, but overall it’s pretty pathetic. And unfortunately it doesn’t even get that exciting when the real Thai boxers come into the ring. At first I was really excited to see some real Muay Thai but as soon as the second punch/kick was thrown I knew instantly that it was a set up, choreographed to perfection. I mean they still hit each other and kick real hard, but it’s a lot less damaging when it’s expected. It was WWF Asian style. The saddest & almost funniest thing was the young boys who were whooping and gasping astonished when one guy went down, obviously believing in every second. Once again I had no desire to go out and get off my face in Phi Phi, plus it was ridiculously expensive, so we headed back to the room while Barry and Art continued their quest for girls.
Next island – Koh Tao. It was another massive mission as we had to cross the south of Thailand to the East coast and go back on ourselves up North, so it was another bus, boat, bus adventure and we arrived at the lovely hour of 6am. We got in the back of a truck which took us from the jetty to the central junction where we dumped all the bags and the boys went to look for accommodation. Now the thing with the islands is that they are full of lovely resorts and also budget accommodation and what with being on an island I just wanted to have a bit of luxury. I wanted to be able to eat the fresh seafood and stay in a place with aircon but it was so out of our budget, and the budget places were just beach huts that in reality were more like saunas than accommodation. I’m sure if people asked if they had a spa with a sauna they could pull it off and stick people in our room. But at that time of day the boys came back with somewhere to go which was better than nothing. We all crawled into bed for a couple of hours and woke up ready (albeit slightly roasted) to have a look around.
Our main criteria for Koh Tao was to do our Open Water diving course and become certified. We’d heard the diving was the best in the islands so we spent most of the day walking up the main strip getting all the deals from the dive shops. The further from the centre we went the cheaper they got, so it was worth holding out and going for a walk. We finally decided to go with Phoenix Divers, which were brilliant and had the best deal by far. We got our accommodation included, which was a resort with aircon (HURRAH) and breakfast included. We started that day by watching the intro films but sadly we had already paid for the night at the sauna so would have to sweat it out before moving.
We were all pretty excited and went out that night to celebrate. I left at 1am as we had to be in the classroom by 10am (hardly an early start) but I didn’t want to be all hung over. Tymon came home about 2.30am and of course the next morning we found out the boys had had about 1.5 hours sleep!! It was a new island therefore new girls!! ;0) Oh to be single again I guess.
Thankfully we packed up and left the sauna and moved into a beautiful massive room with aircon!! I blasted that baby on like there was no tomorrow. Thailand is just soooo hot in May! Then breakkie and off to the classroom. We spent the morning learning some theory and then after lunch we kitted up and went out for our first lesson in the water. I had already, many years ago in Egypt done my half Padi, which had already expired a long time ago, and Barry has also dived previously but for Tymon and Art it was a new experience. We didn’t go deep as we were just learning all the techniques and requisites for the certification and it was really fun. We were in the water nearly 2 hours but it flew by and as went through all the exercises I was happy it felt strangely familiar. The whole losing your mouthpiece and leaning over and finding it again with an arm sweep. The signals to your buddy that you are out of air, inflating and deflating and of course the dreaded filling up of your mask with water and emptying it again all under water. I hate that exercise and usually panic but I surprised myself and managed to do it with little stress. It’s a funny feeling as you have a mouthpiece in and you know you can breathe but you find yourself holding your breath in concentration. Then you forget to breathe, you have your eyes shut tightly so you don’t get salt water in them and they sting, so your senses are a bit off and then you still haven’t breathed so you start to panic because you can’t breathe and can’t see. You start to take big gulps from the tank which seems very alien and it’s like your brain doesn’t accept the air as it knows it’s underwater and you shouldn’t be able to breathe in. In some cases you find yourself floating to the surface cos you’ve inadvertently kicked your way to the top, breaking the surface time rule, so it can be a bit messy. (Well that was only me one time) but on the whole we all did well. Tymon felt a bit queasy but we think that was down to a hangover more than anything else.
Tymon and I were absolutely knackered by the end of the day so we just chilled (literally) in the room with our satellite TV and got takeaway pizza. Heaven!! Barry and Art – well you guessed it – went out to party ;0)
Next day was our first proper dives. After some more theory we went out to sea. It was all very exciting kitting up on the boat and going down the first time was really cool. It wasn’t that deep, only about 12 metres but the coral was nice and there were lots of fish. We also got to practice the exercises again in relatively shallow water in case anything goes wrong it’s not that far to the surface.
Scuba diving is in a word – awesome. If you have a good site and the visibility is good it’s out of the world. And it is. It’s a completely different world down there and it’s amazing to think that in reality we still know so very little about it. It’s not our domain it’s the fishes and coral and it’s so humbling. Nature is incredible; I mean the tropical fish are amazing. The colours and patterns are insane – so beautiful!!
Both dives went smoothly and we couldn’t wait for the morning to go again!
Our last day was two more dives at two more sites. It was an early start at 7am as early in the morning is when fish are more active. We also had a videographer come with us which was cool as we had been unable to really make any videos underwater as our camera is only made for up to 3 metres, so it was cool to have someone capturing footage. (Another video for you to watch when we’re back - & you will be watching it – it cost an arm & a leg!) Dive one went without a hitch but when we surfaced I could feel my right ear playing up. It had a little water in it so it sounded like everything was muffled but it cleared itself after a while which was great news!! However once under on the second dive (after making us all return to the boat as I lost my weight belt on the jump in and only realized when I couldn’t sink!) I had real trouble equalizing. We went down to about 18 metres on this dive but unfortunately I couldn’t really relax and enjoy it as I was constantly having to go up to re-equalize. It was really annoying and such a shame as it was our last dive!! But hey – when we got back to shore we were qualified divers!! Whooo hoo!! The world above and below sea level really is now our oyster! We spent the rest of the day relaxing and that night went out for a real party to celebrate. And we partied hard! It was brilliant. You will never guess what I spent the night dancing away to! Jungle! Oh my god, talk about flash back! All those Friday nights at the Palladium came rushing back to me. Trying to do the black girl move skipping from side to side (Helen and Lindz you’ll remember that classic move!) and listening to songs like “Badboy in a Kingston, rudeboy in a England (or whatever the words actually are…) and the best of all – I went crazy when it came on – “Eezer good eezer good, he’s Ebeneezer good!” Do you remember that??? How classic! “Got any salmon? Sorted!” Hahaha – the good old days. Tymon was amazed – he never even knew I liked Jungle and I just said – I grew up on it!! It was all the rage and I’ll have to rummage through the cupboards to see if I still have the ‘Now Jungle’ double cassette!!
We were supposed to leave the following day to Koh Phangnan but we took a vote and we had days to play with so decided to stay another 3 days. Barry and Art decided to do their advanced diving course and Tymon and I chilled on the beach. We also did a day quad biking around the island which was awesome! Tymon was nearly beside himself. He loves quadding and has been looking everywhere for somewhere to be able to do it and here it was. We all took one, including me and went for a tour around the island. Which is beautiful. We went to a couple of snorkel sites and off road, where Barry got his bike stuck! It was a really fun day!! Finished with a few drinks and a trip to the local Lady Boy cabaret show. This was hilarious – check out the video!!
And that was it for Koh Tao – we’d had a blast, but it was to move on – the Half Moon party called, so off to the next island, Koh Phangnan…..
Anyway – the following day bright and early Tymon went off the airport to meet the boys. They arrived at the hostel safe and sound and it was really great to see them after all this time. Especially for Tymon as his mates are such a big part of his life and he’s really missed that. Which is why I let him go to the airport alone, so they could get all their male bonding and silly sayings like ‘Gerard, kenkerzooi, dat meen je niet, Duitser!!’ out of the way! These don’t really mean anything and are not said like normal words, it’s more like a string of funny sounds they come out with – boys!! I can only compare it to the kind of thing girls do when some exciting news is announced, a baby is around or an engagement ring is shown :0)
Even though they had had a really long flight and had hardly slept, they freshened up and we went straight out for a walk around town. It was déjà vu for us but it was good to be able to kind of show the boys around Kho San road. We decided to go a bit further out on the road to see where we would end up and at the main road a very nice friendly guy asked us how we were and where we were going. We said we were going to walk around and he started giving us some tips. He said that it was a holiday day so we should flag down a government tuk tuk as it would only be 10 Baht and all the temples would be free. He started telling us all these things and for the first time on our trip, what with the boys taking it all in, when 2 tuk tuks conveniently pulled up shortly after, while the guy was still talking to us, we climbed in. He told the drivers where we wanted to go after he had convinced us we wanted to go there and they took us to the temple we wanted to go which was fine. Then as we got back in to go to the next he said ‘oh we just stop at a clothes store for you to look in and then a jewellery store!’ We got scammed. Basically the nice guy would have known the drivers and got some money in the end and the driver gets commission for when he takes people to these shops and even more if they buy something so we ended up being carted around town, ‘shopping’. Even the guy in one of the temples was expecting us! Tymon was pretty annoyed as he prides himself on picking out a scam when he sees one! It was as if the boys had ‘new arrivals’ stamped on their foreheads! Can’t believe we got scammed! But all in all, it wasn’t so bad. I mean we were under no obligation to buy anything and it didn’t cost us anything. Tymon even said that if he went to one more place then we wouldn’t even pay him the 10 baht as he’d earned a fortune from carting us around to the shops so in the end it cost us nothing, and we got to see some of the sights.
What with being up so early (something we’re not used to) when we got back we all took a nap for a while before heading out for dinner. While we were out Tymon and Barry ended up going into a tailors and getting a suit made each so there was a lot of backward and forward there for fittings but the suits were looking pretty swish!!
We’d decided to leave the following day as we all wanted to get down to the islands as soon as possible and away from the unbearable heat of Bangkok. Luckily there was a night bus as it was going to be a mammoth journey. Ideally we would have gone to Koh Tao first, then to Koh Phangnan, onto Koh Samui and then cross overland to Koh Phi Phi, but the boys really wanted to go to a moon party on Koh Phangnan so our whole trip had to be tailored around the dates of the party. We weren’t going to be around for the full moon but if we travelled in a completely illogical way we could be there for half moon. So we were going to Koh Phi Phi first, which was the furthest away hence the mammoth journey! It involved several mini busses, a boat, one big bus, a boat and another mini bus! But 18 hours later and severely sleep deprived we finally arrived in Koh Phi Phi.
It was pretty hectic when we got off the boat. We had called ahead to one hostel to make a reservation and they said they would be at the jetty to meet us. There was someone there, along with loads of other touts pushing leaflets in our faces, and he told us to walk up to the main hotel office. We loaded our backpacks onto a trolley contraption that a local pushed and walked through the labyrinth small streets that made up central Phi Phi. It was scorching, so I was really happy that we didn’t have to carry our packs as it was quiet a walk. (Well not really but it always feels like miles away with your back pack!) The hostel was decent enough, clean room with bathroom, which believe me has become a luxury! It was mid afternoon so we immediately changed and headed to the beach and in all honestly I wasn’t that blown away. I guess I was expecting beautiful crystal blue water right up to the beach with a sand bottom, but the water was miles away! The tide was out (but even when it wasn’t it was still pretty far out to go before you reached anything above waist height!) It was really rocky and the whole stretch of beach within the ‘cove’ just wasn’t all that. I guess it was a bit like when we were in Indonesia – I had such high expectations that in reality it didn’t quite match. I mean don’t get me wrong, it was nice. It wasn’t a skank hole but for what you imagine from all the postcards of the islands…it was lacking. We tossed a Frisbee around for a while, grabbed some food before heading to the rooms to freshen up and have a nap before dinner. (We seemed to have fallen into a child like day with our afternoon naps – otherwise we got groggy! Haha) That night we walked around the main town area following the pathway that twisted and turned. There were lots of stalls selling jewellery and clothes and lots of bars. It was pretty busy and was quite a young crowd. And very British! You could hear all the shouting and yobbing going on, getting wrecked – ‘f*cking this and f*cking that mate! Havin’ it!!’ Girls wearing not very much (which pleased Barry and Art ;0) and god I sound old, but once again the whole atmosphere just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was still pretty knackered as was Tymon so we left the boys to go out and explore the girls!
As we were on quite a tight schedule to fit all four islands in, thankfully, we only had 2 days in Phi Phi before heading to Koh Tao. Our final day we took a boat trip out to ‘The Beach’ where they filmed the film, and I can’t argue, it is a lovely beach. The water is clear and sandy, although still not deep for a long way out, the sand clean and it’s set in a lovely cove surrounded by jungle. It even has a hanging penis!! Haha. There is a large rock formation hanging from one of the overhangs of a cliff that is unmistakingingly shaped like a willy. And of course the pictures of Barry hanging off it (like a sperm) was a great image the boys couldn’t pass up!
We also went round the corner of the island of ‘The Beach’ to the lagoon where they filmed the shark scene. This again is lovely, the water an amazing topaz blue with a lot of coral. We had a refreshing dip which was nice until something started taking nips out of us! At which point I promptly swam back to the boat!!
That night we went to the Reggae Bar which has a boxing ring in where you can train in the daytime with Muay Thai boxers and by night they have fights on. Or so they lead you to believe. When we first walked in it was the tourists turn to have a go in order to each receive a free bucket, so they put on the sweaty stinky shorts, leg stockings and helmet to fight an opponent, usually a friend. I mean in a very loose sense this is funny, especially when they aren’t friends and one person is better than the other and they actually get a bit of a knocking, and its even more entertaining of course when it’s girls, but overall it’s pretty pathetic. And unfortunately it doesn’t even get that exciting when the real Thai boxers come into the ring. At first I was really excited to see some real Muay Thai but as soon as the second punch/kick was thrown I knew instantly that it was a set up, choreographed to perfection. I mean they still hit each other and kick real hard, but it’s a lot less damaging when it’s expected. It was WWF Asian style. The saddest & almost funniest thing was the young boys who were whooping and gasping astonished when one guy went down, obviously believing in every second. Once again I had no desire to go out and get off my face in Phi Phi, plus it was ridiculously expensive, so we headed back to the room while Barry and Art continued their quest for girls.
Next island – Koh Tao. It was another massive mission as we had to cross the south of Thailand to the East coast and go back on ourselves up North, so it was another bus, boat, bus adventure and we arrived at the lovely hour of 6am. We got in the back of a truck which took us from the jetty to the central junction where we dumped all the bags and the boys went to look for accommodation. Now the thing with the islands is that they are full of lovely resorts and also budget accommodation and what with being on an island I just wanted to have a bit of luxury. I wanted to be able to eat the fresh seafood and stay in a place with aircon but it was so out of our budget, and the budget places were just beach huts that in reality were more like saunas than accommodation. I’m sure if people asked if they had a spa with a sauna they could pull it off and stick people in our room. But at that time of day the boys came back with somewhere to go which was better than nothing. We all crawled into bed for a couple of hours and woke up ready (albeit slightly roasted) to have a look around.
Our main criteria for Koh Tao was to do our Open Water diving course and become certified. We’d heard the diving was the best in the islands so we spent most of the day walking up the main strip getting all the deals from the dive shops. The further from the centre we went the cheaper they got, so it was worth holding out and going for a walk. We finally decided to go with Phoenix Divers, which were brilliant and had the best deal by far. We got our accommodation included, which was a resort with aircon (HURRAH) and breakfast included. We started that day by watching the intro films but sadly we had already paid for the night at the sauna so would have to sweat it out before moving.
We were all pretty excited and went out that night to celebrate. I left at 1am as we had to be in the classroom by 10am (hardly an early start) but I didn’t want to be all hung over. Tymon came home about 2.30am and of course the next morning we found out the boys had had about 1.5 hours sleep!! It was a new island therefore new girls!! ;0) Oh to be single again I guess.
Thankfully we packed up and left the sauna and moved into a beautiful massive room with aircon!! I blasted that baby on like there was no tomorrow. Thailand is just soooo hot in May! Then breakkie and off to the classroom. We spent the morning learning some theory and then after lunch we kitted up and went out for our first lesson in the water. I had already, many years ago in Egypt done my half Padi, which had already expired a long time ago, and Barry has also dived previously but for Tymon and Art it was a new experience. We didn’t go deep as we were just learning all the techniques and requisites for the certification and it was really fun. We were in the water nearly 2 hours but it flew by and as went through all the exercises I was happy it felt strangely familiar. The whole losing your mouthpiece and leaning over and finding it again with an arm sweep. The signals to your buddy that you are out of air, inflating and deflating and of course the dreaded filling up of your mask with water and emptying it again all under water. I hate that exercise and usually panic but I surprised myself and managed to do it with little stress. It’s a funny feeling as you have a mouthpiece in and you know you can breathe but you find yourself holding your breath in concentration. Then you forget to breathe, you have your eyes shut tightly so you don’t get salt water in them and they sting, so your senses are a bit off and then you still haven’t breathed so you start to panic because you can’t breathe and can’t see. You start to take big gulps from the tank which seems very alien and it’s like your brain doesn’t accept the air as it knows it’s underwater and you shouldn’t be able to breathe in. In some cases you find yourself floating to the surface cos you’ve inadvertently kicked your way to the top, breaking the surface time rule, so it can be a bit messy. (Well that was only me one time) but on the whole we all did well. Tymon felt a bit queasy but we think that was down to a hangover more than anything else.
Tymon and I were absolutely knackered by the end of the day so we just chilled (literally) in the room with our satellite TV and got takeaway pizza. Heaven!! Barry and Art – well you guessed it – went out to party ;0)
Next day was our first proper dives. After some more theory we went out to sea. It was all very exciting kitting up on the boat and going down the first time was really cool. It wasn’t that deep, only about 12 metres but the coral was nice and there were lots of fish. We also got to practice the exercises again in relatively shallow water in case anything goes wrong it’s not that far to the surface.
Scuba diving is in a word – awesome. If you have a good site and the visibility is good it’s out of the world. And it is. It’s a completely different world down there and it’s amazing to think that in reality we still know so very little about it. It’s not our domain it’s the fishes and coral and it’s so humbling. Nature is incredible; I mean the tropical fish are amazing. The colours and patterns are insane – so beautiful!!
Both dives went smoothly and we couldn’t wait for the morning to go again!
Our last day was two more dives at two more sites. It was an early start at 7am as early in the morning is when fish are more active. We also had a videographer come with us which was cool as we had been unable to really make any videos underwater as our camera is only made for up to 3 metres, so it was cool to have someone capturing footage. (Another video for you to watch when we’re back - & you will be watching it – it cost an arm & a leg!) Dive one went without a hitch but when we surfaced I could feel my right ear playing up. It had a little water in it so it sounded like everything was muffled but it cleared itself after a while which was great news!! However once under on the second dive (after making us all return to the boat as I lost my weight belt on the jump in and only realized when I couldn’t sink!) I had real trouble equalizing. We went down to about 18 metres on this dive but unfortunately I couldn’t really relax and enjoy it as I was constantly having to go up to re-equalize. It was really annoying and such a shame as it was our last dive!! But hey – when we got back to shore we were qualified divers!! Whooo hoo!! The world above and below sea level really is now our oyster! We spent the rest of the day relaxing and that night went out for a real party to celebrate. And we partied hard! It was brilliant. You will never guess what I spent the night dancing away to! Jungle! Oh my god, talk about flash back! All those Friday nights at the Palladium came rushing back to me. Trying to do the black girl move skipping from side to side (Helen and Lindz you’ll remember that classic move!) and listening to songs like “Badboy in a Kingston, rudeboy in a England (or whatever the words actually are…) and the best of all – I went crazy when it came on – “Eezer good eezer good, he’s Ebeneezer good!” Do you remember that??? How classic! “Got any salmon? Sorted!” Hahaha – the good old days. Tymon was amazed – he never even knew I liked Jungle and I just said – I grew up on it!! It was all the rage and I’ll have to rummage through the cupboards to see if I still have the ‘Now Jungle’ double cassette!!
We were supposed to leave the following day to Koh Phangnan but we took a vote and we had days to play with so decided to stay another 3 days. Barry and Art decided to do their advanced diving course and Tymon and I chilled on the beach. We also did a day quad biking around the island which was awesome! Tymon was nearly beside himself. He loves quadding and has been looking everywhere for somewhere to be able to do it and here it was. We all took one, including me and went for a tour around the island. Which is beautiful. We went to a couple of snorkel sites and off road, where Barry got his bike stuck! It was a really fun day!! Finished with a few drinks and a trip to the local Lady Boy cabaret show. This was hilarious – check out the video!!
And that was it for Koh Tao – we’d had a blast, but it was to move on – the Half Moon party called, so off to the next island, Koh Phangnan…..
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