So, my one dive. To be honest, I thought I was going to die at first. Water in my nose mouth and eyes. I needed out and real air. I survived and made it through a one hour dive where I did see some cool things. But I don't think diving is for me. I'll stick to snorkeling.
After here we caught a flight back to KL. Had a great afternoon there with some shopping and bargaining. The next morning I was off to Bangkok.
Arrived Bangkok on the 12th of may.
Off the bus I met a French man and a Thai lady. With them I found a cheap place to stay. Not the best but not horrible either. The Thai lady showed us around quite a bit of town. We took the boat down the river and unfortunately I forgot my camera. We went to shopping centres and walked right through the red shirt territory. At first I felt a little apprehensive but at this point things were calm. Just a guy talking over loud speaker with screens all over to show it to everyone. People clapping at what was said. Free food being given to people others buying it from the numerous stalls. You could get everything you needed without leaving the zone.
It was quite interesting and we didn't feel threatened or in harms way.
The following day lots of walking. Yaya, the Thai girl took us all over. Surely walked more than 10km. We were in Chinatown where you can you find everything you need and then some. We went to a nice park where people were doing aerobics, running, playing badminton. They was different cardio and weight machines for free use in the park. Nice. Oh can forget the Thai chi and dance lessons. :)
The next day was more of a quieter day. Did my own thing. Which included me meeting a Thai man who told me i should leave the country immediately. Sent me in a tuktuk to a gov't travel agency that wanted to sell me a package trip for a week to the islands costing 9500baht. That's over 300$. No thank you. Then I argued with the tuktuk driver who wanted to rip me off. Next thing I know I have agreed for another tuktuk to take me to some temples and a shop so he could get his free gas coupon. After 2 temples we went to the shop. Jewelery. Sure it's beautiful but 500$ for earrings isn't in my budget. Yes they were gold with rubies but no. Next he wants to take me to the bloody gov't travel agency. No take me to the next temple. I went in and did my thing. When I came out the guy was nowhere to be seen. And someone told me that he left with other people. Jerk. I wasn't to far from my hotel so headed back walking. Hey, I didn't end up paying. Went and bought a ticket for ko samui.
That night Pierrot, French guy, had met a Canadian and I joined them for dinner. Then we walked around in the streets went to a bar for a bit and chatted with lots of people. Debated who was a real lady and who wa a lady boy. It is really hard to tell. Good night though late.
I met up with the Canadian guy yesterday and did a couple temples. On facebook I saw that an old friend was in Bangkok and ended meeting up with him after 11 years. Changed my bus ticket for today and went for dinner and a couple drinks. He was off to Tokyo today.
Today the weather isn't great. Rained this morning and is still overcast. Could rain again. So at 6 tonight I'll be on my way south on a night bus. Hopefully I will get some sleep. Island beaches for the next 8 or 10 days for me.
And I'm caught up now. Wow it has been a long time since I have done that. Hehe. Hopefully I will be better at it now. Wifi is common so it's easy to write on my iPod and post a little later, as I'm doing now. ;)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Malaysia
Hmmm...where to begin. It seems odd because I am already on my way out and just catching up with this thing. I will try and be better in the future.
I met Marilyn in Hong Kong and flew to kuala lumpur. We spent our first couple days in KL. Checked out Chinatown, the Petronas towers and the Batu Caves. It was way to hot in the city. The first place we stayed was really nice but the "massage" place one floor down was not so nice. We also bumped in to a Canadian couple I met in India.
We stayed 2 days and had to get away from the city heat. Off to Cameron Highlands for some fresh air. We spent 2 nights here. Went and visited the Boh Tea plantation with a couple Canadian guys. We wanted to do a few other things but it rained in the afternoons.
Our next stop was Taman Negara...the jungle. In our min van we met yet more Canadians. A couple from Alberta. We managed to find a dorm for 10RM (3$). That night we went on a mission to find a "package" tour in the jungle. Not that we really wanted that, but it seemed the easiest way. We checked out a couple places and decided on one. Hans travel. Not a place I would recommend as the guy was not nice to deal with. When we went we were 5. Three groups. He was going to give us a deal for 5 but the last girl decided she didn't want to do it so the price went up. He tried to make the girl feel guilty about not going. As the 4 of us were discussing whether or not we wanted to spend the extra cash he apparently called the guid,e whom we had already met, to cancel. He was so rude to us and about the entire thing. We left not knowing what we would do then. On our way back to the guesthouse we saw the guy who was going to be our guide. We talked to him and apologised. Not sure who brought it up but we came to the decision he would take us on his own. Jungle Trek with an over night in a cave.
The next day the 4 of us ventured off with our bags. It was hot. We went to declare all of our belongings and headed up river by boat. An hour and a half later we started our 8 km trek through the leech infested jungle towards the cave. I have never sweat so much in my life. It was so hot and humid. This cave we stayed seconds as a shelter to the elephants during monsoon and sometimes to tigers. We set up camp and Badrul our trusty guide started a fire. We all chipped in to cook dinner, happy that it would eliminate some of the weight from our bags. Tom-yom soup, beef curry from a can and rice. Pretty good dinner I must say. Badrul lit candles all around the cave which made it look cool. Before bed we took a walk around the cave, saw bats and where the elephants had been. That night I slept like a baby. I did wake up at one point hearing voices talking about hearing sounds from differnt entrances/holes of the cave. I saw the fire wasn't really going though we were told as long as the fire was going the animals would stay away. The others did not get much sleep. They were all kept awake afraid of the sounds. The next morning we had breakfast, packed up and headed out. We stopped for lunch by the swimming hole where I would be able to jump in from the rope swing. Wait a minute...there wasn't much water to swim in let alone jump in to. After lunch we finished the rest of the sweaty 8km hike.
The following morning we were in another mini van. This time to the Perenthian Islands. Ezra and Lisa(Canadians) decided to join Marilyn and I. We got to the jetty and made it to the small island quite late afternoon. We managed to find accomodation quite easily though a little more high class than we were used. Had to pay for it too. But we had a good deal as the 4 of us shared a chalet suite. Nice place to relax and enjoy the sun and beach for 5 days.
After the island Mare and I rushed across the country on a night bus to Penang in order to catch a flight. We had one day in Penang and didn't see as much as we would have liked, but we did make it to a couple temples and didn't miss our flight.
Next stop, Kota Kinabalu. Arriving late at night we called to book a room. We got there about midnight and I wasn't overly impressed. Probably because I was wY over tired and just wanted to sleep. We checked out the city and attempted to go north though we didn't make it. Too many complications in transport. We went out to one of the islands offshore. It was nice though fairly busy. Enjoyed the many markets and the night food stalls.
May 2 we headed out to Mt. Kinabalu park. We had not planned to climb the mountain and stuck to it. It is actually really expensive to do. We did a 5 km hike up to where the climb to the top begins. It was good though the last portion was a bit challenging. We decided that the following day we would move on.
Breakfast and then to the side of the road to wait for a bus. In the mean time I made a sign for the next town. Within 5 minutes we were in a car on our way. A lovely businessman going to meet some clients. Talking to him about our plans he offered to drive us all the way to the Poring Hot Springs. Alright, works for us. Little did we realise it was about 18km further. It was really kind of him. They had a storage room and lockers for our stuff so we were able to enjoy without worrying. It was an interesting setup as the hot spring water is "too" hot. They have made a series of "open bath tubs" where you can fill it yourself adding cold water to make the temperature you like. Looked funny.
Leaving the hot springs back to town seemed a little bit challenging but we found some really kind people from Singapore who had a couple extra seats in their mini bus and a nice driver who took us back into town and dropped us at the bus stop for our next destination.
Orangutans here we come. One long bus ride and 10pm we make it to Sandakan. First hostel choice, closed. Second, good to go. The following morning we went to Sepilok, an orangutan rehabilitation centre. Saw them for the feeding in the morning. They are just so adorable. In the afternoon we got some food and tried to figure out out next adventure.
The following day, after much waiting and uncertainty we went to Turtle Island. It's about an hour by boat and we were accompanied by a couple lovely oldermen (1 Swiss 1 Belgian). There are 3 Malaysian islands where the turtles nest and we got to see it. Was quite interesting, though the "program" as they called it was not as good as I would have hoped for. Saw the turtle lay, them remove and bury the eggs and the hatchlings be released into the sea. Cool!
The next day we were off yet again. This time we were making our way to Sukau, along the Kinabantang river. Everywhere sells packaged tours but we did it on our own. First, bus the the junction where the road goes off to Sukau. When we got there they wanted to charge us 20RM each to town. We thought this was a lot so tried our luck with a sign. First try, bingo! We climbed into the back of the pickup and we were off. They said they were going only halfway but next thing we knew we were outside the guesthouse we had booked and they were asking where we were going. Some more nice people.
Afternoon and morning river cruises where we got to see proboscis monkeys. Google them! The morning cruise was my favourite. It reminded me of when I was a kid fishing with my dad early in the morning.
We got a "taxi" out to the junction by a man who seemed to have paralysed legs. He used a stick to accelerate and brake. On to the luxury bus to Semporna.
Here Marilyn was going to be diving. We stayed at a place offshore called Singamata. This gave me a place to swim and lay in the sun. 2 nights an then we moved into town. I was going to go snorkeling but decided to give diving a try. One dive.
Check back....time to board the plane to Thailand. Don't worry I will be careful in bangkok.
I met Marilyn in Hong Kong and flew to kuala lumpur. We spent our first couple days in KL. Checked out Chinatown, the Petronas towers and the Batu Caves. It was way to hot in the city. The first place we stayed was really nice but the "massage" place one floor down was not so nice. We also bumped in to a Canadian couple I met in India.
We stayed 2 days and had to get away from the city heat. Off to Cameron Highlands for some fresh air. We spent 2 nights here. Went and visited the Boh Tea plantation with a couple Canadian guys. We wanted to do a few other things but it rained in the afternoons.
Our next stop was Taman Negara...the jungle. In our min van we met yet more Canadians. A couple from Alberta. We managed to find a dorm for 10RM (3$). That night we went on a mission to find a "package" tour in the jungle. Not that we really wanted that, but it seemed the easiest way. We checked out a couple places and decided on one. Hans travel. Not a place I would recommend as the guy was not nice to deal with. When we went we were 5. Three groups. He was going to give us a deal for 5 but the last girl decided she didn't want to do it so the price went up. He tried to make the girl feel guilty about not going. As the 4 of us were discussing whether or not we wanted to spend the extra cash he apparently called the guid,e whom we had already met, to cancel. He was so rude to us and about the entire thing. We left not knowing what we would do then. On our way back to the guesthouse we saw the guy who was going to be our guide. We talked to him and apologised. Not sure who brought it up but we came to the decision he would take us on his own. Jungle Trek with an over night in a cave.
The next day the 4 of us ventured off with our bags. It was hot. We went to declare all of our belongings and headed up river by boat. An hour and a half later we started our 8 km trek through the leech infested jungle towards the cave. I have never sweat so much in my life. It was so hot and humid. This cave we stayed seconds as a shelter to the elephants during monsoon and sometimes to tigers. We set up camp and Badrul our trusty guide started a fire. We all chipped in to cook dinner, happy that it would eliminate some of the weight from our bags. Tom-yom soup, beef curry from a can and rice. Pretty good dinner I must say. Badrul lit candles all around the cave which made it look cool. Before bed we took a walk around the cave, saw bats and where the elephants had been. That night I slept like a baby. I did wake up at one point hearing voices talking about hearing sounds from differnt entrances/holes of the cave. I saw the fire wasn't really going though we were told as long as the fire was going the animals would stay away. The others did not get much sleep. They were all kept awake afraid of the sounds. The next morning we had breakfast, packed up and headed out. We stopped for lunch by the swimming hole where I would be able to jump in from the rope swing. Wait a minute...there wasn't much water to swim in let alone jump in to. After lunch we finished the rest of the sweaty 8km hike.
The following morning we were in another mini van. This time to the Perenthian Islands. Ezra and Lisa(Canadians) decided to join Marilyn and I. We got to the jetty and made it to the small island quite late afternoon. We managed to find accomodation quite easily though a little more high class than we were used. Had to pay for it too. But we had a good deal as the 4 of us shared a chalet suite. Nice place to relax and enjoy the sun and beach for 5 days.
After the island Mare and I rushed across the country on a night bus to Penang in order to catch a flight. We had one day in Penang and didn't see as much as we would have liked, but we did make it to a couple temples and didn't miss our flight.
Next stop, Kota Kinabalu. Arriving late at night we called to book a room. We got there about midnight and I wasn't overly impressed. Probably because I was wY over tired and just wanted to sleep. We checked out the city and attempted to go north though we didn't make it. Too many complications in transport. We went out to one of the islands offshore. It was nice though fairly busy. Enjoyed the many markets and the night food stalls.
May 2 we headed out to Mt. Kinabalu park. We had not planned to climb the mountain and stuck to it. It is actually really expensive to do. We did a 5 km hike up to where the climb to the top begins. It was good though the last portion was a bit challenging. We decided that the following day we would move on.
Breakfast and then to the side of the road to wait for a bus. In the mean time I made a sign for the next town. Within 5 minutes we were in a car on our way. A lovely businessman going to meet some clients. Talking to him about our plans he offered to drive us all the way to the Poring Hot Springs. Alright, works for us. Little did we realise it was about 18km further. It was really kind of him. They had a storage room and lockers for our stuff so we were able to enjoy without worrying. It was an interesting setup as the hot spring water is "too" hot. They have made a series of "open bath tubs" where you can fill it yourself adding cold water to make the temperature you like. Looked funny.
Leaving the hot springs back to town seemed a little bit challenging but we found some really kind people from Singapore who had a couple extra seats in their mini bus and a nice driver who took us back into town and dropped us at the bus stop for our next destination.
Orangutans here we come. One long bus ride and 10pm we make it to Sandakan. First hostel choice, closed. Second, good to go. The following morning we went to Sepilok, an orangutan rehabilitation centre. Saw them for the feeding in the morning. They are just so adorable. In the afternoon we got some food and tried to figure out out next adventure.
The following day, after much waiting and uncertainty we went to Turtle Island. It's about an hour by boat and we were accompanied by a couple lovely oldermen (1 Swiss 1 Belgian). There are 3 Malaysian islands where the turtles nest and we got to see it. Was quite interesting, though the "program" as they called it was not as good as I would have hoped for. Saw the turtle lay, them remove and bury the eggs and the hatchlings be released into the sea. Cool!
The next day we were off yet again. This time we were making our way to Sukau, along the Kinabantang river. Everywhere sells packaged tours but we did it on our own. First, bus the the junction where the road goes off to Sukau. When we got there they wanted to charge us 20RM each to town. We thought this was a lot so tried our luck with a sign. First try, bingo! We climbed into the back of the pickup and we were off. They said they were going only halfway but next thing we knew we were outside the guesthouse we had booked and they were asking where we were going. Some more nice people.
Afternoon and morning river cruises where we got to see proboscis monkeys. Google them! The morning cruise was my favourite. It reminded me of when I was a kid fishing with my dad early in the morning.
We got a "taxi" out to the junction by a man who seemed to have paralysed legs. He used a stick to accelerate and brake. On to the luxury bus to Semporna.
Here Marilyn was going to be diving. We stayed at a place offshore called Singamata. This gave me a place to swim and lay in the sun. 2 nights an then we moved into town. I was going to go snorkeling but decided to give diving a try. One dive.
Check back....time to board the plane to Thailand. Don't worry I will be careful in bangkok.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Indian finale......finally
.
Well, back to India. In jaisalmer I did a 2 day 1 night camel safari. I did it with 2 couples. One being the English couple I was traveling with and a French couple staying at our hotel. It was good fun. Lots of laughs though hot as anything. The camel driver subsequently fell for me. Nice cute boy. But camel driver who had aspired to be one for years.
After Jaisalmer we headed to Johdpur where we only stayed one day. Anna and I checked out the fort which was nice but didn't get to do too much else.
From here we made our way on a night bus to Udaipur. This is where Octopussy was filmed. We arrived early, around 6 I think at a guesthouse we had called. Upon arrival we realized the place wasn't that great. Adam and I left Anna with our stuff and went to check out some other places. When we got back we ended up leaving for somewhere else. Good thing because the guy there was a jerk. Anna and I , again did more sightseeing than Adam. They headed out after a couple days to Goa and I ended up staying in Udaipur for another day with a retired man, John, traveling from the stats.
From here I made my way with John to Mt. Abu, a hill station in the south of Rajasthan. I don't know what I was expecting but not really what I had found. That was ok though. Did a couple short walks/hikes before catching a LONG bus to Amedhabad where I was going to catch a flight to Goa. I met a few nice and helpful people though did have one man stare at me for about 2 hours until I said screw the heat and put my scarf over my entire head. When I got of the bus I got an auto into town. Has an argument with the driver because he spoke no English and I thought he was trying to charge me 3 times the rate. Had him come into the guesthouse and got things straightened out. Paid, got a room, Internet and bank. I asked the hotel man where i could eat. Said I was craving pizza. He suggested a place called pinkie pizza so I ventured out to find it. I found the people here so friendly and genuine. Not out to rip you off, though the city doesn't have too much to offer. I eventually found the little hole in the wall known as Pinkie Pizza where I managed to get some food. Not pizza mind you, but filled the spot. Also got a couple little "bags" of water in which you just rip off a corner and drink it. I figured it I wad to be sick that night, I would know why. I took a photo of the lovely men working there. Just very sweet and helpful. The next morning I was off to the airport. I decided to take the local bus and save some cash. Everyone in the street seemed against me in the start telling me to take an auto, but I said no. When the bus came I almost abandoned the idea but the ticket man knew where I was going so on I got. A little bit later a couple and little girl got on. The little girl kept staring at me And when I'd smile at her she turned away. I dug through my bag and found a quarter for her telling her "das(10) roupees". She put it in her pocket without even looking at it. It wasn't till others around asked that she took it out and passed it around. People would get on the bus and shake my hand. It was an amazing day. When we got about 1 km from the airport I was told I needed to get off. The woman and little girl got off too and offered me chai. So we went across the street had q chai and then they accompanied me to the airport in an auto which they insisted on paying. I took a photo of them before making my way to the terminal. Waved goodbye and walked inside. My photo confirmed my thoughts that this little girl was downsyndrome. Sweet as anything.
Off to Goa.
I was going to meet up with Anna and Adam very briefly on Palolem. This beach is a little over an hour by taxi. I was lucky to find 3 others going to roughly the same area to share.
Goa! Anna and Adam introduced me to some people they knew there which was great. I met some really amazing people. I did have a bit of a hard time at the start and Anna told me to go back to Hare Krishna Hare Rama bar where the I had met the staff who were all great.
I made mt way there the next day and spent the rest of my time in Palolem there. I met a great German woman, Abbie, that I ended spending a lit of my time with. She and I had a great time. Can't wait to see her again. I would have liked to gone off and done more things but that will have to wait for next time. I spent my birthday here which was really nice. Abbie was there for dinner and Flower(another friend) came out for a drink. A group of English I had met were there. The boys at the restaurant had got me a cake and sang happy birthday. One of the guys got me a gift. It really was a special day. I played a game with the English called "wet head" which was a lot of fun. Then we headed to the "all night" bar. It was a really nice time.
I had a blast I goa. Met some amazing people both tourists and locals/workers.
I headed out to Bangalore on a night bus on April 12 to catch my flight. The chapter on India was sadly ending, but it's not finished yet. The night bus was long and sad and extremely bumpy as I had a sleeper at the very back. Luckily inwas sharing with a young Indian girl.
In Bangalore I just walked around a bit. Found some bookstores and chilled. Met an odd Indian man just to finish off the country right. Off to the airport and on to the next destination.
Well, back to India. In jaisalmer I did a 2 day 1 night camel safari. I did it with 2 couples. One being the English couple I was traveling with and a French couple staying at our hotel. It was good fun. Lots of laughs though hot as anything. The camel driver subsequently fell for me. Nice cute boy. But camel driver who had aspired to be one for years.
After Jaisalmer we headed to Johdpur where we only stayed one day. Anna and I checked out the fort which was nice but didn't get to do too much else.
From here we made our way on a night bus to Udaipur. This is where Octopussy was filmed. We arrived early, around 6 I think at a guesthouse we had called. Upon arrival we realized the place wasn't that great. Adam and I left Anna with our stuff and went to check out some other places. When we got back we ended up leaving for somewhere else. Good thing because the guy there was a jerk. Anna and I , again did more sightseeing than Adam. They headed out after a couple days to Goa and I ended up staying in Udaipur for another day with a retired man, John, traveling from the stats.
From here I made my way with John to Mt. Abu, a hill station in the south of Rajasthan. I don't know what I was expecting but not really what I had found. That was ok though. Did a couple short walks/hikes before catching a LONG bus to Amedhabad where I was going to catch a flight to Goa. I met a few nice and helpful people though did have one man stare at me for about 2 hours until I said screw the heat and put my scarf over my entire head. When I got of the bus I got an auto into town. Has an argument with the driver because he spoke no English and I thought he was trying to charge me 3 times the rate. Had him come into the guesthouse and got things straightened out. Paid, got a room, Internet and bank. I asked the hotel man where i could eat. Said I was craving pizza. He suggested a place called pinkie pizza so I ventured out to find it. I found the people here so friendly and genuine. Not out to rip you off, though the city doesn't have too much to offer. I eventually found the little hole in the wall known as Pinkie Pizza where I managed to get some food. Not pizza mind you, but filled the spot. Also got a couple little "bags" of water in which you just rip off a corner and drink it. I figured it I wad to be sick that night, I would know why. I took a photo of the lovely men working there. Just very sweet and helpful. The next morning I was off to the airport. I decided to take the local bus and save some cash. Everyone in the street seemed against me in the start telling me to take an auto, but I said no. When the bus came I almost abandoned the idea but the ticket man knew where I was going so on I got. A little bit later a couple and little girl got on. The little girl kept staring at me And when I'd smile at her she turned away. I dug through my bag and found a quarter for her telling her "das(10) roupees". She put it in her pocket without even looking at it. It wasn't till others around asked that she took it out and passed it around. People would get on the bus and shake my hand. It was an amazing day. When we got about 1 km from the airport I was told I needed to get off. The woman and little girl got off too and offered me chai. So we went across the street had q chai and then they accompanied me to the airport in an auto which they insisted on paying. I took a photo of them before making my way to the terminal. Waved goodbye and walked inside. My photo confirmed my thoughts that this little girl was downsyndrome. Sweet as anything.
Off to Goa.
I was going to meet up with Anna and Adam very briefly on Palolem. This beach is a little over an hour by taxi. I was lucky to find 3 others going to roughly the same area to share.
Goa! Anna and Adam introduced me to some people they knew there which was great. I met some really amazing people. I did have a bit of a hard time at the start and Anna told me to go back to Hare Krishna Hare Rama bar where the I had met the staff who were all great.
I made mt way there the next day and spent the rest of my time in Palolem there. I met a great German woman, Abbie, that I ended spending a lit of my time with. She and I had a great time. Can't wait to see her again. I would have liked to gone off and done more things but that will have to wait for next time. I spent my birthday here which was really nice. Abbie was there for dinner and Flower(another friend) came out for a drink. A group of English I had met were there. The boys at the restaurant had got me a cake and sang happy birthday. One of the guys got me a gift. It really was a special day. I played a game with the English called "wet head" which was a lot of fun. Then we headed to the "all night" bar. It was a really nice time.
I had a blast I goa. Met some amazing people both tourists and locals/workers.
I headed out to Bangalore on a night bus on April 12 to catch my flight. The chapter on India was sadly ending, but it's not finished yet. The night bus was long and sad and extremely bumpy as I had a sleeper at the very back. Luckily inwas sharing with a young Indian girl.
In Bangalore I just walked around a bit. Found some bookstores and chilled. Met an odd Indian man just to finish off the country right. Off to the airport and on to the next destination.
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