Quiz time! What is the BIGGEST indicator in the following photo that drinking this beverage is an extremely bad idea?
Golden Hammer
a) The price (less than $2 CDN)
b) The name
c) The 45% alcohol
d) The +/- signs indicating that this is an approximation
e) Other – please comment
Posted in Uncategorized
Quiz time! What is the BIGGEST indicator in the following photo that drinking this beverage is an extremely bad idea?
Golden Hammer
a) The price (less than $2 CDN)
b) The name
c) The 45% alcohol
d) The +/- signs indicating that this is an approximation
e) Other – please comment
Posted in Uncategorized
…but worth every step and every penny.
Sunrise from Mt Kinabalu Summit
Well, it was worth every step UP. The trek down took me just as long as the trek up because I hyperextended one of my knees at the top and took 5 hours to hobble down the mountain like a little old lady. I am recovering in Semporna, gateway to the world-class diving at Sipidan Island!
Posted in Uncategorized
At least I do post some pictures once in a while. Here are the highlights:
January 21-January 31: Various Islands in the Andaman Sea, Southern Thailand
From Ko Mook, the cheapest route to Ko Lanta was something called a “tour ferry” – which turned out to be a day-long snorkeling tour of the surrounding islands and reefs. It was an excellent way to check out which islands I wanted to come back to! I met Laura from Scotland on Ko Mook, and we traveled together throughout the islands, and laughed until our stomach muscles hurt on more than one occasion. I got to dive at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, some of the best sites in the area, and saw a sea turtle! We went to Muai Thai match, and saw four-year-olds punch each other! (We also saw a guy from Sweden KO a guy from Thailand, he wasn’t very popular.) We did a day trip to Phi Phi island from Ko Lanta, and it was very depressing: mother nature is still there, being as splendid as can be, in the middle of human destruction and waste. The place smells like a latrine, it is strewn with garbage, and I was so glad we were only there for a day tour. I have since heard from other tourists if you get away from the main beach it is okay, though. The snorkeling WAS amazing, and I saw barracuda and giant pufferfish – both of which I’d only ever seen diving, not snorkeling.
Heading back down south from Ko Lanta, we somehow ended up ‘stranded’ on Ko Ngai at the pier where only one rather pricey accommodation offer existed; we managed to bargain them down to a reasonable price and bore our suffering at a swanky seaside resort with dignity, at the pool, cocktails in hand.
One of the islands was my favorite place on earth, ever. I say this with confidence: I will never find a place I love more. There are colors that only exist in nature in this one place. Walking out through the impossibly clear, shallow waters about 100m from the beach, I found the most pristine reef I have seen, extending for kilometers in either direction along the beach. This is why I will refer to it only as Ko X: I can’t bear the thought of this paradise being destroyed, overrun, like Phi Phi. It’s not an island that belongs on a blog. It still doesn’t even seem real.
Feb 1 – Feb 6: Cameron Highlands and Teman Negara
If I felt let down by the Cameron Highlands, it might not entirely be the Cameron Highlands’ fault. I had just left Ko X, and I wish I’d stayed at least one more day. Also, I didn’t know what to expect. I had read the guidebook blurbs, but what is a “hill station”? Something British, I suppose, since they apparently called it that. How cool is “refreshingly cool”?
I will list some characteristics of the Cameron Highlands. Where does this remind you of?
Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen! You can fly across the globe to the famous Cameron Highlands, OR you can take the short route and go to Brentwood Bay, BC! The corn AND the strawberries are better in BC, by the way. Harrumph.
Luckily Taman Negara National Park lived up to expectations much better. My expectations were: Jungle Jungle Jungle. We spent three days and two nights trekking through the oldest rain forest on earth: 130 million years old. There were leeches and we slept in a cave where we’d found lots of creepy crawly bugs and a giant toad and the next night we slept in a jungle hide to watch animals at a nearby salt lick and we visited two different Orang Asli villages, the indigenous nomadic people who hunt with blow darts made with poison from trees. It was COOL. And Jungly. Some people were disappointed that we didn’t see any big animals (there are tigers and elephants and tapirs in the park) but…I was completely satisfied with my Jungle experience.
After all this time in the woods, I didn’t really feel like going to a big city, so I was surprised when I really, really liked “KL”. It is flashy and sexy with lots of money and clean, organized streets and public transportation options. It still retains lots of Asian flavor though, and there are great food options everywhere. The Aquarium in the famous Petronas twin towers was a highlight for me, with its moving walkway though a ‘living ocean’ full of sharks, rays and giant fish.
It just so happened that I was in KL for Thaipusam, a Hindu festival I had never heard of. Other travelers had planned their entire trip around being in KL for this event. Devotees carry burdens called kavadi or pierce their skin with hooks or skewers during a pilgrimage from KL to the Batu caves about 15 km outside of town, in fulfillment of a vow. They are usually in a trance state, so they maintain they can’t feel any of the things they do to themselves – and also, they don’t bleed. There are 1.3 million people gathered at the caves. I went. I saw. There are no words.
I have some pictures and video posted. If you’re the kind of person who likes to see these things, click on the photo below!
My reaction to Thaipusam
For the record, I didn’t see anyone bleeding. The red color on some people’s tongues is betel nut juice, I think. – some kind of juice I saw people putting in their mouths.
I am now in Kota Kinabalu, setting out to hike Mount Kinabalu the day after tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Posted in Uncategorized
It was getting dark, and I was getting worried. I’d booked the guesthouse I was trying to find ahead of time, thinking it would save trouble once I arrived on the tiny island of Ko Mook, about 45 minutes from the mainland. I hadn’t anticipated that the guesthouse would be a twenty minute walk from the beach. The trail I’d been pointed at had shrunk to a dirt track, and everyone I’d encountered so far had frowned when I mentioned Ko Mook Garden Resort. “Is far!” they’d said.
“About 20 minutes?” I’d asked, quoting the time I’d been given when I’d set out from the beach. Each one had nodded. Since I’d already been walking for 10 or 15 minutes in each case, this was not reassuring.
The path ended at a muddy beach half-covered in mangroves. Several fishing boats lay on the muddy tidal flats and a ramshackle fishing village lay strewn across the shore. No one seemed to be around, except a small boy, around ten, who was fixing a broken boat near what appeared to be another path leading along the beach. I walked up to him, startling him from his work.
“Sawadee Ka! Ko Mook Garden Resort?” I said, pointing at the path. He nodded yes. “Ko.. Mook..Garden?” I said again, to be sure. He nodded again. And so I set off on the new path.
In retrospect, the boy had nodded much like you would nod if an alien showed up in front of you and said, “Garble Schnarble Blat?”. So perhaps I did place a little to much faith in his answer.
After another grueling 10 minutes ( I still had my backpack and all my bags), I had doubts the path. There was a barbed-wire fence running along side me, and the ‘beach’ on the other side had turned into a dense mangrove swamp. When then trail turned into a bridge over said swamp, and then the bridge turned into a collection of driftwood haphazardly nailed together, I finally admitted that the probability that I was on the right road to a tourist resort was close to nil. But turning back was so DEPRESSING. It had been a LONG way since the only real fork in the road, where I’d chosen so unwisely.
From behind the dense brush on the other side of the barbed wire fence, I could hear noises – people noises. The sounds of motorbikes, and people laughing. How frustrating would it be if the resort was just across the fence? But I didn’t really want to deal with barbed wire, not with all my bags. Then I saw it – a faint path to the fence, and a place where the barbed wire had been bent down, so it was easy to step over it! There was even a path beyond the fence…if this was the right place, I would save oodles of time.
Once over the fence, I realized I was in the ‘swamp’ scene from the NeverEnding Story – the mangrove swamp was dark and spooky right at twilight, and I actually giggled with delight. My mood quickly faded as I stepped onto what I thought was the trail. To be fair, the mud did NOT look as sinky or goopy as it actually was, but in any case, navigating a muddy swamp, with my backpack on, arms loaded with bags, in flipflops, was ill-advised. My first step, I sunk in past my knee. I was two steps in when I realized that my flipflop was NOT going to come up with my foot. As my flipflops have become one of my most prized possessions on this trip, giving them up was NOT an option. I thought if I CAREFULLY put down one of my bags, it would perhaps be too light to sink into the muck…
The purse did only sink in about half-way, allowing me time to reach around and dig, shoulder-deep in muck, for the missing flipflop. I managed to get the other foot up and remove the second flipflop without the same drama. I floundered barefoot, mucky shoes and mucky purse in mucky hand, to the other side. Finally on solid ground again, I tried in vain to put my shoes back on, but they were so slippery that they were useless. The goop was thick and black and and not very pleasant-smelling at all. Still barefoot, I stumbled over tree roots towards the clearing I could spot through the trees, into the light.
I was standing in a garbage dump.
At this point I decided no matter HOW slippery, I had to use the flipflops, or risk cutting myself on something sharp or metal or gangrene-inducing.
The Thai people in the village reacted pretty much as you’d expect a group of Thai people to react to the sight of a white woman with a backpack on emerging from their trash heap covered head to toe in foul-smelling black sludge, teetering precariously on her slippery flipflops as if they were 4-inch heels.
It sounded pretty much like this:
“Something something something farang! Farang something something! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH”
As much fun as it was being the butt of the joke in foreign language, I was VERY grateful when a Thai grandmother offered me a bucket of water to wash off with and sent her husband off to get his motorbike so he could bring me around to the Ko Mook Garden Resort. Which was miles away, in a completely different direction.
Like most things that are hard to get to and harder to find, Ko Mook and the resort here are worth the trouble, though and through. Somehow I have scored an upgrade from a bamboo bungalow to ‘real’ room (with walls and everything!) for the same price. The beaches here are, once again, gorgeous and pristine, with only a few resorts on each beach and ample white sand for suntanning, beach volleyball or relaxing with a drink at one of the beach bars – they almost look like he driftwood washed ashore in the shape of a bar. While Ko Lipe had more nightlife, and Ko Tarutao, where I camped last night, had none, Ko Mook feels just right if you want to get away from it all but still want to see a few people around occasionally.
I said I wouldn't swim to any more islands, but this islet off Ko Lipe was named "Ko PollyIfYouDontSwimHereYouAreATotalWuss"! Not a word of a lie...
PIRATE ALERT!
Pictures of camping at Ko Tarutao, an island that used to be a penal colony. It was chosen since the surrounding waters were full of sharks and crocodiles. During WWII the prisoners and guards revolted when supplies stopped making it to the island, and started pilfering passing cargo ships. Finding more than they’d ever dreamed aboard the ships, they became pirates, and the waters around Tarutao were soon the most feared in the Malacca Straights. Just to add to the piratey goodness, there is even a Crocodile Cave (unfortunately no longer inhabited by crocodiles – or pirates.)
Posted in Uncategorized
The last few weeks have been great fun, except the part where Jack had to head home, which was of course very sad. We had such a great time exploring Ko Chang and relaxing there on the various beaches, but a few days after New Years the weather turned somewhat sour and we decided to head back to Bangkok.
The few days I had left with Jack were spent exploring some parts of Bangkok that we hadn’t seen yet, visiting with some of Jack’s family that was in town to meet Taius, his cousin Dave’s brand new addition to the clan, and getting some chores done. Chores included shopping for a few presents for people back home, and finding out about my camera – which was quoted at $500 to fix!! Since the camera cost less than that originally, it’s been packaged up and sent home, and we’ll deal with it through the warranty. In the meantime, we managed to find a relatively cheap Sony digital camera that will do the job – and so PollyCam2 is up and running. (See photo link at the top of this post!)
Jack left on the 7th, and since new Thai immigration rules only give foreigners who arrive overland from neighboring countries 15 days in the country without a visa (instead of the usual 30 days), I had to be out of Thailand by January 10th. I found a flight to Malaysia and decided leaving on the same day as Jack would be less depressing than kicking around Bangkok by myself for a few days! So we headed to the airport and flew out within hours of each other.
I flew to Georgetown on Penang Island, one of the oldest British outposts in South East Asia, and a frequently-used immigration-office stop for foreigners renewing or getting visas to Thailand. I had my first unfortunate run-in with bed bugs at the first hostel I stayed at – I vainly tried to mummify myself in my sleep sack as they scurried around the room and onto my mattress! I probably wouldn’t have slept a wink anyway, but then for extra measure, a club a few doors down started up around midnight. Apparently there are clubs in Malaysia that play one song all night! And that song is called, “Firing a Gatling Gun Inside a Trash Can”! And these clubs do not close before 5am! I got at least 45 minutes of napping (the bedbugs clapped with glee and swarmed me as I slept, I’m sure) before the morning call to prayer, which was so loud I actually thought it was happening IN MY HEAD.
One very grumpy hostel-change later, I napped most of the day away blissfully while my Thai visa was being processed – you can apply in the morning and get you passport back that afternoon. For about $40 you can get a 60-day single-entry visa to Thailand; sure beats having to find a border crossing every 15 days while you are vacationing!
I wandered the streets of Georgetown and admired the old colonial buildings, many of which have been beautifully restored, and made it out to the New World Park to sample some Malaysian food, on a friend’s recommendation (thanks for the tip Megan!) I considered spending another day there, as there were enough old buildings and forts to explore, but the beaches of Langkawi were calling to me, so I headed off on ferry the next morning.
Pulau Langkawi is duty-free island in the very north-west of Malaysia, on the border with Thailand. Many Malaysians, as well as people from neighboring nations, vacation here as the beaches are beautiful and the tax-free prices keep the beer prices down. It was the first time on this trip that I have been able to afford wine so I had a glass each night! I was lucky to get the last dorm bed available at Gecko Guesthouse when I arrived. I had intended to stay two nights on Langkawi and ended up staying for five nights; it really is an excellent place. It helped that I met a great gang fun of people at the hostel! Since everyone is on vacation, a party mood prevails wherever you go. My first day there a group of people beside me at the beach asked if I’d like to join them; some of them were Malaysians from Kuala Lampur and we went out for dinner for some really excellent local food. The next day I did a boat tour of several of the surrounding islands and met three girls from Finland who are on vacation; we ended up meeting for drinks that night, and one drink turned into several as we danced in the sand at a Reggae beach bar under a full moon. The party then moved on to a local dance club, and time always flies for me when I’m dancing – next thing I knew, the place was closing and it was 3:30am. The next few days were spent leisurely either at the beach, or back at the Gecko, where the gang played cards, watched movies, or harassed some of the many kittens inhabiting the guesthouse with us. I did accomplish one goal I’ve had for this trip all along: I swam to a deserted island. An island about 800 – 1000m offshore of Cenang beach looked easily reachable, but I was glad when another tourist, a Dutch waterpolo player, volunteered to come swim it with me. Especially when we got about 300m away from the island and the currents seemed to keep us in the same spot for WAY too long! We did finally make it to the shore after nearly an hour. A couple met us on the beach – they’d taken a boat over to the island and volunteered a ride back. It seemed a much safer option – don’t worry mom, I’ve done it once now, so I won’t be attempting things like that again!
Life is Hard on Pulau Langkawi
The island in the left corner of the picture above is the one I swam to!
Langkawi does have more than just some beautiful beaches to offer; my last day there I rented a scooter and went to check out the cable car to the highest point on the island. Unfortunately it was closed due to high winds, so I went to check out a nearby waterfall. The steep climb up was a wakeup call – I’ve been lying on the beach for a while! The pools at the top and the bottom of the falls were worth it though – very reminiscent of the Sooke Potholes near Victoria.
I am now in Thailand; the one -hour speedboat trip from Pulau Langkawi to Koh Lipe this morning was a bit harrowing at times, as the winds have been quite strong. They haven’t seemed to have affected the clarity of the water though – we were all gasping with delight as the boat turned the corner into the harbour of Pattaya beach this morning, the largest beach on Koh Lipe. The water is the most unbelievable color, and you can see straight through to the bottom even when it’s 20 feet deep! As soon as I’d found a place to stay I rushed out to book a scuba diving trip for tomorrow. We’ll spend the day exploring Ko Tarutao National Park, a pristine underwater haven. I was going to stay two nights – already I’m predicting it will be more. My plans from here are to keep moving up the west coast, island-hopping my way to Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi, then crossing over to the eastern gulf for some diving in Ko Tao. There is a yoga and meditation center I would like to visit in Ko Pha Ngan, south of Ko Tao, and then I plan to spend a few days in Ko Samui if I can time it right with the infamous full moon party held on Ko Pha Ngang (I plan to take a boat over to the party from Ko Samui.) Then it will be back down to Malaysia, to check out Borneo and climb Kota Kinabalu before hopefully getting some diving in on the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia (currently in the throes of monsoon season). Bali, Australia, South Pacific and New Zealand to follow…I can’t believe one third of the trip is over already!
Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe
Posted in Uncategorized
The music pumping from the speakers set up on the beach is slowly drawing the crowd out, now that the fire-dancing show has ended. The fireworks that have been going off sporadically over our heads in the night sky are complimented by the occasional roman candle – a dark muscled man with no shirt points his out over the ocean, and a slow stream of sparks shoots out the end, each one flaring before going out.
“Look, he looks like Harry Potter!” I giggle.
“Wow,” says Jack, smiling. “You’re drunk!”
He’s maybe half-right. Maybe just one more bucket of Malibu & pineapple juice before we head out to the dance floor…
Dancing on Lonely Beach
More photo updates:
Ko Chang, Thailand: We spent Dec 27th – January 4th on the idyllic island of Ko Chang, which many people have told us is one of the nicest islands in Thailand. For for big resorts and all the conveniences of home, White Sand Beach is the most developed; for laid-back backpacker-style resorts of bamboo huts on the beach, Lonely Beach was the place to go. We also took motor scooters around the island to remote Long Beach for some swimming and snorkeling with almost no one else around; there is only one guesthouse, and power only runs in the evenings from 6pm to 11pm.
Posted in Uncategorized
