Three days in Ubud turned into a nice getaway from the heat and nightmare place that is Kuta. It was by far the most i have been hassled by touts anywhere on my trip and after a month in australia with none of that it was a shock to the system.
Ubud is a pleasant enough town situated in the volcanic foothills of Bali, set amongst what seems like endless scenic rice terraces. It is also the artistic centre of Bali attracting many artists from all around Indonesia. My real problem at this point in time is space, i have very little of it and there is increasingly less ways i can rearrange my bags to fit within baggage restrictions. This trip has revealed my intense weakness for buying art and i should have realised in retrospect that Ubud wasn't the best place to go in my position. In three days i wrestled with my conciense and in a way i successfully escaped with only one more painting to squeeze in. There are some seriously impressive pieces on show and for between 10-100 quid a pop it is seriously hard to resist.
With only ten days to spend on Bali i had to move on and the next port of call was Toya Bungkah a small town inside the crater of Gunung Batur. This is the second highest point of Bali and is truly stunning. The road and several villages rest precariously on the rim of the volcano and down below lies the town of Toya and the beautiful lake. Then within this crater is another volcano which is the summit. I headed here eager to get some more hiking in before returning home and a steamy active volcano seemed just the ticket. Before this i had another slightly more unwelcome challenge to overcome. I had rented a scooter to get around Bali as the island is pretty small, but this brought me face to face with the islands incredibly corrupt and such a pain in the ass police force. Knowing full well that tourists don't have the correct paperwork they seem to have taken it on themselves to dent Balis image and extort money. So as i approach the crater rim my heart fell as a police road block waves we over. Shit shit shit. I had spoken to some people in Ubud who had been had for 100 quid which was not an option for me or even within remotely reasonable realms so i awaited what they said. Predictably they say you do not have an international license which is true (the uk one does not count in Indonesia) so i just keep saying, no my license is fine over and over again like a stuck record hoping they will just let me go. Not to be outdone he calls the boss over and same story is repeated to him, then an unexpected turn he asks what is is in the tube i am carrying. I explain it is a painting, then he says you are an art student, yep i reply not knowing where it is going. Then prove i am a student i pull out the bedraggled and long since expired card i carry all the while trying to hide the money just taken from the ATM earlier. I think the student ploy was good as they said so you are poor and yes that is now very much true thanks to Australia and with a smile that seemed to say you are not going to be so lucky next time he let me go. So so happy but it just meant that i had to ride looking out for police more than anything else and although twice more i was waved at i just floored it with the plan of playing ignorant and they never pursued. It really is annoying though, in Vietnam despite being there for a month and breaking so many road rules we didn't have a single issue. But Indonesia as a whole is not quite as welcoming or accommodating as some of the other places i have been to.
When you do a trip like mine you cant always be in a country during the dry season and so it is with Indonesia. January is the wettest month and up until Gunung Batur no rain although this was unlikely to last. I took the initiative and climbed while the weather was fine and it was a great hike up through the pine forest and over the lava fields to the summit. I had been given an egg by the lady at the home stay but after putting it in a steaming vent to cook i dropped it over the edge as it was a lot hotter than expected. Not too big a disappointment as i would rather the egg than me. There really wasn't much else to do in the crater apart from drive up and down the windy road pretending to be Valentino Rossi and even that after a while lost its thrill. So off to do some snorkeling in Amed.
The weather by now had turned and in torrential rain i headed off for the three hour drive over two volcanoes to the coast. On the way i stopped off at the Besakih temple complex the holiest site on Bali which was full of worshipers as it was the full moon that day. The rain meant i couldn't really hang around but fortunately by the time i reached Amed the sun was out and wow what a place. The beach is black sand and due to the time of year pretty much deserted making for some tasty deals on beach front bungalows. I really enjoyed it snorkeling on the amazing reef in the bay with all sorts of colourful fish and then an early morning fishing trip. I managed to extend my run of never having caught anything ever and instead had to make do with watching a school of dolphins swimming around us and then jumping ahead of the boat. Amazing stuff. The guy who took me fishing i think felt pitty and gave me some fish he had caught which the lady at the bungalows turned into the most incredible fish lunch i have ever had. Indonesian food might have little variety but if you like fish there is no better.
My flight left the next day so i split the journey back to Kuta with a stop over in Padang Bai. The town was pleasant enough for the evening but the road on the east coast of the island was phenomenal and the real draw. Like the great ocean roads of California and Australia but designed for bikes. Windy, up and down with amazing views so much fun. More than confirming my need for a bike license when i return. I had six hours to kill till my flight and there was a huge power outage so i headed to the airport just to get some air con and max out Starbucks free wifi. The heat in Kuta that day was like nothing i have ever felt before, so hot and humid you feel sick and cant breathe. Plus i had 23 kilos of luggage hanging off me. Cant wait to be rid of it soon.
Bali might not be my favourite of places and sometimes it is a bit of a tourist trap but i would recommend it if anyone wants a taste of Asia with all the trimmings. And the east coast is stunning and would be a highlight of any trip.
10 days in Bali down and then a flight to the north of Sulawesi and hopefully a bit more adventure. Touching down in Manado at midnight was a massive pain especially as all the hotels were full leaving me with the hotel Celebes. Not bad location i thought next to the harbour, that was until the morning fish market started at 5.30am. Great stuff. What took the cake is that i had to stay two nights as being a small christian enclave in Indonesia nothing runs on a Sunday. From Manado on many peoples recommendation i headed out to Pulau Bunakan which is rated as one of the top 10 places to dive in the world. And i can see why. Not being a diver i satisfied myself purely with snorkeling. Lorenzos bungalows was quality and had a great vibe and some really nice people with whom i shared a boat out onto the reef. It was such incredible snorkeling we stayed alot longer than i had planned and my back was thoroughly cooked by the time we returned. The disappointment of Australia was completely forgotten. The reef stretches 100m or so off shore before there is a deep sea dropoff that attracts barracuda, sharks and many other things besides. We saw so many turtles it was getting ridiculous. Two days of that was wonderful and im so glad i got over my slight fear of being swept away in the fairly strong currents and took the plunge. Again pushed for time as i always seem to be yesterday i grabbed a bus on a wild ride through the dark forest and mountains in the north of the island to Gorontalo to get the ferry to the Togian islands. This is something i have looked forward to for nearly a year. Its a tropical paradise national park, with wildlife teeming both onland and offshore and i cant wait to get back in the water. Never ever thought i would say that.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Australia - Melbourne to Brisvegas
Following on from our Christmas day on St Kilda beach, I had the opportunity to do something i had dreamed of doing for quite a while. Go to the ashes in Australia. This is basically one of the most important things i had in mind before i left home and was a fixed date in the calendar. I was a bit gutted that i didn't see any cricket in Perth but our change of plan was definitely the best decision. So boxing day, early doors we headed to the MCG with most of the other residents at the hostel and what seemed like half of Melbourne. 85,000 people at a cricket match is essentially unheard of and walking into the stadium you really did feel butterflies. And so much more was to come. By midday with the Australian batting line up in a complete shambles things couldn't be better. Never did i dream i would see their entire innings and see England bat all in one day. I have just been chatting to an Australian couple over dinner and its nice to be able to give someone else stick about their national team. All in all it was an excellent time to be a Pomme down under.
Next day was another must do for any self respecting English person and a trip to the neighbours night to meet the cast. Despite how corny i was expecting it to be it was kind of cool. We went with Tom and Paul two guys we met on Christmas day and it turned into a really fun evening of which i have very little recollection. I have the photo and signature evidence of meeting Dr. Karl Kennedy, and also the very lovely Sky Mangle. It turns out Dillon, Stingray and Boyd all live together so they were all there as well. Normally Karls band plays but for some reason he didn't that night which was a bit annoying but the rest of it was great although we definitely were cheated out of the trivia prize. Next day was a bit of a mission though trooping around Ramsay street and some other parts of the neighbours set with a massive hangover. It was ok but the street is nothing like i expected, its really small in real life and just a normal residential street. The tour was pretty short so we managed to get to the cricket again for midday and see us rub salt in the wounds and take another 7 Australian wickets. Immense
That was pretty much it for Melbourne apart from seeing the penguins in the harbour. Melbourne without a shadow of a doubt is the best city i have ever been to, no word of a lie although Sydney does run it close. If i don't end up back there someday i will be very disappointed.
Next up Sydney for the most iconic new years imaginable. For this special occasion Jon and I were joined by Jamie who had managed to leave the arctic conditions of the UK and join us for a couple of weeks. Sydney like Melbourne is great, and we were blessed with the most perfect weather you could hope for. Seeing the opera house and bridge were must do's of course but the real reason as i said before was the fireworks and new years party. Most places fill up fast and we kind of left it a little late but we joined Tom and Paul headed to the only free patch of ground in a tiny little park with about 1,000 others. Quite a few beers later the 10 hours or so of waiting went by fairly quickly and although it wasn't the best view it was definitely the best new years i have ever had. Nicely followed up the next day by a trip to the world famous Bondi beach to soak up some rays and sleep off the after effects from the night before. Bondi was rammed but the good feeling abounded and it was a really pleasant way to spend any day.
Three days in Sydney was pretty much it and saying goodbye far too quickly for what i would have liked we flew to Cairns in the north of Queensland. It was here that we had to amend our plans as the flooding had cut the roads between us and Brisbane as well as the access points to Fraser island. This was gutting to be completely honest as this was the number 1 thing everybody said to do in Australia. Not to be too downhearted we made the most of the north of Queensland heading up to Cape Tribulation and Daintree national park via Port Douglas. Despite the hundreds of slow down for Cassowary signs we saw hide nor hair of them or any other animal for that matter. Queensland's great and the beaches are truly spectacular but the signs everywhere warning of the crocodiles and jellyfish mean you cant go swimming. Its like being given the best dinner in the world and being told you cant eat it. Oh well there are plenty of other activities and happily for me at least the clouds stayed away long enough for me to tick off another of my things to do before you die and i did a skydive. The whole experience was immensely surreal as we kept being delayed and delayed, then it was all go go go and over in the space of five minutes. We freefalled 11,000 feet in 60 seconds before doing the final 3,000 parachuting down. Honestly it is hard to describe the rush, im glad i did it as a tandem as i am sure i would forget to open the schute while looking around. The feeling is incredible and pretty much all consuming so it is very difficult to concentrate on doing anything else. A real highlight and a big thanks for the amazing Christmas present to everyone who contributed.
From Cairns we had a long drive down to Airlie beach in order to take a trip to the Whitsunday islands and the great barrier reef. Having had to change all our plans at the last moment we had nothing booked but managed to do it the same morning we wanted to leave, so we had a mad rush to get the ferry to long island. The resort was pretty decent and made a nice change as it was only the second place where i have had a pool since ive been away, with the added bonus of a hot tub and turtles swimming just off the beach. One day on the island and one day on the reef was all we had time for. Im not going to lie the reef was a bit disappointing although I did see some cool fish and some anemones etc. The area of the reef they have their big pontoon on has had two typhoons recently which pretty much annihilated the coral. Still a good day out followed by a pub quiz at the resort which is a good way to end any day.
Unfortunately for us that concluded Australia. On flying into Brisbane we had intended to drive down to Byron bay but the weather/lack of accommodation rendered that pointless and left us with 4 days to kill in Brisbane. Its not the greatest of cities and when the weather is wet there is very little to do in Australia and even our trip to the cinema was cut short when they turned off the film and told everyone to leave before the city was cut off by the rising water. We did manage a trip to Australia zoo which descended into farce in the heaviest rain i have ever seen. Despite this we did manage to go and pay homage to Steve Irwin at the crocoseum and see his wife and kids do a show. It was good but it must have been awesome if he had been there. Looking around the zoo you realize what an amazing guy he actually was and how much he did for wildlife but also Australia as a global icon.
Due to the nightmare situation we found ourselves in Jon and Jamie bailed early so as not to waste any more of their holiday and headed for Hong Kong and fortunately for myself i managed to change my flights and left the next morning. Rumours abounded about public transport stopping and the airport being cut off, so with no desire to spend anymore time in Brisbane i took a cab and got the earliest flight i could and now i am here amongst the temples and rice terraces on the paradise island of Bali.
Hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and new years. All the best for the rest of the year!!!
Next day was another must do for any self respecting English person and a trip to the neighbours night to meet the cast. Despite how corny i was expecting it to be it was kind of cool. We went with Tom and Paul two guys we met on Christmas day and it turned into a really fun evening of which i have very little recollection. I have the photo and signature evidence of meeting Dr. Karl Kennedy, and also the very lovely Sky Mangle. It turns out Dillon, Stingray and Boyd all live together so they were all there as well. Normally Karls band plays but for some reason he didn't that night which was a bit annoying but the rest of it was great although we definitely were cheated out of the trivia prize. Next day was a bit of a mission though trooping around Ramsay street and some other parts of the neighbours set with a massive hangover. It was ok but the street is nothing like i expected, its really small in real life and just a normal residential street. The tour was pretty short so we managed to get to the cricket again for midday and see us rub salt in the wounds and take another 7 Australian wickets. Immense
That was pretty much it for Melbourne apart from seeing the penguins in the harbour. Melbourne without a shadow of a doubt is the best city i have ever been to, no word of a lie although Sydney does run it close. If i don't end up back there someday i will be very disappointed.
Next up Sydney for the most iconic new years imaginable. For this special occasion Jon and I were joined by Jamie who had managed to leave the arctic conditions of the UK and join us for a couple of weeks. Sydney like Melbourne is great, and we were blessed with the most perfect weather you could hope for. Seeing the opera house and bridge were must do's of course but the real reason as i said before was the fireworks and new years party. Most places fill up fast and we kind of left it a little late but we joined Tom and Paul headed to the only free patch of ground in a tiny little park with about 1,000 others. Quite a few beers later the 10 hours or so of waiting went by fairly quickly and although it wasn't the best view it was definitely the best new years i have ever had. Nicely followed up the next day by a trip to the world famous Bondi beach to soak up some rays and sleep off the after effects from the night before. Bondi was rammed but the good feeling abounded and it was a really pleasant way to spend any day.
Three days in Sydney was pretty much it and saying goodbye far too quickly for what i would have liked we flew to Cairns in the north of Queensland. It was here that we had to amend our plans as the flooding had cut the roads between us and Brisbane as well as the access points to Fraser island. This was gutting to be completely honest as this was the number 1 thing everybody said to do in Australia. Not to be too downhearted we made the most of the north of Queensland heading up to Cape Tribulation and Daintree national park via Port Douglas. Despite the hundreds of slow down for Cassowary signs we saw hide nor hair of them or any other animal for that matter. Queensland's great and the beaches are truly spectacular but the signs everywhere warning of the crocodiles and jellyfish mean you cant go swimming. Its like being given the best dinner in the world and being told you cant eat it. Oh well there are plenty of other activities and happily for me at least the clouds stayed away long enough for me to tick off another of my things to do before you die and i did a skydive. The whole experience was immensely surreal as we kept being delayed and delayed, then it was all go go go and over in the space of five minutes. We freefalled 11,000 feet in 60 seconds before doing the final 3,000 parachuting down. Honestly it is hard to describe the rush, im glad i did it as a tandem as i am sure i would forget to open the schute while looking around. The feeling is incredible and pretty much all consuming so it is very difficult to concentrate on doing anything else. A real highlight and a big thanks for the amazing Christmas present to everyone who contributed.
From Cairns we had a long drive down to Airlie beach in order to take a trip to the Whitsunday islands and the great barrier reef. Having had to change all our plans at the last moment we had nothing booked but managed to do it the same morning we wanted to leave, so we had a mad rush to get the ferry to long island. The resort was pretty decent and made a nice change as it was only the second place where i have had a pool since ive been away, with the added bonus of a hot tub and turtles swimming just off the beach. One day on the island and one day on the reef was all we had time for. Im not going to lie the reef was a bit disappointing although I did see some cool fish and some anemones etc. The area of the reef they have their big pontoon on has had two typhoons recently which pretty much annihilated the coral. Still a good day out followed by a pub quiz at the resort which is a good way to end any day.
Unfortunately for us that concluded Australia. On flying into Brisbane we had intended to drive down to Byron bay but the weather/lack of accommodation rendered that pointless and left us with 4 days to kill in Brisbane. Its not the greatest of cities and when the weather is wet there is very little to do in Australia and even our trip to the cinema was cut short when they turned off the film and told everyone to leave before the city was cut off by the rising water. We did manage a trip to Australia zoo which descended into farce in the heaviest rain i have ever seen. Despite this we did manage to go and pay homage to Steve Irwin at the crocoseum and see his wife and kids do a show. It was good but it must have been awesome if he had been there. Looking around the zoo you realize what an amazing guy he actually was and how much he did for wildlife but also Australia as a global icon.
Due to the nightmare situation we found ourselves in Jon and Jamie bailed early so as not to waste any more of their holiday and headed for Hong Kong and fortunately for myself i managed to change my flights and left the next morning. Rumours abounded about public transport stopping and the airport being cut off, so with no desire to spend anymore time in Brisbane i took a cab and got the earliest flight i could and now i am here amongst the temples and rice terraces on the paradise island of Bali.
Hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and new years. All the best for the rest of the year!!!
Thursday, 13 January 2011
WA and Melbourne
I will first make my excuses as to why i haven't done a blog post in over a month. The problem with Australia is that it seems to be the only place on earth where providing easy and cheap internet access is not taken for granted. It does go to show how much we rely on it now.
Despite this the month in Australia with Jon and in the later stages Jamie was immense. I really really enjoyed it and if there is any city on earth that can claim to have the best quality of life it has to be Melbourne or Sydney. Not being much of a city person at the best of times i loved these two cities with Melbourne i think just slightly edging it.
Anyways we started off our ambitious plans with 6 days in western Australia. Originally we were going there to watch some of the cricket but the lack of anything else to do in Perth, plus the rave reviews we heard about the margaret river region meant we took the hire car for an extra day. Before taking the car we had a day in Fremantle where we met up with Josh who happened to be in town before heading to south africa for christmas. We took in the sights of the fremantle jail on a guided tour before grabbing some beers and heading to the beach to watch the sunset over the indian ocean. The quality of life in australia is ridiculous at no point if you live in a major city are you more than 1/2 hour from a beach that puts most places to shame. And these are the city beaches much better were to come.
Perth isn't bad by any means just very quiet and the main attraction in Western Australia is the lack of people and the completely unspoiled coastline. So we headed south and our first day in Margaret river took in the beautiful Meelup beach and the cape peninsula as well as wine tasting at one of the many vineyards in this very famous part of the world. We ended it on Hamlin bay swimming in the crystal clear waters off a 5km stretch of beach with literally no-one else. WA is the size of India with only 2 million people of which most live in Perth. Unfortunately you could spend months here and not see everything and we only had six days. So unlucky for Jon as he was the only one driving the next day we blitzed it south to Pendleton to climb the Gloucester tree which is the highest fire lookout in WA at 60m. A little bit hairy climbing up some spikes sticking out of the trunk but an awesome view from the top. After a quick walk in the bush we pushed on to Walpole where you can do a boardwalk through the forest canopy. It was pretty cool but a distinct lack of any wildlife to look at. To date only kookaburras and kangaroos to tick off in the i-spy guide.
That was pretty much it in WA, i would have liked to have a bit of time to see the dolphins in Bunburry where we stopped for the night but time did not permit as we had to drop the car off. Again as with so much of the trip i flew out of perth with the feeling of having so much unfinished business, only getting the very briefest of tastes.
Even briefer still was my stop in Adelaide as i could count the hours on one hand having had my flight delayed until the evening and then being picked up early as the next morning. Instead of flying to Melbourne straight from Perth we had booked onto a tour of the Grampians and the great ocean road leaving from Adelaide. Normally hating tours more than anything this was much better than expected. First day was a bit rubbish as it was mainly sitting in the bus but the next two involved a bit of hiking, some amazing views from the pinnacles at the top of the Grampian mountains as well as the coastline of the great ocean road. Good times and after this we arrived in Melbourne to get ready for the most un-christmasy Christmas of my life.
Despite it being the 23rd of December and making quite a few attempts to boost the Christmas spirit listening to the Glee rendition of numerous classics (Jons ipod not mine) being sat in the sunshine getting a tan seems to nullify all efforts. Despite this we went to the cathedral in the centre of Melbourne Christmas eve which seemed to be full of English people for the evening service, before standing in the main square watching carols by candlelight. Turned out to be pretty good in the end and it was a great atmosphere all around. For Christmas itself we signed up for the meal at the hostel which after a few initial reservations was pretty good. Being my first Christmas not at home it kind of helps being around other people who are also away from their families and are in the same position as yourself. The atmosphere was pretty good and the post Christmas lunch activities were one to remember as we all headed down to St. Kilda beach to play cricket (which my team won) and football (which i gave up on due to the dubiious leg breaking challenges that seemed to be dominating). After watching the complete misery at home over the winter i was not the slightest bit envious of not having a white Christmas and i reckon i could get used to sunbathing with some turkey sandwiches in the future.
TBC...
Despite this the month in Australia with Jon and in the later stages Jamie was immense. I really really enjoyed it and if there is any city on earth that can claim to have the best quality of life it has to be Melbourne or Sydney. Not being much of a city person at the best of times i loved these two cities with Melbourne i think just slightly edging it.
Anyways we started off our ambitious plans with 6 days in western Australia. Originally we were going there to watch some of the cricket but the lack of anything else to do in Perth, plus the rave reviews we heard about the margaret river region meant we took the hire car for an extra day. Before taking the car we had a day in Fremantle where we met up with Josh who happened to be in town before heading to south africa for christmas. We took in the sights of the fremantle jail on a guided tour before grabbing some beers and heading to the beach to watch the sunset over the indian ocean. The quality of life in australia is ridiculous at no point if you live in a major city are you more than 1/2 hour from a beach that puts most places to shame. And these are the city beaches much better were to come.
Perth isn't bad by any means just very quiet and the main attraction in Western Australia is the lack of people and the completely unspoiled coastline. So we headed south and our first day in Margaret river took in the beautiful Meelup beach and the cape peninsula as well as wine tasting at one of the many vineyards in this very famous part of the world. We ended it on Hamlin bay swimming in the crystal clear waters off a 5km stretch of beach with literally no-one else. WA is the size of India with only 2 million people of which most live in Perth. Unfortunately you could spend months here and not see everything and we only had six days. So unlucky for Jon as he was the only one driving the next day we blitzed it south to Pendleton to climb the Gloucester tree which is the highest fire lookout in WA at 60m. A little bit hairy climbing up some spikes sticking out of the trunk but an awesome view from the top. After a quick walk in the bush we pushed on to Walpole where you can do a boardwalk through the forest canopy. It was pretty cool but a distinct lack of any wildlife to look at. To date only kookaburras and kangaroos to tick off in the i-spy guide.
That was pretty much it in WA, i would have liked to have a bit of time to see the dolphins in Bunburry where we stopped for the night but time did not permit as we had to drop the car off. Again as with so much of the trip i flew out of perth with the feeling of having so much unfinished business, only getting the very briefest of tastes.
Even briefer still was my stop in Adelaide as i could count the hours on one hand having had my flight delayed until the evening and then being picked up early as the next morning. Instead of flying to Melbourne straight from Perth we had booked onto a tour of the Grampians and the great ocean road leaving from Adelaide. Normally hating tours more than anything this was much better than expected. First day was a bit rubbish as it was mainly sitting in the bus but the next two involved a bit of hiking, some amazing views from the pinnacles at the top of the Grampian mountains as well as the coastline of the great ocean road. Good times and after this we arrived in Melbourne to get ready for the most un-christmasy Christmas of my life.
Despite it being the 23rd of December and making quite a few attempts to boost the Christmas spirit listening to the Glee rendition of numerous classics (Jons ipod not mine) being sat in the sunshine getting a tan seems to nullify all efforts. Despite this we went to the cathedral in the centre of Melbourne Christmas eve which seemed to be full of English people for the evening service, before standing in the main square watching carols by candlelight. Turned out to be pretty good in the end and it was a great atmosphere all around. For Christmas itself we signed up for the meal at the hostel which after a few initial reservations was pretty good. Being my first Christmas not at home it kind of helps being around other people who are also away from their families and are in the same position as yourself. The atmosphere was pretty good and the post Christmas lunch activities were one to remember as we all headed down to St. Kilda beach to play cricket (which my team won) and football (which i gave up on due to the dubiious leg breaking challenges that seemed to be dominating). After watching the complete misery at home over the winter i was not the slightest bit envious of not having a white Christmas and i reckon i could get used to sunbathing with some turkey sandwiches in the future.
TBC...
Monday, 20 December 2010
Missioning Malaysia
Due to the length of time i ended up staying in Myanmar i only had 10 days to see the sights of peninsula Malaysia.
Flying back to Bangkok i headed straight for the train station to catch the 23 hour train bound for Butterworth. The train turned out to be pretty comfy and surprisingly enough i managed a few hours kip before entering Malaysia early the next morning. The first greeting was a board saying 'strictly no hippies' and then a list defining what a hippy was. Already liking this place.
From Butterworth its a short hop on the ferry to Penang Island and Georgetown. I teamed up with some guys from Glasgow and some American girls on a visa run. We headed for the nearest hostel and knackered i decided to relax with a few beers. This was spoiled by the fact there is a 200% tax on alcohol in Malaysia which made it very expensive. Instead a shared bottle of vodka was called for and we had a fun evening playing drinking games, before heading out on the town.
I was really worried about how much time i had before I had to be in Singapore but Penang really didn't have much to offer. I spent one day walking around and going to the snake temple but that was really it. The food on the other hand was incredible, the best indian i have had anywhere!! Also cheap 2 quid for half a tandoori chicken with naan and salad. Happy happy days, anything to get away from the fried rice i had been eating for the last month.
I left early the next day for the Cameron highlands to do some walking and get some exercise. The highlands as you might expect are pretty high and were freezing cold. This wasnt helped by the wet weather which turned the trails into mudbaths. I managed one day hiking through lush rain forest and tea plantations before heading back into the middle of another drinking session. My alcohol tolerance since russia has declined rapidly and a few 'down it' cards later meant i was ready to call it a day. The weather deteriorated overnight so i just used the next day to book some flights for the rest of the trip as well as plan my next few days.
I now had four days left two of which i spent in KL and the other two in Malacca. Both were ok but one full day was enough in each. Plus a Christmas spending session in the Petronas towers mall had me spent out. Its really weird building up to Christmas in the warm as everything is so un-christmasy. Listening to carols and slade while sweating buckets does not get you in the mood. Despite this i managed a photo with Santa and his assistant.
I left Malacca after much stress having missed my earlier bus as the guesthouse had neglected to inform me there is no public transport on sundays. Malaysia really is the worst place for public transport. In just the few days i was there i had so many issues. Fortunately there are quite a few buses to Singapore so i jumped aboard and six hours later i was on the island.
Singapore is a very sterile place as everything is illegal and it has very little atmosphere save for the indian and chinese quarters. After dumping my stuff i headed on the metro to raffles hotel for cocktails with beav. It was so odd seeing somebody i actually knew for a change. Anyway Singapore slings down the hatch we had a walk around for the next couple of days as well as blagging a swim in the pool. There are some things its worth having somebody else pay for.
Two days in Singapore was plenty and then it was time to catch my flight to Perth, WA where the fun would really begin.
Flying back to Bangkok i headed straight for the train station to catch the 23 hour train bound for Butterworth. The train turned out to be pretty comfy and surprisingly enough i managed a few hours kip before entering Malaysia early the next morning. The first greeting was a board saying 'strictly no hippies' and then a list defining what a hippy was. Already liking this place.
From Butterworth its a short hop on the ferry to Penang Island and Georgetown. I teamed up with some guys from Glasgow and some American girls on a visa run. We headed for the nearest hostel and knackered i decided to relax with a few beers. This was spoiled by the fact there is a 200% tax on alcohol in Malaysia which made it very expensive. Instead a shared bottle of vodka was called for and we had a fun evening playing drinking games, before heading out on the town.
I was really worried about how much time i had before I had to be in Singapore but Penang really didn't have much to offer. I spent one day walking around and going to the snake temple but that was really it. The food on the other hand was incredible, the best indian i have had anywhere!! Also cheap 2 quid for half a tandoori chicken with naan and salad. Happy happy days, anything to get away from the fried rice i had been eating for the last month.
I left early the next day for the Cameron highlands to do some walking and get some exercise. The highlands as you might expect are pretty high and were freezing cold. This wasnt helped by the wet weather which turned the trails into mudbaths. I managed one day hiking through lush rain forest and tea plantations before heading back into the middle of another drinking session. My alcohol tolerance since russia has declined rapidly and a few 'down it' cards later meant i was ready to call it a day. The weather deteriorated overnight so i just used the next day to book some flights for the rest of the trip as well as plan my next few days.
I now had four days left two of which i spent in KL and the other two in Malacca. Both were ok but one full day was enough in each. Plus a Christmas spending session in the Petronas towers mall had me spent out. Its really weird building up to Christmas in the warm as everything is so un-christmasy. Listening to carols and slade while sweating buckets does not get you in the mood. Despite this i managed a photo with Santa and his assistant.
I left Malacca after much stress having missed my earlier bus as the guesthouse had neglected to inform me there is no public transport on sundays. Malaysia really is the worst place for public transport. In just the few days i was there i had so many issues. Fortunately there are quite a few buses to Singapore so i jumped aboard and six hours later i was on the island.
Singapore is a very sterile place as everything is illegal and it has very little atmosphere save for the indian and chinese quarters. After dumping my stuff i headed on the metro to raffles hotel for cocktails with beav. It was so odd seeing somebody i actually knew for a change. Anyway Singapore slings down the hatch we had a walk around for the next couple of days as well as blagging a swim in the pool. There are some things its worth having somebody else pay for.
Two days in Singapore was plenty and then it was time to catch my flight to Perth, WA where the fun would really begin.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Golden lands: part 2
Ok so following on from last time
We left Hopin on the only transport available which was a truck full to the brim with goods and it was on top of these we had to sit crammed in with twenty other misfortunates. It was really really uncomfortable and also incredibly hair raising as we made it closer to the lake and had to cross a mountain road deep with mud and ruts. It got to the point where as we tilted to the side we all had to hang on to each other so no-one fell off the top. We also took it upon ourselves to trade medical insurance details incase one of us survived and could help the other in the event we rolled over. 6 painful hours later we rolled into Lonton and disembark at a gorgeous lakeside chalet. I was so glad we had made the journey plus after much haggling we managed to get the price of the room down to $5 each. Now things in Myanmar don't always go to plan or in accordance with the normal rules of traveling. This is further complicated as most towns have electricity for maximum of two hours a day or none at all. So come 5.30 it is pitch black and a torch is your most prized possession. Just setting the seen for you.
Where there are no other tourists it normally works in your favour as you have the bargaining upperhand but in lonton miles from anywhere this did not happen. We had just finished eating dinner when the guy running the guesthouse runs over and says we have to leave. He doesn't speak much english so someone translates and says one of the army generals wants to stay and therefore we cant. Great we think. Hotels in Myanmar unlike most places have to have a permit for foreigners to stay there, and we are banned from staying anywhere else. Lonton not surprisingly only has one such hotel and so essentially we have just been told we have nowhere to stay and because the way the trucks work we were stuck there for two days. To add to this confused situation, some random woman turns up and says we can sleep on her floor. At this point i am knackered, not feeling great and on a short fuse especially as i was just looking forward to some much needed sleep as i hadnt slept well due to the dreadful room in Hopin. I was so pissed off stood there in the dark, not having a clue what was going on or how to go about doing something about it. To cut it short it turns out an army general (who lived in a mini fortknox overlooking the town dracula esque) wasnt coming to stay but he owned the guesthouse and said we couldnt stay for the price we had haggled for. So an hour later crisis over and we are a little more out of pocket than we would have liked.
Indawgi despite all this turned out to be incredible in the main part as it was completely unspoiled by mass tourism. Its main hope being its not on any tour operators radar. Day one we rented a rowing boat and some extra rowers and went out to the amazing floating Shwemyzu pogada. Although Anya was disappointed as women weren't allowed onto the island. This took pretty much the whole day as it was alot further than i expected and also our hired help took to letting me do all the work when we weren't looking. Second day we were so lucky as Jean a really nice Swiss guy showed up and after finding out we weren't planning on doing a motorboat trip due to the huge expense said we could go with him. So we had a whole day feeling like proper pioneers hitting really small villages that maybe get one or two outside visitors a year. The looks on people faces were amazing and everywhere we went we were greeted after the initial shock by big shouts of 'Mingalabar' my new favourite word. Basically it just means hello in Burmese but everyone loves it when a foreigner speaks in their language and its such a great ice breaker in situations when the locals just didn't know quite what to say or do.
Our time here went so fast and we headed back to Myitkina after just two days. The journey back wasn't so eventful as the road had dried out somewhat and the train being 3 hours late worked in our favour for once allowing us to jump aboard and make the distance without losing another day. Next up came a four day river trip down the Irrawaddy to Mandalay. It was really cool as travelling in this way is such a joy. We took three different types of boats and properly got a taste of local life watching people at work on the riverbanks doing everything from farming to panning for gold. Anything just to scrape a living. In this part of the world the forestry has been relatively minor so for most parts the banks were unbroken jungle with the occasional small wooden village. I would have loved to have gotten off somewhere and explored but there was nowhere for us to stay and we would have probably gotten the locals into trouble with the police.
Most foreigners i met who lived in Myanmar even in Yangon said the secret police was just a fact of life and most days they get followed by someone. Also anyone we spoke to would probably get a visit to make sure nothing subversive was going on. On indawgi when we did the boat trip the generals daughter was sent along to keep tabs on us and as soon as we got back she was straight up the hill to give her report.
Our river plans were messed up a bit when the government boat we planned to take broke down and instead we had to wait an extra day for a private boat which cost 8 times as much. Like most places there was a local price and a foreigner price but here it was ridiculous. $5 for locals and $60 for foreigners. Its not like we got a room or anything just a chair. We made the most of it though and relaxed in the sunshine with rum and cokes for the whole day and also managed to scavenge a row of seats to sleep on that night.
Arriving in Mandalay was a shock and also the only let down for me in the entire month. So far up to now i hadn't been hassled but Mandalay is tourist central and touts were everywhere. The city was also really dirty and crazy as it is one of the few places where people can afford bikes and cars. We did a trip to Sagain hill which is the biggest Buddhism centre in Burma and then went to Arapura bridge for sunset. The bridge is the longest stilt bridge in Burma and was amazingly beautiful. By this point amazing sunsets had become so routine but this was the best of the lot.
Next day we got up at 4am for sunrise on Mandalay hill which was alright but the city was pretty boring other than that so i headed off to Kalaw that night. I only had just over a week left and wanted to get in the three day trek to Inle lake as well as the fire festival i had found out about the day before. It turns out i was really lucky to get a seat on the bus at short notice and after a couple hours sleep i joined a group of people heading to Taunggi. The festival was insane, basically just really drunk men messing around with fireworks and fire in the attempt to get some wacking great balloons off the ground. The evening ones were pretty dangerous as the balloons had crates of fireworks hanging below and the fuses seemed to be random. This resulted on a few occasions in some of the fireworks going off before the balloon was clear of the ground which got everyone running for cover.
Next day I set off with an English couple and an Argentinian couple with our guide on the three day trek to Inle lake. The walking was pretty spectacular taking in forest, rolling hills, farmland, tribal villages and another round of friendly people. First night we slept in a tiny village and had the best food, and the next one in a monastery. Being woken up at 5am by the chanting of the monks was so nice and a real experience, added to by the misty morning over the hills outside. Some of the colours were stunning and at points it felt like walking through a painting. I had never seen anything like it.
Getting to Inle i also lucked out as i got an amazing room for $10. It was by far the nicest i have had to date and plus everyone from the trek was staying at the same place so we shared the cost of a boat trip around the lake. I can see why the lake is so popular and cruising around stilt villages and floating gardens made for a very enjoyable day and another chance to top up the tan. I think i saw a cloud once in my entire trip and every day it was so hot at least 35-40. It made made me feel even better when i got news of the utter misery in England.
Two really good days were spent at the lake but time was pressing and the ancient temples of bagan awaited. On the bus was a girl from hong kong i had met earlier so we shared a horse cart ride around the temples. It was really amazing, the site is so huge and did not feel overcrowded which was the problem at Angkor wat. Most temples were fairly similar but you could climb quite a few of them which due to the really flat terrain resulted in amazing panoramas especially at sunset. There were two main areas and the second day i rented a bike to check out the others which was a bad idea. It was so hot i only made it to five or six before i felt a bit dizzy and went back to lie in the air con.
I managed to watch a few games of football that night which is so surreal when you are surrounded by monks, who once they realise your the only one cheering for villa actually turned around every time arsenal scored pointed and went 'aaaahhh' right in my face. Monks here are really different to the rest of asia.
I then was left with a 15 hour night bus ride on an abysmal bus that kept breaking down, plus every time i fell asleep we reached a checkpoint where i had to get off and show my passport. So annoying. But i did get to see the new capital Napydjaw on the way back to Yangon. Never have i seen such a complete farce or felt utter hatred towards the ridiculous government in Myanmar that grows fat off the hard work of people who have nothing. 5 years ago the Military government consulted astrologers who told them that Myanmar's problems were due to the bad spirits brought by foreigners to Yangon. So the solution was to waste an incredible sum of money building a new capital in the middle of the jungle to which foreigners are banned from visiting. Its the only place in the entire country with 24 hour electricity and driving through it was lit up like Vegas complete with massive shopping centres and hotels but nobody to use them. Even the roundabouts had flashing lights and ridiculous lit up sculptures. There were row upon row of streets that had street lighting but no buildings had even been built yet, it was so maddening and surreal at the same. I could see the Burmese on my bus felt physically sick at what they were seeing but fortunately the huge new boulevards with no traffic allowed us to escape in record time.
This brought an end to my Burma adventure and it was utterly perfect. Honestly it was the only time i have felt sad leaving a country and if it wasnt so much hassle to stay there i would have done. Anyway as soon as the government falls or the restrictions are relaxed i am so back there.
Sorry i forgot to mention about going out clubbing in Yangon on my last night. There is pretty much no nightlife but the only place listed in Lonely Planet turned out to be completely empty. I only found this out after already having payed to go in. They then refused to give me money back instead giving me two free beers which i drank in utter bemusement whilst watching a midget dancing to some hard core house music which apparently passed for entertainment. So so funny and wierd i wasnt even positive that it was actually happening. Lol!
We left Hopin on the only transport available which was a truck full to the brim with goods and it was on top of these we had to sit crammed in with twenty other misfortunates. It was really really uncomfortable and also incredibly hair raising as we made it closer to the lake and had to cross a mountain road deep with mud and ruts. It got to the point where as we tilted to the side we all had to hang on to each other so no-one fell off the top. We also took it upon ourselves to trade medical insurance details incase one of us survived and could help the other in the event we rolled over. 6 painful hours later we rolled into Lonton and disembark at a gorgeous lakeside chalet. I was so glad we had made the journey plus after much haggling we managed to get the price of the room down to $5 each. Now things in Myanmar don't always go to plan or in accordance with the normal rules of traveling. This is further complicated as most towns have electricity for maximum of two hours a day or none at all. So come 5.30 it is pitch black and a torch is your most prized possession. Just setting the seen for you.
Where there are no other tourists it normally works in your favour as you have the bargaining upperhand but in lonton miles from anywhere this did not happen. We had just finished eating dinner when the guy running the guesthouse runs over and says we have to leave. He doesn't speak much english so someone translates and says one of the army generals wants to stay and therefore we cant. Great we think. Hotels in Myanmar unlike most places have to have a permit for foreigners to stay there, and we are banned from staying anywhere else. Lonton not surprisingly only has one such hotel and so essentially we have just been told we have nowhere to stay and because the way the trucks work we were stuck there for two days. To add to this confused situation, some random woman turns up and says we can sleep on her floor. At this point i am knackered, not feeling great and on a short fuse especially as i was just looking forward to some much needed sleep as i hadnt slept well due to the dreadful room in Hopin. I was so pissed off stood there in the dark, not having a clue what was going on or how to go about doing something about it. To cut it short it turns out an army general (who lived in a mini fortknox overlooking the town dracula esque) wasnt coming to stay but he owned the guesthouse and said we couldnt stay for the price we had haggled for. So an hour later crisis over and we are a little more out of pocket than we would have liked.
Indawgi despite all this turned out to be incredible in the main part as it was completely unspoiled by mass tourism. Its main hope being its not on any tour operators radar. Day one we rented a rowing boat and some extra rowers and went out to the amazing floating Shwemyzu pogada. Although Anya was disappointed as women weren't allowed onto the island. This took pretty much the whole day as it was alot further than i expected and also our hired help took to letting me do all the work when we weren't looking. Second day we were so lucky as Jean a really nice Swiss guy showed up and after finding out we weren't planning on doing a motorboat trip due to the huge expense said we could go with him. So we had a whole day feeling like proper pioneers hitting really small villages that maybe get one or two outside visitors a year. The looks on people faces were amazing and everywhere we went we were greeted after the initial shock by big shouts of 'Mingalabar' my new favourite word. Basically it just means hello in Burmese but everyone loves it when a foreigner speaks in their language and its such a great ice breaker in situations when the locals just didn't know quite what to say or do.
Our time here went so fast and we headed back to Myitkina after just two days. The journey back wasn't so eventful as the road had dried out somewhat and the train being 3 hours late worked in our favour for once allowing us to jump aboard and make the distance without losing another day. Next up came a four day river trip down the Irrawaddy to Mandalay. It was really cool as travelling in this way is such a joy. We took three different types of boats and properly got a taste of local life watching people at work on the riverbanks doing everything from farming to panning for gold. Anything just to scrape a living. In this part of the world the forestry has been relatively minor so for most parts the banks were unbroken jungle with the occasional small wooden village. I would have loved to have gotten off somewhere and explored but there was nowhere for us to stay and we would have probably gotten the locals into trouble with the police.
Most foreigners i met who lived in Myanmar even in Yangon said the secret police was just a fact of life and most days they get followed by someone. Also anyone we spoke to would probably get a visit to make sure nothing subversive was going on. On indawgi when we did the boat trip the generals daughter was sent along to keep tabs on us and as soon as we got back she was straight up the hill to give her report.
Our river plans were messed up a bit when the government boat we planned to take broke down and instead we had to wait an extra day for a private boat which cost 8 times as much. Like most places there was a local price and a foreigner price but here it was ridiculous. $5 for locals and $60 for foreigners. Its not like we got a room or anything just a chair. We made the most of it though and relaxed in the sunshine with rum and cokes for the whole day and also managed to scavenge a row of seats to sleep on that night.
Arriving in Mandalay was a shock and also the only let down for me in the entire month. So far up to now i hadn't been hassled but Mandalay is tourist central and touts were everywhere. The city was also really dirty and crazy as it is one of the few places where people can afford bikes and cars. We did a trip to Sagain hill which is the biggest Buddhism centre in Burma and then went to Arapura bridge for sunset. The bridge is the longest stilt bridge in Burma and was amazingly beautiful. By this point amazing sunsets had become so routine but this was the best of the lot.
Next day we got up at 4am for sunrise on Mandalay hill which was alright but the city was pretty boring other than that so i headed off to Kalaw that night. I only had just over a week left and wanted to get in the three day trek to Inle lake as well as the fire festival i had found out about the day before. It turns out i was really lucky to get a seat on the bus at short notice and after a couple hours sleep i joined a group of people heading to Taunggi. The festival was insane, basically just really drunk men messing around with fireworks and fire in the attempt to get some wacking great balloons off the ground. The evening ones were pretty dangerous as the balloons had crates of fireworks hanging below and the fuses seemed to be random. This resulted on a few occasions in some of the fireworks going off before the balloon was clear of the ground which got everyone running for cover.
Next day I set off with an English couple and an Argentinian couple with our guide on the three day trek to Inle lake. The walking was pretty spectacular taking in forest, rolling hills, farmland, tribal villages and another round of friendly people. First night we slept in a tiny village and had the best food, and the next one in a monastery. Being woken up at 5am by the chanting of the monks was so nice and a real experience, added to by the misty morning over the hills outside. Some of the colours were stunning and at points it felt like walking through a painting. I had never seen anything like it.
Getting to Inle i also lucked out as i got an amazing room for $10. It was by far the nicest i have had to date and plus everyone from the trek was staying at the same place so we shared the cost of a boat trip around the lake. I can see why the lake is so popular and cruising around stilt villages and floating gardens made for a very enjoyable day and another chance to top up the tan. I think i saw a cloud once in my entire trip and every day it was so hot at least 35-40. It made made me feel even better when i got news of the utter misery in England.
Two really good days were spent at the lake but time was pressing and the ancient temples of bagan awaited. On the bus was a girl from hong kong i had met earlier so we shared a horse cart ride around the temples. It was really amazing, the site is so huge and did not feel overcrowded which was the problem at Angkor wat. Most temples were fairly similar but you could climb quite a few of them which due to the really flat terrain resulted in amazing panoramas especially at sunset. There were two main areas and the second day i rented a bike to check out the others which was a bad idea. It was so hot i only made it to five or six before i felt a bit dizzy and went back to lie in the air con.
I managed to watch a few games of football that night which is so surreal when you are surrounded by monks, who once they realise your the only one cheering for villa actually turned around every time arsenal scored pointed and went 'aaaahhh' right in my face. Monks here are really different to the rest of asia.
I then was left with a 15 hour night bus ride on an abysmal bus that kept breaking down, plus every time i fell asleep we reached a checkpoint where i had to get off and show my passport. So annoying. But i did get to see the new capital Napydjaw on the way back to Yangon. Never have i seen such a complete farce or felt utter hatred towards the ridiculous government in Myanmar that grows fat off the hard work of people who have nothing. 5 years ago the Military government consulted astrologers who told them that Myanmar's problems were due to the bad spirits brought by foreigners to Yangon. So the solution was to waste an incredible sum of money building a new capital in the middle of the jungle to which foreigners are banned from visiting. Its the only place in the entire country with 24 hour electricity and driving through it was lit up like Vegas complete with massive shopping centres and hotels but nobody to use them. Even the roundabouts had flashing lights and ridiculous lit up sculptures. There were row upon row of streets that had street lighting but no buildings had even been built yet, it was so maddening and surreal at the same. I could see the Burmese on my bus felt physically sick at what they were seeing but fortunately the huge new boulevards with no traffic allowed us to escape in record time.
This brought an end to my Burma adventure and it was utterly perfect. Honestly it was the only time i have felt sad leaving a country and if it wasnt so much hassle to stay there i would have done. Anyway as soon as the government falls or the restrictions are relaxed i am so back there.
Sorry i forgot to mention about going out clubbing in Yangon on my last night. There is pretty much no nightlife but the only place listed in Lonely Planet turned out to be completely empty. I only found this out after already having payed to go in. They then refused to give me money back instead giving me two free beers which i drank in utter bemusement whilst watching a midget dancing to some hard core house music which apparently passed for entertainment. So so funny and wierd i wasnt even positive that it was actually happening. Lol!
Sunday, 5 December 2010
The Two Faces of the Golden Lands
There isnt much in the way i can do my trip to myanmar justice as it was purely and simply incredible and i think the best month i have ever had. Considering even up until the day before i was still unsure whether to proceed and actually continue with my plans, im so glad in the end i did.
This is all well and good now and so easy to look back on, but myanmar is one of those places where reliable information is nearly impossible to come accross and nearly everything is hearsay or complete guesswork. So sat in Bangkok airport in an empty departure lounge did nothing to improve my confidence in the decision i had made. Fortunately more people did turn up before the plane took off but the only topic of converstation was a)what do you think if anything will happen and b)what your emergency plan was should the worst come to the worst during the election.
Arriving in Yangon was one of the more unusual aspects of the trip as having taken off from the bright lights of Bangkok i was confronted by a wall of darkness. The taxi ride down town did not reveal much of anything apart from a confusing mess of streets and market stalls and i really did wonder if i had bitten off more than i could chew, which by the looks of the others in the car i wasnt the only one. Yangon is probably the only place that can call itself cosmopolitan in Myanamr and that really is quite a stretch. Basically the infrastructure in the country is archaic or non existent. Anything that does work was built by the british a hundred years ago and so the electricity grid system is unreliable and is turned off anyway at around 9pm which means only those few number of buildings with generators actually provide any light. The matter is not helped by the numerous missing manholes, broken slabs, dogs etc all of which can conspire to spoil your day. It really does take a bit of getting used to which is why i decided to change some money at the hotel rather than take on the money changers on my first day. I think Myanmar is the only country where you have to do your reading thoroughly before you go as well as do your sums as there are no banks, atms etc and the money you have on you is all that you have for your stay. Changing money is a bit of a headache as it has to be done on the blackmarket which everyone does, but at the same time it is still illegal. So when walking around many times someone will whisper at you in there best undercover way 'change money' which if the answer is yes means being led down some winding dark lanes to there 'shop' where the deal can be done. Another complication is that the official exchange rate is 6 kyat to 1 dollar which results in the highest note available being 1000 kyat. The unofficial exchange rate is 900 kyat to the dollar which means that if you change a decent amount of money you end up needing a rucksack to cart it all back to the hotel. Also counting out large numbers of notes in poor light makes for some easy swindling so having been warned about what to look out for i managed to get some changed. Headache over.
I had planned for three days in Yangon. The first one disappeared rapidly as i spent nearly the whole day visiting the Shwedagon pagoda which left me lost for words. There is more gold on the Stupa than in the bank of england and accompanying this is over 3,000 precious stones, with one of the biggest diamonds the world has ever seen to cap it off. I went during the day but made another trip for sunset and to see it lit up at night. It was pretty amazing but unusually the monks who are normally so reserved in the rest of asia were outright demanding money off people which i have never seen before, yet i met a number of people who remarked on how non monkish the monks were here.
The thing with burma is this it has little variance in the type of sites to visit, if you dont like buddhas, pagodas and stupas then there is little else to see which is why i held off in Laos and Thailand knowing i would get a lifetimes fix in the few weeks i was going to be there. As a result after exploring the downtown area the rest of yangon was spent checking out two or three more pagodas as well as the biggest reclining buddha i have ever seen before getting a taste of burmese life and people. This involved going local so for one day i ate at all the street stalls, drank tea in the street cafes and accepted when it came along the chance to chew betel nut. Most people in Burma do this both young and old and it is the main reason why many people have little or no teeth and the fact the pavements are covered in red stains. Anyway when in rome i thought ill try it. It consists of the betel nut itself, wrapped in tobacco leaf with something else included that i have no idea about. Firstly it tastes horrible, disgusting in fact and so after a few seconds of chewing i had to spit it out. Thinking that was it and slightly disappointed i stood to leave before nearly keeling over as the effect of the drug near knocked me out. I then spent the next hour or so in a lazy chair at the side of some nameless street being fanned by a very concerned looking old lady who kept shoving different antidotal remedies down my neck. The feeling was awful and as a result my one dabble into this field laid ruin to my afternoon which i had to spend asleep after somehow stumbling back to the hotel much to everyones amusemet.
I had already decided before i went that the main part of interest for me would be the far north as it is definately comes under the category for roads less travelled, which in burma means you get stared at alot as a complete novelty item. The best thing about this is that the local population havent been corrupted by tourism and the money it brings in. With this in mind i boarded the smallest plane i have ever seen for a slightly nervous two hour flight to Myitkina a small town on the irewaddy river near the chinese border. This is essentially as far north as a foreinger can go without buying a permit as most of the border territories are rebel controlled and strictly off limits. Whether this is actually for our safety as the police continue to insist or to cover up the no doubt attrocities comitted against the tribal people that inhabit these areas remains to be seen.
Fortunately for me i met Anya on the plane up north who had a very similar plan to me. She did however change my plans a little after suggesting a trip to Indawgi lake which would take two days as the transport links serving the area did not link well with each other. The jounrey consisted of a five hour train journey, followed by a stopover in Hopin from where we could take the 6 hour bus the next day. Not bad but considering the lake was only 100 miles away not that great either. Fortunately for us despite Hopin having the worst accomodation known to man, our stroll around the town resulted in us being invited to the house warming party of the daughter of an 80 year old lady called nora who spoke perfect english. I love these chance encounters and despite hopin being a dump i will always remember it fondly for the sheer generosity of the people. Whilst in the town we also ate at the restaurant of a family that refused all payment, gave us gifts galore and took it upon themselves to make sure all of our transport and needs were taken care of. Honestly it is something to behold.
Here i want to make a clarification. I sometimes call it myanmar and other times burma and this reflects on the two faces of the country that any visitor will recognise. On the one hand the modern political and completely corrupt and failing state of myanmar that will make you jump through hoops and try and block your way at every opportunity and on the other hand burma a land of truly amazing and generous people, as well as the most incredible sights and experiences that you will remember for ever. As i spent a month in the country i have alot to write about and will finish off the blog when i next get a chance, plus the suns out here in malaysia and i want to go trekking.
This is all well and good now and so easy to look back on, but myanmar is one of those places where reliable information is nearly impossible to come accross and nearly everything is hearsay or complete guesswork. So sat in Bangkok airport in an empty departure lounge did nothing to improve my confidence in the decision i had made. Fortunately more people did turn up before the plane took off but the only topic of converstation was a)what do you think if anything will happen and b)what your emergency plan was should the worst come to the worst during the election.
Arriving in Yangon was one of the more unusual aspects of the trip as having taken off from the bright lights of Bangkok i was confronted by a wall of darkness. The taxi ride down town did not reveal much of anything apart from a confusing mess of streets and market stalls and i really did wonder if i had bitten off more than i could chew, which by the looks of the others in the car i wasnt the only one. Yangon is probably the only place that can call itself cosmopolitan in Myanamr and that really is quite a stretch. Basically the infrastructure in the country is archaic or non existent. Anything that does work was built by the british a hundred years ago and so the electricity grid system is unreliable and is turned off anyway at around 9pm which means only those few number of buildings with generators actually provide any light. The matter is not helped by the numerous missing manholes, broken slabs, dogs etc all of which can conspire to spoil your day. It really does take a bit of getting used to which is why i decided to change some money at the hotel rather than take on the money changers on my first day. I think Myanmar is the only country where you have to do your reading thoroughly before you go as well as do your sums as there are no banks, atms etc and the money you have on you is all that you have for your stay. Changing money is a bit of a headache as it has to be done on the blackmarket which everyone does, but at the same time it is still illegal. So when walking around many times someone will whisper at you in there best undercover way 'change money' which if the answer is yes means being led down some winding dark lanes to there 'shop' where the deal can be done. Another complication is that the official exchange rate is 6 kyat to 1 dollar which results in the highest note available being 1000 kyat. The unofficial exchange rate is 900 kyat to the dollar which means that if you change a decent amount of money you end up needing a rucksack to cart it all back to the hotel. Also counting out large numbers of notes in poor light makes for some easy swindling so having been warned about what to look out for i managed to get some changed. Headache over.
I had planned for three days in Yangon. The first one disappeared rapidly as i spent nearly the whole day visiting the Shwedagon pagoda which left me lost for words. There is more gold on the Stupa than in the bank of england and accompanying this is over 3,000 precious stones, with one of the biggest diamonds the world has ever seen to cap it off. I went during the day but made another trip for sunset and to see it lit up at night. It was pretty amazing but unusually the monks who are normally so reserved in the rest of asia were outright demanding money off people which i have never seen before, yet i met a number of people who remarked on how non monkish the monks were here.
The thing with burma is this it has little variance in the type of sites to visit, if you dont like buddhas, pagodas and stupas then there is little else to see which is why i held off in Laos and Thailand knowing i would get a lifetimes fix in the few weeks i was going to be there. As a result after exploring the downtown area the rest of yangon was spent checking out two or three more pagodas as well as the biggest reclining buddha i have ever seen before getting a taste of burmese life and people. This involved going local so for one day i ate at all the street stalls, drank tea in the street cafes and accepted when it came along the chance to chew betel nut. Most people in Burma do this both young and old and it is the main reason why many people have little or no teeth and the fact the pavements are covered in red stains. Anyway when in rome i thought ill try it. It consists of the betel nut itself, wrapped in tobacco leaf with something else included that i have no idea about. Firstly it tastes horrible, disgusting in fact and so after a few seconds of chewing i had to spit it out. Thinking that was it and slightly disappointed i stood to leave before nearly keeling over as the effect of the drug near knocked me out. I then spent the next hour or so in a lazy chair at the side of some nameless street being fanned by a very concerned looking old lady who kept shoving different antidotal remedies down my neck. The feeling was awful and as a result my one dabble into this field laid ruin to my afternoon which i had to spend asleep after somehow stumbling back to the hotel much to everyones amusemet.
I had already decided before i went that the main part of interest for me would be the far north as it is definately comes under the category for roads less travelled, which in burma means you get stared at alot as a complete novelty item. The best thing about this is that the local population havent been corrupted by tourism and the money it brings in. With this in mind i boarded the smallest plane i have ever seen for a slightly nervous two hour flight to Myitkina a small town on the irewaddy river near the chinese border. This is essentially as far north as a foreinger can go without buying a permit as most of the border territories are rebel controlled and strictly off limits. Whether this is actually for our safety as the police continue to insist or to cover up the no doubt attrocities comitted against the tribal people that inhabit these areas remains to be seen.
Fortunately for me i met Anya on the plane up north who had a very similar plan to me. She did however change my plans a little after suggesting a trip to Indawgi lake which would take two days as the transport links serving the area did not link well with each other. The jounrey consisted of a five hour train journey, followed by a stopover in Hopin from where we could take the 6 hour bus the next day. Not bad but considering the lake was only 100 miles away not that great either. Fortunately for us despite Hopin having the worst accomodation known to man, our stroll around the town resulted in us being invited to the house warming party of the daughter of an 80 year old lady called nora who spoke perfect english. I love these chance encounters and despite hopin being a dump i will always remember it fondly for the sheer generosity of the people. Whilst in the town we also ate at the restaurant of a family that refused all payment, gave us gifts galore and took it upon themselves to make sure all of our transport and needs were taken care of. Honestly it is something to behold.
Here i want to make a clarification. I sometimes call it myanmar and other times burma and this reflects on the two faces of the country that any visitor will recognise. On the one hand the modern political and completely corrupt and failing state of myanmar that will make you jump through hoops and try and block your way at every opportunity and on the other hand burma a land of truly amazing and generous people, as well as the most incredible sights and experiences that you will remember for ever. As i spent a month in the country i have alot to write about and will finish off the blog when i next get a chance, plus the suns out here in malaysia and i want to go trekking.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Thailand
This ones going to be pretty short as i have done jack all of anything interesting since i have been here.
I had a little bit more time on my hands than i originally reckoned on, so i headed to the second city of Thailand on the worst 12 hour night bus of my life. Chiang Mai made up for it and turned out to be perfect for some hardcore relaxation. Funnily enough in the room next to me were some guys from Oldbury and were villa fans. I hadnt watched a game in ages and the Blues game was next day so was looking forward to it. We met up later that evening to watch saturdays games in a sports bar that had everything showing. Quality and to top it off free popcorn by the bucket load. I really don't remember Thailand being as cheap as it was this time. I for the last few days even in Bangkok have been eating decent meals for about $1. This is all well and good as ive been trying to limit my spending as i have had to take out $1100 dollars to cover the whole of the next month in Myanmar and Thai atms are costing a fortune.
Despite this I did manage a couple of good nights out and a feast at every fast food restaurant i could find to make up for three months of rice and noodles. Subway has neither smelt or tasted so good ever. I also to pass the time joined a Thai cooking course and spent an entire day preparing but mainly eating a variety of great Thai dishes all made from fresh produce at the market. The cooking was all of 15 minutes a piece but i am properly enthused to give it a whorl when i get home.
The last night was pretty much the same as the previous although the football was abysmal and the memory was left behind in one of the many empty glasses. Ill say one thing about Thai beer never get drunk on the stuff. I don't know whats in it but a Chang'over as its known is dreadful.
So after three really great days i took another night bus twelve hours to Bangkok this time and rocked up at 6am. Great i thought head for Khao San road and there will be plenty of places. Never have i been so wrong, the place was rammed and after an hours wandering i finally found somewhere to crash. Sleep has never been so welcome having not had a decent nights sleep in well over a week.
Bangkok is Bangkok and i largely despise the place although it does have the plus side of being pretty much the only place in South East Asia where you can obtain the things you need before Myanmar. My check list was as follows
1) $1100 dollars in brand new notes. (absolutely no creases, not older than 10 years, in small denominations, no marks, and neither serial number AB or CB)
2) Strong mosquito repellant
3) 20 copies each of passport and visa
4) phrasebook
5) more malaria tablets
In total i went to 32 banks (yes i counted) and was only able to obtain notes from one of those and in pretty high denominations which means i will be right royally shafted when it comes to paying for small things. The phrasebook was also a no go and the type of malaria tablets i am on you can only buy in Singapore.
I leave tomorrow and i am not as prepared as i would have liked but i really hope all goes well nonetheless. At the very least i can say i have been to Myanmar, but as it is the main place for me i will be gutted if i cant carry out my albeit fairly ambitious plans.
I had a little bit more time on my hands than i originally reckoned on, so i headed to the second city of Thailand on the worst 12 hour night bus of my life. Chiang Mai made up for it and turned out to be perfect for some hardcore relaxation. Funnily enough in the room next to me were some guys from Oldbury and were villa fans. I hadnt watched a game in ages and the Blues game was next day so was looking forward to it. We met up later that evening to watch saturdays games in a sports bar that had everything showing. Quality and to top it off free popcorn by the bucket load. I really don't remember Thailand being as cheap as it was this time. I for the last few days even in Bangkok have been eating decent meals for about $1. This is all well and good as ive been trying to limit my spending as i have had to take out $1100 dollars to cover the whole of the next month in Myanmar and Thai atms are costing a fortune.
Despite this I did manage a couple of good nights out and a feast at every fast food restaurant i could find to make up for three months of rice and noodles. Subway has neither smelt or tasted so good ever. I also to pass the time joined a Thai cooking course and spent an entire day preparing but mainly eating a variety of great Thai dishes all made from fresh produce at the market. The cooking was all of 15 minutes a piece but i am properly enthused to give it a whorl when i get home.
The last night was pretty much the same as the previous although the football was abysmal and the memory was left behind in one of the many empty glasses. Ill say one thing about Thai beer never get drunk on the stuff. I don't know whats in it but a Chang'over as its known is dreadful.
So after three really great days i took another night bus twelve hours to Bangkok this time and rocked up at 6am. Great i thought head for Khao San road and there will be plenty of places. Never have i been so wrong, the place was rammed and after an hours wandering i finally found somewhere to crash. Sleep has never been so welcome having not had a decent nights sleep in well over a week.
Bangkok is Bangkok and i largely despise the place although it does have the plus side of being pretty much the only place in South East Asia where you can obtain the things you need before Myanmar. My check list was as follows
1) $1100 dollars in brand new notes. (absolutely no creases, not older than 10 years, in small denominations, no marks, and neither serial number AB or CB)
2) Strong mosquito repellant
3) 20 copies each of passport and visa
4) phrasebook
5) more malaria tablets
In total i went to 32 banks (yes i counted) and was only able to obtain notes from one of those and in pretty high denominations which means i will be right royally shafted when it comes to paying for small things. The phrasebook was also a no go and the type of malaria tablets i am on you can only buy in Singapore.
I leave tomorrow and i am not as prepared as i would have liked but i really hope all goes well nonetheless. At the very least i can say i have been to Myanmar, but as it is the main place for me i will be gutted if i cant carry out my albeit fairly ambitious plans.
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