New York has always been on the top of my travel wish list. It promises so much, a quirky, crazy and formidable city. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint!
From the moment we landed at JFK I felt like was walking onto a movie set and I was the star of the show! All the yellow cabs, wailing sirens, bright lights and bustling streets were exactly how I imagined, right down to the steam rising from the grates on the road.
It's incredible restaurants, fantastic shopping, awe-inspiring art galleries and architecture. As a lover of art-deco, I was in my element. I had come home. Every street corner held another delight and steeped in its own individuality.
The class divide has never been more apparent then in NY, walking down Fifth Avenue with its Gucci and Chanel, to then see the poverty of the Upper East Side was like going from night to day. There was no middle ground, not in its consumerism nor its very being.
I loved Brooklyn, it was the rough diamond of NY, along with Harlem (the birthplace of jazz, blues and hip-hop). It's funky bars and ridiculous political debates with the locals.
NY is my favourite city, it offers me the best of everything I love about life. Somewhere I could happily settle and be the writer, boho chick I've always wanted to be.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Tunisia
As I do with all my trips abroad, I lose myself in the trusted Lonely Planet. I want to learn all about country; it's culture, history and politics. Hungry to learn exactly what that country has to offer and experience everything.
Tunisia tantalised me, despite the dubious cover depicting a man kissing a camel. Such rich heritage with Carthage, being conquered by the Roman, Greeks, Phoenicians and French. Rich is Islamic, Arabic and French.
The Tunisia I experienced wasn't the Tunisia I expected. Mainly due to being trapped by an all-inclusive resort on the coast of Tunis. Camels were everywhere; every souvenir feature this animal. You could take one step without being greeted by a camel in one shape or another.
The Lonely Planet warned of 'forward' men and this was certainly the case. They loved the English girls, although I was mistaken for Brazilian, oddly! Being approached and asked if you have a 'friend' and 'I want to spend night with you' was laughed off. The hotel treated us to crazy shows of men in drag miming to Celine Dion and re-enacting Titanic or dancing with the bottoms of the trousers cut out...curious.
The food was mainly generic meat and fish, served with generic potato and salad. I was the only one who sampled the local dishes, which were a wonderful hybrid of Mediterranean and Arabic cooking, although with a little punch!
We successfully polished off our duty free wine, Bisson vodka and Captain Morgan's to take the edge off the constant harassment and cheesy music. Also made dancing with the Germans who were making shapes that can only be likened to an epileptic fit!
The beach was beautiful, although choppy - although I was more interested in causing mischief and losing myself in Russian literature (perhaps not the best holiday read) - this also contributed to being called a Communist by my friends, a tag that I thought I had avoided by hiding my copy of The Communist Manifesto when I was younger and never speaking of it again.
Despite normally immersing myself in a country and trying to live it, I really enjoyed my holiday - lots of random fun with a bit Tunisian sense of humour. I did feel a bit cheated that I didn't experience the best of the country, but I'm sure I'll go back to visit as traveller and not a tourist.
Tunisia tantalised me, despite the dubious cover depicting a man kissing a camel. Such rich heritage with Carthage, being conquered by the Roman, Greeks, Phoenicians and French. Rich is Islamic, Arabic and French.
The Tunisia I experienced wasn't the Tunisia I expected. Mainly due to being trapped by an all-inclusive resort on the coast of Tunis. Camels were everywhere; every souvenir feature this animal. You could take one step without being greeted by a camel in one shape or another.
The Lonely Planet warned of 'forward' men and this was certainly the case. They loved the English girls, although I was mistaken for Brazilian, oddly! Being approached and asked if you have a 'friend' and 'I want to spend night with you' was laughed off. The hotel treated us to crazy shows of men in drag miming to Celine Dion and re-enacting Titanic or dancing with the bottoms of the trousers cut out...curious.
The food was mainly generic meat and fish, served with generic potato and salad. I was the only one who sampled the local dishes, which were a wonderful hybrid of Mediterranean and Arabic cooking, although with a little punch!
We successfully polished off our duty free wine, Bisson vodka and Captain Morgan's to take the edge off the constant harassment and cheesy music. Also made dancing with the Germans who were making shapes that can only be likened to an epileptic fit!
The beach was beautiful, although choppy - although I was more interested in causing mischief and losing myself in Russian literature (perhaps not the best holiday read) - this also contributed to being called a Communist by my friends, a tag that I thought I had avoided by hiding my copy of The Communist Manifesto when I was younger and never speaking of it again.
Despite normally immersing myself in a country and trying to live it, I really enjoyed my holiday - lots of random fun with a bit Tunisian sense of humour. I did feel a bit cheated that I didn't experience the best of the country, but I'm sure I'll go back to visit as traveller and not a tourist.
Toulouse
I've always been a lover of France. I spent a childhood travelling around the country of fine wine, cuisine and exquistisite language. The language, literature, movies and history of this country is second to none.
Toulouse is a city I have previously visited, but this time I was heading two-hours south to the boarder with the Pyrenees. We were staying a beautiful old farm house, complete with views of the French countryside and mountain range. The house was completely secluded, we'd be lucky to see one tractor a day. The house was located near a fois gras farm, one that I wanted to venture to but didn't manage to leave the compound!
The air was fresh and wine was flowing, can't argue with 10 litres of red wine. We watched the the sun rise on more then one occasion. Watching the night slowly turn to day over the house.
We spent most of the days sampling fine local cheeses, pates, fresh breads and meats from the region. It really is a life that I would love to live. Perhaps in Montpelier though.
The highlight of the holiday was writing the most superb rock opera, that involved elephants made out of midgets, being African dancers and riding a huge inflatable Michael Jackson. This was closely followed by freaking ourselves out by the remoteness of the house and the lights flickering, before moving from room to room carry a box of wine like a man down.
This decended into chaos as we embarked on crossing the fields as morning broke to investigate a dubious light coming from the trees. Armed with nothing but one pair of flip-flops between the two of us and a glass of red wine each. This was not the fairies that we imagined, but light from the moon bouncing off a hidden lake!
Toulouse is a city I have previously visited, but this time I was heading two-hours south to the boarder with the Pyrenees. We were staying a beautiful old farm house, complete with views of the French countryside and mountain range. The house was completely secluded, we'd be lucky to see one tractor a day. The house was located near a fois gras farm, one that I wanted to venture to but didn't manage to leave the compound!
The air was fresh and wine was flowing, can't argue with 10 litres of red wine. We watched the the sun rise on more then one occasion. Watching the night slowly turn to day over the house.
We spent most of the days sampling fine local cheeses, pates, fresh breads and meats from the region. It really is a life that I would love to live. Perhaps in Montpelier though.
The highlight of the holiday was writing the most superb rock opera, that involved elephants made out of midgets, being African dancers and riding a huge inflatable Michael Jackson. This was closely followed by freaking ourselves out by the remoteness of the house and the lights flickering, before moving from room to room carry a box of wine like a man down.
This decended into chaos as we embarked on crossing the fields as morning broke to investigate a dubious light coming from the trees. Armed with nothing but one pair of flip-flops between the two of us and a glass of red wine each. This was not the fairies that we imagined, but light from the moon bouncing off a hidden lake!
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Japan
Flew into Narita airport, Japan to a sea of neon lights. Headed to the information desk to ask about taxi's, the lady a bit bemused said "It's very expensive, it'll cost about 250,000 Yen" I pulled my phone out of my bag, did some quick calculations, £1980!!! I punched in the numbers again, there must be some mistake! I then headed to the subway which cost about £8 to Asukasabashi. The trains, as I understand it, are all privatised so run on different lines, you have to buy tickets according to the company that owns the lines as opposed to a ticket to your destination or a ride on the 'Metropolitan' line. It was very confusing and asked nearly everyone I encountered if I was in the right station, on the right platform and on the right train. My train was due in at 18:21, at 18:21 on the dot the train pulled into the station. My confusion was magnified when I was directed on a train and none of the stations we stopped at matched my map. I interrupted a chap playing on the Nintendo DS who was heading to Nagoya for a heart operation...great, here I was fretting over whether I was on the right train and this chap was about to have his chest ripped open!
Finally made it to where I was headed only to realise that the roads don't have names, only the main roads do. Stopped in a police box to speak to a very serious looking man wielding a rather large cane, "hai" he said pulling out a map, he smacked the cane on the desk "left and left, hai" he said. Two seconds later I was at the Khaosan Tokyo Ninja hostel. It was a sight to behold. The outside was in clad in geometric shapes, white-washed with little black ninjas painted on. I entered through the slide door and I was give the key to bed 18 on the forth floor. I followed the red lino up the stairs through a white stairwell with octopus ninja scrawled on the walls. Got to the forth floor; to the right was the locker room, to the left was the bathroom (with remote controlled toilet with a glorious heated seat) and the dorm was Mr Ikea's wet dream. There was about 16 capsules knocked up from a bit of MDF. The capsule was rather cosy, relatively spacious with a light, shelving, plugs and a little window, luckily my bed was next to a window, so got plenty of natural light. Capsules are the way forward, no being disturbed by people coming into the room, switching on lights, moving around, etc. Most importantly it was really private and found myself thinking I was at home, then waking up rather confused as to why I was in a coffin!
Got a one-day travel card and headed off into the city. Started at "central park" which seemed to be surrounded by universities. Visited a few shrines, which are different from the other temples in SE Asia, they are not as ostentatious and seems exude power and regalness, with its simple lines. The difference is like comparing Steve McQueen to Liberace.
Shinjuku is where all the action is, lots of neon lights and huge TV screens embedded in buildings. Again the confusion set in as Shinjuku station is size of a town but seemed to not lead anywhere. I was going around in circles for a good 3 hours before finding my way around Shinjuku, mainly because you find your way around using landmarks, and past the Japanese art-deco building of Isetan. The highlight of Shinjuku was a cluster of alleyways with tiny bars, half the size of my front room, there were rock bars, jazz bars and traditional Japanese pubs all lining this little oasis tucked away behind the busy Shinjuku roads.
The Japanese love jazz and take it very seriously. You never hear muzak, they opt for soothing tones of Miles Davis or Thelonius Monk in shopping centres, restaurants, trains and of course, the plethora of jazz bars. There are also about million art galleries dotted all over Tokyo, with the most surreal and creative art I've ever seen. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Ueno was a slight disappointment, there was a William Morris exhibition which I had no interest in, I was hungry for Japanese traditional and contemporary art. One hall displayed art work from Japanese school children...I was blown away that children are this talented and creative. Using every technique and material, some art was still life, lots of geometric shapes and a lot of psychedelic images. It made me realise that Japan's modern renaissance was all about absolute freedom and the mind was allowed to create, nothing was absurd or too out-there!
The party district of Roppongi was quite swish, but at the same time had a very seedy and aggressive atmosphere. Mainly, I think, because the majority of the clubs were gentlemen only. It isn't as in your face as the red-light district of Kabukicho, that was all 'pink cabaret' and hidden shops behind pink curtains decorated with anime ladies offering the depraved Japanese male all sorts of naughtiness. It's a bit weird, having something so immoral hidden behind a sugar-coated, pink, cartoon silliness. It's a little Victorian, like unspeakable, unacknowledged sins behind a veil of proper face for society. Anyway, watch the sunset from the Roppongi Hills, behind the Toyko Tower (which is like the Blackpool Tower). The sky was doing crazy things and was gutted about the absence of a camera.
I wanted to venture out of the city to Kyoto or Okinawa, but looking into transport this was going to be expensive. I figured that I wasn't going to come back to Japan anytime soon, this was once in a lifetime, so what the hell. I booked myself onto a Shinkansen (bullet) train to Kyoto, it cost 24000 Yen or £192 (ouch). The 7 hours road trip was reduced to a 2.5 hour train trip through central Japan past Mount Fuji. I wanted to catch the 8:05 train, the train left Tokyo station at 8:05. The scenery was breathtaking, apart from when I thought there was something wrong with my eyesight only to realise that it was posts dotted along the track going past so fast, they were just flickers. The train was so clean and very quiet, people are so polite and respectful (baring in mind that chivalry is non-existent). The journey was so smooth. I'm very impressed!
Kyoto is more traditional then Tokyo. Lots of traditional wooden buildings, surrounded by a magnificent mountain range. Kyoto is really quirky, it reminds me a bit of Camden Town. Lots of funky and second-hand clothes shops. I got myself I one-day bus pass. My bus to Gion (lots of temples, little traditional roads and geishas) was due at 10:43, the bus showed up at 10:43 and off we trundled. All the drivers have Britney Spears headsets, and one with a comedy voice was talking constantly, I don't know what he was saying but no-one was paying any attention. There are so many temples and shrines, it would take about 3 weeks to see them all. There is also a stretch of road called Tetsugaku-rio-Michi or the path of philosophy, which is just a nice walk really. I couldn't find the Sumiya Pleasure House to see all the geisha's, I'm sure I was just being dense with the whole 'let's not name our streets' policy.
I had planned to head to Tsukji fish market, it opens are 5am with a tuna auction, but I slept in. By all accounts, it's very good and the food is incredible as your sushi barely dead when they serve it you. Central Tokyo around the bay and station is more the Tokyo you see on television and hub-bub of technology, but it really isn't the place that makes Tokyo so amazing and completely different from any city in the world.
The whole of Japan is silly really, in many ways it's so modern, forward-thinking and serious. On the flip side, it's all about garish, silliness, cartoons (Manga is a cartoon) and childlike. The women are so liberated, but oppressed at the same time. You barely see couples or mixed-gender groups together in the street and a lot of women are alone. Using a mobile phone in public is a serious faux-pas, despite being the birthplace of the cell, I don't think I ever heard one go off or anyone talking on it, but everyone was clutching one.
Finally made it to where I was headed only to realise that the roads don't have names, only the main roads do. Stopped in a police box to speak to a very serious looking man wielding a rather large cane, "hai" he said pulling out a map, he smacked the cane on the desk "left and left, hai" he said. Two seconds later I was at the Khaosan Tokyo Ninja hostel. It was a sight to behold. The outside was in clad in geometric shapes, white-washed with little black ninjas painted on. I entered through the slide door and I was give the key to bed 18 on the forth floor. I followed the red lino up the stairs through a white stairwell with octopus ninja scrawled on the walls. Got to the forth floor; to the right was the locker room, to the left was the bathroom (with remote controlled toilet with a glorious heated seat) and the dorm was Mr Ikea's wet dream. There was about 16 capsules knocked up from a bit of MDF. The capsule was rather cosy, relatively spacious with a light, shelving, plugs and a little window, luckily my bed was next to a window, so got plenty of natural light. Capsules are the way forward, no being disturbed by people coming into the room, switching on lights, moving around, etc. Most importantly it was really private and found myself thinking I was at home, then waking up rather confused as to why I was in a coffin!
Got a one-day travel card and headed off into the city. Started at "central park" which seemed to be surrounded by universities. Visited a few shrines, which are different from the other temples in SE Asia, they are not as ostentatious and seems exude power and regalness, with its simple lines. The difference is like comparing Steve McQueen to Liberace.
Shinjuku is where all the action is, lots of neon lights and huge TV screens embedded in buildings. Again the confusion set in as Shinjuku station is size of a town but seemed to not lead anywhere. I was going around in circles for a good 3 hours before finding my way around Shinjuku, mainly because you find your way around using landmarks, and past the Japanese art-deco building of Isetan. The highlight of Shinjuku was a cluster of alleyways with tiny bars, half the size of my front room, there were rock bars, jazz bars and traditional Japanese pubs all lining this little oasis tucked away behind the busy Shinjuku roads.
The Japanese love jazz and take it very seriously. You never hear muzak, they opt for soothing tones of Miles Davis or Thelonius Monk in shopping centres, restaurants, trains and of course, the plethora of jazz bars. There are also about million art galleries dotted all over Tokyo, with the most surreal and creative art I've ever seen. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Ueno was a slight disappointment, there was a William Morris exhibition which I had no interest in, I was hungry for Japanese traditional and contemporary art. One hall displayed art work from Japanese school children...I was blown away that children are this talented and creative. Using every technique and material, some art was still life, lots of geometric shapes and a lot of psychedelic images. It made me realise that Japan's modern renaissance was all about absolute freedom and the mind was allowed to create, nothing was absurd or too out-there!
The party district of Roppongi was quite swish, but at the same time had a very seedy and aggressive atmosphere. Mainly, I think, because the majority of the clubs were gentlemen only. It isn't as in your face as the red-light district of Kabukicho, that was all 'pink cabaret' and hidden shops behind pink curtains decorated with anime ladies offering the depraved Japanese male all sorts of naughtiness. It's a bit weird, having something so immoral hidden behind a sugar-coated, pink, cartoon silliness. It's a little Victorian, like unspeakable, unacknowledged sins behind a veil of proper face for society. Anyway, watch the sunset from the Roppongi Hills, behind the Toyko Tower (which is like the Blackpool Tower). The sky was doing crazy things and was gutted about the absence of a camera.
I wanted to venture out of the city to Kyoto or Okinawa, but looking into transport this was going to be expensive. I figured that I wasn't going to come back to Japan anytime soon, this was once in a lifetime, so what the hell. I booked myself onto a Shinkansen (bullet) train to Kyoto, it cost 24000 Yen or £192 (ouch). The 7 hours road trip was reduced to a 2.5 hour train trip through central Japan past Mount Fuji. I wanted to catch the 8:05 train, the train left Tokyo station at 8:05. The scenery was breathtaking, apart from when I thought there was something wrong with my eyesight only to realise that it was posts dotted along the track going past so fast, they were just flickers. The train was so clean and very quiet, people are so polite and respectful (baring in mind that chivalry is non-existent). The journey was so smooth. I'm very impressed!
Kyoto is more traditional then Tokyo. Lots of traditional wooden buildings, surrounded by a magnificent mountain range. Kyoto is really quirky, it reminds me a bit of Camden Town. Lots of funky and second-hand clothes shops. I got myself I one-day bus pass. My bus to Gion (lots of temples, little traditional roads and geishas) was due at 10:43, the bus showed up at 10:43 and off we trundled. All the drivers have Britney Spears headsets, and one with a comedy voice was talking constantly, I don't know what he was saying but no-one was paying any attention. There are so many temples and shrines, it would take about 3 weeks to see them all. There is also a stretch of road called Tetsugaku-rio-Michi or the path of philosophy, which is just a nice walk really. I couldn't find the Sumiya Pleasure House to see all the geisha's, I'm sure I was just being dense with the whole 'let's not name our streets' policy.
I had planned to head to Tsukji fish market, it opens are 5am with a tuna auction, but I slept in. By all accounts, it's very good and the food is incredible as your sushi barely dead when they serve it you. Central Tokyo around the bay and station is more the Tokyo you see on television and hub-bub of technology, but it really isn't the place that makes Tokyo so amazing and completely different from any city in the world.
The whole of Japan is silly really, in many ways it's so modern, forward-thinking and serious. On the flip side, it's all about garish, silliness, cartoons (Manga is a cartoon) and childlike. The women are so liberated, but oppressed at the same time. You barely see couples or mixed-gender groups together in the street and a lot of women are alone. Using a mobile phone in public is a serious faux-pas, despite being the birthplace of the cell, I don't think I ever heard one go off or anyone talking on it, but everyone was clutching one.
Malaysia
I didn't spend as much time in Malaysia as I would've liked as I was down to my last £300 (£200 of which I was saving for Japan). In times of financial crisis, sacrifices must be made; flights/packages to Thailand/Malaysia are cheap and easy, just how I like it ;)
Kuala Lumpur (KL) is an incredible, cosmopolitan and vibrant city. It reminds me a little of Rio, in terms of it being a tropical metropolis. Got to KL Sentral station and tried to hail a cab; one stopped and informed me that the road my hostel was on Bukit Bintang was closed off for a valentines parade, he gave me very precise instructions on how to get to the monorail, where to get on and where to get off. The monorail was great, incredibly cheap, very efficient and easy to use. Got to Bukit Bintang, which is the main shopping district and the first thing I saw was a massive Topshop, somewhere I could hear angels singing! The hostel, Red Palm, was tucked away behind the hustle and bustle, parallel to a massive food court - I'm telling you, no need for travelling as every country in the world has a restaurant here!
The hostel is one of the coolest places I've stayed. Much like the Afroba, it felt like I was staying at a funky friends house. The owner Sofia was really welcoming and gave loads of advice about monks asking for a donation who are part of a syndicate and very friendly men who scam people out of money. The hostel was also next to a row of curry houses, which constantly smelt incredible...drool...
Heading off around KL, on the main strip where I was staying, a big stage was erected where Malaysian pop stars performed love songs in honour of St Valentine. For those on there own, you can have a very cheap massage with a happy ending?!
As well as the skyscrapers that dominate KL's skyline, there is also colonial buildings left by the British and building built in a very Islamic style dotted around Merkada Square (where there is also a cricket field). The fantastic areas of Little India and Chinatown were amazing, bustling assault on the senses. I sat in a very Art Deco Colosseum Cafe in Little India, which looks like has not been touched since its opening in 1922. I was instantly transported to a time where ladies were draped in fur and pearls and men wore hats, not the khaki trousers and Primark t-shirt I was wearing!
I wanted to head of the Central Market, but the road was closed off the a bicycle race, that I watched. I lasted approx 2 seconds as fluoresent, Lycra clad men whizzed passed without incident, no crashes, no falling over, no rearing off the road...just happily whizzing around KL.
I then realised that I only booked the room in the hostel for one night and it had already been booked out to someone else, eek! Sofia (the owner) recommended one just up the road called Travellers Palm Lodge, which was equally funky and cool, run by a lady called Suzy. The place was covered in turn of the century telephones, gramophones and a burgundy bathroom! I want to live here!
My flight to Japan, stopped in the divers Mecca of Sabah (south-east from the Malaysian pennisula), it confirmed my opinions of Malaysia being packed with thick rainforest and perfect coastline - looking around you see little house with slopping red roofs, surrounded by a thick canape of palm trees. Malaysia really is a little bit of paradise coupled with all the creature comforts of a modern developed world. The people are as friendly and happy as they are in Thailand and has the prices to match! I need to come back here, to visit the jungle railway, Georgetown, Melaka and Pulau Tioman.
Kuala Lumpur (KL) is an incredible, cosmopolitan and vibrant city. It reminds me a little of Rio, in terms of it being a tropical metropolis. Got to KL Sentral station and tried to hail a cab; one stopped and informed me that the road my hostel was on Bukit Bintang was closed off for a valentines parade, he gave me very precise instructions on how to get to the monorail, where to get on and where to get off. The monorail was great, incredibly cheap, very efficient and easy to use. Got to Bukit Bintang, which is the main shopping district and the first thing I saw was a massive Topshop, somewhere I could hear angels singing! The hostel, Red Palm, was tucked away behind the hustle and bustle, parallel to a massive food court - I'm telling you, no need for travelling as every country in the world has a restaurant here!
The hostel is one of the coolest places I've stayed. Much like the Afroba, it felt like I was staying at a funky friends house. The owner Sofia was really welcoming and gave loads of advice about monks asking for a donation who are part of a syndicate and very friendly men who scam people out of money. The hostel was also next to a row of curry houses, which constantly smelt incredible...drool...
Heading off around KL, on the main strip where I was staying, a big stage was erected where Malaysian pop stars performed love songs in honour of St Valentine. For those on there own, you can have a very cheap massage with a happy ending?!
As well as the skyscrapers that dominate KL's skyline, there is also colonial buildings left by the British and building built in a very Islamic style dotted around Merkada Square (where there is also a cricket field). The fantastic areas of Little India and Chinatown were amazing, bustling assault on the senses. I sat in a very Art Deco Colosseum Cafe in Little India, which looks like has not been touched since its opening in 1922. I was instantly transported to a time where ladies were draped in fur and pearls and men wore hats, not the khaki trousers and Primark t-shirt I was wearing!
I wanted to head of the Central Market, but the road was closed off the a bicycle race, that I watched. I lasted approx 2 seconds as fluoresent, Lycra clad men whizzed passed without incident, no crashes, no falling over, no rearing off the road...just happily whizzing around KL.
I then realised that I only booked the room in the hostel for one night and it had already been booked out to someone else, eek! Sofia (the owner) recommended one just up the road called Travellers Palm Lodge, which was equally funky and cool, run by a lady called Suzy. The place was covered in turn of the century telephones, gramophones and a burgundy bathroom! I want to live here!
My flight to Japan, stopped in the divers Mecca of Sabah (south-east from the Malaysian pennisula), it confirmed my opinions of Malaysia being packed with thick rainforest and perfect coastline - looking around you see little house with slopping red roofs, surrounded by a thick canape of palm trees. Malaysia really is a little bit of paradise coupled with all the creature comforts of a modern developed world. The people are as friendly and happy as they are in Thailand and has the prices to match! I need to come back here, to visit the jungle railway, Georgetown, Melaka and Pulau Tioman.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Laos
I rather lazily and decadently got on a plane to get from Hanoi to Luang Phabang, I'm running worryingly low on cash and I'm dreading the credit card bills, so perhaps flying wasn't the most frugal option, but saved me 24-hours on a bus. Felt very out of place on the flight, as apart from 2 Aussies, I was the youngest person on the flight by about 15 years! Getting my ready for my Saga trips.
Luang Phabang it's so beautiful. The UNESCO world heritage site is situated in the mid-north, nestled in a valley. It looks very much like a village in the south of France and there are temples everywhere. I get very uneasy talking to monks, especially when they're about 7 years old, so I ignored them (minus 50 karma points). I stayed in the guesthouse called Vilay, which was just on the outskirts of the centre of town and near the Mekong river, on Kok Sak Road...tee hee! As Luang Phabang has a lot of temples, you get woken up by the sound of beating drums from the wats at 4am, I think this is a call for everyone to bring food to donate to the massive procession of monks, I declined as I'm not getting up at 6am for anybody, (minus 75 karma points).
Passed through Vieng Vang, as according to reports it's a bit of a water-sports place. It was rammed with backpackers with heavy-duty hangovers. It was incredibly beautiful with the river snaking its way around the mountains.
I then got on a bus to Pakse, which is to the south. From there you can see Wat Phou (pronounced What Poo...this is too much!), the largest Khmer site outside Cambodia and Si Phan Don or 4000 Islands on the Cambodian border. I headed to the largest island in the Mekong called Don Khong. It is a very sleepy island and good base to explore the rest of the islands (not all 4000 of them, just the best ones). It also has a large selection of wats and lots of little villages hugging the banks of the river and cafes catering for the massive amounts of French tourists. People in Laos are really friendly, they just walk passed and say Sabai Di (pronounced zebadee) with a smile...they're not trying to sell you anything or invade your personal space, just being friendly. Laos is more laid-back then it's SE Asian counterparts, has the most spectacular sunsets and scenery. The north is really mountainous and beautiful, the south is currently at the arse-end of the dry season, so is a little dry and scorched, but still boasts rolling landscapes.
I explored the islands of Don Det and Don Khon with its disused French railway and waterfalls. I've been rather colonial on this trip, just falling short of the handlebar moustache, blunderbuss and carry around a heft supply of bells/mirrors for the natives. So sat in the little cafe on the island, which was a little wooden shack overlooking the river and ordered tea, to my delight it was a pint of the stuff, none of this fruit tea rubbish, proper builders tea with milk and sugar...apart from it wasn't sugar, it was salt. I had to surreptitiously pour it away as I was too embarrassed to admit my mistake and worried that I might get charged for another (I'm running very low on Kip and there are no cash machines on the islands).
After this little drama, I trotted off towards the waterfall, I was taking photos of derelict colonial buildings, when I arrived at this mass of water bursting its way through jagged rocks, I realised my camera was missing. I then retraced my steps back the 3km walk to see if it had by chance just fallen out of my pocket, it hadn't, but just in case I walked the 6km there and back again just to double check in the heat and humidity (just think of the tan and weight loss). I asked at a few restaurants and a tickets agent, nothing. None of them seem to understand the word police either, so I couldn't report it missing. As I was heading to the city next day, I thought I would report it then. Totally gutted, I had a few fantastic shots that I ear-marked for framing.
Then headed off to the Mekong that separated Laos from Cambodia to see the Somphamit Falls on the other side of island and go Irrawaddy dolphin spotting. The falls were immense; the Mekong river is unimaginable in size, stretches over 5 countries, starting from the southern tip of Vietnam all the way to south China, it's on average about 3km wide, now to see this expanse of water crashing through a small gorge is incredible as the water swirled and crash underneath me.
I then embarked on a mammoth journey from south Laos, near Cambodia to head to the north-west capital of Vientiane, which borders northern Thailand. I booked what I thought was a tourist bus, embarked at 9am from my guesthouse when I quickly realised this was a local bus for local people and I was the only white in the village...I don't have anymore comedy catchphrases! We passed through some remote villages, all really cute and rustic rows of wooden houses, loving built with carved doors and balconies, surrounded by mountains and fields. We passed through Savannakhet, which seemed a bit soulless to me. I befriended a monk who was sat behind me, he asked where I was headed, he was headed that way too, I asked what time we arrived, he pointed at the sky and showed me 4 digits on his left hand, he meant 4am! Oh Christ, I haven't booked anywhere and I have to wonder around Vientiane at 4am looking for guesthouse, great! About 11.30pm we passed a bus station I recognised and figured we had another 3 hours, apart from the bus driver took the opportunity to go about his business on route and then disaster struck! The bus broke down, amid the hammering and clanging, I started to panic about what would happen if the driver couldn't fix it and how would I know as no bugger speaks English, I looked around and the locals looked quite relaxed, even the ones with small babies, so I decided to chill-out...I kept dosing off and waking up panicked like a granddad at Christmas. The bus started and we ended up heading back the way we came, so maybe it just went in for an MOT. Arrived at 5.30ish and by the time I got to my guesthouse on the main strip in the city it was 6am and city was starting to wake, phew!
The city of Vientiane is so beautiful, again looks like France and more like a town then a city. Traffic is very light and the whole city is populated with massive colonial villas with wooden shutters, wrought iron fences, courtyards and wrap-around verandas. I want one!!! It has this really incredible temple, that lacks all of the ostentatiousness that the others have but there was something very regal and wise about it. The royal palace looked a bit like a stately-home-cum-precocious-hotel in England, if I was the queen, I would move! Between the hours of dusk until dawn, there is a plague of Biblical proportions of mosquito's that swarm around everywhere, very unnerving especially in the bathroom! There is nothing more satisfying then the crack of the mosquito light as it claims another victim.
Speaking of colonialism, next stop Malaysia.
Luang Phabang it's so beautiful. The UNESCO world heritage site is situated in the mid-north, nestled in a valley. It looks very much like a village in the south of France and there are temples everywhere. I get very uneasy talking to monks, especially when they're about 7 years old, so I ignored them (minus 50 karma points). I stayed in the guesthouse called Vilay, which was just on the outskirts of the centre of town and near the Mekong river, on Kok Sak Road...tee hee! As Luang Phabang has a lot of temples, you get woken up by the sound of beating drums from the wats at 4am, I think this is a call for everyone to bring food to donate to the massive procession of monks, I declined as I'm not getting up at 6am for anybody, (minus 75 karma points).
Passed through Vieng Vang, as according to reports it's a bit of a water-sports place. It was rammed with backpackers with heavy-duty hangovers. It was incredibly beautiful with the river snaking its way around the mountains.
I then got on a bus to Pakse, which is to the south. From there you can see Wat Phou (pronounced What Poo...this is too much!), the largest Khmer site outside Cambodia and Si Phan Don or 4000 Islands on the Cambodian border. I headed to the largest island in the Mekong called Don Khong. It is a very sleepy island and good base to explore the rest of the islands (not all 4000 of them, just the best ones). It also has a large selection of wats and lots of little villages hugging the banks of the river and cafes catering for the massive amounts of French tourists. People in Laos are really friendly, they just walk passed and say Sabai Di (pronounced zebadee) with a smile...they're not trying to sell you anything or invade your personal space, just being friendly. Laos is more laid-back then it's SE Asian counterparts, has the most spectacular sunsets and scenery. The north is really mountainous and beautiful, the south is currently at the arse-end of the dry season, so is a little dry and scorched, but still boasts rolling landscapes.
I explored the islands of Don Det and Don Khon with its disused French railway and waterfalls. I've been rather colonial on this trip, just falling short of the handlebar moustache, blunderbuss and carry around a heft supply of bells/mirrors for the natives. So sat in the little cafe on the island, which was a little wooden shack overlooking the river and ordered tea, to my delight it was a pint of the stuff, none of this fruit tea rubbish, proper builders tea with milk and sugar...apart from it wasn't sugar, it was salt. I had to surreptitiously pour it away as I was too embarrassed to admit my mistake and worried that I might get charged for another (I'm running very low on Kip and there are no cash machines on the islands).
After this little drama, I trotted off towards the waterfall, I was taking photos of derelict colonial buildings, when I arrived at this mass of water bursting its way through jagged rocks, I realised my camera was missing. I then retraced my steps back the 3km walk to see if it had by chance just fallen out of my pocket, it hadn't, but just in case I walked the 6km there and back again just to double check in the heat and humidity (just think of the tan and weight loss). I asked at a few restaurants and a tickets agent, nothing. None of them seem to understand the word police either, so I couldn't report it missing. As I was heading to the city next day, I thought I would report it then. Totally gutted, I had a few fantastic shots that I ear-marked for framing.
Then headed off to the Mekong that separated Laos from Cambodia to see the Somphamit Falls on the other side of island and go Irrawaddy dolphin spotting. The falls were immense; the Mekong river is unimaginable in size, stretches over 5 countries, starting from the southern tip of Vietnam all the way to south China, it's on average about 3km wide, now to see this expanse of water crashing through a small gorge is incredible as the water swirled and crash underneath me.
I then embarked on a mammoth journey from south Laos, near Cambodia to head to the north-west capital of Vientiane, which borders northern Thailand. I booked what I thought was a tourist bus, embarked at 9am from my guesthouse when I quickly realised this was a local bus for local people and I was the only white in the village...I don't have anymore comedy catchphrases! We passed through some remote villages, all really cute and rustic rows of wooden houses, loving built with carved doors and balconies, surrounded by mountains and fields. We passed through Savannakhet, which seemed a bit soulless to me. I befriended a monk who was sat behind me, he asked where I was headed, he was headed that way too, I asked what time we arrived, he pointed at the sky and showed me 4 digits on his left hand, he meant 4am! Oh Christ, I haven't booked anywhere and I have to wonder around Vientiane at 4am looking for guesthouse, great! About 11.30pm we passed a bus station I recognised and figured we had another 3 hours, apart from the bus driver took the opportunity to go about his business on route and then disaster struck! The bus broke down, amid the hammering and clanging, I started to panic about what would happen if the driver couldn't fix it and how would I know as no bugger speaks English, I looked around and the locals looked quite relaxed, even the ones with small babies, so I decided to chill-out...I kept dosing off and waking up panicked like a granddad at Christmas. The bus started and we ended up heading back the way we came, so maybe it just went in for an MOT. Arrived at 5.30ish and by the time I got to my guesthouse on the main strip in the city it was 6am and city was starting to wake, phew!
The city of Vientiane is so beautiful, again looks like France and more like a town then a city. Traffic is very light and the whole city is populated with massive colonial villas with wooden shutters, wrought iron fences, courtyards and wrap-around verandas. I want one!!! It has this really incredible temple, that lacks all of the ostentatiousness that the others have but there was something very regal and wise about it. The royal palace looked a bit like a stately-home-cum-precocious-hotel in England, if I was the queen, I would move! Between the hours of dusk until dawn, there is a plague of Biblical proportions of mosquito's that swarm around everywhere, very unnerving especially in the bathroom! There is nothing more satisfying then the crack of the mosquito light as it claims another victim.
Speaking of colonialism, next stop Malaysia.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Vietnam
Entering Viet Nam (as the Vietnamese call it), was a sheer joy. I paid a lot of money to get onto a VIP bus, which supposedly made going through customs hassle-free, this isn't the reason I hasten to add, it was because the cheaper buses were all fully booked. The landscape of Vietnam is lushiously green and seems far more developed and organised.
I started in Saigon, bagged myself a really nice hotel room (which turned out not to be as cheap as I thought it was going to be) in the backpacker district. Location was fantastic, really close to all the things I wanted to see and reminded me of a classier Khao San Rd. The city is very colonial and as it is Tet, the streets were all decorated and people were running around in their posh frocks. I headed to the American Wars Crimes Museum (it's not actually called that anymore), which is totally horrific, although looking around you wouldn't know that twice the amount of bombs were dropped here then during the whole of WWII.
Went to the Mekong Delta, it ended up being more of shopping trip then the tour of the delta we were expecting. It was lots of fun though and managed to avoid the snake wine! The tour guide was called Duc (pronounced weird, I called him Doug), he was the highlight, he kept making jokes about the natives kidnapping blondes, so fair people should buy a hat and talking about Stiffler from American Pie?!
I think I nearly had my bag snatched about 3 doors down from the hotel. You get used to gambling with your life every time you cross a road and motorcyclist scooting really close past you. This happened and I felt a grab on my shoulder, I turned around and the cyclist was looking at me...hmmm. He'd be lucky, there are about 4 books in there, even Geoff Capes would have problems!!
They do open tours here, basically you book your destinations and 24 hours before you want to leave, you reserve your seat on the bus. My first stop was Nha Trang. This is their sea-side resort and is really nice, lots of expensive hotels and lovely beach, although the sea is really choppy. Had a bit of a panic when I arrived, as all the hotels and guesthouses were full, so ended up paying a whopping $26/night.
Hoi An is a lovely little town, lots of really old buildings and little shops full of arts and crafts. They have these little wooden townhouses that belonged to the merchants which were really cute. The hotel is fantastic, I have my own bathtub and there is a swimming pool. Although it's starting to get colder the further north I go. I had my first experience of a sleeper bus, it was hideous. I had to sit next to an old Vietnamese dude, when he wasn't yawning loudly, he was snoring loudly!! Men have to make such a song and dance about everything?!
Hue wasn't what I expected. It has the citadel, which is like a mini Forbidden City. Other then that, there is nothing here. Other then a cool bar called DMZ, named after the Demilitarized Zone, which was the buffer zone between north and south Vietnam during the American war. Got a bus to Hanoi, thinking about my last couple of towns in this fantastic country when I realised that the hotel didn't give me back my passport when I checked-out, doh! My head started racing of all the things that could go wrong, maybe they sold it on the blackmarket, maybe they've lost it, maybe they can't get it too me...I got it back, after paying the delivery boy 100,000dong or 4 pounds for travelling 17 hours on a moped to get it to me.
Checked in to this really nice hotel in Hanoi old quarter. I've prided myself on never getting lost and having a good sense of direction, but the old quarter does my head in! It's a maze of little narrow roads, packed to the rafters with little shops selling everything imaginable, you end up walking round in circles, you can't find anything even stationary objects and you have to deal with a million mopeds aiming straight for you! I expected David Bowie and his tight lycras to show up, how I manage to find my way to the hotel, I will never know?! For example, I booked plane tickets to Laos (to save myself a 24 hour bus journey) and had to go back to collect the tickets (remember those), made a mental note "it's on Ta Hien Street, next to Dragonfly bar', I walked past said bar about 4 times with no sight of the travel agent and behold suddenly it was there. The French quarter is where I should be staying, but I still haven't found that Russian billionaire. It is like a little piece of Paris has emigrated here.
The climax of the trip is Ha Long Bay, a site that attracts many visitors and is the must-do for any trip to Vietnam. The day was spoilt by a mass of tourist all of the same thought. Apart from the Japanese, who make the worst tourists, the bay was incredibly beautiful. It's absolutely amazing, all this massive limestone formations dotted around the sea.
I started in Saigon, bagged myself a really nice hotel room (which turned out not to be as cheap as I thought it was going to be) in the backpacker district. Location was fantastic, really close to all the things I wanted to see and reminded me of a classier Khao San Rd. The city is very colonial and as it is Tet, the streets were all decorated and people were running around in their posh frocks. I headed to the American Wars Crimes Museum (it's not actually called that anymore), which is totally horrific, although looking around you wouldn't know that twice the amount of bombs were dropped here then during the whole of WWII.
Went to the Mekong Delta, it ended up being more of shopping trip then the tour of the delta we were expecting. It was lots of fun though and managed to avoid the snake wine! The tour guide was called Duc (pronounced weird, I called him Doug), he was the highlight, he kept making jokes about the natives kidnapping blondes, so fair people should buy a hat and talking about Stiffler from American Pie?!
I think I nearly had my bag snatched about 3 doors down from the hotel. You get used to gambling with your life every time you cross a road and motorcyclist scooting really close past you. This happened and I felt a grab on my shoulder, I turned around and the cyclist was looking at me...hmmm. He'd be lucky, there are about 4 books in there, even Geoff Capes would have problems!!
They do open tours here, basically you book your destinations and 24 hours before you want to leave, you reserve your seat on the bus. My first stop was Nha Trang. This is their sea-side resort and is really nice, lots of expensive hotels and lovely beach, although the sea is really choppy. Had a bit of a panic when I arrived, as all the hotels and guesthouses were full, so ended up paying a whopping $26/night.
Hoi An is a lovely little town, lots of really old buildings and little shops full of arts and crafts. They have these little wooden townhouses that belonged to the merchants which were really cute. The hotel is fantastic, I have my own bathtub and there is a swimming pool. Although it's starting to get colder the further north I go. I had my first experience of a sleeper bus, it was hideous. I had to sit next to an old Vietnamese dude, when he wasn't yawning loudly, he was snoring loudly!! Men have to make such a song and dance about everything?!
Hue wasn't what I expected. It has the citadel, which is like a mini Forbidden City. Other then that, there is nothing here. Other then a cool bar called DMZ, named after the Demilitarized Zone, which was the buffer zone between north and south Vietnam during the American war. Got a bus to Hanoi, thinking about my last couple of towns in this fantastic country when I realised that the hotel didn't give me back my passport when I checked-out, doh! My head started racing of all the things that could go wrong, maybe they sold it on the blackmarket, maybe they've lost it, maybe they can't get it too me...I got it back, after paying the delivery boy 100,000dong or 4 pounds for travelling 17 hours on a moped to get it to me.
Checked in to this really nice hotel in Hanoi old quarter. I've prided myself on never getting lost and having a good sense of direction, but the old quarter does my head in! It's a maze of little narrow roads, packed to the rafters with little shops selling everything imaginable, you end up walking round in circles, you can't find anything even stationary objects and you have to deal with a million mopeds aiming straight for you! I expected David Bowie and his tight lycras to show up, how I manage to find my way to the hotel, I will never know?! For example, I booked plane tickets to Laos (to save myself a 24 hour bus journey) and had to go back to collect the tickets (remember those), made a mental note "it's on Ta Hien Street, next to Dragonfly bar', I walked past said bar about 4 times with no sight of the travel agent and behold suddenly it was there. The French quarter is where I should be staying, but I still haven't found that Russian billionaire. It is like a little piece of Paris has emigrated here.
The climax of the trip is Ha Long Bay, a site that attracts many visitors and is the must-do for any trip to Vietnam. The day was spoilt by a mass of tourist all of the same thought. Apart from the Japanese, who make the worst tourists, the bay was incredibly beautiful. It's absolutely amazing, all this massive limestone formations dotted around the sea.
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