Our first stop and first real impression of Japan was Fukuoka. Historically supposedly one of the most international cities, due to its proximity with Korea and influx of Portuguese sailors so long ago.
We spent two days trying ramen (noodle soup), observing the Japanese scurry too and fro, comparing the malls with those of Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok (Singapore still beats them all) and just walking around.
Interestingly enough, their food courts are (unlike the SEA food courts) more like a group of individual little restaurants, each with plastic models of the food on display (thank goodness! reading Japanese is quite beyond us!) and a line of giggling girls and poker faced adults queuing. The food is relatively inexpensive, surprisingly enough. We generally spend around Fr. 9.- per meal, including drinks.
The prevalence of gaming parlours, especially "Patchinko" parlours is just amazing. You really get the impression that most of the population are hard core gamers and gamblers. Prizes range from candy bars to candy bars which you can exchange for money. Interesting system that. Elegant way around the "no money prizes" rule.
After Fukuoka (which we could never pronounce correctly) we boarded another Shinkansen down to Nagasaki.
The second city ever to be hit by an atom bomb. (During WW2. Hiroshima was the first city to be struck by nuclear warfare.)
It was quite terrible to see the destruction in the museum.
They had done up the area really well and you would never dream that in 1945 the whole surrounding area was completely flattened.
Our next stop was Beppu, famous for its numerous hot springs.
Now there are two kinds of hot springs, we learn from the Lonely Planet: the "jigoku" (or "hells"), which are for viewing and the "onsen", in which you can bathe.
It was terribly hot and humid (on average Japan has been around 30 degrees Celsius) so I was doubtful as to how relaxing these onsen would really be. Nevertheless we rented a private onsen (the onsen are generally split by sex and you bathe naked) and had a great time alternately dousing ourselves with cold water and boiling ourselves in the bath. Highly recommendable!
From Beppu we travelled over to Hiroshima.
It is a very nice town, bustling and green, cut through by rivers. But to be honest, I preferred Nagasaki over Hiroshima when it comes to commemorating the disaster and consequences of the nuclear bombs.
Yesterday we decided to visit Kobe (no, we didn't manage to try the famous Kobe beef) and patronise a Sake museum. The tasting after the hard work of walking around produced some of the tastiest sake I have ever sipped. (FYI, you don`t drink Sake, you sip it.)
But it was too early and we had planned to visit the famous castle at Himeji next, so we repressed the urge to invest in a bottle or two. (Have found that the ominous threat of "carrying" does wonders for my savings!)
The castle (a UNESCO Heritage site) was marvellous. Interestingly enough you had to take off your shoes. They gave you a plastic bag for them. At the end I spied an elderly lady cleaning and folding the used plastic bags, ready for reuse. That`s recycling!
Speaking about being environmentally sound, I noticed that everyone here 1. does not wear a mask (like they do when they come over to Europe) and 2. all vehicles turn off the engines at red lights no matter how long or short the wait and 3. the transport of choice seems to be the bicycle.
Another oddity are their toilets. Most of them have numerous buttons on the side. Haven`t quite figured out what they do, apart from an obvious one that gives you a "douche". When you sit down, the water starts running so that no one can hear you. Crazy!
The best one was at one of their huge internet cafes. (A great institution. With free ice-cream, drinks and soups, as well as an extensive menu, it was just begging to be tried and tested in true Japanese fashion.) The lid lifted itself automatically (got a huge shock when that happened!) and the seat was heated. Pure luxury!
I also love the omnipresent vending machines. The coffee is surprisingly good (you can even get cold starbucks coffee in the 7/11) despite being sweet. Instant caffeine and sugar rush combined.
Today we arrived in Kyoto. With numerous UNESCO Heritage sites and some 2000 Buddhist temples it is called the Paris of Japan. I am most interested in the Geisha (well, "Memoirs of a Geisha" was one of my favorite books for a time!) and the tea ceremony.
But tomorrow it is off to Nara, the old capital.
We are getting our money`s worth out of this JR Rail Pass!
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
The Great Ocean Road
Just glanced through my last two posts and realised that I forgot to mention that we zoomed along the Great Ocean Road before leaving Melbourne`s cold for the warmth of Cairns.
When we set out, anyone seeing us would have wondered if we were moving house. That was the extent of luggage we brought along for the weekend! Thankfully the boot was large enough for 3 huge backpacks...
It was quite an adventure getting out of Melbourne - driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Yet Francine rose to the challenge heroically and maneuvered between enormous lorries, numerous SUVs and not to mention the prevalent road rage without batting an eyelid.
Our first stop was near Torquay, where certain people went wild in the sales of Quicksilver / Billabong (surfer brands) and the like.
Fortified by a sushi lunch we sped on down to Lorne, a quaint little seaside village. Along the way we marvelled at the many untouched beaches. If it had been summer, we probably would have spent the whole time at a beach... but it was not to be.
We found a really nice backpackers just next to a cute tea house, serving up fresh scones with jam and clotted cream. Yum. You`ll never believe how hard it is to get Verveine tea over here. The Aussies don`t really have any kind of tea culture. How they miss out!
We had the best pizza of our whole trip here. A tiny little take away serving thin based pizza with the freshest ingredients, a definite must if you`re ever down here.
In the evening we patronised the (only) local pub. Francine and I relived our "skippy dance", a dance featuring all kinds of wildlife we encountered during our road trip in Jan 07. It involves a lot of vigorous jumping around. Only to be performed in Oz. Needless to say, everyone was impressed!
This guy tried to sell me this tall story that he was some kinda ranger, trimming eucalyptus trees for a living. The scars on his face were from the vicious koalas inhabiting the trees. Apparently when they cut down the trees, they strapped a tiny parachute on the animal and threw it out of the tree.
Yeah. Base-jumping koalas. Am not THAT drunk! Get me another drink on HIS tab (for having to listen to that), please!
We drove along the coast, enjoying the scenery, the lighthouses and the twelve apostles, before arriving in Warnambool (our turning point). I had read somewhere that there were whales along the coast and indeed, the receptionist confirmed that there was a mother and her cub just off the coast. Early morning at dawn was supposedly the best time to see their activity.
Of course we couldn't resist (well, minus Mark, the lure of a warm bed was too strong for him!) and rose early. Blurry-eyed Francine and I sped out to the designated area. I must admit that we were a bit too over ambitious with our early rising, as it was still pitch black we arrived at our destination. Thankfully we had passed an open 7/11 store, so we bridged the time with a warm drink.
Finally dawn broke and as you can imagine, we were the only ones there!
There we stood, our eyes straining into the distance, frantically checking each wave for a sign of a fin or something. Then suddenly, a spurt of water and a black dot that was, yes, it was a fin!! Not the tail fin but a fin nonetheless!
We spent around an hour squeaking excitedly whenever we saw a bit of the whale, however tiny. Finally we gave up and went back to brag.
Of course, on our way back to Melbourne we stopped to see if we could see any further activity and lo and behold there the cub was, showing off, rolling around and flicking its tail (once!) to a receptive audience. Oh well. So much for the early rising.
Last stop was at a winery in the middle of nowhere. The wine was just about ok and we were introduced to the concept of flourless chocolate cake. Tasted fine, yet was not convinced by the absence of flour (consistency was quite soggy).
When we set out, anyone seeing us would have wondered if we were moving house. That was the extent of luggage we brought along for the weekend! Thankfully the boot was large enough for 3 huge backpacks...
It was quite an adventure getting out of Melbourne - driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Yet Francine rose to the challenge heroically and maneuvered between enormous lorries, numerous SUVs and not to mention the prevalent road rage without batting an eyelid.
Our first stop was near Torquay, where certain people went wild in the sales of Quicksilver / Billabong (surfer brands) and the like.
Fortified by a sushi lunch we sped on down to Lorne, a quaint little seaside village. Along the way we marvelled at the many untouched beaches. If it had been summer, we probably would have spent the whole time at a beach... but it was not to be.
We found a really nice backpackers just next to a cute tea house, serving up fresh scones with jam and clotted cream. Yum. You`ll never believe how hard it is to get Verveine tea over here. The Aussies don`t really have any kind of tea culture. How they miss out!
We had the best pizza of our whole trip here. A tiny little take away serving thin based pizza with the freshest ingredients, a definite must if you`re ever down here.
In the evening we patronised the (only) local pub. Francine and I relived our "skippy dance", a dance featuring all kinds of wildlife we encountered during our road trip in Jan 07. It involves a lot of vigorous jumping around. Only to be performed in Oz. Needless to say, everyone was impressed!
This guy tried to sell me this tall story that he was some kinda ranger, trimming eucalyptus trees for a living. The scars on his face were from the vicious koalas inhabiting the trees. Apparently when they cut down the trees, they strapped a tiny parachute on the animal and threw it out of the tree.
Yeah. Base-jumping koalas. Am not THAT drunk! Get me another drink on HIS tab (for having to listen to that), please!
We drove along the coast, enjoying the scenery, the lighthouses and the twelve apostles, before arriving in Warnambool (our turning point). I had read somewhere that there were whales along the coast and indeed, the receptionist confirmed that there was a mother and her cub just off the coast. Early morning at dawn was supposedly the best time to see their activity.
Of course we couldn't resist (well, minus Mark, the lure of a warm bed was too strong for him!) and rose early. Blurry-eyed Francine and I sped out to the designated area. I must admit that we were a bit too over ambitious with our early rising, as it was still pitch black we arrived at our destination. Thankfully we had passed an open 7/11 store, so we bridged the time with a warm drink.
Finally dawn broke and as you can imagine, we were the only ones there!
There we stood, our eyes straining into the distance, frantically checking each wave for a sign of a fin or something. Then suddenly, a spurt of water and a black dot that was, yes, it was a fin!! Not the tail fin but a fin nonetheless!
We spent around an hour squeaking excitedly whenever we saw a bit of the whale, however tiny. Finally we gave up and went back to brag.
Of course, on our way back to Melbourne we stopped to see if we could see any further activity and lo and behold there the cub was, showing off, rolling around and flicking its tail (once!) to a receptive audience. Oh well. So much for the early rising.
Last stop was at a winery in the middle of nowhere. The wine was just about ok and we were introduced to the concept of flourless chocolate cake. Tasted fine, yet was not convinced by the absence of flour (consistency was quite soggy).
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Fast Forward Oz - next is Japan
***News Flash***
I have made it to Japan!!!
After spending one night in Tokyo in a delightful tatami-matted room, we tore ourselves away from the city of our dreams (leave the best for last - and hope the awaited earthquake wont hit the city til after we leave (they have one every 100 yrs or so and apparently it is overdue by 10 yrs already. Parents: breathe!).
09:03 Tuesday morning saw us boarding the shinkansen (bullet train, think TGV but faster) for Fukuoka/Hakata. The plan is to go as far away from Tokyo as possible and work our way back.
Just standing on the platform waiting for the train was an experience. They have waiting lines on the ground for every car and before you enter, an army (well, a mean looking team) of pink-clad cleaners shot into the train and mopped, scrubbed and changed the white cloth on the head piece of every seat. When they were finished, hand-signs were given, shouts were exchanged and then we could board. A very comfortable 6h ride.
The Japanese are very proper: whenever either the conductor or the woman pushing the food cart entered or left a waggon, they bowed and said a few words. Got quite a shock the first time as the guy looked at me and I thought he was talking directly to me! (Luckily I did not have time to reply.. saved myself an embarrassing moment there!)
But I first need to tell you about Oz... just noticed that my last post was about Melbourne!
Has to be quick, as M wants to leave... the irony is, that we are now in one of these super Internet cafes where u can sleep and shower etc. and he wants to go! Oh well, guess it really is just the game he loves and not the Internet (unlike me...!).
We flew up to Cairns from Melbourne, thankful to flee the cold at last (but v. sorry to leave certain people behind... sniff).
It was nice and warm up there, but with a biting wind, so managed to buy two pairs of ugg boots on the first night (and believe me, they came in very handy for the rest of the trip!)!
As we opted not to go to Darwin, we decided to spend the money on a helicopter flight out over the Great Barrier Reef. Was absolutely amazing! Saw whales, dolphins and turtles, unfortunately the sharks hid themselves from view. The flight itself was a fantastic experience, got the poor pilot to explain every little dial to me. Must have been glad to get rid of us!
The next day we took a boat tour out to the reef, to see it from up close. That was also utterly amazing. Did some snorkeling and saw turtles besides a multitude of colourful fish in every shape and size. The most beautiful thing I saw was this huge clam, shimmering pink and purple at the bottom of the ocean. On the way back we were accompanied by 3 humpback whales, pretending to be rabbits. They kept jumping up and around us and gave us quite a show! The crew were also absolutely awed (there is something magical about a whale rising out of the water just next to you) and said they had never seen such a performance before.
We went out in the evening and missed the next days tour up to the tablelands. But luckily we could change it to the next Monday.
That was a bit of a anti-climax after the other two excursions. First of all we found ourselves surrounded by oldies but goldies. It was actually really nice, we saw some snakes and tortoises as well as a huge tree beset by a strangling fig. Quite impressive. A waterfall later we had lunch on a ranch out in the outback. It was really interesting to talk to the kids living up there. They go to boarding school in Brisbane and have to go back to the city to learn a trade afterwards, but yearn to work out in the middle of nowhere (literally!). The steaks they served up for lunch were funnily enough not from their own cattle but bought from the local shop. They can only serve food that has an official butchers seal on it.
After Cairns we flew down to Sydney and there we met our first "long-lost" cousin, Sherry. It was amazing to meet up with her and she kindly enough put us up (and put up with us!) for four nights.
We were quite shattered from travelling (woke up at 4am for the flight), but wanted to see Sydney so dragged our protesting bodies out to Manly for lunch. From there we took the ferry over to Sydney and was that sea choppy! Mark quite enjoyed it, but I felt seasickness looming! In Sydney we did the main sights (opera house, tower bridge, darling harbour, chinatown, markets, etc.) before crashing into a pub to flee a sudden torrential downpour.
Sherry and Matt were great tourist guides, taking us out to bars/cafes/restaurants and dropping us here and there, making sure we saw all the good sights and even got tickets to an AFL football game (Australia Rules football, similar to rugby)... a huge THANK YOU to you two!
We flew on to Perth, to meet up with the more "obscure" relatives (well, besides Jerry & Julia, we hadn't seen the rest for over 10 years!). As our trip had been kicked into fast forward, we didn't give the poor family much time to prepare. But they rose to the occasion marvelously and we had a great time.
Uncle David picked us up from the airport and it was quite bizarre to meet someone who bears such a strong resemblance to Mum. He drove us up to Jerry and Julia`s place where we would be spending the next two nights. It was great to see them again. Jerry is a fantastic cook and we first subtly then not so subtly tried to get him to cook instead of us going out to restaurants... so mean, I know! But his food is soo good! (M is complaining that he wants to go, so I have to fast forward this bit):
We hired a car for two days and drove down to Albany, making for the Valley of Giants. Its a wood of huge Tingle trees (eucalyptus trees - no, no koalas this time), some over 400 years old where you can walk on a sky walk amongst the tops of the trees. Was really impressive. Drove back and spent the night in Fremantle, a town just about 20km down from Perth. Was a really nice drive, all that lovely scenery. Had a very weird pizza for dinner though. Imagine a thick pizza base with green pesto on it. Then dump a mixed salad on top (yes, lettuce, olives, huge chunks of feta and some slivers of tomatoes). Interesting yet tasty. Didn't see why they called it a pizza though.
Went back to Perth the next day and met up with David. Went down to Jenny and Anthony`s place this time. They had just been down south too and we were lucky to catch them. Had a great time with them and especially their daughter Glenda. We unfortunately missed their other two daughters (one in Melbourne and the other just left for Melbourne one day before we arrived). At dinner we met Auntie Irene and Uncle Eugene, what a family reunion! The next day Jerry and Julia came down and David brought his daughter Jackie and her boyfriend. The food was delicious, Jerry brought a curry and Anthony showed his prowess at the bbq.
A huge THANK YOU to all of you too, for making us feel so welcome, putting us up, feeding us and showing us around (especially David for that point). We really appreciate it and hope to reciprocate when you come to Switzerland.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Melbourne & Rye
We are off to the Great Ocean Road today. It is cold and grey outside, but at least it isn’t raining (yet). Melbourne does go through the 4 seasons in one day, no, make that one morning. Which is nice when it is raining, at least you know the sun will come out soon. Crap if it is the other way round.
Francine and her boyfriend Jackson kindly picked us up at Melbourne airport. So nice to see her again!
They live in St. Kilda, a really nice (“trendy”) part of town (or suburb; Melbourne is made up of suburbs as far as I can figure out). To celebrate our reunion we went down to the beach and enjoyed a glass of wine. At first we were lolling around in the sun, chuckling to ourselves that this weather wasn’t that bad after all. But then the clouds obscured the sun and a sharp wind reminded us that winter and the indicated 13°C were true fact. Brr!
I have taken to wearing at least 6 layers of clothing, without counting my coat. To add insult to injury, the houses here DO NOT have central heating. No wonder Francine bought those two little stoves!
Melbourne reminds me a lot of England. The street signs, the people, the reddish- brown brick,... if it were not for the accent (and the cold) I could believe I was 12 again, on my way to a Camp Beaumont summer camp. Architecturally it is really interesting: old buildings and brick churches stand side by side with glamorous new glass and concrete high-risers. With the abundance of English bakeries, quaint French cafés and traditional pubs I can best describe it as “cosy”.
Making an effort to be a good tourist (and get out of the house), we took a guided tour of the Rod Laver stadium, home to the Australian Open. The most interesting room was, as you can imagine, the Men’s locker room! All nice brown wood and cream leather sofas. As true Swiss, we took a picture of Roger Federer’s (and Nadal’s) locker. As soon as the guide’s back was turned, I took a dip in the Men’s Jacuzzi... (no water, of course!).
We went out to Rye for the weekend. Was nice to be out of the city and get a feel for the countryside. The views and beaches were amazing. The area (Mornington Peninsula) is also packed with wineries, so we enjoyed a very liquid Sunday lunch on our way back... bliss!
Met up with Jess, an Emergency Nurse I had met travelling in Hanoi and then again in Bangkok. After a tour of the ER (could never work there!) we went out for a (surprisingly) good pizza and then on to the Casino for some nightlife.
Francine and her boyfriend Jackson kindly picked us up at Melbourne airport. So nice to see her again!
They live in St. Kilda, a really nice (“trendy”) part of town (or suburb; Melbourne is made up of suburbs as far as I can figure out). To celebrate our reunion we went down to the beach and enjoyed a glass of wine. At first we were lolling around in the sun, chuckling to ourselves that this weather wasn’t that bad after all. But then the clouds obscured the sun and a sharp wind reminded us that winter and the indicated 13°C were true fact. Brr!
I have taken to wearing at least 6 layers of clothing, without counting my coat. To add insult to injury, the houses here DO NOT have central heating. No wonder Francine bought those two little stoves!
Melbourne reminds me a lot of England. The street signs, the people, the reddish- brown brick,... if it were not for the accent (and the cold) I could believe I was 12 again, on my way to a Camp Beaumont summer camp. Architecturally it is really interesting: old buildings and brick churches stand side by side with glamorous new glass and concrete high-risers. With the abundance of English bakeries, quaint French cafés and traditional pubs I can best describe it as “cosy”.
Making an effort to be a good tourist (and get out of the house), we took a guided tour of the Rod Laver stadium, home to the Australian Open. The most interesting room was, as you can imagine, the Men’s locker room! All nice brown wood and cream leather sofas. As true Swiss, we took a picture of Roger Federer’s (and Nadal’s) locker. As soon as the guide’s back was turned, I took a dip in the Men’s Jacuzzi... (no water, of course!).
We went out to Rye for the weekend. Was nice to be out of the city and get a feel for the countryside. The views and beaches were amazing. The area (Mornington Peninsula) is also packed with wineries, so we enjoyed a very liquid Sunday lunch on our way back... bliss!
Met up with Jess, an Emergency Nurse I had met travelling in Hanoi and then again in Bangkok. After a tour of the ER (could never work there!) we went out for a (surprisingly) good pizza and then on to the Casino for some nightlife.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Singapore
We are now in Melbourne. It is freezing cold and not a day goes by that we do not curse the (almost) universal absence of central heating.
Mark arrived safe and sound in Bangkok. On the taxi ride in, he lost to time declaring that his main interests were eating and shopping. No surprise there. We rose early the next day and after the obligatory sightseeing we hit the malls. His disappointment over having wait two months before he can actually buy stuff (we have 2 days in BKK before we fly back to CH) was soon dispelled by ample amounts of chocolate milkshake and satay.
Now after Manuel’s bad experience with Thai massages, Mark was intrigued but wary of this widely renowned manipulation. Luckily enough, I had discovered a place that offered an amazing foot & Thai massage some weeks earlier with Jess (Australian girl). As it was raining, I led him there.
We had the place to ourselves, so there we lay, side by side, with these tiny Thai women twisting us this way and that. Now at the beginning he was fine, joking away, until they started on his legs (the massage began with a foot massage). Suddenly he got progressively paler. On alarmed inquiry if he was alright, all he could manage was a strangled (and slightly hysterical) “yes”. After a while, it got to the point that he looked like he was praying! But he was alright in the end. The next day he actually claimed that he felt really good! Phew! A weight off my mind! That’s the last time I pull such a trick on him!
Just as we were getting bored with Bangkok (it kept raining), we found ourselves on a plane off to Singapore. Aunt Dolly and Uncle Edmund met us at the airport. Just like when we were young! J We had already switched into Singapore mode, which means “food, give us food”. And eat we did! From satay, to carrot cake (white radish omelette) and chilli crab we stuffed ourselves to the brim. Lovely! Uncle Edmund wowed us with his skills at the pool table and karaoke bar. Aunt Dolly took me out shopping and we made a beeline for semi-precious stones... great protection for the traveller!
The next night we saw the Pereira family: Richard and Christine picked us up and took us to the East coast, where we marvelled at an automatic wakeboard training lake. Dionne & Calvin with the two little rascals joined us, with Cara and her boyfriend. Food, food, glorious food soon appeared on the tables. After checking out the Singapore nightlife with Cara, we spent the night at Dionne’s place and were treated to sushi for breakfast and a demonstration of Calvin’s anti-snore device.
Thank you all for your generous hospitality!
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Lombok, Bali, Bangkok
I'm back (home) in Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok). Waiting for my darling brother to arrive in a couple of hours.
They seem to be waiting for royalty or some sports team in the arrival area: everything is cordoned off and masses of police are strutting around in orderly fashion. Doing their best to get in the way of emotional homecomings, not to mention my unwieldy cart. Tss, tss!
Mark and I will be spending two nights in Bangkok - one day for shopping and one for sightseeing (no prizes on guessing which day he will prefer) - before we fly down to Singapore for a few days. Beware dear relatives, the Swiss posse is coming to town!
But I left you just before leaving for Lombok....
I am afraid that I will have to continue my raving, because so far, Lombok was one of the best places I have been to! Didn't expect it after Ubud, to be honest, but surprises seem to lurk around every corner!
Spent one week soaking up the beauty of empty beaches, black sand and clear green waters before I went back to Bali to join a friend.
At 6am I said goodbye to everyone in the losmen with a heavy heart (they were all up and about, their day usually starts at 5am) and boarded the local bus which would take me to the port at Padang Bai.
We had to wait for over an hour, before we could board the public ferry. The first ferry of the day had been late, so in consequence all ferries were subject to heavy delay (after seeing the difficulty certain huge trucks had getting on and off the delays were fully understandable!).
To pass the time I chatted to the locals selling all kinds of snacks (thank goodness no fried tarantulas!) and was told I am 'gado-gado', that is 'mixed'. As gado-gado (veggies with peanut sauce) is one of my favorite Indonesian dishes I thought the term quite fitting!
Took a bus to Senggigi. (Un-)Fortunately the bus driver forgot to drop me off at a strategic point as agreed. Luckily there were no further passengers, so he was so kind as to drive me all the way back to her place as a way of apology. Yes! My backpack is now 18kg...
On the way we got caught up in a wedding procession. Bride and groom were on their way to their new house, which turned out to be a shack. From their get up however, you would never have thought that they were so poor... all rich clothes and a huge crowd (ca. 80pax) not counting the numerous musicians. The driver told me that weddings are so important that families generally go all out (as far as possible) to create a magical day, irregardless of the cost.
My Internet time is running out... so here a short version of what came next:
1. Senggigi was beautiful.
Met a photo-journalist who took us around the Northeastern corner and saw fantastic landscape, jungle, monkeys (so tame they eat out of your hand - yes, family, i have had a rabies shot!), many empty beaches with sparkling black sand and clear green waters.
2. Took the boat over to Gili Air, a beautiful place where there are no dogs, no scooters and no cars. People get around by horse and cart (as they also do on the mainland) or walking. Was invited on a tour of the three Gili islands for free (yippee!) and saw huge turtles. Spent the evenings on the beach in a hammock with Australians... still don't like beer.
3. Didn't get over to Kuta, Lombok as time was running out. Went back to Kuta, Bali instead and this time with the help of Marine (she lived in Bali for a year - we met in Cambodia) and Arie (local woman) I really enjoyed it. They took me off the beaten track to more secluded beaches and we feasted on fresh fish and local Balinese cuisine at night.
As soon as I manage to get more credit I'll post a few pics.
They seem to be waiting for royalty or some sports team in the arrival area: everything is cordoned off and masses of police are strutting around in orderly fashion. Doing their best to get in the way of emotional homecomings, not to mention my unwieldy cart. Tss, tss!
Mark and I will be spending two nights in Bangkok - one day for shopping and one for sightseeing (no prizes on guessing which day he will prefer) - before we fly down to Singapore for a few days. Beware dear relatives, the Swiss posse is coming to town!
But I left you just before leaving for Lombok....
I am afraid that I will have to continue my raving, because so far, Lombok was one of the best places I have been to! Didn't expect it after Ubud, to be honest, but surprises seem to lurk around every corner!
Spent one week soaking up the beauty of empty beaches, black sand and clear green waters before I went back to Bali to join a friend.
At 6am I said goodbye to everyone in the losmen with a heavy heart (they were all up and about, their day usually starts at 5am) and boarded the local bus which would take me to the port at Padang Bai.
We had to wait for over an hour, before we could board the public ferry. The first ferry of the day had been late, so in consequence all ferries were subject to heavy delay (after seeing the difficulty certain huge trucks had getting on and off the delays were fully understandable!).
To pass the time I chatted to the locals selling all kinds of snacks (thank goodness no fried tarantulas!) and was told I am 'gado-gado', that is 'mixed'. As gado-gado (veggies with peanut sauce) is one of my favorite Indonesian dishes I thought the term quite fitting!
Took a bus to Senggigi. (Un-)Fortunately the bus driver forgot to drop me off at a strategic point as agreed. Luckily there were no further passengers, so he was so kind as to drive me all the way back to her place as a way of apology. Yes! My backpack is now 18kg...
On the way we got caught up in a wedding procession. Bride and groom were on their way to their new house, which turned out to be a shack. From their get up however, you would never have thought that they were so poor... all rich clothes and a huge crowd (ca. 80pax) not counting the numerous musicians. The driver told me that weddings are so important that families generally go all out (as far as possible) to create a magical day, irregardless of the cost.
My Internet time is running out... so here a short version of what came next:
1. Senggigi was beautiful.
Met a photo-journalist who took us around the Northeastern corner and saw fantastic landscape, jungle, monkeys (so tame they eat out of your hand - yes, family, i have had a rabies shot!), many empty beaches with sparkling black sand and clear green waters.
2. Took the boat over to Gili Air, a beautiful place where there are no dogs, no scooters and no cars. People get around by horse and cart (as they also do on the mainland) or walking. Was invited on a tour of the three Gili islands for free (yippee!) and saw huge turtles. Spent the evenings on the beach in a hammock with Australians... still don't like beer.
3. Didn't get over to Kuta, Lombok as time was running out. Went back to Kuta, Bali instead and this time with the help of Marine (she lived in Bali for a year - we met in Cambodia) and Arie (local woman) I really enjoyed it. They took me off the beaten track to more secluded beaches and we feasted on fresh fish and local Balinese cuisine at night.
As soon as I manage to get more credit I'll post a few pics.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Bali
I have finally managed to muster enough motivation to look at a computer again. What a strange feeling. Going from Internet-aholic to complete disinterest in a matter of days! Quite surprised myself.
Bali, or to be precise, Ubud has bewitched me. With each day that passes it's spell gains a stronger hold. Why, you ask? It has no beach, is in the middle of the island, why am I unable to move from this tiny town?
Well, first of all, the surroundings are absolutely stunning: lush green rice paddies, palm trees and bamboo rustling in the wind, artists work spilling out of their studios, cute children playing in the streets, laughing locals in their colourful native dress... Combine that with an abundance of fresh and organic food, (I feasted on fresh salads for the first two days after all those rice soups and fried noodles!) and fantastic accommodation: intimate bungalows or losmen (home stays - you stay in the family compound), it equates to = my paradise!
And what is more, they import the most delicious Australian wine!
However rewind, rewind... I forgot that I haven't been keeping you up to date!
I flew in to Bali with Singapore airlines and just LOVED every minute - they are pure airline luxury. Spent an enjoyable journey chatting to a South African couple on the way to their honeymoon. Now Manuel and I had constantly being quoting Leo's SA accent from the film "Blood Diamond" in Cambodia. So it was quite intriguing to hear a real SA accent. (And apparently Leo's accent wasn't THAT good...)
Now the original reason for my going to Bali was to enjoy some sun, fun and beach. Therefore, I made my way directly to Kuta, a fast-paced surfer town, where the vampires come out to play.
Tired, I crashed into bed and rose early, intent on exploring. As I wasn't all that happy with my room, I decided to go check out possible alternatives. A few of disappointments later, I grumpily decided to accost other travellers in the hopes that they'd have good tip or two. Spying a girl a few meters further up the road, I had my first victim. "Yes", she said, after I had made my intentions clear. She knew of a good place and offered to take me there. CHF 5.- for a clean room, pool and private bathroom. Sounded good. What sounded even better, was, that she was staying there in a twin room and would I like to share? Of course I jumped at the chance and as fortune has it, I made a really good friend.
By the end of the day I was not enjoying Kuta as much as I expected to. The narrow roads lined with over-enthusiastic touts (Darling, how are you, you buy.... you look inside) were not part of the peaceful beach life I had imagined. Nor were the masses of tourists (it is holiday season in Jakarta at the moment) and the many western cafes and shops. Sarah was planning to move up to Ubud the next day, so I invited myself along for the ride.
A bemo (mini bus) dropped us off somewhere in Ubud and almost immediately we were accosted by two touts offering accommodation. "Thank goodness there are only two," we thought, reassured that Bali's Artist capital (Denpasar is the islands capital city) would provide us with a peaceful haven. The first night was quite an adventure. We were too tired to go look for a room, so we followed one tout and took the cleanest room available. Having dumped our stuff, we wandered up the street and found a really cute cafe. Weary, we went in for some reviving lemongrass tea. In Bali, most shops, cafes, etc. are situated on the land of the family compound to reduce cost. The owner was really nice and let it slip that she has two rooms that she rents out. As we were so impressed by the simplistic beauty of the cafe, I nearly fell over myself in my haste to see the room. It was absolutely beautiful. Clean, huge, and comparatively cheap! We booked it instantly for the next few nights.
A Balinese family compound is comprised of the family temple (symbolising the head of the family / body), the north house (where the elders live), the east house (in our case the guest house) and the kitchen (the lowest part / the foot of the house). Most losmen (= home stays) have just two rooms to rent, which makes it a very intimate and interesting setting. Everything is very open and you can observe them going about their business, cooking the daily fare in the morning (they only cook once and then its for the whole day), praying in the family temple, playing with the kids, making offerings, etc. a real insight into their daily life.
Another interesting point is their names.
All Balinese, regardless of their sex, have one of the following names, depending on their birth order:
The first born is either Wayan, Putu or Nengah. Second born are named Kadek or Made. Then the third born are Nyoman, Ika or Kamang and fourth born Ketut. If they have five children, they start again with the names of the first born.
According to Kadek, the owner of my losmen, they have "family planning" nowadays and there are rarely more than two children per family.
The children generally live with their parents until they marry. Then the wife moves into the family of the husband. Unless her family has no male offspring. In that case, it can happen that the husband relocates to the wife's family compound.
Sarah was only going to be in Bali for a couple more days, so we decided to do the fast paced sightseeing tour and hire Kadek as our driver. It was absolutely stunning going round the island, seeing monkeys, waterfalls, lush scenery and a sunset at Tanah Lot temple (the southern most tip of the island). Feeling in the mood for adventure, we decided to climb Mt Batur (a more or less extinct volcano) to see the sunrise. That meant leaving at 3am to be able to start climbing at 4am. It was quite steep going up dark windy paths and with hardly any sleep (no, white wine did NOT make me tired!). We stumbled along like sleepwalkers. Actually, that is the best way to describe us! However we reached the top with nothing more than a few bruises and scratches - luckily it was just past full moon, so we didn't have to rely solely on the fading torches. The view was magnificent and our guide made hard boiled eggs and baked bananas in the smoking earth for breakfast. Yummy!
In the evening we met Andrea, an American psychologist cum tarot card reader. She read us our fortunes and I was quite pleased with mine ;-) Anyhow, she retired to Senggigi, Lombok a few years ago and has invited me over.
So tomorrow I will leave this lovely city and continue my journey on to Lombok, where I will first enjoy Andrea's hospitality in Senggigi, before making my way up to the Gilli islands (beautiful!). Ideally I will stay there for a few days and then make my way back over to Lombok and down south, to Kuta (Lombok). Confusingly enough there is a Kuta on both Bali and Lombok). This Kuta is supposed to be undeveloped paradise; pure beach, sun and peace.
Bali, or to be precise, Ubud has bewitched me. With each day that passes it's spell gains a stronger hold. Why, you ask? It has no beach, is in the middle of the island, why am I unable to move from this tiny town?
Well, first of all, the surroundings are absolutely stunning: lush green rice paddies, palm trees and bamboo rustling in the wind, artists work spilling out of their studios, cute children playing in the streets, laughing locals in their colourful native dress... Combine that with an abundance of fresh and organic food, (I feasted on fresh salads for the first two days after all those rice soups and fried noodles!) and fantastic accommodation: intimate bungalows or losmen (home stays - you stay in the family compound), it equates to = my paradise!
And what is more, they import the most delicious Australian wine!
However rewind, rewind... I forgot that I haven't been keeping you up to date!
I flew in to Bali with Singapore airlines and just LOVED every minute - they are pure airline luxury. Spent an enjoyable journey chatting to a South African couple on the way to their honeymoon. Now Manuel and I had constantly being quoting Leo's SA accent from the film "Blood Diamond" in Cambodia. So it was quite intriguing to hear a real SA accent. (And apparently Leo's accent wasn't THAT good...)
Now the original reason for my going to Bali was to enjoy some sun, fun and beach. Therefore, I made my way directly to Kuta, a fast-paced surfer town, where the vampires come out to play.
Tired, I crashed into bed and rose early, intent on exploring. As I wasn't all that happy with my room, I decided to go check out possible alternatives. A few of disappointments later, I grumpily decided to accost other travellers in the hopes that they'd have good tip or two. Spying a girl a few meters further up the road, I had my first victim. "Yes", she said, after I had made my intentions clear. She knew of a good place and offered to take me there. CHF 5.- for a clean room, pool and private bathroom. Sounded good. What sounded even better, was, that she was staying there in a twin room and would I like to share? Of course I jumped at the chance and as fortune has it, I made a really good friend.
By the end of the day I was not enjoying Kuta as much as I expected to. The narrow roads lined with over-enthusiastic touts (Darling, how are you, you buy.... you look inside) were not part of the peaceful beach life I had imagined. Nor were the masses of tourists (it is holiday season in Jakarta at the moment) and the many western cafes and shops. Sarah was planning to move up to Ubud the next day, so I invited myself along for the ride.
A bemo (mini bus) dropped us off somewhere in Ubud and almost immediately we were accosted by two touts offering accommodation. "Thank goodness there are only two," we thought, reassured that Bali's Artist capital (Denpasar is the islands capital city) would provide us with a peaceful haven. The first night was quite an adventure. We were too tired to go look for a room, so we followed one tout and took the cleanest room available. Having dumped our stuff, we wandered up the street and found a really cute cafe. Weary, we went in for some reviving lemongrass tea. In Bali, most shops, cafes, etc. are situated on the land of the family compound to reduce cost. The owner was really nice and let it slip that she has two rooms that she rents out. As we were so impressed by the simplistic beauty of the cafe, I nearly fell over myself in my haste to see the room. It was absolutely beautiful. Clean, huge, and comparatively cheap! We booked it instantly for the next few nights.
A Balinese family compound is comprised of the family temple (symbolising the head of the family / body), the north house (where the elders live), the east house (in our case the guest house) and the kitchen (the lowest part / the foot of the house). Most losmen (= home stays) have just two rooms to rent, which makes it a very intimate and interesting setting. Everything is very open and you can observe them going about their business, cooking the daily fare in the morning (they only cook once and then its for the whole day), praying in the family temple, playing with the kids, making offerings, etc. a real insight into their daily life.
Another interesting point is their names.
All Balinese, regardless of their sex, have one of the following names, depending on their birth order:
The first born is either Wayan, Putu or Nengah. Second born are named Kadek or Made. Then the third born are Nyoman, Ika or Kamang and fourth born Ketut. If they have five children, they start again with the names of the first born.
According to Kadek, the owner of my losmen, they have "family planning" nowadays and there are rarely more than two children per family.
The children generally live with their parents until they marry. Then the wife moves into the family of the husband. Unless her family has no male offspring. In that case, it can happen that the husband relocates to the wife's family compound.
Sarah was only going to be in Bali for a couple more days, so we decided to do the fast paced sightseeing tour and hire Kadek as our driver. It was absolutely stunning going round the island, seeing monkeys, waterfalls, lush scenery and a sunset at Tanah Lot temple (the southern most tip of the island). Feeling in the mood for adventure, we decided to climb Mt Batur (a more or less extinct volcano) to see the sunrise. That meant leaving at 3am to be able to start climbing at 4am. It was quite steep going up dark windy paths and with hardly any sleep (no, white wine did NOT make me tired!). We stumbled along like sleepwalkers. Actually, that is the best way to describe us! However we reached the top with nothing more than a few bruises and scratches - luckily it was just past full moon, so we didn't have to rely solely on the fading torches. The view was magnificent and our guide made hard boiled eggs and baked bananas in the smoking earth for breakfast. Yummy!
In the evening we met Andrea, an American psychologist cum tarot card reader. She read us our fortunes and I was quite pleased with mine ;-) Anyhow, she retired to Senggigi, Lombok a few years ago and has invited me over.
So tomorrow I will leave this lovely city and continue my journey on to Lombok, where I will first enjoy Andrea's hospitality in Senggigi, before making my way up to the Gilli islands (beautiful!). Ideally I will stay there for a few days and then make my way back over to Lombok and down south, to Kuta (Lombok). Confusingly enough there is a Kuta on both Bali and Lombok). This Kuta is supposed to be undeveloped paradise; pure beach, sun and peace.
Monday, 16 June 2008
Bangkok again - home away from home
Made a split second decision to take the night train down to Bangkok after getting heavily bitten by mosquitoes. Now here I am, back in in Khao san Road. ;-)
The train was really nice, I was quite impressed with the comforts of a second class sleeping berth. The two English girls I was travelling with undertook the futile mission of instructing me in London street slang... absolutely incomprehensible gobbledygook, innit!!!
A few hours after arrival I met up with a couple of old (from Hanoi) and new faces and went out to explore the crazy weekend market, Chatuchak. It is absolutely huge, sells everything under the sun and my "add-one-dump-something" rule (to reduce the weight of my backpack) went right out the window! We found a mall just off the market with fixed prices and full of Thai people, practically no tourists. Soon found out why... prices were a third of what was being charged outside at the market... jackpot! Don't worry back home, won't ship back any furniture... although I am tempted by some of the artworks!
Went for a relaxing foot reflexology massage after having provided moral support to a friend fighting with a tailor. Apparently he had misunderstood my friend's directions at the fitting and the dress was cut too low... So she panicked because her flight home was in few hours and she had already paid for the garment up front. Hopefully the manager will be true to his word and post her the dress after the alterations have been made... we'll see!
Have booked my ticket out to Bali and am off tomorrow for three weeks... sunshine, beaches and volcanoes, here I come!
The train was really nice, I was quite impressed with the comforts of a second class sleeping berth. The two English girls I was travelling with undertook the futile mission of instructing me in London street slang... absolutely incomprehensible gobbledygook, innit!!!
A few hours after arrival I met up with a couple of old (from Hanoi) and new faces and went out to explore the crazy weekend market, Chatuchak. It is absolutely huge, sells everything under the sun and my "add-one-dump-something" rule (to reduce the weight of my backpack) went right out the window! We found a mall just off the market with fixed prices and full of Thai people, practically no tourists. Soon found out why... prices were a third of what was being charged outside at the market... jackpot! Don't worry back home, won't ship back any furniture... although I am tempted by some of the artworks!
Went for a relaxing foot reflexology massage after having provided moral support to a friend fighting with a tailor. Apparently he had misunderstood my friend's directions at the fitting and the dress was cut too low... So she panicked because her flight home was in few hours and she had already paid for the garment up front. Hopefully the manager will be true to his word and post her the dress after the alterations have been made... we'll see!
Have booked my ticket out to Bali and am off tomorrow for three weeks... sunshine, beaches and volcanoes, here I come!
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Chiang Mai
I am really enjoying myself here in Chiang Mai.
Booked myself on a one day tourist trap trek, which was surprisingly interesting and very enjoyable.
We visited a butterfly and orchid farm first, which was absolutely beautiful. The variety of orchids was amazing. I was particularly mesmerised by the blue ones. Unfortunately our bus broke down just before we set off, so we had to wait around 30 minutes in the glaring hot sun which gave me quite a headache.
Our next stop was an elephant ride. The Thais do love their elephants and it was very much like riding a big horse! A couple of baby elephants were ambling around and one of them joined us on our 1h tour down a river and through the jungle. In the water it went absolutely mad, diving and rolling over, trying to spray us with water. But it ended up spraying the other elephants instead as we were too high up! They didn't appreciate it one bit and our elephant gave it a sly kick when it came too close (!).
After that we visited two indigenous hill tribes, appropriately named long neck and big ear. The long neck women add a ring around their necks between the ages of 5 and 22. They had a sample which we could put on and it is quite a weight they are carrying! The big ears have large rings in their earlobes which they decorate. All the women were weaving scarves and looked bored out of their minds. Needless to say, we didn't stay long!
A bit of jungle trekking (on foot) was up next... we climbed up some hill to a hidden waterfall. It was so peaceful sitting by the water, listening to it rushing down. Felt quite relaxed and in need of a nap!
But some action was up next: they took us white water rafting and bamboo rafting. I was having great fun with this gorgeous Danish model who was on a break from the fashion shows in Milan. On the downside I have never felt so squat and unattractive in all my life! But I guess that's just the luck of the draw... and am not really complaining about my lot just now!
The white water was a lot of fun, even if we did get stuck on stones all the time and nearly fell in. The water was so dirty thanks to recent rainfalls that I really didn't want to bathe, despite the heat! The bamboo raft was really leaky and much to my disgust there were spiders everywhere! Nearly jumped off the raft when I saw the first one! But it was ok, just kept to the bits under water... figured they couldn't get me there!
Today I was in dire need of some TLC (tender loving care) and so wandered up to the local women's prison. They have a kind of rehabilitation program which teaches the prisoners various kinds of massages, so that when they leave they are trained masseuses. All the money they earn, they receive when they are released. When I arrived at 10am there was no one there and when I left, it was packed. They do up to 13 customers a day, with massages costing 100 Baht per hour (ca. Fr.3.30).
I opted for the herbal massage but was told that the herbs take one hour to be prepared. She offered to do 1h of Thai massage whilst the herbs were boiling. So with slight apprehension (bearing in mind what Manuel had gone through) I agreed to that plan. The Thai massage was great (contrary to his experience). Even if she did jump on my back at one point and started kneading away with her elbows and knees. I nearly DIED! Actually, I nearly threw her off with my violent reaction - it hurt soooo much! But her grip was surprisingly tenacious. Must be used to customers reacting like that. Then it was time for the herbs. They were packed into excruciatingly hot pouches, and she pummelled me with them for about an hour. The herbs dyed my skin yellow and she laughed when she saw that I was wearing a yellow tshirt. At least the discoloration wouldn't be that obvious.
At one point she told me that they were trained by nurses from the local hospital. Which was very reassuring. I'd recommend this "prison spa" to anyone, even if my toes still feel as if they have been dislocated!
On my way back to the guesthouse, I had to duck into a Wat (temple) to avoid pouring rain. The monk (every Wat has at least one monk looking after it) was keen to practice his English, so we chatted about Buddhism. After about an hour we were joined by a (drenched) Belgian philosopher. Apparently he had been coming to the temple for the last three months to chat with this monk. Said it was really enlightening. We talked for about another hour before the rain let up. I left quite enlightened! It almost made me sign up for the meditation retreat offered at one of the Wats. May actually still do so.
Booked myself on a one day tourist trap trek, which was surprisingly interesting and very enjoyable.
We visited a butterfly and orchid farm first, which was absolutely beautiful. The variety of orchids was amazing. I was particularly mesmerised by the blue ones. Unfortunately our bus broke down just before we set off, so we had to wait around 30 minutes in the glaring hot sun which gave me quite a headache.
Our next stop was an elephant ride. The Thais do love their elephants and it was very much like riding a big horse! A couple of baby elephants were ambling around and one of them joined us on our 1h tour down a river and through the jungle. In the water it went absolutely mad, diving and rolling over, trying to spray us with water. But it ended up spraying the other elephants instead as we were too high up! They didn't appreciate it one bit and our elephant gave it a sly kick when it came too close (!).
After that we visited two indigenous hill tribes, appropriately named long neck and big ear. The long neck women add a ring around their necks between the ages of 5 and 22. They had a sample which we could put on and it is quite a weight they are carrying! The big ears have large rings in their earlobes which they decorate. All the women were weaving scarves and looked bored out of their minds. Needless to say, we didn't stay long!
A bit of jungle trekking (on foot) was up next... we climbed up some hill to a hidden waterfall. It was so peaceful sitting by the water, listening to it rushing down. Felt quite relaxed and in need of a nap!
But some action was up next: they took us white water rafting and bamboo rafting. I was having great fun with this gorgeous Danish model who was on a break from the fashion shows in Milan. On the downside I have never felt so squat and unattractive in all my life! But I guess that's just the luck of the draw... and am not really complaining about my lot just now!
The white water was a lot of fun, even if we did get stuck on stones all the time and nearly fell in. The water was so dirty thanks to recent rainfalls that I really didn't want to bathe, despite the heat! The bamboo raft was really leaky and much to my disgust there were spiders everywhere! Nearly jumped off the raft when I saw the first one! But it was ok, just kept to the bits under water... figured they couldn't get me there!
Today I was in dire need of some TLC (tender loving care) and so wandered up to the local women's prison. They have a kind of rehabilitation program which teaches the prisoners various kinds of massages, so that when they leave they are trained masseuses. All the money they earn, they receive when they are released. When I arrived at 10am there was no one there and when I left, it was packed. They do up to 13 customers a day, with massages costing 100 Baht per hour (ca. Fr.3.30).
I opted for the herbal massage but was told that the herbs take one hour to be prepared. She offered to do 1h of Thai massage whilst the herbs were boiling. So with slight apprehension (bearing in mind what Manuel had gone through) I agreed to that plan. The Thai massage was great (contrary to his experience). Even if she did jump on my back at one point and started kneading away with her elbows and knees. I nearly DIED! Actually, I nearly threw her off with my violent reaction - it hurt soooo much! But her grip was surprisingly tenacious. Must be used to customers reacting like that. Then it was time for the herbs. They were packed into excruciatingly hot pouches, and she pummelled me with them for about an hour. The herbs dyed my skin yellow and she laughed when she saw that I was wearing a yellow tshirt. At least the discoloration wouldn't be that obvious.
At one point she told me that they were trained by nurses from the local hospital. Which was very reassuring. I'd recommend this "prison spa" to anyone, even if my toes still feel as if they have been dislocated!
On my way back to the guesthouse, I had to duck into a Wat (temple) to avoid pouring rain. The monk (every Wat has at least one monk looking after it) was keen to practice his English, so we chatted about Buddhism. After about an hour we were joined by a (drenched) Belgian philosopher. Apparently he had been coming to the temple for the last three months to chat with this monk. Said it was really enlightening. We talked for about another hour before the rain let up. I left quite enlightened! It almost made me sign up for the meditation retreat offered at one of the Wats. May actually still do so.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Cambodia & Thailand
It's been a long time...
Said goodbye to Manuel on Sunday at the unearthly hour of 5am... so sad that he had to go. We had such a great time. But, well, can't dwell on what ifs, so on a happier note, I ended up meeting an American who had just spent two (!) days in Shanghai airport thanks to a bad connection and nearly missing my flight up to Chiang Mai (Thailand) thanks to a very late football match (Germany vs someone).
Had been grappling with the decision of either 1. going up to Chiang Mai, for some rural life and then, weather permitting, over and on to Laos, OR 2. going off to Japan to explore urban jungles and tea ceremonies, OR 3. fly down to Bali (Indonesia) for some sun, sand and volcanic action. Am actually really planning to do No. 3 (2 is too expensive) as I have quite a bit of time until Mark turns up!
But let me just recap what went on in the past few days...
Manu and I arrived in Siam Reap after a long and thankfully not very bumpy bus journey from Phnom Penh.
Tired and grumpy with heavy grey skies overhead we decided NOT to enjoy the sunset at Angkor Wat (MISTAKE! we thought a few hours in, but learnt that everyone had gotten kicked out early because the King of Malaysia was visiting the site, so not too bad in the end) and went off to explore instead.
Siam Reap was, to be honest, a bit disappointing... Mostly western restaurants and bars, with just about everything geared towards tourists. For example, we hid out in this one bar (air con heaven!), held completely in white, with lounging sofas and free WIFI that looked like something out of a lifestyle / best bars magazine. Surreal, especially after a very dusty tuktuk ride in from the bus station. The roads are full of holes and we were hanging on to our bags, getting sand blown in our faces, weaving in and out of motorbikes, passing all these UN Development buildings on our left and right.
Our hotel was alright, only a short minutes walk away from the (tiny!) city center and we booked our overly enthusiastic tuktuk driver for the next day.
The morning began bright and early (just imagine who was complaining about being on holiday!) at 4:50am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat... was really beautiful. We charged into the temple while everyone else (especially all the Japanese tourists) stayed outside to watch the sun rising and had the place to ourselves for around half an hour. It was quite magical and at times eerie to be zooming around this dusky complex alone, with shadows everywhere. My imagination began to run away with me and I half imagined seeing tigers in the shadows (don't ask me why!) and mistook a tourist for a priest coming around the corner. (Yes, crazy, I know!) Shortly before lunch we had had enough and with the sun beating down we decided to call it a day.
Back at our hostel the receptionist greeted us with the news that the whole town was out of electricity and running water for the moment and he didn't know when it would come back. So dusty, sweaty and hungry we crashed into what was thankfully a relatively cool room (hotel was in a shady spot) and managed to fall asleep. About 30min to 45min later, the electricity came back on and soon after that, water started pouring out of the tap.
Refreshed we went out for lunch/dinner. After being fed and watered we came to the conclusion that, even though the temples were fantastic, we didn't really want to spend any more time Siam Reap. So we booked a bus down to Sihanoukville for the next day!
Sihanoukville is a really small coastal town, south of Phnom Penh and has quite a few lovely beaches. It's set to become to Cambodia what Koh Samui is to Thailand, but that may take some years yet. The builders are no way as efficient as, for example, in Dubai. We never saw them working, neither during the day nor at night!
We spent a peaceful week there, despite daily threats by Khmer children selling bracelets and fruit (you buy my bracelet or I kill you!). Lounging around, getting some sun and eating fresh barracuda for 3.- USD at night. There weren't many people around so we spent mellow evenings sitting on the beach, gazing at stars (can really see why they thought the earth was flat!) and eventually rolling home to watch the tennis. Beautiful!
On our third day, we took a boat tour to Bamboo island, which was absolutely stunning. A day of white sand and clear water with a bbq lunch, it was picture perfect. Despite some bouts of lightning and a roll of thunder in the distance. However the storm kept far away from us, moving off in another direction. The only hiccup was the boat's motor: it kept stalling and left us wondering if we would get there and back safely. But luck was on our side and surprisingly enough we didn't even sport serious sunburns at the end of the day.
Time flew by far too quickly and soon we were booking our airasia flight back to Bangkok for some serious shopping. Unfortunately 'someone-who-will-not-be-named' got pick-pocketed and lost his phone and wallet to pinching fingers. Thankfully he lost nothing really important, so in Bangkok we headed straight to MBK shopping center and invested in a new Sony Ericsson.
That day proved to be quite a record for us: we arrived at the mall at around 10:30am and left at 8:30pm... a full days shopping! (Ok, they do have a cinema in the building). Because most shops weren't really up and running before midday, we had brunch and went to see the Sex and the City film. (No, I am not some kind of sadist, making Manuel sit through it, there was just nothing else on watch!)
This may now account for the fact that I am LONGING to wear high heels and am sick to the back teeth of my travelling clothes... but apart from that tiny negative side effect, the film was a typical AMERICAN feel-good girlie movie (like Legally Blond or Clueless). Manuel, of course, nearly fell asleep. Or he may have, actually. I was oblivious to anything but the "I want to go to NYC"-urge that befalls me when I see the four girls. ;-)
Today I spent the day learning how to cook Thai!
According to my certificate, I am now a master chef (hehehe), able to create:
.Pad Thai (fried noodles)
.Rice rolls (like spring rolls)
.Papaya Salad
.Stir fried morning glory (Chinese spinach)
.Penang curry
.Fried banana & sweet potato
We went to the market first for a lesson on tropical fruits, herbs and spices before plunging head first into Thai cuisine. Our teacher, Meow, was quite a crazy woman, but in a funny way. She showed us the difference between the curry pastes and we made the green curry paste she would use for the next day's class.
To my surprise, I absolutely loved the cooking. Wonder how long that will last?!
Even learnt how to do the "big flame" for a smokey effect. Admittedly my flame bore more of a resemblance that one of a matchstick, rather than to a bonfire, but the food was still very tasty.
Random notes:
1. Every time I walked past a bakery, either in Cambodia or Vietnam I did a double take: thanks to the French all their cakes and pastries on display look exactly like those in Colmar, Paris, Geneva... really rams history home. Though it is a bit odd seeing monks and chickens cross by in front of lemon tarts and eclairs. Kinda surreal.
2. I was suffering from an earache and managed to get some ear drops which didn't really work. Sick with my grumbling and groaning, Manu offered to take a look and discovered that I had a tiny cut in my ear (no idea how that happened!) and after putting a bit of Merfen (disinfectant) I was right as rain again.
3. I tried to upload the pics of Angkor Wat but kept getting kicked out... so you'll have to wait until I get a more reliable connection somewhere else :-(
Said goodbye to Manuel on Sunday at the unearthly hour of 5am... so sad that he had to go. We had such a great time. But, well, can't dwell on what ifs, so on a happier note, I ended up meeting an American who had just spent two (!) days in Shanghai airport thanks to a bad connection and nearly missing my flight up to Chiang Mai (Thailand) thanks to a very late football match (Germany vs someone).
Had been grappling with the decision of either 1. going up to Chiang Mai, for some rural life and then, weather permitting, over and on to Laos, OR 2. going off to Japan to explore urban jungles and tea ceremonies, OR 3. fly down to Bali (Indonesia) for some sun, sand and volcanic action. Am actually really planning to do No. 3 (2 is too expensive) as I have quite a bit of time until Mark turns up!
But let me just recap what went on in the past few days...
Manu and I arrived in Siam Reap after a long and thankfully not very bumpy bus journey from Phnom Penh.
Tired and grumpy with heavy grey skies overhead we decided NOT to enjoy the sunset at Angkor Wat (MISTAKE! we thought a few hours in, but learnt that everyone had gotten kicked out early because the King of Malaysia was visiting the site, so not too bad in the end) and went off to explore instead.
Siam Reap was, to be honest, a bit disappointing... Mostly western restaurants and bars, with just about everything geared towards tourists. For example, we hid out in this one bar (air con heaven!), held completely in white, with lounging sofas and free WIFI that looked like something out of a lifestyle / best bars magazine. Surreal, especially after a very dusty tuktuk ride in from the bus station. The roads are full of holes and we were hanging on to our bags, getting sand blown in our faces, weaving in and out of motorbikes, passing all these UN Development buildings on our left and right.
Our hotel was alright, only a short minutes walk away from the (tiny!) city center and we booked our overly enthusiastic tuktuk driver for the next day.
The morning began bright and early (just imagine who was complaining about being on holiday!) at 4:50am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat... was really beautiful. We charged into the temple while everyone else (especially all the Japanese tourists) stayed outside to watch the sun rising and had the place to ourselves for around half an hour. It was quite magical and at times eerie to be zooming around this dusky complex alone, with shadows everywhere. My imagination began to run away with me and I half imagined seeing tigers in the shadows (don't ask me why!) and mistook a tourist for a priest coming around the corner. (Yes, crazy, I know!) Shortly before lunch we had had enough and with the sun beating down we decided to call it a day.
Back at our hostel the receptionist greeted us with the news that the whole town was out of electricity and running water for the moment and he didn't know when it would come back. So dusty, sweaty and hungry we crashed into what was thankfully a relatively cool room (hotel was in a shady spot) and managed to fall asleep. About 30min to 45min later, the electricity came back on and soon after that, water started pouring out of the tap.
Refreshed we went out for lunch/dinner. After being fed and watered we came to the conclusion that, even though the temples were fantastic, we didn't really want to spend any more time Siam Reap. So we booked a bus down to Sihanoukville for the next day!
Sihanoukville is a really small coastal town, south of Phnom Penh and has quite a few lovely beaches. It's set to become to Cambodia what Koh Samui is to Thailand, but that may take some years yet. The builders are no way as efficient as, for example, in Dubai. We never saw them working, neither during the day nor at night!
We spent a peaceful week there, despite daily threats by Khmer children selling bracelets and fruit (you buy my bracelet or I kill you!). Lounging around, getting some sun and eating fresh barracuda for 3.- USD at night. There weren't many people around so we spent mellow evenings sitting on the beach, gazing at stars (can really see why they thought the earth was flat!) and eventually rolling home to watch the tennis. Beautiful!
On our third day, we took a boat tour to Bamboo island, which was absolutely stunning. A day of white sand and clear water with a bbq lunch, it was picture perfect. Despite some bouts of lightning and a roll of thunder in the distance. However the storm kept far away from us, moving off in another direction. The only hiccup was the boat's motor: it kept stalling and left us wondering if we would get there and back safely. But luck was on our side and surprisingly enough we didn't even sport serious sunburns at the end of the day.
Time flew by far too quickly and soon we were booking our airasia flight back to Bangkok for some serious shopping. Unfortunately 'someone-who-will-not-be-named' got pick-pocketed and lost his phone and wallet to pinching fingers. Thankfully he lost nothing really important, so in Bangkok we headed straight to MBK shopping center and invested in a new Sony Ericsson.
That day proved to be quite a record for us: we arrived at the mall at around 10:30am and left at 8:30pm... a full days shopping! (Ok, they do have a cinema in the building). Because most shops weren't really up and running before midday, we had brunch and went to see the Sex and the City film. (No, I am not some kind of sadist, making Manuel sit through it, there was just nothing else on watch!)
This may now account for the fact that I am LONGING to wear high heels and am sick to the back teeth of my travelling clothes... but apart from that tiny negative side effect, the film was a typical AMERICAN feel-good girlie movie (like Legally Blond or Clueless). Manuel, of course, nearly fell asleep. Or he may have, actually. I was oblivious to anything but the "I want to go to NYC"-urge that befalls me when I see the four girls. ;-)
Today I spent the day learning how to cook Thai!
According to my certificate, I am now a master chef (hehehe), able to create:
.Pad Thai (fried noodles)
.Rice rolls (like spring rolls)
.Papaya Salad
.Stir fried morning glory (Chinese spinach)
.Penang curry
.Fried banana & sweet potato
We went to the market first for a lesson on tropical fruits, herbs and spices before plunging head first into Thai cuisine. Our teacher, Meow, was quite a crazy woman, but in a funny way. She showed us the difference between the curry pastes and we made the green curry paste she would use for the next day's class.
To my surprise, I absolutely loved the cooking. Wonder how long that will last?!
Even learnt how to do the "big flame" for a smokey effect. Admittedly my flame bore more of a resemblance that one of a matchstick, rather than to a bonfire, but the food was still very tasty.
Random notes:
1. Every time I walked past a bakery, either in Cambodia or Vietnam I did a double take: thanks to the French all their cakes and pastries on display look exactly like those in Colmar, Paris, Geneva... really rams history home. Though it is a bit odd seeing monks and chickens cross by in front of lemon tarts and eclairs. Kinda surreal.
2. I was suffering from an earache and managed to get some ear drops which didn't really work. Sick with my grumbling and groaning, Manu offered to take a look and discovered that I had a tiny cut in my ear (no idea how that happened!) and after putting a bit of Merfen (disinfectant) I was right as rain again.
3. I tried to upload the pics of Angkor Wat but kept getting kicked out... so you'll have to wait until I get a more reliable connection somewhere else :-(
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