DAY 18

Saturday March 21st, 2009

SINGAPORE
One thing about Singapore, is that i ate well. And when i say well i mean almost constantly eating! Eva is a terrific host but one thing she expects her guests to do is eat! Eat so much that i ended up getting sick. hahahha so for the past few days i have been traveling with a mild case of travelers diarrhea. It was not a pleasant experience.

Singapore is a beautiful country. Eva describes it as China but advanced 10 years. My favorite part of Singapore, was the zoo and the night safari. 'They do a really good job recreating the animals natural habitat, but since Singapore's so small the animals don't have a lot of space to move around. Since they don't have that space, visitors are able to get a closer look at the animals. Ever seen a tiger close up? They are gorgeous animals! Never have i seen anything more majestic than a tiger!


CAMBODIA
Ankor Wat in Siem Reap is absolutly stunning! I remember being blown away by the temples when seeing the temples for the first time through Nick's photos and the real thing is even better! Aneitha, i think i found your dream destination. Think Ayyuthaya times 10.

I left for Phnom Penn the next day. It was a 7 hour cramped bus with outrageously loud Cambodian music playing on the speakers. I understand playing music on the bus, but what i didnt understand why it must be so loud!

Cambodia outside of Siem Reap is 100% different that the tourist areas. Since the genocide a few years back Cambodia has definitly been left in a helpless state. You can't go anywhere without having someone beg you to "buy from me". You see it more in the country side and the children are taught early on. It's pretty heart breaking.
The ride from Phnom Penn to Kam Pot was an experience. Ann and i had missed the last bus to Kam Pot so we decided to hop on one of those pick up trucks that pick up and drop off locals as they go along. One thing Cambodians love to do it pack in as many people as possible. Our first pick up truck was (i thought) packed full, but they insisted we ride in the back with all the luggage. I couldnt do it. I know they thought us Westerners were wusses, because to Cambodian people there was plenty of space. We ended up getting into a truck with jusrt a few people. I dont think there was a big difference in trucks because we continued to pick up people along the way. At one point there must have been 17 people in our truck! Other trucks i have seen as we were driving must have had 50 plus! They had people sitting on the roof, hanging off the sides and the backs!

The ride to Kam Pot was really cool because we got too see alot of what Cambodia is really like in the country side.
However, it was not so much fun how dusty and cramped the truck was. They had the windows rolled down so dirt was blowing in my face. And this was a 4 hour drive. Must of ate a galllon of dust that day. hahah

Day 12

Sunday March 15th, 2009

Cameron Highlands was beautiful, but i definitely prefer Sapa! i think ive become a Sapa snob and nothing else can come close haha.

i ended up going to KL early because i decided that if i wanted to go to Singapore i would have to reserve a ticket, especially since it was the weekend. Good thing i did because when i got there, the ticket i wanted was sold out! i decided to leave the next morning, which actually worked out perfectly.

It was pretty late at night when i arrived so i decided to go to Wheelers Guesthouse. I had come to Wheelers Guesthouse last year with Tiffany and i remember it being exceptionally clean (well maybe compared to Anuja's). I had gotten a dorm room because it was the only one available at this time. The sleep wasn't the most comfortable, i found myself waking up a lot and scratching my legs. Maybe it was all the bites from when i got bitten by fire ants on the island?
It was bedbugs! I found them when i was changing in the washroom after my shower on my dress, and then again in my blanket! I was fortunate that i didn't get eaten alive like some of the travellers i had talked to.



Right now, is day 2 in Singapore! Singapore is a really cool city. I'm lucky to have Eva as my tour guide because we have been doing more of what the locals would do rather than the touristy areas.

Forcast calls for rain for the next few days :(

DAY 7

On Saturday morning, i woke up bright and early to go to the bus station and return my ticket to Kota Bharu. I had found a guy on couchsurfing who was planning to drive through Terrenganu, to his hometown in Kota Bharu. He was offering to drive people to Terrenganu in exchange for conversation, as he often gets tired when driving and needs company to keep him awake. I noticed that he was friends with Elma, and after asking her about him, she highly recommended i go with him. "He can be trusted", she assured me.

It was definitly a very good decision!

I met Weanu, outside of THE MALL near the PWTC. The 7 hour long ride to Kuala Besut went by fairly quickly as we talked a lot about ourselves and the differences between cultures. The scenery was amazing! Definitly something i would miss out on had i taken the overnight bus. It was also awesome because he told me a lot about Malaysia! The kind of stuff you only learn when talking to a local.

I got the the jetty of Kuala Besut, and luckily they had added a last minute boat to the island for a fee of 25 ringgit. Not exactly the cheapest decision, but definitly made my time more worthwhile! The boat was aboslutely insane though! Think of Halong Bay except in a tiny jet boat. haha It was pretty scary and my back hurt afterwards from all the pounding when the boat hit the water.

When i arrived on the Perhentian islands the first person who approached me was a man trying to sell me one of his rooms for 225 ringgit, which was way over my budget! He told me that Long Beach accomodations are fully booked and that his accomodation is the only option i have. Assuming he was just trying to sell me the room, I decided to try my luck with Long Beach anyways. The path to Long beach consisted of a short walk across Coral Bay beach and a 10 minute trek through the jungle. I was not prepared for this trek and got eaten alive by mosquitoes! As soon as i walked out of the jungle, i saw a guy who was also by himself walking my way. I asked him about the accomodation on the island, and it turned out the man was right, most of the accomodation was fully booked. We decided to scout the island anyways. Theres no way it could be possible! But it was :( I ended up taking the first option, but a cheaper room and at a discounted price of 75 riggit a night.

My beach buddy's name is Johannes from Germany and has been travelling for a year and a half! (so lucky!!) it was really awesome because i got to hear some awesome stories and learn about Germany for the next few days!

Today, i woke up bright and early at met Weanu at the jetty. He had met 3 American girls and offered to take them to Cameron Highlands, which was my next destination!
The three American girls are really amazing and are living in cambodia on a Fulbright scholarship working with the community on several different projects. One girl is working with the community to help them grow and create their own textiles, the other is working with people with disabilities and teaching engineering to Cambodian people and the other is sort of in transition between projects so im not too sure what she is doing.

Anyways i arrived at Cameron Highlands not too long ago, and i was told that if i loved Sapa (which i did) i would definitly love Cameron Highlands. Its sort of the same idea, but with tea plantations instead!

Day 5

The past few days has been nothing less than AMAZING!

I tried to sign up for my OWC but turns out i dont have enough days on the beach. Maybe i'll try a discovery and finish off in Laos. :S (although Lao may not been the best place to dive) You may just win Joanne hahaha

I dont have much time on the internet since the cost of internet is a whopping 15 riggit an hour as opposed to 2 riggit on mainland!! But i have so many stories to share already! I'll definitly keep you guys posted and soon as i get back to Mainland.


Cheers!

DAY 3

For the last two days i have been staying with a wonderful woman named Elma and her family. I found her through couchcurfing.com which is a group of travellers who open up their houses and allow other travellers to crash on their couch. I know, it sounds pretty sketchy, but I have only heard good experiences from this! Plus, you get a local perspective on the country your visiting and save on accomodation costs :)
Anyways, the woman i am staying with is truly amazing and seems to have an endless amount of patience and understanding! When speaking to Elma i found out that she constantly has travellers coming in and out of her house, at all hours of the day, even at 4am! Her house is always open and even has guests on important holidays such as Christmas and New Years! She even made it to the Malaysian newspaper when she had helped a traveller when he had lost his passport. hahah she definitly deserves a medal! So when arriving i wasnt surprised to meet other travellers from Poland, Argentina, Paris, and England. Yesterday, the Argentinia, (Nif) and the Polish girl (Anna) spent the day going to the twin towers and roaming around Chinatown. Nif is definitly a true adventurer who walks around serenading people on his eucalayly! (Ive got some good videos to show you guys when i get home!)

The twin towers was not too bad. We went to the middle of the towers after watching a short video (pure propaganda). I'm going to meet one of the guys from England at 6:30 today to go up to the towers again. The tickets are free and the night view would probably be amazing!

All morning and last night, i spent going from bus station to bus station looking for tickets to Kota Bharu. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/malaysia/map_of_malaysia.jpg (Its the beginning of the school holiday so most tickets are all "finished" ) It's the stop closest to The Perhentian island which i hear is paradise! It looks like its my only opportunity to really beach bum on my trip so I'm definitly gonna try to soak in as much sun as possible!

.....And the food - Mel i know your jealous.

Im starting to get hungry so maybe ill go to the petrona tower, get a roti bun and "think of Jen". hahah

Im Alive!

DAY 2

Got tickets to the Petronas Twin towers!
Gonna head over there now!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers


... and my bag is starting to rip at the zipper... never buy cheap backpacks...

SALAMAT!

The first day we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we arrived late so tiffany and i randomly picked a hostel in Chinatown to stay at. According to Lonely planet this hostel, Anuja's Backpackers Inn, was one of the more "reliably" clean hostels. So we decided to give it a go. Outside the hostel there were several people hanging out, having a beer and having dinner. thought it was a good lively crowd to be around. The hostel turned out to be pretty dingy, dirty and infested with bugs. The other guests seemed to consists of locals who had no other place to stay. The sheets were stained and probably havent been washed for weeks. The sleep was good, but only if you are a sound sleeper. As for me, i was constantly waken up by the screams of people fighting outside.

(It looks cleaner than it was)

It's funny how even in countries half way across the world there seems to be a McDOnalds at every corner. We resisted the idea of eating McDonalds for breakfast and opted for the 30 minute search for some real malay dishes. Street food is delicious!

The people in the main Malaysian pininsula are really friendly. It could possibly be due to the fact that we were two un accompanied females, but nonetheless people were always willing to help us out. One thing i noticed was the lack of females on the streets. Since Malaysia is a very conservative muslim country, i figured they are probably at home.

The view from the flight to Borneo was amazing! Domestic flights are really inexpensive. the tickets cost us about 20$ CAD. We travelled with Air Asia and definitly one of my favourite airlines. they played a 10 track cd the entire flight, which surprisingly didnt get old. WHat awesome about Borneo is that they have endless hills of just palm trees. I guess its no surprise that their number 1 export is palm oil.

Uncle Tans was located in Sandakan, Sabah. Sandakan is known for their natural treasures and wildlife, so i was stoked as to what was to come. The ride to the camp ground consisted of an hour and a half drive, then a 30 minutes speed boat along the Sungai Kinabatangan River, which is Sabah's longest (and very muddy)river.

Trekking through the jungle is definitly an experience. Being able to see animals live natrally in their own habitat is far better than watching them close up in a zoo. It seems to me that animals are socialized to be scared of humans. the animals that ventured into the campgrounds almost didnt care that there were groups of people living in the area. They almost walked around with a very "you're on my turf" sorta attitude. One of my favorite visitors was the Monitor Lizard!

We slept in longhouses which is basically houses built on stilts. Its necessary for rainy season when everything gets flooded.

If you dont mind being eaten alive by bugs, not bathing for days, and having bug repellent eat at your clothes a jungle trek is definitly something you should look into. There are several tours in Borneo, but this is the one we went with. http://www.uncletan.com/ It's definitly worth it.

Our next destination was Kota Kinabalu. We arrived late night on Tuesday night. We stayed at a small hostel at the end of the street. I dont remember the name of the hostel, but it was pretty nice. The man who owned the hostel was definitly on something. He made Janelle and Mike really nervous. haha i liked him, i liked how he told things like it is, and was eager to help us out.

The next morning, we woke up early and headed for Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, which is a park that consists of 5 islands. Due to the shortage of time we stayed at Manukan beach. It was pretty overcast that day so it wasnt the best day for the beach, but amazing nonetheless. Manukan was the first time i snorkled! The fish in the sea are absolutely gorgeous! I also caught a baby orange star fish that Mike talked me into throwing back into the water. There were also big bright blue starfish that sorta looked scary and so i decided to stay away from them.

The night market is Kota Kinabalu is fantastic! u can get a heaping plate of noodles that could feed 4 people no problem for only 3$ CAD. Other options are satay, chicken hearts on a stick (which is not that great), fish, fruit, banana fritters among others.

The last day was spent in Kuala Lampur, one of the sites we went to is the Batu cave (above)! its a temple inside a mountain. It was awesome! and there are monkeys just roaming around! Once u reach the top of the mountain you are greeted by a man who charges about 3$ CAD to take a picture with a snake or lizard. and two other shops that sold malaysian/hindu paraphenelia. It really weirded me out. Yes, the temple is definitly a tourist site, but it is still very much a temple. It made me think, do people who want to go to the temple to worship feel offended that their place of worship is becoming so commercialised?

We took public transit on the way to the cave. the ride was about an hour. The buses here play the radio on the bus, pretty loudly. Call me old, but the combination of the heat, jerky movements, and loud music on the bus was a not a good combination hahha

If in Asia, visit Malaysia!