India.....then home!
With thoughts of rabies, malaria and general disease swimming around our heads we arrived in Mumbai feeling a little apprehensive. We travelled from the airport to downtown Mumbai in relative silence, pretty much stunned by the obvious signs of poverty. After a fews days and a quick tour around Mumbai we got our sleeper train to Goa. Despite my bed swarming with little cockroaches I managed to get quite a bit of sleep and arrived in Goa feeling quite revived. Our first stop in Goa was Baga which was deserted as the charter airlines hadn't started operating yet so we moved on. Palolem, a backpackers hotspot, was where we found ourselves. We spent our days like the other travellers, lounging on the beach, evenings in the bars and during sunsets sat looking pensively out to sea...

Time came to move on so we got a bus bound for Margoa. After getting a sense of the claustrophobia felt by a sardine in a can we managed to extricate ourselves from the bus. We located a hotel, the only hotel and fortunatley near Domino's pizza, which after days and days and days of eating curry morning, noon and night certainly came as a welcome change.

Our next stop was the ancient pilgrimage site of Hampi, home to whitewashed hilltop temples and beautiful sunsets. We took a tour of the historic sites and happened upon a state film star filming a movie. After a few photos with our guide (who was starstruck) he mentioned the fact that a certain Mr Jackie Chan was filming in a temple near our lodge. After calling a halt to our tour we rushed to the temple. Luckily due to complete security incompetence we were able to walk directly into the filmset, see Jackie Chan and have a good old natter to the movie director.

Unable to get a lift with Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong in their private jet we had to get an overnight train to Bangalore. Unimpressed with Bangalore we headed on to Mysore and spent a few days relaxing. Then we got a bus to Ooty. 37 hairpin turns later we'd arrived and were noticably colder due to the altitude. We signed up for the mandatory tour and spent the day appearing in random peoples photos, visiting various viewpoints looking into mist imagining how amazing the scenery would be were it a clear day.

We travelled on to Kochi via the Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway - a stunning ride that passes through some of the most amazing scenery in southern India although some of the journey was at little more than walking speed. After another tour, this time the backwaters of Kerala we had a few days left before we had to return to the UK. Our last touristy event was some Keralan ritual theatre called Kathakali. The actors wear magnificent costumes and incredible make-up and communicate solely with a variety of sign language and facial expressions (which tend to look similar to the uninitiated). The whole affair is augmented with pounding drums and can last for 7 hours. Thank god for the abridged tourist version... although after 2.5 hrs we still had to sneak out when our heads started to spin.

We caught a flight to Mumbai, waited around for hours in one of the dullest airports on Earth then finally boarded our flight to London contemplating the coming months of cold rainy weather and office life...

- posted by Michael @ 19:17

 
Scuba, Suits and Skyscrapers
We spent a week or so on Ko Tao doing lots of scuba diving. There are lots of different dive sites, all within easy reach of the island and we saw tons of fascinating sea life.
On two separate dives we also got attacked by a Titan Trigger Fish (photo) - a big ugly brute with sharp teeth that doesn't take too kindly to scuba divers swimming through his territory. Luckily we were with an experienced Dive Master who kept the fish at bay while we swam rapidly in the opposite direction. When we weren't diving, we were relaxing on the beach or in the chilled out bars.

A mammoth boat and bus journey took us to Bangkok where we headed to Khao San Road (aka Backpacker Central) we found a nice hotel and settled in for the week. A week in Bangkok might seem excessive, but that's how long it takes to sort out a visa for India. We passed he time easily, visiting the local sights such as the amazingly ornate Grand Palace and doing lots of shopping at the various markets which sell everything from "designer" clothes and shoes and souvenir T-shirts to wooden Buddhas and Thai silk table cloths. Bangkok is also awash with tailors who can knock up a nice suit in next to no time and for next to nothing and the temptation was too great to resist. Mike got fully decked out, ready for those ever nearing job interviews and I got a snazzy number for Lesley's (my sister) wedding. Having posted our purchases home it was on to Hong Kong.

Due to a complete lack of planning on our part, we had no clue where to stay in Hong Kong (who needs a guide book for a 5 day trip?) and ended up in a hotel that was well over budget for the first 2 nights. Luckily we discovered the Lee Garden Guest House on the 8th floor of the interestingly named "Fook Yiu Mansion" where we got a nice clean air-conditioned shoe-box for the remainder of our stay. The highlight of our visit was a tram ride up to Victoria Peak. We were lucky to go on a clear day and got fantastic views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the outlying islands. We hung around until after sunset to see the city light up.
As if the Hong Kong skyline isn't impressive enough, viewed from the peak or from across the harbour in Kowloon, every day at 8pm some the skyscrapers put on a light show with spotlights, lasers and colorful flashing displays.
Hong Kong has a big ex-pat community and they all seem to hang out in the posh bars and restaurants in a district called Soho. We had a beer and some dinner there but our budget wouldn't stretch to anything more than that.

So now we've come to the final country on our itinerary - India. First stop Mumbai.

- posted by Nicola @ 13:57

 
Beers, Buckets and Beaches
After a 10 hour traveling marathon involving minibuses, tuk-tuks, ferries and a truck we were in the "Land of Smiles" - Thailand. Our first stop was Ko Lanta. After ignoring some advice from a local travel agent we made our way to our chosen resort on a beautiful stretch of beach at the centre of the island. Unfortunately it appeared that we were the only people to have made this decision as the entire complex was completely deserted apart from a few surprised staff who showed us to our bungalow and kindly removed the dust covers from the TV and air-con unit. Apparently it was low season here! A further explore revealed that the beach was lined with accommodation complexes that were completely shut. The next day we left and followed the advice the travel agent had originally given and headed further south to a different beach where there were many "farang" (foreigners). This place was amazing. The small restaurant/bar area faced onto the sea with cushion recliners on the floor. Food was amazing, beers were cheap, music was great and the resident fire dancer was incredible. Even more fantastic were the fire flies that hovered around after the sun went down.
Eventually we developed bruises from lounging around for some many days and I was worried I might forget how to stand up or sit in a chair so we moved on to Krabi.

It was here that I suddenly had the idea to try some rock climbing and Nicola thought she might like to learn Thai cookery. But the heat thwarted any attempts to do anything more energetic than sit in a bar with a nice cold beer and watch the Olympics. Even that was an achievement considering our previous few days of lounging.

Then we arrived at Ko Phi Phi where the beaches are lined with very expensive resort complexes and very fancy seafood restaurants. We did a couple of dives and saw some sharks, sea snakes and a sleeping turtle and loads of other sea life. Later we hiked to another beach and tried some snorkeling, saw nothing but had timed the whole thing perfectly to coincide with a monsoonal downpour giving the effect off swimming under a waterfall.

We decided it was time to move on and our next stop was Phuket - a base for some of the world's best diving. As we'd heard some horror stories about the larger resort towns we followed the guide book's advice and went to a more sedate are called Hat Kamala. Unfortunately it was more dead than sedate due to the fact that it was monsoon season. The local dive shop was still running but after checking the weather forecast and seeing warnings for all boats we decided to give it a miss.

As the monsoon at this time of year mostly affects the west coast we decided to move to the east coast. Next stop Ko Samui - yet another place which bears little resemblance to its reference in the guide book. Very little backpacker accommodation, but we did manage to find one cleanish sweat-box designed to keep the temperature inside a brain baking 10 degrees hotter than outside. Luckily we later managed to find quite a nice hotel with air-con and cable TV for a good price. Although, during the evenings it seemed a few western men would bring their new Thai "girlfriends" back for the evening...
It was in Samui that Nicola honed her pool table skills and started taking on the local women in the "winner stays on" competitions.

It was nearing full moon so naturally we did what most travelers do and went to Ko Phangan for the Full Moon Party. 10,000 plus revelers on the beach and in the sea with the beach lined with massive speakers and DJs It also seems as though there was a shortage of cups on the island as most drinks were served in buckets! We enjoyed some beers and buckets on the beach and watched a few fire dancers. It was evident that the fire dancers also must have had a few buckets themselves as the smell of singed hair and skin was getting stronger by the hour. There were a few people who had consumed more buckets than they had planned and were spread eagle on the beach waiting for the tide to come in and wash them up to their bungalows. But by 5am we were tired (tired as newts!) and left whilst the party was going strong. Next destination is Ko Tao for a few days of rest and recuperation.

- posted by Michael @ 09:59

 
Malaysian Meanderings
We bussed our way over the border to Malaysia and to the historic town of Malacca. Unfortunately we arrived on a Tuesday when, for some reason, virtually everything in Malacca is shut. We had a wander around the mostly closed Chinatown area then called it an early night. The next morning we had a look round the various colonial buildings including a massive red town hall and the (also bright red) Christ Church, built in 1753 by the Dutch.
Later that afternoon, we made our way to Kuala Lumpur. After being given wrong directions by a helpful taxi driver, we eventually found a reasonable hotel and collapsed for the night.

Kuala Lumpur is a massive, noisy, hectic, frantic kind of place which is impossible to negociate on foot - believe me, I know. We tried. You just end up trapped between two motorways where the footpath runs out and you can't get to where you want to go despite the fact that you can practically see it from where you are standing, so you are forced to flag down a taxi to take you to the nearest train/bus/monorail station so you can get back to your hotel before you have a major argument on your hands. All this in 35 degree heat and (more or less) 100% humidity!
Anyway, we did manage to navigate our way to the impressive Petronas Towers, which have a huge shopping mall at their base (there's even a Marks and Spencer). Unfortunately there were no tickets left to go up the towers, but we did get to go up the Telecom Tower for some excellent views. And because it's on a hill, it actually gets you higher than the twin towers anyway.
Like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur has a Chinatown and a Little India, both of which were fun to wander round and soak up the atmosphere.

From Kuala Lumpur we had a long and winding bus journey to the Cameron Highlands. At an altitude of 1300-1800 metres the temperature is a pleasantly cool 20-25 degrees during the day - a welcome relief for us after Kuala Lumpur. We took an afternoon tour of the area, taking in a massive tea plantation and various other agricultural wonders such as a strawberry farm and a honey farm. We also stopped at a butterfly garden where there where not only beautiful butterflies, but lots of other examples of the weird and wonderful insects that inhabit the local jungles. Some of the highlights were a truly enormous 3 Horned Rhino Beetle and a Leaf Insect that looks exactly like a leaf.

In our wisdom, we decided to get an overnight train for the 6 hour trip north to Penang Island. First of all we had to get to the train station which was a two hour bus journey back down to the lowlands, then once we arrived at the deserted train station, we had to wait around for about 3 hours for the train. When the train arrived, we were thoroughly relieved to see our lovely, comfy, air-conditioned sleeper carriage and tucked ourselves in for the night. Then the train pulled away from the station and things started to go awry... lets just say it was like trying to get to sleep in a cement mixer as the carriages trundled noisily along the ancient tracks. Not at all well rested, we made the short ferry crossing to Georgetown on Penang Island, found a guest house and slept for the rest of the morning.
Georgetown is a laid back little town, popular with backpackers. We stayed for several days enjoying the local cafes and cheap beers. We also visited the interesting Penang Museum to learn all about the local culture and went to the impressive Kek Lok Si temple - the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. One evening we went with a guide to see a Chinese Folk Opera performance. The guide took us backstage to see the performers preparing their make-up and costumes and then tried to explain what all the shouting and loud music was about. It was all very colourful, but I still have no idea what was going on!

Now it's just a short hop over the border to Thailand.

- posted by Nicola @ 11:56

 
More Bali and Singapore
After a couple more days of Kuta, we could feel the urge to seek out some tranquility, and there's no place better than Nusa Lembongan  - a small island one and a half hours from Bali by outrigger.  We decided on a beachfront bungalow with great sunset views.  Nusa Lembongan is famous for its great diving and great surfing, although with surf breaks named Shipwreck and Lacerations we decided to give that a miss, opting for the more relaxing option of diving in crystal clear waters with temperatures of 28 degrees C!!
We went for a little explore of the island and encountered small villages with people sifting through their seaweed harvests and children playing in the yards.  Everyone stopped and shouted hello as we walked by - very friendly, but it began to get embarrassing after an hour or so.  Exhausted, we'd reached some mangroves where we were offered fresh coconut juice and a trip round the mangroves in and old boat powered by a man with a long bamboo cane.  It was an offer we couldn't refuse!

We returned to Kuta and after a few more hectic days we were off again, this time to Tulamben, home of the US World War II shipwreck, Liberty.  The wreck is only about 20 metres off shore so we kitted up and made our way to the beach.  Fortunately we didn't need to worry about the extremely heavy air tanks as there were porters to carry them for us weak and lazy westerners.  Unfortunately the porters were7 year old kids and 70 year old women, furthermore, the women carried 2 tanks each... on their heads!!  We felt honoured to be keeping them active at that age... or was it ashamed we were such wimps... probably the latter.

After a couple more days of chilling came the day we'd been putting off.  We hit the shops and market stalls for presents and souvenirs and 6kg later we were at the post office scraping together all the available cash to send the stuff on its 2 month journey home.
Then with the sound of "T-shirt! Transport! Manicure? Plait your hair?" ringing in our ears and the sight of Aussies wearing "F*** Terrorist" and "Osama don't surf" t-shirts  burned in our retinas, we left Bali with great memories and flew to Singapore.

Singapore.  Well... it's a strange place.  Consisting mostly of towering shopping malls and even taller office blocks.
We arrived at our hotel in the bustling district of Little India - a region of curry houses, market stalls and with streets lined with office equipment... (we never found out why).  Luckily I had an old uni friend who's just moved to Singapore so on Saturday night under strict orders not to wear any shorts or "adventure sandals" (or any other such backpacker apparel) we hit the Singaporean nightlife.  This included drinks at the famous Raffles Hotel where beers where a heart stopping S$11, then on to a series of clubs.  At 4am and with the skyscrapers swaying we eventually made our way home.  Thanks for a great night Paul (aka Smeg)!

Singapore is said to be a fine country i.e. they have a fine for everything, but it seems to be able to produce an almost spotless city centre.
Chewing gum is banned
Crossing the road in the wrong spot = S$50 fine
Smoking in the taxi queue = S$500 fine
Drinking (anything, not just booze) on the MRT (tube) = S$500 fine
Carrying fruit on the MRT = fine
Spitting or littering = big fine
Drugs = mandatory death!

Not too long a go men with long hair weren't allowed to enter the country, they were either turned away at immigration or given a short back and sides, and probably a fine along with it.

AND, while we were there, headline news was an incident at Chinatown MRT station (yes there is a chinatown in a predominantly Chinese country).  Some low-life perp had put a poster on the wall and grafittied next to it!!  The incident had been so shocking that crowds people were staring at it in disbelief.  The police turned up and cordoned off the area, dusted for fingerprints, then cleaned up the scene of the crime.  If caught, the crim will probably get a few lashes of the rotan (Singaporean beating stick)... and a big fine.

Unfortunately, it seems that without some kind of heavy financial sponsorship there is little for the backpacker to do in Singapore so after 6 days we found ourselves saying goodbye to the pristine city and heading on to the more chaotic side of South East Asia.  Next stop Malacca, Malaysia .

- posted by Michael @ 15:12