I left Luang Prabang this morning and am making my way back up north where I cross over into Thailand. Yesterday I cycled for 5 hours - just literally hired a bicycle and toured around town then headed out into the countryside until I got bored. I was completely on my own - apart from the odd passing car/bike - then I went passed a rural school at home time - and I had about 5 or 6 children cycling with me for a few kilometres - it was really delightful, they were all laughing and smiling and racing with me. The only English they knew was "GOOD MORNING!" and they said this as both a greeting and a farewell when eventually they went down a different road. The countryside is just lovely here and really a world away. In the evening, I just had some dinner with some fellow travellers and then hit the markets for some night shopping. Stuff here is ridiculously cheap and so lovely - I wish I could spend more money! But I am trying to wash my hands of purchasing things I dont actually need these days so just a few trinket keep sakes will do. I went to bed fairly late after chatting to some people back at the hostel and had to be up early this morning to leave. I left Luang Prabang via the slow boat this morning at 8am.
Had a very chilled day the "slow boat" takes you up the Mekong River and gets you to the most northern border crossing where I orginally entered Huay Xai. You stop off overnight in another dusty little village called Pakbeng which is where I am now. Its a very scenic route - although a little long at 9 hours - but it was quite peaceful and I had a lot of time for deep thought! I am trying to make my way back to Chiang Mai - as I get a my flights down to the islands from there....its all touch and go, because I have realised I didnt leave mysely enough time!!! So I am supposed to be getting another boat tomorrow (travelling through the mountains by road can take even longer, and after my last mountain trip I think I will give THAT a miss!). The boat trip tomorrow is another 9-10 hours, and its pretty comfortable and relaxing, but I need to get through the border before 6pm which is sketchy. Then on top of that I need to get a bus or something for another 5 hour journey from there to Chang Mai!! There are random buses going, but its all a case of rock up and see... Tomorrow I do have an option of getting a "speed boat" but they look dodgy as all hell and there are loads of stories of accidents...gulp. The passengers all wear crash helmets!! Hahahahahah - anyway, I am sure it would be okay but they only leave when they have enough passengers - and if I hang around for a speedboat I might miss the slow boat?! If I do get over the border though I might be faced with another dilemna of trying to get a bus - I might resort to making a sign and sitting on the side of the road... Thai people seem pretty helpful?! All shall be revealed in 24 hrs! My flights leave at 10am... I am cutting it VERY fine. Worst case scenario is I have to pay money to change my flights, or actually, I suppose worst case scenario could be that I die on a speedboat or get abducted on the other side. I am definitely going to be the desperate "farang" (local term for tourist) which makes me vulnerable to being ripped off!
Had a bit of a downer day today (the perils of having 9 hours to do nothing), and filled my time wondering about life - what I am going to do when I finish travelling? what about all the money I have spent in the last 9 months? how can I continue travelling? Will I die a lonely spinster with 50 cats? Do I look old and washed up at 30? Is wondering about all this shit a waste of energy - when there are clearly for more important things going on in this world? Should I just squander my life savings travelling until I stop wondering about anything?! You know - the usual female concerns. Such complex creatures we are.
Anyhoo - Pakbeng is a cute little place with not much to do - but alas they do have an internet cafe so I thought I would kill some time!I teamed up with a canadian girl on the boat and we are sharing a room together to save costs. We just had a lovely meal, but there is not much else do to here apart from drink?! But I am trying to lay off the booze, feeling a little "flu-ey" and considering I am in a malaria area and not on anti-malaria tabs, I suppose I should keep an eye on it! Nice early night in preparation for the adventures the dawn brings!
Gypsy Regdelp signing out xxxx
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Monday, 21 November 2011
Luang Prabang
Another day another dollar... Having a swell time here in Luang Prabang - a world heritage city. Yesterday 6 of us from our backpacker chipped in to get a tuk tuk (crazy Asian taxi/motorbike thing)to the 2 local big waterfalls. We drove for about 45 mins to the first one and it was absolutely spectacular. To get to the waterfalls we had to get a long tail boat the rest of the way. That in itself was fantastic - going up the Mekong River past little patches of land being farmed - seeing little ladies tending to their crops. It was truly picturesque and the vegetation here is very lush. We arrived to the waterfalls and were completely blown away - cascades of hazy aqua water flowing over smoothed stone terraces. It was so beautiful so without further a due we stripped from our sweaty clothes and had a fantastic swim. The water comes from the mountains so its pretty cold, but you get used to it. We mucked around for a while - jumping off ledges, using a swing and just doing a bit of exploring around the falls. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! We then made our trip to the next waterfall which was about an hour away, and this one was also just gorgeous. A much higher one, but also with loads of terraced cascades coming off a main source, plus a really large sort of natural swimming pool along the way. Such awesome looking water - and really stunning to swim in. We had to trek a little to get to the top, and I did get a little lost because as always I didn't stick to the group because I was impatient! I realized after about 20 mins that the path I was following through pretty dense jungle/swamp was actually a water buffalo path...arrrghhh - anyhoo I got to the right place eventually and was pleased to learn that everyone else up there got lost too..
We swam for a while and played on the swings then headed back to town.
Sitting in the back of a tuk-tuk with 5 strangers, having a laugh talking about crap, I realized how much I love traveling! A world away from anything else, and so so different from the life I was leading a year ago. I am traveling at the moment with JUST a day pack - and have been using just this for 2 weeks! Traveling has made me realize how little you need to actually survive. I have everything I need - a few changes of clothes, some toiletries, money, a couple of books and a camera - DONE! I think I could actually fit all these things into one of my "hang-bags" back home?!
I am staying in places which are so far away from luxury - just basic dorms where you sleep with both guys and girls in rooms of up to like 20 people! Showers are hot if you are lucky, and most of them offer a pathetic trickle of water. Toilets are a whole different kettle of fish, and range from being normal western type ones, to basic holes in the floor! There is usually some family looking after the places, so you often get woken up by screaming kids or crowing chickens - its pretty rustic. The last place I stayed in were actually bamboo huts with hammock type beds... The beds are pretty damn uncomfortable, and being woken up by your neighbor farting/having sex/snoring/talking/crying is not completely endearing... BUT I totally love it! hahahaha - I love roughing it and the last few weeks have taught me alot about how to get the best of traveling.
Last night we all had a BBQ at the hostel about 30-40 people, and everyone just chatted around the fire - drinking cheap whiskey and swapping stories. We then headed off to an awesome bar called Utopia - which is a very bohemian type place which has a volleyball field/sandpit (whatever you call it?!. Everyone played a bit of valley ball, I occasionally snuck off to the bar to have a few sneaky tequila's and it was a pretty fun vibe. My ability to chat to strangers is peaking at an all time best at the moment I must admit and I totally love meeting new people all the time. Especially when some of them are very good looking and have eyes which you want to gauge out and keep in your pocket they are so beautiful. Not that I am thinking of anyone in particular..
The downer of my evening was when I realized someone had stolen my havianas (slip slops)! WHO THE HELL STEALS $1 shoes?!! So I had to continue the night without shoes - which would have been fine, except we were heading to the local "Disco"... a club playing cheesy dance music packed with both locals and foreigners. For our journey there we got a mini-van, and packed 17 people into it..
With my face sandwiched against someone elses, thighs resting on my head, something I can only hope was a mobile phone prodding me in the hip and someones sweaty pit rubbing my shoulder - I thought to myself... Now THIS is why you travel - what a laugh hahahaha.
Anyhoo - I stomped around the club in true hooligan style - no shoes and well oiled by the tequila shots from the last place. I had some pretty funny posed photos taken with some people (maybe they wouldn't be funny today - they would probably be shocking - okay.. they would definitely be shocking) but thankfully the blessing of traveling is that no one knows who you are or even what your name is, so its like the perfect place to be a complete nutcase.. or commit murder, which ever you prefer?
After the club closed all the drunken travelers headed back to the hostel, by this stage we had quite a huge crowd and everyone settled around the fire again for more banter and chit chat. I didn't stay up for too long, and was one of the first off to bed. I am definitely showing my age these days, and to be honest I am pretty comfortable about it - I am 30 after all so I had to grow up sometime!
Its great being social and I love having a good time, but to really get the best out of seeing places, I have to have a healthy balance of being social, and getting away from people too.
I was supposed to hire a bicycle yesterday, but didn't in the end as we had such a blast at the falls - so that is what I am doing today. Just going for a little wonder - I am having an anti-social day, I need some Sarah time.
Forever yours..Gypsy Regdelp xx
We swam for a while and played on the swings then headed back to town.
Sitting in the back of a tuk-tuk with 5 strangers, having a laugh talking about crap, I realized how much I love traveling! A world away from anything else, and so so different from the life I was leading a year ago. I am traveling at the moment with JUST a day pack - and have been using just this for 2 weeks! Traveling has made me realize how little you need to actually survive. I have everything I need - a few changes of clothes, some toiletries, money, a couple of books and a camera - DONE! I think I could actually fit all these things into one of my "hang-bags" back home?!
I am staying in places which are so far away from luxury - just basic dorms where you sleep with both guys and girls in rooms of up to like 20 people! Showers are hot if you are lucky, and most of them offer a pathetic trickle of water. Toilets are a whole different kettle of fish, and range from being normal western type ones, to basic holes in the floor! There is usually some family looking after the places, so you often get woken up by screaming kids or crowing chickens - its pretty rustic. The last place I stayed in were actually bamboo huts with hammock type beds... The beds are pretty damn uncomfortable, and being woken up by your neighbor farting/having sex/snoring/talking/crying is not completely endearing... BUT I totally love it! hahahaha - I love roughing it and the last few weeks have taught me alot about how to get the best of traveling.
Last night we all had a BBQ at the hostel about 30-40 people, and everyone just chatted around the fire - drinking cheap whiskey and swapping stories. We then headed off to an awesome bar called Utopia - which is a very bohemian type place which has a volleyball field/sandpit (whatever you call it?!. Everyone played a bit of valley ball, I occasionally snuck off to the bar to have a few sneaky tequila's and it was a pretty fun vibe. My ability to chat to strangers is peaking at an all time best at the moment I must admit and I totally love meeting new people all the time. Especially when some of them are very good looking and have eyes which you want to gauge out and keep in your pocket they are so beautiful. Not that I am thinking of anyone in particular..
The downer of my evening was when I realized someone had stolen my havianas (slip slops)! WHO THE HELL STEALS $1 shoes?!! So I had to continue the night without shoes - which would have been fine, except we were heading to the local "Disco"... a club playing cheesy dance music packed with both locals and foreigners. For our journey there we got a mini-van, and packed 17 people into it..
With my face sandwiched against someone elses, thighs resting on my head, something I can only hope was a mobile phone prodding me in the hip and someones sweaty pit rubbing my shoulder - I thought to myself... Now THIS is why you travel - what a laugh hahahaha.
Anyhoo - I stomped around the club in true hooligan style - no shoes and well oiled by the tequila shots from the last place. I had some pretty funny posed photos taken with some people (maybe they wouldn't be funny today - they would probably be shocking - okay.. they would definitely be shocking) but thankfully the blessing of traveling is that no one knows who you are or even what your name is, so its like the perfect place to be a complete nutcase.. or commit murder, which ever you prefer?
After the club closed all the drunken travelers headed back to the hostel, by this stage we had quite a huge crowd and everyone settled around the fire again for more banter and chit chat. I didn't stay up for too long, and was one of the first off to bed. I am definitely showing my age these days, and to be honest I am pretty comfortable about it - I am 30 after all so I had to grow up sometime!
Its great being social and I love having a good time, but to really get the best out of seeing places, I have to have a healthy balance of being social, and getting away from people too.
I was supposed to hire a bicycle yesterday, but didn't in the end as we had such a blast at the falls - so that is what I am doing today. Just going for a little wonder - I am having an anti-social day, I need some Sarah time.
Forever yours..Gypsy Regdelp xx
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Love you LOA time... 16th Nov till now!
Well I am writing from the a delightful little city called Luang Prabang in Laos. I left Huay Xai a few days ago with a mate I made on the Gibbon Exp by the name of David (South African) and arrived in Vientiane 5 days ago. After our gibbon exp we had a chilled couple of days just hanging out in Huay Xai - as the only flight leaving the city went on the 16th. All I did in Huay Xai was walk, drink fruit shakes, read and chill out! Its weird how you just meet people when you travel and because you are in the same boat you just kind of get along. It was nice to not have to spend my time alone because boredom would have definitely sky rocketed - Huay xai has like a population of about 100! On the 16th we made our way from Huay Xai Airport. It was an experience...where else do you wait for your flight alongside rogue chickens, sipping on a beer underneath the shelter of a tin shack! I was a little worried about the aeroplance but the flight was fine - just an hr, and Dave was hotfooting it onto another flight to Vietnam from there. I was scheduled to stay in Vientiane for 2 nights but left after the first, as I am a little sick of cities! I also landed up staying in a super dodgy hotel - you know its bad when you take your valuables into the shower with you..Just in case..
I wanted to be in the outdoors - swimming etc so thought I would just make my way further along to Vang Viene - a little city famed for its partying culture and also some pretty incredible sights. Its basically the party capital of Lao - and the major attraction is the "tubing". This involves taking an inner tube and floating down the river and stopping off at the several crazy bars they have dotted along the river. Its an absolute den of eniquity - hence why I thought I must visit :)
I arrived early eve and checked into a cool backpackers - its all open plan, tented and bamboo hut type dormitories.
Well I certainly did the tubing - which involved alot of drinking, but I also did just about every slide/jump/zipline etc along the way which was super fun. One of my favorites was one called the big blob - which is a huge inflated cushion in the water. You have to have 2 people to participate...so person 1 jumps off a pretty high ledge and starfishes onto the cushion (which is wet and slippery, and actually quite damn hard!). Person 1 then precariously balances on top of the cushion, whilst person 2 then jumps onto the cushion - its a massive catapult effect and person 1 gets flung (in not very lady like manner) metres high then into the water. It was hysterical, of course considering we were quite drunk by this stage - I must have just looked like such a twat jumping gingerly off in starfish position then bouncing straight off each time..I had about 3 FAILS before we got it right! Eventually we got it, and I flew through the air "gracefully" whilst everyone applauded...
Its all a bit crazy with all the slides and things, and there are actually quite a few fatalities every year - people just getting too drunk, having accidents and drowning. The flow of the river is quite fast too and I can imagine that people who arent strong swimmers can definitely get caught out. Anyway - as you bob down the river the various bars have people throwing ropes out to you to draw you in. It was a good laugh but to be honest I think the beautiful setting is kind of spoilt by very much "in your face" hedonism. Oh and the place is also riddled with drugs - you get offered a free joint when you buy a bucket - yes you buy BUCKETS of drinks at a time... The place is packed with mostly early twentiesh type folks who are just here purely to party. I spent 3 nights there - did the tubing once, and the other day I did a kayaking/caving trip. Saw some awesome caves and kayaked in some beautiful scenery. I had my fill of partying though and I was pretty much in bed every night before 1am! I have learnt since travelling that having too much of a hangover just kind of spoils the next day - so I didnt go completely nuts! My last night was probably the funnest - and just did a bit of a bar hop and landed up in a fun place dancing like a crazy person.. when I realised I was doing the "one eye closed" thing to focus on who I was speaking to, I decided to call it a night.. I had to be up pretty early this morning..5:40am to be exact! I did a fantastic thing - I got a hot air balloon and floated about the mountains watching the sunrise at 6am! What a sight - the mountains and scenery was just breathtaking... Now I can tick Hot Air Ballooning off my action/bucket list. The ride was about 45 mins and it was beautiful. I must have looked a state though, as I literally went in my pajama's.. I woke up late!
After finishing that I then had to get all my belongings together and get the bus ride from hell to the next city - where I am now - Luang Prabang. I wasnt feeling great - and we packed into a rickety mini van and set off - for the 6 hour journey through the mountains. A very very winding road which meanders through some pretty amazing scenery. Our driver was hell bent on scaring the shit out of all passengers and took every opportunity to swerve dangerously at potholes, overtake cars on blind rises and literally skid around every bend. There were skid sounds every time we did a bend. Not mild skids, loud gut wrenching ones, made more dramatic by the 200-300 metre sheer cliffs on the side of the road. Unfortunately I was unable to appreciate any of the scenery as I was going between praying for my life and focusing really hard (at times using breathing techniques)to will myself out of feeling like I was going to projectile vomit all over the drivers head. It was probably the worst car trip I have ever done. I was horribly ill and the bendy 6 hr road just made it about 300 times more agonising. I have however arrived safely - its a miracle - and am again staying at a rather cheery backpackers. Tomorrow I am hiring a bicycle and going to go for a ride into the rural areas, go see some waterfalls and have a nice swim! I met a lovely local chap and was invited to have some tea with him - Lao people seem so friendly. He gave me some pointers on where to go to get off the tourist beat, plus we also chatted about Lao Culture and religion. When you been in a place for a few days you get intrigued by things, and it was nice to have someone tell more about the place and also about buddhism practices which I am fascinated with.
I am here for 2 nights then I am taking a 2 day slow boat up the Mekong river to another village, where I will spend a night. A little worried about the accomodation there as I met a girl tonight who literally had been eating alive from bed bugs. GROSS. I then go further up river the following day where I will cross the border and come back into Thailand. I then head via flight down south to some beaches! Woohoo!
This is Gypsy Regdelp - signing out.
I wanted to be in the outdoors - swimming etc so thought I would just make my way further along to Vang Viene - a little city famed for its partying culture and also some pretty incredible sights. Its basically the party capital of Lao - and the major attraction is the "tubing". This involves taking an inner tube and floating down the river and stopping off at the several crazy bars they have dotted along the river. Its an absolute den of eniquity - hence why I thought I must visit :)
I arrived early eve and checked into a cool backpackers - its all open plan, tented and bamboo hut type dormitories.
Well I certainly did the tubing - which involved alot of drinking, but I also did just about every slide/jump/zipline etc along the way which was super fun. One of my favorites was one called the big blob - which is a huge inflated cushion in the water. You have to have 2 people to participate...so person 1 jumps off a pretty high ledge and starfishes onto the cushion (which is wet and slippery, and actually quite damn hard!). Person 1 then precariously balances on top of the cushion, whilst person 2 then jumps onto the cushion - its a massive catapult effect and person 1 gets flung (in not very lady like manner) metres high then into the water. It was hysterical, of course considering we were quite drunk by this stage - I must have just looked like such a twat jumping gingerly off in starfish position then bouncing straight off each time..I had about 3 FAILS before we got it right! Eventually we got it, and I flew through the air "gracefully" whilst everyone applauded...
Its all a bit crazy with all the slides and things, and there are actually quite a few fatalities every year - people just getting too drunk, having accidents and drowning. The flow of the river is quite fast too and I can imagine that people who arent strong swimmers can definitely get caught out. Anyway - as you bob down the river the various bars have people throwing ropes out to you to draw you in. It was a good laugh but to be honest I think the beautiful setting is kind of spoilt by very much "in your face" hedonism. Oh and the place is also riddled with drugs - you get offered a free joint when you buy a bucket - yes you buy BUCKETS of drinks at a time... The place is packed with mostly early twentiesh type folks who are just here purely to party. I spent 3 nights there - did the tubing once, and the other day I did a kayaking/caving trip. Saw some awesome caves and kayaked in some beautiful scenery. I had my fill of partying though and I was pretty much in bed every night before 1am! I have learnt since travelling that having too much of a hangover just kind of spoils the next day - so I didnt go completely nuts! My last night was probably the funnest - and just did a bit of a bar hop and landed up in a fun place dancing like a crazy person.. when I realised I was doing the "one eye closed" thing to focus on who I was speaking to, I decided to call it a night.. I had to be up pretty early this morning..5:40am to be exact! I did a fantastic thing - I got a hot air balloon and floated about the mountains watching the sunrise at 6am! What a sight - the mountains and scenery was just breathtaking... Now I can tick Hot Air Ballooning off my action/bucket list. The ride was about 45 mins and it was beautiful. I must have looked a state though, as I literally went in my pajama's.. I woke up late!
After finishing that I then had to get all my belongings together and get the bus ride from hell to the next city - where I am now - Luang Prabang. I wasnt feeling great - and we packed into a rickety mini van and set off - for the 6 hour journey through the mountains. A very very winding road which meanders through some pretty amazing scenery. Our driver was hell bent on scaring the shit out of all passengers and took every opportunity to swerve dangerously at potholes, overtake cars on blind rises and literally skid around every bend. There were skid sounds every time we did a bend. Not mild skids, loud gut wrenching ones, made more dramatic by the 200-300 metre sheer cliffs on the side of the road. Unfortunately I was unable to appreciate any of the scenery as I was going between praying for my life and focusing really hard (at times using breathing techniques)to will myself out of feeling like I was going to projectile vomit all over the drivers head. It was probably the worst car trip I have ever done. I was horribly ill and the bendy 6 hr road just made it about 300 times more agonising. I have however arrived safely - its a miracle - and am again staying at a rather cheery backpackers. Tomorrow I am hiring a bicycle and going to go for a ride into the rural areas, go see some waterfalls and have a nice swim! I met a lovely local chap and was invited to have some tea with him - Lao people seem so friendly. He gave me some pointers on where to go to get off the tourist beat, plus we also chatted about Lao Culture and religion. When you been in a place for a few days you get intrigued by things, and it was nice to have someone tell more about the place and also about buddhism practices which I am fascinated with.
I am here for 2 nights then I am taking a 2 day slow boat up the Mekong river to another village, where I will spend a night. A little worried about the accomodation there as I met a girl tonight who literally had been eating alive from bed bugs. GROSS. I then go further up river the following day where I will cross the border and come back into Thailand. I then head via flight down south to some beaches! Woohoo!
This is Gypsy Regdelp - signing out.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
The Gibbon experience & more of Lao
Well I have not yet mustered up the energy to update photos - maybe in the next day or two! I am writing from dusty Lao village Huay Xai on the Thai/Lao border. I had the most amazing time at the Gibbon experience - we hiked into the heart of the Bokeo National Park with 7 others and 2 guides. The scenery was amazing, and we eventually got to the super fun part - the ziplining. The whole experience is about using the ziplines to scoot around the jungle canopy - and a series of about 30-40 lines connects you to the next part of your trek. You go through the jungle hiking and ziplining until you get to your tree house - which are these fantastically built rustic homes - 150 metres off the ground in these massive jungle trees. The only way in and out of your home is by zipline cable. Some of the ziplines we went on are like 200m off the ground and you whizz past trees and its incredible! I took some videos which I cant wait to show everyone! Once you get to your houses which is usally late afternoon you get to just chill out and enjoy it all. We played cards, chatted, soaked up the most awesome views and where even given a bottle of wine to savor (granted it tasted like vinegar!). You can also go exploring ziplining on your own from the tree house and the guides basically leave you in the tree houses over night, and just bring food to you - so weird! Hot Food being delivered by these guys ziplining into your tree house. We stayed in 2 different tree houses and we were well looked after, very rustic basic accomodation of course - you are in the jungle after all! Everything is open as its so warm, and the "bathroom" which has a toilet and shower - probably is going to be up there with the best bathrooms I have had the pleasure of using in the world. Where else can you shower over looking miles and miles of tree top canopy/jungle & blue hazey mountains in the distance?! It was just fantastic and a once in a lifetime experience. Even better about the whole experience is that its based on the whole "eco-tourism" philosophy so the money is going to a really good cause - to help protect the jungle. We didnt see any gibbons but heard their amazing "singing" in the mornings.
After lots of chatting to my fellow travellers I also decided to completely change up my itinerary and stay a bit longer in Laos. I am now here until the 25th Nov - I am moving down to Vientiane, then Vang Vienne and then Luang Prabang. From there I get a slow boat back here and cross over the border again. Then I head down to enjoy some beach!
I have no accomodation booked, no bus tickets, no boat tickets - just winging it from here! It seems the best way to go...
So this is Gypsy Regdelp - signing out from Lao
:) x
After lots of chatting to my fellow travellers I also decided to completely change up my itinerary and stay a bit longer in Laos. I am now here until the 25th Nov - I am moving down to Vientiane, then Vang Vienne and then Luang Prabang. From there I get a slow boat back here and cross over the border again. Then I head down to enjoy some beach!
I have no accomodation booked, no bus tickets, no boat tickets - just winging it from here! It seems the best way to go...
So this is Gypsy Regdelp - signing out from Lao
:) x
Friday, 11 November 2011
Chiang Mai 5th - 11th Nov
Well writing from Lao, neighbouring country to Thailand. Just got here today - got a bus and then a boat to cross the river. Staying in some dusty little town and tomorrow I go on my trek and ziplining thing for 3 days.
I had a great time in Chiang Mai. Its been a festival called Loy Krathong which is all about making offerings to the river, in the way of little floating bunches of flowers, candles, and incence. The idea is that you are supposed to say thank you to the river for all it provides and then also apologize for all your wrong doings?! Confusing. Also the second part to the festival is about lighting these lanterns and letting them float off into the sky. You make wishes about love and happiness with your lanterns and set them free into the night sky!(I asked if it was bad luck to have more than one lantern...) Its also customary to set firecrackers off - kind of like Guy Fawkes - I think thats just thrown in to entertain the kids. So there is a load of things to see!The festival also involves parades over the course of the week and can be likened to a Thai version of Mardi Gras I suppose! Its very spiritual too, and there are literally candles on all the houses and decorations of flowers everywhere. Too beautiful, the atmosphere is amazing. The first couple of days I was there I just walked a shit load to familiarize myself. Went to some amazing night markets and saw some lovely and very sad things! Unfortunately when you are in areas where there are tourists and poor people, you get begging.I can brush beggars off - but when someone with no eyes/arms/legs etc in a dirt poor country begs - it does break your heart. I saw lots of amazing temples - Chiang Mai is known for them and there is a sense of peace when you spend some time in these beautiful places. Went to a couple of bars in the evening and met some fun people. Booked myself on a hiking and biking day trip in the mountains - I was worried when I heard the other 3 people on the trip talking about the training they were doing for their next "marathon". 26km later - very red in the face, sweating like a pig and with a seriously sore butt,I can honestly say it was probably the best day I have had in 6 months. We walked through some amazing scenery and didnt come across anyone else until the very end of the day. After having spent the time in cities for the last 10 days it was just lovely to get out into the greenery to clear my head. I saw my first rice paddy!! Totally worth it and I realised I have a lot more will power than I thought I did. On another day I went on a trip to an elephant sanctuary - another heart breaking yet also heart warming tale. Back in the day when logging was still being done, the elephants were used to work. A act in itself which I think is awful! Anyway - logging is now illegal, which left quite a few thousand elephants out of work. With the flourishing tourism in thailand this now led them into other ways of exploiting these amazing animals. The park we went to is run by a woman who actually buys the abused elephants from the owners - and lets them live a happy old life on the huge land she has. She also does several other things involving educating people about how to treat them, and getting new laws drawn up to protect them. She gets elephants from people who either were using them to beg in the streets or abusing them in general etc. The day is spent feeding them, having swims in the river with them and having a delicious lunch at the place. A really nice day - however I did feel it was a bit busy with tourists for my liking! But its money that goes to a good cause and all the ellies there seem happy as can be!
In the evenings I went out to some of the social hotspots, and had a blast on the one evening that left me seriously hungover. I met up with different people, and bar hopped to some pretty cool places! Totally random little bars on street corners and of course loads of travellers in them.
I met up with a dude who invited me to go on a bike trip with him out of the city - so the following day we hired a motorbike and headed out. Now I know you might say: A bike trip with a complete stranger - into the mountains.. is this completely safe? Well he seemed nice enough so I thought what the heck!
We left the following day at about 2pm.. what we were aiming to do was just go for a ride for a couple of hours into prettier scenery in the surrounding countryside. We had to be back for the festivities in the evening...WELL. NICE PLAN.
First of all we got caught in a serious thunder storm - were only wearing t-shirts and shorts and riding through the mountains the temp got progressively cooler. We were freezing to death. Fortunately I had a beach towel in my bag, which I wrapped around me! We then got completely lost and were riding on like dirt roads with serious erosion craters in... A tell tale sign that we were heading in the wrong direction might have been that the only person we saw for about 2 hrs was a lonesome tribal looking dude with a hunting rifle. I did have a moment of panic and had visions of hanging above a cauldron with the local villagers rubbing their hands in delight whilst looking at my juicy loins. Luckily he wasnt a cannibal and gave us some directions. It was getting dark by now - oh and the bike was also without a fuel gage - so we had NO idea how much more petrol we had! Worst case scenario we knew it was only about 60kms back, only issue was this is 60km through the mountains on a rickety old bike with basically NO lights. When I say it was pitch dark, I mean PITCH dark.... we had to go about 20kms an hour. I of course had gone past the stage of being worried and just found everything absolutely hysterical. It was such a series of things going bad that it was funny. At one stage I actually had the giggles so bad I almost wet myself. The guy - Dan is British, and has that amazingly super sarcastic sense of humour. He kept a running commentary the whole way home which had me in stitches. Oh and there was one point where I thought I had dropped my camera and in reflex I prodded him in the ribs on a hair pin bend. He skidded to a halt and turned around and looked at me - and was like "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" my response was: "WHERE IS MY CAMERA?!!"... Taking into consideration we hadnt stopped yet, I dont know how in he was supposed to know but it was just a reflex reaction to my panic!! Of course this would be the SECOND camera I would have lost. His response was something along the lines of "WELL, CONSIDERING I HAVE BEEN CONCENTRATING ON NOT KILLING US ON THIS BIKE, I WOULD SAY HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?! I suppose at times I can be a little bossy - hahaha. Luckily my camera was safely in my bag as it turns out. We eventually got home about 4 hours later than planned and all is well. A funny experience/adventure.
My last day and night in Chiang mai was pretty cool - went another bike trip to a lake and just chilled for a few hours, had some time in the sun and ate some yummy food. The evening was going absolutely mental with activity and it was the official night to start off the festival celebrations. All over the city and along the river thousands of people letting off crackers, there lanterns and then the little floats for the rivers. There were bands playing everywhere - pop up food stalls and just a really buzzy atmosphere. I bought a special little float/krathong and lit it and made my offering. I then headed to a temple and watched in delight as loads of monks were letting off their lanterns. Such a spiritual sight! I got my little lantern and had a thai lady help me light it - I said my wishes and let it off into the sky. The festival is held in conjunction with the full moon - so you can only imagine the sight of seeing literally THOUSANDS of these lanterns light up the sky. It was sublime. I felt quite emotional about it all and headed off to a local bar to get a drink. Went to this delightful place and had a few beers and something to eat whilst chatting to some fellow travellers.
We then went back down to the river and saw some amazing fire works.
It was lovely, but part of being on your own when you travel means at times like these - which are truly romantic in every sense, you do get a little envious of all the couples enjoying their moments. I was totally drunk by this stage and was just staggering around miserably swearing at anyone looking remotely caught up in the moment - "IT WILL NEVER FUCKING LAST", "YOUR LOVE LANTERNS SUCK", "YOUR MAKING ME WANT TO VOMIT ON MYSELF" and a range of genuine heart felt sentiments. I did also point out to a few people that whilst the lanterns looked glorious and lovely now flying up in the sky all together feeling all smug and pretty, eventually they would run out of steam, float back down to earth and then be left in some remote place. Alone. and used. and dirty. HA HA - look who is laughing now you stupid smug little bastard love lanterns, LOOK WHO IS LAUGHING NOW!
But not that I am bitter or anything. Totally fine.
I think in hindsight I should have stayed at the lantern release area with the monks. The celibate monks made me happy. Hindsight... Hahaha - okay honestly - it was still amazing :)
ANYHOO! I am now getting ready to go into the Lao jungle - wish me luck!
Should touch bases in a few days.
Gypsy Regdelp signing out.
Ps. I will post photos when I can be bothered to download them..arrggh.
xoxoxoxo
I had a great time in Chiang Mai. Its been a festival called Loy Krathong which is all about making offerings to the river, in the way of little floating bunches of flowers, candles, and incence. The idea is that you are supposed to say thank you to the river for all it provides and then also apologize for all your wrong doings?! Confusing. Also the second part to the festival is about lighting these lanterns and letting them float off into the sky. You make wishes about love and happiness with your lanterns and set them free into the night sky!(I asked if it was bad luck to have more than one lantern...) Its also customary to set firecrackers off - kind of like Guy Fawkes - I think thats just thrown in to entertain the kids. So there is a load of things to see!The festival also involves parades over the course of the week and can be likened to a Thai version of Mardi Gras I suppose! Its very spiritual too, and there are literally candles on all the houses and decorations of flowers everywhere. Too beautiful, the atmosphere is amazing. The first couple of days I was there I just walked a shit load to familiarize myself. Went to some amazing night markets and saw some lovely and very sad things! Unfortunately when you are in areas where there are tourists and poor people, you get begging.I can brush beggars off - but when someone with no eyes/arms/legs etc in a dirt poor country begs - it does break your heart. I saw lots of amazing temples - Chiang Mai is known for them and there is a sense of peace when you spend some time in these beautiful places. Went to a couple of bars in the evening and met some fun people. Booked myself on a hiking and biking day trip in the mountains - I was worried when I heard the other 3 people on the trip talking about the training they were doing for their next "marathon". 26km later - very red in the face, sweating like a pig and with a seriously sore butt,I can honestly say it was probably the best day I have had in 6 months. We walked through some amazing scenery and didnt come across anyone else until the very end of the day. After having spent the time in cities for the last 10 days it was just lovely to get out into the greenery to clear my head. I saw my first rice paddy!! Totally worth it and I realised I have a lot more will power than I thought I did. On another day I went on a trip to an elephant sanctuary - another heart breaking yet also heart warming tale. Back in the day when logging was still being done, the elephants were used to work. A act in itself which I think is awful! Anyway - logging is now illegal, which left quite a few thousand elephants out of work. With the flourishing tourism in thailand this now led them into other ways of exploiting these amazing animals. The park we went to is run by a woman who actually buys the abused elephants from the owners - and lets them live a happy old life on the huge land she has. She also does several other things involving educating people about how to treat them, and getting new laws drawn up to protect them. She gets elephants from people who either were using them to beg in the streets or abusing them in general etc. The day is spent feeding them, having swims in the river with them and having a delicious lunch at the place. A really nice day - however I did feel it was a bit busy with tourists for my liking! But its money that goes to a good cause and all the ellies there seem happy as can be!
In the evenings I went out to some of the social hotspots, and had a blast on the one evening that left me seriously hungover. I met up with different people, and bar hopped to some pretty cool places! Totally random little bars on street corners and of course loads of travellers in them.
I met up with a dude who invited me to go on a bike trip with him out of the city - so the following day we hired a motorbike and headed out. Now I know you might say: A bike trip with a complete stranger - into the mountains.. is this completely safe? Well he seemed nice enough so I thought what the heck!
We left the following day at about 2pm.. what we were aiming to do was just go for a ride for a couple of hours into prettier scenery in the surrounding countryside. We had to be back for the festivities in the evening...WELL. NICE PLAN.
First of all we got caught in a serious thunder storm - were only wearing t-shirts and shorts and riding through the mountains the temp got progressively cooler. We were freezing to death. Fortunately I had a beach towel in my bag, which I wrapped around me! We then got completely lost and were riding on like dirt roads with serious erosion craters in... A tell tale sign that we were heading in the wrong direction might have been that the only person we saw for about 2 hrs was a lonesome tribal looking dude with a hunting rifle. I did have a moment of panic and had visions of hanging above a cauldron with the local villagers rubbing their hands in delight whilst looking at my juicy loins. Luckily he wasnt a cannibal and gave us some directions. It was getting dark by now - oh and the bike was also without a fuel gage - so we had NO idea how much more petrol we had! Worst case scenario we knew it was only about 60kms back, only issue was this is 60km through the mountains on a rickety old bike with basically NO lights. When I say it was pitch dark, I mean PITCH dark.... we had to go about 20kms an hour. I of course had gone past the stage of being worried and just found everything absolutely hysterical. It was such a series of things going bad that it was funny. At one stage I actually had the giggles so bad I almost wet myself. The guy - Dan is British, and has that amazingly super sarcastic sense of humour. He kept a running commentary the whole way home which had me in stitches. Oh and there was one point where I thought I had dropped my camera and in reflex I prodded him in the ribs on a hair pin bend. He skidded to a halt and turned around and looked at me - and was like "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" my response was: "WHERE IS MY CAMERA?!!"... Taking into consideration we hadnt stopped yet, I dont know how in he was supposed to know but it was just a reflex reaction to my panic!! Of course this would be the SECOND camera I would have lost. His response was something along the lines of "WELL, CONSIDERING I HAVE BEEN CONCENTRATING ON NOT KILLING US ON THIS BIKE, I WOULD SAY HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?! I suppose at times I can be a little bossy - hahaha. Luckily my camera was safely in my bag as it turns out. We eventually got home about 4 hours later than planned and all is well. A funny experience/adventure.
My last day and night in Chiang mai was pretty cool - went another bike trip to a lake and just chilled for a few hours, had some time in the sun and ate some yummy food. The evening was going absolutely mental with activity and it was the official night to start off the festival celebrations. All over the city and along the river thousands of people letting off crackers, there lanterns and then the little floats for the rivers. There were bands playing everywhere - pop up food stalls and just a really buzzy atmosphere. I bought a special little float/krathong and lit it and made my offering. I then headed to a temple and watched in delight as loads of monks were letting off their lanterns. Such a spiritual sight! I got my little lantern and had a thai lady help me light it - I said my wishes and let it off into the sky. The festival is held in conjunction with the full moon - so you can only imagine the sight of seeing literally THOUSANDS of these lanterns light up the sky. It was sublime. I felt quite emotional about it all and headed off to a local bar to get a drink. Went to this delightful place and had a few beers and something to eat whilst chatting to some fellow travellers.
We then went back down to the river and saw some amazing fire works.
It was lovely, but part of being on your own when you travel means at times like these - which are truly romantic in every sense, you do get a little envious of all the couples enjoying their moments. I was totally drunk by this stage and was just staggering around miserably swearing at anyone looking remotely caught up in the moment - "IT WILL NEVER FUCKING LAST", "YOUR LOVE LANTERNS SUCK", "YOUR MAKING ME WANT TO VOMIT ON MYSELF" and a range of genuine heart felt sentiments. I did also point out to a few people that whilst the lanterns looked glorious and lovely now flying up in the sky all together feeling all smug and pretty, eventually they would run out of steam, float back down to earth and then be left in some remote place. Alone. and used. and dirty. HA HA - look who is laughing now you stupid smug little bastard love lanterns, LOOK WHO IS LAUGHING NOW!
But not that I am bitter or anything. Totally fine.
I think in hindsight I should have stayed at the lantern release area with the monks. The celibate monks made me happy. Hindsight... Hahaha - okay honestly - it was still amazing :)
ANYHOO! I am now getting ready to go into the Lao jungle - wish me luck!
Should touch bases in a few days.
Gypsy Regdelp signing out.
Ps. I will post photos when I can be bothered to download them..arrggh.
xoxoxoxo
Monday, 7 November 2011
Singapore & Bangkok 2-5th Nov
Singapore - what a clean and well run place! Sky scrapers and older parts - checked into my second backpackers, which was crammed with people from all walks of life! Old and young.I thoroughly enjoy staying with other people and it really is nice when you are travelling on your own - so easy to meet people.
Mostly walked singapore - did the botanical gardens, in particular the orchid garden. Some of the flowers were breathtaking, and the whole garden itself was a pleasure to walk around in. I did some serious street market exploring and ate some very interesting things.... 1 of which almost made me instantly vomit, the yellow substance floating in the soup was actually a raw egg yolk. It was hideous. In the evenings went to some cool bars - one of which was 75 floors up, and just enjoyed a few quiet beers whilst doing some people watching. One of the highlights of the time in Singapore was going out with my fellow travelers only to discover that the beers where we went were $20 EACH, so we went to the local bottle store, each got a few drinks of our choice and then went and sat in a very lively area on the banks of the river and chatted the night away. We stayed out there till 4am in the morning, having a great laugh and swapping stories etc. We were all hungry so we decided to go and eat some local fare at a 24 hour street side dodgy looking food place. Our whole night out cost us each about $30 and we had a fabulous time! Just goes to show - you dont need to break the bank to have fun!
I bought a great piece of jewellery in Singapore, and walked the markets flat. I can see why the place is a shoppers paradise!
All in all - enjoyed the 2 nights there, and can now tick that off my list!
Bangkok... well quite a contrast from Singapore. I arrived and got some help from a rather gorgeous looking Spanish man, at one stage I was tempted to just follow him home like a stalker... But decided against it in the end. I only arrived at 7pm so got to my hotel via the local train at about 9pm. Having spent time in London, I find train stations pretty unintimidating, and even though I had to change trains a few times I managed to find my way pretty easily. I checked into a good hotel and was luckily for some reason upgraded to a superior room. After having spent my last 5 days in shared accommodation, I was pretty tempted to just lie on my huge bed and watch telly! But I mustered up my adventurous strength and hit the streets of Bangkok. I walked down a well known bustling street which was also a night market, and just soaked up the atmosphere! It was very busy, and I saw some pretty weird looking people. Again I found myself at bar... a street bar which was perfect position for people watching. I had a few drinks and was fascinated with the going on's in the street. I saw so many western men with Thai women on their arms, I reckon there are definitely a bucket load of dirty old men that just come to Bangkok and hire a hooker for the time here... It was weird. I also saw a lot of lady boys, some of which were stunning actually and it was all just super entertaining to watch!!
I headed back to the hotel and got a relatively early night in preparation for my earliesh flight to Chiang Mai. I slept like a baby, had a buffet type breakfast then hit the trains to get to the airport. Despite all the news - I didn't see any of the flooded parts, but obviously this is the controversy. Central Bangkok is being saved at the expense of the outskirts!
In Chiang Mai at the moment, lots to report - had the most AMAZING day today. Despite a couple of low moments due to some quarrels over my trip to Brazil, am really really enjoying it here! Its hard not to be happy - so much to do and see, and I have met some nice people so more news to follow!
Mostly walked singapore - did the botanical gardens, in particular the orchid garden. Some of the flowers were breathtaking, and the whole garden itself was a pleasure to walk around in. I did some serious street market exploring and ate some very interesting things.... 1 of which almost made me instantly vomit, the yellow substance floating in the soup was actually a raw egg yolk. It was hideous. In the evenings went to some cool bars - one of which was 75 floors up, and just enjoyed a few quiet beers whilst doing some people watching. One of the highlights of the time in Singapore was going out with my fellow travelers only to discover that the beers where we went were $20 EACH, so we went to the local bottle store, each got a few drinks of our choice and then went and sat in a very lively area on the banks of the river and chatted the night away. We stayed out there till 4am in the morning, having a great laugh and swapping stories etc. We were all hungry so we decided to go and eat some local fare at a 24 hour street side dodgy looking food place. Our whole night out cost us each about $30 and we had a fabulous time! Just goes to show - you dont need to break the bank to have fun!
I bought a great piece of jewellery in Singapore, and walked the markets flat. I can see why the place is a shoppers paradise!
All in all - enjoyed the 2 nights there, and can now tick that off my list!
Bangkok... well quite a contrast from Singapore. I arrived and got some help from a rather gorgeous looking Spanish man, at one stage I was tempted to just follow him home like a stalker... But decided against it in the end. I only arrived at 7pm so got to my hotel via the local train at about 9pm. Having spent time in London, I find train stations pretty unintimidating, and even though I had to change trains a few times I managed to find my way pretty easily. I checked into a good hotel and was luckily for some reason upgraded to a superior room. After having spent my last 5 days in shared accommodation, I was pretty tempted to just lie on my huge bed and watch telly! But I mustered up my adventurous strength and hit the streets of Bangkok. I walked down a well known bustling street which was also a night market, and just soaked up the atmosphere! It was very busy, and I saw some pretty weird looking people. Again I found myself at bar... a street bar which was perfect position for people watching. I had a few drinks and was fascinated with the going on's in the street. I saw so many western men with Thai women on their arms, I reckon there are definitely a bucket load of dirty old men that just come to Bangkok and hire a hooker for the time here... It was weird. I also saw a lot of lady boys, some of which were stunning actually and it was all just super entertaining to watch!!
I headed back to the hotel and got a relatively early night in preparation for my earliesh flight to Chiang Mai. I slept like a baby, had a buffet type breakfast then hit the trains to get to the airport. Despite all the news - I didn't see any of the flooded parts, but obviously this is the controversy. Central Bangkok is being saved at the expense of the outskirts!
In Chiang Mai at the moment, lots to report - had the most AMAZING day today. Despite a couple of low moments due to some quarrels over my trip to Brazil, am really really enjoying it here! Its hard not to be happy - so much to do and see, and I have met some nice people so more news to follow!
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Kuala Lumpur
So I arrived here late Sunday eve - jumped in a cab and headed for my luxury accomodation... the best BACKPACKERS in town, yes - thats right back to hostel type accomodation, which actually doesnt bother me too much it turns out!? I had to walk the last km or so to the hostel and I was a little worried as I had to navigate my way down some rather shady looking streets and through a Market.... I was like the wide-eyed, fresh-off-the boat tourist, and I am sure there where chuckles as I scampered down the street - looking around me at all times, and holding my possessions so tightly, my knuckles must have been white. What seemed to be a dodgy area at first by night, is actually not too bad at all. Its funny how you get used to something and its not so scary anymore? There are loads of markets - I am staying very close to China Towm, and its a very contrasting city - with huge modern sky scrapers and then run down parts too.
I slept okay my first and second night - staying in a very nice hostel its very clean and has nice comfy BUNK beds.. I am on the top bunk, and its a room with 6 girls in total. Nice because they are all travellers too, and have chatted to a few of them about places to visit etc. Its just like being back at boarding school actually, and as long as its clean - I am completely comfortable. Only annoying thing, is as usual I am one of the last to go to bed - so I have to scuffle around in the dark occasionally. Its also annoying when people wake up at the crack of dawn - I suspect some of them are purposefully trying to get me back for some of my late night scuffling.
I also dropped my mobile phone onto the head of my last bunk mate whilst clambering up the ladder - she was sleeping and so that didnt win me any favours.
My first day here was a little traumatic - it took me approx 4hrs to lose my first valuable item - 1 x very nice camera LOST.. My own fault I left it somewhere in the HUGE botanical gardens. I was walking around and at one point I was feeling so dizzy from the heat and humidity I thought I was going to faint. So in between me feeling dizzy and buying an ice cream - the little slippery thing escaped my clutches. Anyway I had a break down, lay on the floor and thumped the ground with my fists whilst shouting "WHY, WHY, WHYYYYYY" for a few moments... People stopped and stared and I started to feel awkward. So I picked myself up, wiped my mascara streaks from my face and took a deep breath. Okay so I didnt actually lie on the ground, but in my head...it was all VERY dramatic. I had some recent photos which I hadnt yet backed up. I moped around the botanical gardens for a few hours, in the hope that some miracle might re-unite me with my camera but it was not SO. I then moved on, and did some sight seeing, Petronas towers Blah blah blah - jumped on one of those sight seeing buses which conveniently takes you too everything and does a loop of the city. I then hit the shops and in the eve I walked the Chinese markets. This place is a bargainers DREAM and procured a couple of cheap nice things, jewellery mostly! I then decided to try some interesting looking BBQ skewers for dinner- I could have been eating donkey for all I know - but it was a very tasty something! I am now paying the price for my adventurous eating, I have had the runs all day... GREAT. So apparently I dont have a cast iron stomach after all - but I WILL GET BACK ON THAT PONY (or donkey), I think I just need to harden my immune system. I mean surely all these malay people dont get sick right?!
Spent the day bargain hunting for a camera - got a nice canon with 2 memory cards and a case for $150 - not bad! Its not as nice as my old one, but to be honest I think my last one had too many features for what I needed. Chatting to people KL is cheaper than Singapore and I dont have time to shop in Bangkok.
Anyway - I leave for Singapore tomorrow - going out tonight to hit some food markets - wish me luck!
I slept okay my first and second night - staying in a very nice hostel its very clean and has nice comfy BUNK beds.. I am on the top bunk, and its a room with 6 girls in total. Nice because they are all travellers too, and have chatted to a few of them about places to visit etc. Its just like being back at boarding school actually, and as long as its clean - I am completely comfortable. Only annoying thing, is as usual I am one of the last to go to bed - so I have to scuffle around in the dark occasionally. Its also annoying when people wake up at the crack of dawn - I suspect some of them are purposefully trying to get me back for some of my late night scuffling.
I also dropped my mobile phone onto the head of my last bunk mate whilst clambering up the ladder - she was sleeping and so that didnt win me any favours.
My first day here was a little traumatic - it took me approx 4hrs to lose my first valuable item - 1 x very nice camera LOST.. My own fault I left it somewhere in the HUGE botanical gardens. I was walking around and at one point I was feeling so dizzy from the heat and humidity I thought I was going to faint. So in between me feeling dizzy and buying an ice cream - the little slippery thing escaped my clutches. Anyway I had a break down, lay on the floor and thumped the ground with my fists whilst shouting "WHY, WHY, WHYYYYYY" for a few moments... People stopped and stared and I started to feel awkward. So I picked myself up, wiped my mascara streaks from my face and took a deep breath. Okay so I didnt actually lie on the ground, but in my head...it was all VERY dramatic. I had some recent photos which I hadnt yet backed up. I moped around the botanical gardens for a few hours, in the hope that some miracle might re-unite me with my camera but it was not SO. I then moved on, and did some sight seeing, Petronas towers Blah blah blah - jumped on one of those sight seeing buses which conveniently takes you too everything and does a loop of the city. I then hit the shops and in the eve I walked the Chinese markets. This place is a bargainers DREAM and procured a couple of cheap nice things, jewellery mostly! I then decided to try some interesting looking BBQ skewers for dinner- I could have been eating donkey for all I know - but it was a very tasty something! I am now paying the price for my adventurous eating, I have had the runs all day... GREAT. So apparently I dont have a cast iron stomach after all - but I WILL GET BACK ON THAT PONY (or donkey), I think I just need to harden my immune system. I mean surely all these malay people dont get sick right?!
Spent the day bargain hunting for a camera - got a nice canon with 2 memory cards and a case for $150 - not bad! Its not as nice as my old one, but to be honest I think my last one had too many features for what I needed. Chatting to people KL is cheaper than Singapore and I dont have time to shop in Bangkok.
Anyway - I leave for Singapore tomorrow - going out tonight to hit some food markets - wish me luck!
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