Where Am I Now ?

Current Location: Beijing, China
Telephone: +86 1355 2722 012

Backlog of Updates from Asia

During the last couple of months in Asia, I lost some of the enthusiasm of updating this blog regularly, "writer's block" a writer would call it, I call it "laziness". Anyway, thanks to the encouragement from all those who complained, I have been catching up with my diary notes and will add links to any newly published, old updates, in this section. Just click on the links to read.

At the same time I am adding some bits from the last few weeks in Southern Europe, just look below this update for more..

Added 11/11/07
Wheeling In Ninh Binh (July 2007)
Historic HoiAn to Hectic Hanoi (July 2007)

Added 05/11/07
Wat? No Angkor? (July 2007)
Night(mare) bus to Vietnam (July 2007)
Mekong boat to Charming Champasak. (July 2007)

Added 04/11/07
Savannakhet, Pakse & Bolivean Plateau. (June 2007)
Khon Kaen & into the Land of Elephants. (June 2007)
Beautiful Buddha & Ancient Sukothai (June 2007)
Penang, Bangkok and Ancient Ayuthaya. (June 2007)

Added 30/10/07
Tea in the Cameron Highlands. (June 07)

Latest updates added at the top. For recent updates, scroll down

Drinking coffee with the Albanians

In Albania, many people asked my why I chose to go there, simple, I hadn't been there before!

After a cold overnight ferry journey from Bari, on a ferry with no more than about twenty people I arrived early morning in Durres, a port in Albania. First observation of Albanian life is that it seemed no one had a job and everyone sat around drinking coffee all day. There were lots and lots of cafes and all had plenty of customers inside and out on the pavements, all drinking coffee. So first thing I did was join in. Durres is nothing to write home errr, a blog entry about, other than it's fine, friendly and the people helpful. The seafront is a bit of a mess and does nothing to encourage people to the sea view tourist restaurants and hotels that have and still are being constructed there. The remains of an amphitheatre are ok, the old Byzantine city walls are worth a quick glance and there are plenty of places to drink coffee and eat doner, souvlaki, hotdogs or hamburgers . Worth mentioning is the amazing guesthouse, Tuschenis, which I, after roaming lost, was guided to by a friendly old lady. The house used to be home to the embassies of Italy and Austria and pictures of famous people, museum like furniture and mementos from around the world made it an interesting place to stay, and the lovely owners Josef and Alma were kind and helpful and made a decent Albanian breakfast.


After some hard work finding the right place to pick up a mini-bus, (every destination has its own bus stop in Durres) I took a trip to Kruje, perched on the hillside with castle, museums, old bazaar and good views. It was a decent day out. The kind and friendly Albanian hospitality shone through when trying to find a connecting mini-bus at the junction of Fushe-Kruje, I was guided to the right bus by a friendly lady who insisted I took the best seat left as she crammed herself onto the edge of another and then paid for my trip as we alighted! There was no arguing, she just would not let me pay. I lunched in a hillside cafe, surrounded by begging cats, dying to taste my yogurt and spaghetti napoli. Back in Durres, I found a bar showing Champions League football and had a fine doner kebap complete with fries inside, something I haven't had since Central Asia, yummy..

During my first few days here, I became aware of two more things about Albania. Firstly, they get regular power cuts, apparently controlled and with the intention of saving power, by switching off for around three hours a day, randomly, at any time, sometimes more than once a day. The result is a peaceful walk along a street can turn into a bit of an ear bending experience when all the businesses' generators kick in. Secondly, it's very useful to learn the words for yes and no (I learnt too late), because head movements are confusing and do not indicate what you think they do. From Durres, I went to the capital, Tirane.....

When in Rome...

Do as the Romans do, so I did, I ate pasta, pizza and queued for hours at the Vatican City.

Before I got there though, there I was in Rimini, friends heading back to wherever, but I hadn't booked a flight. Mmmm, I've never been to Rome I thought to myself, and it's just a few hours down the railtrack, people always rave about it, so off I went to the station and bought a train ticket to Rome. Unfortunately, the train was late arriving and I missed a connection in Ancona, I had maybe a minute to catch it, but the train left, not from a normal platform but from platform 2 North or something silly like that, Platfrom 2 was easy to find but 2 north was not an extension of 2, like they have in Netherlands, a 2A, 2B type setup. 2 north was hidden round the corner, by the time I found it, the train had gone, I wasn't the only one. So I wasted 3 hours wandering around Ancona and caught the next one arriving too late in the day to do anything worthwhile.

So, early start next morning and along with Steve who I met in the hostel, went off to see the Pope, arriving at the Vatican City around 9am, there was a bit of a cue to say the least, it ran along about 150m of a wall, round the corner for another 50m at least. What I didn't notice until the Monday was at the top of the queue, it went around the corner again for another 100m and then another 50m round another corner, ridiculous, and it wasn't even opening until 10am. In longest queue terms, second only to that at Fratton Park for FA Cup semi final tickets, Portsmouth v Liverpool in 1992. Well, it was too much so took a look at St Peter's square and the basilica. Then onto the Colleseum, queues here not so bad, just 30 minutes or so and we were in. From some angles, it's great, from others not so, I still think it looks better from outside rather than in, that's just my opinion.

After that, I kind of followed a tourist map to pick out a few sites, but in the end realised that in Rome you can just walk anywhere and you'll see something of interest. It is a pretty remarkable place, churches, museums, ancient roman ruins, fountains, sculptures, grand architecture, the city is full of it, I think it would take quite some time to get to know Rome.

On the Saturday, I had a good night out in Rome, watching South Africa win the World Cup final with some English people ;) and some USers , who needed some help with the rules, but I think they enjoyed it. Met a few people and just explored some of Rome's nightlife, that's what the Romans do!

Sunday the Vatican City was closed! I can't believe that really, if someone is given a country to themselves, then the least he should do is keep the bloody borders open seven days a week, especially where there is clearly an excessive demand to visit. Mondays it's only open a half day too, so I went along early again, was there before 9, doors opened at 10, I was in by around 11. Well, it's full of impressive paintings, sculptures and of course wall and ceiling murals, I don't have to explain to anyone what it's like, I think everyone knows the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's work etc. Glad I have been there and seen it, I won't go again though as there's just far too many groups and people there. Be warned!

Streaker in "Serene" San Marino

Arriving in Rimini from Ancona, we met up with a load of other Welsh fans in a designated bar, typically some British/Irish bar as was the case here. Sad, I don't like it, but at least I could find the people I wanted to see and then decide what to do. Found Rich and Em from Brussels again along with others from the boat and had an evening of interesting and educated debate over a few beers!

Next day, thanks to Dymock's Tours a bus was arranged to San Marino, the world's oldest constitutional republic apparently, which sits atop a mountain. We passed through the municipality of Serravalle, where the match was to be held in the evening and into San Marino the eponymous capital of "The Most Serene Republic of San Marino" by early afternoon.

Wandering around the centre of the city, contained within historic walls and defended by three towers, seems a bit of a maze at first, winding cobbled streets lead off in random direction but seemingly all meet up eventually and it's so small you can't get lost. Most of the businesses are restuarants, or souvenier shops, strangely selling, an array of dangerouns weapons, such as crossbows, samurai swords, machine guns and daggers, very bizarre. Really glad to bump into Mike Ings, his Kazakh wife and meet new son Daniel.

So, the game; first half Wales were ok, not great, but good enough to take a 2-0 lead against a poor San Marino, even Carl Robinson looked to have time on the ball in this game and played a dominant role in midfield! (cue comments from Phil). Second half we were shite, the most excitement was from a streaker, idiot, but provided some entertainment. The bus back was full of heated arguments about the match, players, the manager, the result, I was just relieved we had won the game, it doesn't happen often these days.

Athens' Acrapolis

Flew from Cyprus to Athens, stayed there just one evening, but was just enough time to get to see the Acropolis, which was a must do as I'd never been to Athens before. So on arrival, straight to hotel, dump bags and walk to the centre. On the way I saw a number of Lua Lua football shirts, the ex-Pompey star is now a hit in Athens where he plays for Olympiakos and still wears the number 32 he wore at Fratton Park. His popularity was clear by the fact his shirt was hung in front of the globally popular shirts of stars like Ronaldhino, Rooney, Ronaldo and Kaka.

The Acropolis was littered with heavy scaffolding on most sides, which thoroughly spoils the view, the crane sat alongside also didn't help. Good to see one of the most famous worldwide sites but pretty disappointing in its current state. On the way back we stopped for some traditional Greek food and were annoyed by one of those accordion players trying to entertain everyone. I really fancied following him after, wait until he was having his dinner some place, then stand by his table singing Welsh football songs and ask for money, see what he would do! Athens isn't that nice really, bit gritty and dusty, just a standard city in the main, except for the historical sites of course.

Next morning off to the bus station and caught a bus to Patras, crossed the Corinth canal, though I didn't see it, I was snoozing I think, and to the port for our boat from Patras to Ancona.


A twenty hour journey, there were twelve Welsh fans making this journey as a way of getting from Cyprus to San Marino for Wednesday's match. Perry kept us all guessing in the journey with his trivia quizzes and we played some poker with peanuts from the bar. Peanuts are better than chips as they don't get cold during the game, so you can still eat them after! Grabbed a couple of hours sleep on a couple of chairs, but was woken early when the cafe bar opened again and another day began. I went out on deck to get some fresh air and to wake up and caught a beautiful sunrise, the sky a multitude of rich colours made it worthwhile getting up so early for once. A few hours later an we arrived in Ancona, Italy.

Woeful Wales whacked in Cyprus

No sign of a job offer, so I decided last minute to join up with some friends to watch Wales play Cyprus in Nicosia. Flew to Larnaca and stayed a few nights. Got straight into the local ways by getting a souvlaki at a nice cafe and went in search of the local social scene. Strangely the bars were all staffed by Eastern Europeans or ex-USSRers, the first I went to had two Ukranian girls working, the next, two Moldovans, the next Romanians, the last one Uzbeks. Was fun chatting to some of them about my time in their respective countries, but the last two became tiresome as they wanted to be bought drinks to talk to them!! The Romanians just ignored me the rest of the time when i didn't buy them a drink, what a stupid way to run a bar! Next evening i met Paul from NZ who had escaped from home for a break after the heartbreak of seeing the Kiwis lose to France in the rugby world cup. He was still devastated. But he was a funny guy and we had a cracking night out chatting a lot with a Slovakian this time, what is it with Cyprus, why is noone who works in a bar here Cypriot?


Phil arrived the next day and we spotted Perry and some other Welsh fans around the town, evening before the game, was good to see familiar faces after not having been to a match during the last 16 months away.


Day of the game arrived, minibus to Nicosia, bit of a walk around the old town, with it's cobbled lanes, tourist shops and cafes. Went to the game and Wales were woeful. Despite taking the lead which gave some optimism, the second half we were very poor and ended up losing 3-1 to an average Cyprus team. Very disappointing. Another enjoyable but subdued evening out with a few people and the next morning I was glad to get out of Cyprus.

Wheeling in Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is friendly little place near the coast a couple of hours south of Hanoi. There's not much to see in the town itself apart from friendly locals trying to usher you into their house for food/drink. The main reason to visit here is the beautiful surrounding countryside rich with karst hills, waterways, rice paddies, temples and small villages.


I arrived by train and stayed right next door to the station to save walking far. Along this street almost everyone has converted their housefront into a part time cafe or shop, a 'cafe' here being a plastic table and chairs outside the house, but it would mean that you got some real "home cooking" yes? Well, no, in most cases it was instant noodles from a packet. But they were all really friendly and always gave a handful of longan or lychee fruit to go away with. Strangely, everyone in the street had the exact same printed English language menu too!

The places worth visiting lie outside of NinhBinh and require transport. I tried to get a decent route map to get myself around, but noone was able to provide a good one and kept insisting it was difficult to get around, which is surely a ploy to get you onto their trips. So, I decided to hire a motorbike and driver for the day. First we headed off to Tam Coc, where I jumped onto a row boat with two ladies. They were mother and daughter and it was the mother doing all the hard work rowing. The boat takes you along the Ngo Dong river, through paddy fields with karst hills protruding all around, through some karst caves and to a couple of temples. It's a peaceful trip with beautiful scenery all around, similar to that surrounding the Lijiang (Li river) around Yangshuo/XingPing in China.


Not such a peaceful trip was the bike ride to the next location, a series of Buddhist temples and again the scenery along the way was fantastic even if the temples were not so. Located on a hillside with shrines carved into caves, the site was ok, but having seen many temples around Asia, it doesn't rank so highly. Oddly, here I found some young girls asking me for money, in French! Clearly some things from the French colonial period still linger on.

We then sped on the final stop, the ruins of a citadel at Hoa Lu, which reigned as the capital of Vietnam from 968-1009 during the Dinh and Le dynasties. Sadly, the citadel is almost entirely destroyed. The views and the crazy motorbike ride journey there and back to Ninh Binh though was well worth it, even if the citdel wasn't. Through small villages, past more paddy fields and surrounding hills, waiting for flocks of sheep to clear the road, gave a pleasant, if speedy look at the local life in the countryside.

That evening was the first night of the Asian Football Championships and so I went for a walk to find somewhere to watch. Only a few doors away from my guesthouse I found someone at home watching, with their doors wide open and sneaked a look. The viewer insided spotted me and dragged me into watch, his wife immediately gave me their now familiar English menu and I sat down to watch Thailand v Iraq. As we sat and chatted - as best as we could without knowing each others' language - I inspected his motorbike that was sitting in the front room and suddenly realised this was the guy who had been driving me around on his motorbike that day! I suppose I'd been looking at the back of his head most of the day and hadn't got to know his face so well.
Bit of a surprise! Anyway, his wife's cooking was sadly as unconvincing as his motorbike driving had been, but they were ever so friendly and delighted to have a visitor. I left with the usual handful of longan and good feelings about the residents of NinhBinh.

Historic HoiAn to Hectic Hanoi

Hanoi, well what can you say other than it's chaotic. Stepping out of the station after a long journey from Hoi An, during which I shared a cabin with a British couple living in the Cameron Highlands on Central Malaysia, where they taught at a local school, I was bombarded by offers of xe-om (motorbike) and car taxis, wherever I paused, I was approached. Fortunately they are not as persuasive as in some places, so was able to escape and made my way to find a guest house.

The most striking thing about Hanoi is the traffic, it's never ending, a stream of mainly motorbikes constantly passing by day and night. In the few places where they now have traffic light controls, it's amazing to see the stampede as the light turns green, hundreds, thousands of bikes just whizz off dodging and weaving their way through the traffic, never stopping, just slowing down to swerve around pedestrians and other vehicles that are heading in a similar or perpendicular direction. It's amazing to watch, a bit hairy to be involved as I was on a few occassions. The thirty minute ride to and from the football stadium was memorable, I didn't know whether to close my eyes or to watch alertly at the route, so I was prepared for any sudden weaving, slowing or other evasive actions. Of course the drivers know what they are doing and that gave me confidence, but it's strange to be driving just a leg's width away from another bike and see them swerve towards you, then edge away just in time. Roundabouts and crossings are unbelievable, slowing down, dodging and weaving and everyone just gets through with little problem, it's amazing! trying to walk across a road is another thing and takes some nerve and practice!

As for the rest of Hanoi, it's got heaps of chracter, old buildings, a mixture of colonial and Vietnamese, a mix of food places, some of which blend Asian and French style for some interesting cuisine, ad hoc morning markets, which seem to appear anywhere, generally nice people, though you have to watch them as they do try to take advantage of foreigners and a just generally non-stop scene of activity. I didn't love it, but it's certainly fascinating viewing.

More from the AFC Asian Cup

Last night I went to watch my favourite Asian team, Japan play against Qatar in Hanoi. During my trip to Japan during the WC2002, the enthusiasm and love for the game of football the Japanese displayed was amazing and has kept me watching them whenever possible since. So a chance to see them live in Hanoi could not be missed.

The turnout was sadly pretty low, over half were Japanese, there were a handful of Qatar fans with what looked like some Oman fans backing them up, the rest local Vietnamese and the occasional non-Asian who seemed to consist of British and Ozzies.
It was defending champions Japan who made all the early running and it was the two Nakamurus were controlling the game in midfield for the Japanese, picking up the ball all over the pitch and spreading the play out wide to the flanks from which Japan caused the Qatar defence a few problems, but despite their dominance, they struggled to put away any chances and it was still goalless at half-time.
In the Second half it was more of the same until eventually after around an hour Japan found the net through Takahara who turned in a cross that for once found a blue shirt in space. While Japan missed more chances and Qatar created few threats it looked like it would finish 1-0 until defender Abe - who appeared to have a few female admirers wearing his number 6 shirt amongst the Japanese fans - gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box (looked like it could have been a dive, but not sure) with just three minutes remaining. The resulting free-kick was blasted towards the wall and deflected past ex-Pompey keeper Yoshi Kawaguchi, giving him no chance at all. The best chance of the match was still to come, but with a minute remaining Japan failed to convert a great chance when they put a close range effort over the bar.

At the far side of the stadium, there was one Qatar fan, standing with a Qatar flag, wearing a typical middle eastern, long, white robe and holding a mega-phone. At various stages, especially during the second half, he started singing through the megaphone. They weren't football songs that I had heard before, they were very middle eastern songs/chants and caused some grins amongst the Japanese, whose own musician, who had started playing earlier, responded by playing his trumpet. At one point a familiar chant came from the Qatari man, to which the Japanese trumpeter responded by playing it back to him, backed up by the estimated 600 Japanese fans it was all good fun. The wonderful thing about Japanese fans is their female following, a very excitable lot who are frequently seen at matches on TV. The majority of these seemed to be sitting in one corner of the stadium last night and it was great when some chanting of 'Nippon, Nippon' coming from the mainly male groups to my right and around me, was then repeated and continued by the mainly female contingent to the left, but at a range two octaves higher! (Len will remember this when we watched some Japan games in bars in Japan 2002, it's fantastic). It's something not often heard around football grounds, but great to see their real enthusiasm and support for their team, top marks to the Japanese girls, they're just adorable.

There's only one Le Cong Vinh !

That's what the Vietnamese fans were chanting when star striker Le Cong Vinh put Vietnam into a 2-0 lead last night at the My Dinh stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. Underdogs against a stronger, supposedly more skilled UAE team, Vietnam used their home advantage and the backing of their passionate fans to deliver a performance full of determination, that resulted in a thoroughly deserved 2-0 victory. It was Gulf Cup champions UAE who came closest to opening the scoring in the first half with a shot that was heading for the bottom corner until it was excellently turned past the post by keeper Hong Son Duong, but Vietnam also created some openings which gave them confidence to come out in the second half with confidence still high. They continued to pressurise their opponnents whenever they had the ball and forced errors which gave them chances to move forward and create their own openings. It was a defensive slip that gave Vietnam the opening goal, a ball over the top of the defence was not cleared and gave Huynh Quang Thanh the chance to hammer the ball home to the delight of the home crowd. Ten minutes later it was 2-0,when another ball over the top caught the UAE defence asleep and Le Cong Vinh, nonchalently lobbed the keeper to wrap it up for the co-hosts.

Wat? No Angkor?

So the new Seven Wonders of the World were announced, I agree with most of the selections, but how can that Christ the Redeemer status in Brazil be included and Angkor Wat not be included. I don't know, while it's impressive, sure, it just doesn't seem such a 'wonder' to me. Certainly not as remarkable as Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Now that is what I consider to be a true wonder of this world!

New Seven Wonders

So today, on the 07/07/07 is the day when the new seven wonders of the world will be announced. The New Seven Wonders Foundation was created by some Swiss guy, presumbly looking for some publicity and fame (cynical aren't I). About six years ago their website opened in order to accept nominations, by the end of 2005 there were almost two hundred nominations and from the top seventy seven, the foundation selected twenty one candiates from which the public were to vote for the new seven wonders of the world.

They promoted the campaign with "The key difference is that, this time around, they will not be chosen by one man, but rather by millions of people all over the world."
Yes, to a certain degree, but what were the criteria on which the 21 finalists were chosen? What about the other 56 of the top 77 nominees? If the people of the world are to chose, then why did they not just select the top 21 nominees? Why is there no more than one nominee from any country? Is that a realistic way to choose the new seven wonders? Surely they should choose the best 21 regardless of location. Already in the selection of the final 21 nominees, some selection has occurred based not on the opinions of "millions of people all over the world", but by the N7W panel.

But why the concern? Well having seen the list of 21 finalists, I just wonder and worry about what the outcome may be. While most of the obvious candidates are there (in my opinion), there are also some 'wonders' missing (in my opinion).
What about:
o The Terracotta Army near Xi'an, China?
o The Registan in Smarkand, Uzbekistan?
o Both Borobudur and Prambanan near Yogyakartya on Indonesia's Java island?
o Bagan in Myanmar (Burma)?
o Sukothai old city in Thailand?
o Cardiff Castle? (ok, just kidding there)
o Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia

And why are these included:
o The Statue of Liberty?
o Sydney Opera House?
o The Eiffel Tower? (it's just a big electricity pylon !)
o Christ the Redeemer Statue

How can the Terracotta Army in Xi'an not be included? It seems to be because they chose The Great Wall of China and there is this restriction - not that I have seen it mentioned, but it seems pretty obvious - of one site per country. Otherwise China would potentially have many other candidates; The Forbidden City, Dafo (The Giant Buddha). And surely France has better candidates than the tower?

If natural wonders were also included - I assume they have been excluded intentionally - as only architectural sites are in the list, there would be far more to argue about I'm sure. e.g. Why Sydney Opera House and not Ayers Rock?

So, I will wait and see what the result is. For the record, it's tough but I would have voted for (in no particular order), but this is just my opinion:

o Great Wall of China, China.
o Terracotta Army, Xi'an, China.
o Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
o Machu Picchu, Peru.
o Petra, Jordan.
o Easter Island Statues, Chile.
o Angkor Wat, Cambodia

but I'm sure someone will disagree

Note: The Pyrmaids of Giza are not included as they are already one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Night(mare) bus to Vietnam

A long bus journey was the only option to Vietnam from Southern Laos. I bought a ticket from an agent for once, which was probably silly and it turned out to be so. The bus station was some 5km out of town which is why I made this rare choice to line some agent's pockets with extra cash for no real reason but I guessed it may be less than a taxi out to the station and back in order to guarantee a ticket. It meant for some reason I had to leave 90 minutes earlier, so he could take me the wrong way to some collection point outside a tailor repair shop, where I had to wait another 30 minutes for a sangthaew to the station which I could have just got myself anyway. This was his way of providing a 'taxi' to the station as he put it. Anyway at least I had a seat on the bus, some slept on the floor or on the boxes and crates of various consignments loaded on by the drivers and passengers, fruit, clothes, those conical hats you see in the fields and who knows what else. Only half of the bus had seats, the back half was full of merchandise! Reminds me a little of the journey from Tbilisi (Georgia) to Zaqtala (Azerbaijan) many years back when there were many times more boxes of satsumas on the bus than people, we even had to give up our seat for some boxes of bananas at one point!!!

Anyway it was a hellish journey, crappy old bus, rattling along all the way on rough roads, and a gale blowing in my face through the night as the guy in front of me insisted on keeping his window open, I slept as best as possible with my coat over my head. We stopped around 2am, at a night cafe, 1 km short of the border, for five hours until it opened. In the morning I had the annoying shyster bus drivers, trying to charge $3 to register my passport details, and refusing to drive me to the border unless I paid, so I walked there anyway just to spite them and of course didn't have to pay anything as I went through. It was hours before we moved on though, some dodgy moments about the merchandise I think, sniffer dogs on board and things being taken off, don't know what, the bus drove back to Laos for 15 minutes then returned and on we went, very odd.

Arrived in Danang around 20 hours later and jumped on the back of a xe-om (motorbike taxi) and sped away to Hoi-An, some 30km away. Hoi An is an old town situated on the Do river, In the 16th-18th centuries it was an important trading port that connected Asia to the rest of the world, today it is a "living architectural museum", but one also full of tailors and cobblers, desperate to make you something to wear.

A pretty place, nice buildings, riverside cafes, a busy market, lots of handicrafts, historical architecture with a mix of Chinese, Japanese, French and Portuguese influences and the cobbled streets and riverside setting make it a tourist hot-spot in Vietnam. Only the much touted museums were a bit of a disappointment, though I enjoyed the music performance that was included in the "all in one" ticket (which in fact lets you see only one in four of the sites, not "all" as it suggests). A bit touristy, you even get coachloads of retirees and families coming here, but it's an easy and pleasant place to hang around.

I hired a bicycle and cycled around the town's sites, the village across the river, where there are plenty of offers to go out on a boat with local fishermen if you like, and out to the rice fields and local villages around Hoi An. All quite nice if you survive the crazy drivers. Second day I took a tour, "what was I doing ???" not my way at all, but here it was the only simple way to get out to My Son, the ruins of the 4th century Champa Kingdom and at, I think $5, it was the cheapest way anyway and ultimately not such a chore as after an initial introduction at the site, there were no flags or umbrellas in the air to follow, but were allowed to wander our own way, and meet back at the bus later. Only one of the sites at My Son has any remaining structure of interest, sadly much of it was destroyed by US bombs!!!! Part of the journey back was by boat, stopping off at a handicraft village to see woodcarvers, potters and sculptures at work creating the souvenirs that fill many of Hoi An's shops.

Mekong Boat to Charming Champasak

There were two ways to get to Champasak, take a bus down the highway to a town on the East of the Mekong and then across on a ferry, or take a boat! No choice there, even it cost a bit more. There turned out to be seven of us on the boat, it wasn't the largish boat I had expected from photos, but a small typical Mekong river boat large enough for about 8 people, out of season they use this cheaper option. It was a pretty nice trip, around 3 hours floating peacefully along the Mekong river, past mountains and fields. It's the third time I've been on a stretch of the Mekong by boat, it wasn't the most scenic, but it was certainly the most peaceful stretch of Mekong water I've been on.

We were surprisingly dropped off at the bottom of a steep ladder along the banks of the river, rather than at the ferry port. Up the ladder we ended up right in a guesthouse, obviously a favourite of the driver, i.e. a good commission. But it turned out to be handy as the port was quite a walk away from any accommodation, the place was ok and we bargained a cheaper price than the one we had planned to stay at, so was happy with it. Five took a taxi straight to the Champasak ruins site as they wanted to leave again the same day. Francoise and I stayed here and hired bicycles to cycle the 10km or so to the site which was well worth it. The road was surrounded by paddy fields, mountain views and the lovely Lao people who would spot us and shout out 'Sabai dii' (hello) as we passed by. The children however young would get excited at the sight of us and some even ran out to the road to wave at us. Younger ones cradled in mother's arms who had probably not been speaking for so long were encouraged by mothers to shout and wave at us. Laos is surely still home to the friendliest and warmest people in any country I have ever visited.

The ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Champasak are worth the visit, the best part being the view from the top of the slope at which there are some temples overlooking the ruins and the landscape far around. Soon after we climbed the steps we were joined by a large group of mainly female, Lao students from Vientiane. After some interviews and photos with some of the pretty girls, which I was happy to partake in, I was allowed once more to get on with my sightseeing which was interrupted for twenty minutes by a thunderous downpour during which I sheltered under the umbrella of a ladies snack stall.

The cycle back was just as interactive with locals once again stopping us to chat and we stopped at one cafe overlooking beautiful paddy fields and distant mountains for a refreshing bottle of the excellent, unbeatable Beer Lao. After a visit to check out the ferry docks, just a path, a slipway and a small vehicle carrier, a quick look around the market and a few photos later, I headed back to the guesthouse just before the storm came. I managed to get some dinner before the power cut and with no lights except a couple of skinny candles, went to sleep before an early start. The next morning I was up and breakfasted before the last sangthaew left to the ferry at 07:00, yes that was the last one!! It drove onto the vehicle carrier and I met Champasak's English teacher who has given me details in case I fancy a job there. Over the other side, more people got on to the sangthaew, a vehicle designed to fit maybe 10 people, but carrying I think it was 27 at one point, (There were about 6 down each side, maybe 8 or 9 on sacks of rice or the floor in between, a couple hanging over the edge at the back and 5 standing on the steps hanging on to the rear of the vehicle) though I might have missed someone in the crush, but this is normal in Laos and they don't seem to find it too uncomfortable, though I did, and had to enforce a little repositioning of legs once or twice to stop them from dying underneath me. Anyway I arrived and could still just about walk to a ticket agent to sort out a ticket to Vietnam that evening.

Savannakhet, Pakse & Bolivean Plateau

Once in Savannakhet, I walked down to the riverside where many mini-cafes were set-up, serving drinks and snacks overlooking the Mekong. I sat near to the ferry port, bought a bottle of the infamous Beer Lao and watched the overcrowded, overloaded ferry that I wasn't allowed onto arrive. The passengers disembarked and unloaded their merchandise from the boat bit by bit, it was so packed, it took forever for everything to be carried up the slip to the roadside. A pleasant place to sit and watch the river, the locals and Laos life go by. Around the rest of friendly Savannakhet, you see immediately the relaxed Lao lifestyle, people asleep or just lying around the front of their houses, many of which double as a shop, sheltering from the afternoon heat, monsoon rains and just letting the day roll on peacefully until something is required of them. The only buzz of activity arrived at end of school time when school children took over the streets, hanging around chatting and snacking with friends or whizzing around on their bicycles or motorbikes, yes even young children drive around on motorbikes here! But an hour later everything was back to normal, quiet, unruffled and soothingly tranquil, this is a town that almost defines the word 'relaxed'.

Moving on, I took a bus Southwards to Pakse which has a bit more of a town feel, not for that reason, but to try and get out to the Bolivean Plateau a forest area packed with wild waterfalls and forest exploration, which had been recommended to me. Being low season there were no groups or mini-buses to join so I hired a motorbike and drove the 50km there, past fruit stalls, small villages along the roadside, looking for the pointers that had been given to me by a tourist info cafe. I didn't find them at all so just followed any signs that signified a waterfall or site to be seen and although it turns out I missed one of the highlights (because I missed a major junction due to it being some 15km earlier than I had been advised) , I found some remote fruit farms, some apparently, newly discovered, little visited falls as well as some better known ones. So all in all, it was still a worthwhile afternoon dash. The nicest part might have been my failed search for a waterfall that brought me to a few scattered wooden houses, some coffee, tea and fruit plantations and some amused locals in traditional clothing, collecting fruit from the fields, who were clearly not expecting me, but kept smiling and chatting away to me although they knew I couldn't understand. The toughest part was trying to get to grips with using a motorbike on ice-like slippery mud paths, I slipped a couple of times but fourtunately came out unscathed.

Back in Pakse, I spent the evenings checking out the local cafes. There is an Indian cafe there run by an Indian family who migrated to Laos many years ago and now runs a cafe/tour agency, nice people and some nice Indian food, especially the breakfasts. I passed one tiny bar, where a group of locals were having a good time, celebrating a birthday, they invited me over as I walked by and I had a great, fun evening singing Lao songs with a few Beer Lao, they were mainly teachers or student teachers so were keen to practice and show off their English skills. But Pakse won't keep anyone there for long, so I turned down the offer of an interview for an English teaching job at their school and the next day headed down the Mekong to Champasak.

Khon Kaen and into the Land of Elephants

Early start to catch a bus for the long journey from Old Sukothai to KhonKaen, apparently there is a direct bus that stops outside my guesthouse, unbelievable. A bus arrives at the time I was told but it only goes as far as Phitsanulok, but I'm told to get on and change there. No problem, I haveno better plan! On the way, the Khon Kaen bus flies past us !!! Aaaarrggghhhh!!! 'Wait', I shout, but it doesn't hear me. Fortunately at Phitsanulok station, the bus is still waiting, unfortunately it's now full, even though I have a ticket, but that's normal in this region, busses have no maximum person limit, so I stand for 96% of the the 9 hour journey. We cross mountains, traverse countless towns, villages and masses of paddy fields, that give the first indication of how Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice. For a short while I had a seat, but then we passed a broken down bus and picked up their passengers, as some were fairly elderly I gave up the seat I had had for all of 20 minutes.

At KhonKaen, one of the tuktuk drivers seems to know a popular guesthouse where most travellers end up, so I go there. I'm about the 5th person to have signed in their guest book in the last month, "it's out of season" they tell me, but they also tell me that five years ago, they were always full. Thailand tourism has been hit badly since the tsunami apparently, they think that's the primary reason. I suspect it's also an effect of the increasing popularity of other countries in the region, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China whose visitor figures are increasing rapidly year after year. Some other people I met had other reasons I won't mention here.
Khon Kaen isn't anything special, I just stopped to break up the journey and because it gives access to various border crossing to Laos, and I hadn't yet decided which crossing to use. But while here, I found the one site worth visiting, contrary to the advice of the LP, it is not their museum, but Pra Mahathat Kaen Nakorn a pyramidical temple, near to the lake, quite sparkling it is.

Left: Elephant at the Mukdahan market.

Right: Mukdahan's Pra Mahathat Kaen Nakorn.

Next morning, having decided on which route to take I found a bus to Mukdahan and then a decent hotel near to the Mekong river ferry terminal and customs house for the crossing to Laos. Took a walk down to the riverside and met some elephants in the road, yes, quite normal here and after all just across the river is Laos, "The Land of Elephants". Although nothing to really see for the tourist, Mukdahan had a nice feel, it feet quite deserted at times, except for the busy night market where I found some fine fresh fruit drinks, snacks and friendly locals.

In the morning I tried to cross over to Laos, but the customs would not let me. It seems since the Friendship Bridge II (number I crosses the river between Nong Khai /Vientiane) was opened earlier this year, foreigners can no longer use the ferry to cross the river to Laos between Mukdahan and Savannakhet. Shame as this would have been a far more colourful way to cross international borders. So, anyway, I backtracked to the bus station and took the international bus across the bridge to Savannakhet and to my favourite country in the world, Laos. A bit of painless form failing and a slightly overpriced visa fee later, I had a Laos visa in my passport and continued to Savannakhet, it all took less than an hour before I was at my hotel of choice. But it would have been quicker and nicer on the ferry!

Beautiful Buddha & Ancient Sukothai

I left Ayutthaya and took the train to Pitshanulok. Getting onto the train you had to take a huge jump up from the platform onto the train. Normally no problem for a flexible, agile guy like me, but with a rucksack on my back and a bag of food in hand, my leap resulted in tearing my trousers, badly. And at the front too! Anyway, they had lasted well for a 4 dollar pair from the 'green market' in Almaty, I couldn't complain. So, holding my bag of food in the right place to 'cover up', I shuffled to my seat and luckily being at the back of the carriage and sitting alone, I don't think anyone noticed when I dived into my bag, found a pair of shorts and sneaked into the toilets to change. Embarassing.

Phitsanulok, so what's there? you might ask. Well according to everyone in Thailand, Phitsanulok is home to the most beautiful and revered Buddha statue in the country, Phra Phuttha Chinnarat. Its home is Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, or known more simply by its local name Wat Yai.

Left: Fruit sellers outside Phitsanulok's busy market
Right: Thailand's most revered Buddha statue in Wat Yai.

My hostel was East of the centre and had a nice outside bar with live music just a short walk away, where the staff were quite amused to see me. As usual the Thai hospitality was warm and friendly but here where tourists are less frequent and English is not always spoken it was funny to see them a little scared to serve me until one brave young girl who spoke some English decided to step up to the challenge. From the hostel to the temple was a longish walk through the town, past markets, the station packed lined with tuk-tuks and along the river, it's an OK town but nothing special. Wat Yai, though was packed, Thai families, couples, school children and visitors from all over Thailand wandering around the grounds making offerings at each altar, then inside the main temple, everyone kneeling on the floor praying and photographing. Though I can't explain exactly why this Buddha image is the most revered of its kind in Thailand, it is quite impressive and no matter what my impression is, you can be sure the Thai people will still flock from all around the country to visit.

Onto Sukothai. I thought I would be staying in new Sukothai far from the historical ruins, but luckily the lady selling bus tickets at the station suggested there was now accomodation in old Sukothai, so I took a chance. And, right where the bus droppped me off were two or three guesthouses, perfect. They also had cafes, hired bikes and were located just metres from the amazing, ancient Sukothai ruins. Sukothai was from 1257 the original capital of the first Thai Kingdom until it was overtaken by Ayuthaya. Majority of ruins are in a beuatifully designed, enclosed park, with lovely scenes, day and night. Some others are further out, in all directions from the centre, in total over 90 sites within a 5km radius, the number of temple sites is mesmorising. The highlight here is Wat Mahathat in the centre if the park, which is where I started early one morning. It took a whole day, non-stop cycling, walking and gazing, and quite some effort to see all I wanted to see. Two days would have been far more sensible and relaxed, but I saw enough, maybe around 75% of the sites listed from maps and guides. Skipped by many on the Thailand tourist trail in favour of the more accessible Ayuthaya, I would suggest that apart from a couple of gems in Authaya, overall Sukothai is a far more rewarding journey to make.


Left: Water Lilly pond at Sokothai's ancient historical site
Right: Wat Mahathat in Sokothai.


Left: Elephant decorated wat in Sukothai.
Centre: Workers in the fields around Sukothai
Right: A Lotus flower placed at a Budda's fingernail.

Pool in Penang, Bustling Bangkok and Ancient Ayuthaya

My return to Georgetown was worth it, it's a great place to be, nice atmosphere and good fun and friendly people. One evening I became involved in a lengthy pool session at a bar with some locals and had a great night yet again. But it was time to move on, out of Malaysia and back to Thailand. It was a 1 day journey, leaving lunchtime and arriving the next lunchtime, I like these trips, plenty of time to relax, read, gaze out the window and chat with whoever is next to you, who on this occasion turned out to be three lucky Filipino ladies on holiday. They run a mountain climbing and adventure tour agency and I have a card, so if anyone is interested in that kind of thing in the Philippines, just let me know.

Arrived at Bangkok and it's just the same as ever, hot dusty, noisy, busy and the tuk-tuk drivers still try to prey on naivety and try to take you somewhere to rip you off. I've seen enough of it before so didn't need to stay other than I wanted a Vietnamese visa and this seemed the best place to get one. So I had a break there, waiting, observing people, and checking out the latest t-shirts in Khao San Road. Along with the perennial "Singha Beer", "Beer Chang", "Beer Lao", "Red Bull" shirts, you now see, "iPood" with a picture of someone sitting on a toilet listening to a music player, the fine band "The Killers" get a look in, only the band members faces are no longer Brandon, David, Mark and Ronnie, but now Sadaam, Osama, Joseph & George, funny. Puma's famous leaping puma has been turned into a leaping fluffy dog with the name now "Poodle" and last but not least, for those who have been there, you'll know the Thai (And Laos/Vietnamese have picked it up too it seems) whenever using the word "same", always duplicate it, "Same same!!", this has also been adapted in the t-shirt collections in the funny and sometimes used phrase (honestly, I have heard them say this !!), "SAME SAME..... BUT DIFFERENT". That one always makes me giggle when I hear it.

One evening I had a bit of a surprise when I heard my name being called out and saw Darren (who I had met in on the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands) in the street, so I joined him, Rachel and some others for a evening of live rock music in a Bangkok bar, good stuff. Anyway, after a week hanging around watching, I got a haircut, collected my Vietnamese visa and was off to the old capital of Ayuthaya. At the bus station I struggled to find anyone who understood me for a while, until I found out how badly I was pronouncing 'Ayuthaya'. Once one lady deciphered what I was trying to say, she pointed me through the busy market where I eventually found out I had been in the wrong bus station, or at least the wrong part of the dual bus station complex!

Left: Bangkok's infamous traveller's ghetto of Khao San Road.

Centre: My whizzy bike in Ayuthaya.

Right: Lotus flower, significant in Buddhism.

In Ayuthaya I found a nice guesthouse and took a walk to investigate what would be in tomorrow's plan. A boat tour would have been nice as part of it, but alone it was an expensive option, a bicycle would have required many days to see everything I wanted to see, so a motorbike was the way to do it. Late in the day while riding out to the extremes of the city, heading to some site, I saw a large advertising banner, all written in that illegible Thai script, except for the words "BIG ASS" somewhere in the middle of it, I can't imagine what the rest of it said, but would love to know. Pity I was on a busy main road when I passed it and could not stop to photograph it.

Ancient Ayuthaya is set on an island formed by the convergence of three rivers; Mae Nam Lopburi, Chao Phraya and Pa Sak. The ancient town, a UNESCO world heritage site, has temples all around and between 1350 and 1767 was the cultural centre of the emerging Thai nation which eventually fell to the Burmese invaders who then looted the city's treasures. Even narrowing down the list of "should see" sites to a manageable number is a challenge, but then as I drove around, I realised there are far more sites than just the thirty or so recommended on the tourist maps. So, I made a selection, a proposed route and whizzed off on my motorbike to see a few, stopping now and again to see extra places that caught my attention on the way. Some of the ruins are quite amazing and there is a huge variety in the styles, age and historical importance of all the sites which inlude 'wats' (temples), 'chedi' (Bell shaped tower also know as a stupa), 'praang' (tall khmer style spires) and 'wihaan' (where the temple's Buddha sculpture is placed).

Left: An iconic symbol of Ayuthaya, the Buddha's head embeded in roots of a tree.

Right: Amazing Wat Chai Wattanaram in Ayuthaya.

Apart from the Buddhist ruins that take up your entire day(s), and the fact I improved my motorbike skills, I found a lively social scene in the evening, after chatting with one of the cafe owners who was full of information about the city, he invited me along to a local bar where the entertainment was provided by music and singing. At first there was just the guitarist, but he was later joined by drummers, singers and anyone else in there who cared to join in. After closing time the doors were shut and on it went through the night. Four hours later when I decided I needed some sleep before tomorrow's journey onwards and Northwards it was still going strong.

Left: Three stupas of Wat Phra Si San Peth.

Right: Khmer style Wat Phra Ram surrounded by a moat of lotus flower.

Strawberries & Tea in the Cameron Highlands

The country that has the symbol of Portsmouth on their flag ! What other reason do you need to like Malaysia ;) But after this good start, it has plenty more to offer and so as I headed back through Malaysia once more, this time South to North, I stopped to discover some more of its interesting culture and nature. A brief stop in Kuala Lumpur to break up the journey and then it was to the busy station to find a bus to Tana Ratah, a town in the Cameron Highlands. No, it's not in Scotland as it sounds, but the Cameron Highlands are surprisingly in Malaysia; a cool, hilly, picturesque region in its central highlands.

After a rather chaotic departure from Kuala Lumpur last time I was here, where the bus Rebecca and I had bought tickets for did not exist! I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me to encounter more problems at the same station when trying to get to Tanah Rata. This time I was being told the bus did not leave from the station at all but from a market somewhere up the road from one of the rear exits. I just couldn't grasp what she was saying, I was expecting a platform number, but she was giving me some complex directions! What? Where? Why? Thinking I had mis-heard I kept re-asking until the poor girl trying to explain got up from her desk and walked me to a rear doorway, pointed out some green sign a long way up the road that I could not see and told me to wait there. So, I headed in that general direction and eventually found Darren, Rachel and a few Malaysians standing around looking like they might be waiting for a bus. They were, ten minutes later the bus turned up! Daz and Rachel from Blackburn were on a one year round the world trip and also heading to Tanah Rata.

Tana Ratah is in the mountains so has plenty of cool fresh air, a nice escape from the humid, tropical lowlands I had just left. I stayed in one of the strange looking corrugated iron huts in the garden of "Father's Guest House", an odd looking structure, but perfectly fine and the Indian owners were very helpful. The town was full of cafes offering Indian, Malay and Chinese foods, the surrounding area was full of thick jungle to explore via its numerous trails. I chose a combination of three routes to try out one day, starting with one path, joining another and then descending the mountain via another, just to stretch things out! The paths were at times far from clear and a couple of times I had to backtrack and try again before finally getting thoroughly lost on the way down and ending some way from where I intended. The walk was not simple, at times it turned into a crawl and a struggle using hands, knees and any available tree trunks/branches to scramble up and over, made more difficult by the bags of melon and pomelo that I was carrying for lunch. It was tricky at times, but good fun and certainly gave the muscles a good stretch and workout.

Even more of a workout was the day cycling to the region's other attractions. Cycling along the hilly route north of town with steep inclines was hard work in hot weather. The region's fertile land is home to many fruit and tea farms and my first stop was the "Big RED Strawberry Farm" whose cafe was a strawberry lover's dream as it sold almost every possible type of strawberry dish; strawberry juice, strawberry flan, strawberry shakes, strawberry sundae, strawberries with yoghurt and honey, strawberries and cream and even strawberry "ais-krim goreng" (deep fried ice-cream!!). The shop held even more strawberry products; toothpaste, soap, shower gels, hair gels and shampoos for your personal hygiene; strawberry jam, sweets, cake, chocolate, biscuits and cereals for your dietary needs and strawberry posters, tea cloths, jewellery boxes, jigsaws and much more as a souvernier option. Strawberry plants however are not that exciting to look at, the cactusses (or cacti if you prefer) were a more interesting view and photograph oppurtunity. Then, even more cactusses were to be found next door in "Cactus Valley" where there were more varieties of cactus than you can possibly imagine. A bizarre and varied collection spread over a huge area, most of which looked awfully painful to bump into.


Left: Crawling through the jungles.
Centre: Lots of Cacti!!
Right: Yummy, strawberry ice-cream.

Off on the bike again, through the town of Brinchang and on past more strawberry farms, butterfly farms and plenty of flower gardens. By now the roads were getting tougher, steeper and longer and it was a relief to reach the top of the mountain, so I could fly down the winding road towards my goal, the "Sungai Palas Boh Tea Estate". Approaching the estate, the rolling hills around are almost entirely covered in Camellia Sinensis, tea plants. All around, you are surrounded, wherever you look, you see nothing but tea plants. The estate offers a brief guided tour of the production factory, explaining the processes involved in production of each variety of tea, and then you can sit in the cafe and sample some while gazing at the amazing plantation below.


Left & Right: Tea plantations at Songai Palas Boh Tea Estate.

It was hard work getting back up the hill even after some refreshing tea, but after that it was an easier journey home, even if my clothes and body took a battering thanks to the thunderstorms, muddy roads and lack of mudguard on the bike. Back in town, I picked up a bus ticket to Ipoh for the next morning and an enormous indian meal to top up all those calories I'd lost due to the day's cycling.

The nest morning I left for Ipoh, choosing to stop there for a few hours on my way back up to Butterworth and a re-visit to Penang. Ipoh is an old town with none of the shiny lights of KL. It made its name thanks to the tin mines of the nearby Kinta valley when tin was Malaysia's largest export. Now it's an average Malaysian town with old colonial style architecture and some friendly Chinese cafes, where I spent most of my time once I realised there was not so much to see or do here. So after a typically Chinese noodle soup for breakfast, some exploration and a lunch with some of Malaysia's finest Tiger beer, I headed back to the station and once again towards Georgetown, Penang.


Left: Tanah Rata's fine Indian Meal.
Right: The streets of Ipoh.

Singapore: Lion City

Wasn't planning on going so far south, but having already come as far as Kuala Lumpur, I thought I would make sure Rebecca got back to Singapore safely, plus it was only another few hours and would be a chance to see Gavin again.

Singapore, means "Lion city", while I do like lions, I wasn't so keen on Singapore last time, it feels as if it is misplaced in this world, as though it doesn't fit into the SE Asia environment. It's clean, tidy, efficient, polite, expensive and full of rules and laws that people obey. That's just not South East Asia, but maybe there are some postives to it???

This time around I did get to see a bit more of the local culture, a walk up to 'Little India' an area full of ethnic Indians with market stalls and cafes galore was a hot, humid, but interesting days outing. An evening visit to Singapore zoo, which they claim was the first 'night safari' in the world, gave a chance to catch a glimpse of some wild animals in the dark, though you could not see everything clearly, some were visible and appeared to be real and not just models! Among the cast were Elephants, giraffes, a tapir, a fishing cat (it just hangs around the edge of water and when hungry flashes out a paw and nabs a passing fish, cool), Malayan Flying Fox (the largest bat in the world), civets, leopards, hippos, lions, sloth bears, malayan tigers (sponsered by tiger balm ;-)) and a few others I'm sure. You can walk the trails or take a tram like vehicle along the main loop, or do both if you have time.

I spent one morning and lunchtime around the Chinatown area, - I must have been missing China again - it's a big market area, with as you might expect lots of Chinese food, Chinese art and handicrafts and Chinese people who speak yet another strange dialect of Chinese, Hokkien, that I also could not understand. One evening while wandering with Gavin we also stumbled across a Chinese dance performance in the street which was a lively one to catch.

Left: Rebecca and me on the Singapore night safari.

Right: Singapore's government building.

Good news on the football front! Thanks to South Africa's satellite channel Super Sports, I was able to see Wales' match against the Czech Republic live on TV all the way away in Singapore, a reasonablr performance from a young team, really needed to win it, but I settled for a 0-0 against one of the top 5 in the world.

Finally, one afternoon we all spent at the bach on Sentosa island that is just a bridge away from Singapore island, it has some nice sandy beaches, lined with bars and cafes, people playing football, volleyball on the sand and out at sea you can gaze at the oil tankers in the port, hmmmmm, not quite the seaside view you normally expect..

Left: Watching Wales v Czech Republic live in Singapore!

Right: Sentosa island beach.

After a few days at Gavin's luxury appartment, I took a bus back up to KL. Despite the fact that it's the same bus companies that run the route in both directions obviously, it costs around twice as much as the other direction! Hmmm, that's Singapore for you. Bye bye and off I went back up North.

Kuala Lumpur

Left Georgetwon for Kuala Lumpur (KL to locals) on a colourfully decorated and furnished bus, the roads are lined with various species of palm trees, banana trees and other greenery making a quite picteresque journey. Once in KL we spent most of the time around the Chinatown area, the old centre which is dominated by the Jalan Petaling street market, a busy trading centre selling all kinds of clothes, foods, bags, jewellery and plenty, plenty more. We also visited the Menara KL, which in my opinion is better than the Petronas Towers, as although not as tall, it is higher because it is built on a hill and you can therfore look down on the Petronas towers and the rest of the city. It also helps you can go to almost the top of the tower which is not an option open to the public in the 'twin tower' Petronas.


Left: Kuala Lumpur including Petronas Towers from the KL Tower.
Centre: Enjoying a refreshing coconut.
Right: Rebecca and some 'worm' noodles.

Best things about KL are the markets and the food, there is a great ethnic mix of people which creates the grate choice of foods. We ate most evenings in the street cafes at the market, indulging in various, Indian, Malay and Chinese delights, supplementing the diet with plenty of fruit from the markets, bread or salads from a nice little bakery nearby and a few beers at an old favourite, 'The Reggae Bar' which I discovered on my first visit here, it's changed a little but still a good place for an evening out. One evening we ate at "Roland's Seafood restaurant", suppose you should try these places. Here and at other places around the market area, there were plenty of rats around, you could see and hear them scuttling across the awnings over the restaurant and shop fronts or along narrow ledges on the buildings, you saw some running along the side of the road, under stalls and scaffolding. We had a rat spotting competition on the short walk home one evening, Rebecca won 5-3, and it was barely 400m back to the hotel.

One day we took a trip through the suburbs of KL and to the Batu Caves, some Hindu temples of which the most important is built inside some caves in the side of a hill a few kilometeres outside the city. This temple is once a year host to an important Hindu festival, Thaipusam, to which Hindu people from all over make the pilgramage to watch or paticipate in masochistic rituals that involve piercing their bodies with all kinds of large and evil looking weapons, arrows or hooks etc. while in a trance and then climbing up and down the 272 steps that lead up from the ground to the main cave temple in the hillside above. Some newspaper cuttings at the site showed reports of foreigners who had also joined in the rituals, hooks piercing their backs with ropes attached with which they would pull heavily laden carts. Ouchhhh. You won't catch me doing that.



Left: Jalan Petaling market.
Right: My seafood restaurant in KL!

Coming Up Soon...

As you might see I haven't updated anything for ages, busy and lazy I guess... Just added a couple of updates today, will try get the rest on soon.

But coming up are:

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore: Lion City.

Malaysia: Cameron Highlands, Tea, tea and more tea.

Thailand: Bangkok, well it's just Bangkok isn't it.

Thailand: Ancient Ayutthaya.

Thailand: Phitsanulok, Thailands most beautiful Buddha.

Thailand: Sukothai, more ancient temples.

Thailand to Laos: Khon Kaen, Mukdahan and into Laos, the land of elephants.

Phuket to Penang

Rebecca and I left Phuket and headed towards Malaysia, she needed to return to Singapore for her flight home, so we decided to travel back in that direction bit by bit. Briefly stopping in Hat Yai in Southern Thailand, (we got a minibus within five minutes), we carried on to our intended next stop, Georgetown on Penang Island, Malaysia. It's a great place, real mix of old buildings in colonial style, Chinese style and I guess Malaysian style. The people are a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian as is the food on offer at the hawkers market which is where we went for dinner. Great choice of foods available, noodles, curries, barbecues, sushi, fish and chips even. We went for 'stick food', various shapes of fish, meats and tofu on sticks, with noodles, great. There's a lively nightlife in Georgetown too, plenty of bars and pubs, live music and DJs playing 1970s rock classics such as Deep Purple and Rainbow!



Left: A betel nut palm or 'pinang' after which the island was named.
Centre: Georgetown bay at night from the hotel window.
Right: Colonial Georgetown architecture.


Penang Island is named after the local Malay name (Pulau Pinang) for the Areca catechu palm tree or betel nut palm which is common on the island.

Next day, we lunched at a Chinese market stall I've been missing Chinese soup noodles believe it or not, so I insisted on going there, saw a few temples and found an antique shop selling some pieces of stone, with the Welsh flag on it, I had to look twice as I couldn't quite believe it, but sure enough they were exact replicas of the Welsh flag, I had to pop in the shop and ask where they got them from and to my surprise they came from Pakistan !! Good to know the Welsh flag is a popular piece of art in Pakistan.



Left: Welsh flag found in Georgetown, Malaysia.
Centre: Chinese wish decorations at a temple.
Right: More Chinese temple decorations.