Day 163 (Wednesday 26th) - En Route
Long day, up at 6, bus all around Bali, lengthy wait at port for six hour ferry ride to Lombok - after a while we paid the extra 10,000 RP for VIP seats and watched about a million episodes of Seinfeld - fine, but a little grating after a while, and we missed the ending of the last ever episode as we arrived on Lombok. Cue another bus to the hassle capital of the world, Bangsal Harbour - here we had a 40 minute wait in a crowd of hustlers trying to sell us necklaces, fake tickets and mosquito coils, refusing to take no for an answer.
The boat was OK, although it decided to absolutely piss down for the duration - soaked and panicky, we settled for the first place we saw - an impossibly luxurious 'rice barn' style bungalow at 400,000 a night - about 8 quid each I think, and way above our budgets. We settled down for a drink or two, which turned into hundreds as the really friendly guys at the bar next door (especially Bagus, who said he'd be my wingman/partner in crime) made us feel welcome and plied us with drinks based on Arak, one of the local boozes.
After a really fun few hours here we went of to find the party, at Tir Na Nog Irish bar - they rotate the party nights around the bars here, as only one place can have a late licence each night - smart. It was packed, as it was the only place to go, and a little frantic for our tastes - Marcus and I had a bit of a sit and a drink, chatted to some people then returned home -it had, after all, been an extremely long day. So long, in fact, that I awoke at 2pm the next day face down and fully clothed, having evidently starfished onto the bed when I got in, and not stirred for 10 hours or so.
Oh, there was a drunken Russian named Sbass on the bus this morning, who had no luggage, was drinking beer at 6 am and was going for only one night on the fast boat. We saw him later in the bar, and found he had scoffed a load of magic mushrooms (available all over the place here, and apparently entirely legal). He was just starting to fall under their influence when we met him, so we assured him everything was cool and he agreed with us, then after a while lost the power to speak English and was enthusiastically explaining how he felt in Russian. We tried to point out that we didn't understand, but after a while decided to humour him and gazed in rapt attention with the occasional nod and exclamation of "Da, da!" This seemed to please him immensely, so I think we chose the right course of action.
Day 164 (Thursday 27th) Snorkelling, Monsoons and Hot Deaf Chicks
The friendly chaps at reception allowed us ti check out 4 hours late with no fuss, and we walked along the road for about 20 metres before a chap offered us snorkelling, internet and accomodation. We took him up on the latter of these, and found ourselves in a nice little room, with a fridge and TV for some reason, for only 150,000 RP, an agreeable step down in pricing. It also had the benefits of an open air bathroom, so you could shower in the sun, which is a pretty cool experience. Marcus and I quickly hired some snorkelling stuff and went to explore the sea, which held life in incredibly abundant quantities. We saw loads of cool stuff, not least a school of Batfish and a fair sized Hawksbill turtle, who allowed us to swim right down next to him while he was eating. Also a few Trevally, and thousands upon thousands of shiny little colourful ones who surrounded us as we swam. The water was incredibly clear, with visibility of up to 100 metres I would say. Just a small way off the beach the sea floor dropped off at a 45 degree angle to unknown depths, which is where all the cool stuff we saw was hanging out.
Stunned and happy, we returned to our room just as things became torrential - there was an enormous storm which battered the Island for a couple of hours, while we sat and watched it from the comfort of our porch with a few beers. It ceased just as as suddenly as it had started, so we navigated the lakes and rivers that were formerly the road and returned to Oceane Dua, the place with the friendly staff. Here we had an intriguing encounter - we mat a deaf Indonesian girl called Nini, who was gorgeous and friendly and more than a little hard to understand. It all started with her inviting us to go to the other side of the Island, on bicycles, for a swim at 2 in the afternoon the next day. While we were (sort of) conversing, she made it clear that she had designs on either myself or Marcus, possibly both. We were all hanging out for the rest of the evening (it later became evident that the designs were on both of us, but tending towards Marcus more than myself), and the atmosphere became odder and odder. Filip and I left them to it, but mere moments later they joined us and Bagus in the bar next door, just as we were discussing, with genuine interest and in a respectful manner I feel, what kind of noises she makes in certain situations - I mean, apart from any slightly more unsavoury talk, her laugh was pretty incredible, like a sound of pure joy untempered by considerations of volume or pitch, and quite unlike anything I've ever heard. And she laughed a lot. She inexplicably began to disrobe at one pint, after a hurried and unintelligible hand signal explanation, but this was put a stop to for the sake of decency. They departed soon afterwards - it was later found out that she was one of a pair of pretty girls we had seen the previous night with an old Canadian guy, who was married to her sister (the other girl). Apparently at breakfast she said/signed something to him, and he replied with a curt, menacing & unnoticed "fuck off bitch" and a finger raised in her direction. This guy sounds like a prick, and we considered (for a matter of seconds) in some way avenging Nini when we saw him next. This avenging took the form of some stern glares in the bar the following night. We are cowards.
Day 165 (Friday 28th) - Good Luck Hannah!
Despite the fact that I'm writing this the following day, I have yet to receive news of my sister's driving test results, so I'm sending her this post-hoc luck. Anyway, a slightly earlier start to today. Marcus and I went for an adventure round the Island, Snorkels in hand. We crossed to the other side and found it to be very very different from here - this side is ramshackle and built in a very make-it-up-as-you-go-along sort of way, whereas the other side has widely spaced resorts and spectacular bungalows - a true honeymoon destination. One place had an enormous concrete ship as you walked in, which the owner (an Irish fellow who had recently acquired the place) had absolutely no idea what to do with - he greeted us, in fact, with "want to buy a ship?"
The snorkelling on this side was just as good, if not better, than back on the east coast. The water was even clearer, and we saw more turtles and thousands upon thousands of cornet fish, tiger fish, Moorish Idols and loads of other cool stuff. Oh, and another Hawksbill turtle too. Awesome. We snorkelled gleefully about for a couple of hours before returning to our side for noodles and a drink on our porch -0 we bought a bottle of the local wine, a concoction that looks like watered down ketchup, smells and tastes like bad Sangria, and has a slightly meaty aftertaste. Bloody hell it was strong though, and shockingly easy to drink. We went back to Oceane Due and had a pretty cool night, meeting some people who were going over to Gili Meno tomorrow, as are we. We moved to Rudy's (the site of the party that night) and I had to go home as I was feeling decidedly odd. After an hour or two of attempting to sleep, with the aid of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour (the Moon and Sleep episodes), I was just nodding off when Marcus burst in to use the loo, and I heard sniggering on the porch. Filip and Bagus stumbled in laughing - a small argument ensued, as MArcus had told me they were there, and they had been planning to come in and jump on me to freak me out. Marcus said this was a bad idea as I was clearly in a world of trouble and I'd go mental. Bagus then admonished me for failing to act on my promise of being his partner in crime - something I was entirely incapable of considering, let alone achieving. Having finally shooed them all away I was able to get a few hours sleep, interrupted only briefly by their exhausted, confused and separate return.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Day 162 - A pricey day of admin
Well, my life is fine again now but let me tell you how it became that way:
0530: Wake up to my alarm, and ignore it as the guys told me we'd be woken up at 0545 by the guys at reception. I doze fitfully, still concerned about the credit card situation.
0615: I hear a vehicle pulling up outside, and in the absence of a reliable timepiece I ran down to see if it was our van. I find out that it is, and the guy who was supposed to wake us up is asleep on the floor behind the desk. I told the guys the bus was here, and Philip declared that he was feeling too shit to travel, and I need an extra day really, so we decide I should go down and cancel our trip - no refund at this late stage, of course. (Total spent/lost: RP 140,000)
0730: I couldn't sleep, so I read the rest of Friday's Times before getting ready and heading out to an internet cafe/phone place to try and sort the card out.
0800: I found one that was open, and went in and phoned Dad, to explain the situation and ask if there had been any messages from HSBC, as my phone is broken and won't turn on. Despite it being midnight, Dad is really helpful and offers to bale me out via Western Union if needs be. I go onto the internet and try and find the Fraud Prevention number, with no success. I talk to Clare on MSN and panic a wee bit, especially as the connection keeps cutting out at crucial points, and my Malaysian phone has finally run out of credit, rendering it useless as I can no longer receive calls. It is decided, after I phoned the two numbers I could find and encountered closed offices, that the Western Union transfer should take place - Clare did the necessary online stuff with Dad on the phone, only to get the card rejected first time around. Second time it was accepted but a confirmation call was necessary - to an office open from 0700-2300, or 1500-0700 my time. All the Western Union agents in Kuta close at 1500, except one which shuts at 1700, so I gave Clare the address and hoped we could do it, despite cutting it fine. There seemed to be no alternative.
0900: I am also talking to Leo & Gumpy on MSN at the same time, Gumpy happens to have all the HSBC bank numbers with him, despite it being past midnight and he and Leo being very drunk (they offered to phone my parents when they were less so, which is very nice). What an odd chap. Anyway, none of these numbers work, and I eventually find the right one on a Who's calling? telesales scam website, where people debate its legitimacy - having had to deal with them repeatedly, I luckily recognised the number and called them straight away, and despite my lack of a reference number it turned out my guess was right - they had put a block on my card, which was promptly removed, and I was assured that it wouldn't happen again. By this time it was gone 0100 at home, so I couldn't really call and cancel it all, as everyone had gone to bed, so I paid the enormous phone/internet bill and left. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 293,000)
0930: Next stop was to go and sort out my ticket. I wandered for ages before I found a guy with a motorbike who'd take me back to the office cheaply, as I had not yet found an ATM in which to try my card. The chap I found agreed on a price of 40,000, but it turned out he didn't really know the way. It took us a good 45 minutes to get there in the end, as he stopped and asked directions about 8 times, and ended up just dropping me on the beach a few hundred yards from the office. I felt a little generous as he'd been all round the houses, so I tipped him a little, probably foolishly. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 343,000)
1015: I finally made it into the Qantas office, and after a short wait started my marathon ticket reissue. I had my laptop out with a flights spreadsheet (waaaah) and he had various bits of paper and his computer, all of which we got thoroughly confused about. After a few false starts and forbidden routes I discovered a few things - I did have a flight from Bali to Darwin, on the 9th of March, which I was never informed of by my travel agent, and consequently never amended the dates for and never turned up, so it was cancelled. I then found out that I wasn't allowed to rebook this flight as it was on a subsidiary of Qantas, not the airline itself. After much toing and froing we decided that the best/cheapest thing was to fly Bali-Perth-Sydney-Melbourne-Christchurch, as opposed to Bali-Darwin-surface-Sydney-Perth-Melbourne-surface-Sydney-Christchurch, and I'll sort out the American sections when I get there, as there are too many variables to consider. This seemingly shorter itinerary cost me quite a lot - $125 for the ticket reissue (despite the fact that this took 5 minutes and involved a fancy printout) and a further $134 for taxes (about $20) and fuel surcharge (the rest) for the new flights. Bastards. Still, it worked out cheaper than flying to Jakarta and rerouting to Sydney, or getting to Darwin and getting the Ghan across to Sydney. Less fun though. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 2,901,920)
1200: All this took quite a while, although as I paid I was so relieved to see the payment go through that I didn't care about the money. I flounced gleefully out of the office and went for a swim in the sea - it was really clear and warm, it being high tide - far more pleasant than yesterday. I then went to an ATM and took out RP 2,400,000, which should more than cover my trip to the Gilis and the departure tax, as well as giving me some cash in hand when I arrive in Perth. I found, after some haggling, the driver of a beat-up minibus who said he'd take me to Kuta for 40,000. When we arrived he claimed to have no change, so an involuntary tip was given. I hate taxi drivers on this Island. On the upside, I bought an Indonesian sim card and sent Clare a message telling her not to worry about telling Dad to call and confirm the transfer, all was well. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 2,951,920)
1300: I met Marcus in the corridor and we decided, as it was a perfect and incredibly hot day, to go for a surf. I put some money in a plastic bag in my pocket and off we went, having hired a board for a paltry RP 25,000. The surfing was awesome, I only caught about 4 waves the whole time we were out there and stood up on 2, and entirely knackered myself and possibly burnt my face, but it was awesome. When the thunderstorm lurking to the north started encroaching on the blue sky I called it a day, and went and collapsed on the sand, only to find the plastic bag of money had disappeared from my pocket, and was now floating somewhere in the sea for some lucky surfer to find. Also I managed to bust a fin off my board, which some unscrupulous types on the beach offered to fix for 50,000, but was half the price at the surf shop. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 3,030,920)
1630: I found out the time and called Clare to check she'd got the message - turns out she hadn't, and so the money had been sent to the Bank in Kuta Square - I rushed to an internet cafe to get the address and details, then found the same guy who had driven me to the Qantas office and we raced to the office in 6 minutes, and after I persuaded the security guard to let me in as they were closing I found that the Western Union office had closed at 1500, not 1700n as stated on the website. On the upside, I found I can pick up the money at any Western Union branch in Indonesia for the next month, so I guess I'll do it when I get back. I paid the bike guy 10,000 for his hurried service, and meandered back to find the guys and go for dinner, which is where I'm writing this now. What a hectic day... (Total Spent/Lost: RP 3,040,920)
1929: Oh, we're off to the Gilis tomorrow at 0600 for sure, finally. And now we're off to play pool.
0530: Wake up to my alarm, and ignore it as the guys told me we'd be woken up at 0545 by the guys at reception. I doze fitfully, still concerned about the credit card situation.
0615: I hear a vehicle pulling up outside, and in the absence of a reliable timepiece I ran down to see if it was our van. I find out that it is, and the guy who was supposed to wake us up is asleep on the floor behind the desk. I told the guys the bus was here, and Philip declared that he was feeling too shit to travel, and I need an extra day really, so we decide I should go down and cancel our trip - no refund at this late stage, of course. (Total spent/lost: RP 140,000)
0730: I couldn't sleep, so I read the rest of Friday's Times before getting ready and heading out to an internet cafe/phone place to try and sort the card out.
0800: I found one that was open, and went in and phoned Dad, to explain the situation and ask if there had been any messages from HSBC, as my phone is broken and won't turn on. Despite it being midnight, Dad is really helpful and offers to bale me out via Western Union if needs be. I go onto the internet and try and find the Fraud Prevention number, with no success. I talk to Clare on MSN and panic a wee bit, especially as the connection keeps cutting out at crucial points, and my Malaysian phone has finally run out of credit, rendering it useless as I can no longer receive calls. It is decided, after I phoned the two numbers I could find and encountered closed offices, that the Western Union transfer should take place - Clare did the necessary online stuff with Dad on the phone, only to get the card rejected first time around. Second time it was accepted but a confirmation call was necessary - to an office open from 0700-2300, or 1500-0700 my time. All the Western Union agents in Kuta close at 1500, except one which shuts at 1700, so I gave Clare the address and hoped we could do it, despite cutting it fine. There seemed to be no alternative.
0900: I am also talking to Leo & Gumpy on MSN at the same time, Gumpy happens to have all the HSBC bank numbers with him, despite it being past midnight and he and Leo being very drunk (they offered to phone my parents when they were less so, which is very nice). What an odd chap. Anyway, none of these numbers work, and I eventually find the right one on a Who's calling? telesales scam website, where people debate its legitimacy - having had to deal with them repeatedly, I luckily recognised the number and called them straight away, and despite my lack of a reference number it turned out my guess was right - they had put a block on my card, which was promptly removed, and I was assured that it wouldn't happen again. By this time it was gone 0100 at home, so I couldn't really call and cancel it all, as everyone had gone to bed, so I paid the enormous phone/internet bill and left. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 293,000)
0930: Next stop was to go and sort out my ticket. I wandered for ages before I found a guy with a motorbike who'd take me back to the office cheaply, as I had not yet found an ATM in which to try my card. The chap I found agreed on a price of 40,000, but it turned out he didn't really know the way. It took us a good 45 minutes to get there in the end, as he stopped and asked directions about 8 times, and ended up just dropping me on the beach a few hundred yards from the office. I felt a little generous as he'd been all round the houses, so I tipped him a little, probably foolishly. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 343,000)
1015: I finally made it into the Qantas office, and after a short wait started my marathon ticket reissue. I had my laptop out with a flights spreadsheet (waaaah) and he had various bits of paper and his computer, all of which we got thoroughly confused about. After a few false starts and forbidden routes I discovered a few things - I did have a flight from Bali to Darwin, on the 9th of March, which I was never informed of by my travel agent, and consequently never amended the dates for and never turned up, so it was cancelled. I then found out that I wasn't allowed to rebook this flight as it was on a subsidiary of Qantas, not the airline itself. After much toing and froing we decided that the best/cheapest thing was to fly Bali-Perth-Sydney-Melbourne-Christchurch, as opposed to Bali-Darwin-surface-Sydney-Perth-Melbourne-surface-Sydney-Christchurch, and I'll sort out the American sections when I get there, as there are too many variables to consider. This seemingly shorter itinerary cost me quite a lot - $125 for the ticket reissue (despite the fact that this took 5 minutes and involved a fancy printout) and a further $134 for taxes (about $20) and fuel surcharge (the rest) for the new flights. Bastards. Still, it worked out cheaper than flying to Jakarta and rerouting to Sydney, or getting to Darwin and getting the Ghan across to Sydney. Less fun though. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 2,901,920)
1200: All this took quite a while, although as I paid I was so relieved to see the payment go through that I didn't care about the money. I flounced gleefully out of the office and went for a swim in the sea - it was really clear and warm, it being high tide - far more pleasant than yesterday. I then went to an ATM and took out RP 2,400,000, which should more than cover my trip to the Gilis and the departure tax, as well as giving me some cash in hand when I arrive in Perth. I found, after some haggling, the driver of a beat-up minibus who said he'd take me to Kuta for 40,000. When we arrived he claimed to have no change, so an involuntary tip was given. I hate taxi drivers on this Island. On the upside, I bought an Indonesian sim card and sent Clare a message telling her not to worry about telling Dad to call and confirm the transfer, all was well. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 2,951,920)
1300: I met Marcus in the corridor and we decided, as it was a perfect and incredibly hot day, to go for a surf. I put some money in a plastic bag in my pocket and off we went, having hired a board for a paltry RP 25,000. The surfing was awesome, I only caught about 4 waves the whole time we were out there and stood up on 2, and entirely knackered myself and possibly burnt my face, but it was awesome. When the thunderstorm lurking to the north started encroaching on the blue sky I called it a day, and went and collapsed on the sand, only to find the plastic bag of money had disappeared from my pocket, and was now floating somewhere in the sea for some lucky surfer to find. Also I managed to bust a fin off my board, which some unscrupulous types on the beach offered to fix for 50,000, but was half the price at the surf shop. (Total Spent/Lost: RP 3,030,920)
1630: I found out the time and called Clare to check she'd got the message - turns out she hadn't, and so the money had been sent to the Bank in Kuta Square - I rushed to an internet cafe to get the address and details, then found the same guy who had driven me to the Qantas office and we raced to the office in 6 minutes, and after I persuaded the security guard to let me in as they were closing I found that the Western Union office had closed at 1500, not 1700n as stated on the website. On the upside, I found I can pick up the money at any Western Union branch in Indonesia for the next month, so I guess I'll do it when I get back. I paid the bike guy 10,000 for his hurried service, and meandered back to find the guys and go for dinner, which is where I'm writing this now. What a hectic day... (Total Spent/Lost: RP 3,040,920)
1929: Oh, we're off to the Gilis tomorrow at 0600 for sure, finally. And now we're off to play pool.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Day 159-61 - Bali, Island of Disappointment and Disorganisation
Day 159 (Saturday 22nd) - To Bali!
I awoke late, again, checked out and headed to the Chinese Heritage Museum, as I got a free ticket on Sentosa yesterday. It was pretty interesting, although (yet again) I wouldn't have thought so had I paid full price. As I left the sky turned an ominous shade of brown, and I managed to make it to within 10 minutes of the hostel when it began pissing down incredibly hard. I met a friendly Aussie med student, studying across the bridge in Johor Bahru, with whom I chatted about the music and bar scene in Melbourne while we waited (in vain) for the rain to let off. I ran back, and still got drenched, then got the subway to the airport - I wasn't paying attention, and ended up going a couple of stops in the wrong direction, adding 25 minutes or so and 2 changes onto my already risky journey - I had left it a bit late, foolishly. In the end there was no queue for check-in so I was able to spend my last few dollars on a Burger King Rendang burger - this was an odd interpretation of my favourite indonesian dish, but pretty delicious nonetheless. The movie on the plane was Juno, which was pretty cute, and had a cool soundtrack (which I am still whistling as I write this, three days later). For some reason I was given a vegetarian meal a good half hour before everyone else on the flight - chickpea masala, if I recall. At Denpasar airport I shared a taxi to Kuta with two friendly Swedes - Marcus and Philip. I went with them to the L.A. Inn, where they asked for a triple room, after no consultation with me, so I ended up on a mattress on the floor, for a bargain price. At first I was surprised, but that was swiftly replaced by gratitude, as they seem like really sound blokes. Soon after checking in a cockroach ran across the floor (causing Marcus to freak out), so we went out to Jl Legian for a few drinks - it was 1 am, but the bars and clubs were all packed, especially Bounty. This is an enormous club which has a huge two storey Pirate ship as part of the decor, with two dancefloors in it. It was packed full of sweaty shirtless men and gorgeous women - tourists, Balinese and the ubiquitous prostitutes alike. Exhausted, we headed back after a long and bizarre conversation with a drunken Irishman, to find that our neighbours were making quite a racket - I was far enough from the wall for it not to bother me, but Philip postulated that "maybe it is a Bordello next door? they are showering and laughing all the time".
Day 160 (Sunday 23rd) - Kuta's Crap, & Happy Easter!
Rather a low key day today, for a few reasons - firstly, the weather is rubbish, really grey with sporadic annoying rain. The beach is filthy, the dirtiest beach I have ever seen - the only attempts at cleaning up have been to scrape the rubbish into big piles which are then left on the beach, and merely serve to emphasise the amount of debris. Secondly, Philip is quite ill, and seems to be coming down with flu of some sort. Marcus and I explored Kuta today, wandering aimlessly around checking the place out. We stopped for a massage on Kuta Square, which turned out to be an awesome idea - it was cheap (about £3 for an hour) and really good - there was a bowl of scented water with Frangipani flowers places under our faces on the massage table, the girls were really good (although mine had the thinnest, sharpest fingers I've ever felt) and the place was spotless and fairly luxurious. After dinner Marcus and I went out for another wander, and ended up finding cider in a bar showing Happy Gilmore - we were both so overjoyed to find cider that we stayed until the end of the film when they made us leave. We headed back to Bounty and played some pool, and were so terribly bad that the girls on the sofa next to us were openly laughing at us after a while. Yet again we stayed there longer than we intended, and drank more as well - we eventually rolled in at 4 am, meaning that Monday was a bit of a write-off as well.
Day 161 (Monday 24th) - I am rubbish
I have failed at everything today. Firstly I would like to point out that I lost my (real!) Ray-Ban Aviators in Singapore, and neglected to buy a new pair I found there, so I only have my crappy (although awesome looking) fake Wayfarers to protect my over-sensitive eyes. That hasn't been a problem so far though, as today was yet another rainy and cloudy day. Restless was how Marcus described it/himself, and I think he's about spot on. I bought a copy of Friday's Times from a street seller, and dithered about reading that for far too long before realising that it was 4 pm and the Qantas office closed at 5, and was in another part of Denpasar. I jumped in a cab and told him to hurry, and swiftly ran into a massive traffic jam. We had a perfunctory chat, he was friendly enough, although he asked me some really odd questions about whether I liked beer, and discotheques, and sexy girls - I think he may have been leading up to some kind of proposal, but he was cut short as we arrived at the Grand Bali Beach Hotel at 1655. As I paid him 70,000 Rupiah, including a tip, he pulled a nasty trick on me - seeing I was in a hurry, he somehow made a crafty switch of the 50,000 note for a 1,000, then claimed I had only given him 21,000. As I was in a massive hurry I had no choice but to capitulate and give the scamming bastard an extra 50,000, before I ran into the hotel. And I tipped him too, the crafty bugger. I arrived at the office as they turned off the lights and closed up, meaning that I'd just wasted 120,000 on a pointless journey - more than that actually, as I'll have to pay to get back to Kuta as well. I sat on the beach (also fairly grim) and pondered this for a while, as I now don't have another chance to adjust my ticket until I return from the Gili Islands - this might not be a problem, but it does mean that I have this sense of trepidation hanging over me until I can get back and sort it out. I wandered around the beach and saw some sort of ceremony taking place - about 50 traditionally dressed Balinese people sitting facing out to sea, doing some sort of praying motion. They swayed back and forth while various chants were chanted and songs were sung, before they all walked purposefully to the sea, and dumped the contents of a few bamboo baskets into the surf - these contents were then pounced upon by laughing children, who carried some of them back to shore. I have no idea what was happening or what was thrown in the sea, but after this they all disbanded and headed away, so I did too. On my walk to find a cab I found myself being waved and called at by most of the people I had seen on the beach - 40 or so of them in the back of a lorry, laughing and waving, shouting greetings in Indonesian. My cabbie this time was far more reasonable, his name was (probably still is) Madi, and he spent most of the journey tutoring me in elementary Bahasa Indonesia - almost all of which I have now forgotten, as I am truly awful at languages.
I got back to Kuta around half 7, and went for another massage, this time at the one with the laughing girls outside who we have been saying "later, later" to for the past two days. I went in to find that Marcus had had the same idea, as he was in the booth next to me. This one was a bit disappointing, as the girl seemed to spend most of the time seeing how much pain she could cause me just by rubbing the hairs on my legs in the wrong direction. I went on a massive mission to exchange some books, and ended up parting with Palin, Heinlein and 20,000 Rupiah in exchange for a Bill Bryson book on Australia, the only readable book I could find in all four shops I found. Another problem has presented itself - I took out 500,000 earlier to partially fund the Gili trip, as there are no ATMs on any of the Islands. I then tried to do it again, and was informed that my card was restricted - the same was said at each of the 5 ATMs I subsequently tried. As my English phone has stopped working, I'm a bit screwed - if they have put a block on it because I'm using it more than usual (as my debit card is in transit from Somerset to Sydney!) and I'm in an unexpected country, then they would have tried to inform me by phone, and left a message I now can't get. So, in summary, I've lost my Ray-Bans, I have no way of getting to Sydney at the moment, and no way of getting any money beyond the £30 or so I have in my wallet. Even in a country this cheap, that is a woefully inadequate amount for a week or so on a paradise island. What to do? I could try to sort out a Western Union transfer, either to here or Lombok. An extra day would really sort me out, I could do the flight and get some money, but I really want to get out of here ASAP. Hmm... I'm knackered so I'll sleep on it, although I have to be up and ready for 6 am tomorrow, the only time the 10 hour journey to Gili Trewangan begins.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Day 157/8 - Adventures with Scotsmen
Day 157 (Thursday 20th) - Night Safari!
I met two Scottish guys named Tony & Stuart from Aberdeen, who were also going on the Night Safari - they are both doing conservation work in a national park in Malaysia, and seem like top blokes. We chatted all the way there, clearly excited by the idea of seeing various animals in an unusual setting. The Night Safari was, it turned out, only kind of OK. Most of the animals wandering around were types of deer and cattle, which I suppose are the only ones they can keep without fences. There were some really cool ones too, like two types of Hyenas, a Rhino, massive Hippos, Lions, Elephants (including Chawang, an enormous bull with 6ft tusks) and Giant Anteaters - all of these were easily visible due to the Zoo's use of moats instead of fences. We saw two Leopards, a load of Civets and a Malayan Tiger all pretty close up, which was awesome - the walking trails were pretty interesting, and the guide on the tram sounded like a sexy female Borat character, as she purred her way through the park. It was cool, but probably not worth the S$33 it cost us. We returned and had a couple of drinks and played a few rounds of Shithead, before heading to bed. When we did so it was incredibly noisy outside and my earplugs were in my locker, so I had to put up with the sounds of the Hindi club opposite for hours, and then had to contend with some buffoon's alarm going off 5 times in the morning, gradually annoying the other people in the dorm more and more.
Day 158 (Friday 21st) - Sentosa
Tony, Stuart and I decided to head to Sentosa today, the touristy island off the south coast of Singapore. We opted for a tour package, as it seemed the best value - although at S$54 (20 quid!) it was by no means a bargain. This included the cablecar up to Mt Faber, a disappointing viewpoint, and back over to Sentosa Island. Here we went to the Cineblast Cinema, which was basically a load of 6 seater simulators pointing at a screen, showing a 3D experience of what it would be like to be a log felled in some kind of future civilisation - that's not very accurate but I have no idea how to describe it. It was again pretty cool, but not worth the price. We then got the bus to the Dolphin Lagoon, where we saw some Pink Dolphins doing some cool tricks, and walked along the various beaches to the Underwater World Aquarium. The beaches were actually really nice, the sand was clean and the water was pretty clear, even though you could see a load of container ships and tankers filling up in the distance. The sun was really bright in a cloudless sky, the first one I've seen in 3 weeks, so I went for a bit of a swim to cool down - in the 10 minutes I was in the water loads of clouds formed, and thunder began to rumble, so we carried on walking, hoping to get indoors before the rain started. The Aquarium was pretty cool, it had a load of Rays in a tank that you could reach in and stroke, as well as lots of colourful reef fish and a tunnel running through the massive tank full of Leopard Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Giant groupers and some other cool stuff. The best part of it all, however, was the tank outside where there were at least 8 Green and Hawksbill Turtles, including the biggest one I've ever seen - a 4 ft Green Sea Turtle, who came up and splashed about in front of us for ages - really impressive, much bigger than any of the ones I saw diving or snorkelling. I would say taht Sentosa would be worth it if you got the cheaper Monorail over there, and just hung out on the shiny, wierdly fake beach all day, while avoiding any of the "activities"
After this we headed back on the cablecar and went for dinner in Chinatown. I had my first taste of Laksa, a curryish noodle soup with (in my case) Char Siew pork and tofu - it was really delicious and cheap, which was a relief after our expensive day out. I was left with the same feeling after Sentosa as I was after the Night Safari - that i knew I'd had fun and seen some cool stuff, and I was glad I had done it, but it certainly wasn't worth the cost. I've had that feeling about all of Singapore apart from the food, and consequently I'll be glad to get to Bali tomorrow night - 50p a beer, 2 quid accommodation! After dinner we came back and played more cards, got chatting to some Australians who had slept on the street last night, and who joined us for Shithead and a few beers. I went for an awesome Indian meal quite unexpectedly about half 11 - I intended to get a naan or some roti, ended up with a mutton-based feast, which was delicious and cheap.
I met two Scottish guys named Tony & Stuart from Aberdeen, who were also going on the Night Safari - they are both doing conservation work in a national park in Malaysia, and seem like top blokes. We chatted all the way there, clearly excited by the idea of seeing various animals in an unusual setting. The Night Safari was, it turned out, only kind of OK. Most of the animals wandering around were types of deer and cattle, which I suppose are the only ones they can keep without fences. There were some really cool ones too, like two types of Hyenas, a Rhino, massive Hippos, Lions, Elephants (including Chawang, an enormous bull with 6ft tusks) and Giant Anteaters - all of these were easily visible due to the Zoo's use of moats instead of fences. We saw two Leopards, a load of Civets and a Malayan Tiger all pretty close up, which was awesome - the walking trails were pretty interesting, and the guide on the tram sounded like a sexy female Borat character, as she purred her way through the park. It was cool, but probably not worth the S$33 it cost us. We returned and had a couple of drinks and played a few rounds of Shithead, before heading to bed. When we did so it was incredibly noisy outside and my earplugs were in my locker, so I had to put up with the sounds of the Hindi club opposite for hours, and then had to contend with some buffoon's alarm going off 5 times in the morning, gradually annoying the other people in the dorm more and more.
Day 158 (Friday 21st) - Sentosa
Tony, Stuart and I decided to head to Sentosa today, the touristy island off the south coast of Singapore. We opted for a tour package, as it seemed the best value - although at S$54 (20 quid!) it was by no means a bargain. This included the cablecar up to Mt Faber, a disappointing viewpoint, and back over to Sentosa Island. Here we went to the Cineblast Cinema, which was basically a load of 6 seater simulators pointing at a screen, showing a 3D experience of what it would be like to be a log felled in some kind of future civilisation - that's not very accurate but I have no idea how to describe it. It was again pretty cool, but not worth the price. We then got the bus to the Dolphin Lagoon, where we saw some Pink Dolphins doing some cool tricks, and walked along the various beaches to the Underwater World Aquarium. The beaches were actually really nice, the sand was clean and the water was pretty clear, even though you could see a load of container ships and tankers filling up in the distance. The sun was really bright in a cloudless sky, the first one I've seen in 3 weeks, so I went for a bit of a swim to cool down - in the 10 minutes I was in the water loads of clouds formed, and thunder began to rumble, so we carried on walking, hoping to get indoors before the rain started. The Aquarium was pretty cool, it had a load of Rays in a tank that you could reach in and stroke, as well as lots of colourful reef fish and a tunnel running through the massive tank full of Leopard Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Giant groupers and some other cool stuff. The best part of it all, however, was the tank outside where there were at least 8 Green and Hawksbill Turtles, including the biggest one I've ever seen - a 4 ft Green Sea Turtle, who came up and splashed about in front of us for ages - really impressive, much bigger than any of the ones I saw diving or snorkelling. I would say taht Sentosa would be worth it if you got the cheaper Monorail over there, and just hung out on the shiny, wierdly fake beach all day, while avoiding any of the "activities"
After this we headed back on the cablecar and went for dinner in Chinatown. I had my first taste of Laksa, a curryish noodle soup with (in my case) Char Siew pork and tofu - it was really delicious and cheap, which was a relief after our expensive day out. I was left with the same feeling after Sentosa as I was after the Night Safari - that i knew I'd had fun and seen some cool stuff, and I was glad I had done it, but it certainly wasn't worth the cost. I've had that feeling about all of Singapore apart from the food, and consequently I'll be glad to get to Bali tomorrow night - 50p a beer, 2 quid accommodation! After dinner we came back and played more cards, got chatting to some Australians who had slept on the street last night, and who joined us for Shithead and a few beers. I went for an awesome Indian meal quite unexpectedly about half 11 - I intended to get a naan or some roti, ended up with a mutton-based feast, which was delicious and cheap.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Day 157 - Rejiggery-repokery
Right, I've realised that my original plan is somewhat flawed, in that it spends loads of time in places where I don't really want to spend loads of time, and also leaves me with somewhat financially crippling surface sectors which, though epic, are annoyingly impractical - these being the trip from Bali to Darwin (seemingly impossible by any normal means of conveyance), the Ghan train from Darwin to Sydney (would strip me of at least 300 quid, and I can't get to Darwin anyway), and the overland from LA-Kingston (a similar problem of cost getting to Kingston, unfortunately). These problems can just about be solved, and a potential trip to Canada built in if necessary, as seen on the "Rethink" sheet of the spreadsheet I linked to in the title and here - more for my reference than anyone else's, as now I can reach it easily whenever I come online.
Last night wasn't too eventful, I sat in front of the computer and had a beer, after toying with the idea of wandering down the infamous Desker Road, just next to my hostel. However, I was a bit too tired to deal with notorious streets of any kind, so I just put up loads of photos and went to bed in my very creaky, plastic covered and uncomfortable bunk. I have come back to The Inn Crowd and signed up for the Night Safari, which should be cool. Oh, the chap I was talking to last night asked me if I was entirely British, as I apparently have French bone structure. He also said Winston Churchill had Mongolian ancestry, as did many prominent figures, so I'm not too sure if I trust his opinion.
Last night wasn't too eventful, I sat in front of the computer and had a beer, after toying with the idea of wandering down the infamous Desker Road, just next to my hostel. However, I was a bit too tired to deal with notorious streets of any kind, so I just put up loads of photos and went to bed in my very creaky, plastic covered and uncomfortable bunk. I have come back to The Inn Crowd and signed up for the Night Safari, which should be cool. Oh, the chap I was talking to last night asked me if I was entirely British, as I apparently have French bone structure. He also said Winston Churchill had Mongolian ancestry, as did many prominent figures, so I'm not too sure if I trust his opinion.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Day 156 - Torrents, Temples, Goodbye and an Eviction
I was awoken today by the charming girl from reception asking if I was checking out today. I replied that I probably was (not entirely voluntarily, I wanted to try a bed at the Prince Of Wales to see if this rash goes away), and she told me that I definitely was as they were fully booked for tonight and it was already past check out time. I jumped up and packed (by which I mean threw all my stuff into a laundry bag and rushed out of the door), then cooked some free chili scrambled eggs and we planned the girls' last day. This was to begin with a trip to the temple of 1000 lights, a Buddhist temple nearby with a 300 tonne concrete Buddha. As we elected to do this the heavens opened, and what I can only describe as a monsoon began. I headed out to see if there was room in the Prince of Wales for tonight (there was not), Fragrance hostel (also no), or any other nearby hostels. They were all full, so I elected not to worry too much about it and just head to the temple, maybe popping into any other hostels I had read about, or that we saw along the way. The rain only got worse as we walked, so bad that walking in flip flops became an impractical hazard, so Helen and I were walking barefoot in the road, under an inch or so of water - not advisable in any other capital city, but the debris free and clean streets made it almost pleasurable, as opposed to getting glass and grime and grit between your toes as at home.
We found the temple before too long, after a few minor directions issues, and were suitably impressed. There is a 26 stage diorama of the Buddha's life in the Dais of the statue, which culminates inside with a 20ft reclining Buddha at his moment of death, covered in gold leaf. The statue itself is a little smaller than the bronze one I saw in Nara, and not quite as awe inspiring, but pretty decent nonetheless. Certainly worth braving the rain for, not least for the odd fusion of religions present inside - there is a statue of Ganesh in the back corner, Brahma oversees the birth of Prince Siddharta, and there is a Wheel of Fortune based on the chinese Zodiac which one can use to predict ones own future for 50c. I did so, and was assured that:
"The Wheel of Fortune says good omen, all misfortunes will be at an end and will be replaced by a long spell of happiness. Last year's bad luck will be this year's good luck. your suitor which you have chosen will be yours without fail. Your money affairs will prosper but do not gamble for that you have no luck. You have three benefactors and also enemies, beware of your enemies, avoid them and do not fight them as they will meet their own ends."
I take this to mean that it's all good, I'm going to have good luck with chicks, and I probably shouldn't go to Vegas. Tilly got one declaring that her fate was analogous to an incarnation of buddha where he took a cargo to trade on the high seas, when there was a storm and all was lost except the Buddha himself, the only survivor. Not good news for girls concerned about their flight this evening in bad weather...
The rain had by this point turned into an enormous thunderstorm, complete with lightning so close you could see it in the daylight and thunder so loud it was almost deafening. The girls were a little shaken by this, but I used science to convince them that, umbrella or no, the chances of them being struck by lightning in a city full of metal skyscrapers was close to nil, and also to assure them that the storm was going away using the old counting between lightning and thunder method, but adding a value for the speed of sound into the mix to convince them. I headed out to a nearby hostel I had read about, not too fancy but adequate for one night. In fact, the beds are fairly flimsy, the mattresses plastic covered beneath the sheets, and the showers lukewarm and leaky. Top five accommodations since leaving Japan (just), but second from bottom in Korea, Japan and Singapore (I feel it's reasonable to make a Japan/Korea/Singapore Laos/Thailand/Malaysia split, in terms of cost, quality and value for money). Checked in, I headed back to pick up my stuff from The Inn Crowd, and the usually frosty (yet gorgeous) lady behind the desk said, in her oddly clipped manner, that I could come back tomorrow as they had beds, and she was sorry to see me go. I think I will return, I'll see if I survive the bed/the bed survives me.
I headed out to use the wireless in McDonalds, and got distracted by a £1 ramen place. I had tasty won ton ramen and an awesome pint of home made lemon ice tea, and as I was reading my book (The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert A. Heinlein) another elderly Indian gentleman - although not as old as Kandi - said it looked interesting, and asked if it had anything to do with Schrodingers cat - at that very second I was reading the sentence "Oh no, Pixel doesn't belong to Schrodinger; Pixel hasn't selected his human yet - unless he has picked you?" There had been no mention of Schrodinger before this page in the book, 344 pages in, so I decided this meeting was auspicious and put the book down for a chat. This gentleman was not interested in imparting knowledge to me, but instead in espousing his opinions on various quirks of history. He started on a mention of quantum physics, and then onto the book he had been reading about hypotheses on the origin of the atlantis myths, and how many objections to the downfall of various civilisations could only be given through allegory and fiction, the place of storytelling and associated racial memories (if you will) in the creation of history, the position of religion as a political tool, as a cheaper way to raise faithful armies than actually paying the m. He also spoke on Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire, the conversion to Islam of those who wished to survive in newly conquered countries during the days of the, umm, I forget which empire, and the question of whether one would rather live submissive to an oppressive ruling class or pay the price of freedom - he conjectured that the vast majority would do the former. He had a lot to say on the interesting political situations of the late 1930s, with the fascist changes occurring across Europe and Russia, and so on. He also spoke at length about the problems currently facing the world as currency had largely lost its referent (formerly gold), and how society would soon need to address this issue before it was too late. He then hinted darkly at a terrible future by way of a rhetorical question to which he did not supply the answer - "When civilisation fully realises this problem, and power plays start becoming more important, what will happen then? What will happen? I think you know, and so we have come full circle, back to Quantum Physics and the cat with which we started". I have to confess I don't know, but I assume he was referring to some sort of nuclear armageddon, although I can't be too sure.
Wireless in McDonalds failed to work, so instead I waited ages for my apple pie, drank a load of (delicious) green jasmine tea, and wandered back to the hostel where I finished my book. For a while I had been concerned that it was all building to a crescendo of sorts, as I was getting very near to the end and still new ideas and questions were being raised, and I couldn't see a way in which they could all be explored or answered. As it turns out, they were not - I am left a little ambivalent at the end, unsure as to whether the tale was really finished, whether success or failure had occurred, and unclear on a few other points as well. I feel like rereading it, but not immediately. I shall instead make a point of getting more Heinlein first, as this may help me understand what on earth just occurred. I need to figure out just what I'm going to do on Bali - if Marie decides she can join me, fantastic, I shall hang about the Islands until she does, and be happy to do so. If not, I'll get that Bali & Lombok book, explore Bali a bit further than Kuta - all I saw last time - and head to the Gili Islands. In fact, this is what I'll do in either respect, I just may take less time about it if I'm on my own with no reason to hang around if I tire of a place. I'm sort of getting impatient for Australia - due to time and money, I think I'll have to skip the epic Ghan train from Darwin to Sydney. In fact, I'll be skipping the top and centre altogether, instead attempting to fly from Bali straight to Sydney or Melbourne, completely rejigging my whole Aus trip for $75 hopefully, and gaining an extra North American flight segment or two in the process - iff I plan it correctly, which I am rather bad at doing, due to my tendency for whimsy and lack of decision making skills. Hmm, only time will tell, I suppose.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Day 155 - Toys, Bars & Raffles
I woke today to see that the red bumps on my elbow had spread to cover my upper arms, part of my back, the back of my legs, and part of my forearms and neck. They're not particularly itchy (until I think about them, now I've written that they're becoming pesky). The mancunian girls were getting a little concerned, and made me promise to go and se a Doctor or at least a pharmacy and see what was going on. I did some research about this and fully intended to get it checked out, but instead ended up wandering about the streets to check out Bugis Village, which has cheap clothes markets where I bought a shirt for this evening, and also getting generally quite lost. I found a little chinese eating house/food court for lunch- I should point out here what I mean. All over this city there are little eating houses, mostly on street corners, surrounded by plastic tables and chairs. Usually the stalls consist of between 3 and 10 little food stalls selling various types of food, all of one common origin, eg. Chinese or Indian. You can order from any one of the stalls, paying on recipt of your food. Invariably these are the cheapest places to eat, with dishes costing between S$1 and S$6, or from 40p to about £2.50. However, this economy does not extend to drinks - today I had a plate of fragrant chicken & rice and a beer - the latter costing three times as much as the former.
I kept walking to my destination, the MINT toy museum opposite Raffles Hotel. This was really cool, housing an enormous collection of toys, grouped into the following categories, with a floor dedicated to each - Outer Space, Characters, Childhood Favourites and Collectibles. They had loads of movie memorabilia in all sections, and it's definitely worth a visit. After this I headed home to get ready for our sophisticated evening out - firstly drinks in a bar at the top of the Stamford Swissotel, then in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. I had arranged to meet the girls in either New Asia Bar or the other one on the 70th floor. There was a S$15 cover charge which included one drink, although apparently this didn't apply between 8 and 9 as the girls didn't pay entry. I arrived at 7:50, bugger. The drinks were pretty good, only S$10/£3.50 for a Happy Hour Caipirinha, which was definitely worth it for a drink in such opulent and lofty surroundings. We stayed for another before going over to Raffles, which was, in a word, disappointing. It had the same fans as Positively 4th Street on Hampstead Road in Camden, as I had been assured by Big Rob. We were greeted on the stairs by a passing tour party - not a good omen. The floor was covered in peanut shells from the free monkey nuts on each table, giving it an unswept saloon look. We made our excuses to the attentive barman and ran away, scared by the S$20 Singapore Slings if nothing else. We ended up retreating to Little India for a pretty delicious meal, an unexpected Chicken Masala & Dum Biryani, washed down with a big bottle of some strong Indian beer. Once again, we were in bed by about 1 - these girls have no stamina, or no money and are being sensible, one or the other.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Day 154 continued - Advice and a quiet St Patrick's Day
I met the girls and found they had already eaten, so I headed to a nearby Indian restaurant. Here I had another wicked meal, Lamb Masala this time. After I had finished an ancient looking Indian gentleman asked if I was British, and when I affirmed this he invited me to sit with him as he wished to tell me a joke. I did so, and he said "The thing about the British, is that they will only fight a war they know they can win!" He then proceeded to chuckle for a while, as did I, out of politeness more than amusement, to be honest. The conversation then took a rather interesting turn, as he started asking questions of me, and told me that my parents should have advised me to do the following: "If you get the chance, always go and talk to an old man." I had my book on the table, and so he decided it was his job to impart wisdom upon me, so he said
"Reading maketh a man,
Troubles maketh a better man,
Conferences maketh a perfect man."
When I misheard the last one as confidences, he suddenly became angry for two or three seconds, as he did every time I misheard him. He told me all about his life (he's 73, his mum is Thai and his dad is Indian, his name is Kandiah, he has 3 kids, the youngest of whom is 32, they are variously graduates in computer science and some other stuff he was very proud of, he spent 40-odd years in the Singapore police force, his pension is S$875 a month I think, and he was talking about spending S$40 a month on his son's tennis coaching when he was young - to express how much this was at the time, he told me that mutton at the time was S$1.35 a pound, I think. Why he thought this would have some meaning for me is beyond me). He gave me a few other tips during our lengthy chat, including:
"It is better for a woman to marry a man who loves her, than to marry the man she loves"
"Fate and confidence joined together rule the universe"
Quite what I was supposed to do with these I don't know, but he seemed very content once he'd passed them on, and made sure I had written them down correctly. He kept talking for a while, and I chipped in wherever I could, although my lack of life experience left me mute on most subjects. He informed me that there are 1000 Gurkhas in the singapore police force, and told me about the extraordinary fighting spirit they have, and how it was no longer as important in modern warfare. he ended up steering the conversation round to his original statement about the British. Here he said "I think you are too young to talk to me, although it seems you are very well informed." I accepted this compliment and departed to find the girls for a few drinks in the hostel and the Prince of Wales - I was expecting some sort of rowdiness, however this was not the case at all - we just had a few jamjars/sangrias and were in bed before 1. Not the most massive of St. Patrick's Days.
Day 153/4 - Wandering Around Singapore
Day 153 (Sunday 16th) - Wandering around Singapore
Bored of waiting for a bed, I went for a wander at about 10, after sorting out free citywide wireless (this place is the future, honestly). I walked through Little india (vibrant & aromatic) to the Raffles Hotel (fancy & historical) and on to Suntec City Hall Mall, where I remained for a while due to the intermittent rain. I was in there for hours, partly due to weather and partly due to being really lost. Inside I found the DC comics store, a cosplay shop specialising in Naruto, the fountain of wealth, which is apparently the largest fountain in the world, & the enormous Harris bookstore - which stocked an 8 volume Manga account of the Buddha's life by Osama Tezuka, which I read a bit of and liked a lot. Also I read loads in the Bali & Lombok Lonely Planet - I think I'll go back and purchase it at some point. The shopping here is crazy, I've never seen so much stuff I wanted, although all I need is a pair of Havaianas (I broke one in Pai and my replacements are rubbish and uncomfortable), & they're the one thing I can't find. Anyway, when the rain ceased I kept walking, down to the Esplanade Theatre complex (looks like a giant Durian) 7 on to the Merlion statue, before finding an MRT station & heading to Chinatown. Chinatown was cool and muticoloured (although it was pretty cloudy so all my pictures look a little grey) with loads of food stalls and intriguing little shops. I walked in what I thought was the right direction to get back, but was in fact exactly the wrong way. I got back to Little India along with loads of Indian men returning (I assume) from work. They had roughly an 80% moustache rate - I must have seen well over 1000 moustaches in the space of 10 minutes, which is awesome. I went round the corner for dinner, where I was bullied into having what the guy next to me was having. Here's how it went:
Waiter (urgently): Hello, what you want?
Me (sitting down): Hi, I'm just having a look at the menu.
W (gesticulating at the man next to me): You want that? Same? It's good, special today!
M (flustered): Well, I was thinking about the Coco...
W (interrupting): Chicken Dum Biryani yes? Very good, coming right up!
M (defeated): Yes, fine, sure...
It came on a banana leaf, a fried chicken wing/breast, some curry sauce of some kind, an egg, coleslaw and a huge mound of yellow biryani rice, all of which to be eaten with one hand - the right, as this is a muslim restaurant. As it turns out, it was very good, and only cost me about S$4, which is pretty cheap. I've had an oddly eclectic food day - jam on toast for breakfast, a BBQ pork floss bun and a cream cheese bun from a Chinese bakery for lunch, and Chicken Dum Biryani for dinner. All of which were delicious, especially the BBQ bun.
Day 154 (Monday 17th) - Happy Birthday Birdie!
I was up at 8 and breakfasting by 9, ready to shoot off to Qantas and sort out my flight. I walked towards the MRT, only to get hopelessly lost and ended up getting a cab to the office. My cabbie was very chatty and cheery, and was of Malay/Javanese origin, and so was very interested when I said I'd come from Malaysia and was headed to Bali. He taught me Selamat Pagi (good morning) and Terimah Kasi (thank you), the only two phrases I already knew, and Apa khabar? (how are you?). Nice of him anyway though. I managed to change my flight with no difficulty, and I'm now flying to Bali on the 22nd. Spent the rest of the day exploring Orchard Street, the main shopping street in Singapore. I decided that one thing I needed was a voltage transformer so I could charge & play my Game Boy micro, which I haven't been able to do since Japan. I was variously quotes S$89, S$50+, and eventually S$40 (which I haggled to 30 and accepted), which all seemed a little steep as the thing only cost me the equivalent of S$ in the first place. I then embarked on a Havaiana & shorts search, which failed, but I don't really mind as I got to see all the other Malls, which were reasonably diverse - my favourites were the dodgy chinese ones crammed with tiny shops - I felt much more at home there than among all the Gucci and Louis Vuitton stores. I stopped in McDonalds to use the free Wi-Fi to compare some prices with home, and had a Chicken McSpicy Burger (which certainly was) to justify my presence. I'm back at the hostel now wondering if I'll see the girls again, as that would avoid me having to go out for solo St. Patrick's day drinks. Also I am wondering what all these little bumps on my elbows are, which are itching a little and concerning me a little as well.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Day 153 - A quick aside...
I had a day of wandering about the city for 7 or 8 hours, and when I returned I had a shower etc, and a friendly Indian gentleman watched me, smiling and saying hello and such, for the entire time it took me to shave. This was odd, but he seemed perfectly happy, and after a little while so was I. Then a large Indian man came in and asked for help with his belt, which the smaller fellow promptly did up, and returned to his friendly observations.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Day 152 - Bad and Good Luck, and Singapore...
Helen's alarm went off at 7 am, & she turned it off 5 times without waking up. the plan was to be up early and at the Petronas Towers by 8:30, as tickets are issued on a first come, first served basis. we didn't really make it anywhere until noon, when we went to the bus station and booked tickets for the midnight bus to Singapore - only RM 30, bargain. I led us on a journey across town, on foot, to the KL Lake Gardens via Central Market and the National Mosque - the gardens are supposedly huge, cooler than the rest of the city, and pretty nice, however when we got there we found the gates closed, with no visible way in, so we hopped the fence in full view of the indifferent guard. It was grey and looked to be threatening rain, but we were hot and knackered after the (somewhat circuitous, due to my poor navigation) walk, so we found a place to sit anyway. While sitting and writing postcards, a friendly Malay-Indian guy, who said he worked in billboard advertising, came and chatted to us about various things - the weather, the freedom of Thailand compared to Malaysia and Singapore, his adventures at the Full Moon Party, and so on. He also informed us that they were renovating the park, and gave us directions. What a helpful dude.
We got the LRT to KLCC, where the Petronus Towers are, to get a glimpse of them at dawn - as we arrived at the station it started to piss down torrentially (at 5 pm, just as the Indian bloke said it would), so we stayed indoors and walked around the mall - just another fancy shopping centre like Siam Paragon etc., selling the exact same stuff in the same overpriced shops. We went out and looked in awe at the towers for a bit, & I popped in to see where one would get the tickets if we had been there early. As I did, a lady asked me how many we were, and said she's had some returns as it was raining, so we ended up getting free tickets after all, despite turning up half an hour before closing! The views were pretty awesome, although not as good as from KL Tower, as we were only half way up these ones, on the 41st storey Skybridge.
We went inside again to await dark to take more pictures, and sat down in the A&W burger bar, where I had a truly bizarre drink - a pint mug of root beer float, with loads of vanilla ice cream. I can't say it was too tasty, but it was cold and filled some time - I won't be having it again though - I'm not doing too well on drinks today, I had something pink from a street stall earlier that tasted like perfume and had purple wobbly bits in it. We got the LRT back home, and went for dinner at a street stall round the corner, where I thoroughly overstretched myself, ordering three dishes to try and get rid of all my remaining Ringgit. The bus we got was really good, only 24 seats on a massive coach, really comfortable recliners. I fell asleep almost immediately we got on, waking at 4 am at the border at Johor Bahru. We're now sitting in the kitchen/common room of The Inn Crowd, waiting for reception to open at 8 (we've been here since 6), and hopefully we might be able to check in before 12, but I'm doubtful...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Day 151 - Kuala Lumpur!
We got into KL Sentral two hours late, got a Taxi to Chinatown and found a 4 bed room in the Backpackers Inn. After the most refreshing shower in the world, we headed out for breakfast and an adventure, heading to KL Tower (the 4th largest communication tower in the world, apparently), which gave us amazing views of the city - it's far more green than any other Asian city I've been to, with far less squalid cramped areas (as far as I could see) - although my camera ran out after I'd been at the top for about 10 minutes. I got the (mercifully air-conditioned) subway back to Chinatown and have been taking advantage of the Wi-Fi, and the fact that it's raining outside, for quite a while now. I am confirmed on Qantas flight Q76 from Singapore to Bali at 2035 on the 18th, although I might try to change this if possible, even if it does take 10 minutes on hold before you get through. The girls have found that they can't change their flights, despite what STA claimed when they sold them the tickets, so they're going to be around until the 19th, mostly in Singapore I think.
We headed out for a drink at Reggae Pub via the market on Petaling Street - I ended up with some new Wayfarers ("original copy", according to the grinning vendor), a little tripod, two padlocks and a pocket watch with Chairman Mao on it - it was that or the Kaaba and Mecca, and I made a panic choice. We were in bed by 0030, Reggae Pub was OK, just a cramped bar full of westerners, and some (one especially) beautiful Malay girls too. This city's a really thorough mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian people - although we were staying in Chinatown, next to Little India, so maybe the mix isn't so thorough elsewhere.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Day 150 - Hills, Canopies, Buses & Trains
The others all left this morning, leaving me alone again - I went off into the jungle around half 11, wearing boots that fit, which felt wonderful. The walk was hot and sticky, & I passed various placards telling me about the flora and fauna of the Taman Negara. I saw precious little fauna, apart from some small Wild Boar, a Squirrel and what I thought was a Skink. I saw plenty of interesting plants though, including loads of really ornate Liana vines, coiling round everything in sight. Due to a wrong turn I accidentally climbed to the top of Bukit Terisek (Terisek Hill), which exhausted me, as it was far steeper than I was prepared for - the views from 344 m up were, I think, worth it. I headed back down & eventually found the walkway, although just as I got on it began pissing down. The walkways a re really thin, only about a foot wide, & really bouncy too. I think the highest one is about 45 m off the forest floor, which was a little worrying until I saw a family with tiny kids walking behind me. The rain persisted for the exact length of time it took me to get to the end of the walkway, annoyingly. The journey back was cool as I had the entire route to myself, everyone else sheltering at one end or the other. I got back, checked out, and got a ticket for the bus to Jerantut, where I'll hopefully get the 0026 train to KL, where I'll stay for at least 2 nights, taking me to the 17th before I get t0 Singapore - I think I'll have to change my flight back to the 22nd to give me a chance to see the place, if only I could get through to Qantas...
-----------------------------------------
Well, I spent the afternoon reading, got a bus to Jerantut and waited around for ages. I went to the food stalls and had at least 10 chicken and beef satay sticks, and something delicious, meaty and fried. I met three cool mancunian girls while I was waiting, who are going to KL as well (and said the Jungle Railway was a big disappointment). We ended up waiting until 0130, having been informed that we couldn't buy tickets at the station as the train was fully booked - meaning when we got on there were no sleeper bunks, no seats, and nowhere whatsoever for us to sleep. We ended up finding two seats together in which Helen and I slept, while Tilly and Alex curled up in a ball by the doors and tried to sleep, and apparently failed. Three hours later we switched, however I couldn't fit in the gap they'd been sleeping in so I found another place to sleep for a bit, then woke Helen up when some more became available.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Day 149 - Bats, Rapids, Beers & Locks
Dave has his voice back, and is unexpectedly french canadian. He demonstrated his rediscovered voice by doing vocal exercises outside the window this morning for ages, which was a wierd wakeup call. After a breakfast of french toast, I went over to the resort and hired some boots - the largest they had were an 8, which I could just about squeeze into, & which hurt like hell. Dave, Chris and I set off on a trek to the bat cave, which is 2.8 km away over various hills and down various muddy slopes thick with treacherous roots. We took an hour or so to get there, and when we arrived we met 4 barefoot Irish girls & their guide, E, who had just been through. We headed in guideless (E lent me his torch) & before long we came across a "crapload of bats" hanging from the ceiling. We were fairly covered in bat guano before too long, going into cave after cramped cave full of hundreds of bats. We came to an impasse, where our 3 options were (1) go back the way we came, (2) squeeze through a really slim gap towards daylight, or (3) half crawl through a really low, bat-filled tunnel. I took option 2, found the proper exit and backtracked through the cave to direct the others through option 3, which looked thoroughly unpleasant and ended up with Chris falling into the stream and getting soaked.
On our way back we took 3 or so wrong turns, extending the already exhausting (it was about half one by this point and incredibly hot) journey, while our tiredness was exacerbated by the lies posted on the signs, concerning distance remaining. We got back at 2 on the dot, leaving us half an hour to shower and prepare for 'Rapid Shooting' in the afternoon. This ended up starting pretty late, especially as we had to wait around for 4 dour Koreans to show up. The rapid shooting was fun, we headed upstream in a long wooden boat with the driver (E again) jerking the engine around so that we got as wet as possible. On our way we were informed that the Koreans were going to the Orang Asli village, & we could join them if we wanted for RM 5, which is a bargain (none of us had any money, so E lent us the RM 15 we needed - he said he'd show us where to get cheap beer later as well - Legend). We went up and watched a demo of firemaking techniques, drank from Liana vines and saw how to make and fire blowpipe darts, shooting them at a stuffed penguin. The Koreans started taking really odd photos with the Asli kids, taking them by the hand whether they liked it or not, wandering uninvited into their houses, and generally intruding. We had to wait around for them for ages as a result. We were all soaked and happy on our return, as well as exhausted. Tonight we're having drinks for a Quebecois fellow called Simon's birthday. Ooh, a Malay guy has just walked by with a guitar and been persuaded to play Hotel California, gotta go.
-----------------------------
So after our sing song I headed off to the Bob Marley shop to buy beers - this involves going to a small clothing and nik-nak shop & asking for beer in a hushed voice, which causes the lady to look around furtively before climbing over a stable door to the back room, and returning (in this case) with their entire stock of beer - 8 cans of Tiger. This is all done in a very underhand manner, as if a law is being broken, but it can't be that secret if every traveller manages to find the place on their first night here. We (Dave, Chris, Rijel and myself) went for dinner at one of the floating restaurants, & while we were there we were buzzed by two enormous Cicadas, which were caught by the guys who work there. We examined them for a while, which prompted Rijel to exclaim "By Zeus! He must be at least 2.3 inches, antenna to wingtip!" He really is a remarkable fellow, is Rijel. When we first saw him clad in boots, chinos, a safari style shirt (complete with a little leather tie thing, the only visible concession to his home state of Texas) & a waistcoat with innumerable pockets & accessories attached, including binoculars, a handlens, a monocular, a fob watch and a reasonable sized wood handled umbrella. He has the head of James Van Der Beek and was born in Kenya, but has lived 20 of his 22 years in Texas. He's a great bloke, whose accent has no trace of Texan (or Kenyan for that matter) - he sounds and behaves like an English gentleman of the highest order.
Our beer supply exhausted, we headed over to Woodlands Resort on E's recommendation to get some takeaways, as they have a (far more official looking) bar. On the way back we spied loads more giant Cicadas, and a 5 inch Praying Mantis, which Rijel and E examined with gusto. Out of nowhere E flagged down a passing minibus which gave us all a lift back to our chalet, for free! The rest of the eveing was spent sitting at the Bob Bar, chatting nonsense with the occasional bit of singing. As I mentioned, the purpose of all this merrymaking was to celebrate Simon's birthday, although he didn't even show up until around 1 am. When we finally repaired to bed we found that the dorm in which Simon and the 4 Irish girls were staying was locked, with the key inside. Simon promptly got some hairpins and started trying to pick the lock, while muttering such ridiculous things as "I swore I'd never do this again", "You learn a lot of stuff, growing up in a bad neighbourhood", "I hate myself for doing this" & "No matter where you go, your past always catches up with you eh?" - he only addressed these to me, as I was holding a light for him. I had asked for, and wished for, no explanation as to why he supposedly knew how to pick a lock. All his fiddling ultimately failed, and the day was saved (again) by E, who got hold of a Machete, slid it down the side of the door, banged it, and the door popped open. What a guy.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Day 148 - To the Jungle!
Well, I've left the Perhentian Islands - I realised that it's largely an island for couples, or Swedes, and I found it hard to meet people. Now I'm on my way to Taman Negara, having chosen poorly - the plan was to get the Jungle train and then the boat, but upon checking the train times I didn't reckon I could make the 9:30 train, unless I headed out on the 4 pm boat, stayed a night in Kota Bharu and got it in the morning. Another advantage would have been that I could get the boat up the river, which is apparently very beautiful. So I got the bus ticket instead, moved to Senja (the fancy place at the end of the beach) for Rm 75 a night, mainly because it has 24 hr electricity and I wanted to charge all my stuff. I had to be up at half 6 for the boat, so I just read for a bit. Yesterday I got a variety of new books - Cornwell, Dostoevsky and Theroux were traded for Heinlein, Palin and Eco - I'm starting with Around The World In 80 Days, & I'm already half way through. It's strange and thrilling reading about his journey - his start at the Reform Club (where I've dined), his stay at the luxurious White Swan in Guangzhou (where I've stayed), and his use of the Hong Kong - Cheung Chao ferry & a Tokyo Capsule Hotel, both of which I've used - the last two not being such coincidences, as many thousands if not millions must have used them too.
Up at 6:30, the journey to shore was far less horrendous than the journey out, although the boat was packed to the gunwales with 20 people, compared to 5 on the way out. Upon arrival at Kuala Besut, I told some bewildered Travellers about the train to KL, which leaves at 0930 and 1910 (I think) from Wakaf Baharu, as the buses to KL are apparently full until the 17th. They hurried off gratefully, I just hope I was right. I asked the guy in the travel agent if we were going to get the boat from Kuala Tembeling into the jungle, to which he proudly replied "No! Bus all the way, no need for boat!" as if this was a positive feature of the journey. 10 of us were crammed into a minibus with all the luggage, after waiting 20 minutes for a guy who looks exactly like David Walliams doing an impression of a German tourist. The bus was the exact right size for me to wedge my back against the seat and my knees against the one in front. I was also sitting next to a horrendously sunburnt woman I saw on the island yesterday, who has amazing sunglasses marks surrounded by red, crinkly skin.
This stage of the journey lasted 4 hours or so, before we changed buses at Gua M___. Here I shun the groups of people buying Pringles & try out the little restaurant across the road. Here I am shown the options in big dishes - 3 chicken things, 1 fish, and 1 'meat'. The chicken one I choose has no more meat in it, & I am offered bits of fried neck and spine to be added to the sauce, assured it is the same meat, but I opt for the 'meat', as it is at least in bone-free chunks. Everyone else serves themselves into Banana leaves & eats with their fingers, whereas I'm served mine on a plate, with cutlery. I don't really mind too much, as it's tasty & only costs RM 5 (70p), with a can of Mirinda as well.
I'm soon ensconced on a spacious 30 seat VIP bus for the remaining 5 hours. Whilst dozing, I'm awoken by huge bumps in the road and a torrent outside. We pass through very jungly countryside, interrupted with what I can only assume are rubber, palm and maybe pineapple plantations. We also cross many swirling brown rivers, swollen from the rain, stretching off through the lush green landscape towards mist shrouded hills. As if to tease us, the bus makes a stop in Kuala Tembeling, where the boat leaves from - we pass a sign saying
Taman Negara
<--Boat | Land-->
& we unfortunately take the right fork. We've paid for entry to the park for us (RM 1) and our cameras (RM 5), and been issued with a map of Kuala Tahan, list of stuff to do, tours and accommodation. I took a brief peek around Kuala Tembeling while others were getting cash, in the vain hope of finding a clothing store - due to trees, bugs & especially leeches, it is advised to wear sturdy footwear & long trousers and sleeves when in the forest. Due to my largely beach based itinerary so far, for me this consists of white Converse, black jeans and a red cowboy shirt. I am woefully underprepared, and can only hope there is an appropriate shop somewhere in Kuala Tahan.
I have met some cool people in my dorm at Ekoton Chalets - Tony the northerner, Minnesota Sarah, Chris from Chester, who's a maths graduate working in Ayuthaya, and Dave, Chris' mate, who is a mute. Well, he actually has a bad throat and can make no sound other than laughter, but on meeting me claimed to be deaf. They invited me to dinner on a floating restaurant, then I went and spent ages on the Internet trying to sort out getting my debit card and the plane/boat/train from Bali to Sydney, which is looking like being an expensive and complex nightmare. Afterwards I met Chris and Tony in a restaurant & we swapped stories for a while, until some other English guys arrived back from a night safari, along with Sarah who was freaking out about (a) the leech she had just found and removed from her leg, and (b) the bat, later discovered to be a massive Cicada (more on those tomorrow), which was flying around our dorm.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Day 146-7 - "The problem with doing nothing, is that it's hard to tell when you are done"
Day 146 (Sunday 9th) - Not a lot
I spent far too long last night reading, in fact I finished my book at about 2am. I wandered down the beach and found David and Mathilda sunbathing, so I joined them and promptly dozed off for a while - when I awoke they had gone. I went to the minimart which rents books, and got out The Stranger At The Pallazzo D'Oro by Paul Theroux, who I have been wanting to read since finishing Call Of The Wierd. It's really good, although I was led to believe he was a travel writer, whereas this is a (fairly explicit) tale set in Sicily about a strange relationship between a young student and a Countess, as well as a few short memoirs (fictional, I think) and other stories. Eva went diving and surfing today - the former was a bit rubbish due to poor visibility, and I hadn't realised that the latter was really an option here, so I might have a go tomorrow. While she was surfing she met a Malay guy who invited her (and her friends) to a party of sorts over on Long Beach. After dinner and some cards we headed over, but completely failed to find them, so we just had one (rather unpleasant tasting) beer and headed back over to this side, where we sat around a bonfire listening to the guy from Fatimah Chalets (who has a very grumpy and unfriendly looking english wife/girlfriend) playing Guitar. Eva, David and Mathilda are all leaving tomorrow, for Kuala Lumpur and a surfing town down the coast which I forget the name of. I think I'm going to head off on Tuesday, to Cameron Highlands or the Taman Negara. Some research is necessary...
Day 147 (Monday 10th) - Research
I'm fairly sure I have decided to go to the Taman Negara, however due to my limited time I don't think I can take the Jungle Railway, which is a big disappointment. If I take it I have to spend the night before in Kota Bharu, then a night in Jerantut as the last boat for the park leaves at 2 pm, and the train doesn't arrive until half three, assuming it's on time (which it won't be). Instead I think I'll get the 8 am ferry tomorrow morning, then the 10:00 am bus straight down to Kuala Tahan, which is the base camp for the park, or so I've been told. I'll stay there one or two nights, before getting the night train to Kuala Lumpur for a day or two, then on to Singapore before flying to Bali. I think I can always change my flight from the 18th to the 22nd if I find either city particularly engaging. Yes, that's what I'll do, and this afternoon I think I'll try some surfing.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Day 144-5 - Perhentian Kecil
Day 144 (Friday 6th) - Happy 91st Birthday Grandma!
Last night on my way home from the Internet place - the fancier resort at the end of the beach has Wi-Fi, surprisingly - David (who is just finishing a Maths & Physics degree, by the way) and Eva from the boat asked me to come and play cards. Shithead is the only game we all knew how to play, and I lost three out of four times.
Today I awoke a little later than I planned, about half 12, and headed across the island to Long beach, which has an oddly ramshackle and unfinished air about it. There are 4 or 5 shops and restaurants in the middle, a couple at either end, and nothing really in between. I'll be intrigued to see what it's like at night, as this is supposedly where what little nightlife there is is concentrated. The beach is pretty nice, although it's windy as hell today. On the advice of the bloke from Daniel's cafe I went on a 'trek' (his words, not mine) up to the wind turbines on top of the hill, as there are apparently great views. This isn't really true, all you can really see is the rocky bay below, and a bit of big island, but not much else. There are, however, 2 large turbines & banks of solar panels, which leaves me a little bewildered as to why most of the island runs on generators.
I followed the path/road on down the other side, where it sort of terminates with a shack or two, a digger and some other equipment - I didn't investigate further, as I had already passed a 'NO ENTRY - AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY' sign. On the way back I saw a spraypainted sign saying 'D'Lagoon' or something to that effect. I followed the path through the jungle, losing and finding it a few times, before arriving at the end at a really rocky and windswept bay, with 2 tarp-covered shacks and nothing else. Having put so much effort into getting here, I remained for a while, before getting too cold (I don't agree with this being cold in Malaysia nonsense) and heading back over the hill, which was a lot steeper on the way back up than on the way down, I swear. On the way back I saw a 3-4 ft monitor lizard running across the path, which was pretty cool. We saw a similar one on our way back from Freedom Beach on Koh Tao, and David said they saw 3 outside our bungalows earlier. Tomorrow I think I'm going to go on a snorkelling trip with David, Eva and a few others, as due to elections (again!) the Malay instructors can't do any courses until Tuesday or so. I'm fairly sure I did nothing remarkable after that, just went to the internet place again, had dinner, watched some godawful film with Antonio Banderas about teaching dance to angry New York kids, and went home to sleep. Oh, I forgot, Eva taught us a drinking game involving dice, but since none of us felt like drinking, it sort of failed. We made a half-hearted promise to try it again tomorrow night, with drinks this time. Also I lost a few more games of Shithead - I have been the Shithead 6 out of 8 games so far. Boo.
Day 145 (Saturday 8th) - Snorkelling
And overslept, at that. I woke up at 10:05, panicked, brushed my teeth and ran, shirtless and shoeless, to the dive shop we were going snorkelling from. As it turned out, this was unnecessary as our guide was late for some reason, so we didn't leave until 11. Our first stop was the light house, which is surrounded by coral and pinnacles - in fact, the whole day we were snorkelling there wasn't really any clear sand or empty rocks, everything was completely covered in coral. We saw a fair few colourful fish, although visibility was pretty low. Next stop was Turtle Bay, where we were one of three or four boats circling a central point. Everyone was looking out for sea turtles, and when one was spotted everyone swarmed to follow it. We saw 2 here, I think, pretty big ones too - at least 2 ft across, both of them. We headed closer to shore, our guide (called Matt) deftly nipping over the 'no boats allowed' ropes, and we saw another couple of turtles, one of whom was massive, at least a metre across. David was feeling pretty ill and missed the first few, but saw this one, which was good. Next stop was Shark Point 2, where we didn't see much at all. David swam back early and later told us that in his weakened state he was worried he wouldn't make it, and was genuinely terrified. All we saw was a big blue Boxfish, similar to a Puffer.
We stopped for lunch at the Fisherman's Village, which is far less rustic than I was expecting, and is in fact a little port town with a school, police station and various other amenities. Our guide seemed disappointed, and tenuously asked us if we really wanted to see Sharks - we replied yes, if possible, so he took us out to Shark Point 1, across the choppy waves. We got in, all except David, and swam towards and past some rocks in the middle of the bay, and almost immediately we saw a metre-long Black-Tip Reef Shark, swimming slowly away from us. Further searching turned up a couple more, including a 2m pregnant female one, which Matt said was among the biggest he's seen. On the way to our next he took us through a gap in the rocks which couldn't have been more than 8 inches wider than his boat, for no reason whatsoever, at startling speed. This terrified David and Eva who were facing backwards, and didn't realise what was going on until the rocks were zooming past their heads.
Next stop was 'Romantic Beach', a really nice little beach north of Coral Bay, with incredibly fine white sand. Here I was forced to do something very unromantic - due to the Chicken Cili Berakan (I think) that I had last night, I suddenly and urgently needed the toilet, and was forced to climb up the rocks into the jungle, find a spot where the others couldn't really see me, and bury my shame in the sand. Luckily I remembered to bring toilet paper, as the only leaves about were painful looking Aloe plants. Anyway, we sat on the beach for a little bit, building stuff in the sand, before Matt took us back to Coral Bay at an unbelievable speed, just to show off. I think I got a little sunburnt today, and certainly got exhausted. It was all I could do when we got back to get in my hammock and read my book - I've finally finished Crime and Punishment, which was really good, far better and easier than I'd been expecting, and now I'm reading Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell, which I have already almost finished since starting it last night - it's a compelling read. Dinner was eaten alone, but was delicious nonetheless - freshly caught BBQ Kingfish, rice, coconut curry sauce, coleslaw, Roti & curry sauce, and watermelon. That's not very interesting, is it? I'll leave that sort of stuff out in future, sorry.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Day 142/3 - An Arduous Journey
The first stage of my departure from Thailand went pretty smoothly - I was picked up from the hotel at 12, drove all over the island to the public bus station, and waited ages for a bus to take us to the ferry itself - a great big ugly passenger ferry, which was belching thick black smoke all the way to the mainland. The journey was pretty boring, it rained sporadically and I grew to hate a fat German family who were on the bus with me. Not only were they all corpulent and unusually short, the women were dressed in really tight leggings, and they all insisted on throwing their fag-ends and other litter overboard into the sea. Twats. Also, the oldest of them really smelt, and gestured for me to move seats when I sat down on the deck next to the 4 seats they were not occupying, but somehow claimed dominion over. There was also a German guy on the bus with full facial tattoos and a missing hand - I have nothing against him, he was just an interesting fellow.
On arrival at Surat Thani train station, I noticed that my bag had been opened, and my traveller's cheques were missing from it. I think $200 has been nicked, so I reported this to the Railway Police, who took me to the normal Police station, where a guy in an Adidas football shirt took a vague statement, all the while grinning and laughing, probably at the futility of my reporting it as I didn't know the name of the bus company, or when the theft occured - I reckon probably on the ferry though. Even after I had sorted all this out, phoned Mum and asked her if she had the numbers of the cheques (she doesn't, and I have no idea where I put them), it was still only about 8 pm, meaning I still had 6 hours to kill. I did this by reading and, well, staring into space, until I dozed off on a bench, surrounded by marauding Mosquitos and copulating dogs. Nice. My train arrived at 2 am, thankfully on time, and I climbed gratefully into my sleeper bunk and slept until 9ish. We arrived in Sungai Kolok without incident, I got a little lost and ripped off by a Motorbike Taxi driver who took me to the ATM then promptly doubled the price he had quoted me. I simply refused to pay him, and gave him the original RM 10. I got in a taxi to Kuala Besut, which I was quoted as being RM 80 - I was so knackered by this point that I simply accepted, and luckily the guy saw a couple of Swedes waiting further down the street who hopped in and shared the cost (their names are David and Eva, they met on the train down here). We got a speedboat from the pier to Pulau Perhentian Kecil(Small Perhentian Island) which was a nightmare of a ride - the boat had no sides so we were getting soaked, and due to the choppy waves occasionally the boat would leap out into the air and slam back onto the water, jarring our spines every time. It then started to piss down as well, which didn't do much for morale. We finally made it and I checked into a simple bungalow on Coral Bay, for RM 30 (about £4), which has a Mosquito net and room for my hammock, and will do for tonight until I can be bothered to walk across to Long Beach. I might dive tomorrow, weather permitting, although it is £27 or so, but I suppose that's only as much as my dives on Koh Tao were.
I feel really drained, and can't really be bothered to do anything tonight - sort of fortunate, as I don't think there's anywhere to go apart from the 9-eleven minimart and one bar.
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