So that's what a red panda looks like .... There are allegedly two red pandas at the MAC kiddy zoo park in B'ham. However, they hide right up the top of the trees so all I could see was a dark shape and was therefore somewhat dubious as to their panda authenticity, they could have been very large squirrels having a laugh for all I knew! Ace blog, though the details of the skanky toliet has made me feel rather ill ...
Malaysian hospitality DEAR DONNA AND NEIL,
I AM VERY GLAD TO READ YOUR TRAVEL NOTES FROM MELAKA.. THE HISTORICAL CITY .. AS MALAYSIAN WE ALWAYS PRACTICE AT ALL TIMES FRIENDLT AND SMILE ATTITUDE TO EVERYBODY.. THE MALAY WORD CALL MESRA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT COMMENTS ABOUT MELAKA AND MALAYSIANS
REGARDS
SHAHRIL
we are fine! well staphlycoccus infections and broken ribs aside anyway! Just been out of contact a while due to no internet...we'll get caught up on the blogs eventually!
Thanks for getting in touch...nice to hear from you!
Taraw cottages hmmm...staying at Taraw cottages was not a good experience for us at all. First when it rained the roof leaked, not just a little bit but the whole room was swimming with water and all our things got soaked. There was also a rat in the room which bit through one of our bags and destroyed all the rest of the food in the bag. The cottages are really badly maintained with holes in the roof, toilets which don't flush (and you pay extra for this!) and the family which runs the cottages put really loud music on at 5am every morning, without a care for the guests staying there...there were several grumpy guests which were not happy with this! We ended up moving out of the cottage after the first night. It was awful, we would not recommend staying there!
The other thing about Taraw is that it advertises a restaurant, but every day we asked for a veggie curry and nearly every day they did not have any vegetables at all (only some potato, carrot, cabbage and green beans!) and most of the time didn't have any drinks at all in stock. When we asked for other things on the menu we were told they had used all their stock on the big groups of day trippers. This is a big problem as Taraw only seems to care about these day trippers that it caters for, most of which come from Puerto Princesa every day. The people running the place don't seem to care about maintaining the cottages or running the restaurant.
Our advise is not to stay there...there are better places for the money!
hi there it looks like you realy a wonderfull expercience, anyway sory sory for the sandflies.. the place was so cool and I really missed those places from sabang to bort barton down to el nido there are still a lot of paradise that we are still to discover specialy at el nido. by the way to aussie82 regarding to your stay at sabang try my place at taraw lodge and if you want to go to port barton there is a lot but I suggest green view cottage they are warm. thanks and goodluck. take care...
Hey Hi, I have just spent the past 3 days reading your blog while sitting at my desk in rainy UK. I am due to go on my RTW trip in 5 months (and counting.....) with my girlfriend and am so glad that i discovered your blog as it has given me a good insight into a lot of places.
Agree! Absolutely agree on the North to South comment. We've gone from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Hoi An and are now in Hanoi. Every stop on the trip is better than the last. The scamming and touts in HCMC and Nha Trang was particularly annoying! Hanoi is much more interesting and picturesque. Enjoying your blogs - very entertaining.
i just love your blog, really funny writing, great photos, and videos too! those cliff edges looks scary!! i can't wait for your next entry to kunming! take care.
North Pole Hi Cuz and co, lee here, not the chinese one. pics of this place look amazing, really interesting streets, especially when empty. i have just explained to mahesh that you are both travelling the world, and his immediate question was a very excited "Have you been to the North Pole yet?"
SO come on, what do i tell him?
love, lee in London
Shanghai High Was just there a couple of days ago...your blog hit the nail on the head! Spit? Drivers? Forgot to mention the number of people on Nanjing Road! So true! Funny!
hey another great entry! all the "liverpool-esque" bund needs is the super lamb banana! :-) the two signs in chinese says. 1) chinese people gets to eat shanghai style dim sums, 2) foreigners gets to eat chinese style dim sums. it doesn't make much sense in chinese neither i guess...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year Loving your blogs they make me laugh out loud which is often not the best when your at work!!!! I love reading about your adventures and must say makes my package holiday with 15 mates seem less of an adventure than i thought it was. Quick Christmas and New Year wishes as i will no doubt forget nearer the time. Take Care. x
Been there done that This is so funny because we did exactly the same thing when we went biking around the country in Yangshao, including having to pay to get our bikes rafted across the river and having to speak in sign language to get directions.
Hi to you both, You certainly seem to have cracked this travelling around the world lark! I have kept track of you, and it has kept me both worried at times but also a fit of the giggles, which usually has someone coming to read and see what it was that was so amusing.
We all wish you a Merry Christmas and a Great New Year, It no doubt will be more interesting to hear, as I have not a clue where you will be enjoying the festive season. Take Care and look forward to the next blog. Love from the Kitchings. xxxx
very funny! I like all your Philippine posts. I am from the Philippines but never traveled my country extensively the way you guys did. Funny, that I am actually trying to get tips from a foreigner blog to get insights on where I should go when I go back to the Philippines for the holidays this December.
It was great that you are also detailing both the nice and bad things about Philippine travel. Having a Japanese wife, I guess I should be sensitive to the few setbacks foreigners may experience traveling in the Philippines.
I am very excited to go back home and experience sun, sand and smiles. Thank you.
About Rio Hey!
I found your travelog accidentaly and I read about your trip to Ri.
I´m Brazilian and "carioca", and I thought really funny the story you told.
Do you really think strange to eat in a restaurant and pay acording to the food´s weigh? This kind of restaurant is very popular here in Rio. I tought ti was common in other countries, isn´t it?
unfortunately the story about de dodgy bloke you told, happens many times. I´m glad you were lucky and didin´t got mugged. Foreingners must be very carefull because they are the top target of that guys.
and you are completly right about the weather... Rainy days are not so popular amog cariocas, and we usually don´t go out in rainy days. But I´m diferent, i like rany days too.
I´m glad you enjoyed Rio and I hope you come back some day!
We saved for 3 years and then went Hoff to travel the world. Chris Columbus and Magellan eat your heart out...do you reckon other people will have already discovered the places we are going to? You bet!
About Us
Neil, originally from Hartlepool, UK and Donna, originally from the Wirral, UK have known each other for 19 years. We bought a house, got cushy jobs in Nottingham and always had a passion to travel and see what more was out there in the big wide world (sounds corny or what?). The opportunity came when we were both made redundant and given nice r... full info
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Amazing Adventure
What an amazing adventure... Keep on writing... :)