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Published: October 4th 2006
petronas towers
its tough keeping these things up!
formerly the tallest towers in the world (recently outdone by tapei), the petronas are still an impressive sitea big hello to everyone from singapura!
its been awhile since my last update. i am still on the travel circuit (for those who've inquired as to my recent whereabouts), so this is an attempt to get all caught up - time fly's when you are having fun 😉
the last 2 months have been filled with the emerald green rice fields and historical vistas of vietnam, the charismatic, warm, genuine people and ancient ruins of cambodia, the hustle and bustle of the asian capitals - bangkok and kuala lumpur, and the white beaches and warm waters of the thai and malaysian islands.
i am coming off of a spoiled month of visitors during September, starting with a 2 week visit from my older sister michelle. we began the adventure with four fun filled days carousing around the streets and markets of bangkok. our best efforts were put into sampling thai cuisines, enjoying the soul pampering (and easy on the budget) thai massages, canvassing the street and weekend markets for hidden jewels and jems, making the requisite tours of the colorful chedi's and stupas, and toasting to King Bhumibol while catching up over cold singhai's.
trying to
maintain the chinese belief of ying and yang, we balanced our city escapades with a few lovely and proper respites on the sandy beaches of koh samui (thailand) and paulu tioman (malaysia). days were spent wrestling with decisions such as: "pool or beach?", "fresh fish or seafood?", and "massage before or after happy hour?...well, ok - how about both!" it was tough living....even for a backpacker.
despite koh samui's reputation for having become "too" touristy and developed, we managed to become quite acclimated to the island lifestyle and carved out a restful, sleepy part of the beach to catch up on reading, swimming, and sun bathing. but it was not all lollin' around in the sun. we stayed active with early morning runs along the beach. the tide was still out, giving us the opportunity to welcome the day with all of the little critters that make their home in the sand. we expertly kayaked in and around the small islands of Ang Thong National Marine Park, took in the brilliantly colored reef fish and species through our masks and snorkels, and had a triumphant sunset elephant ride. still ranked as one of my favorite land mammals, our asian
friends treated us to a unique 'overland' experience that i would choose any day over the other modes of transport. cute as the were tho, they did make it quite clear: "we work for bananas!"
(disclaimer: unfortunatly lacking a lot of samui pics due to technical difficulties)
the second half of the journey brought us into the diverse and tropical country of malaysia. only a few degrees north of the equator, Malaysia is a heterogeneous mix of religions and cultures. dominantly muslim, malaysia still represents a unique blend of malay, hinu and chinese populations. although religious and cultural tensions still surface at times, the overall climate was very tolerant and welcoming - refreshing in lite of the current political and religious embattlements currently going on in other parts of the world.
a defining feature of the malaysian culture is FOOD - through which one can literally enjoy a gastronomic journey through the history and culture of the country. In the capital of Kuala Lumpur, we were graciously hosted by great friends of friends - jeff, kim, and their "cutest baby in the world!" - miss katie. there is nothing that beats a locals perspective, and jeff and
kim expertly helped us navigate through a scrumptious culinary collage of 'national' treats.
highlights include: roti (kind of like nan, but better!) - comes with sauces or filled with choice of meat; steamboat, a chinese version of fondue, where you lob all sorts of fresh fish, vegetables and noodles into a huge steaming vat of flavored broth, and then minutes later get to fish it out with small metal fishing nets..until your stomach tells you its time to stop. needless to say, i am still craving steamboat and may have to go back!; banana leaf - the indian answer to a full and happy belly. rice, sauce, meat, and a host of other interesting concoctions served on huge banana leafs - yum! -and you are allowed to eat with your hands; and also a variety of dinstinct asian fruits - all fresh and many times served in small bags from the street carts. we were also able to sample the "national fruit" of south-east asia - the famed Durian, which is a big football shaped, green and brown spiky guy, whose insides contain a creamy, thick custardy substance with a highly distinct taste and smell. for this reason, the
Durian is prohibited from some indoor restaurants, hotels, and taxi's - but still holds its own as the ultimate king of fruits!
my good friend heather, currently working in hong kong, was also able to join in the festivities for the weekend, making it a fun reunion in a new city. jeff, kim and katie - a huge thanks for the fabulous hospitality and tours of KL!
after seeing michelle off and feeling rejuvenated from a few weeks of proper vacation and sister catch-up, i had a few days down time before meeting up with my mom and ham for a fantastic and memorable week of scuba. our home away from home for the week was a converted old oil rig that they brought from panama (not sure about the logistics of this one) to the south china sea and plopped down on the eastern side of sabah, one of malaysia's 13 states on the island of borneo. our days were spent underwater, making like bubble fish and chummin' it up with the 'locals' - a very welcoming crew of turtles, white tipped sharks, eels, stingray's, and unbelievable array of colorful fishy friends - lots of little nemo's
and the super fashionable "nudibranks". for those divers out there - p. sipidan is definitely one to put at the top of your lists. on-deck time was spent relaxing, catching up, perusing the buffet (we needed all the energy we could get!), and sharing stories and experiences with the stellar dive crew and fellow passengers. i have to admit, i think i started to grow gills there towards the end, but it was well worth it and an incredible place to sharpen up my diving skills. i've been able to dry out for a few days now, and am already itching to re submerge!
so now, i am currently in Singapore - the modern, clean, and wonderful city-state at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. its a step back into first world living and a good place to regroup, do some laundry, shop (for those with an income!), catch up on emails (this place is wired to the hilt. great use of technology), and plan upcoming logistics.
Singapore is also home to one of the world's only "open" zoo's - where moats are preferred to cages and over 240 species spend their days hanging out in recreated natural
habitats. in general, i am not a huge fan of zoo's - but i had heard great recommendations for their "night safari" and so decided to check it out. for over three hours, we were treated to a gorgeous tour of over 930 animals from all over asia. Malayan tigers, leopard cats, fishing cats, barking deer, flying foxes (aka. HUGE bats!), tapirs, hyena's, otters, loris's, owls, snakes, and more - all greeted us from their respective homes and it turned out to be quite a treat! unfortunately, most of the animal species represented are on the endangered list due to destruction of their natural habitats (clearing rain forests, smog, pollution, etc..) - so we were dutifully reminded of the three R's (reuse, reduce, recycle) so that these cute friends can stay with us for years to come.
at the end of the program there was a little 15 minute show put on, displaying cultural dances and activities (i think from the indigenous tribes in the region) and yours truly got pulled up on stage during some sort of battle reenactment (was a "that girl" moment). so, lacking a good escape route and in front of a clapping crowd, i
was asked to blow a dart (resembling a long, sharpened golf tee) through a hollowed wood reed, to pop the balloon a brave warrior was holding about 10 yards in front of me. with an empathic glance at my new warrior friend, i took my best aim (really, what did they expect!?) and shot the dart.... right into his groin :-) (whoops!) needless to say, the crowd got a kick out of it - and thankfully - he was unhurt (obviously prepared) and jumped right back into the warrior dancing.
where is a friend with a camera when you need one ?! ;-)
well, i'm off to find a moon cake (10 day Chinese national holiday just kicked off and the city is swarming with them!)
hope this finds everyone doing well. more soon from Indonesia!
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Wide eyed traveller
Daniel Carter
Time flies
Time flies when you're in SE Asia, doesn't it! Here's a good book to read on holiday at Sipidan (no, this isn't spam): http://www.callieandmonique.co.za/order.htm. On 2nd thoughts, maybe only read it after you've left there.