Asia

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2/9/06 - Singapore

Arrived in Singapore at 8 p.m and made our way by the MRT (subway) to our pre-booked accommodation at 1 Florence Close. At 11 p.m, when we finally got access to the room, the air was so hot and sticky that we were glad to see the air-con. A basic place with a mattress on the floor and no windows in the room, the guest house was made to feel more homely by the two resident long-haired Persian cats, Pepper and Romeo.
The following day we spent in the city, with only a day for sightseeing it was easy to get around by the efficient and cheap MRT system. Little India was vibrant with colour, then onto China Town with many market stalls and tourists like us suffering from the humidity. Back on the MRT to the Harbourfront. In the distance we saw a cablecar running accross the estuary to Sentosa Island and Alex decided that we had to do it. Sentosa is perfect for lazy people as there are escalators running everywhere - later we realised this was common in Singapore! Back on the mainland and in the city centre, Raffles Hotel. On our list of priorities whilst in Singapore was to have a Singpore Sling and throw monkey nut shells on the floor. Hugely overpriced..... but well worth it for the experience.
Orchard Road, the main shopping hub in Singapore and was where we spent our evening browsing.
The following morning we checked out of the guest house and on leaving purchased a Lonely Planet guide for South East Asia 'On a Shoe String' as we didn't know where we wanted to go next.

4/09/06 - Malaysia

After some reading we decided on Melaka in Malaysia, so paid a few pounds each for a VIP bus for the 4 hour journey. Greeted by a 'tout' at the bus station he was offering a room at the guest house 'Travellers Lodge' we found in our new guide and took the local bus (a huge contrast to the VIP bus we'd just left) to get there. This place had a good sized room with air-con, but the inconvenience of no bed linen - the first time we had to use our sleeping bag liners we brought with us (a must for any traveller). We also had to start getting used to taking our shoes off before entering a residence or shop, a Muslim requirement. From now we were also going to have to get used to cold showers, or totally blow our budget for the luxury of a hot shower.
Following a noisy nights sleep, thanks to the road next to our window, we headed out into the town to see some of the sights. Melaka was one of the largest ports and the dutch influence is still present today with the design of the buildings and a monument windmill. There were many offers to take a rickshaw journey and we couldn't resist an old man called Sammo, who was unable to pedal any faster than crawling pace. He took us to China Town and to see the various religious temples and even took some wonky photos of us outside these sights.
There are lots of great shops in Melaka, full of hand made local crafts. We loved going in to see all of these and talking to the local crafts people about their skills.

Kuala Lumpur was our destination on the 6/9/06, again having pre-booked our accommodation using the Internet we took the 2 1/2 hour bus to the capital city. We arrived in the rain and this seemed to affect the price of the taxi from the bus station to our accommodation. The drivers were unwilling to budge too much on price and eventually we settled for a reasonable price with a 'private taxi', no larger than a mini! Our hotel 'Garden City', just outside the Little India region was a bit of a dissappointment to say the least and Ky let them know this on the customer satisfaction survey and requested a follow up email in response. The manager emailed back a few days later (once we had left KL) to apologise and offered us a free nights stay in the Deluxe Room next time we are there.
Our conclusions on KL - dirty, smelly, wet...... but on the brightside we had roasted chestnuts from Chinatown and saw the Petronas Towers (tallest building in the World) lit up at night.......... and got a free nights stay for next time we may go there - any takers for that?!

07/09/06 KL (Malaysia) --> Hat Yai (Thailand) --> Krabi

Another VIP double decker bus to take us accross the border in to Thailand. Passing the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia and through all sorts of weather (monsoon season now) up into Thailand, our 8 1/2 hour journey was uneventful so we were grateful for iPods and Hello magazine. In our eagerness to get to the island of Koh Phi Phi, we decide to jump straight on another bus for 4 more hours to the gateway town of Krabi. 12 1/2 hours of bus journey later our room for 300 Baht was one of the best we'd stayed in and a needed hot shower at last!
The 1 hour time difference was helping us get more sleep, but it was still an early start the next morning to catch the boat to Phi Phi.
A wet start rapidly improved as we approached Phi Phi. Immediately after disembarking we were harrassed by the accommodation touts giving us an information overload. Fortunately having been there before, Alex knew where we should head and a call was made for the taxi bike to come and pick us up. On the bike jouney up to 'Viewpoint Resort', it was obvious where the tsunami had hit the island and wiped out all of the original buildings and palm trees. Having been there before it was strange for Alex to compare the before and after, but still on the positive side the mood of the people was still as high as ever.
A steep stair climb up to our hut, with outstanding sea views for 700 Baht (10 pounds). The rickety verandah, complete with two old deck chairs was a perfect introduction to island life.
We took a walk around the island to get familiarised, and came accross some cash rolled up on the floor! The honest people that we are, we took the money and ran. When we checked it later on, we found it was enough Baht to afford us a nights stay in the large luxury bungalows. Result!
The downside to the island was the abundance of frogs. Ky has a ridiculous phobia of the little green noisy things and it was a ritual for her to need a piggy back for the 10 min walk along the paths at night, good exerciase for Alex though!
A highlight of our stay in Phi Phi was a 3 hour 'long tail' boat trip that we privately hired, for the equivalent of 10 pounds. We were able to do snorkelling and visit Maya Bay (the beach from 'The Beach). Visiting Maya Bay was a mini adventure in itself. There was an option of paying a tax of 40 Baht each to take a boat to the bay, or swim to some rocks and climb through a hole in the cliff face using a series of ropes to sdop us from being bashed up against the rocks. Of course we took the cheaper more exciting option, and lived to tell the tale. Maya Bay was full of Japanese tourists, but we could still appreciate its splendour as we swam out into the clear, warm water of the lagoon. After taking the tunnel of danger back to our boat, the driver took us snorkelling. Whilst we were snorkelling around, the driver was throwing chunks of bread into the water next to us which attracted the fish. The under water camera should have some good shots we are hoping!
The evenings in Phi Phi are great fun too. We spent the nights in a bar on the water, watching a Thai guy playing his guitar and then watching a fire show - where the same Thai guy was the star of the show (making the female tourists swoon, so much so we thought or rather hoped, there may have been a cat fight!).
Phi Phi is still recovering from the disaster of tsunami, however the locals are working hard morning and night to get the island back on the tourist map. In our opinion they are doing a great job and would reccommend the island to everyone.

After 3 days of holiday on the island, we went back to the mainland to continue up the coast a few KM to Ao Nang via Nosey Parkers. Nosey Parkers is an elephant trekking company where we were able to take a two hour trek through rivers and rainforest. The elephants seemed to be in control of where they wanted to go and at a snails pace, making eating on the way around the rainforest their priority. Afterwards we fed them cucumbers and watched them being bathed in the river. Touristy it may sound, but it has to be done as the experience is unique.
The evening after our trek we had our first thai massage. A lovely lady chatted to us as we walked along the beach and won us over with her PR skills, offering us free fruit. So we went to her stall on the beach and had massages whilst the sun went down on the beach.

12.09.06 Krabi --> Koh Samui (the bus scam)

Having shopped around for the best priced bus ticket, we leave the West coast of Southern Thailand to head to the East in search of better weather. The Lonely Planet told us the journey should take around 6 hours in total, so we had a rough idea of how the journey should pan out. However, when we made a stop at a bus station in the middle of nowhere and told another bus would be collecting us in 1 hour, we started to ask questions. Sure enough though, a bus did come 1 hour later (after the exchange of a brown envelope to the driver) and passed our bags to be put in the luggage hold accessible from the bus. Off we went and on came a dvd of 'The Transporter 2', LOUD! Ky was reading the Lonely Planet and a section caught her eye about 'bus scams'. On reading further, we laughed about the prospect of this happening to us. Our bus was travelling at no faster than 15 mp/h, and being overtaken by trucks full of oxen etc. This didn't seem right. We were told the journey was going to be 45 mins to catch the boat and by the time the film had finished and another dvd of Thai karaoke came on, our suspiscions had grown further. FINALLY, we arrived at the port and our bags were already waiting for us roadside by the time we had got off, and the bus made the fastest move it had done all day and left! It wasn't 5 mins before someone said that they had 30,000 baht (430 pounds) stolen from their bag. Then more people said they had things stolen and padlocks picked. A bus scam!! Tip from us as we didn't have anything taken - keep all valuables on you and keep dirty washing and toiletries at the top of your bag. We both had our bags gone through, but they obviously lost interest when they found dirty laundy! Sadly, our opinions of the Thais rapidly changed due to lack of trust.

The weather didn't seem to lift our moods arriving on Samui with monsoon weather. Dark, wet and being greeted by desperate taxi drivers all competing for our trade, according to our 'Bible' their prices seemed too high. A lot of team work with a honey-mooning Dutch couple and a negotion was reached. Hallelujah! We arrived in central Hat Chaweng about 7:45pm tired, hungry and a little fed-up only to discover our chosen accommodation was fully occupied. Plan B? Heavier rain fell as we searched for a room for the night. Blowing the budget through desperation we were directed to a decent room and central location. Perfect room, with all the luxuries, inclusive of load music until 5am!
After spending 3 rainy nights and hot, overcast days on the island we escape to the quieter neighbouring island of Ko Phan-Ngan.

A 30min ferry crossing we arrive at Hat Rin, home of the world famous Full Moon Parties. On Samui we had been recommended by a travel agent of a "new" resort on the beautifully secluded beach of Thong Nai Pan Noi. A 45 min drive on monsoon affected steep clay tracks, we arrived at the beach in search of the "new" resort. In asking for directions we had been advised that the building work was not yet even complete and the pictures on the brochure were merely impressions! We instead settle for a cute little beach hut with almost unbeatable beachfront location. One of our favourite beaches from our trip although predictably the weather was touch-and-go. A beachfront restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere made it an all round winner for a great feed and after dinner drinks and cards. After 2 nights here we visited a few bays around the island to the west called Hat Khom. This place was total seclusion but we loved it here! The best hostess. called Bovy, and an absolutely cracking beachfront location - this bungalow was a mansion! We were undeniably in heaven! Albeit for the monsoon weather.....again! But with the great restaurant and lovely staff we actually didn't let the weather dampen our spirits too much. Snorkelling in thunderstorms was afterall a novelty! After 2 nights in Hat Khom we spend our final night in Hat Rin (no, not for a Full Moon Party), before returning to Ko Samui for our flight to Bangkok (to avoid anymore long distance bus journeys and their not so uncommon scams). The day of departure and we are informed of the Military Coup that had happened the previous night. We had little choice but to wing-it.....

20/09/06 we anxiously arrive in Bangkok. Our taxi driver comforts us with the knowledge that all is running as normal and more than anything it seems to be a tourist attraction to have the army on the streets complete with tanks! Our 2 days in Bangkok we set aside for the usual sightseeing of the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (46m long reclining gold Buddha) and the travellers shopping dream of Koah San road. Time was quickly running out and we still wanted to visit Cambodia and Vietnam.

Cambodia

23/09/06-We had pre-booked some promotional flights with Bangkok Airways to Cambodia, making the pilgrimage to Angkor Wat much more comfortable than the 12hour bus trip. A 50min flight to Phnom Penh and we board a dodgy, rip-off coach for the 6 hour trip to Siem Reap. No scams though this time. Now this place is scary for touts. They flock like a swarm of bees when the coach pulls into the station, giving you no time or space to get your bearings. Already having an idea of where we wish to stay we see a board flashed under our noses by a young tuk-tuk driver offering to take us to the guest house for free (although en route he was unsure of room availability). The young driver secured himself a job for the next day as our driver and guide for the temples at Angkor. His english was fair but also came across as a genuine, pleasant person. Having checked into our guest house we took a walk into town. Constantly bombarded with young children full with the misconception that all foreigners are millionaires, Alex was fooled into a huge guilt trip by a nine year old girl when he refused to purchase one of her naff silk scarves. Bullied by a nine year old girl, at the time, was a sensitive subject for Alex, but after some gentle counselling and more relentless children using similar tactics he's now able to see the funny side. As an escape from the constant begging we retreat for dinner in the Red Piano, where the Tomb Raider cast and crew were located during filming, complete with Angelina Jolie cocktail!

Angkor temples were a definite highlight and could not disappoint anyone. With it's amazing history and sheer size, having been built and maintained by 80,000 people, the experience left us in awe. We could waffle on about the temples but instead checkout the photos.

The following day we take an "Express Bus" back to Phnom Penh for 2 nights. We visit the National Museum, full of Angkor temple artefacts. The following day we devoted to the Killing Fields. Our tuk-tuk guide took us firstly to the Tuol Sleng Museum for a video insight into the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot ruling between 1975-78. The museum itself was converted from a high school into the S-21 prison for the holding, torturing and interrogation of the people that were not a part of Pol Pot's ideal, before being transported to the Killing Fields. The museum was explicit with pictures and torture tools, but seemed, to us, reluctant to directly point blame at Pol Pot. Perhaps this is political as many of the people who worked for the Khmer Rouge are still alive and unpunished? Feeling rather haunted by this experience we were rather anxious about our reaction to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, where the executions took place of thousands of unsuspecting Cambodians. We found this experience less horrifying than we had first imagined, presented more as a memorial garden than a place of genocide.

To recover from a rather heavy going day we visit the recommended FCC bar for a drink, beside the river. Unfortunately our visit is cut short by a fire in the kitchen, staff throwing us out because of the emergency but not before making us all queue to pay!
The following morning we were picked up by our tuk-tuk to take the wet half hour trip to the airport at Phnom Penh, to return to Bangkok. (We abandoned our plans to go to Vietnam as getting hold of a visa within the few days we had given ourselves was proving to be either difficult or expensive.) At the airport, flying with Bangkok Airways we were given access to the departure lounge area where we had free cakes and coffee!

In Cambodia we experienced one of our highlights, being the Temples at Angkor. However, as a whole we found the 4 days we spent there very different to anywhere we had been before. It was difficult to escape the obvious poverty, but with the constant barrage of begging and saying, "no thank you" it became hard to feel comfortable around the people.

Thailand

27/09/06 - A priority on arrival in Bangkok was to sort Alex out for a suit at one of the many tailors who had all called themselves his 'friend' when passing their shops "My friend, how are you today, have you come for a suit today". So he went in and got measured up with his 'new friends' and bought two! All he needs now is one of those job-things!

Pan-tip Plaza is 6 floors of electronics and gadgets of all kinds. Alex could've spent a lot of time and money there, but luckily we only escaped with some pirate dvd's for 1 pound each.
The Paragon Shopping Centre - heaven. Designer stores galore, complete with an aquarium on the basement level and a Ferrari, Porsche, Lambourghini and Hummer show rooms on the 1st floor up! We had a visit to the aquarium in time for the shark feeding and of course had a look at the cars in the show rooms too. Many hours were spent in the shopping centre over a three day period.

Chatuchak weekend market, where there are over 9000 stalls and 200,000 visitors. This market is the ideal place to buy anything from a pet rabbit or dog, to any household craft imaginable. The only down side to the markets are that they are obviously not air-conditioned nor spacious and it was hot and sweaty!

Jim Thompson was responsible for making the Thai Silk trade successful in the 1950's. He was an American architect who loved Thailand and built a home here, before disappearing in 1961. The tour of the house also taught us about some of the Thai traditions and beliefs.

We have spent 6 days in Bangkok now before we are flying home tomorrow on the 3rd October. Worried that 6 days here was going to be too long, we have been proved wrong. There's so much to do in this city, racing around in Tuk-Tuks with drivers who want to be in F1 is great fun (especially at night). The temples and Palace are typically ornate Thai style and the attention to detail in the building is nothing short of amazing. The atmosphere around the city, even during this time of political instability, has been constantly vibrant. Walking back to our guest house one evening, Alex heard "Al" being shouted from behind. We turned around and saw a friend of Alex's, Adam Newman, walking towards us! We joined him, his girlfriend Natalie and friend Bret for a beer to catch up and pass on some travellers advice. 'Small world'!!

Our bags are packed and we have arranged our taxi to the new airport for 4:15am to arrive back in England after 16 1/2 hours of flying (via Singapore) at 7:10 p.m.

See you all soon............. Alex and Ky xxx

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Photos

Our long-tail boat trip
No comments on the Speedos please!!!!

The tunnel to Maya Bay
Sneaky!

Nosey Parkers
Looking like true tourists

Nosey Parker
Alex bathing after the elephant trek.

Nosey Parkers
Feeding time

Angkor Temples
STEEP steps!

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