Tales of Asia - Kuala Lumpur to Athens

dcmoore

Tales of Asia - Kuala Lumpur to Athens

Having spent a great year on exchange in Melbourne, Australia, I'm taking the "scenic" route home via Asia. My goal is to visit 10 countries in 10 weeks spending less than 30 per day.

THE BLOG
The aims of this blog include: being a record of my trip; giving me something to do when I'm on 15-hr bus hell journeys; sharing my travel experiences with you all; attempting to apply myself to do ANYTHING requiring basic mental functions after a year on exchange in preparation for my final year of Uni.

THE ROAD AHEAD
My journey begins in Kuala Lumpur. I plan to spend about a week in Malaysia, followed by ten days in Sumatra (Indonesia). Then it's on to China for two weeks from 21st July. From there, I'll make a short hop from Hong Kong to Bangkok, and travel for one month in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (not necessarily in that order). Depending on time constraints I may or may not make a flying visit to Myanmar/Burma, or the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.

Finally, I fly home from Bangkok on 2nd September. However, being the person I am, I have fully exploited the possibility for stopovers. So, though my flight home leaves 2nd September, I won't touch down on Irish soil until the night of 11th September. My final trip within a trip involves four days in Egypt, three days in Istanbul, and three days in Athens.

Having travelled fairly extensively already, I can state with confidence that this itinerary will be subject to change.

Hope you enjoy the blog!
Daniel

Hong Kong & Macau

Asia August 4th 2010

Hong Kong Skyline

dcmoore

Due to the hordes of Chinese tourists departing Shanghai having visited the World Expo, I was informed by staff at the main railway station that all trains to Hong Kong were booked out for the next month! Luckily the girl at reception in my hostel suggested that I book a ticket to Shenzhen, a city on the Chinese border a mere 40 minutes from Hong Kong. The train journey itself was fine. I booked a hard sleeper, and the 18hrs went by relatively fast. At one point I went to the restaurant car to buy water and while there happened to look through the window in the door at the opposite end of the carriage. It was cattle class, my former home! Someone made a hand gesture begging me to open the door. Now, I’ve come ... read more

Shanghai Nights

Asia » China » Shanghai August 1st 2010

Shanghai Skyline

dcmoore

Live cattle exports comes closest to describing the train journey from Beijing to Shanghai. All the soft and hard sleeper tickets were booked out for a week so I had to settle for a hard seat in third class. I boarded the train feeling sorry for myself, dreading 18hrs sitting on a non-reclinable seat. But my god at least I had a seat. I soon discovered China rail sold standing tickets! I’m not talking about a few people standing here and there. I mean all possible floor place was sold out. It may not have been an Auschwitz style carriage, but it came pretty close. You literally could not move. I don’t know how people got to the toilet. I did see a lot of buckets... Needless to say by the time the train rolled into ... read more

Birthday Time in Beijing - 8 Days in “The Centre of the Known World”

Asia » China » Beijing July 30th 2010

The Gate of Heavenly Peace

dcmoore

Tap on the shoulder. I turn around to be greeted by my first wildly excited Chinese tourist looking for a “foreigner photo” on Tiananmen Square. I’m not going to pretend that the experience annoyed me. I really enjoyed the whole, “well, why yes, I am a foreigner, I’d love to have my photo taken with you and your family” thing. Even though you’re really only being appreciated in the same way as a zoo animal, it’s still quite ego affirming. Vain as this sounds, I now imagine myself on the mantelpieces and walls of the homes of dozens of Chinese families. Parents recounting to their children the time they met their first foreigner all those years ago on holidays in the Big Shmoke.... Well, maybe the Big Smog might be more appropriate. On arriving in Beijing, ... read more

Do You Know Make Love to Woman? - 7 Days In Indonesia

Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra July 25th 2010

Lake Toba

dcmoore

I collapsed on my backpack, dishevelled, dirty, and exhausted, hoping for a few snatched moments of shade before the 8 hour bus ahead. Having just flown from Penang (Malaysia) to Medan (Sumatra) I decided to head straight to Lake Toba for my first three days in Indonesia in an effort to make the most of my short visit. While waiting for the bus I was surrounded by between ten and fifteen Indonesian taxi men, bus drivers and ticket inspectors of various ages. Conversation proceeded roughly as follows: “Mister, mister, where you go?” they cried. “Lake Toba” I answered. “Where you from?” they enquired. “Ireland” I replied. I then spent upwards of ten minutes trying to explain that Ireland was the country BESIDE England. I was getting nowhere. Eventually employing a mixture of wild gesticulation and ... read more

Going Dutch - 5 Days in the Perhentians

Asia » Malaysia » Terengganu » Perhentian Kecil July 19th 2010

The Perhentians

dcmoore

I am being followed.... I try to run, but there is no escaping them. I try to ignore them, but they won’t stay in the shadows. In the smoky side-streets of KL’s Chinatown, the corridors of overnight trains, on the beaches of picturesque Malaysian tropical islands they wait for me, ready to pounce... “MY FRIEND, MY FRIEND, YOU WANT INDIAN, MALAYSIAN, CHINESE... ONLY 3 RINGGIT!” They are mobile, organised and hungry. I am only the latter. I try to resist them, fighting back by feigning indifference; but they can see it in my eyes, they sense I am weak, they know I will break... Homer Simpson may have put his hotdog vendor’s children through college, but I have singlehandedly propelled the families of numerous Malaysian street hawkers from the clutches of poverty to the relative comfort ... read more

Squatters' Rights and Melaka

Asia » Malaysia » Melaka » Melaka City July 16th 2010

Squat Toilet

dcmoore

Squat toilets. Seriously, whose bright idea was that? Yes, we’ll go to the trouble of constructing most of the infrastructure necessary for a proper sit-down toilet, but fall at the final hurdle and instead just put a hole in the ground. But wait, we’ll try and cover up our laziness by craftily disguising said hole with a toilet bowl seat set into the floor. Then, for good measure, we’ll install a garden hose that can perform the functions once so successfully carried out by bog roll and flushing. The entire system is an affront to the memory of Thomas Crapper (inventor of our much beloved loo). I understand that part of travel is embracing the cultural and lifestyle differences that exist between countries, but this is taking the piss (or more precisely, making it a balancing ... read more

Kuala Lumpur - Budget Busters, Allergic Reactions and Ladies? of the Night

Asia » Malaysia » Kuala Lumpur July 13th 2010

Petronas Towers

dcmoore

You know you are in Asia when the airplane door opens and a rush of hot humid air envelopes you. It's like opening an oven door, just on a much larger scale. Also that weird "Asia" smell. Can't describe it really, you just know it when you smell it. After the cold of Melbourne in winter the warmth was a welcome relief. Having always hated the heat, it amazes me how a year in Australia has left me feeling cold in less than 20 degree weather. Anyway, I touched down in KL early in the morning. Having been here on stopovers four times already, I knew my way around the airport, and how to get into the city. 8 Ringgit for the 1 hour bus. The 30 min/16 RM (€4) high speed train was well out ... read more

Joined	July 13th 2010	Trips	1
Last Login	November 2nd 2011	Followers	0
Status	BLOGGER	Follows	0
Blogs	7	Guestbook	15
Photos	120	Forum Posts	0

Tales of Asia - Kuala Lumpur to Athens

dcmoore

Tales of Asia - Kuala Lumpur to Athens

Route Map