looking for my zihuatanejo | Andrew Chapman

Page 9 of looking for my zihuatanejo Travel Blog Posts

Asia » Malaysia » Wilayah Persekutuan » Kuala Lumpur April 7th 2009

9. A picture that ends up costing me Â£4000, the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Day 278: Friday 3rd April - Leaving Singapore behind for Malaysia As I’m getting ready to leave the hostel in Singapore, Ibrahim gives me a parting gift. He also offers to come with me on the bus to the border as it is custom in his homeland. I accept his gift but as much as I appreciate his offer to come to the border with me I won’t allow him to come - I know where I’m going after yesterday and it will eat considerably into his day. We part with a handshake and a vow to keep in touch and you never know, one day we may meet again. My journey to Kuala Lumpur is straightforward. First I catch the bus to the huge building that houses Singapore immigration at the border, get stamped out ... read more

1. Petaling Street, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Singapore - Where the east meets the west

Asia » Singapore » Little India April 2nd 2009

11. A statue of Raffles marks his landing spot in Singapore....modern Singapore rises behind him

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 273: Sunday 29th March - An offer of 10,000 Dollars Whilst I am waiting in Medan airport to fly to Singapore I book a ticket to next weekend’s Grand Prix. The formula one season kicks off later today in Melbourne and next week it will be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It means altering my plans as I had wanted to go straight from Singapore to Borneo rather than do two cities back to back but I couldn’t miss out on the chance of going to the grand prix next weekend......I’m so excited about that one. It takes about an hour to fly to Singapore, and as we near the island state I first note the packed shipping lanes just off the coast. I knew that the island’s strategic location in the Malacca Straight meant that ... read more

6. The emblem of Singapore - the Merlion

The amazing forest people of Sumatra

Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra » Bukit Lawang March 28th 2009

11. Two cheeky monkeys in the same picture!, Bohorok Orang-Utan viewing centre, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 267: Monday 23rd March - My spirits lifted by the forest people I arrived in Medan last night at around 10pm. After 8 months in the southern hemisphere I’m back in the northern hemisphere. To pass time on my two hour flight from Jakarta I reflected back on my time in the southern hemisphere. I got two months in before we landed - so many happy times and lifelong memories to look back on. Much of the last week I’ve spent on my own and in this time my thoughts have often strayed home. Many travellers I’ve met who have been doing long trips have told me that there is often a time during your journey when you feel homesick. I think my time in Indonesia has coincided with this period for me. Whether it ... read more

1. The bridge across the river at Bukit Lawang, Sumatra

13. Quality beard not so sure about the haircut!, Bohorok Orang-Utan viewing centre, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra

14. Orang-Utans showing off their swinging skills, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra

Volcanoes, temples & friendly locals on the world’s most populated island

Asia » Indonesia » Java » Yogyakarta March 20th 2009

11. Mount Bromo and Mount Batok, Java

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 260: Monday 16th March - The experiences you can’t plan You don’t need an alarm clock to get up in Indonesia. Whether it be the prayer call from a mosque or a rooster, you can almost guarantee a wake up call before you need to get up. I’m woken - this time by a rooster - at 5:30am. I need to be up early anyway to catch a boat back across from the Gili Islands to Lombok. I bump into Ivy again when I go to get the boat. She has ended up doing a night on each of the three Gili Islands. She gives me some really useful tips on where to go in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, where I will arrive later this week. Ivy has been living there for several months so she ... read more

1. Heavily laden on the back of an ojek with Tembul on way to Cemoro Lawang, Java

2. We've made it to the top of Mount Penanjakan, Java

3. At the top of Mount Penanjakan with Salak and Haine, Java

Falling for the charms of the irresistible Gili Islands

Asia » Indonesia » Lombok » Gilli Trawangan March 16th 2009

7. Gili Trawangan with Lombok in the background

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 256: Thursday 12th March - Unwinding in quiet Senggigi Last night when we arrived a number of us commented how quiet Senggigi was as we walked along the main drag in search of a bed for the night. The arrival of a new day has brought no change on that front, despite a healthy number of restaurants, tourist agencies and hotels, Senggigi is almost devoid of tourists. It must be operating at no more than 10% of capacity which is great. There doesn’t seem to be any more than a dozen tourists and half that number have come from the Komodo trip. I begin the day by inquiring about climbing Lombok’s highest (and Indonesia’s second highest) peak Gunung Rinjiani. I hold out little hope as a number of people have told me over the past ... read more

5. The view from under the tree, Senggigi beach, Lombok

Hunting Komodo by camera

Asia » Indonesia » Flores » Rinca March 12th 2009

8. Komodo Dragon, Rinca Island

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 253: Monday 9th March - A party in Labuanbajo harbour Nine of us climb on board to join the five guests and eight crew already on the Perama boat. We are later joined by others who have sailed west to east and who have got off at Labuanbajo for a farewell/arrival party. This is a bigger group than I expected, but it seems a good group and I get acquainted with a number of the group. Joining me are two girls from New York, Liz and Ivy; a French Canadian couple, Alex and Sandrine; a couple from Dorset, Mike and Trudi; an Australian girl, Philippa and an Indonesian guy. We join up with an Australian couple, a Swedish couple and a French guy who have already been on the boat for 3 days sailing to ... read more

50 hours to traverse Flores

Asia » Indonesia » Flores » Moni March 12th 2009

6. 2 of the crater lakes, Kelimutu,Flores

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 251: Saturday 7th March - The start of an adventure to Flores Today is the start of an adventure. I don’t quite know what will be involved, all I do know is that I need to be in Labuanbajo, in western Flores at 6pm in two days from now. I have a flight to Maumere in eastern Flores at lunchtime today, but with Merpati’s track record anything could happen. Then quite how I get from Maumere to Labuanbajo is anybody’s guess but I do know that I want to see Kelimutu, a trio of different coloured volcanic crater lakes which is the main purpose of my visit to Flores. Well that and linking up with seeing Komodo dragons in Komodo National Park on the islands immediately to the west of Flores. Let the fun begin! ... read more

1. One of the 3 crater lakes shrouded in cloud, Kelimutu, Flores

3. Something made my giggle!, Kelimutu, Flores

Struggling to adapt to life in Bali

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Kuta March 5th 2009

34. A spectacular Balinese sunset, Ulu Watu temple, Bali

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 244: Saturday 28th February - I’m a millionaire! “Taksi sir, taxsi” is the cry from dozens of hawkers as I step out of the airport. I may have left Australia just a couple of hours before but Bali is a world apart. Busy and intense to Darwin’s laid back charm, just watching people is fun. I had hoped to sleep in the airport to save some cash as I fly on to Flores tomorrow but you have to get through security so that option disappears. Instead, I decide to stay the night in a hotel near the airport. Drawn in by the impressive photos I end up paying 200,000 Rupiah (12 pounds) for a kingsize deluxe suite, breakfast and transfers to and from the airport. It sounds too good to be true, as I was ... read more

Treading in Crocodile Dundee's footsteps in the Top End

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Darwin » City of Darwin February 25th 2009

7. Croc no.1 is back and leaping almost full length out of the water, Adelaide river, nr Darwin

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 237: Saturday 21st February - Day 1 in Kakadu National Park Another early start, this time I have to meet a few doors down the road at 6am for my Kakadu tour. Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, covering 20,000 square kilometres east of Darwin (That is a tenth of the size of the UK). It shelters a wide variety of habitats and wildlife, the 2 billion year old rocks (amongst the oldest in the world) tell 30,000 year old stories about the oldest living culture in the world, the Aboriginal culture. For me the images that first brought the beauty of Kakadu, are those that were used in the filming of that classic 80’s movie, Crocodile Dundee. Our tour group is small, which is great. There are two girls from London, Amelia and Jo, ... read more

12. Croc no. 3 crunching on his breakfast, Adelaide river, nr Darwin

18. Crocodile Dundee-esque!, stood at the entrance to Kakadu National Park

29. Anbangbang Gallery, Nourlangie Rock, Kakadu national park

Going walkabout in Australia's red centre

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Alice Springs February 25th 2009

29. Sunset at Curtin Springs

looking for my zihuatanejo

Day 231: Sunday 15th February - First encounter of the outback Approaching Alice Springs in the plane, the contrast between the lush Daintree rainforest of Cape Tribulation where I was yesterday and the barren red desert couldn’t be starker. For the 10 minutes or so before we land at Alice Springs there is nothing, just desert until up pops Alice Springs over 1000km from the nearest settlement of any size. Despite Alice Springs’ small size - the population is only around 25,000 people - the airport is still 15km from the town centre, so I’m glad for the free transfer the hostel provides. Once settled, I walk into the town centre for a look around. One thing that strikes me immediately is the high proportion of Aboriginals that make up the local population. Previously, I’ve only ... read more

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