January 1 - 5, 2003 - Kuala Lumpur |
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Kuala Lumpur or KL as it is popularly known, was our next stop on our journey through Malaysia.
KL is a bustling metropolis, the federal capital of Malaysia and the principal center of commerce, politics, entertainment and international activities. Most of you probably know that KL houses the world's tallest building, the magnificent Petronas Twin Towers standing at 452m as well as the fourth tallest, the Menara KL. However, KL has much more to offer than this: Oli and I particularly enjoyed the majestic building of the colonial era like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (especially picturesque in the evening/night when it's lit up), the Railway Station, Merdeka Square, etc. There's really a lot to see in KL and to get an overview on all this, it's best to get up Menara KL (entrance fee: RM 15), which provides a great view down to the city (including an excellent audio-tour).
KL is also known for its numerous shopping malls, but Oli and I rather enjoyed the Central Market and the market on Jalan Petaling that are full of life and bargains
Anyway, I don't wanna get too much into the touristy stuff but jot down some other things that are worth-mentioning as well.
Firstly, if you ever come down to KL be prepared that this city is definitely not pedestrian-friendly... there are hardly any pavements and motorcyclists are life-threatening. It seems they ignore every single traffic-rule - crossing intersections during the red phase of traffic lights, ignoring one-way-streets, using the pavements (in case, there's one) as their streets, etc. So be aware of them!
Secondly, if you wanna go up to the Petronas Twin Towers (also called KLCC), you should know that the following: the admission is free for the skybridge but tickets are only issued to the first 1,300 visitors per day. So be there around 8 to 8:30 a.m.
Visit one of the many hawker stalls to sample Malay food, which can be quite spicy at times!
For having some fun, watch out for billboards/signs (or other written things) in Malay - it's such a funny language ;-) It seems that they have taken over a lot of English words and then transformed into Malay. Here some examples:
pharmacy - farmasi
boutique - butik
taxi - teksi
bus - bas
police - polis
counter - kaunter
etc.
During our time in KL, we also met up with Surya. I got to know him during my time in India 1.5 years ago, as he also did an AIESEC traineeship there. It was really nice to see him again and also to get to know his lovely girlfriend. We had dinner together twice (thanks Surya for introducing us into Malay food), and Surya also accompanied us to the Batu Caves that are some 13 km away from KL. The Batu Caves, set high in a massive limestone outcrop, are the biggest Indian pilgrimage center in Malaysia. The Batu Caves visit was very interesting, especially because Surya gave us an insight into Hinduism and its believes.
All in all, Surya is partly repsonsible for our more-than-pleasant stay in KL. He drove us around in his car (although he has his driving license only for three months now and driving in KL is not always easy). We are really thankful for all the things he and his girlfriend have done for us - thanks a lot, guys!
I guess I could write a lot more on KL, but this keyboard here (I'm right now in Georgetown, which is on the island of Penang) really sucks... so I better end now, before I throw it out of the window *hehe*
Talk to you later!
With lots of love from Pulau Penang!
January 5 - 10, 2003 - Georgetown, Penang (Malaysia) |
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Hey people! Sorry that I haven't written for such a long time now as I left "civilisation" for a while (Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, Thailand). Ok, they have Internet on these islands but we stayed in a quite remote corner in Koh Pha Ngan and while being on Koh Tao, we were busy diving. Anyway, now you get two diary entries at once ;-)
Our last stop on our route through Malaysia was Georgetown on the island of Penang, off Peninsula Malaysia's north-western coast. Georgetown is a vibrant and intriguing city, very compact and a delight to wander around.
You find some historic sights in the town like Fort Cornwallis or the Clock Tower (just follow the Heritage Trail No. 1 and 2), but Oli and I particularly enjoyed the various temples a lot. Above all, I'd like to mention the Wat Chaiyamangkalaram that houses the 35m long sleeping Buddha and the Dharmikarma Burmese Temple, which is right opposite the Wat. Those two temples truly fascinated us - the ornates, the carvings, the colors, the beauty of the temples, the monks wandering around and especially the peaceful quietness.
Kek Lok Si Temple, which is a bit outside of Georgetown, offers a splendid view down to the city. Unfortunately, this temple has become very commercialized with hundreds of shops encirceling it.
What I didn't like was that Georgetown seems to be one big red-light district (or at least the region, where all the cheap guesthouses are). We saw a lot of prostitutes in the evenings around Lebuh (=street) Chulia, especially lady-boys (sometimes you couldn't even tell if it's really a guy or maybe a woman).
This red-light thing really destroyed the otherwise nice atmosphere of Georgetown, in my opinion. Without Oli I wouldn't have felt too comfortable.
We left Georgetown on the 8th by minibus to Krabi, Southern Thailand. Krabi lies on the western coast of Thailand and serves as a jumping-off point for the Phi Phi Islands. We actually wanted to stay on the island of Phi Phi Don but when we heard that it's usually very crowded there, we gave it a miss. We instead made a day-trip to the Phi Phi Islands that are supposed to be really beautiful... supposed to be. We didn't like it too much there, actually not at all. We visited Maya Beach on Phi Phi Ley, where "The Beach" with Leo DiCaprio was shot. Maya Bay was probably the biggest disappointment so far on our trip. Everything is so commercialized and crowded, the Thais really exploit the Phi Phi Islands just to make money and the tourists come in masses. I really advice everybody not to visit the Phi Phi Islands - it's so touristy there, Phi Phi Don's bay is crowded with boats - horrible! However, I have to admit that the Phi Phi Islands and surroundings offer great nature, especially the limestone-massives are worth-mentioning. Although if you go to the Northern part of Palawan, Philippines (El Nido and Bacuit Archipelago), you will be rewarded with the same - if not better - stunning views - but you'll be just one out of few admirers and not one out of thousands.
As we didn't like it too much (mainly because of the numerous tourists), we headed on the next day to the eastern coast of Thailand - to Koh Pha Ngan, which is situated in the Gulf of Thailand. More on that in the following entry!
Cheerio,
January 10 - 17, 2003 - Relaxing on Koh Pha Ngan, |
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We left Krabi on the 10th by minibus to Suratthani - from there we were told to take the overnight boat directly to Koh Pha Ngan... ok! but what a surprise this particular boat was not running this night! Cool thing... Change of plans. Consequently we took the ovenight ferry to Koh Samui (which was like a huge dormitory but really comfortable), arrived there at 5:30 a.m. the next day. At 9:00 a.m. we hopped on a boat to Koh Pha Ngan and reached the island (= koh) 40 mins later. The arrival in Thong Sala (port city of Koh Pha Ngan) was hilarious ;-) - the touts sprinted to our boat, everybody trying to convince the "new-comers" to stay at their guesthouse or to ride their taxi. The touts were actually fighting for every single tourist :-) We just walked off as we had already arranged an accommodation beforehand. It was called "High-Life Bungalows", they are located on the west coast of Koh Pha Ngan between Haad Yao and Haad Salad. From the name "High-Life" you might assume that a lot of parties are going on there... but the opposite is true. It's a quiet and relaxed place situated in the middle of the jungle. It's a place for chilling and relaxing... and this is what we did while being there: you know, reading, sleeping, walking around,... Hmmm, we had such a fantastic time there. And the best part is that it was really cheap there - we paid for our room with attached bath and a great view down to the sea only 50 baht (roughly 1.20 euro).
After a few days of total relaxation we left our small paradise and headed on to Koh Tao - 2 1/2 hrs by boat from Koh Pha Ngan. Arriving there was similar to our arrival on Koh Pha Ngan - again lots of touts (in the Philippines we didn't see a single tout!).
As we wanted to dive on Koh Tao, we headed to the dive schools. After checking out a few of them, we decided on the "Dive Point". They gave us a really good price (the guy responsible is an Austrian called Walter, he even grew up quite close to my hometown. So we somehow felt "connected"...) there... so you see, the same nationality connects :-)
On the next day we already went diving - we spent the whole day on the huge "Dive Point" boat (3 decks). Our first dive was at Chumpon Pinnacle, which is a really deep dive site (down to 42 m). We were told that the chance to see a whale-shark there is quite high but unfortunately we weren't that lucky. No whale-shark but lots of Baracudas and some other fishes. The next dive was at Green Rock - I liked this location a lot better as there were numerous canyons and caves to dive through. Unfortunately there were a lot of trigger fishes ready to attack us... so we had to "flee" three times. We survived, don't worry ;-)
The rest of the day, we spent on the upper deck in the sun, or snorkelling and swimming in the sea. Life can be so beautiful :-))
At 6 p.m. we went ouit again to do a night dive - unfortunately, the moon was really bright, so it didn't get pitch-dark.
Concluding I wanna say that I think that the Philippine underwater world is much better than the one in the Gulf of Thailand. The Philippine u/w world seems to be alive while the one around Koh Tao seems quite dead. I know I shouldn't compare but there were so many fishes and corals, hardly any other divers in the Philippines. Although I have to admit that diving in Thailand is generally cheaper. So, it's up to you to decide where you wanna dive but I think I'll go back to the Phils some day for diving...
On the 16th we left Koh Tao and travelled on to Bangkok, where we are at this very moment. We are staying for one day only, just to get all the things for Cambodia fixed. Tomorrow we are already off to the land of Khmers - talk to you in a week or so, with hopefully a lot of interesting stories to tell.
Love,
January 18 - 26, 2003 - A week in Cambodia |
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Cambodia - the first words that come to your mind when you think about Cambodia are probably: civil war, Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot and land mines. For the culture-lover, Angkor might also pop up.
Well, to be honest, before we decided to pay Cambodia a visit the words mentioned above were the only one I could connect with this country. But Cambodia has a lot more to offer - ancient temples, empty beaches, mighty rivers, bustling markets,... and compared to neighbouring Thailand only a handful of tourists (except Angkor).
Cambodia is now opening its arms to the world and returning to the South East Asian travel map!
We left Bangkok on Jan 18 to Siem Reap, our first destination in Cambodia. Tickets from BKK to Siem Reap are as cheap as 100 Baht if you buy them on Khao San Road (the main backpacker strip in BKK)... but be prepared that they try to rip you off at the border. When we did this trip, we stopped in Aranya Prathet (the Thai border town) in order to get our visas for Cambodia. Our driver demanded 1300 Baht for the visa from us but we knew it's only 1000 Baht if you apply directly for it at the immigration office at the border. So we refused to pay. After a long discussion, the guy eventually gave up. He said we can try "our luck" at the border but we will encounter many problems. Well, Oli and I didn't believe him anyway... so we applied for the visa directly at the immigration in Poipet - it costed 1000 Baht and took us only 15 minutes! So we saved 300 Baht each. If you ever plan on taking this route into Cambodia (via Poipet), be prepared to get ripped off - but as long as you know about it, you can do something against it!
As soon as you cross the border, you enter a completely different world... beggars start approaching you, the streets aren't paved anymore, the language and the letters change... and the people are completely different!
Talking about the roads - well, they are an adventure in itself! Bumpy, dusty and partly non-existent, although they have improved a lot over the past few years. Compared to Palawan, Philippines they are probably even a bit better... but if you sit 8 - 9 hours in a minibus (where all the dust is coming in), you start to hate them sooner or later, especially the potholes - I promise you!
Siem Reap is the gateway to the temples of Angkor, Cambodia's greatest tourist attraction. The 100 or so temples are the sacred remains of what was once a much larger administrative and religious center, and were built between the 9th and 13th centuries to glorify a succession of Khmer kings.
Visitors may buy a 1-day pass (20 USD), a 3-day pass (40 USD) or a 1-week pass (60 USD) to visit the temples. As we are normally not too much into temples, Oli and I decided on a 1-day pass (which later turned out to be the right decision) for Jan 20. On Jan 19 from 5 p.m. onwards, we were already allowed to get into the temple area to watch the colorful sunset. Phnom Bakhen is one of the most favorite spots to do this - but be prepared, it gets really crowded there. However, it's still possible to find a place where you can watch the sunset relatively alone - you just have to look for it!
On the next day, Claire and Andy (from GB) and Oli and I hired a tuk-tuk for the four of us for the whole day to get around the temples. Having just one day you have to have a good organisation of your sightseeing tour.
We started at the impressive Angkor Wat for sunrise, moved on to Ta Prom (a huge temple that is left to the jungle) and spent 1.5 hours there. Continued then on to Banteay Kdei, Sras Srang and to Ta Som (Ta Som's most impressive feature is the huge tree completely overwhelming the eastern gopura, one of the most popular photo opportunities in the Angkor area). Later we stopped by Neak Pean and Preak Khan for a while.
After having lunch, we went to Angkor Wat - the largest monument of Angkor and widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world. We spent 1.5 hours wandering around this huge and really breathtaking monument. Late afternoon and sunset, we stayed at Angkor Thom - famous for the Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants and of course, the stunning Bayon.
Although it was really a long day (5:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.), I enjoyed it a lot. First of all because of the impressive temples (Ta Prom is undoubtely my favorit!) and secondly because of the great time we had with Claire and Andy - thanks a lot for your company! and have a safe trip!
Siem Reap is also a nice town to explore - we particularly enjoyed the Old and the New Market a lot!
On the 21st we travelled on to Phnom Penh, to the capital of Cambodia. Although there's a boat going down Tonle Sap River to the capital, we opted for the bus (much cheaper!)... the ride down to Phnom Penh was loooong, hot and very dusty - but that's what adventure is all about, huh? We survived, so it wasn't that bad ;-)
Have you ever read "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh: Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls and Ganja." by Amit Gilboa? It's hilarious (although sometimes a bit disgusting) about expats in Phnom Penh - it's definitely a must-read if you intend to go to Phnom Penh (the book description will be soon available here).
Phnom Penh is a city of stark contrasts - the redeveloped riverfront with its cafes and restaurants and broad boulevards compared to the poverty on Phnom Penh's not-so-touristy dusty streets.
While being there, we visited the Tuol Sleng museum that serves as a testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, and few details of each victim's torture and death are left to the imagination. The Tuol Sleng museum is really a depressing experience and for sure nothing for the squeamish.
Phnom Penh also offers some sights to the interested visitor: Wat Ounalom, Wat Phnom, Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, but also the Independence Monument on Sihanouk Boulevard. The Russian and the Central Market are also well-worth visiting.
Talking about King Norodom Sihanouk, our last stop in Cambodia was in the city that was named after him - Sihanoukville, Cambodia's leading beach resort. It's still not comparable to Thailand's beaches but that's a great relief and a good reason to come. While being there, Oli and I did nothing special - we mainly enjoyed the beach and the sea. Moreover, we recharged our batteries there for our trip to the Northern part of Thailand.
From Sihanoukville we went straight back to Bangkok. First we took a minibus to the Thai border, walked over the border (which was recently openend to foreigners), took a songthaew (pick-up truck fitted with two benches) to Khlong Yai and then to Trat. From there we took a bus to Bangkok.
All in all, Cambodia was a real good experience for me - although it's one of the poorest countries in the world, people are still wearing a smile on their faces (and that's really true) and have a positive attitude towards foreign visitors. You can't get away from Cambodia without a measure of admiration and affection for the people of this beautiful yet troubled country.
Moreover, I saw fried tarantulas for the first time in my life - bon appetit! ;-)
Hugs,
January 27 - February 3, 2003 - Bangkok, Sukhothai and |
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Back in Thailand, back in Bangkok - after our week in Cambodia, Bangkok was like a totally different world for us - the traffic, the people (tons of tourists), the noise... and it was really hard to find accommodation in Bangkok as all the cheap hotels and guesthouses were fully booked - damn! Man, I wanted to get out of this city so badly! Eventually we managed to find a room. We stayed just for 2 days in Bangkok only to arrange our bus ticket to Sukhothai and our train ticket from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, as well as reserving a room for our last few days in Bangkok before heading back home, back to Austria.
Our travel to the Northern part of Thailand started on Jan 29 with our first stop in Sukhothai, Thailand's first capital in the 13th century. Today Sukhothai is famous for its ruins from that time period. Oli and I actually planned the whole next day for exploring the temples of Old Sukhothai, but after 2 hours we were done. Although Sukhothai Historical Park is really well-maintained, we didn't like it too much there. Firstly because we've been to Angkor before and secondly, the ruins of Sukhothai were too "sterile" for me; the whole area seemed a bit "dead". And then it's hard to imagine how life was here many centuries ago, right? A bit disappointed we left Sukhothai after lunch to Mae Sot - which is only a 2.5 hours drive away and located on Thailand's border facing the Burmese town of Myawaddy.
Mae Sot itself doesn't have too much to offer - a market, some Wats, that's it. However, due to its proximity to the Burmese border, it's said to be a center for smuggling between these two countries. While in Mae Sot, we took a songthaew to the border in order to visit the market there - it offers Burmese and Thai products and you can also see a lot of Burmese people but somehow this border market lacks of atmosphere big time. Therefore we decided to cross the border and check out the other side of Moei River, namely the bordertown in Myanmar. Unfortunately, for tourists a one-day-visa for Myanmar costed the incredible sum of 500 Baht or 10 USD - definitely too much for us.
On our way back to Mae Sot we also paid the beautiful but trashy Wat Thai Wattanaram a visit.
On February 1 we left Mae Sot at 6 a.m. by songthaew to Mae Sariang - man, I was freezing so badly! In a songthaew you're not protected against cold temperature (at 6 in the morning probably around 5 - 10 degrees) and wind... what a ride! I had all my warm clothes on (which aren't too many, I've to admit - but hey, I'm in Thailand - you cannot expect it being so cold here...) and still was freezing. Nevertheless, I survived... without getting a cold ;-)
In Mae Sariang we changed into a bus to Mae Hong Son, where we arrived at around 4 in the afternoon. My first impression of Mae Hong Son was really a good one - there's a nice lake (Jong Kham Lake) with some Wats around it. Moreover there was a festival at the lake going on - all this made up a really nice atmosphere. We stayed at this guesthouse called "Prince's House", a nice hotel directly at the lake overlooking the on-going festival, the Wats and the lake itself.
On the next day, we did some sightseeing and even climbed a small mountain that offered us a great view down to the town. Later we visited the market and enjoyed a yummy pineapple while watching the sunset at the lakeside.
All in all, Mae Hong Son is definitely a place to hang out for a while - the scenic surroundings, the fresh air, the idyllic lake... all that contributes to the overall great atmosphere there.
However, Oli and I moved further on to Chiang Rai, our next destination, on February 3. There are two possibilities to reach Chiang Rai (or Chiang Mai) from Mae Hong Son - either via Mae Sariang or via Pai. We chose the latter one as we heard that this is a stunning journey with magnificient views... well, and that's absolutely right! We did this journey yesterday - leaving Mae Hong Son at 7 a.m.. Although it was again quite chi lly, I enjoyed the drive a lot. The road winds through beautiful valleys and forests - with the morning fog especially picturesque! I really recommend taking this route if you plan on travelling from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Rai (or Chiang Mai, of course).
In Chiang Mai we changed busses to get to Chiang Rai... but Chiang Rai is another story - to be told next week. But one thing up-front: we like it here a lot ;-) Tomorrow we're doing this day tour - visiting the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Myanmar and Laos), Laos, hilltribes and boating along the Mekong River, etc. Looking forward to it!
Talk to you later!
Hugs,
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