Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Taman Negara
The locals tell me Taman Negara is the oldest forest in the world. Due to my short term memory I can't recall exactly how old at the moment but I do recall that it is much older than the Amazon.
The journey to Taman Negara is a story on its own. First I took a 5 hour bus ride from KL to a small town called Jerantut. From Jerantut I took a long boat to Taman Negara for about 2 hours:
Despite the duration the boat ride was quite refreshing. The slow river current and the breath taking scenery mixed harmoniously to produce the euphoric feeling of "R&R".
The most interesting fact about Taman Negara is the sounds. Several types of monkeys, bugs, and other noctural creatures that sing their own idiosyncratic mating calls to produce a beautiful & unforgettable evening symphony.
Another interesting fact about TN is the leeches. Several leech species around the world are known to reside in swamps and shallow muddy waters and black in color. The leeches in TN crawl around the forest, are around 1 to 2 inches, and green in color.
The locals their told me that when we walked through the jungle that the leeches stick to our shoes and crawl up or into our shoes. They then crawl to our legs or any exposed areas in which they can feed.
Their bite produces only a minor itch or no readily apparent feelings so it is difficult to detect them. Once they bite, they inject their own saliva which stop the blood from clotting thus producing a steady stream of blood directly to their mouth.
Even when the leech has finished feeding (about 10 - 30 minutes) the blood flow does not clot for a while.
Due to limited time I was faced with limited choices of activities. I first took a walk on the jungle canopy which hangs 20 - 40 meters above the jungle floor. It was not particularly entertaining or challenging but the duration of the walk was the sweatiest 3 hours of my life. Even the European travel mates started sweating profusely.
side bar -- a note to the ladies: If you want to loose weight FAST, go to TN and stay there for about a month. Do the canopy walk every day and I guarantee you will loose ALL your unwanted weight and get that superficial yet slim figure that you only dreamed about achieving but could not because you are either too lazy or already knee deep in denial.
Next activity on my list was a visit to the Gua Telinga (called "ear cave" due to the shape of the entrance). I will never forget the smell of that cave. At first I did not know what was producing the smell. Then I realized after seeing the several inhabiting bats and crawling through soft cave soil that the smell was produced by bat guano (excrements) and the soft cave soil was actually bat guano.
The final activity on my list was a visit to the Orang Asli; the aboriginal people's village. The locals of TN informed us that the Orang Asli live a simple nomadic life style in the TN jungle. They build small huts using palm leaves and other small timber produced by the jungle and hunt for monkeys & other jungle animals.
Even though they gain many benefits from the government as the indigenous people of Malaysia (treated MUCH better than the natives in Canada & US), I felt a bit saddened by the fact that globalization has affected their lifestyle. The frequent visits of tourists and the concept of money seemed to have tained them to a degree not apparent to me.
At first I started taking photographs but after seeing the strange stares of the children of the village, I could not help out put my camera away.
The journey to Taman Negara is a story on its own. First I took a 5 hour bus ride from KL to a small town called Jerantut. From Jerantut I took a long boat to Taman Negara for about 2 hours:
Despite the duration the boat ride was quite refreshing. The slow river current and the breath taking scenery mixed harmoniously to produce the euphoric feeling of "R&R".The most interesting fact about Taman Negara is the sounds. Several types of monkeys, bugs, and other noctural creatures that sing their own idiosyncratic mating calls to produce a beautiful & unforgettable evening symphony.
Another interesting fact about TN is the leeches. Several leech species around the world are known to reside in swamps and shallow muddy waters and black in color. The leeches in TN crawl around the forest, are around 1 to 2 inches, and green in color.
The locals their told me that when we walked through the jungle that the leeches stick to our shoes and crawl up or into our shoes. They then crawl to our legs or any exposed areas in which they can feed.
Their bite produces only a minor itch or no readily apparent feelings so it is difficult to detect them. Once they bite, they inject their own saliva which stop the blood from clotting thus producing a steady stream of blood directly to their mouth.
Even when the leech has finished feeding (about 10 - 30 minutes) the blood flow does not clot for a while.
Due to limited time I was faced with limited choices of activities. I first took a walk on the jungle canopy which hangs 20 - 40 meters above the jungle floor. It was not particularly entertaining or challenging but the duration of the walk was the sweatiest 3 hours of my life. Even the European travel mates started sweating profusely.
side bar -- a note to the ladies: If you want to loose weight FAST, go to TN and stay there for about a month. Do the canopy walk every day and I guarantee you will loose ALL your unwanted weight and get that superficial yet slim figure that you only dreamed about achieving but could not because you are either too lazy or already knee deep in denial.
Next activity on my list was a visit to the Gua Telinga (called "ear cave" due to the shape of the entrance). I will never forget the smell of that cave. At first I did not know what was producing the smell. Then I realized after seeing the several inhabiting bats and crawling through soft cave soil that the smell was produced by bat guano (excrements) and the soft cave soil was actually bat guano.
The final activity on my list was a visit to the Orang Asli; the aboriginal people's village. The locals of TN informed us that the Orang Asli live a simple nomadic life style in the TN jungle. They build small huts using palm leaves and other small timber produced by the jungle and hunt for monkeys & other jungle animals.
Even though they gain many benefits from the government as the indigenous people of Malaysia (treated MUCH better than the natives in Canada & US), I felt a bit saddened by the fact that globalization has affected their lifestyle. The frequent visits of tourists and the concept of money seemed to have tained them to a degree not apparent to me.
At first I started taking photographs but after seeing the strange stares of the children of the village, I could not help out put my camera away.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
KL (Kuala Lumpur)
I arrived here in 3:00 AM and was herded off to a cheap hostel. At first I thought I was getting the raw end of the bad deal since EVERYBODY in Thailand wants nothing more than your money (thanks to the gazillion tourists who go there on a monthly basis). To my relief, Malaysians were much more honest than Thais.
KL is just like any other mega-city in Souteast Asia. The traffic here is as crazy as Thailand although they have many more lanes and traffic lights. If your car is bigger than the car on the on coming traffic, you have the right of way.
When I got to KL, I met my father's old friend who I have not seen for 16 years. I recalled he was a skinny man who wore big glasses with a raspy voice caused by years of smoking. Raspy voice was still there but he was now a chubby middle aged man with grey hair. He had the typical mid-level, corporate asian business aura about him that I really found peculiar. (More about this guy in a future post).
I arrived here in 3:00 AM and was herded off to a cheap hostel. At first I thought I was getting the raw end of the bad deal since EVERYBODY in Thailand wants nothing more than your money (thanks to the gazillion tourists who go there on a monthly basis). To my relief, Malaysians were much more honest than Thais.
KL is just like any other mega-city in Souteast Asia. The traffic here is as crazy as Thailand although they have many more lanes and traffic lights. If your car is bigger than the car on the on coming traffic, you have the right of way.
When I got to KL, I met my father's old friend who I have not seen for 16 years. I recalled he was a skinny man who wore big glasses with a raspy voice caused by years of smoking. Raspy voice was still there but he was now a chubby middle aged man with grey hair. He had the typical mid-level, corporate asian business aura about him that I really found peculiar. (More about this guy in a future post).
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Back to Ranong on to Ko Chang
After 4 days in Ko Tao, we (Ingrid, Bart, Igor & I) headed back to Ranong.
When we arrived in Ranong, we were faced with the familiar smells of the city and the hustle & bustle of the streets of Thailand.
Sidebar - there are no lanes in Thailand and there are very little traffic lights.
The next day we headed to an island about the size of Ko Tao called Ko Chang. Ko Chang is idiosyncratic in the fact that not too many people go there and it is nearly deserted compared to some of the popular tourist destinations such as Ko Phangan and Ko Tao.
The ride there involved an hour of gentle swaying in a long boat. Also what I found interesting is that so Buddhist monks seem to head to a hear by island for a reason unknown to me:
If there was one spot on earth that anyone can come and just relax - not from actually attempting to relax but from the atmosphere, surroundings, sounds, smells, etc... Ko Chang is definitely that place. Any human being can come to Ko Chang and literally bask in his/her exitence.
Ko Chang is also a place of complete focus. I saw a book rack in the restaurant/bungalow check-in desk and picked out "Da Vinci Code". Although I have not seen the movie I decided to have a read. The book is roughly 600 pages long and I finished it in 2 days. I could not believe how concentrated I was in Ko Chang. At home a book of 600 pages would take me roughly a month to finish. I didn't find the book to be a good read but this was the most amazing reading experience I ever had.
Perhaps the images below to add flavour to my words:
When we arrived in Ranong, we were faced with the familiar smells of the city and the hustle & bustle of the streets of Thailand.Sidebar - there are no lanes in Thailand and there are very little traffic lights.
The next day we headed to an island about the size of Ko Tao called Ko Chang. Ko Chang is idiosyncratic in the fact that not too many people go there and it is nearly deserted compared to some of the popular tourist destinations such as Ko Phangan and Ko Tao.
The ride there involved an hour of gentle swaying in a long boat. Also what I found interesting is that so Buddhist monks seem to head to a hear by island for a reason unknown to me:
If there was one spot on earth that anyone can come and just relax - not from actually attempting to relax but from the atmosphere, surroundings, sounds, smells, etc... Ko Chang is definitely that place. Any human being can come to Ko Chang and literally bask in his/her exitence.
Ko Chang is also a place of complete focus. I saw a book rack in the restaurant/bungalow check-in desk and picked out "Da Vinci Code". Although I have not seen the movie I decided to have a read. The book is roughly 600 pages long and I finished it in 2 days. I could not believe how concentrated I was in Ko Chang. At home a book of 600 pages would take me roughly a month to finish. I didn't find the book to be a good read but this was the most amazing reading experience I ever had.
Perhaps the images below to add flavour to my words:
A girl named Am
The most beautiful girl that I have ever seen in my life (up to this day - Jan 20, 2007) was a girl named Am. She worked in the dive shop in Ko Tao that we were taking the scuba lessons from. I don't know what it is about this girl but everything about her is absolutely perfect. I guess those stupid slow motion hollywood moment happened to me when I first saw her.
From her beautiful alabaster skin to her eyes that curve and twinkle when she smiled erased every bit of Canada that was in me. If my boss was right next to me at that moment, I would have told him that I am going to quit my job to live in Ko Tao and pursue the girl of my dreams.
GOD I WISH I HAD MY CAMERA WITH ME!!!!!!!!
Almost makes me want to go back to Ko Tao.
From her beautiful alabaster skin to her eyes that curve and twinkle when she smiled erased every bit of Canada that was in me. If my boss was right next to me at that moment, I would have told him that I am going to quit my job to live in Ko Tao and pursue the girl of my dreams.
GOD I WISH I HAD MY CAMERA WITH ME!!!!!!!!
Almost makes me want to go back to Ko Tao.
Ko Tao Island II
Ko Tao....
Our first day on the island was eventful. First we met a very bored but friendly Italian/Thai teenager who was on Ko Tao for a vacation with his mother.
This kid was quite the character. He is an only child who has a father living in Australia and a mother who has a place in Thailand and Australia. Like most only child he was extremely spoiled and very lonely. As soon as I introduced myself and others to him, he followed us around everyday and everywhere. Despite that, I really liked the kid. He reminded me of how I acted when I was his age.
Back to Ko Tao..
The first scuba diving session was quite boring. We were shown a 1:30 hour long DVD of scuba equipment and basics of diving and etc... We were also expected to read a 200 page book and take an exam the following day!! I figured I wouldn't be doing any studying in my vacation but I guess I was wrong.
The following day was our first dive. The exam before the dive turned out to be extremely simple. While we were writing the exam, we joked that we should all get pissed drunk and see if we can actually fail the test. After the exam was over, we put in our scuba gear (tank, regulator, wet suite, mask, fins) and headed to 3 small islands conjoined by strips of white sandy beaches.
When we arrived we drove off the side of the boat and went into the shallow waters. Despite being in the shallow waters, we saw a plethora of fish and other marine life. There were schools of small fish that came and swam near/with us and other small blue fish that nibbled at our legs for bacteria and other microscopic life form.
I am in complete awe/love with this place....
Our first day on the island was eventful. First we met a very bored but friendly Italian/Thai teenager who was on Ko Tao for a vacation with his mother.
This kid was quite the character. He is an only child who has a father living in Australia and a mother who has a place in Thailand and Australia. Like most only child he was extremely spoiled and very lonely. As soon as I introduced myself and others to him, he followed us around everyday and everywhere. Despite that, I really liked the kid. He reminded me of how I acted when I was his age.
Back to Ko Tao..
The first scuba diving session was quite boring. We were shown a 1:30 hour long DVD of scuba equipment and basics of diving and etc... We were also expected to read a 200 page book and take an exam the following day!! I figured I wouldn't be doing any studying in my vacation but I guess I was wrong.
The following day was our first dive. The exam before the dive turned out to be extremely simple. While we were writing the exam, we joked that we should all get pissed drunk and see if we can actually fail the test. After the exam was over, we put in our scuba gear (tank, regulator, wet suite, mask, fins) and headed to 3 small islands conjoined by strips of white sandy beaches.
When we arrived we drove off the side of the boat and went into the shallow waters. Despite being in the shallow waters, we saw a plethora of fish and other marine life. There were schools of small fish that came and swam near/with us and other small blue fish that nibbled at our legs for bacteria and other microscopic life form.
I am in complete awe/love with this place....
Link to Flickr photos..
Please check out my photos from the following link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69283728@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69283728@N00/
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Ko Tao Island
Koh Tao (Turtle island) is a small island off the east coast of Thailand. It is known for pristine waters, scuba diving schools and white sand beaches. It is one of those places that we see in travel magazines where a person is walking along white sand beach with couple of palm trees on the side and crystal clear water in the ocean.
The journey to Koh Tao was quite interesting. Because of high winds, the water was extremely choppy and we were cutting through 2 meter waves. There were several european tourists who were getting sea sick due to the constant swaying motion produced by the waves. A girl who sat in front of us was vomitting every 10 minutes. We felt sorry for her but I must admit the crying/vomitting at the same time produced a bit of schadenfreude. Her boy friend kept on smiling at us while patting her girlfriend's back indicating that he was having a good time. While we were at the boat we were bombarded by advertisements of scuba diving schools/resorts from the Burmese people who worked in the Koh Tao resorts.
When we arrived at the island, we walked off the pear and headed to the nearest bench we could find. To our luck we met a very nice/friendly Dutch couple named Bart & Ingrid (pictures to follow). Also we arranged scuba lessons (International cerification for $300 Canadian + Awesome bungalows) and a place to stay while we were there.
When we got to our Bungalows (located right above Freedom beach) we knew that we had made an awesome choice. Imagine waking up to the following every morning:
And ending a beautiful evening with the following:
The journey to Koh Tao was quite interesting. Because of high winds, the water was extremely choppy and we were cutting through 2 meter waves. There were several european tourists who were getting sea sick due to the constant swaying motion produced by the waves. A girl who sat in front of us was vomitting every 10 minutes. We felt sorry for her but I must admit the crying/vomitting at the same time produced a bit of schadenfreude. Her boy friend kept on smiling at us while patting her girlfriend's back indicating that he was having a good time. While we were at the boat we were bombarded by advertisements of scuba diving schools/resorts from the Burmese people who worked in the Koh Tao resorts.
When we arrived at the island, we walked off the pear and headed to the nearest bench we could find. To our luck we met a very nice/friendly Dutch couple named Bart & Ingrid (pictures to follow). Also we arranged scuba lessons (International cerification for $300 Canadian + Awesome bungalows) and a place to stay while we were there.
When we got to our Bungalows (located right above Freedom beach) we knew that we had made an awesome choice. Imagine waking up to the following every morning:
And ending a beautiful evening with the following:
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Brief Tour around Bangkok
Although Bangkok is no different from any other bustling cities around the world, I noticed subtlies. At 6:00 AM, I was awakened by the crowing of roosters and some flamboient Thai music.
After purchasing a phone card at the local 7/11 and letting my parents know that I am alive, Igor & I headed out for the first Thai meal in Bangkok. After walking for 10 minutes, we stopped at a place called Roti-Mataba and had the small but tasty breakfast. I found the flavours of the food to be very similar to the food I had in East Malaysia. Even plain chicken currey with rice was bursting in familiar flavours. For the side dish we had the chicken mataba. It consists of roti-like bread stuffed with chicken and spices which is served with sweet/spicy dipping sauce.
Alright, saying "and then, and then, and then..." is not interesting so I shall change my style from here on.
The Grand palace was hands down amazing. I could not believe that human beings could construct architectures of such awe and beauty that it literally takes one's breath away. But the best piece of work that I saw in the Grand Palace was the Emerald Buddha. It is a small figureen roughly couple feet tall/wide made of gold and with the face made of (you guessed it) emerald. The awe produced by this figureen itself is astounding. Buddhists from all over (includng tourists) could not walk with a straight posture when walking out of the place and those who are sitting and admiring the figure could not point their feet towards the figure.
So here is the deal with Thailand - the first and only great advice that we received was from a Pot head Canadian (Canadians rock!!!) from Vancouver Island. "Never trust anybody. Not the locals, and definitely not the farangs (foreigners)". So with this scepticism implemented into our vertebrai we began our journey into the great unknown. Another advice that the pot head gentleman gave us was that we should to Ko Phan-Ngan (pronounced similar to Copenhagen) as it is a place for "younger/more energetic" crowd. So we decided to follow with the advice and bought 2 tickets to Ko Phan-Ngan which would include a 12 hour bus ride and a 5 hour boat ride.
After purchasing a phone card at the local 7/11 and letting my parents know that I am alive, Igor & I headed out for the first Thai meal in Bangkok. After walking for 10 minutes, we stopped at a place called Roti-Mataba and had the small but tasty breakfast. I found the flavours of the food to be very similar to the food I had in East Malaysia. Even plain chicken currey with rice was bursting in familiar flavours. For the side dish we had the chicken mataba. It consists of roti-like bread stuffed with chicken and spices which is served with sweet/spicy dipping sauce.
Alright, saying "and then, and then, and then..." is not interesting so I shall change my style from here on.
The Grand palace was hands down amazing. I could not believe that human beings could construct architectures of such awe and beauty that it literally takes one's breath away. But the best piece of work that I saw in the Grand Palace was the Emerald Buddha. It is a small figureen roughly couple feet tall/wide made of gold and with the face made of (you guessed it) emerald. The awe produced by this figureen itself is astounding. Buddhists from all over (includng tourists) could not walk with a straight posture when walking out of the place and those who are sitting and admiring the figure could not point their feet towards the figure.
So here is the deal with Thailand - the first and only great advice that we received was from a Pot head Canadian (Canadians rock!!!) from Vancouver Island. "Never trust anybody. Not the locals, and definitely not the farangs (foreigners)". So with this scepticism implemented into our vertebrai we began our journey into the great unknown. Another advice that the pot head gentleman gave us was that we should to Ko Phan-Ngan (pronounced similar to Copenhagen) as it is a place for "younger/more energetic" crowd. So we decided to follow with the advice and bought 2 tickets to Ko Phan-Ngan which would include a 12 hour bus ride and a 5 hour boat ride.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Arrival in Bangkok
Finally, after 22+ hours in the economy class seat of Korean Air I am in Bangkok.
For the readers who do not know the background:
1. Me & my friend Igor decided to back pack Southeast Asia about 6 months ago.
2. We are currently in Bangkok.
I always wondered why people got so excited when they were planning a future trip. "I'm travelling to _____. I can't believe I am actually doing it!!" For me, I just wanted to get away from everything. Work, parents, obligations, friends, church, my mind, the somber Vancouver atmosphere. Strangley enough, I never got the excitement. Even when I arrived at Bangkok airport it seemed like I was in the Vancouver airport.
When we eventually left the Bangkok airport (hoping and praying that we don't get ripped off by the public taxi), the excitement started to build up.
We were dropped off at the legendary road 'Th Khao San". Allegely, all backpackers to SEA make pilgrimage here and begin their journey to wherever. At first we were excited to be in a place of such diversity. However, the excitement was soon replaced by disgust as we found out more about 'Th Khao San'. All that was visible to the eyes were farangs (foreigners) with Thai prostitutes and bums who begged for money. Even the street itself was unkept and very dirty.
Needless to say we were tired beyond imagination so we started to look for the next available hostel. After searching for about an hour, we finally found a place for 600 baht ($20). We were glad to end the first day alive and intact.
For the readers who do not know the background:
1. Me & my friend Igor decided to back pack Southeast Asia about 6 months ago.
2. We are currently in Bangkok.
I always wondered why people got so excited when they were planning a future trip. "I'm travelling to _____. I can't believe I am actually doing it!!" For me, I just wanted to get away from everything. Work, parents, obligations, friends, church, my mind, the somber Vancouver atmosphere. Strangley enough, I never got the excitement. Even when I arrived at Bangkok airport it seemed like I was in the Vancouver airport.
When we eventually left the Bangkok airport (hoping and praying that we don't get ripped off by the public taxi), the excitement started to build up.
We were dropped off at the legendary road 'Th Khao San". Allegely, all backpackers to SEA make pilgrimage here and begin their journey to wherever. At first we were excited to be in a place of such diversity. However, the excitement was soon replaced by disgust as we found out more about 'Th Khao San'. All that was visible to the eyes were farangs (foreigners) with Thai prostitutes and bums who begged for money. Even the street itself was unkept and very dirty.
Needless to say we were tired beyond imagination so we started to look for the next available hostel. After searching for about an hour, we finally found a place for 600 baht ($20). We were glad to end the first day alive and intact.
17 hours of flight and I am finally back in my home land.
Korea...
Seems strange to be back in the country that I was born in.
Perhaps it is the jet lag but it feels pretty good.
5 more hours until Bangkok.
Seems strange to be back in the country that I was born in.
Perhaps it is the jet lag but it feels pretty good.
5 more hours until Bangkok.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)