2012 Adventures Continued...

My blog has apparently reached its maximum space for photographs so I've had to create a new Google login and a whole new blog page just to finish off my last few posts. Here's the link to the new webpage:

http://janelleandjody2012adventures2nd.blogspot.com/

Malaysia, Truly Asia

I haven't been able to get this jingle out of my head the whole time we've been here, "Malaysia, Truly Asia"!
Malaysia has been a highlight of southeast Asia for us so far. It is modern while still maintaining its interesting culture & history. The landscape is lush, the people are lovely and the cities remain charming despite the sweltering heat.
We started off in Georgetown (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) on the island of Penang - the food capital of Malaysia. Here we sauntered around the botanical gardens, sampled Malaysia's beloved white coffee, and rode the train up to the top of Penang Hill to take in the panoramic view and see the temples.

From Penang we drove across the Malaysian peninsula through the jungle to reach the Perhentian Island of Kecil. We found ourselves a great little bungalow on the beach and settled into the relaxed lifestyle of the locals for a few days with no tv or internet - just books and the beach. Unfortunately we were forced to leave the island when the monsoon rains headed our way and tourism was shut down for the next couple of months on the island, but we were thankful for a few sunny, quiet days here.

Preparing sand bags for the impending monsoon season

Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands was our third stop in Malaysia and probably our favourite - hooray for cooler weather! This area is a vegetable, fruit and tea growing haven though apparently fairly corrupt in their land-pillaging methods from what the local people told us...
We had such a great time touring farms in the countryside, visiting tea plantations, sampling fruit and enjoying afternoon tea & scones. We were very lucky to find a taxi driver one day who turned out to be a farming & tea expert and gave us some great information on both subjects.

overlooking BOH estate

Timing was in our favour as we happened to be in the area during a Chinese festival which we observed each night during our stay. It started out with some loud, high-energy pop performances, then every other night things got interesting. Beginning at the Chinese temple a few religious, young men went into a trance-like state apparently taking on the form of different spirits/saints. Everyone in attendence then paraded down to the river where the men were pierced in different areas of their bodies and walked back through the streets striking themselves with swords or spikes on a chain. Needless to say it was pretty wild to witness. After they had marched back to the temple they were brought out of their trance and the night ended. 

WARNING: I've posted a video that may be difficult to watch - even I have to look away whenever I play it! (but if you do watch it, watch in full screen)

For me, the best part about being in the Cameron Highlands were the rare Rafflesia's hiding in the jungle nearby (the world's largest flower)! Every week or so the bushmen hunt for the elusive flowers in the dense forest and bring tourists to see them during their 7-day blooming cycle. I was lucky enough to see one of the largest species of this flower on its second day in bloom.

We spent only a day in Kuala Lumpur before flying to the Philippines and a few more days when we returned. In honour of Diwali (or Deepavali) we visited the Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine in a 400 million year old limestone rock formation. We did a lot of wandering around the city and always seemed to find ourselves back at the mall in the Petronas Towers for the aircon, movie theatre and a taste of home (including a red velvet cupcake with whipped, cream cheese icing... mm). The Petronas Towers really are a spectacle, especially at night with the colourful waterworks show out front.

Our last stop in Malaysia was the town of Melaka. We really enjoyed the Indian street food here as well as the great little shops lining the streets in Chinatown. The river provided a great backdrop for some late-morning breakfasts and the entertainment complexes provided a relief from the heat with their archery studios and ice-filled drinks.

Next up, a blog post about our time in the Philippines!

Andaman Coast of Thailand

After Cambodia we headed back to Thailand to check out some of the islands and beaches on the Andaman (west) coast. After another couple days in Bangkok we headed to Koh Lanta where we found a great little hut at a resort right on the beach complete with two pools and a perfect view of the amazing sunsets.

Once again we rented a scooter so we could tour the island and check out some other beaches. Unfortunately we incurred a minor scooter incident which led to us making a great escape from the island which led to a ferry ticket scam which led to Jody almost getting drop-kicked in the face by a tiny Thai guy, Matrix-style. This story is much better saved for telling in person but needless to say it was an adventure getting to Koh Phi Phi, the neighboring island where we settled in for a couple days.
We weren't big fans of Phi Phi island as it's over-run with tourists and they don't seem to have their sewage system under control but you cannot complain about the scenery - it's beautiful! The limestone cliffs make for incredible backdrops to the clear, aqua water and soft, white beaches.
The main draw, of course, is to see "The Beach" which was filmed on Phi Phi Leh. We were loaded into a longtail boat and dropped at a few stunning locations to snorkel followed by some time to explore 'the beach' which was very pretty but chocked full of tourists. While we were glad we went we were ready to escape the tourist-trap that is Koh Phi Phi and head back to the mainland.

Our next stop was a town called Ao Nang where delicious Indian restaraunts abound and gorgeous beaches are a short boat ride away. We spent a long day at Rai Leh beach soaking up the sun & scenery and cooling off in the sea with our frisbee.

Lanterns lining the ocean-front walkway in Ao Nang

From Ao Nang we made our way down to our next stop, Malaysia!

Learning alot in Cambodia

Our time in Cambodia began in Siem Reap, the jumping-off point to the historic holy city of Angkor. In Siem Reap we spent our days wandering around the markets and our evenings on "Pub Street" sampling the 25cent draught, Khmer curries and ice cream at 'Banana Leaf'. The highlight was obviously our time spent touring the temples of Angkor via tuk-tuk which were incredible to see in person. My favorite temple was Bayon (the one with the faces) but they were all uniquely impressive, especially the jungle temple where trees are growing out of the ruins. The intricate stone carvings are fascinating, at least the ones that are still in tact after the destruction & looting during the the late 70's and 80's.

We continued to learn more about the devastating recent history of the Khmer people in the capital city, Phnom Penh; I feel so ignorant for having had no idea about the genocide and what the people of Cambodia have been through prior to coming to their country. In Phnom Penh we walked through "S-21", the school-turned-prison where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned roughly 17,000 innocent Cambodians and tortured them into confessing to crimes they did not commit. It was eerie and sad, especially meeting two of the seven survivors afterward who were selling books they'd written about their experience in the prison. We also went to the "Killing Fields" at Choeung Ek where the soldiers marched prisoners (men, women & children) to their death by completely inhumane & gruesome methods.
After all of this, I'm still not sure I had a complete grasp on what really happened during Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's reign (if you click on no other link, click this one) from 1975-1979 until I read the book "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung. It is a firsthand account of a young girl & her family who were forced out of Phnom Penh to work as slave laborers in the fields of the countryside; reading this book made the situation feel a lot more real.
Despite all that they have been through in the past 40+ years the people of Cambodia are among some of the kindest we've met on our trip and the most welcoming. Many people speak great English so it was nice to be able to get to know some of them during our time there.

Temples in Phnom Penh

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum a.k.a. "S-21"

Memorial stupa at Choeung Ek

Visitors have left thousands of bracelets in memory of the children at the 'killing fields'

On a lighter note, we left Phnom Penh heading for the coast starting in Kampot which is a region known for their pepper. We rode bikes through the town and surrounding villages along the river then escaped to tiny, primitive "Rabbit Island" where there are no proper showers & only 3 hours of electricity per day. It downpoured the first day we were there and the next day was hot, like get-a-sunburn-in-the-shade hot.

We spent a night in the town of Kep before meeting up with 'The Belgians' one last time on the island of Koh Rong where, when it wasn't raining, the beach & sea were very inviting. During the downpours we passed the time eating curries, playing cards, reading & generally laying around laughing; we had a great time!

The view from our bungalow

Sunset from the boat heading back to the mainland

Our last stop was Sihanoukville before crossing the border back into Thailand and heading for the beaches of the Andean Sea!

Starting out in Southeast Asia

Kao San Road, Bangkok. Besides hundreds of backpackers it is also famously home to ice-cold 7/11's, almost-undetectable ladyboys, sizzling Pad Thai stands at every turn and hundreds of touts selling everything from custom-tailored suits to fake college diplomas to LED-tshirts, to name a few.
We spent a few days here reconnecting with friends and meeting some new ones. We were sure to get our fill of Pad Thai and Tom Yum in between visiting a massive outdoor market, riding on the river taxi, viewing the city lights at night and cruising around in tuk-tuks. While there has been tuk-tuk transport in most of the countries we have visited, none seem to have been as decked out as those in Bangkok with their coloured, flashing lights and loud, thumping music.

In attempts to beat the heat we also spent much time either in 7/11's, on the Sky Train, or in the malls - all heavily airconditioned. The mall highlights included glow-in-the-dark bowling in our own private 'VIP' room complete with a karaoke machine and, on another day, feeling like we were back at home watching a movie in a deluxe theatre, eating flavored popcorn :)

The best part for me was probably the massive crepe filled with bananas and smothered in Nutella that you can buy on the street for next to nothing... mmm I'll be making these at home from now on.

From Bangkok we headed to the northern part of Thailand. In Chiang Mai I recovered from the airconditioning overdose (minor head cold) by sweating it out on rented bicycles, crusing around the city & checking out temples. Jody was so happy to see that his favorite BBQ-stand man still sets up his food cart at the same spot along the river as he did 8 years ago when he was here last. I was so happy when Jody introduced me to the Chiang Mai Saloon where they blare country tunes and the staff are decked out in western wear (I may miss Ranchmans a little....).

Jody's golden nugget with a handy bell & basket

Our next stop was Pai. Beloved by Jody on his last trip to southeast Asia he was shocked to see how much the little town had changed and grown but remained loveable all the same. We walked, read, skyped with our families and were generally lazy in Pai while combatting the rain of monsoon season on and off all day. We rented a scooter and rode through villages around the beautiful countryside and to the top of a canyon, stopping to see waterfalls and hotsprings along the way.

After a few days we tore ourselves away from our adorable bungalow & lazy lifestyle in Pai and began the long journey to Cambodia...

We Heart Nepal

The people, the landscape, the vibe, (the shopping!) - we have loved everything about our time in Nepal. Perhaps this stems from the contrast of having just come from Africa, not that we didn't love Africa, but life has just seemed so easy & peaceful here and the people have been very welcoming. When we first arrived in Kathmandu it was hard to imagine 'peaceful' being a word we would use to describe our time here; it is a chaotic, loud and well-worn city where car horns and touts can be overwhelming but after a few days we settled into the neighborhood of Thamel and grew to really appreciate the city.

We found out that our American friend, Julie, who we had met in Ecuador happened to be in Nepal at the same time so we linked up and planned a trekking excursion in the Annapurna mountain range, not really knowing what we were getting into just that we wanted to spend some time in the Himalayas. After gearing up in the town of Pokhara we set out with our little porter, Ojin, carrying 20 kilos of our stuff on his back.

Day 1 - off we go

In the back of our minds we all hoped to make it to the Annapurna basecamp but after four days of climbing up and down rocky trails for hours each day and battling the elements associated with monsoon season (rain, humidity, incessant leeches) we were feeling the effects of the workout as we reached a fork in the road/trail. We had a decision to make: do we press on and spend three more days ascending 2,000m to the basecamp in the rain only to have to wreck our knees coming back down OR do we complete the loop we'd begun and head for the very enticing hot springs in the next village. Not surprisingly the hot springs won the popular vote and we spent the next three days leisurely making our way back to town enjoying every minute of being in one of the most impressive mountain ranges in the world.
Along the way we stayed at 'tea houses' which were surprisingly comfortable and served up great meals as well as the occasional ice-cold beer. As there are no roads, everything in the villages is carried up on the backs of people and mules which is incredibly impressive considering how well-developed & stocked the villages are. At one point we even saw a little Nepali man carrying up a WASHING MACHINE!

There were literally hundreds of waterfalls along the way

After trekking each day we'd wash up and relax with our books or a deck of cards

Given the time of year the snow-capped mountain peaks were typically obstructed by clouds but at a few points along the way we were lucky enough to have amazing views, typically at sunrise.

the sacred Fishtail Mountain on the left, forbidden to climb

felt like a couple of grannies with our sore knees and walking sticks!

fancy guesthouse in the background (for your viewing pleasure, mom!)

Back in Pokhara we spent a few lazy days indulging in delicious Nepali meals, riding bikes we`d rented around Phewa Lake, walking around town and even opted for for an afternoon at the spa to comfort our aching muscles.

A 10 hour bus ride brought us back to Kathmandu where we did a whole lot of souvenir & Christmas shopping, saw a number of the Stupas during a walking tour through the city and ate curries at our favorite restaraunt `Mitho`every night with our new friends Justin & Steph (there`s your shoutout ya Townsvillain!). We also splurged on a 45 minute flight with Buddha Air over the Himalayan mountain range which includes the incredible Mount Everest. We were very fortunate to have a perfectly clear morning and were in awe of the numerous amazing peaks towering above the clouds.

sunrise and a distant view of the peaks

Everest is the tallest peak in this photo

view over Kathmandu from the top of the Monkey Temple

Nepal has been another one of the countries that we would love to return to one day as we feel like there is still so much to see and explore. Tomorrow we are off to Thailand for yet another reunion with the Belgians for 'One Night in Bangkok' to kick off the southeast Asia leg of our journey! I can't believe it's September already...