Earthman's Asian Walkabout

Earthman Has Walked

2011-11-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

This blog has moved, for more Walkabout goodness you can find me at:
www.earthmanswalkabout.wordpress.com

Home

2009-12-11T00:57:00.000-08:00

Perth, AustraliaSo after leaving Bangkok airport (where there was a lovely display of The Churning Of The Sea Of Milk which was on the side of Angkor Wat) I boarded the plane to Kuala Lumpur for my final flight back home to Perth, Australia. As much as I love Asia it was good to be going home, despite a certain amount of uncertainty of the work and accomodation front. Never mind all that though, so far everything has always worked out okay and these fays I am a man of very simple pleasures, some of the best experiences of my life have occurred at my poorest and I have often been at my most miserable when surrounded with all the trappings of the material existence. I posted last time about a Zen riddle about the guy hanging off the cliff facing certain death above and below, the whole story is a metaphor for human existance, the black and white mice symbolise night and day, time ticking away with certain doom waiting for us no matter what course of action we take. Some may find this too terrifying or horrible to contemplate but the whole point of the tale is that you have to enjoy each moment, to eat the strawberries whenever you can in order to really appreciate life for how beautiful it really is. To do this we must quieten our monkey minds, stop it from jumping around from thinking about the past and the future and to focus only on what is real, which is the moment at hand.So begins my long journey towards this end....Touched down is Perth at 5:30am on Saturday morning, the pilot of the plane looked like an idiot salesperson who used to work for me which was a bit unsettling and There were no blankets offered to passengers despite the freezing temperature inside the plane. I nearly missed the plane as I was sitting inside the new lounge section at the airport, so new that they hadnt installed speakers so you could hear the boarding announcements being made at the gate outside.Got a mate to pick me up from the Perth airport, kudos to him for making the trip so early in the morning. If you ever want to find out who your real friends are, try that on them.Made it to my mates wedding at 1pm after shaving of the beard, putting on the suit I got from Bangkok and doing my hair, a very nice ceremony where he arrived at the church in a Hummer, after which we went to the Matilda bay Brewery where the reception was held. A magnificent location right on the river, beautiful day and weather, I will post some photos when I can get a broadband connection instead of dial up which will take forever to load up.A lovely reception and got the chance to chat with my mate's neighbour with whom I shared travel stories before winding up at midnight when i headed into the nightclub district of Northbridge for another mate's birthday party.Not having my passport on me and my drivers license having long since expired, I was denied entry into the club where her party was being held for as I had no ID. Welcome Home!From here I jumped in a cab for the long drive to my mates house where I was staying, total fare: AU$70....Takeaway lessons here:Australia is very beaurocratic.Australia is bloody expensive after AsiaThe upside was that my mate had let me stay at his beautiful house while he and his wife went on their honeymoon, time to relax and take it easy for a bit before beginning the job hunt to replenish by rapidly deteriorating bank balance.Cheers Cobba!

Training The Monkey Mind- Conclusion

2009-12-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Suan Mokkh, Southern Thailand

While walking in the hills, a man is confronted by a fierce tiger. Try as he might to evade the beast, he soon finds himself chased off the side of a cliff. Grasping for dear life on a vine he caught hanging during his fall, he notices a bunch of ripe strawberries growing on the small rock ledge alongside of him. While the fierce rocks below threaten to rip him to pieces and drag his body to the murky depths, two mice, one black and one white, begin to chew away at the vine to which he holds for dear life as the tiger above waits restlessly for his meal to climb within reach.
What should he do?

-Zen riddle

So the final few days of the retreat were scheduled much as the middle, wake up early then meditate, yoga then meditate, breakfast then meditate, dharma talk then meditate, and so on and so on. The expectation was that the guests should know the basics by this stage and should just practice in order to develop their skills more fully, and this is just what everyone would do.

As the final days approached people got alot more relaxed, a few conversations could be heard around the bodhi tree during walking meditation time and three of the group were expelled for using the hot springs when they should have been doing walking meditation, they were actaully busted by the rest of the group when they filed past the springs during the group walking meditation. Unlucky, I actually thought it was a bit harsh to kick them out for a minor transgression such as this.

The retreat wrapped up on the morning of the 11th of November, after that everyone was free to talk again and that was what everyone did as if desperately trying to make up for the previous days of silence. I met a few Canadians, a mad Irish bloke and his wife and a whole heap of other people from all over the place including a Canadian oilman and an ex US marine. In the group there were a few retreat veterans, it seems that alot of people do these things as a regular occurance all around the world, especially in India.

It gave me a few ideas for my next adventure.

Earthmans Indian Walkabout- Enlightenment or Bust....?

Who knows, it's got a nice ring to it though doesn't it?

Walked over the highway to the main temple and for guided tour by the Indian monk, a special reward to guests who stuck it out over the whole duration where we were treated to a viewing of the lodgings of Buddhadasa Bikkhu whose interpretation of the buddhist suttas (teachings) made Suan Mikkh so famous (or infamous) through the buddhis community, many amazing things to see here including a wax sculpture of our man Buddhadasa himself (very lifelike) and the Museum of Spiritual Enlightenment which was full of buddhist art and stuff.

Said my goodbyes around twelve and hopped in a sangthiew on the highway to the Surat Thani airport, a bit of a mission to get there but got there in time for my flight to Bangkok at 2:30pm. A word on Thailand, when i got to the airport gates I was met by a uniformed official who enquired ino my destination. I told him I needed to get to the international terminal and he said '150baht' and motioned for me to jump on the back of a motorcycle that was parked by the office and took me to the front door of the terminal. I guess airport security has to make cash any way they can in Thailand. Went to clean myself up in the airport and caught a glimpse of the bearded, multi coloured writbanded, fishermans panted hippy looking being that I had become, I wish I had got a photo because it was a sight to behold, even for me.

After a strong coffee I boarded the flight to Bangkok airport and got in in the late afternoon but didn't check in to my guest house until evening due to the horrendous traffic on the road, it was all very weird going from silence to chaos in the matter of a few hours but was still very relaxed from my time in Suan Mokkh for a long time to come after that.

Oh, and the answer to the riddle?

Eat the strawberries.

Training the Monkey Mind- Part 2

2009-11-21T21:06:00.001-08:00

Suan Mokkh, Southern Thailand
Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans
-John Lennon

It is awfully hard to just switch off your brain, and after about three days at the retreat the numbers were beginning to dwindle, the leavers were conspicuous by the unattended mats lying on the floor of the meditation hall. Being a silent retreat (no talking allowed for the duration), the participants became adept at finding other ways to communicate to their friends and partners, at one stage when returning to the dormitory after the evening session we were greeted with a message written in the sand in front of the entrance:

Back Is Killing Me
Mosquito Bites Itchy
So Hungry

I could definitely empathise with whoever was reaching out with this message.
The good news was that the mind was beginning to calm down now, the songs which were playing over and over in my head were fading away and I was beginning to experience some real calm and mindfulness when I sat down to meditate. It's amazing how, when you eliminate all the clutter going on in your head that you become so much more observant of the world around you. After the retreat was over, I had a chat for an hour with one of the other participants on the habits of ants in their natural environment and how the big ones worked together with the little ones in their daily chores. The modern human spends the majority of his time lost in thought, either about things which have passed, or things that are yet to come, never on the moment that is at hand. This is a shame because nature is pretty interesting when you stop to observe it, even the ants.
I had come over the border on the 28th of October which meant my visa would expire on the 12th of November, the day after the retreat finished. This only left me one day to get from the middle of nowhere to Kuala Lumpur, so I broke the rules and left the retreat to use the internet to make a flight booking in the nearby small village of Chaiya. This involved walking 2 kilometres down to the highway and waiting by the side of the road for a truck into town, when I got into town it was a pretty unpleasant experience after being in a peaceful, natural sanctuary after so long and I was very eager to get back to the retreat as soon as possible. Very few people in town spoke any English, the first place I came to to use to use their computer I was greeted with a flat no when I asked if I could use it. The second place the proprieters daughter was on youtube watching cartoons so she asked me to come back in a few days, it took a few minutes of pleading and explaining my situation before she reluctantly let use the terminal, much to the disgust of her daughter. There isn't much of a sense of urgency in these small towns, I suppose that there is never any cause to rush or deadlines needing to be met hence the very casual nature in which requests are met by the local villiagers. Nonetheless I needed to book a plane ticket so I left a nice tip for the owner to compensate her for her daughters hardship, she seemed to appreciate this and I felt bad about kicking her kid off her cartoons.
Booked a ticket from Surat Thani airpot to Bangkok, meaning I would be able to spend one last night in Khao San Road, the backpacker mecca and my favourite place in Bangkok. Had to take a motorbike back to the retreat and sneak back in, got ripped off by the rider but was very happy to be back in the peace and quiet just in time for Tan Ajahn's dharma talk for the evening.
After day 5 everyone who was there was there to stay, the Full Moon Party on Koh Phagnan was long finished so that temptation was removed and the basic disciplines of meditation was strong enough to enjoy the last stretch of mindfulness and quiet in the retreat.
Happy Days :)

Training The Monkey Mind- Part 1

2009-11-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Suan Mokkh, Southern Thailand

Okay... so I sort of wrapped it up before I left Bangkok in order to stick with the whole 80 days theme but since 1st November I have been pretty active on the travel front all the way up to my return to my adopted home of Perth, Australia. I will take the time now to log the previous couple of weeks because it has been an amazing experience, far off the beaten trail with activities you won't find in any Thomas Cook travel guide anytime soon.
Left Bangkok on the evening of the 30th October, destination Surat Thani, Southern Thailand. Surat Thani is famous mainly as being the middle point between Bangkok and the islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phagnan, Koh Tao), there's not much else to say about the town apart that it's a major transport hub for nautical and road and rail transport, there's also an airport about 50k's away which is remarkable given the remote location of the place. I made the mistake of confusing the town with another that was alot closer to BKK so with arrival and registration deadine of 12pm 31st Ocrtober I found myself fretting about whether I would get there in time, luckily there was a night bus running so I made it with a few hours to spare.
The hardest thing I have found with travelling is trying to organise movements without speaking the local language, the further you get away from capital cities the more difficult this becomes. Difficult in that it becomes impossible to negotiate a fair price for yourself, the touts will generally trying to force the most expensive mode of transport upon you whether you want it or not, I have rarely received the rates listed in any budget guidebooks but there's not much you can really do about it. The general consesus on the best way to handle these annoyances is to accept it with good humour, but as I mentioned in my last post I was not quite there yet, hence the reason for this journey...
Got into Surat Thani at 6am on the 31st, from here got a Sang Thiew (public transport- pick up truck with two benches in the back fo passengers) into Chaiya about an hour away.
Chaiya is one of the aforementioned places where no-one speaks any English, simply because they don't see many foreigners so there is simply no need to. I was lucky enough to find another traveller who was going the same way as me so we hopped another Sang Thiew to our destination, Suan Mokh Monastary in time to register for the 10 day retreat which begins on the 1st of every month.
The actual retreat is about 1.5 kms off the main road, in the opposite direction from the monestary. All in all there were about 100 foreigners who had arrived for the retreat, the site is a massive lush spanse dotted with open, pillared halls and compound style dorms, a dining hall at the entrance and natural hot springs and reflective ponds around the perimeter.

A real oasis of nature in the middle of nowhere, miles and miles from the hustle and bustle of the city as was to become more and more evident as time went on.

At 4pm on the 31st we were directed to the main meditation hall adjacent to the field for the abbot's opening talk.

The floor of the main hall is sand, with mats and a few cushions put down to soften your seating posture on the floor. This is where I would spend the majority of my time over the next 10 days, at times in agonising pain from back and leg ache whilst trying to focus on settling my restless mind, in complete silence apart from the sounds of nature and the constand bite of hungry mosquitos determined to suck all the blood from my body and leave me covered in itches to scratch as I slept on the concrete slab and half inch bamboo mat that was provided for our sleeping comfort, along with a wooden pillow on which to rest your head until the bell would ring at 4am to signify the start of another gruelling day....

Club Med this was not.
By day 3 about a third of the participants had left, bound for the party islands or Bangkok, anywhere away from this spartan place where the only distractions were one vegetarian meal each day and a 45 minute yoga session to ease the horrific pain endured when the body sits contorted on the floor for over six hours each day with only the breath to focus on while your mind does everything it can to distract you and all you can do in reply is direct your attention back to your breath inthe hope you will have the discipline to maintain a still mind and the overwhelming sense of calm and happiness which is earned from such rigorous discipline. You are basically training like a buddhist monk, in complete silence, not allowed to talk or even make eye contact with the other participants lest you break their focus and spoil their meditation. Like I said, it is not for everyone but I was keen to see if I had the willpower to see out the whole 10 days.
We shall soon see...

The End

2009-10-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Day 80: Bangkok, Thailand
Well every journey has an ending, I'm not actually sure if this is day 80 but it's the last time I will be in front of a PC for a few weeks so I though I would take the opportunity to wrap it up now before I leave. Am off to spend a few weeks with the monks in the forest monestary of Wat Suanmokkh, about a day train ride from Bangkok. I have put this off for a while now (was actually meant to go in October) but all the bright lights and constant stimulation from travelling around the region has made it very hard to comtemplate staying in one spot for too long.
However, it's an opportunity that can't be missed as the Thailand is the centre of Buddhism and the ancient discipline of transcendental meditation, if I don't go experience this before I go back it would be something I would regret forever.
Besides, I built up alot of anger and frustration over the last couple of years that needs to be managed in a healthy way, rather than using the traditional Western approach of alcohol and violence which doesn't really do anyone much good in the long run.
But enough about me.
What do you think of me?
Haha
Enough self indulgence, the bus leaves at 6pm tonight and I will return on the 10th, back to Bangkok and KL before flying to Oz for the summer, a bit more relaxed and motivated for the next phase of life in which all my diabolical plans will be brought to fruition (insert diabolical laugh HERE).
Peace.

Vientiane, France

2009-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Day 78: Vientiane, Laos
It's important to remember that the region is still littered with UXO, or unexploded ordinance. Much of these can be traced back to the civil wars of the 1960s and 70s although an alarming proportion appear to be a result of the 2000 New Years Eve celebrations. Despite ongoing attempts to clean up the problem, UXO continues to be a very real threat and, as recently as last year, four people were being maimed each day. Interestingly, it was the same four people, determined- if somewhat foolhardy- members of a local bush walking club.
-Phaic Tan
Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner & Rob Sitch
2004 Hardie Grant Books

Excellent book that, it's a piss take of the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides etc travel guides, had me in stitches on the long drive from Vang Vieng to Vientiane, on which the bus only broke down once. An American girl besides me asked me what I was laughing about and I passed it to her to read.

It took her 2 hours to work out it wasn't a real travel guide book.

Am in Vientiane at the moment, once again with France's previous colonisation of Laos (and surrounding regions but most prominent here) it is like a Asian Paris, complete with French architecture, Food, even lots of French people. On that note it turns out that Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia which has never been conquered by a foreign power.

Good for them.
Check out the pictures above, I defy anyone to spot the difference between here and the Montematre region in Paris.
Sacre Bleu!

Tubing on the Nong Sam

2009-10-25T01:05:00.000-07:00

Day 77: Vang Vieng, Laos
So it's been a busy couple of days in Vang Vieng, the realisation that my trip is coming to a close is going down like a lead balloon. Have spent the daylight hours of the last week on the river participating in an activity unique to this region, Tubing.
So to start your day you go and grab a tube (truck tire tube) and take a tuk tuk up river for about 10kms. You pay 50,000 Kip (US$4) for the tube plus the same for the deposit on the tube (which the operator has gone to great lengths to stop the participant from claiming back).
The tuk tuk deposits you on the side of the river at the first of two makeshift bars....
Each bar has it's own attraction, for example, the first has a massive swing which you get on about 15 metres up above the roof on a perch which looks to be made of matchsticks. From here you swing down and drop into the water below, the crowd below cheering for any particularly acrobatic entries (or painful bellyflops).
The next bar has a flying fox, the next a giant trapeze, the next a slide, the next a mud volleyball court, and so on and so on.
All up there are about 8 bars along the first 1km stretch of river, you bar hop along the river until you find the one with the attraction you like, jump on your tube and the river will carry you along to it, the bar staff throw out a line to you when you are close and pull you in.
It becomes very pissy very quickly....
It's important to make sure you aren't the last one at any bar or you will be left without a tube and have to tuk tuk it back to town. The tube rental operators pay the local kids 10,000 kip to steal tubes from the bars so they don't have to pay the full deposit back to the tuber, generally when there are only a few left there is a mad ruch onto the next bar....
All in all it takes 1 hour to tube from the entry point to the exit at the start of Vang Vieng but add in the time spent at the bars you are looking at a good 4-6 hours non the river. Very Messy....

When the sun sets the pilgrimage back to town along the river begins, quite a unique scene to see with 50-100 people in rubber tubes convoying their way downstream....
At the end of the trip the local kids arrive to guide you back to shore, they are making a killing here with some tubers giving them up to $US10 at a time for their help, which becomes invaluable as the darkness sets in earnest...
After that, the night begins!

Vang Vieng

2009-10-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Day 74: Vang Vieng, Laos
There's something very surreal about Vang Vieng, must be something they put in the water. Well maybe not the water, but they are putting it in everything else you eat or drink here.
Allow me to explain....
After a very uncomfortable minivan ride (the van seats 10, the driver managed to squeeze in 11) I arrived in the evening to the fabled town of Vang Vieng. A large number of people that I have met in my travels had spoken in awe of this place, so I was hoping that it lived up to the hype.
Was really tired after the long drive so went for a walk around the town with a few English blokes who were on the same bus as me looking for a guest house, I have long since ceased relying on guide books for recommendations because once a place makes a guidebook they generally celebrate by tripling their prices... It was pitch black by this stage but I found a good one by the river for US$10 a night, quite expensive as far as guest houses go but the location was great and the view was incredible, as I will get to later on.
As far as the town goes, it's like a little Khao Sahn Road from Thailand or Koh Pahgnan with a large variety of food and bar options and alot of the restaurants show back to back episodes (instead of movies which they had on KP) of Friends or Family Guy while you enjoy your meal. Instead of tables though they have bed like seating where you can stretch out your legs, it takes reclining to a new level.
The town is situated alongside the mountains but it isn't in a moutain range, just a ridge, the rest of the region is flat as a pancake. The town is built on either side of the Nong Sam river which runs right through the middle of Vang Vieng, most guest houses are situated on the river bank and the bars are all on the island in the middle which is accessed via two small wooden footbridges which cross over.Most of the activities in the town revolve around the river, although there is some good climbing in the mountains the highlights are the kayaking, rafting....... and tubing.This will need a whole post of it's own to do it justice, but suffice to say that this is what attracts people to Vang Vieng and is an experience that cannot be missed if you are traveling in this region.After putting my bag away I wandered around a bit (bearing in mind it's 10pm by this stage) and found the bridge which leads to the Sunset Bar (and Smile Bar), wasn't really looking for anywhere in particular but ended up there anyway. The Sunset Bar had an interesting menu, along with the obligatory beer, spirits and cocktails they also serve Happy Pizzas (ganja milkshakes), Magic Shakes (Magic Mushroom Shakes) and Big O Tea (Opium Tea). While all this is illegal, and getting caught by the police smoking a joint will cost yo US$500 fine, as long as teh bars have paid their protection money to the police they generally let the bars run with impunity as long as they are discreet about it (and of course they continue to pay their protection money to the police).
So with all the psychadelic drugs on offer in Vang Vieng you could imagine the effect that it has had on the culture of the town. There is a very Neo-Hippy laid back feel to the place, everyone is really relaxed and the occasion waft of ganja is present wherever you go, all the bartenders are on the lookout for plain-clothes cops so busts are quite rare about the pace. Talking to a few of the bar staff they say it used to be alot more blatant but pressure excerted by the DEA in the region has caused governments to crack down alot more, along with the ASEAN Games which are coming up shortly in Vang Vieng. Had a few beers at Sunset Bar with the locals, this probably rates as one of the friendliest places I have been to along with El Nido and Koh Phagnan, what started out as 5 or 6 people around the bar at 10pm turned into a full scale rave by 1pm...About 2am there was an almighty storm, the after effects of Ketsana were still having their impact in the region and providing an incredible light show for anyone lucky enough see it. It was like something from Lord of the Rings, the river and the little bungalows on each side and all noise of everyone celebrating, then BANG! the mountains are illuminated with a flash of lightning and crash of thunder...
The raw nature in effect was something incredible to behold, I can't remember ever having seen such an amazing natural light show anywhere in Asia, truly a one in a million peak experience that I can't imagine seeing again in a hurry.
Got to sleep as the sun came up then checked out of the guest house into a cheaper one the next day, ready for a big day of tubing down the Nam Song.

Luang Prabang

2009-10-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Day 71: Luang Prabang, Laos
Landlocked Laos is one of the Asia's most enchanting destinations. Stunning natural beauty -- think mist-shrouded mountain peaks flanked by jungle-clad valleys teeming with wildlife -- combine with a fascinating Buddhist culture to make Laos a superb destination for backpackers and independent travellers, while luxury tourists are now also well-catered for.
Communist Laos flung open its doors to tourism in the early 1990s. The last decade has witnessed an explosion in development as businesses -- some Lao, some foreign -- mushroom to cater to the swelling crowds.
Laos is changing fast, but pockets remain well off-the-beaten-track, ready to be explored by adventure travellers willing to forego the usual tourist luxuries. Those who want to experience a real taste of rural Southeast Asian life will be delighted.
www.Travelfish.com

So after a hectic 71 days of travel which has covered the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia I have ticked off most off the to do items on my list and have about 10 days up my sleeve to unwind and take the time to enjoy myself before heading back to Australia. Where better to do this than the Peoples Republic of Laos?
After saying goodbye to Siem Reap I hopped on a plane to Lubang Prabang, situated on the Mekong river and former capital city of Laos. I had only planned to spend one night here but ended up staying for two, the town has a wonderfully relaxed feel to it quite removed from some of the more hectic regions around the place. My minivan didn't arrive for my trip to Vang Vieng so after rebooking a bus for the afternoon I took the time to explore the town a little bit more and am quite glad I did. At the top of the hill which straddles the city there sits a giant buddha stupa which overlooks the town, visible day and night. I climbed to the top of here and found the most amazing view of the town all the way to the mountains. After this I had just enough time for breakfast so I visited the now opening Utopia Bar.The interesting thing about this establishment which overlooks the river is that on the edge of the balcony there is a 10 metre drop, no railing or anything which may stop a inebriated patron from plunging down below. I asked the waiter if anyone had ever fallen from here and he told me that no one had, which would be amazing if it were true. Had my breakfast while enjoying the picturesque view of the river before boarding the cramped minivan for the 6 hour drive to Vang Vien, Luang Prabang was a lovely little diversion and I am now well rested for the final leg of my Asian trip.

Holiday In Cambodia

2009-10-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Day 68: Siem Reap, Cambodia
This is now the fifth time I have written this post but due to the ultra slow internet speed in Cambodia everytime I go to save it I have lost my internet connection.
I suppose if that's my biggest problem this week then I am doing okay....
So I am staying at the Globalteers guest house at the moment, a beautiful French colonial building, 4 storeys high with a magnificent view of the town and a spectacular photo opportunity at sunrise (so I am told). It's interesting how European colonisation has left it's footprint on the countries in which they settled and subsequently left, the British in Malaysia, the Spanish in the Philippines and the French in Vietnam and surrounding countries. Thailand is the only one which hasn't been conquored by a foreign power, the impact on the culture, the food, language and architecture lingers to the present day.As I got in late on Friday I missed my first day at the project, I was allocated to Anjali House which is where all the streetkids go to learn English. I am teaching English to the kids which hasn't been too hard, after 18 months in Malaysia my accent is at a 7/10 now and I have a really good rapport with the students who are also right into their sports and music like me, although I tried to teach them a bit of Aussie Rules but it didn't really translate. I was an assistant coach with the Malaysian Warriors under 18s side when I was living in Malaysia so I thought it would be worth a shot, I gave up and taught them how to play some Powderfinger songs on the guitar instead so no harm done.
Its pretty tragic what these kids have gone through, makes me really sad but there is a light at the end of the tunnel for them. I can't see any of these kids becoming a doctors or lawyer but if they can get their English right then they should be able to support themselves through the hospitality or tourism industry which is increasing massively day by day. Hopefully maybe their kids will be able to take it to the next level though as it looks like this generation has successfully broken the cycle of poverty that has gone on since the civil war in the 1970's. They have fixed the road into Siem Reap from Bangkok and the Airport has been redone so that will mean lots more tourism meaning more bucks coming into town, and more of the right sort of tourist rather than the wrong sort that has been all too prevalent in their lives up until this point.
Too tragic to think about, there but for the grace of God go I....
Theres an interesting phenomenon with the volunteers situation in that there are 10 females for every male at the project, you would think a single guy would enjoy these ratios. Unfortunately the reality is that most of them are tree hugging save the pink whales feminists so haven't really spent much time socialising with the crew as I would have thought. Each to his own.
All in all it's been a really good experience, although it really kills a cynic like me to say it but the NGO's are making a big difference in Cambodia and the country is all the better for it. A bit unorganised at times but their hearts are in the right place and the town really appreciates anyone who makes an effort to help out. The only thin I didn't know is That Siem reap/Cambodia has some of the best trails in the world for dirt bike riding, if I had known that I would have extended my stay for an extra week, unfortunately I uncovered that piece of information right after I booked my fare to Laos. Oh well, another thing for the ever increasing To-Do list, off to Luang Prabang tomorrow for the the backpacker paradise of Vien Vang for a week of relaxing, finally going to stay in one place for a reasonable amount of time to chill out before my Asian travels come to an end.
Bye!

Angkor Wat

2009-10-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

Day 61: Siem Reap, Cambodia
So I'm sitting at an internet cafe in Siem Reap waiting for ITunes to download onto this computer so I thought I would take the time to update on what's new.
It's been a day 0f annoying unfortunate events, I found an awesome shop in the town where they download any album/movie/tv show onto your IPod for just 75c a pop so I went in to arrange a few hundred for my collection. Unfortunately I only have a 9GB IPod so I had to arrange to clear some space on my player to fit them in. To make a long story short, you have to do this through ITunes and can't do it on the IPod so I have to download it to a computer then delete them through this program instead.
Which is going to take some time....
Went to the magnificent Angkor Wat yesterday, one of the seven wonders of the world after checking into Globalteers House on Friday afternoon, just in time for the weekend. After a quick orientation around town I have been allocated a role teaching English to the Cambodian Kids all next week, which should be okay as long as I remember to speak slowly.
You know what's funny though is that people always pick up the accent of the person they leaned to speak English through, I can just imagine all these little Cambodian kids with an Ocker accent making their way about town...
Will post again on the whole volunteer thing but after an early night I got up on Saturday morning for the main event around Siem Reap, Angkor Wat.
Had a really cool guide, Fila, who took me to three of the temples in the local area just outside of town. I was almost through with tours after a rubbish one in Bangkok, the chick who was teh guide just translated the plaques alongside the statues before taking us to jewellery shops and the like. The temples are about 20mins outside of Siem reap and accessible by Tuk Tuk. The main one, Angkor Wat (Wat just means buddhist temple) was built in the 12th century by Surayasomethingorother the 7th as a monument to his rule and also a place where he would be buried. Alot of the architecture is based on Indian designs and this was alos a strategy that Suraya used to unite his people, mostly Buddhist but also a large Hindu population as well. Insise the temple I actually saw more Hindu design than Buddhist, perhaps with all these sort of things there is a bit of this and a bit of that so a nods as good as a wink to a blind donkey and all that.
Went into the main strip with a few of the other volunteers in the evening, I think a backpacker ghetto is a backpacker ghetto wherever you go but Cambodia is alot cheaper than alot of places so you can have a great night out for between 10 and 20 dollars US.
Just taking it easy around the guest house today and getting these downloads sorted after a big sleep in today, they are doing a roast so need to get back while there is still some left.

Siem Reap

2009-10-09T04:23:00.000-07:00

Day 59: Siem Reap, Cambodia
So I finally escaped the gravometric pull of Bangkok and made it out of town, better late than never because sometimes you can't control these situations. All energy flows according to the whims of The Great Magnet and only a fool would defy Him.
Having said that, in summary, Bangkok:
1) is relatively expensive compared to most other Asian cities
2) is a great city to party in
3) is similar to a casino where there are no clocks or natural light for the expressed purpose of making you lose track of time
I did buy some nice suits though for my job interviews* when I get back to Australia however I was seriously tempted to have one made out of blue velvet.
Why?
Because in Bangkok, you can get one, top quality, for the price of one month's gym fees.
So I'm glad I got there when I am being more realistic about my travel budget and not at the start of the trip.
Oh yeah, instead of going off onto these random tangents all the time I'm now going to put an asterisk next to the section which I would have otherwise diverged at, and run the tangent at the bottom when I have more time or when I have finished going through what I wanted to on the post. Sort of like footnotes...
So jumped on the Skytrain (aka Monorail) about 11am yesterday and made my way to the end of the line where I caught a cab to the Moe Chit bus terminal**. From there got onto the bus to Arayaprathet which is close to the border, which is about a 6 hour trip. When I got to Aranyaprathet I got a tuk-tuk*** to the Thai/Cambodia border, stupidly let the driver take me to a 'Visa Agency' where I paid double what the border would have charged me for a Cambodian Visa. I must have money to burn, or maybe more dollars than sense....
Crossed the border without fuss then got in a cab from Poipet (next to the border) to Siem Reap (US$35) and made it into town by 8pm****, I had a few guest houses I wanted to check out but the cab driver had other ideas and after 9 hours driving I couldn't be stuffed looking around and stayed at the place he recommended.
These posts on travel days are so boring.
Maybe because travel days are boring.

*Still undecided about timings on the work front but will be definitely be back in Oz for a mate's wedding mid November
**After downloading about 6 hours of podcasts for the trip (Hamish & Andy, Adam Corolla, Merrick and Rosso, Scott Dooley, Sunday Night Saffran)
***A motorbike with a carriage attached, will post a photo in the near future
****Forgot what tangent I was going off on here.....

Shanghaied in Bangkok

2009-10-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

Day 56: Bangkok, Thailand
Well here I am, still in Bangkok after almost a week now, due to the unfortunate path of destruction caused by Cyclone Ketsana alot of Laos and Cambodia is underwater at the moment and if I wanted to spend a few days in the mud I would go to the Glastonbury Fetival, at least I could see some great music while I am at it.
I think I mentioned that Bangkok is quite expensive compared with most of the other places I have been, the account is ever dwindling but am expecting my security deposit refund (now 2 months overdue and counting) any day now so hopefully I am not begging on the side of the road this time next week...

Just kidding, oh yea of little faith! There are top men working on it ('Who?' 'TOP MEN!').
I don't know why I keep using that reference from Raiders of the Lost Ark, no-one has ever got it yet...
And besides, the Weighted Stubby Holder, now to be known as The Beerbell, could still come through, there has been no interest yet but it's early days, after all, did you know that a certain British writer named John Creasley received 774 rejections for his first book attempt before he found an editor who would put him into print?
That book has now sold over 30 million copies and counting, and John Creasley is also known as Dr Seuss.

Aaah, these tangents again.....
Not even going to bother going on about my theory on Deja Vu, although it did occur to me to bring it up just before, hopefully off to Cambodia and the magnificent Angkor Wat this week then up into Laos, wish me luck that there will be no more natural disasters like the ones that have followed me through Asia so far (Indo= Earthquake, Philippines= Flood, Vietnam= Typhoon).
Fingers crossed.

Bangkok Again

2009-10-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Day 52: Bangkok, Thailand
So I didn't make it to the monastary, everything was way too rushed to find the forest in the middle of Thailand where the retreat takes place so have just spent the last few days chilling in Bangkok. I made friends with a really cool Thai girl who works at the Lamp Shop around the corner, her English isn't 100% so for the first few times when she told me about her work I thought it wasd a restaurant or something that sold Lamb Chops. When I worked out that it was a job in a Lamp Shop and not selling Lamb Chops I had a bit of a giggle and tried to explain why I thought that was funny but eventually just had to let it go and chock it up to lost in translation.

So since I got in from Vietnam I have just been recovering from my cold by eating lots of healthy food and drinks, as far as that goes Thailand is the place to be. I've posted before on how nutritious the Thai diet is but in addition to that the spicy stuff like the Tom Yam variations are great for cleaning out the sinuses and probably doesn't do the immune system too much harm either.

Was right as rain (I'll get to the rain later) by Wednesday so headed out with my new friends to hit the clubs of Bangkok. Bangkok has a very seedy reputation in regards to it's nightlife, don't get me wrong there is that side of it around the place but there is also a really cool nightclub scene going on as well. Generally the evenings have consisted of meeting up around 9pm after everyone has finished work and having some dinner before heading out to a few of the pubs and clubs around town and drinking and dancing until dawn before doing it again the next day. Unfortunately for me I am the only male in the group so I am always being dragged to the dance floor so by the time morning time comes around I am well and truly buggered, but that's okay because I guess I can count it as a cardio workout as I haven't really been doing any exercise apart from arm curls when I raise a drink to my lips (which again, I will get to later).

Oh yeah, the rain.

Everyone was heading home the other night from one of the trendier clubs in Bangkok called Bed Supperclub where you sit on beds instead of at tables (conceptually too hard to explain, their website is here if you want a look), I had just got my second wind so thought I would have One Last Drink before I headed home for bed (from Bed to bed? blah). Asked the cabbie where there would still be somewhere open and he took me to this place near my guest house and dropped me off. When I popped my head inside it became clear this was a 'Ladybar', the cabbie obviously gets commission for dropping people off there, so i resigned myself that I would not be getting my One Last Drink tonight and headed home instead through the street towards home. The rain is absolutely fierce at the moment after the typhoon which has devastated Manilla, Vietnam and Cambodia so it's really hard to get around, in one of the alleyways there was this little makeshift bar at the side with a few Thais sitting around gambling (gambling is highly illegal in Thailand) so I sat there and had a drink while waiting for a break in the weather. I think I must have lived in Asia too long now as drinking at a makeshift bar/gambling den in a Bangkok alleyway at 4am doesn't really set off any alarm bells for me anymore, and rightly so because after about half an hour I was joined by a couple of other travellers and we ended up drinking until the sun came up. But the rain still didn't stop so I got home completely drenched.

Unfortunately Bangkok is not cheap, I really have to get out of here real soon before I spend all my money.

Or invent something!

Went out last night with a few Warriors boys who are staying in Bangkok and saw a waitress struggling with two massive steins of beer she was delivering to a table. Got me thinking about whether you could attach weights to a drink holder in order to get some exercise while you are having a few drinks.
I pondered the idea again this morning at breakfast and sketched out a prototype:

Could be onto something here, if I can get this one happening it could mean extending my travels indefinitely.

Investors please feel free to contact me at bencameron616@yahoo.com, all offers will be considered.

Last Day In Saigon

2009-09-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

Day 49: Ho Chi Minh City
Was really looking forward to my last day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to it's mates) because today's agenda included a trip to the ChiChi Tunnels (where the Viet Cong staged their underground campaign) and finishing off with a chance to shoot and M16 on the rifle range.
I've shot a few different handguns in my time but never a machine gun, especially one with a rate of fire up to 950 rounds per minute, 20 inch barrel and a range of half a mile, developing countries are the only place you will ever get the chance to wield such devastating weaponry without signing on at your local army recruitment office for a two year stint.
All for the price of a hot dinner back home....
I had already rebooked my afternoon flight to accomodate this, the tour finished at 2pm so I changed it to the final flight of the day which was 6pm so I could take my sweet time on the range but still have plenty of time for the cab ride if the traffic was heavy.
Then it happened...
First a sniffle.
Then a cough.
I was falling sick again.
For someone who usually gets sick once every three years the averages were beginning to level out as I have now been sick twice in two months, I can only put it down to being off my usual supplements and catching too many planes. On a side note, it can be advantageous to get on to a plane when you are coughing and spluttering, sure fire way to get a row of seats to yourself. Unfortunately when you get to the other end they will have all the thermo sensors to check for H1N1 so you have to take the flight in shorts, slippers and a singlet to cool your body temperature down or else you will be spending a few days in quarrantine.
Which is not great for your body when you are in a feverish condition...
To make a long story short I cancelled the trip to the range and tunnels and ended up going to the War Museum instead (formerly know as the War Crimes Museum), and looking through the exhibits.
The exhibit covers the effects of Agent Orange on the populace of Vietnam (to this day still), atrocities committed by US Soldiers during the war and the general suffering endured by civilians in the region. Pretty harrowing stuff to say the least.

After about an hour in there looking at all that stuff I really didn't give a shit about shooting that stupid gun anymore.

Peace.

Mekong Delta

2009-09-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Day 48: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Today I went to the Mekong Delta.
We cruised along the river in a big canoe.
When two boats had to pass alongside each other it there wasn't much room....I stopped at a village to take some photosI sat at the side of the road for half an hour trying to get a picture of some Vietnamese villagers walking past in their hats while the flag flew in the breeze behind them...
There wasn't really anything else to do out there.

Good Morning Vietnam

2009-09-27T04:20:00.000-07:00

Day 47: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Veet-nam!
Wasn't sure how I was going to like Vietnam, a lot of travellers warn against it but I am having a great time over here and apart from the rip off taxi in from the airport I have nothing but praise for this fair city of Indochina. Will try to recount how I ended up here in 500 words or less because I am really keen to get off the keyboard and back into Saigon for my last night on the town.
Seriously though, I have got to start taking some notes because trying to recollect more than a few days on the road without some form of written assistance makes my brain bleed, if I get some times or dates wrong please extend me some understanding...
Ah yes.
Left Chang Mai on Wednesday afternoon for the beautiful Thai city of Bangkok, which is not actually it's real name, dontcha know? Im back over there on Tuesday before my 2 week sojourn to the monastary so will post again on this wonderful city then. Needless to say, I love the Thailand and have found the Thai people the most friendly, centered and down to earth people I have ever met, it must be some thing in the water over there because everyone is so happy, from the bartenders to the guys digging ditches on the side of the road. I only spent one night in Bangkok (cue music NOW) but found Bangkok as welcoming as all Thai cities I have been in, caught up with a few Malaysian Warriors that are based over there now and had a lovely game of pool and an early night for an early flight the next day.And that's the last time I am booking a flight before 8am.
Was so tired that when I got into Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) at 10am the next day all I wanted to do was go back to bed, which I promptly did when I checked in at the guest house at the other end of the trip.
Saigon is cheap! Just had a massive diner or bbq pork ribs, ceasar salad and 3 marguaritas for the princely sum of 240,000 dong.
That's about 2 American Dollars (AUS2.50 or MYR7.50).
Not bad.
The main event for Vietnam was the Grand Final day yesterday, which despite a valiant effort the Saints managed to lose, much to the heartbreak of all assembled.
Made it down to the Cage pub for the Vietnam Swans Grand Final day, not so cheap here though at US$50 which only included beer, wine and soft drink but was a great atmosphere to watch the game with all the other Aussie expats. Met heaps of people and after the game went off with a few crew to another place on the other side of town for more drinks, by the time I got home was completely hammered and looked at my watch to see the time...
8pm.
Well that's what happens when you start drinking at 10am in the morning.

I think the Vietnamese found the whole event very confusing...
Still can't get Khe San out of my head, will give it a until Friday before getting professional help.

Cliffhanging in Chang Mai

2009-09-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Day 44: Chang Mai, Thailand

I think Chang Mai takes the cake as far as adventure sports goes.

To be perfectly honest, there's not a hell of alot to do in the city, it's all really a jumping off point for all the activities that take place around the mountains and forests outside of the town. You have your pick of rock climbing where you can go out for the day or for a whole week, hiking through the jungle and up cliff faces where you find them, white water rafting (currently at level 3), jungle trekking to meet native tribes in the jungle or a combination of all of teh above. Of course all the ATV biking and zip lining sort of stuff that they have any where there is mud and forest, as well as the paintball and zorb ball options.

As with all my recent trips, time is short and I have Chang Mai firmly marked as a place I need to come back and spend more time at, I did manage a few days rock climbing though which was the main objective of this short journey which I only decided on at short notice after leaving Bali, but such is life when you try and take in a whole continent in 80 days.

Did I mention that Chang Mai is incredibly cheap?

I got a 2 day climbing trip for 1500 baht (MYR150/AUS50) which was unbelievable after how much Bali and Philippines cost for any sort of trip, the room I am staying in is just 400baht (MYR40/AUS13) per night and is in a relly nice, quiet part of town. There's a massive big common area with all sorts of hammocks and lounges and a rooftop chill out area with a great view of the local streets, they also organise tours and trips from there which makes it quite easy to while away the hours in comfort between activities. Theres a tiger park just outside of town where you can have your picture taken with a full grown tiger but from what I have heard the thing is so out of it's head on tranquilisers that I don't think I'll bother to go after all.

A bit sore today after the climbing, there was a bit of rain about so we went to this cavern about an hour out of town. The thing about rockclimbing is that it requires alot of forearm and calf strength, which take a while to build up. Managed a few good climbs, out of them all there was only one I couldn't get to the top of, then we stopped in at a little Lanna restaurant outside of the town. I always try to get the guides to have a drink whenever possible, it's become a bit of a game with me and a few other travellers that I've met to see how pissed we can get them because they always try to keep up with us drink for drink, dangerous when you are drinking with English or Australian travellers. Met a really cool girl from Japan who is celebrating her honeymoon alone because her husband won't take the time off from work and is spending a month in Thailand, travelling between cities and I'm embarrased to say actually completed the last climb I couldn't. I love the Japanese and there sense of adventure, they are always up for whatever is going down. In Perth when I was in my early twenties me and a few friends who worked at the same pub used to share a house and we had a spare room that we rented out to save on the bills, we went through alot of housemates because they couldn't live in such a crazy environment. Eventually we had a few Japanese guys come through and stay who didn't mind the noise, constant stream of visitors and weird hours that were kept in the house.
And that's why I love Japanese people.
Sayonara.

Chang Mai

2009-09-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

Day 43: Chang Mai, Thailand
'If you're not happy children, travel wide'
-Soul Rebel, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Well said Bob.
It certainly does the trick as far as re-motivating yourself and having a good hard think about what you value in life, and what do you really need in life rather than what do you think you need. A clean bed, a bit of food to eat, after a while all the rest is really window dressing on what is otherwise a fairly pointless exercise unless you are really passionate about what you are doing. Time has a habit of slipping away when you are on the corporate treadmill, before you know it you've spent a lifetime without really knowing what it is that makes you happy and focussing on moving in that direction. As I said, it's been good to have the time to think about what's important without the constant sideshows that are ever present in this modern life and dust off the cobwebs in the enthusiasm generation plant.
I was in Malaysia for the weekend as an old mate was in town so thought it would be good to catch up on the way through to Thailand. Bali was awesome, I would really love to spend a month or two there or throughout Indo surfing and enjoying our northern neighbour's hospitality. I finally finished the rubbish book that I brought with me from Malaysia, as i have previously mentioned on this blog I am currently travelling with 14kg of luggage which keeps me in AirAsia's under 15kg weight price category but I need to be very careful not to pick up any additional things on the way which will put me over. I restrict myself to one book for entertainment and one book for self development, the self development one was so bad that I would chip away at it in 10 page sessions, I got over the line on the plane from Dempasar so I was glad to say goodbye to it so I could pick up something new.
Stayed in Kuta on Friday night so I would be close to the airport for my flight on Saturday morning, was ,eant to go out for Simon's birthday but I fell asleep watching the footy and didn't wake up until 4am. Must have been exhausted after all those early mornings and late nights in Padang Padang, when I was getting dressed on Saturday morning there was a massive earthquake which rattled the guest house I was staying in. My first thoughts were that maybe another bomb had gone off in Kuta fresh in the wake of JI mastermind Noordin Top's death on Java, fortunately this was not the case and as far as I know there were no fatalities from the earthquake.
Was nearly late for my plane because I needed some shoes for Saturday night (I dumped my old dress shoes to make more room) but could not find a single shop which sold size 11 shoes. I would be getting into Malaysia at 5pm with a view to catching up for drinks at 10pm so only chance was to visit Petaling Street (Chinatown) when I got into KL. I think I found the only pair of size 11 shoes in the whole place which was lucky, it turned out that the planned evening was cancelled due to sickness so I ended up going out with a few of the boys from the footy club instead, one of whom got in a fight with a drag queen and her(?) 5 Filipina friends, who all armed themselves with shoes as soon as the conflict escalated. When I put my jeans on Saturday night I realised the button was broken off the front, I then recalled that I did this in The Bounty on Kuta the previous Saturday night and hadn't noticed because I had been wearing shorts the rest of the time, in The Bounty they have all these Happy Hours, but with a twist... The drinks aren't half price, instead you get two of them, hence the button coming off as my marguerita filled tummy swelled under the strain of so much liquid.
Got into Chang Mai on Monday afternoon and checked in at a backpacker joint, treated myself to a private room because they are so bloody cheap here! The same goes for the rest of the city, Thailand has always amazed me by the variety of western food available to buy, I mean, Malaysia is the king when it comes to the amount of food available but it is mainly Chinese, Malaysian and Indian food on offer. Had a spectacular Ravioli al Raghu from an Italian Restaurant on the main strip, a few Changs then off to bed after booking a rock climb for the following day.
Good times.

Same Same Different

2009-09-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

Day 41: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You know you are in Kuala Lumpur when:

1. The guy meant who's meant to be watching the H1N1 thermal imaging monitor at the airport is texting on his mobile phone instead

2. The immigration officer is listening to his Ipod while he processes your entry into the country

3. There's a 10% service charge automatically added to every bill because if the bar and waiting staff had to rely on tips after their atrocious service they would starve to death

4. The electronic timetable at the underground station counts down to your train's scheduled time, when it hits the scheduled time and no train has arrived it resets itself forward another half hour later. The train arrives whenever it arrives, but when it does it is too full to board.

5. You must visit four Seven Elevens before you can find one with mobile phone credit recharge in stock

6. You must hail 3 cabs to find one that agrees to put the meter on (or to a reasonable fare)

7. It cost you the equivilent of 3 days accomodation in Thailand for 20 minutes internet use at your so called 'free wi-fi' hotel

Get me out of here.

Just kidding.
Selamat Hari Raya Alfiliri to all my Malaysian friends, hope you are having a great holiday and enjoying lots of makan makan with your families.

Just uploaded a whole heap of pics that I took on my phone after my camera broke in the Philippines, have posted them on the appropriate blog entries.

Laser pointers are great

2009-09-17T02:41:00.000-07:00

Day 37: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
You can buy laser pointers in Bali, its fantastic.
Endless hours of fun, particularly with animals and children, as seen in the pics.
Back to KL for Saturday night then on the train to northern Thailand.
Just saw on the news that they killed the mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, 80 of them Australian. Might head down to the monument in Kuta and leave a Bintang there as a show of respect to the poor kids who were blown apart for the crime of visiting a nightclub.

Bali Kampung

2009-09-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Day 36: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
So I've decided to stay on a few more days in Bali, it's been really nice staying in Padang Padang which is alot less busy than Kuta and daily activities revolver around surfing, surfing then more surfing. The swell has dropped now which means more breaks are accessible, I'm happy to say I've got my mojo back and am able to get some really good rides. Thank heaven for small mercies.As I mentioned previously, over the last few days I've got to know the guides a bit better, the team consists of Andrew (owner), Ina (Andrew's wife and camp manager), Steamy (safari manager), Coyon (guide), Putu (guide), Wayan (cook) and Stefano (all rounder). The guides are all Balinese, there's a bit of a class system in which the Balinese (with there own distinct language) hold themselves in higher esteem than the Indonesians (from Java, Sumatra, etc) who come down here for work. There doesn't seem to be much Islamic influence around the place, but perhaps thats due to Ramadan and they have all gone back to their hometowns for Raya.
After surfing yesterday the subject once again got onto the illegal cockfighting which takes place down the road at Uluwatu, after a few Bintangs we made our way down to the secret spot where the fights occur. As an animal lover I wasn't sure how I would take the cockfighting but I found it to be quite entertaing and not at all as cruel as one might think. The animals are dispatched quickly due to a steel spur which is attached to the rooster's feet, one good strike from the rooster will kill it's opponent dead in seconds flat. Will post a great video as soon as I can get it uploaded.
After that we went down to the Mexican restaurant which is run by the biggest dickhead I have met in a long time, and that's really saying something. The walls are plastered with all his rules and regulations (no splitting bills, no alterations to the menu, no reservations) it was like something out of the Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode. Here's an example of the sort of conversations that took place:

Us: We are just waiting for 2 more friends to arrive, we'll just sit at this table for two until they get here
Dickhead: Look, are you sure they are coming because I'm really busy here tonight
Us: Well if they don't we will just stay at this table for two
Dickhead: Look I really need to know, it's going to get really busy
Us: Yeah you mentioned that...

Us: Where's the toilet
Dickhead: Oh you need to wait until it gets dark then you can go by the road (it was broad daylight at this stage) or around the corner, wherever you can.
Note: There is a perfectly functioning toilet right behind his restaurant.

Apparently this guy is some big wave surfing legend, there are about 50 photos on the wall of him surfing a wave at Uluwatu, frame by frame. What was strange though is the guy has this little step next to the counter, like from an aerobics class, which he jumps up on when he gives the orders to the cooks in the kitchen. From what we can deduce the reason for this step is so he can always look down on the chefs (he's only about 5ft5) as the counter is only about 4 feet high and there is no other reason for it and none of the other staff are allowed to use it, just him.

I will steal that step before I leave Bali.

The Rooster

2009-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Day 35: Padang Padang, bali, Indonesia
Greetings again from the majestic Padang padang Surf camp in Bali, Indonesia. I can't believe a whole week has come and gone since i have got here, it looks like logistics will mean I will have to extend my stay slightly which I am not going to lose to much sleep over.
On Saturday a massive swell came through which put all of the local breaks (Padang Padang, Impossibles, Ulawatu) well off limits to anyone but experienced big wave surfers forcing any intermediate or beginner surfers onto one break, Jimayan Beach. When you take into account the number of people that is, it makes for one really busy beach, I'm talking hundreds of surfers, all fighting for a wave in the same small stretch of ocean. The swell is dying down now and it looks like the local breaks will be surfable tomorrow, looking forward to getting back into the water at my favourite places and hopefully getting some nice waves over the next few days. As I mentioned my original plan was to stay at the camp for a week and then head north into Jakarta and Sumatra, I then changed my mind to fly to Cambodia instead to stay at a guest house where you work with the orphans around Angkor Wat for a week before the Grand Final party in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). I got a reply from the guest house today which says they can't take my booking at the moment due to a religious holiday which means the place is closed for a week, which leaves me a bit up in the air as to where I'm going at the moment....
With the waves being a bit inconsistent now we've spent a bit of time with the local guides around the place as well as the other guests who are staying. Lauren and Renie have moved on to the Gilli Islands, sophia has moved to kuta, Peter has gone back to Singapore, Andy back to Uni in the UK which leaves just four of us in the camp. Laurent, the French guy, recently left after his wife arrived in town so they are going travelling around the country for a bit, he checked out of the camp a week ago but was still participating in the twice daily surf sessions, staying at a villa around the corner. The interesting thing about this villa is that in the courtyard, about a metere from the guests window, there lives a rooster in a cage. Anyone who has ever stayed in Thailand or rural indo will know that these things start to crow at 4:30am sharp, every single day, at the top of their lungs, which is near impossible to sleep through, even if you had earplugs in.
Which Laurent didn't.
So each day in the camp you can hear this rooster crowing, no big deal because we are staying about a kilometre away so it's no big disruption but this poor guy has this thing right next to his window when he is trying to sleep. After 4 days of this the poor guy was at his wits end.
So why, you might ask would the owners keep a rooster right next to the guest bedrooms when they are trying to attract customers to their business, after all, no matter how nice the place is it's a dealbreaker to potential guests to know that they will be woken up at 4:30am every morning by a noisy animal just inches from their ear.
The reason is that this rooster is still around and not in a chicken stew is that he is being bred for the cockfights which take place every weekday at Ulawatu, around he corner. Every day the locals gather around to bet on which rooster will win, many locals raise their animals for this sport and this rooster is the pride and joy of it's camp and needs to be reared in a safe place where he will not get 'rooster-napped' by an overzealous neighbour and thrown into the ring before his time. On a side note, Simon, the other Australian has become quite obsessed with this roosted now and made an attempt to steal the rooster after a night on the margaritas, he can confirm that security is very tight around this bird.
Tonight we are off to watch the cockfighting once we can determine the location of the event (which is guarded in secrecy), we have a good lead from one of the instructors on where it's being held so will post again on how the evening played out.

In late breaking news, Simon has just purchased a fighting rooster that he brought back to the camp.

A Day At The Beach

2009-09-13T00:11:00.001-07:00

Day 33: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
Another day in paradise...
Have I used that line in this blog yet? If so, please forgive me, I've had such amazing luck on this trip finding these little pockets of heaven here in Asia that it's hard to articulate just how nice it is over here.
The blogging has been a bit irregular of late due to the demand on the one computer at the surf camp, as well as being the only one for the 8-15 guests staying the staff also use it for downloading photos of the daily surf sessions, doing the daily online surf report as well as all the miscellaneous tasks that go hand in hand with running a business in Bali.
First of all, the camera is working again after I finally found a new battery in Kuta so will be posting a stack of photos over the next few weeks, these go all the way back to El Nido and coron so I'll be adding those to the relevant previous posts on the blog. Got some great snaps over the last few days including some of the biggest surf all year round, so big that even the intructors wouldn't go out in it. Good times.
The average day at Padang Padang camp starts around 6am when everyone gathers around the common area and loads up the vans for the first session of the day. On a side note I plan to create one of these for my house when I get back to Oz, along with a few of the other features that Bali has down to a tea. It's generally decided the night before which break will be most suitable, given the abundance of beaches around the area there's always one which is breaking well on the day given the swell and tide conditions. Get to the beach about 6:30-7, surf for about 2 or 3 hours (depending on conditions), head back to camp for breakfast which is made by the camp team and meet with the other team and compare notes (there are two teams which go out, beginners and advanced).
From here it's rest and relaxation time, you can read a book on the comfy hammocks, go for a swim in the pool, watch a dvd, play tennis, order a masseuse or jump on a motorbike (scooter) and head into the village to run your errands or watch the surf at the local breaks.
The next session starts in the afternoon (again, he timing is dictated by the tide and conditions), the vans are loaded up and head to the beach, surf for another 2 or 3 hours then back to the camp for lunch.
As I mentioned there's quite a few people staying in the camp so after lunch, a swim and a shower, everyone will head into the local village for dinner at one of the many restaurants on offer, sip a few Bintangs and enjoy some nice food. It's usually pretty late by the time dinner is finished, from here everyone retires to their respective room for a sleep, however a few nights we have taken the 30 minute cab ride to Kuta for cocktails and seafood, this generally sees sore heads the next day as the drink specials and volume of alcohol present around Jalan Legian make it difficult to maintain your composure for very long a time.
The last week has flown by, time flies when you are having fun and I'm quite sad to know I have to leave this place in a couple of days, have made some great friends and had an awesome time but I will definitely be back here as soon as I can manage it in the near future.
Jumpa lagi!

Padang Padang

2009-09-11T01:43:00.000-07:00

Day 31: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia

Aah Bali, these guys know how to live.

Got in to Dempasar Airport on Monday night and was picked up by the transfer to Padang Padang Surf Camp for a week of sun, surf and relaxation on the holiday island of Bali, Indonesia.

I used to surf heaps as a teenager but it's been quite some time since I have been out, my fingers were crossed that I would still have the muscle memory needed to manange the cat like balance required to ride the waves without falling off.

Padand Padang Surf Camp is awesome! Run by Andrew and his wife Ina, it embodies everything that the world has come to love about Bali. From the wooden wind chimes that jangle gently in the breeze, the hammocks and sitting mats on which to relax, snooze or read a book to the thatched huts full of ultra comfy bamboo furniture the place is built to recline and chill out either before or after the twice daily surf sessions.

The camp is inhabited by a diverse mix of nationalities, as I write there is a Korean car designer (Sophie) swimming in the pool with an Aussie dive instructor (Simon), Dutch chef Mika is reading a book, French Sales Exec Lon is showing Austrian Brigitte Nielsen lookalike Lauren the snaps he took today on his camera as her Italian boyfriend Renie chooses his favourite Jack johnson mix to play on the camp's stereo. Diverse indeed.

The group dynamic changes daily as people arrive and leave, everyone spends the evenings together exploring Padang and Kuta's restaurants and bars, last night we enjoyed a fantastic seafood restaurant on the beach at Jimomaliya Beack sipping margaritas as the sunset which was so nice that the drinking session was still in full effect at 3am this morning.

Not so good for the 6:00am surf session in the morning though....

In other events, I took the new Olympus Tough out in the water yesterday and am just waiting for the seals to dry before I download some pics, so happy to have a camera again!

You're All Winners

2009-09-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Day 28: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Well the Asian Champs are long gone and a great time was had by all. Not sure if I have gone into any sort of detail on the who's and why's of the AFL in Asia, so first it bears explaining that their are alot of Australian expatriates working in Asia. Alot. Not entirely sure of the whole story behind how it all got started and once again I find myself pressed for time so lets just say that at some point in time a few Aussies put a social team together (Singapore maybe?) which spread from city to city and now there are teams in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam (2 here), Dubai, Bali, Jakarta and Cambodia. So every year one country will host the championships and all teh teams will converge on their town for the tournament and general shenanigans that follow having so many expats in one place. Needless to say this year was no different.
As I mentioned in the last post I was horribly sick on Friday and Saturday so missed the whole bloody game, really disappointed but still managed to make it out on Sunday for the Sunday session at Criib Club in KL. A very messy day by all concerned, margaritas flowing and tall tales of the weekend from all parties, you could almost hear the sigh of relief from the city as the players eventually made their ways to the airport and back to their jobs, wives, families and reality. Serously though, seeing 500 footy players descend on a bar is a sight to behold, bouncers panic, barmaids tense up and duty managers take point at the bar, luckily though everyone was behaved for the most part so the worst inconvenience suffered by anyone was a sore back from the owner carrying the money made at the bar to his car at the end of the night. Good times.
Had a dream on Saturday night that I was on a plane that crashed in the water, not exactly the best thing to be thinking about when you are due for a long plane ride over the ocean. But what can you do? We've all heard the stories of similar situations where the party concerned has cancelled their flight or boat or whatever only to see the worst happen but I simply couldn't waste a ticket, not in these tough economic times....
On the plus side, Canon replaced my camera which was very nice of them, fresh with a printed set of instructions on how to take care of your waterproof camera.
Haha

Sick In Malaysia

2009-09-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

Day 22: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I told you I was sick
-Enscription on headstone of Elmer Hodges, Key West Cemetery
So farewell to the amazing Philippines and hello Malaysia. Again.
Left Coron airport (where you are gently reminded to check your fireams at the counter) for a flight to Manila then Clark airport. On the way passed a campaign poster for a local candidate in the upcoming election which proclaims 'I can't promise aything, but I will do my best'. Lost in translation perhaps. The Cebu air flight to Manila had a really nice touch where they play little games along the way to win gifts, for example if you can produce an expired drivers license you win a Cebu Air mobile phone cover, which I could because my license expired at the end of July and I cant for the life of me meet the requirements for renewing it overseas (not having a residential address does not compute). The flight actually left early, which would have been annoying if you missed it, can't say I have ever come across the situation where a plane leaves early. Stayed in a weird hotel when I got into Manila which boasted a playground room, a underwater room and an incomprehensible 'geometry' room, I ended up checking out of here after about an hour and caught the bus to Angeles City instead (full of hawkers walking up and down the isle which was a nice touch), having an early flight the next day and not wanting to miss my flight. Two hours on the bus, another hour on Jeepneys I was in deepest, darkest Luzon (it was about 1am by now), then all of a sudden turned a corner and there it was, like Las Vegas in the Philippines. Got a good nights rest there then flew to KL the next day and checked in around Bukit Bintang. Went off to help set up The Asian Champs AFL tournament the next day, assembling goal posts and marquees etc and finished up there around 4pm. Got back to the guest house then started feeling very tired, massive headache and fever which stayed that way for the next 24 hours which meant I wasn't able to play in the big game the next day which was a massive disappointment. Alot of people got very nervous when I told them I was unwell, medical masks are huge over here, but if it was h1n1 then I must say it is highly overrated because I still made it out for the afterparty in the evening and am right as rain today.
Anyways, rushing now to get to the final party of the weekend (always rushing!), hopefully will get time to come back and flesh out a few of these posts in the near future but just wanted to get something down while it's fresh.
Jumpa Lagi!

Coron

2009-09-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

Day 20: Coron, Philippines
Operations against merchant and escort shipping afforded the air group its first skip bombing experience against live targets. The accuracy and damage inflicted by this type of attack is of such a high order that any other type of bombing against merchantmen is considered a poor employment of weapons. Communications discipline was of an extremely low order on 24th September 1944. Squadrons should train their pilots better so that it is unnecessary to hold long radio discussions on the shortcoming of the plane prior to determining whether or not the plan can continue on a mission. Unnecessary conversation was also prevalent as well as the exasperating tallyhos.
F.A. Bardshar- Air Group Seven
Comments and recommendations on Air Operation against Coron Bay on 24 September 1944

I take it by tallyhos, the good First Admiral means the whooping and yeehawing of the American Hellcat pilots as they divebombed Japanese ships that September day in the Philippines Bay of Coron, during the height of the World War Two pacific campaign. Not sure how well his recommendations were received, all I can say is that if they had half as much fun sinking the ships as we did diving in them I can definitely understand how their emotions might get the better of them on that fateful day.
Left the beautiful El Nido on Monday morning, destination Coron Bay, on a 6 hour Banka Ride across the water. The weather was quite good considering it is typhoon season, every now and then the telltale funnels of the twisters would appear behind the islands but as long as the other Pinoy passengers along on the ride with us kept a calm demeanour then it was obviously business as usual for the boat crew. Got into Coron in the afternoon and found a room at the Seadive Hotel, which was also the centrepoint for diving in the town, despite one of the other guest house operators claiming that all the rooms in town were full and we would have to stay at her hotel. This was the first sign that something was fishy in the town of Coron...
Booked a dive for the next day on some of the WW2 wrecks out on the bay and had an early night a the boat left quite early. Turned out that the boat was a bit late leaving the harbour as one of the passangers was quite late, about 9:00 the guy who was on the bus with us to El Nido arrived looking a bit worse for wear. I thought it was because he had a big night the night before but he was just pissed off that after he checked his money into the safe at the resort, someone (obviously staff) had gone through it and knocked off half his cash, leaving him just enough to get out of Coron (which he was pretty keen to do by this stage). He was also presented a huge bill for all the drinks that his new 'friends' had consumed the night before at a restaurant in town, a scam that they obviously try on with all new arrivals into town. Needless to say he wasn't a happy chappy at all.
Made it out to the first dive around 11, visibility was very poor and my depth gauge wasn't working at all. As I have previously mentioned the Pinoy divemasters aren't big on health and safety, they were quite keen to take us down 30m into the wreck (open water divers are only qualified to 18m) but a few protests from my mate (only his 5th dive) saw us OW divers stopping at 25m and only on the outside. A short dive, quite nice, then up for a surface interval and lunch. The second dive was the great one though, we went to have a look at the Olympia Maru, a Japanese cargo ship that was sunk during the battle. We were feeling a bit more confident about this one so went right inside the wreck for about 15 minutes, from the top to the tail of the ship then up to the surface. Incredible!
The divemaster dived too long so had to drag his dive computer behind the boat to trick it into thinking he was taking a long safety stop otherwise it would lock up, another little trick to get around the pesky rules and regs that modern diving held dear.
Got back to the resort about 5pm and went out to dinner, suprise suprise the restaurant tried to charge me double what I was meant to pay for the meal. Finished the evening sitting in the hammock on the rooftop, listening to the horrible karaoke singing from the bar across the way, sipping a San Miguel and thinking about fighter planes flying over the sea bombing ships.

El Nido

2009-08-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

Day 19: El Nido, Philippines
Imagine stumbling upon a place that no one else has discovered, well it's not completely uninhabited but imagine a place that has not been compromised by tourists, pollution, traffic, noise, imagine a private Eden shared amongst friends who share in cooking, cleaning, working, not out of any capitalistic or egotistic means but a general sense of happiness amongst a common collective.
The Beach (Alex Garland)
Nicely said Mr Garland, and for the most part this passage describes El Nido to a tea, minus the socialist slant. Of course I would imagine it's not quite the sleepy little town it was when he lived in the Philippines in the 90's, inspiring his epic backpacker novel (and horrible Hollywood movie), it's fair to say that most of the people who are passing into the town consider it a little piece of heaven on the Palawan peninsula. It's real back to nature stuff, I ran into one of the boys from last nights drinking session who was walking down the beach earlier when he saw a Pinoy lad who had just caught two huge fish. The boy sold one of the fish to him and they proceeded to cook it up, there on the beach, and have a lovely fish supper right there in front of what is arguably the worlds greatest sunsets.
One little eccentricities of El Nido is that there is no electricity between 6am and 2pm, leaving you the options of either sleeping in or finding something to do which doesn't require electricity. Not a big deal because if you are too hot, well, theres the worlds biggest swimming pool right in front of you, or if you are hungry there's plenty of nice things to eat that can be cooked with a gas stove. Unfortunately espresso machines don't run on gas but it's a small price to pay and it encourages you to get out and enjoy the atmosphere.
Made it down to Baliy Tubay again last night, the band were nice enough to let me sit in with them and play a few tunes which was nice. As I mentioned before I am using my 3mp mobile phone camera is my primary snapper at the moment, got some pics but not half as nice as the Olympus would have taken, am still struggling to download them so will go back and update the appropriate posts when I get them online.
I'm suffering a bit today, we got stuck into the local rum and when I got home I had the urge to take a late night swim in the sea, unfortunately Rosanna locks the gate to the beach at 12pm so I had to scale the 3m fence, injuring my leg in the process. Will be saying goodbye to El Nido tomorrow and off to Coron to dive on WW2 wrecks, will be sad to say goodbye but as MacArthur famously said after his first visit to the Philippines, 'I will return'.

Paradise Found

2009-08-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Day 18: El Nido, Philippines

Greetings from Paradise. After a 5 hour flight to Manila, 1 hour to Palawan, 8 hour by bus from Puerto Princesa I have finally arrived in El Nido. Before I go on, I have to say that this is the best place I have ever been to, narrowly nudging out Koh Phagnan to claim the title. El Nido is situated on the Bacuit Bay achipelago at the top of Palawan, El Nido itself commands a stunning location, sitting between between massive limestone cliffs and picturesque Bacuit Bay with Cadlao Island right in front. Found a nice little guest house for 130 pesos per night (roughly 40 Aussie dollars) which is right on the beach run by a lovely local lady named Rosanna, each morning I walk out straight into the water and have a nice swim across the bay. Unfortunately this is pretty much all the exercise I have been doing and have been out every night since I have arrived, on the flip side I've been drinking the San Miguel Lite which are a steal at 30 pesos a bottle (1 Aussie Dollar) but about a quarter of the calories of most other beers. This is also the first place I have been to where I am staying on budget, despite making no real effort to control my spending. First night in town I wandered down to Seaslugs Restaurant to get my bearings. Ran into a young Australian guy, Tommy, who's family owns the restaurant and sat and drank with him and his mates on the chairs on the beach out the front before heading out to Balay Tubay, a fantastic little live music place that was located around the corner. I must mention that El Nido is a small village, but with everything you need as most places are these days (wifi, internet all available). It doesn't look like it will stay that way though, at the moment there is a plan to dredge the sand from in the bay in front of the town, which will allow ferries into the bay direct from Manila making the town alot more accessible for all. There is no ATM though, to get money out, you have to take it from your credit card, the place recommended by LP charges a hefty 12% on withdrawals, fortunately Tommy let me know you could also withdraw from the petrol station down the road for only 6%. I am almost over the fear that my card won't work when I am overseas, and the obvious consequenses that will occur if i am stranded with no money so far away from everything. Almost.

One thing that has really been a downer is that my so called underwater camera has failed so I have to use my mobile phone to take pics, the camera is only 3megs to really disappointed about that. At this stage I am relying on getting other travellers to email me some of their pics, the one above is taken by a girl called Jodi who runs a blog called Legal Nomads which has been a great resource for me over here. Went for a really nice dive on Friday sans camera, luckily there were an Italian foursome who were along with us and one of them is going to send me some of the pics he took which are absolutely mind blowing. God doesn't seem to want me taking pics of this beautiful place so hopefully my words can do it some justice, I am anticipating a drama when I take it back to the shop in KL as I have thrown away the receipt (the camera model is called The Olympus Tough, I was not expecting it to break). Needless to say the dive was great, the islands in teh achepelago look like they are straight out of King Kong with cloudy mists covering their tops and turquoise blue waters meeting the green tropical water in front of the yellow sands. I am sitting on 12 dives now, I think I will do another 10 and then take my advanced open water which will allow me to descend to 40m, opening up alot more dive options especially wrecks (which are awesome). May have to factor this into the itinerary...

Unfortunately Lobsters went out of season a couple of weeks ago (it's the off season) so no joy there, apart from that though seafood is plentiful and so, so cheap. Will post again shortly because unfortunately time has got the better of me again today and there is barbecue on the beach in 15 minutes which I am heading down to. More photos to come as soon as I sort out the camera issues...

Alamut

Palawan

2009-08-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Day 17: Puerto Princesa, Philippines
Kamusta.
So I haven't posted for a few days, needless to say I am still alive and well, thanks for asking.
Left Manila on Wednesday afternoon bound for Palawan, the wild fronteir region of the Philippines. The unfortunate part of my trip is that I have put myself under considerable pressure as far as the timeline I want to follow, I want to be back in Kuala Lumpur for the Asian Champs AFL tournament on Sat 5th September so need to be back in Manila on in a weeks time. The mistake I have made here is that any travel needs a day set aside for it, once you reach the more remote regions the primary modes of transport are boats and buses, which take considerable time to reach their destination. Overall Manila was hot and cold, I think the Philippines are fantastic but arriving in Manila can be a bit of a letdown and it's not a great example of what the rest of the country has to offer. It's probably why not as many people travel around here, preferring more tourist friendly area like Thailand and Indonesia. Manila gets pretty dodgy after dark as well but as long as you use your common sense you will be very safe, I guess one thing that stands out to me is there are no real pockets of tourist areas like there are in most other countries, even in Ermita and Malate which are the more foreigner friendly areas there are lots of beggars and con-men all around the place.
Took a one hour Cebu Air flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan and touched down in the evening. The main method of transport here is by trishaw, that is, a motorbike with a covered sidecar attached which can seat two people. Had a look at a couple of guest houses in the town that were mentioned in the guide book but they were all overpriced, a trend I am noticing when visiting a place that has been reviewed in a massively circulated publication. The best way to find the best value (not cheapest) accomodation is by talking to other travellers and the more expensive the place you stay, the less travellers you will meet, as soon as I get to KL it's back to dorm living for me. Had a great meal in a beautiful little restaurant in the town, cheap as chips, first rate and great atmosphere. After that went and watched a local Pinoy show at a bar around the corner, even got the chance to go up and dance on the stage with them, anyone who knows me will understand I love a boogie after a few beers so it was nice to have the opportunity to do so Philippino style.
Next stop is El Nido, an 8 hour bus ride from Puerto Princesa to soak up what has been described as one of the last unspoiled paradises that the world has to offer, they are building an airstrip there now so this probably won't remain the way for much longer. Planning on going out for a couple of dives here then off to Coron for a wreck dive, I can't find a way between Coron and Mindoro so unfortunately that will have to wait until next time I am in the country.
Alamat

Jeepneys

2009-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Day 15: Manila, Philippines

I tell you what's really annoying is that once you get the hang of how a city works it's time to leave. That's generally how I feel about Manila now it's time to move to the next leg of the journey, Palawan. One thing that I found very confusing to start with was how to get to your destination by the preferred mode of transport in the city, the Jeepney. The Jeepney is a perculiar mode of transport that is very common in the Philippines, basically a bus made by extending old jeeps that the American Army left behind after WW2 in the Philippines. The owners of the Jeepney really pimp them out, give them names and spray murals on the sides, much akin top the Holden Sandman panelvans of 1970's Australia but a lot less subtle. The Jeepneys travel along the one way streets of Manila, so to get where you want to go you get yourself top a street parallel to your destination and jump into one of these amazing vehicles, holding on until you arrive where you want to go.

Quite a good method of transport, once you get the hang of it.

Hobbiton in the Philippines

2009-08-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

Day 14: Manila, Philippines
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkein)

And who in their right mind can? Not me. Tolkein definitely had an acute sense of appreciation for the weird, but even he would be taken aback by the Hobbit House Bar and Blues Club that calls Manila home, where genuine Hobbits serve you and entertain with the great hospitality for which the afore titled (and highly fictional) Hobbiton was highly renowned.
Aaah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves now...
Needless to say I reached Manila after a few dramas at the airport, as I mentioned previously the ATM at Changi was broken so I was flying into Macapagal airport with 3 Singapore Dollars and a few Thai baht mixed in for good measure, hungover as all hell from the night before at the Singapore Wombats shindig hoping to god that my ATM card would work in the Philippines when I finally found an ATM, presuming that there were ATMs in the country.
And hope that they had a decent Visa-On-Arrival arrangement because I forgot to check before I left.
And that said Visa-On-Arrival wouldn't cost anything like it does it in alot of other countries.
The brilliant Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Doug Adams maintains that in all situations one must remember to keep a cool head, and remember, 'Don't Panic!' (which is printed on the cover). I can't help but think that The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is based on the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks, one of which I reluctantly purchased but have been pleasantly suprised to find myself referring to from time to time despite the fact that it has become very outdated very quickly (50/50 hit rate as to whether the businesses mentioned exist 1 year after printing). And there I go off on another tangent again.
So obviously I made it to Manila or else I wouldn't be writing this post from the Slouch Hat Inn, Ermita. This is an Australian themed bar/hotel which was recommended by a mate in KL, a bit expensive for the Philippines but all the same a nice way to dip a toe into the water as far as foreign accomodation goes. The ATM at the airport in Clark was also busted, further heightening my tension but I was able to enter Manila without putting my hand in my pocket once but had to get a 5 minute cab ride to the ATM with a predatory cab driver which cost me more that the entire bus trip to Manila. Once I checked in at to the Slouch Hat Inn, had some tea and headed out into the town, a few beers and then home for a big day to come of Jeepneys and Hobbits.
And here's where my inner geek comes out to shine...
The Hobbit House Bar and Blues club is a Lord of the Rings themed bar with a great line up of blues musicians playing all night long. I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings, it was my 'idle' book, that is to say, whenever I wasn't reading anything else I would default back to this book and read it again. Its close to a thousand pages so similar to painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge, once you have finished it, it's time to start it over again. This club has all these great little paintings of scenes from the book, obviously created before the movies came out so it was a whole different image than the ones Peter Jackson masterfully created for the modern age. The best thing of all is that in the bar you are served (and entertained) by hobbits, that is to say, midgets who complete the illusion of drinking in a bar in Middle Earth. Outstanding!
Leaving Manilla tomorrow for Palawan and the road to El Nido, selamat!

Singapore

2009-08-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

Day 13: Singapore
Got into Singapore and headed straight to a backpacker place in Little India. It's been a long time since I have slept in dorm accomodation but it was actually quite comfortable (and cheap). The thing about these sort of joints is the people there are ultra friendly, far removed from the keep-to-themselves types you get when you are spending a few more bucks on a hotel or resort. Met up with a couple of other Australians and some Irish lads and we spent the afternoons around the streets on Singapore, most notably at an Indian restaurant which nearly put one of them into hospital with an extra hot mutton masala. Lightweights :)
Regrettably I never went on a proper tour of Singapore so I haven't really done the tourist thing and seen all the landmarks, no doubt i will be back there some time soon so will have to do it then.
The mighty Malaysian Warriors played against the Singapore Wombats on Saturday, a valiant effort despite a tragically undermanned team due to illness and injury. Went to an Irish Pub called Obama's for drinks afterwards, I think every team in the overseas AFL league is sponsored by an Irish pub. Had alot of drinks there and fell asleep in front of the big screen in the lounge of the backpackers, very early flight the next day and suprise suprise I was worse for wear on the flight to Manila, made all the worse by the fact that the ATM in Changi airport was broken and i was landing in Manila with 3 dollars in my wallet.
Will post tomorrow on how that worked out...

Swap it Out

2009-08-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Day 11: Singapore

The backpack is mighty full right now and just getting by under the 15kg weight category that the airlines are offering (now sitting at 13kg), which makes it very hard to take advantage of all the great shopping opportunities that Asia has to offer. I'm considering buying a Netbook and DVD drive if the price is right but it has to be under 2kg or it will push me over the limit and end up costing me more than it saves me in weight penalties.
The whole clothes thing is the biggest drama, the only way to stop yourself from packing a wardrobe with straps is to practice a method called Swap-It-Out.
The clothes packed are as follows:
3 T-Shirts (One Black, One White, One Colour)
3 Collared Shirts (One Black, One White, One Coloured)
1 Singlet
1 Pair Jeans
1 Pair Board Shorts
1 Pair Sports Shorts
1 Weaterproof jacket
1 Pair Sports Shoes
1 Pair Dress Shoes
1 Pair Sandals
1 Pair footy boots
Socks, jocks
The shoes take up the bulk of the room, would be nice to drop the footy boots or dress shoes from the rotation but will be needing them from time to time so will just have to make do. The trick is to keep this lineup happening but if you want to buy another of any of the above items it must be superior to the old one which must be disgarded, therefore not adding to the overall weight of the pack. This natural selection method dictates that by the end of the trip I will have the ultimate version of all of the above items of clothing, with my wardrobe evolving as time goes on. Keep an eye on the photos posted to see how the Swap-It-Out championships are progressing week-to-week.
Which clothes will be number one when the plane lands in Oz?
Which will be crowned The Ultimate Dress shoes of the championship?
Am I spending too much time sitting at airports thinking about random systems and games?

Chorenrit Represents

2009-08-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Day 10: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

So it's time to say goodby to Koh Phagnan and the trip finished with a bang at the much anticipated Fight Night at the Cobra Stadium, Thongsala. The English lads Zac and Izaak did Chorenrit Muay Thai school proud with both of them winning their fights, by knockout no less, Zac taking out his opponent in the first round. This was head trainer Mak's last fight for a long time with him heading off to Japan to teach Muay Thai at a school there, he was pretty happy with the results of his two fighters which was a great going away present for him. Stayed out until quite late celebrating with a few Changs and have a very sore head today, still so out of it in the morning that I sat and watched casually as my boat arrived, boarded and took off again as I sat at the pier. Luckily their was another one in 15 minutes so no harm done. Yesterday was my last training session at the gym before I head back to Koh Samui and over to Singapore for the Warriors game, as difficult as the sessions were I will really miss that intensity when it comes to training, I'm going to have to really push myself to match them. I have added a Muay Thai fight in Thailand to my Bucket List (things to do before you die), haven't really thought around the logistics as yet but I definitely want to get back to Thailand for a month some time and train up for a fight but will need to get down to at least 8okgs or else I will be up against a monster.
Sad to say goodbye to Koh Phagnan, will definitely be coming back in the near future, probably the best place I have been to in a long time. Will miss the magnificent Thai food, Movie Restaurants, the awesome book shop in Haad Rin, training at the school, the beaches, the friendly locals, such a wonderful place. I am slightly over budget at the moment but I am counting on Cambodia and Laos to catch it back up, Singapore won't be cheap so i will have to tighten the purse strings until I am safe in Manila.

Jeffrey Lee R.I.P.

2009-08-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Day 9: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Ferris Bueller: 'Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it'

-Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Sage words indeed.

Last week I received the sad news that Jeffrey Lee was killed in a motorbike accident in Kuala Lumpur on August 4th, 2009. He was 35 years old.

Jeff was the dive instructor who taught me and Dave the ropes when we made the decision to learn how to scuba dive in KL, I thank him for his patience and tolerance as I am a challenging student at the best of times, sorry about smashing the side of the pool mate.

Jeff always had a great acronym for remembering all the rules and regulations when it came to diving, they gave you a giggle which made them so much easier to remember.

The life path that leads you to teaching such a fantatic pursuit such as diving, leading holidays into wild, wonderful destinations all over the world certainly is a life less ordinary than most, I think Jeff did a fair bit of looking around in life and didn't miss too much in his short time on the planet.

RIP

Witness the Fitness

2009-08-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Day 8: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Well, the first week of my trip is over. On Thursday I will depart from this island paradise bound for Singapore and the Malaysian Warriors vs Singapore Wombats game, I think that it's fair to say that after the vast amount of training I completed last week, fitness is no longer an issue for me.

No smokes, no booze, plenty of sleep, all good in the hood. Even got a tan now....

Three more days of training to go.

Two of the English boys are fighting on Wednesday night, the signs and posters have gone up in the villiage and the vans are blaring out advertising for th event making them minor celebrities about town. The big one, Isaak, is about 6'4 on a bad day and is head and shoulders above the rest of the crew, last week a Brazilian bloke came along to start training who is the same height as him.

Voila, guess who has a new sparring partner.

Unfortunately the Brazilian bloke is a fashion model and his looks are his bread and butter, but as I mentioned, he's the only one suitable to spar with the big bloke (who needs as much practice as he can get before Wednesday's fight night) so he keeps getting paired up with Isaak.

Fingers crossed he doesn't leave with broken nose and cauliflower ears as he is a decent bloke.

The fitness is getting up there now, trainings becoming a lot more fun now I can pusg myself hard.

Sunday sesion on Koh Tao

2009-08-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Day 7: Koh Tao, Thailand

So Sunday finally came, a well deserved day off after a gruelling week at Chorenrit Muay Thai school. Have dropped almostr 5kg in the time I have been training there, can't recommend this place enough for anyone who wants a crash course in improving their fitness and dropping a few kgs, Rocky 4 style.

Got up bright and early on Sunday morning, took it pretty easy with just a couple of beers with a few Dutch tourists I met in Haad Rin on Tuesday night.

The taxi (pickup truck) was due to pick me up at 7:20am from Chorenrit school, the bungalow which I am staying in would be too hard for them to find so took the bike down and waited at the table and chairs out the front for it to arrive.

At exactly 7:20am, a van came rolling past, I made eye contact with the driver but he kept on driving when he saw me. The truck was marked 'Haad Yao Diving' so given the timing off it's appearance I thought that I had well and truly missed the bus to my diving utopia which I had been looking forward to all week.

After about an hour of muttering and cursing my bad fortune, another truck appeared, this was the one to the right place so I breathed a sigh of relief and got onboard.

There were about 20 people on the trip, Dutch, American, Australian, Israeli and Fench, some there for snorkelling, othes doing their Open Water certification and some (like myself) out for a couple of nice dives for the day. We got on the boat and headed out to our first dive, Sail Rock, which was about an hour out to see towards Koh Tao from Koh Phagnan. I had some massive problems equalising on decent when I was in Indonesia, it took me 10 minutes to get to the 20m depth because of the slow rate at which the air was being released from my sinuses, creating uncomfortable pressure in my ears. This time I poured some saline solution into my sinuses (a trick I got from a diving website) and guess what? No more problems descending! Pretty happy about that.

The dive was everything I expected, we did 45minutes at 25m depth. The visability was excellent (20m) and there were all sorts of fishes, massive groupers and even some eels along the way. I wont go into much more detail about the dives because writing about diving is a bit like dancing to architecture and I don't have a camera which can go that deep. Having said that there are some Sail Rock photos from the net here.

The next two dives were fantastic also, I was assigned a French apprentice divemaster (guide) who seemed a bit edgy and uncertain (he was affectionately known as Son of Clouseau), I think the reason he was a bit nervous was that there are all these acronyms for helping you remember what to check before you go down (eg. B.W.A.R.F.= Buoyancy, Weights, Air, Release, Final, or Bangkok Women Really Are Fellas as our divemaster Jeff (RIP) used to say). obviously he had learned to dive in France and had trouble remembering the safety check in English.

Bambi

Either way, a good time was had by all and every one was pretty sociable, had a good chat with most of the passengers and crew, including one of the divemasters called 'Bambi'.

Bambi has lived on Koh Phagnan for the last five years and has become a local institution, so much so he holds a position of responsibility on the island to help British Nationals who get into trouble when visiting, Bear in mind this is a party island, home of the Full Moon Party so you could imagine that he is kept fairly busy in this capacity. Bambi's other claim to fame is that he introduced Punk Rock to the Full Moon party many years ago, playing a spectacular set at the FMP which led to the venue changing the rules as to what could be played on the rotation at the party. He also set up the Backpacker's Information Centre (backpackersthailand.com) in Haad Rin as a means of stopping visitors from being ripped off by unscrupulous operators on the island, much to the displeasure of the island's heavies.

All in all a great day, had some great dives, met lots of new friends and got heaps of info on some of the places I am headed to in the next few weeks. Back to training tomorrow so will endevour to get an early night, but not before I head back to that awesome French restaurant from Saturday night to try the spaghetti bolognaise.

Yum!

(Delete)

2009-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Day 6: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Well. I was going to name this post 'life is beautiful', because that's how I was feeling before I accidentally deleted some of the best pics I have ever taken and could not retrieve them from the recycle bin on the internet cafe computer.
Bother.
I would describe them but a picture tells a thousand words and I'm not that motivated to sit here all night given that tomorrow is my one day off from training and I have to get up early to catch a bus (will post on this tomorrow).
Will phone it in from here...
I love Koh Phagnan. I just wish I could pronounce it after spending a week here.
Never mind. The residents of this island rock and it's pretty obvious that this is close to paradise on Earth because of the vast number of foreigners that have settled here and opened up some sort of business so they can afford to do so for the term of their natural life.
Not a Thai citizen? No probs. Just cross the border once a month and renew your tourist visa for another 30 days. Good times.
One thing that did bemuse me was the clocks, no clock in Koh Phagnan is set to the correct time.
Up until today this unsettled me, I have always been a subscriber to the Broken Windows philosophy that if the small things are neglected then there will be flaws with the big ticket items.
The reason why the clocks are always out is that every single day there is a power outage for between 30-45minutes, and I mean every single day. Usually when you are asleep. So if you were only here for a few days you would never even know....
This morning I got at 7am and headed to the cafe for my one daily indulgence, a triple esspresso, when it just happened that the power outage was late this day (maybe the clock was out) so the espresso machine was off.
What else to do but read the paper and wait for it to come back on.
The Bangkok Times reported that the British Embassy in Thailand was complaining that many British tourist have been visiting the embassy to complain about such issues as dissatisfaction with their breast implants, how can I discipline their naughty boy and asking for jam making tips.
Juliet Maric, the British Consul pleads with Brits on holidays to 'please use the embassy only if they have a serious problem abroad- maybe you've been involved in an accident, have lost your passport or are a victim of crime- (then) we can help you'.
Sage words indeed Julie.
Peace

What in the world am I doing?

2009-08-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Day 5: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

So the posts have been a bit stream of consciousness lately but as far as what I have been physically doing for the last two days since I left Haad Rin and moved into Thongsala it pretty much amounts to one thing.

Training my ass off at the Muay Thai School.

Here's the breakdown of Wednesday and Thursday's activities:

8am: Breakfast
9:30am: Jog to the stadium
10:00am-12: Morning training session at the camp
12:00pm-12:30: Jog back to the bungalow
12:30pm-2:30pm: Lunch and rest time
2:30pm-3: Jog back to the camp
3:00pm-4: 1 hour run with the other boxers
4:00pm-6: Afternoon training at the camp
6:00pm-6:30: Jog back to the bungalow
6:30pm-9pm: Dinner and rest
9pm: Bed

Wash, rinse, repeat.

If you have done some martial arts in your life and you visit Thailand without training at a genuine Muay Thai School while you are here, then you are missing out on one of the most amazing experiences that the world has to offer.
Highly recommended and 9.5 on the bloke scale.
Booked a trip to Koh Tao for Sunday (the one rest day of the week) to dive on Sail Rock and two other spots I have dreamed about going to for the last few years, to say I am looking forward to this trip is like saying kid aren't adverse to Christmas and the Hamburglar does't mind a cheeseburger when he can get one.

Act as if

2009-08-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Day 4: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Jim Young: There's an important phrase that we use here, and think it's time that you all learned it. Act as if. You understand what that means?
-Boiler Room

Well, why not? This quote has been running through my head at different intervals, usually when encountering temptation in it's various guises on my travels. It's so easy to say to yourself, 'I'm on holidays, it's okay to let go a little' and eat a bit more, drink a bit more, spend a bit more than you normally would if you were in your home environment.
And blow the budget.
And the waistline.
And the motivation to follow the path of why you embarked on your travels in the first place...
That's why I think it's really important that if you do have an agenda or desired outcome for your travels (such as coming home wiser and in better shape than when you left), it's a major advantage to act as if.
In this case I think it's important to act as if you are never going home, that this is your lifestyle and you aren't ever going to stop travelling, which is a reality for the lucky 'location independent' workers of the world.
There really is no barriers to keeping fit and healthy on your travels, one of the first businesses when you get into Koh Phangan's Haad Rin port on the ferry from Koh Samui is the Jungle Gym.
The amount of Muay Thai schools on the island is astronomical, I'm currently training twice a day at Choenrit Muay Thai school, training harder than I ever did back home.
The Thai food over here is nutitious, cheap and delicious. You can start the day with a fruit platter, lunch on a tuna salad and dine with some fresh seafood, not to mention the delicious snacks of fruit and nuts you can get from the hawkers on every street corner.
In essence, I have made the decision to act as if I will return to Australia fitter, leaner and more switched on than I have ever been in my life.
Everything is created twice, once in your mind and then in reality.
This truth is self-evident.

The Sunblock Massage

2009-08-11T23:06:00.001-07:00

Day 3: Thongsala, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Skin cancer is serious stuff.
On the weekend I was playing footy and got burned to a crisp, despite having applied 35+ sunscreen before playing. Four hours in the sun saw me in absolute agony for the next 3 days, something I am very motivated to avoid in the future.
Which brings me to today's topic. Upon leaving Haad Rin (Koh Phagnan) for Sulat Thani I indulged in a favourite invention of mine whenever I am in Thailand, the sunblock massage.
This simple yet effective activity is both relaxing and health smart, also suprisingly cheap.
The way it works is you need to find a reputable spa where they conduct oil massages, but before the massage starts, instruct your masseuse to use sunscreen lotion instead of regular massage oil. You may encounter some resistance, this may consider this to be an affront to their art, they are, after all, professionals. In the face of all this I urge you to be persistent, they will come to your way of thinking if you stick to your guns.
My lotion of choice is Banana Boat spf50, steer away from the non-greasy formulas, in this case you are looking for a less viscous solution lest the friction created spoil your relaxing experience and consume alot of sunblock which can get very expensive if you consume alot of it.
Sunblock massages have many advantages, firstly, having the lotion massaged into your skin will provide greater absorbal of the lotion and ensure you are covered from head to toe. This will also save you precious time better spent adventuring or bending the elbow, last but not least lets not forget the relaxing and therapeutic benefits of a good rub down.
I have found that the secret to absolute protection comes in the re-application, which should be done within 2-3 hours. This will make you bulletproof against the harsh solar rays.
When I get back to Australia I plan to recruit masseuses and set up sunblock massage franchises along the beaches of the Perth, gradually expanding the enterprise to Sydney, Gold Coast and nationwide.
I expect they will become a massive hit for at least the first season, less so in the second after other operators keen for a piece of the pie enter the market.
The key to this operations viability will be to hit the ground running, get in and get out, blitz the marketplace and get out before the market is saturated...
This will be the key to my success.

Welcome back, my furry friends

2009-08-11T04:43:00.001-07:00

Day 2: Haad Rin, Koh Phagnan, Thailand

Caught the early ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Phagnan this morning, was a beautiful day and I finally worked out how to download new podcasts onto the iPOD touch so I got to listen to Hamish and Andy as I crossed the strait.
I will post again in the near future in how awesome these devices are.
Met a Guatemalan gentleman at breakfast who has taken out a hefty bank loan then quit his job because he believes the world will end in 2012, as prophesised by the ancient Mayan civilisation when they devised the calendar in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
It got me thinking whether I could last if I kept travelling until then, I did a few sums and discovered that if I tightened the belt I would have just enough to last me until the December deadline, but I would have to do away with my daily espresso. But would you call that living?
I will ask the monks when I visit them in October....
Though I was being marked for a con when I enquired on the price of getting to my destination of Thongsala, the lady at the resort said it would be 500baht to get there, and I would need to take a boat. When I called my destination she advised me to take a cab, it would cost me 100baht. When I was making some enquiries on planning a dive trip for the weekend I mentioned this to one of the workers in a local backpacker hub who made a not of this in her notebook, presumably to warn other travellers to say away from this guest house but when I looked around for a ride to Thongsala it actually did cost me 500baht to get there, 100baht was the price if you travelled in a group of 5. Pretty poor form on my part slagging off this poor place, they were extremely welcoming and friendly (as I have found most Thais to be) and even returned my thumbdrive when I left it behind (I am forever forgetting things).
Never did find why she wanted me to go by boat though...

One thing that is really nice about Thailand is to have dogs back on the scene, and cats as well for that matter. In Malaysia dogs are not welcome, when I lived in Australia dogs were highly valued, some went on to be hugely respected members of the community (Dog on the tuckerbox, Dog from Footrot Flats etc) so i am enjoying having them around again.
Got a workout in at the Jungle Gym at Haad Rin (the harbour where the ferry lands), put a treadmill into a sauna and you get the gist of what the conditions were like.
Had a nice dinner in a restaurant which was playing the new Bruno movie on a big screen, sipping a Singha and enjoying a brilliant Chicken Parmagiana (on a bed of Spaghetti).
Bliss.
Found one of the best cult bookshops I been to since Planet Books in Perth, picked up a copy of Goodfellas and Gangsters by Henry Hill, the guy who wrote Wiseguys which was made into Goodfellas by Martin Scorcese. You can even return the book when you are finished it and they give you 30% back, I am off to Muay Thai camp tomorrow so I will need something to read to pass the time between training sessions, apart from the podcasts.

Around South-East Asia in 80 Days

2009-08-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Koh Samui, Thailand

Farewell Malaysia and thanks for the memories, what a couple of years it has been!
But all good things must come to an end, ideally to be replaced by even better things. So ends a two year experience as an Australian expatriate living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or Asia for dummies as it is affectionately known to some. But now the training wheels are firmly off it's time to see the real South-East Asia, backpack securely fastened to my spine, like some strangely accented ocker snail who has taken the fork in the road away from the salt pot and firmly headed to the lush field of cabbage that beckons on the horizon.
Whatever that means. Much love to the KL crew, you hold a place in my heart always.
So I guess the main reason for keeping this log of my travels is to test an ambitious theory, that it is possible to come back from travels/holidays in better physical condition than when you left.
On a budget.
While still having a great time.
And learning mad new skillsets along the way.
The destinations include most countries within South East Asia: (respectively) Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, (back to) Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, each with its own sport, hobby or pastime to use to acheive my lofty goal.
With that in mind I left KL, Malaysia this morning at the Subang airport, one of the cities smaller airports. Destination: Koh Samui, Thailand, where I plan to take a 1 hour ferry trip across to Koh Phagnan island (home of the infamous Full Moon Party) the next day.
But we aren't here to party, we are here to visit the Chorenrit Stadium for a refresher course in Muay Thai boxing. While I used to train very seriously as a teenager in this discipline, it has been many years since I laced up the gloves, hopefully the years have not been too unkind and I will still have a decent core muscle memory to fall back on.
On the plane from Malaysia to Koh Samui I learned that the world record for holding your breath set by magician/mentalist David Blaine has been broken and now stands at 17 minutes and 19 seconds. Good for him.
The landing into Koh Samui was the roughest I have ever experienced, the plane hit the ground like a skimming stone and bounced back into the air, when we were on the tarmac it felt like we were about to go sideways into a three wheel drift.
At Koh Samui airport, as you are hurtling down the runway the first thing that you see is the fenced off wreck of Bangkok Airways flight 266 which crashed into the control tower killing the pilot and injuring 6 people.
Perhaps this is meant to serve as a warning to other aircraft, the same way that car wrecks are parked on the side of the highway during long weekend holidays to remind drivers to be careful on dangerous stretches of the road.
If so, surely there would be a better way to get the message across? Especially considering my next flight is from Koh Samui to Singapore, on Bangkok Airways.
The fitness component has failed today because of lack of planning, nothing on the agenda, spent the afternoon sipping a Singha and feeling pretty good about life in general.