Jess
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
We arrived in Malaysia yesterday after a 12 hr bus trip from Krabi, Thailand. Right away we noticed a big difference in the way Malaysia looked, it had much less trash and everything on the highway seemed to be a bit more organized, which is likely due to the fact that it's a wealthier country. Malaysia is also much more multicultural, the population is made up evenly of three different groups: Malay, Chinese and South Asian communities. Malaysia is mostly Muslim, although we have noticed both Christian and Buddhist churches/temples around.
Penang is famous for it's food, which both Geoff and I have indulged in. There are hundreds of hawker stalls everywhere and most of the time we have no idea what we are eating. Trying to eat veggie here has been much more difficult as meat gets slipped in everywhere. We've had our hits and misses but our stomachs are getting a bit tired of taking gambles, they are literally grumbling about it. Hah, ya, I know, bad one ;)
Georgetown is a crazy, bustling mix of all three cultures. We met a German guy on our bus trip so last night we spent some time wandering the streets and trying some of the food and special Penang "white coffee" with him. It absolutely down poured for a while there but we were able to take refuge in a cool food market in the Chinatown area. Today, we just wandered around the streets. There isn't a lot to do here but eat so we are looking to go away from the big city to a smaller beach town on the north part of the island. We unfortunately received some bad news that the east coast of Malaysia is still in monsoon season, which means that the two parts of Malaysia I wanted to see (Cameroon Highlands and Perhentian Islands) would be very wet. This means we have a week to burn on this coast, which isn't supposed to be as nice. We are looking into maybe going to Langkawi, 2.5 hours in the wrong direction, or potentially changing our flight to come home a few days early. We shall see what tomorrow is like, laying around on the beach though sort of gets a bit dull though after awhile, so not sure what we will do after that. Anyways, here are a few photos.
Love,
Jess
To my fam: give Red some big kisses from us, looking forward to seeing him soon! And you of course...:)
Penang is famous for it's food, which both Geoff and I have indulged in. There are hundreds of hawker stalls everywhere and most of the time we have no idea what we are eating. Trying to eat veggie here has been much more difficult as meat gets slipped in everywhere. We've had our hits and misses but our stomachs are getting a bit tired of taking gambles, they are literally grumbling about it. Hah, ya, I know, bad one ;)
Georgetown is a crazy, bustling mix of all three cultures. We met a German guy on our bus trip so last night we spent some time wandering the streets and trying some of the food and special Penang "white coffee" with him. It absolutely down poured for a while there but we were able to take refuge in a cool food market in the Chinatown area. Today, we just wandered around the streets. There isn't a lot to do here but eat so we are looking to go away from the big city to a smaller beach town on the north part of the island. We unfortunately received some bad news that the east coast of Malaysia is still in monsoon season, which means that the two parts of Malaysia I wanted to see (Cameroon Highlands and Perhentian Islands) would be very wet. This means we have a week to burn on this coast, which isn't supposed to be as nice. We are looking into maybe going to Langkawi, 2.5 hours in the wrong direction, or potentially changing our flight to come home a few days early. We shall see what tomorrow is like, laying around on the beach though sort of gets a bit dull though after awhile, so not sure what we will do after that. Anyways, here are a few photos.
Love,
Jess
To my fam: give Red some big kisses from us, looking forward to seeing him soon! And you of course...:)
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
A vacation from my vacation - Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
II sort of wanted to come home today.
There are always those points when you are backpacking that you think you are just totally over it. Having a nasty cold, not sleeping, waking up at 5:30 am for a 10 hour travel day by minibus, then bus, then ferry, then bus, and another bus, then another minibus, you just feel done. The dirty, diesel buses. The squatter toilets with pee everywhere, filled to the brim with throw up or other disgusting bodily fluid. Eating sketchy food at road side holes in the wall where buses or ferries drop you off. Sometimes, you are just DONE. Fortunately, for the most part, these feelings tend to dissipate pretty quickly once you arrive at your destination, which was of course the case today. It is just sometimes nice to vent about how freaking exhausting and trying backpacking can often be. The challenges you face and overcome, getting to see really how people live in the countries you are visiting, and feeling, well, just more alive by living through the nitty gritty, are of course why you do it. The adventures, the stories, that's what makes me want to keep doing it, even if sometimes, it really sucks. We are of course so fortunate to be able to do this as well, only a small percentage of people in the world have the luxury to travel.
Today we arrived in Ao Nang, a small, touristy beach town, 30 mins from Krabi on the west coast of Thailand. It is very busy here, which made it hard for us to find a place to stay. We ended up splurging on a hotel, rather than stay at a dump for a few less dollars, and thoroughly enjoyed recovering from the travel day at their pool. Ao Nang, and Thailand in general, has amazing rugged limestone cliffs and this particular town overlooks these awesome, jagged islands. Other than the hotel, things are a lot cheaper here than the islands so I have already begun my shopping spree. I'm thankful Geoff has an extra bag with only his skateboard in it, so have plenty of room to stock up on touristy crap :)
I've attached some photos from today. Thanks for those who have left comments on the blog, nice to know someone is reading it. Keep remembering that it's getting lighter everyday in Vancouver, the end of the winter is in sight!
Love and peace,
Jess
There are always those points when you are backpacking that you think you are just totally over it. Having a nasty cold, not sleeping, waking up at 5:30 am for a 10 hour travel day by minibus, then bus, then ferry, then bus, and another bus, then another minibus, you just feel done. The dirty, diesel buses. The squatter toilets with pee everywhere, filled to the brim with throw up or other disgusting bodily fluid. Eating sketchy food at road side holes in the wall where buses or ferries drop you off. Sometimes, you are just DONE. Fortunately, for the most part, these feelings tend to dissipate pretty quickly once you arrive at your destination, which was of course the case today. It is just sometimes nice to vent about how freaking exhausting and trying backpacking can often be. The challenges you face and overcome, getting to see really how people live in the countries you are visiting, and feeling, well, just more alive by living through the nitty gritty, are of course why you do it. The adventures, the stories, that's what makes me want to keep doing it, even if sometimes, it really sucks. We are of course so fortunate to be able to do this as well, only a small percentage of people in the world have the luxury to travel.
Today we arrived in Ao Nang, a small, touristy beach town, 30 mins from Krabi on the west coast of Thailand. It is very busy here, which made it hard for us to find a place to stay. We ended up splurging on a hotel, rather than stay at a dump for a few less dollars, and thoroughly enjoyed recovering from the travel day at their pool. Ao Nang, and Thailand in general, has amazing rugged limestone cliffs and this particular town overlooks these awesome, jagged islands. Other than the hotel, things are a lot cheaper here than the islands so I have already begun my shopping spree. I'm thankful Geoff has an extra bag with only his skateboard in it, so have plenty of room to stock up on touristy crap :)
I've attached some photos from today. Thanks for those who have left comments on the blog, nice to know someone is reading it. Keep remembering that it's getting lighter everyday in Vancouver, the end of the winter is in sight!
Love and peace,
Jess
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Koh Samui and Angthong National Park
We have spent the last three days in Koh Samui, and island just 20 mins south of Koh Panang. It was known as the island that started the backpacker, hippie beach movement to Thailand, although now has become the most touristy of the three islands, catering more to wealthy eastern European families than hippie backpackers. It is a 'large' island (well small, if we compare it to Vancouver Island), that has a number of beaches around it. The islands here are not flat, they are mountainous and covered in rich, green foliage. It is very hot and humid, I love it, although it doesn't instill a great urge in you to do anything other than lounge, eat, drink and swim.
Two days ago, we met up with Geoff's friend from back home, Mike and his girlfriend, Abra. We had a great day of, what else, eating, drinking, strolling and swimming. Yesterday, we spent an amazing day with them at Angthong National Marine Park about an hour and half west of Koh Samui. The park was absolutely beautiful, right out of a postcard. Pristine, clear, aqua blue waters, rugged mountains, lush, green jungle flora, and fine as dust white sand. We went hiking up and around a few viewpoints overlooking the green lagoon, went kayaking under limestone formations, and snorkeled at a small, isolated beach spot (with, of course, probably 100 other tourists, so not so isolated), as part of a tour. It was a beautiful and exhausting day.
Today, we spend another relaxing day at Koh Samui before heading across Thailand to the west coast town of Krabi. Geoff and I are in a bit of rough shape, him with plugged ears from yesterday's swims, and me with a cold and some weird burn/hickey looking reactions from being in contact with some plants a few ago (don't worry mom, they are fine, I'm not dying). Ahh the joys of backpacking. We have faired pretty well so far though, with only a few upset stomachs, no major food poisonings (knock on wood).
Southeast Asia has been interesting so far, we have received a bit more of the watered down version of Thai culture since being on these islands, but the trip has definitely provided some culture shocks along the way. There are many stray dogs in Cambodia and Thailand, we have seen a few with some very bad wounds, which has been very hard to see. We have also seen other animals being exploited for tourism, such as elephants and elephant trekking and the use of baby animals to obtain money (photos with young monkeys and dressed up dogs). I have signed up to donate to WSPA monthly after seeing many of the abuses down here. Humans, of course, are also treated poorly. People work long days and may not be provided with any time off. In Cambodia, we saw many victims of land mines and other war horrors. Children are used by parents/adults to sell small trinkets to tourists. In Cambodia, we saw a few protests and women with head scarves on yelling outside on the street (we later found out there is a garment strike happening there, in efforts to increase the wage of workers). Thailand is in political upheaval as the current Prime Minister of Thailand is being accused of being a puppet to her brother, the previous Prime Minister, who was convicted with corruption crimes and exiled from Thailand. Protests are planned in Bangkok in the next few days, so we will be keeping an eye on how that all unfolds.
We were amazed, however, at the resiliency of the Cambodian people after all that they have been through, and the genuine friendliness of the Thai people, after the sheer volume of tourists they see here (one might become quite jaded I would think). Cambodians make beautiful fabrics (silks, pashminas) and incredible sculptures. We have yet to go to a Thai museum to learn more about their ancient culture but know that they make, excellent, very spicy food (the green papaya salads are deadly!) :).
Anyways, I better get off of here to enjoy the day. I've included some of my favourite photos below but our FLICKR account has many more.
Bangkok
Koh Panang
Koh Samui
Two days ago, we met up with Geoff's friend from back home, Mike and his girlfriend, Abra. We had a great day of, what else, eating, drinking, strolling and swimming. Yesterday, we spent an amazing day with them at Angthong National Marine Park about an hour and half west of Koh Samui. The park was absolutely beautiful, right out of a postcard. Pristine, clear, aqua blue waters, rugged mountains, lush, green jungle flora, and fine as dust white sand. We went hiking up and around a few viewpoints overlooking the green lagoon, went kayaking under limestone formations, and snorkeled at a small, isolated beach spot (with, of course, probably 100 other tourists, so not so isolated), as part of a tour. It was a beautiful and exhausting day.
Today, we spend another relaxing day at Koh Samui before heading across Thailand to the west coast town of Krabi. Geoff and I are in a bit of rough shape, him with plugged ears from yesterday's swims, and me with a cold and some weird burn/hickey looking reactions from being in contact with some plants a few ago (don't worry mom, they are fine, I'm not dying). Ahh the joys of backpacking. We have faired pretty well so far though, with only a few upset stomachs, no major food poisonings (knock on wood).
Southeast Asia has been interesting so far, we have received a bit more of the watered down version of Thai culture since being on these islands, but the trip has definitely provided some culture shocks along the way. There are many stray dogs in Cambodia and Thailand, we have seen a few with some very bad wounds, which has been very hard to see. We have also seen other animals being exploited for tourism, such as elephants and elephant trekking and the use of baby animals to obtain money (photos with young monkeys and dressed up dogs). I have signed up to donate to WSPA monthly after seeing many of the abuses down here. Humans, of course, are also treated poorly. People work long days and may not be provided with any time off. In Cambodia, we saw many victims of land mines and other war horrors. Children are used by parents/adults to sell small trinkets to tourists. In Cambodia, we saw a few protests and women with head scarves on yelling outside on the street (we later found out there is a garment strike happening there, in efforts to increase the wage of workers). Thailand is in political upheaval as the current Prime Minister of Thailand is being accused of being a puppet to her brother, the previous Prime Minister, who was convicted with corruption crimes and exiled from Thailand. Protests are planned in Bangkok in the next few days, so we will be keeping an eye on how that all unfolds.
We were amazed, however, at the resiliency of the Cambodian people after all that they have been through, and the genuine friendliness of the Thai people, after the sheer volume of tourists they see here (one might become quite jaded I would think). Cambodians make beautiful fabrics (silks, pashminas) and incredible sculptures. We have yet to go to a Thai museum to learn more about their ancient culture but know that they make, excellent, very spicy food (the green papaya salads are deadly!) :).
Anyways, I better get off of here to enjoy the day. I've included some of my favourite photos below but our FLICKR account has many more.
Bangkok
Koh Panang
Koh Samui
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Koh Phangan, Thailand
Hello!
Geoff and I have spent our first full day on the island of Koh Phangan, on the east coast of Thailand. We had an exhausting, dirty few days to get here but it's been worth it so far. We left Siem Reap earlier this week - took a shared taxi to the Thai border with a nice Irish couple that we met. After an hour and a half getting processed we finally got into Thailand and took a 7 hour train ride (SLOW train ride - 255 km) to Bangkok. We finally got to our hostel after an exhausting 14 hour travel day. We spent that night and the next day on Bangkok. Talk about a crazy city. We stayed outside of the central part of town - it looked like the future. Massive mall complexes that adjoined to their impeccably clean and cheap sky train line. Getting into the main part of town, however, was like entering a totally different place: dirty, dusty, noisy and bustling. We ate cheap road side eats and walked around the Riverside/Chinatown area. We then tried to see some of the tourist sites but decided it was a bit too expensive. We had to rent outfits though just to get into the complex. They were matching, which was pretty awesome. After that we caught an overnight bus to Surat Thani, the jumping off point to three of the main islands on the east coast. This time of the year it is crazy busy, we would have preferred to take a sleeper train but could only get a bus. Geoff and I met a Danish guy travelling and Geoff and him ended up gabbing way into the night. I got some sleep, as good as a sleep as you can get on a bus, arriving at 5:30 am. We had to wait 2.5 hours for another bus to take us to the ferry pier (1 hr) where we waited another hour to catch a 2 and a half hour ferry. Phew. We've been feeling the travel burnout - I think I might've been a bit ambitious to try and see this all in a month but if it gets to be too much we might just skip seeing a few things or take flights instead for any of the long haul trips. Koh Phagang is very beautiful. We rented bikes today, which was fun, but its smoking hot and humid. We quickly turned back around to get back into the ocean and pool that we have at the place we are staying. Food so far has been good and cheap. I think Cambodia had the best food yet, so much fresh fruit and stir fries with veggies and noodles, fresh juice, yum. Overall we are eating well.
We are looking to enjoy two more nights here before we jump to another island where we hope to get some snorkeling in. Will post some photos soon. WiFi has been sketchy at best so trying to cram as much in in this post before it disappears again.
Jess
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