Maybe it's because I've never been to New York City or Beverly Hills before, but Singapore felt like a city that chose all the 'best' stuff and threw it into a single location. Back home you'd walk down the street and see shops or maybe a mall. In Singapore you have malls next to each other like we have stores next to each other, each one with insanely high-end products that I can barely afford to look at much less buy. I don't even know how people make enough money to keep all these places in business. Still it was fun at least looking around and pretending that the almighty dollar would see us through. This was the first part of the trip where it felt very close to home and yet very far away. It was also the first place where we decided to just embrace the tourist path since there were so many great things to do and see.
The thing about Singapore is that you are well aware of how strict they are on things. When flying in they tell you drug trafficking has a mandatory death sentence. While you're free to have a good time and spend money on most anything you want, it felt like if you step out of line the punishment would be severe and possibly done as an example to everyone else on the consequences. It's hard to know which parts of their system is doing the most good, but whatever it is everyone who lived there kept talking about how fast the city is changing. It felt like it was slightly in the future, so it's interesting to think about how it will look in ten years.
We've entered our final portion of South East Asia, with our last country being Indonesia, which will be very different from Malaysia. I'm not sure what to expect because every time we get used to something or some place, we leave it. It's strange knowing that after all this time we've only hit the halfway point of our total holiday. In some ways it's felt endless and in others it seems to be going by so quickly. Strangely enough with the help of Facebook I still get to see what my friends are doing and wish I hadn't missed out on something. It's hard to not think about where you aren't. Time moves so fast though it won't be long before I'm looking back at this trip and wondering how it got behind me so fast.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Travel Log: Reversal of Fortune
We had our first real misadventure yesterday. After a day of seeing the sites in Kuala Lumpur we decided to take a bus to the Cameron Highlands for trekking, tea tasting, and honey collecting. We should have known things were going to be interesting when everyone kept talking about the long Labor Day holiday that started on Friday, when we were set to leave. We were told to be on the bus platform at 4 PM for our 4:30 bus. By 4:15 we could tell there was no real system in place. A bus would show up and people would scramble to get on, only to realize that it wasn't going where they wanted to go. Clutching our bags to us after a close call with them almost heading off to Singapore without us, we kept watching for our bus. Thankfully there were several English speaking travelers who were all going to the same place so there was a bit of comfort there. Almost by chance an unofficial looking bus station worker said Cameron Highlands just loud enough for us to hear as he waved us off the platform and then across the bus station, outside onto the side of the street, and into our waiting bus. At least that part was taken care of. I pulled out the iPad and started a movie, with the intent to just watch stuff until the four hour trip was over.
About halfway through the second movie we realized that the stop and go traffic had been happening for most of Tom Cruise's spy adventure through exotic lands. Looking our the front window all you could see were tail lights for miles...or kilometers if you want to keep with the local system. No problem, we'll be a little bit late, but should still have plenty of time. We kept hearing people talking about how they hadn't booked a room yet, however, they heard there were plenty of places so they would sort it out when they arrived. After over six hours on the road the bus finally pulled over...to the rest station that was meant to be the halfway point. The place looked like something out of the apocalypse. Cars were parked everywhere. Some with the hoods open. Some wth their four way flashers still going. The lines for food and bathrooms were at least thirty minutes long. You get really creative and a lot less shy when you have to pee and only have minutes to do it before the bus is set to leave.
When we finally arrived in town it was 2:30 AM, the whole journey taking just over ten hours to complete. We asked the bus driver where there was a taxi stand and he just waved his hand in some direction away from his bus. A few minutes later he was gone and everyone who was on the bus was now aimlessly wandering the streets trying to figure out where to go next. Thankfully a local took some pity on us and saw an opportunity to make some quick cash and became an impromptu taxi service for us and another couple of travelers from Oregon (small world). It was only a five minute drive to our hotel just outside of town and the sign on the front said 'Full House'. That's when the real fun began.
Several days ago we booked both our bus travel and hotel in this area so we were covered. That is until the front desk person asked for our confirmation number and we realized that our reservation wasn't for tonight, but for twenty days in the future. We suddenly didn't have a place to stay in a town with no taxis and fully booked hotels. We got to a point where we begged for a service room or even a couch to sleep on until we figured it out. Finally the front desk told us that their sister hotel down the road may have the penthouse suite still available for tonight only. With that information we set off into the dark for our 'probably 100 meters' search for hotel. Upon arriving at the darkened sister hotel we were greated by silence and another sign that said 'Full House'. Sitting in the lobby we tried to figure out what we could do next when the overnight attendant came walking down the stairs. I nearly hugged him, I was so happy when he said the penthouse was still available.
What started off as a pretty good day turned sour and then ended with us taking a bubble bath in a real tub. The room is so large you could use it as an indoor jogging course if you don't mind navigating around the antique writing desk, the fake fireplace, the two sitting areas, or two double beds. It took me five minutes to turn off all the lights. I felt like I was going through a castle blowing out the candelabras. Thankfully we found rooms at our first hotel for the next two nights so we're mostly back on track from where we started, but it was quite the adventure getting to this point. Of course not all adventures are fun when you're having them.
About halfway through the second movie we realized that the stop and go traffic had been happening for most of Tom Cruise's spy adventure through exotic lands. Looking our the front window all you could see were tail lights for miles...or kilometers if you want to keep with the local system. No problem, we'll be a little bit late, but should still have plenty of time. We kept hearing people talking about how they hadn't booked a room yet, however, they heard there were plenty of places so they would sort it out when they arrived. After over six hours on the road the bus finally pulled over...to the rest station that was meant to be the halfway point. The place looked like something out of the apocalypse. Cars were parked everywhere. Some with the hoods open. Some wth their four way flashers still going. The lines for food and bathrooms were at least thirty minutes long. You get really creative and a lot less shy when you have to pee and only have minutes to do it before the bus is set to leave.
When we finally arrived in town it was 2:30 AM, the whole journey taking just over ten hours to complete. We asked the bus driver where there was a taxi stand and he just waved his hand in some direction away from his bus. A few minutes later he was gone and everyone who was on the bus was now aimlessly wandering the streets trying to figure out where to go next. Thankfully a local took some pity on us and saw an opportunity to make some quick cash and became an impromptu taxi service for us and another couple of travelers from Oregon (small world). It was only a five minute drive to our hotel just outside of town and the sign on the front said 'Full House'. That's when the real fun began.
Several days ago we booked both our bus travel and hotel in this area so we were covered. That is until the front desk person asked for our confirmation number and we realized that our reservation wasn't for tonight, but for twenty days in the future. We suddenly didn't have a place to stay in a town with no taxis and fully booked hotels. We got to a point where we begged for a service room or even a couch to sleep on until we figured it out. Finally the front desk told us that their sister hotel down the road may have the penthouse suite still available for tonight only. With that information we set off into the dark for our 'probably 100 meters' search for hotel. Upon arriving at the darkened sister hotel we were greated by silence and another sign that said 'Full House'. Sitting in the lobby we tried to figure out what we could do next when the overnight attendant came walking down the stairs. I nearly hugged him, I was so happy when he said the penthouse was still available.
What started off as a pretty good day turned sour and then ended with us taking a bubble bath in a real tub. The room is so large you could use it as an indoor jogging course if you don't mind navigating around the antique writing desk, the fake fireplace, the two sitting areas, or two double beds. It took me five minutes to turn off all the lights. I felt like I was going through a castle blowing out the candelabras. Thankfully we found rooms at our first hotel for the next two nights so we're mostly back on track from where we started, but it was quite the adventure getting to this point. Of course not all adventures are fun when you're having them.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Travel Log: Ghosts
A lot of the things over here are the same as they are back home. Things that are almost comforting when you see them. The people are mostly the same too. Maybe a bit shorter than usual, but you can spot a group of giggling teenage girls or the nerdy guy pretty quickly. It's the little things though that are disarming. In America everything has a sound or at least some presence. Everyone needs to let everyone else know that they exist, even if they want to be left alone. Here there have been so many times that someone silently moves closer to you without you realizing. It's not anything sinister either. It's more that personal bubbles are considerably smaller and at least with people selling something they know that they need to be near you in case you show interest. Back home there are really two settings for salespeople. Either they are right in your face or they are nowhere to be found. Here they quietly hover near you. In some cases they are close enough to me to be in my party.
Having spent four days on a relaxing island, where the people are friendly and fairly laid back, it's strange coming to a big city again. I can't tell if it's good or bad. Everything feels like it's western influenced, but not quite western. It's like someone's idea of what America must be like. Apparently that world is full of KFC joints because they are everywhere here. It's ok because this is really meant as a jumping off point for other areas. Still it's both nice to see familiar and somewhat different versions of things back home and a good reminder of the things we're fine with trying to avoid not only on this trip, but in our lives in general.
We have been traveling for a month now. It doesn't feel that long and yet it seems like forever ago that we were home. Thankfully with technology today it's so easy to stay in contact, even though talking to someone isn't the same as seeing them. Life goes on without you while you're off having adventures and it's hard to not feel a little bit like a ghost to the people back home. Gone, but not really gone. There is still plenty of time left in this portion of the trip and I'm making sure that I don't spend my time looking forward to things rather than being here now. That said I am looking forward to getting back out of the city and onto strange and different things like tea and honey from the highlands.
Having spent four days on a relaxing island, where the people are friendly and fairly laid back, it's strange coming to a big city again. I can't tell if it's good or bad. Everything feels like it's western influenced, but not quite western. It's like someone's idea of what America must be like. Apparently that world is full of KFC joints because they are everywhere here. It's ok because this is really meant as a jumping off point for other areas. Still it's both nice to see familiar and somewhat different versions of things back home and a good reminder of the things we're fine with trying to avoid not only on this trip, but in our lives in general.
We have been traveling for a month now. It doesn't feel that long and yet it seems like forever ago that we were home. Thankfully with technology today it's so easy to stay in contact, even though talking to someone isn't the same as seeing them. Life goes on without you while you're off having adventures and it's hard to not feel a little bit like a ghost to the people back home. Gone, but not really gone. There is still plenty of time left in this portion of the trip and I'm making sure that I don't spend my time looking forward to things rather than being here now. That said I am looking forward to getting back out of the city and onto strange and different things like tea and honey from the highlands.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Travel Log: Last Stop in Thailand
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if future travel could also include a time component to it. For instance being able to experience the Ketucky Derby from fifty years ago or seeing an jungle before tourists made it popular. Imagine being able to tell someone about how you went to a place in time rather than just the place as it exists now. Of course every time we visit a place that's how it will exist for us until we return. If we return. Sometimes it's better to keep the memory than to see how things have changed. Thailand has been an interesting experience. One full of weird interactions with people who have become accustomed to tourists as their main source of income. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's certainly altered the way I will see this place.
Our final stop in the country is a small island that was supposedly a well kept secret up until about ten years ago. Since then it's become mostly a beach resort community, with a focus on diving and tours to nearby islands. The first night on the island we found a bungalow just off the beach for relatively cheap. Bungalow being a little cabin made of bamboo with a mattress in the middle of the room, protected by a mosquito net. That was a hard night, as both of us had a difficult time sleeping with the sounds of the jungle right outside. Much like with camping, a lot of the noises you hear turn out to be benign things. In this case, it was a goat that was tied to a stump clomping and chomping away at the surrounding jungle. It was a relief to know that, however, it would have been nice to know at 3:27 AM when we thought it was either a monkey, the most aggressive scorpion monster, or the Thai version of the Blair Witch coming to steal our souls while we desperately tried to sleep.
After the first night we decided that it was time to upgrade a bit. As we were packing that's when I realized my left ear was hurting more than usual. Considering all the bumps and scrapes we've both encountered in our short holiday, I took it as normal road wear. Walking next door and paying five times more than we did the first night, we booked a couple nights at what may be considered the nicest accommodations this whole trip. Two pillows?! For each of us?! It's funny the things you consider to be a luxury as you spend more time traveling in remote areas. Spending our time in a room, even a nice room wasn't how we wanted to spend our last bit of time in Thailand, but considering the night we had, which has been preceeded by twelve hours of travel, we decided we needed to reset back to zero. After a nice nap, or you know, just falling asleep in the middle of the day for six hours, we managed to pull ourselves out of the room, which is when I realized my ear wasn't any better, in fact it now felt like someone had stuffed wet cotton as far as they could and was pressing on it with a sharp stick.
They say don't get sick or injured while you're in a developing nation. This is true, but if you're going to get sick or injured, then do it on the resort island. The medical clinic was nice and fast and cool. Although I had explained to the nurse and again to the doctor that yes my left ear hurts quite a lot, the doctor needed to confirm this by sticking something in there and jamming it around while I did my best to not cry or punch. Confirmed with a true ear infection, it was a bit conforting to know that we did the right thing coming to the clinic rather than trying to just push through it. The size and number of the pills prescribed show me that it's nothing something you could just get over, unless you're cool with quite a bit of unmanaged pain.
With my ear being a limiting factor we decided to treat our last few days on the island like you would if you went to a resort and spent a lot of money. We stayed in the resort and took advantage of the room and its extra soft pillows, which meant ordering pizza and watching a movie. I know it may have seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity considering where we are, but with several more weeks still to go on this trip, it's safer to heal up in luxury rather than push to the point of breaking.
Our last night in Thailand was a quiet one. Walking down the street mall, seeing all the vendors and wondering if that Asian tourist is aiming for you as you step into a ditch to avoid them. Lightning on the beach and dogs coming up with wagging tails, hoping you're one of the nice people who maybe drops more food than you eat. When the sun came up the next day we stepped onto the boat, which was playing a pirated copy of the latest Fast and Furious movie, that I had to actively avoid watching (spoilers!) and headed to our next destination: Malaysia.
Our final stop in the country is a small island that was supposedly a well kept secret up until about ten years ago. Since then it's become mostly a beach resort community, with a focus on diving and tours to nearby islands. The first night on the island we found a bungalow just off the beach for relatively cheap. Bungalow being a little cabin made of bamboo with a mattress in the middle of the room, protected by a mosquito net. That was a hard night, as both of us had a difficult time sleeping with the sounds of the jungle right outside. Much like with camping, a lot of the noises you hear turn out to be benign things. In this case, it was a goat that was tied to a stump clomping and chomping away at the surrounding jungle. It was a relief to know that, however, it would have been nice to know at 3:27 AM when we thought it was either a monkey, the most aggressive scorpion monster, or the Thai version of the Blair Witch coming to steal our souls while we desperately tried to sleep.
After the first night we decided that it was time to upgrade a bit. As we were packing that's when I realized my left ear was hurting more than usual. Considering all the bumps and scrapes we've both encountered in our short holiday, I took it as normal road wear. Walking next door and paying five times more than we did the first night, we booked a couple nights at what may be considered the nicest accommodations this whole trip. Two pillows?! For each of us?! It's funny the things you consider to be a luxury as you spend more time traveling in remote areas. Spending our time in a room, even a nice room wasn't how we wanted to spend our last bit of time in Thailand, but considering the night we had, which has been preceeded by twelve hours of travel, we decided we needed to reset back to zero. After a nice nap, or you know, just falling asleep in the middle of the day for six hours, we managed to pull ourselves out of the room, which is when I realized my ear wasn't any better, in fact it now felt like someone had stuffed wet cotton as far as they could and was pressing on it with a sharp stick.
They say don't get sick or injured while you're in a developing nation. This is true, but if you're going to get sick or injured, then do it on the resort island. The medical clinic was nice and fast and cool. Although I had explained to the nurse and again to the doctor that yes my left ear hurts quite a lot, the doctor needed to confirm this by sticking something in there and jamming it around while I did my best to not cry or punch. Confirmed with a true ear infection, it was a bit conforting to know that we did the right thing coming to the clinic rather than trying to just push through it. The size and number of the pills prescribed show me that it's nothing something you could just get over, unless you're cool with quite a bit of unmanaged pain.
With my ear being a limiting factor we decided to treat our last few days on the island like you would if you went to a resort and spent a lot of money. We stayed in the resort and took advantage of the room and its extra soft pillows, which meant ordering pizza and watching a movie. I know it may have seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity considering where we are, but with several more weeks still to go on this trip, it's safer to heal up in luxury rather than push to the point of breaking.
Our last night in Thailand was a quiet one. Walking down the street mall, seeing all the vendors and wondering if that Asian tourist is aiming for you as you step into a ditch to avoid them. Lightning on the beach and dogs coming up with wagging tails, hoping you're one of the nice people who maybe drops more food than you eat. When the sun came up the next day we stepped onto the boat, which was playing a pirated copy of the latest Fast and Furious movie, that I had to actively avoid watching (spoilers!) and headed to our next destination: Malaysia.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)