World Traveler

 

I was in Bangkok and I wanted somewhere to go that I hadn’t been before. Anyway, I got chatting to one of the tuk-tuk drivers and his English was excellent and he told me about loads of places that I hadn’t heard of and hadn’t been to. We set of for Lumpini Park which has a huge night market, plus a huge area where you can sit and have dinner and/or a drink. There is a huge stage where bands perform and dancers too. It was an excellent night and the tuk-tuk driver took us for free so I bought him a drink and we all had a fabulous time.

I then travelled around Thailand for a while and a few months later I got back to Bangkok, I was sat outside having a drink with some other travellers and I bumped into the same tuk-tuk driver, he stayed for a drink and we got chatting and he said he would take us out again and as I had a great time last time I trusted him to pick a good place.

We arrived at the place and paid to get in and shortly realised it was a ping pong show (not the sport, but it involves ladies on stage – get the gist?) I found it embarrassing enough but just to be a bit worse, I had my mum with me, but hey, I was in Thailand so I suppose it something that has to be seen! The girls on stage started the show by shooting ping pong balls (with their lady bits) into pint glasses, then proceeded to pull out, scarfs, flags and even razor blades which they actually demonstrated cutting paper with first!

After that, it just got worse and worse (I’d rather not go into detail but believe me it was horrible!) I stared at the wall the whole time as I couldn’t look and then made a swifty exit! It certainly was an experience that I never expected to have!

Read more about Thailand……

 

As I was travelling around Malaysia I discovered the beauty of Langkawi. The island itself is huge but there isn’t a great deal going on. On land there are a few waterfalls, and amazing white sand beaches that are totally deserted and a few temples. Although on land there isn’t a lot to keep you entertained for long, fortunately there is off land!

Langkawi has the best Marine National Park that I have ever been too, and the nicest water. I decided to take a day tour out on a sailing boat, no, not one of those posh ones, it looked like a pirate ship! The boat set sail and a drag net was put out (it’s basically a net that you can sit in, in the water, while sailing). Everyone else was too scared to go first so as usual I was the Guinea Pig. Stupidly I was wearing a bikini and a loose on at that, trying to keep my head above water whilst holding by bikini top over my boobs at the same time holding my bikini pants on to stop them floating away was almost impossible and I had visions of the bikini pants getting pulled off by the strong current I was fighting against and seeing them float off into the sunset with out me in them. Luckily I managed to keep everything on, without flashing anyone, I was very proud of myself! We then saw a huge Monitor Lizard (about 3 metres long) in the water near us swimming, at which most people freaked out and got out of the water, but they are harmless.

The boat stopped and we all went for a swim (except one man that refused to go in the water again after seeing the Monitor Lizard) and I thought there was a coconut floating next to me, until someone screamed and I realised it was a huge jelly fish. I don’t think I have ever moved that quickly in my life and jelly fish always sting me – not this time!

We visited deserted islands, had lunch, relaxed, swam and kayaked through caves. It was a day from heaven and a totally amazing experience and I can’t wait to go back!

Read more about beautiful places…….

If you are vegetarian and thinking about going to The Philippines, please, think again! I was warned about it before I went but like usual I took no notice and thought that it wouldn’t be as extreme as I had been told. Once again I was wrong!

People seem to survive on eating meat and cakes only, you can’t even find vegetables anywhere and that’s probably why every second shop is a pharmacy! I was there for 21 days and after six hours I was already wondering how I was going to manage.

In the odd restaurant there was a vegetarian option, although that was very rare and I was always asked what mean I would like with it but I spent most of the three weeks I was there eating cakes. Bakeries are open 24 hours, even in remote towns where there are hardly any people – very strange! Cake for breakfast, cake for lunch and, lucky me, cake for dinner. Don’t get me wrong, I love cake but I was actually getting good at being healthy before all this!

As I travelled around some of the 7,000 islands of the Philippines, occasionally I was lucky enough to come across a Pizza Hut so I could actually eat “a real meal� and by the time that my 21 days were up I was craving vegetables, I would even dream of them. At least I finally found a way of getting my mind to stop thinking about cake all day, but it didn’t work for long!

Read more about mishaps in The Philippines……

Ananda Apfelbaum doing Thai Massage (www.traditionalthaiyogamassage.com)

I have never really been into massage as I don’t like strangers touching me, but in Thailand for most of the massages they can do it with all your clothes on, this made me feel way more comfortable, plus I was with my mum who wanted a massage at least three times a day and in Thailand that is easily affordable, even for those on a budget!

Thai massages are very strange, the do the job but they pull you into some very strange positions and do some odd things, I couldn’t help but laugh - in fact I actually laughed through nearly the whole massage They sit on your legs and pull your arms back, then twist you and turn you and sit on your back while your sitting up, then haul you onto their knees while your laying down. Yes, very strange. I think I ruin the ambiance of the place as all you can hear is me laughing my head off, especially if its a foot and leg massage as I get very ticklish feet.

There are also a lot of reflexology places, I tried that too but I found it to be a more painful experience than pleasant, almost everywhere they pressed on my feet hurt and I really didn’t like it at all, plus I really don’t think toes should be pulled out of their sockets - is that right??

Then there are head massages. Hmmm, a strange one yet again! I have had a head massage before in England and Thai head massages are very different. Some bits of the massage are nice but some bits feel like someone is hitting you on the head with a big stick, I have no idea if it is a stick or if its hands, all that I know is that is not very nice and fairly painful!

Read more about Thailand…..

 

There really isn’t much call for surfing in London, none at all actually and that’s where I am from so I have never tried it. I don’t do sport in general (unless its dancing or shopping, that’s as sporty as I get!) Surfing is one of those sports that I just thought it looks easy and that I would naturally be an expert (I can hear those of you that surf laughing right now!) Anyway, I arrived in Bali, where everyone is surf crazy, and with the size of the waves plus the hot weather I see why.

There are loads of people on the beach offering surf lessons and board hire so I put myself down for an hour and a half lesson. First we practiced a little on the beach, that wore be out straight away and immediately I felt like I needed a cigarette break but I continued anyway.

I always joked that I would probably end up knocking myself out with my board and as soon as I got into the water I managed to hit myself on the head with it, luckily I didn’t do it so hard that I lost consciousness, it just hurt a lot! The water was filthy so I kept getting plastic bags and other rubbish attached to me, and the waves were huge so IU was half drowning at the same time. It wasn’t quite like I had imagined. Even laying on the board was hard to balance. I never got to stand but I was quite impressed with myself when I knee surfed.
After an hour and a half I was aching all over and had cuts on my feet and knees, I swallowed about a gallon of water and I was now dying for a cigarette! Very hard work. Al the muscles in my body ached for the next five days, talk about exercise! It was fun, but very very hard work!

Read more about Indonesia……

 

I travelled around as much as I could of the Philippines for three weeks and it seems that not much can be done during that time at all. Travelling around just proves to be an annoying, time consuming nightmare! I hardly saw any tourists on my travels, that was until I arrived on the beautiful island of Borocay.

At first I was wow-ed and it felt like paradise but after a look around its so set up for tourists that everything there just seems so fake, even down to the fake sand walkways. With its perfect little beaches, fair rides for kids, water sports and western buildings. Compared to the rest of the Philippines its like a different country and you get no sense of culture what so ever, probably because there is none there. Its ok for a holiday I guess but not if you want to see the world. I found most of the tourists there are male, and older, you get the picture. So if you go out in the evenings and you are female you get treated like a piece of meat and that’s whether you go to restaurants or bars so there isn’t really any getting away from it either. Talking about spoiling my appetite (I didn’t think that was possible!)

I find it strange to see how Borocay became to be in amongst the islands of the Philippines as it shows no resemblance to the rest of the country at all except for the tourists, they certainly show a fair bit of resemblance to the ones in the rest of the country!

Read more about adventures in The Philippines…..

 

From all the hype I hear about Bali and how beautiful it is and how everyone wants to go there, I was actually really disappointed and quite surprised when I arrived. The Island itself is pretty big and if you don’t drive it can be hard to get around, especially if you want to check out the more remote places. I spent two weeks there, half living in luxury with a maid and a driver and half as a backpacker so I got see a variety of places.

The beaches that I saw were filthy and resembled a rubbish dump rather than place of paradise and every time I went in the water I was attacked by plastic bags and other litter, it was really disguising. There is no chance that you can relax on the beach as there are so many hawkers that really do leave you alone, offering massages, fruit, drinks, seafood, braids -you name it. So even if you have earphones in or are reading a book your arm is tugged on average every 30 seconds by someone new who doesn’t take “Noâ€? for an answer.

There are so amazing restaurants and galleries, Ubud is a nice town but very small, there are plenty of monkeys there too that hang around outside Monkey Forest. While I had a driver we went to see temples, rice paddies and volcanoes which was pretty good and a much nicer side of Bali but a lot of the places that I wanted to go were hard to get to so I had to miss out. All in all I still have no idea what all the fuss is about Bali, there are so many places that I would rather be!

Read more about Indonesia…..

 

Who said that Malaysia was supposed to be a third world country? Times Square in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur shows no sign of being third world at all. Times Square is a huge shopping complex that will keep you busy all day, and more. Talk about shop till you drop!

Times Square spreads itself over about 20 floors and is not only filled to the brim with shops and a food court but its also packed with plenty of restaurants, a gym complete with swimming pool, a hotel, a science centre, a cinema and an Imax cinema but also a theme park! Yes a theme park, inside a shopping centre. There are some excellent rides for adults and children and if you pop in to Times Square for a bit of shopping you can also go on a few rides to break up the day. Rides cater for children as well as adults and you get a pass for the day for about $10 so its perfect for a mid-week cheer-me-up and its almost always empty so you have the whole place to yourself.

Honestly, I could spend a week in Times Square and still not see and do everything. There are loads of shopping complexes like Times Square, Kulala Lumpur’s Twin Towers are another example. Complete with a viewing platform between the two towers and an Aquarium in the basement. How can this possibly be in a third world country, I have never heard of anything like this in the UK, Las Vegas maybe.

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

I was in the Philippines and as I am from the UK I only get 21 days on my visa, not realizing that it takes two days to get several boats and buses, coaches etc to get to the next destination I decided to forget my plan and just go to the nearest place, that’s how I ended up in Bantayan!
 
As soon as I stepped off the boat I was met by about thirty tricycle drivers, all shouting for my attention. First I tried the “No thank you� technique, to which is always ignored, so decided to try and ignore them. So they followed me for 45 minutes, all of them, still shouting for my attention and it started to become really annoying. I found a hostel, unpacked and went for a wonder, and surprise surprise, there they were outside my door. I headed straight for the beach (their wheels don’t work on sand – ha ha ha!) and finally found a safe haven!
 
The beach was beautiful, pure white sand, clear water and almost deserted and I saw a starfish as big as a football! The town was really small and consisted of a bakery shop, a couple of bars and a couple of places to eat. Some places I walked in I wasn’t sure if I was walking into a café or into someone’s home, even when was in there t was hard to tell! Nightlife consisted of karaoke or pool, no other choices but I enjoyed myself all the same. It’s a very peaceful place and there are hardly any tourists there, great for a few days relaxing.

Read more about the Philippines…..

 

Tioman is a fabulous little find of the East Coast of peninsula Malaysia. The island has about four or five towns that you can stay at, all very small but still each one has different things to see and do. My favourite has to be ABC; its lined with quite bars and restaurants and a beach, which is a bit pebbly but you can snorkel and see turtles and loads of cool fishes and you don’t have to go very far. There is also a walk that you can do through the woods, passing loads of wildlife on the way, to a secluded little beach. The island is very peaceful and beautiful and there is nature all over, at night there are Flying Foxes, Mouse Deer, Porcupines and during the day there are huge Monitor Lizards. My Mum wasn’t aware of the Monitor Lizards even though I did warn her, she got a bit of a shock when she saw one and thought it was a crocodile, luckily some local kids “saved� her but she was convinced she was going to die, and no matter how much I tried to reassure her that they weren’t dangerous, she couldn’t wait to leave the island!
 
If you want something different to do during the day there is a place where you can make your own sarongs. Its easy to find as there is only one road (actually its more of a track) in ABC. Ricky Power owns the place and he organizes everything, gives advice and helps with the hard bits. It doesn’t matter if you’re not creative as all the sarongs turn out great, he was even thinking about introducing clothing that you can paint.
 
The people on Tioman are really friendly and even remembered me from when I was there 8 months previously, it’s a brilliant place, very quiet, but on of my favourite places in the world. Love it!

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

I was in Malaysia, and for anyone who has ever been there, you would know how friendly the local people are; everyone wants to stop and chat or just say Hello. So my sister and I got talking to a local man and his work colleagues and had a ball and he recommended that we go to Redang Island. It was an Island that I had never heard of but I looked it up and it sounded pretty cool and apparently very beautiful. My sister and I didn’t really have time concerns and were generally free to roam where we liked so we took him up on his offer.

We arrived on Redang at his friends hostel which was on a private beach in a tiny little bay, so very quiet as you had to get a boat round to the next bay if you wanted a shop, bar or restaurant). The hostel was full so we had to camp on the beach, which wasn’t a problem, and the hostel made breakfast, lunch and dinner so we didn’t really want for anything – except life!

The place was so quiet, fine during the day as you can snorkel with turtles and amazing fish, relax on the most beautiful beach I have ever been on (honestly, the sand was like cooking flour!) but evenings were so dull. I got a boat round the corner to the main town, it wasn’t huge but there were more beaches, a few shops, restaurants and bars, all still pretty quiet but at least I didn’t feel I was on a deserted island! Redang is very beautiful but unless you are happy doing very little it can also be very boring. I’m glad I went though.

Read more about Malaysia…..

 

Everywhere you go in Thailand there are fire shows which are amazing and I have even seen 8 year old children doing it. I suppose its actually fire dancing; you either have a long stick with fire at both ends or you can have poi, which are basically two bits of chain with fire at both ends and you hold one in each hand. There are loads of different moves and each person has their own unique style. As they dance and swing their poi in all different directions the fire creates fantastic patterns which look stunning in the dark.
 
I was so wow-ed by fire dancing that I managed to find a place that makes poi and also gives you lessons, obviously whilst learning you don’t set the poi alight, however its still a very painful experience – that’s something I wasn’t aware of beforehand!
 
In my group there were about five of us and the other people seemed to have no problem in learning the moves but I was hopeless! The poi kept getting tangled together and the balls at the end bashed me in the face and legs repeatedly so I was covered in bruises and thought I was going to get a black eye, luckily I didn’t. Its definitely very frustrating and I had to hold myself back from throwing my poi down and launching myself at the teacher for all the pain he was causing, but then I managed to do one of the moves and I got really excited again (lucky for him!)
 
So I persevered and managed to get a few other moves under control. After a few lessons I was much better and I practiced loads but still there is no way I am ever lighting those poi on fire because no matter how much I practice I still go wrong and I know that I will just set myself on fire! So I have come to the conclusion that its better to sit back an watch others fire dancing, much safer too!

Read more about Thailand….

 

I was in the middle of a two year travelling spert and had been thinking about getting another tattoo for ages but hadn’t thought of the exact design I wanted but knew what type of thing I wanted. Anyway, I was in Bukkitinggi which is a small Indonesian town in Sumatra and we came across a tattooist. He is the only person in the town to have tattoo’s as the town considers tattoo’s to be for criminals, therefore he only gets to tattoo tourists.
 
I went in to have a look at his art work and flicked through some of the magazines and happen to have an idea of exactly what I wanted and decided to get it (its a star as big as the palm of a hand with a space scene inside, and an alien – in case you were wondering!)
 
I had a chat with the tattooist and he said he could do it the following day so I went back to get it done and forgot how annoying tattoo pain was! Plus it was on my spine so I had involuntary twitches and was convinced that I was going to go into spasm resulting in loads of squiggly lines instead of straight ones, but it came out good, luckily!
 
The tattooist told me stories about other people he had tattooed, he remembered one girl in particular as she wanted a stickman pushing a lawnmower where the top of her down-there-hair started. The tattooist was so nervous as Indonesian women, especially in Bukketinggi really aren’t like that!

Read more about Indonesia……

Langkawi is another one of Malaysia’s beautiful islands, Langkawi itself is a huge island but it has loads of smaller islands just off the coast to the south east that are protected Marine National Parks. You can’t stay on the islands but you can take day drips across.

I was travelling with my mum, who is scared of a lot of things, snorkelling being one of them and I was attempting to help her through her fears one by one by forcing her into doing things and so far it was working. She agreed to come with me on the snorkelling trip, even though the thought of swimming with a goldfish freaked her out – she was in for a big surprise!

We arrived at the marine national park and were provided with snorkelling gear, we both entered the water from the beach and even a metre from the beach there were fish galore of all different shaped and sizes and amazing colours. I have been snorkelling in a lot of places but I have never seen such amazing fish, and there were loads of them too.

My mum was doing well and stayed in the water a good ten minutes, that was until a five foot long reef shark swam up to her! She obviously freaked out and made a swifty exit from the water and refused to get back in! Reef sharks generally don’t attack humans and were fairly happy for me to swim with them so I wasn’t scared, that was until I cut my leg on some barnacles under the pier. The barnacles ripped through my leg in four different places and looked like I had been slashed by ‘Freddy Kruger’ and I was surrounded by a cloud of blood. I knew that Reef sharks don’t usually attack but I also know that sharks are attacked by blood so I swam as quickly as I could to shore.

When the other swimmers saw the blood pouring from my leg the water cleared pretty quickly as I guess most of them presumed I had been attacked by a shark (there was enough blood for it!) Despite my gashes it was an amazing day and I am definitely going back for more!

Read about more animal encounters……

I was travelling around the Malaysian part of Borneo, which I had been looking forward to for years, ever since I saw a documentary on the place so I was fairly surprised when I arrived as it was nothing like the fantastic place I saw on TV, in fact I found it fairly boring.

On the search for something to do in Kota Kinablu I came across Sepilok Orangutan Reserve. I don’t agree with Zoo’s, I find that going to see animals that have been taken from their friends and families and away from all that they know to be imprisoned for us humans to gawk at pretty sickening, but Sepilok Orangutan sanctuary aims at increasing the orangutan population and making them fend for themselves its like they are in the wild.

The orangutan reserve is very conscious of the orangutans welfare so they feed them the same foods all the time so they get bored and find their own food so they will be able to survive better in the wild, although there are a few monkeys and orangutans that visit each time, feeding time is the best time to go and see them. The orangutans get as little human contact as possible. The whole sanctuary is set out in a part of the jungle with small wooden walkways. It’s amazing to see them in a fairly natural habitat and close enough to get some fab photos. It was a brilliant day out and there is plenty of other weird and wonderful creatures to see as well; from fluffy caterpillars and huge bugs to lizards and birds.

You can get there by public transport, make sure when you know when the last bus back is though, so you don’t get stuck there!

Read about more monkey business…..