singapore-indo
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- rasko4
I'm wanting to do a trip after the summer landing in singapore and journeying through indo to bali or lombok for some surfing... anyone got any info of any sort/things to look into?
- jevad0
I did the same thing after gradubating high school - when I get home I will look up all my surf hut links for you but I spent several weeks on a boat...hit lombok - G-land - and a bunch of small reefs out in the ocean...it's so super cheap out there man...
- rasko40
thanks a lot jevad that would be a lot of help, starting to get all itchy just thinking about it
maybe I just need a shower :)
- jevad0
I fucking miss being able to pop down to indo for a few days....
- rasko40
anyone else?
- Vinney20
Take booze. I will paste my diary of Malaysia & Singapore in a min...
- Vinney20
Malaysia, my first impressions. After that, I went to Thailand,m which I wont bother pasting, after that I went back to Malaysia, then Singapore. I will paste that next.
*
Malaysia is very much Islamic. To hear mosques whaling and women covered in headscarves is really odd after all I have seen in South East Asia. Before I started this leg of the trip I thought all these countries were pretty much the same. I didn’t know that anywhere here was Muslim, but I was very wrong, Arab traders spread Islam around Malaysia hundreds of years ago. Since then the history has been crazy, but lets not go into that now.
The largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia is oddly however in Penang; Kek Lok Si. So we had a good look at that, took a good wonder round the markets, and did a cinema night. Then we went our separate ways. As I crossed South East Asia’s longest bridge back to mainland Malaysia I looked back at Penang with no real feeling. Maybe you need more than a few days to discover what, if anything, there is that is so great about Penang. Before we departed, Jessie gave me his details, and asked me to visit him in Songkla soon. Although I didn’t know it at the time, it was a great idea.Nervous, excited, happy, really excited, nervous, highly-excited, confused, very-confused, lost, pissed off, angry. This is what you feel like when standing in Malaysia’s biggest airport waiting for someone who is currently stuck in Dubai International experiencing a similar array of emotions. Hayley was a day late, thanks to Emirates Airlines and a spanking new plane on its maiden voyage, that, despite being all spangley and new, was late taking off. Eventually we met up at a bus stop in Kuala Lumpur. It was great to see her. She was, having just flown in from a British winter, hot. It’s about 32 degrees in KL in December. It takes a bit of getting used to.
KL, capital of Malaysia is a funny place. Lets start looking at Malaysia, it’s a bloody odd shape, the long bit called the Malaysian peninsula has a mad-mix population: Lots of Malays of course but also 10% Indian and a staggering 38% Chinese. The even bigger population of Chinese in KL make massive amounts of the money for the country. Everyone gets on pretty well. English is widely spoken as a result of all this. The Malay women often work, but they disappear at night. Malay men work, and perve. To "perve" is to look at women, now, obviously not all Malay men are perves but it has to be said that some look at women with a face that says: "Cooooorrrr I’d like to screw you, your legs are nice, coorrrrr. Oh, you’ve noticed me looking at you, oh well, that doesn’t really concern me, I'm just going to keep on looking all the same. Nice set of hooters by the way." I have met some great Malay family men, so please don’t ever think they’re all like this, but there is clearly something wrong with the social system. Every weekend thousands of Malay men cross the border to Thailand to get laid in the towns rammed with girlie-bars and whorehouses that are there, for that reason, to cater for the Malays.
A couple of nights in KL is probably enough, we were to come back here in a month to depart anyway. We saw the worlds highest building; The Petronas Towers, we ate great Chinese food on the street and got pissed on in a monsoon. The adventures had begun. Time to move out of the city – all change please – next stop, the Malaysian jungle.
Out of KL heading North a couple of hours we arrived in Jeruntut, gateway to Taman Negara National Park. Taman Negara is an excellent national park where you can take some walks through dense jungle - for days if you like. It can be pretty Lara Croft style stuff. There were plenty of "GET THAT FUC*ER OFF ME" moments with leaches. Our few nights here were in a wonderful family run collection of log cabins. The family that owned it cooked great meals and really went out of their way to look after us. In the park itself, a boat ride across a rapid river, we took a canopy walk along a collection of rope-bridges which were home, for a few minutes, to a collection of mega-acrobatic monkeys. There was a classic Vinney-cock-up moment of course: When feeding a monkey a biscuit he got a bit too close to us. He looked slightly menacing so I threw down a bag in front of us to scare him away. It was a plastic bag full of food. Shit plan. Little bugger grabbed it and ran up a tree. He then laughed as he pulled out a pack of cookies and munched the lot right in front of us. Cheeky b-stard monkey.
- Vinney20
Malaysia, Singapore and a wee bit of Thailand.....
Last email was from KL, Malaysia. I saw off Hayley from the airport there and went back to The Golden Triangle, very near my hotel to get some food and sulk a bit. I hummed the theme tune so famously appreciated by all travelers "The Littlest Hobo". "Keep on traveling, making new friends, maybe someday I'll settle down again" or something like that.
I arrived in a favorite street of mine in The Golden Triangle that sells great cheap Chinese food. I asked for the chicken & rice. For the first time in my 3 months in Asia, I got some un-edible, uncooked green-looking chicken. I took it back, they said they would get me some more chicken, cook it this time, and bring it to me again. "Well if it's not too much trouble" I didn't say. The second dish was (and this really is VERY irregular) barely dead. I actually had a feeling the sliced chicken was going to put itself back together Terminator 2 stylee, and calmly strut off down the road. I walked off to eat elsewhere.
As with most of Asia, hocking-up (phlegm) appears to be publicly acceptable. As I walked along I saw a woman phlegming with all her might. In the bathrooms of the hotels I have stayed in I have been overjoyed to hear many locals hocking-up phlegm with such a passion, it sounds as if they are physically turning themselves inside out. Tonight this woman on the street took it a little too far and accidentally threw up. As I walked on a collection of rats dived down an alley way. I felt sick, and fed up. My mood, which was already flat, was getting worse. It was definitely time to move on.
Next day I left KL and headed South by bus a few hours to a town called Melakka in Southern Malaysia, then South more, as much as possible in fact without a boat; Singapore.***
Melakka was alright. It's the most historical city in Malaysia by far. It was around before KL was even thought of. It has museums that are informative and some interesting architecture. It’s got a big choice of food, too. Worth a visit if you are interested in Malaysia's history but really nothing to get too excited about if you ask me. Malaysia's history is violent. First the Arabs came along and spread Islam, then a long time later the Portuguese who had already done a good job in Brazil, invaded and pretty much took over, taking a lot of gold and jewels back to Portugal. Cheeky to say the least. Then, later the Dutch had a pop, guns a blazing and pretty much took over. Then more recently still, The Brits came in, a lot more subtly than anyone else ever had in fairness, and well, they pretty much took over. Oddly it is because of the British that there are so many Chinese and Indians there. They were encouraged to hop on over and enjoy a good bit of tin mining. This cocktail-sandwich sized history is the basics of it, and if you want to expand your knowledge, Melakka is the place. Melakka is also the place to get the boat to Indonesia. Other than that, it aint rock and roll.
I fancied a change. Oh my god did I get one next. Singapore is a country the size of greater London, it is also an island, and compared to the rest of Asia, a rip off. I had to check it out.***
Singapore or Singers, as, er, only I call it, is not a rip off if you work there of course. But I don't work there so to afford it at this end stage in my trip I was only going to be able to visit it if I could get free accommodation. Kerching!
I met Kham in Rio nearly a year ago now, and once again in Oz, she is a Chinese/English girl married to a Chinese/English man. He is Wei, and he works in Singapore. I went to meet them there. They were kindly going to let me stay with them in there 4-bedroomed apartment overlooking their swimming pool in down town Singapore. Things were looking good. On the Thursday I have been staying in a hot dorm in Melakka with 10 beds in it, it was also home to some bats. On the Friday I was in a rich country and things were highly different. I was given the whole upstairs of Wei's stunning apartment. It has an indoor waterfall for f*cks sake.
Now Singapore is odder than a bottle of crisps. It just doesn't seem to fit in with South East Asia. It's the cleanest country I have ever seen, which is, well, nice I suppose. It's one of the smallest countries I have ever been too, which is er, nice and its well, it can be a bit dull really.
Its government is repressive. You will get heavy fines for jaywalking or littering and all that stuff. There is a ban on chewing gum, and their laws on censorship are beyond me. Which means it's well, nice. The thing is that in a lot of South East Asia, You can wrap yourself in chewing gum, drive a motorbike the wrong way down the road, and enjoy all sorts of porn if you’re that way inclined. It's more alive outside Singapore. It's more humming with crazy vibrancy elsewhere. My oddometer was on the move, but the odd stuff was the rules. Rules and regulations. My frustration sometimes in Sydney. On the beach a sign says "You are strongly advised not to sit under the palm trees for risk of falling coconuts" and in the back of a taxi, on the headrests the sign "Please cover your mouth when sneezing".It's got some great things about it. We drank Singapore Sling cocktails in Raffles. Thats a tacky must-do but it's a good one. We ate damn good food for damn good prices. I tried Dim-Sum which was great. It's like a Chinese version of Tapas. Singapore has beautiful people, a bunch of great cinemas and, it has some wondeful electrical shops. If you like it very hot, Its got a great climate all year round. Its transport system is pretty good. Above all, Singapore is safe. Very safe indeed.
If you were mad enough to do drugs there, or steal something, you would be punished massively. It's got no welfare system, so taxes are low and people live affluently. It's got highs and lows. People work hard, and the competition is massive amongst the people here. They don't like to loose. There is a terrible arts scene because it's no real money spinner. Why put your kid through drama school for example? Trading or accountancy is a money spinner. It's just all a bit bland (with the complete exception of China Nights for great live music, and Zouk for clubbing, although Zouk is going to hurt your wallet at S$35 entry, that’s about £12) So in conclusion, Singapore is a pleasant place, but it lacks a soul. A politician there once said on TV, "We need to take fun more seriously". I rest my case.
***
All good, it was time to hot-foot it through Malaysia on a 14hr bus North back to Thailand. Hat Yai, which I have now visited 4 times. You go there to get anywhere. I have now been into the same travel agent so many times they all know me well so I was that day taken out to lunch by the girl that works there. Only in Thailand. I felt like I was home again. I love Thailand so much it is ridiculous. It’s just paradise sometimes. Just look at it. It's the easiest country in the world to get around in, it's got one of the most friendly peoples I have ever seen, it's got beaches growing out of its ears, rock-climbing, snorkeling yadda yadda. I love it.
So, time to go back to the islands, this time Kao Tao. In Koa Tao, you dive. This is one of the world’s best diving islands. Alas, money is far too tight for me now, so snorkeling would have to do. It's a very beautiful place.***
"Are you a White?" said the tall, dark haired, Irish-eyed man. "Yes, Vinney White - f*ck, are you Andrew White?" And so it began. I hadn't seen my cousin since I was 13, and neither of us can remember that anyway. He is currently lapping the world so it was a good idea for a reunion. Koa Tao, It was 5pm and he already had a beer. Things were looking good. We sat and chatted, and I soon became aware we were of very similar nature. He got the beers in. Chang is a good Thai beer. Too many and you will get a Changover the next day. We talked for a while, and then I introduced him to the English bunch I had recently met up with. Two of them I knew from meeting them in Bangkok, they swelled to 5, as tends to happen, now with Andrew and I it became 7. The next day, we all left for Koh Pan Nang. Where I already been for new years eve. We were a big group now, and we were heading for a big party. The Black Moon Party.
As you might know from my email about New Years Eve, KPN is a crazy place. Usual deal, move into a bungalow and go for a party. Now Andrew, not unlike myself, likes a drink. After our first drink at a beach bar, our big group grew even bigger. We met some Canadians who insisted we drank vodka with them. The music was pumping, and the wind was hot. As everyone danced I realised this was unreal. I was on fire with energy. Andrew was all over the shop. I had to explain to him the next day what had happened. There was a bloke on the beach with an enormous bird of prey. Andrew took a liking to it so he sat it on his shoulder, then he stroked it, then he kissed it, then - still with it on his shoulder - he got up and danced in the sand with it. I had to tell Andrew all of this the next day at lunchtime, he had just got up, and just realised he had spent the night in the wrong bungalow – the one next to his. "Andrew do you even remember anything?" "Er - a beach?" "No, come on - what about the kestrel you had on your shoulder for 10 minutes?". He thought I was making it up. I've done a lot in my years, and I have had some crazy times. I'd like to think I could remember a huge gawping kestrel on my shoulder.
- rasko40
cool thanks Vinney, anything on Indo rather than Malaysia?
- aesthetics0
thanks vinney fer the great review bout singapore. i love the place.
- rasko40
Vinney, when you say Singapore is expensive, how expensive are we talking here?
- Vinney20
Just as well, you live there. I don't hate it, I dont even dislike it... but like my diary says, would you not agree, the rest of South East Asia is far more vibrant?
China Nights rocks but I didn't discover a real arts/music scene at all. Koyote Ugly was good too, the country is just a touch souless maybe from what I was used to?
- Vinney20
In line with UK pretty much. Expencive for drink in bars, clubbing and taxis are not too cheap. Food is cheap. It is not that bad, but INCREDIBLEY UTTERLY EXTORTIONATE compared to all its surrounding countries. Beware.
- rasko40
ok thanks dood
- aesthetics0
have to agree bout the lack of vibrancy and arts scene here. ppl are just too closed up. kinda gets boring after a while with the lack of space :(
- jevad0
thought you might like these rask - my bro just got back from indo:
http://homepage.mac.com/robtinwo…
Still looking for all the info on my time there but its in boxes at the moment from the move!
- rasko40
yeah nice... no rush for that info jevad, will be handy tho cheers
- vespa0
i'm so jealous!
- soda0
if anyone is passing through Thailand in august I am going to be getting married on the 2nd and there may be a bit of a party....
- vespa0
maw - congrats soda!
- soda0
gee thanks vespa! I do intend on posting photos after the day plus we are planning on heading up to the North of vietnam after it so I can finally finish off my tour of Nam!
So excited!