Thursday, January 29, 2009

Happy Chinese New Year Yo

Hello and welcome to an other blog update by Mark. Since we last left word we were in Kuala Lumpur, and heading to inner Malaysia to see the jungle. We then took a train to Singapore, and then flew to Phnom Pehn via Bangkok. This was a week of thrills and as usual good eats.

Teman Negara is a 170 million year old tropical rain forest filled with exotic beasts and ancient trees. We took a bus to the river and then a boat for 2-3 hours up the river, to Kuala Tahan. We checked in to our guest house, and then booked the night safari. Apparently this is the best way to see animals without hiking for 5 hours. When we went to board the night safari, we were told that it was overbooked and asked to do it later that night, or the following evening. we opted for the next night. The following day we hiked in the jungle to the Canopy walk. This is a rope bridge suspended way up in the trees. Approaching the thing Liza was very nervous. Once we actually got to the bridge her fear lifted, and I was suddenly stricken with near paralyzing fear. It took every ounce of my focus to plod along from bridge to bridge looking at nothing but the 6 inch plank under my feet. Meanwhile Liza danced around happily taking pictures and encouraging me as needed. On the way back we stopped at a cache and watched a couple of wild pigs roll around in the mud. Later on I went on the night safari. Liza had decided against it. I sat on the roof of a pick up truck and rode through a palm tree plantation for two hours. The stars were beautiful, and other than a civet cat was all we saw that night. In the mornings about 4:30 or 5 the mosque next door would pump out the morning prayer. At first this was very frightening, like an unexpected very loud alarm clock. Once expected it was enjoyable.

The following day we hopped on a local bus to a town called Jeruntut. This was almost like being on that bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I wouldn't have even guessed that this bus could get up to these speeds. It was a bus from the 60's or 70's. The driver seemed to handle corners like he was in an Indy car. Jeruntut was a decent enough town. The 7-11 across the street sold beer, and the hotel had free movies and Internet service. On a walkabout I found a great little stall were I could drink coffee, read the newspaper, and watch the people (although I could swear they were watching me more). At 12:45 am we went to the front desk to call a taxi to the train terminal. Where we were told that taxi's stopped running at 8:00pm. The front desk clerk offered to drive us to the train station, as it might be to dangerous for us to walk the 45 mins.

At 2:30am we were on our train and heading south to Singapore. Looking forward to the sleeper car it was a little different than we had expected. The train car was all bunks with curtains drawn across. It was like sleeping in a room with 38 other people. The train rocked back and forth and was very loud. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep. Night one in Singapore.... Sleeping. Our hotel was in Little India. The food in this area was so good, we just found ourselves getting very excited for India. We even came close to changing our plans and going early. A man from India in a clothing shop basically told us we were crazy to go when it was so hot. In the end we stuck to our guns and decided to go in the heat of April. While we were in Singapore it was Chinese New Year. I ventured in to Chinatown to enjoy the festivities but it all seemed rather tame. I wound up enjoying some beers with some old Chinese guys. They could barely speak English, and I don't know how to say anything NICE in Chinese. It was a very interesting conversation. Singapore is great for shopping and eating.... So Liza and I had a great time.

We then took a plane to Bangkok and then to Phnom Pehn. Liza will tell you all about Cambodia real soon. Until then cheers and thanks for stopping by. Also I was finally able to put some pictures on Facebook. I haven't had a chance to label them but will soon.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Back To The City

Hello it's Mark again (Liza is working on something else at the terminal beside me). Well here we are in Kuala Lumpur. It is HOT here. Yay. Our time in Borneo wasn't bad, but it rained all the time and oddly enough 20 degrees feels cold. We went to Sepilok to see the Urang Utans. Seeing their interactions with each other and the monkeys that hung around was very endearing. We then decided to go to Turtle Island to spend the night and see turtles lay eggs. Apparently the turtles show up on this island 365 days a year to lay their eggs. Liza was SOOOO excited for this. Unfortunately when we got to the boat jetty, the travel man informed us that he cancelled the boat because there MIGHT be a storm in the middle of the water. We phoned Mr. Lum up and asked if we could have our room back. He agreed.

When we returned, Mr. Lum informed us that the room was being cleaned and that he could hook us up with a friend of his who would take us around to the Proboscis monkey sanctuary and the Kinibatangan river, and all for one low price. We happily agreed. The proboscis monkeys where really interesting and Borneo is the only place that they live. The river ride was also enjoyable, and it didn't rain (quite a bonus). We saw monkeys (Macaques and Langurs) and Urang utans and Proboscis. We also saw a mangrove cat snake and a couple of monitor lizards.

The next day wouldn't you know it was a sunny one and would have been perfect for a trip to the turtle island. Alas, we had a plane to catch, and so left the potentially beautiful Borneo. After a short search we found our hostel. It is by far the shadiest place we have stayed yet. You go past a little snack stall across from the reggae bar. Up some stairs that are grimy and have roaches (big ones) scurrying along them, and arrive at the second floor. The second floor has fresh paint and flowers, as well as a bird cage with pretty little birds in it. In the lobby area there are 8 or 9 large aquariums with turtles and fish. We are greeted by the clerk, and after a brief search for our missing reservation he/she??? agrees to show us a room. The room is kind of grubby, so we take it, what else.

Across from our hostel is the Chinatown market. It is sensory overload. People are walking shoulder to shoulder while merchants are asking you to buy their knock-off hand bags, watches, shoes, and wallets. I have never seen so much Louis Vuitton hideousness in all my life. Also people are trying to sell pirate DVD's. One guy even offered me pirated porn. Liza found that to be hilarious. There is all sorts of food every where too. This makes it like some sort of curious heaven for Liza and I. Being so close to Chinese New Year it is particularly crazy in this area. Parades of dragons and drummers march by at all times and lights are flashing in various colours and intensities. There should probably be a warning for epileptics.

On day two we hopped on the public transit and went to central station. We are taking a train through the Malaysian Jungle to Singapore on the 25th, and needed to buy tickets. Once we got there we were quite shocked to see a large crowd of people waiting to buy tickets. We had to get a number and the number we drew was 3055. the screen said 2039. Needless to say this caused us a minor panic until we realized that the 30 and the 20 represented different counters, or dates. Unfortunately only night trains are available, so we won't see much jungle. We will however be sleeping on bunks in a train car with 38 other people. Different but at least we get to be horizontal.

Yesterday, after a breakfast of dosa (indian crepes) and sauces, we went to the Batu Caves. They are used as a place of worship for the Hindu. There are various sculptures of deities and animals here, but first you have to climb 274 stairs. at the top of the stairs we got a picture of us with a python draped around our necks. I found the stalactites to be beautiful, and the long tailed Macaques entertained us both. In the evening we went to see the Petronas Towers. When we arrived at the subway station we found there was a huge (6 floors) mall at the bottom of the towers. We found a theatre and saw a horror movie (They Wait). It wasn't bad. After this Liza got her eyebrows waxed and then we went outside to see the towers. They are absolutely stunning. Especially at night - the lights were spectacular.

We were so enamoured by the mall that when we got up this morning we decided to return. We had lunch, and then we had dessert. Liza had been looking for this thing called an Iced Kachung since Borneo. We learned yesterday that it is also called an ABC, and something else. So we found an ABC. It is shaved ice with condensed coconut milk, beans, corn, several jellies, and bananas. It was actually pretty good in a strange way. We then saw a movie (Rec.). It is apparently the Spanish movie that inspired Quarantine. It was great, and so we decided to return after dinner to see another horror movie. It was an Indonesian movie called Tisen. As soon as the camera went on I said to Liza "oh, oh this is going to suck." And it did. but it was so bad that I couldn't help laughing. It was a great laugh. The only thing scary about it was the loud sound effects that I pray have not permanently harmed my hearing. Liza actually put in ear plugs because the movie was so loud.

Tomorrow morning we get picked up bright and early to go on a 5-6 hour bus ride. Then we take a boat up a river for 3 hours into the Teman Negara jungle. We will spend 3 days there - we hope to see many animals, insects, lizards and birds. We probably won't, but this is our best chance. Won't likely have Internet in the jungle ... so hope to catch up with you all when we get to Singapore. Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!!!!

Mark and Liza

For all those lurkers our there -- we know who you are ---- become a follower!! It makes us feel good ... and that is what you want right? for us to feel good?

Monday, January 12, 2009

A New Friend

Hello all Mark here. Liza has stayed back for this one. After a terrifying flight and long stop over in Jakarta airport, We are in Malaysian Borneo. Land of the Orangutang, Proboscis Monkey and some of the best scuba diving in the world. Arrived in our guest house, found the staff to be very kind and accommodating, but the place wasn't what we were looking for. Kota Kinabalu is a big city but there is little to do there... other than shop. And so shop we did. We spent a whole day walking around the shopping malls. It seems as though out of a hundred stores 90 were electronics stores, mostly selling cell phones and computers. We also saw arcades where a couple of girls where going nuts on the Dance Dance Revolution, and a guy in a suit was belting his heart out in a Karaoke booth. Liza got herself an I Touch. She is very happy with it. She is now all caught up on her stories. And now we can check out the Internet for free anywhere there is free WI FI. Which is almost anywhere. I was going to get myself a Lap Top but decided to wait till we get home.

Later on that night we took a night bus to Semporna. The people on this bus were so rude. Liza and I were about to flip our lids. The two young guys beside us where cranking really crappy asian music. At one point I thought it was going to be some hard metal but it turned out to be crap as well. At about 12:30 am I had to ask the kid to turn it down... which he did a little. It was then that we noticed thateveryone was yelling on the cell phone, or playing there own music, and singing along. When we arrived at about 3:30 am (about an hour earlier than anticipated) tired and angry, we were greeted by some of the shadiest cab drivers ever. The town itself was one of the ugliest we have ever seen. All bars and gates over all the doors, stray dogs that rule the town, children running around at all hours, and the smell of rotting garbage sum the place up quite well. We ignored the cab drivers and played cards with the street kids giving them the deck when we were done.

We then walked to our accommodation, hoping that they would be open. They were not. We sat on the curb and waited till they opened up watching packs of stray dogs roam, and occasionally get close enough for us to have to stand up and move. Once the place (Scuba Junkies) opened we were greeted by a kind desk clerk who allowed us to rest on the lobby couch, use the Internet and offered us breakfast, even though we weren't really entitled to it till we woke up the following morning. Needless to say I was STOKED. He also put a rush on our room. We quickly realised during breakfast that we might be out of place. Every one was young (early 20's) hip and hung over. It seems that this place is not only a popular scuba diving outfit but a party scene too.

After breakfast we set up our dives. (Steve we tried to book a night dive at the other island and one here but it seems to be the wrong time of year here. We are hoping to settle the dare in Thailand) We came to go to Pulao Sipidan which is apparently one of the top 10 dive spots on earth. We were sadly unable to get a permit so we settled on Sibuan. Sibuan is a cliche island. White Sand, warm turquoise waters, and little children who live on the island will sell you a coconut (about 2 RM and very tasty). Very beautiful and exactly what we were looking for. The dives started out rather uncomfortably. The equipment was shabbier than we were used to, and the dive masters didn't seem very patient or helpful. It is too bad that such negative energy was around because the sea life was wonderful. The second dive included some ship off the coast setting off dynamite (yes it's illegal) and scared the hell out of us. I thought my tank had exploded. At the end of the third dive we were swimming in the water. When Liza climbed aboard the captain suggested that I swim to the island. as he was moving the boat. I thought he was going to dock the boat on the island and that this was a wonderful idea. When I got to the island it appeared that the captain had forgotten about me. The boat took off and I was stranded on a very tiny island in the Celebes sea. Eventually the boat did turn around for me, as I new it would(eventually) but I didn't want Liza to have to create a scene and have everyone thinking that I delayed them. Apparently they came back because some young Yank girl wanted to get a picture of her with her dive master fling. Very cute. Needless to say we couldn't have been happier to get out of there.

We took a day bus to Sandakan the next day. This is where you go to see the Uran utang sanctuary and do a river cruise. We checked in to a place called the May Fair hotel. This place looks like a downtown Toronto hotel that you book by the hour. Mr. Lum (as the Lonely Planet says) is very gruff, but he is very nice if you can see through his tough exterior. We have A/C and a Flat screen TV and DVD player. There is also a library of hundreds of DVDs downstairs. This is fantastic as it's been pouring everyday. There is also a Dim Sum restaurant down the street where we are fast becoming regulars. This town is quite ugly too but the people seem friendlier. We have decided to stay here until it is time for us to go to the airport on the 17th and head to the mainland.

Hope you are all well, lots of love

Mark

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Leg Two

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! We are in Sanur (again) after our few days in Jungutbatu. The island, unfortunately, was not what we expected. Although beautiful, the beaches were all used as a harbour, and the locals farmed seaweed. No big deal, right? WRONG. The smell of seaweed bleaching in the sun is the most gut wrenching smell Liza has ever encountered (Mark never noticed). Needless to say, a lot of Liza's time was spent trying to cover her nose without offending anyone.

Mark had a cake delivered to the island for Liza's birthday. So sweet. We celebrated with 12 other strangers in the restaurant. And by celebrated, we mean they ate the cake and that was it. New years, unfortunately, was not all that special for Liza. Liza had bee dealing with a rash that was intensely itchy for 3 weeks. She would spend her nights getting up every few hours to shower so she wouldn't scratch. It was spreading from her legs up to her nether regions, at which point she decided she better see the doctor. The doctor advised that she was having an allergic reaction to something (bug, beach, fungus, larvae) and gave her some pills and cream. She passed out that night around 830 pm, and Mark didn't even think about waking her up to ring in the new year. Mark sat outside drinking beer and talking to some psychologists from Denmark. They were a lovely couple, and now we have a place to stay in Denmark.

We left the island two days ago and decided to spend our last few days in Bali, in Sanur. Returning to the same guesthouse felt like coming home. It's a nice feeling when you are on the road. We are going to Malaysia tomorrow via Jakarta. We are super excited to get there and to try new food! Ha ha - this trip is all about the food. ALL about it.

Speaking of food, we forgot to mention something about the food in Bali. Whenever we go to a restaurant, the food is made to order. That means we often wait 45 minutes for our meal BUT, when we get it, it is amazing. Everything is made from scratch, even the sauces. We feel like a king and a queen at least once a day!

What will we miss most about Bali?
- our comfortableness here (we feel like we really know our way around here, and how to deal with the people)
- babi gooling (yup, food)
- the dog "billy" at our guesthouse

What will me not miss about Bali?
- the garbage on the beaches
- the constant hounding from scammers and salespeople (saying 'no' to the same person 10 times gets tiring)

Liza has mastered the art of haggling and negotiation. She is confident and fair and has fun with it. We have gotten a few deals that have also benefited the seller. Mark is getting more comfortable with it ..... although he is happy to let Liza have her fun.

So, the plan for Malaysia ---- got to Borneo and spend some time there diving, hanging with Orangutans, hiking (more like strolling by) Mt. Kinabalu, and soaking in the hot springs, before heading to Peninsular Malaysia. Once there we will explore Kuala Lumpur, tea plantations in Cameron Highlands, and trek through the jungle. Should be a pretty busy and pretty exciting time! We of course will keep you all posted!

Liza and Mark