By their very nature they are humid places but nothing prepared me for what the worlds oldest rain forest had to offer. We left the clean, cheap and well organised Sri Emas hotel in Jerantut and took a three hour boat trip up the Terrangan River into the national park. Having found another superb, cheap and well run guest house (Tehan Guest House – I’m impressed with this part of Malaysia) we were ready for 4 days of jungle exploration. On day one we went for a simple 3.5km walk, yet the humidity was stifling and we found ourselves exhausted…
No, nothing to do with atoms but the cars. Malaysian in case you didn’t know (although if you didn’t you probably didn’t care either). Having crossed the border many differences from Thailand and the previous countries we’ve been to were obvious. Apart from the afore mentioned increase in visible wealth the level of English here is much better (colonialism to blame again I fear) and I’ve spotted many Malaysians reading books (something not at all obvious in the countries further north). Something that wasn’t immediately obvious though (probably as we were on a road less island), was the lack of…
This is the first post in a new category that is destined to be irregular. Originally I had planned this to be “Photo of the Week” but that was seven weeks ago and I’ve not posted a single picture, so allow me to present the “Photo of the Month” category. I aim to show off my photos and make you jealous at the same time. Much like with my Inbox, I have a bit of a back log, April’s Photo of the Month is “Clouds over Koh Tao”. We stayed in a resort quiet resort on the south of Koh…
Perhentian Islands, Malaysia; Tropical paradise or over priced tourist trap? The later was my first impression, yet that is not fair. Coming from Thailand we were not ready for the higher prices here (food, accommodation and internet) yet upon crossing the border Malaysia is evidently more affluent than their northern neighbours. The food is pricey but good (I soon found myself addicted to the Roti Canai – Indian style bread with curry sauce). The cheapest resort we could find was a steep walk away from the beach; mosquito infested with very basic huts and horrible shared bathrooms. Although there was…
Well the rainy season has arrived. At least where we are anyway. We’ve had rain now for the last 18 days and I have to admit it is quite welcome due to the cooler temperatures it brings with it. It isn’t raining all day every day, either short sharp impressive storms or persistent rain for several hours. We’ve spent the last four (wet) days at Khao Sok National Park, arriving a day later and with a lighter wallet than anticipated after a frustrating visa run to Burma. Our Visa’s expired the day we left the meditation retreat, but we didn’t…
Dive number 32. Whale Shark. For those that dive I need not say more. I will however divulge. A whale shark was spotted at the Chumphon Pinnacle dive site in the morning of our last day on Koh Tao, and as a result it seemed as though all of the island was heading out there in the afternoon. We arrived as the sixth boat. Not only did this mean a long swim to the buoy line, it also meant 60 odd divers in the water. Most of them were Koreans who seemed completely lost and kept crashing into each other.…
Espe mentioned the other day how she couldn’t believe how many people are traveling. There are so many westerners everywhere we go. I can believe it. What I can’t believe is how young so many of them are. We are meeting 17 and 18 year olds who haven’t even started Uni yet. Just over hearing conversations (normally having no choice – why do people go to an internet cafe only to spend an hour nattering with the person next to them?) I realised how different I am to many of these people. Without wanting to sound snobbish, most of that…
Just in case you weren’t being sarcastic Chris, what do you think of this? We’re now on Koh Tao swimming with the fishes. Welcomed back by clear (10 – 15 metre vis’) warm (30 degrees) waters, I do like this place. I was first here with Jon in 2004, and although it is busier and more developed, it still remains beautiful. On top of that, this is one of the cheapest places in the world to dive. Espe and I have so far done six dives each with two more to go. We’ve seen all sorts; barracuda, sting rays, angel…