I know, how can one have a vacation from a vacation? I can't believe that there's actually people reading this. Looks like I fell off the planet on August 6th and I haven't been updating. Thanks to those who keep reminding me. Really....!
After my trip I came back and did nothing for a good couple of days... ok, maybe a week. Then it was hardcore searching for a new place to live as the woman who's flat we're in is returning in just a few days. I don't want to go back to the hostel life! Two applications are in and now the time is just passing as we wait. I'm not gonna have any nails at the end of this.
Now, on to the not so brief write up of my time in Asia. The key is to write everything down before you forget. Lemme say that the week or so happened so quickly that it's a good thing that I wrote things down! Grab a beverage or some snacks, here we go...honestly I'd fall asleep without a little coffee on this one kids.
August 6
I went to the hostel that night to meet up with the girls there. It had only been a week since I had left there to move in to the flat but it seemed like FOREVER! I kept hearing that everyone was stressed out because they didn't know what the plan was. As much as I'm the type of person who LOVES her itineraries, this time I knew that the first three days didn't belong to me. Whatever they wanted to do was alright with me since I had another day in KL to myself before heading off to Singapore in case we didn't get to something I wanted to do. We left that night at about 10pm to make sure that we checked in at least two hours before the flight which was due to leave at 12:45 am. We walked out to the taxi at Flinders and Swanston and got a fun taxi driver who had lived in Canada briefly and more importantly, didn't mind blasting the music in the cab. He was lucky enough to be serenaded by Laura. The song - Power of Love by Celine Dion. From the beginning, full length and quite the powerful performance! People in the cars around us were just looking in at her. So funny!!
When we finally got to the airport, we learned that our flight had been delayed until 2AM!! *sigh* We didn't need to rush down. Guess it was time to get comfortable! A lot of wandering around later we got on the plane. Tiny seats lemme tell ya so it's a good thing that I got an aisle seat. Luckily it wasn't a full flight so we were all able to get comfortable seating after moving around.
August 7
Our flight got in at about 9am and as we walked down the flight of stairs to the tarmac, we immediately felt the change in temperature. It was easily 35C. I had grown accustomed to my 15 degree winter weather in Melbourne! But as much as I hate the heat, it still felt pretty nice! Immigration was fairly easy to get through. With all the Swine flu commotion, we walked through temperature heat sensors. Not sure what they actually do since anyone walking through it would be hot from the weather outside, but who am I...? Outside, instant culture shock. This was the first time I had stepped outside of the western world. There was so much to see and I wasn't sure where to start. We made our way to KL Sentral which was the main gateway to the city after coming in from the airport. The bus to KL Sentral was busy so we didn't get to sit together. No worries though as I was meant to fall asleep anyhow... couldn't though since we were on a breakaway bus that I was sure was gonna die on the highway. It was so rickety on there but as I looked around, no one else seemed to worry about it. Turbulence on a plane I can handle, this I wasn't sure about. Made it safely to the station though and we were off to the hostel. I have to say that until I was en route to the country, I didn't know that Islam had the strongest religious presence there. It was most evident by the women who wore their burqas which I had only ever seen on television or in pictures. I truly don't understand why they have to wear it, or in this heat, how they were able to. Something I need to learn I guess. I'm open to hear about it!
After a short ride on the monorail, getting lost on the streets thanks to the directions by various locals (including police officers) we finally found the Paradiso Bed & Breakfast. As we walked in all I heard was a man's voice saying "Loreto....? Where is Loreto?" Dude, it's kinda creepy walking into a strange place and people picking you out eh? I was the only one he would deal with as my name was on the booking. Seemed like a nice guy at first. Hostel wasn't horrible but let's just say not as advertised. As Sarah took a nap to catch up on sleep she didn't get on the plane, the rest of us went in search of food. What better place than Pappa Rich? First meal in Malaysia, was a western meal. I'm such a wimp. The neatest thing about the place that I wish I had taken a picture of was the little buzzer system that they had on the table. On the corner there were three buttons: call, bill or water. Want one of those, press the button. So we did. Cool. They don't bother you otherwise. Nothing worse than having a mouth full of food and waitstaff asking how things are.
After our meal, Laura saw the sign for the place that would give me the biggest laugh of the trip. The Reborn Spa was waiting for us. It was here that I signed up for a 20 minute Reflexology Fish Foot Massage. The other girls got a combo deal of that with a one hour back massage. Ticklish Lo couldn't handle that. They grabbed me first to sit at the long shallow pool of water that looked like an aquarium tank in the ground with hundreds of sucker fish. I knew it was going to feel funny but I didn't have a clue of the shock that was about to hit me!! Imagine the feeling of hundreds of bugs crawling around your feet. The feeling of the onset of pins and needles for 20 very long minutes. The feeling was so indescribable. There was so much laughing and crying and because of my reaction, the other girls took another 5 minutes before they would even get in. I just have to say that I took it for the team. It was so freaky and I would SO do it again!!!!
After the 20 minutes came and went, I went for a walk while I waited for the girls. Standing in front of the spa, I was approached by a man who offered me a card with a picture on it and it was meant to bring me peace. I said no thanks. Not that I didn't want peace and all that jazz but I know when someone wants money. So I said it, sorry, no money. "Not looking for money" was his response. Mmkay. So he tried to give me a bracelet. Again, I don't have money to give you. Not looking for money. He handed me a book where I was to write down my name, address and donation. Ha, money! He then went on to say that he wasn't looking for money for him, it was the cause... the search for peace that he was looking for a donation for! Oh well then, lemme see what people have given you then.... sure here's some cash! Um no. He walked off in a huff and mumbled what I assume weren't the nicest words for me. Good times.
After the girls came out all relaxed, we checked out the strip of town we were in, we went off in search of a hotel with a pool for the next day and somewhere to eat dinner. After a very long search, we settled at the Rum Jungle for dinner, went back to the hostel and just shy of midnight, found a hotel and yes, it had a pool!!
August 8
This morning we had to get up early in order to check out and move to the next hotel and then off to Melaka for the day trip we wanted. We checked with the transportation desk at the hotel on how we could actually get to Melaka. We knew that if we took a bus we could probably get there in a couple of hours by paying $10 each way. OR, we could get our own taxi driver who was willing to stay with us for the day, drive us around and only pay $5 more. Let's pause and think about this shall we?! Show me to the taxi! I should really listen to my friends. All I heard was Phil's voice in my head saying never trust a man with a mustache. So true was the case with our taxi driver. He was nice enough at first, insisting that whatever we wanted could be done. I had the image of old Portuguese style architecture, bright colours and good food in mind of the day. For the most part the ride was fine until we got to a toll. Long lines made us think that we were going to be there for a while. Not so, my friend! This guy starts to talk about how people are so stupid to wait in line for anything. The phrase that we would use a lot for the rest of the weekend was "Easy, I show you!!" Buddy speeds up along and tries to nudge his way into the line. Of course no one is letting him in... so he nudges a little more. This was on my side of the taxi so I'm thankful that I'm wearing a seatbelt but I'm just waiting to get crunched. After a few attempts, and nervous laughter on our part, he makes his way through and we are passed the first toll! *phew*
The numbers of palm trees we saw along the way were incredible. Fields as far as the eye could see. Our driver told us that Palm Oil was their number one export. Confusing since every August the area along the coast and all the way into Kuala Lumpur is covered in a haze from the fires burning the same trees down.
We eventually made our way into "Melaka". More like the Safari that we had no interest in being at. We somehow got weaseled into going to this safari park, paying for our driver to get in, and then ended up at some animal show that he insisted we see. We obviously were still not comfortable with the whole situation we were in and sat there for the most miserable animal show I have ever seen. You hear about those places that don't treat animals properly. This had to be one of them. I saw a black bear that was so thin that it looked like someone dressed in a costume rather than an actual animal. It was so sad. I didn't enjoy it a bit. Thankfully Laura convinced this guy that this wasn't where we wanted to be and he drove us to the right spot.
Once we got to Melaka, the town, we checked out the market, saw some of the old churches that were there from the 1700's and ate at this cute back alley place that had really good food. Best part of our trip to Melaka was the rickshaw ride with our driver Dan. He took us around for half an hour and showed us some of the different temples and churches. What made it a good experience is that he actually gave us a history of the different buildings and made the stops to show us the inside of these incredible buildings. I loved it and I actually wish that we had been able to stay in the town longer and got to see more of the sights. We loved Dan!
After our drive back into the city, we dropped our stuff off and hit the pool. This is where I realized that I can't swim!! Maybe I can but I haven't been in a pool in 20 years and I actually had a bit of an anxiety attack. At least I didn't drown. So much for learning how to dive! Well there's still time to get to the pool and learn it again. Maybe it's like riding a bike? Evening had us split, Laura and Myriam with room service and Sarah and I getting out to the Thai Club & Bistro where I indulged in a yummy steak. A nightcap of Raspberri vodka and we were ready for the next day of activity.
August 9
A 7am wake up for the long wait at the Petronas Twin Towers. Since the towers have a free ticket system, we had to get in line that early in order to secure a spot on one of the elevators taking us up to the 42nd floor. We ended up with a 4:30pm ticket. That gave us enough time to hit the Central Market and Chinatown for some shopping. Nothing better than hawkers yelling "Best price for you" every two steps you take! I ended up getting a pair of runners that only cost me the equivalent of about 15 bucks and I love em! When 4:30 hit, we were at the towers and made our way up for the 10 minute visit. It's very bizzare the system that they have. In the end, 10 minutes is really all you need. The view is ok, not very high up and in my opinion, not really worth the wait. But hey, it's one of those things that you can say you did. KL Twin Towers, check.
Sarah & Mims, didn't really know you before going on this trip but had a great time, good laughs! Laura, we still have our freak out moments over being together in Australia, dude, we went to Malaysia!
It was time for the girls to go home and leave me alone. I was sticking around for another day and then moving on to Singapore.
August 10
You know how there's culture shock in any new city you visit? Although I had been here with the girls for a few days already, there is a certain amount of comfort when with others. Now that I was flying solo, the city seemed so foreign and I didn't know which way to turn. Asking many people for directions (thank goodness they widely speak English), I found the city bus that I was hoping would get me to my destination. I had already made the decision to go to the Batu Caves just north of the city. The site is a Hindu Shrine surrounded by limestone caves. In order to see the inside of the caves, one has the joy of climbing 272 steps behind the gold painted 140 ft tall statue of the Hindu deity, Murugan. For those who like tropical climate, and climbing that set of steps, this is the place for you. That morning the temperature had already reached 34C plus humidity. Nice. Actually, it was a good climb and I was happy to see that there were others, many others, who were less fit then I am!
Once I made it to the top, it was a totally different world. The caves were so high and surrounded by rich greenery. It was in a moment of gawking at the skies that I landed smack dab in the middle of a pigeon and monkey fight! WTF? Where the heck did they come from? Well I had seen plenty of pigeons and I knew that there were monkey's living in the cave but I hadn't seen any yet so let's just say that I was caught off guard. Being a tourist attraction, you find plenty to buy, including animal feed which is what they were after. Some of the kids in the cave just through the food out and all the animals went after it. There goes Loreto, flailing about because all she sees is flapping wings and hears screeching from the monkeys who are trying to get their hands on the prize. I am just thankful that I wasn't the only silly tourist caught in the crossfire. It was embarrassing enough to be caught up in it, can you imagine doing it alone?!
I had seen enough and decided to make my way back to town. I went ahead and became the cheesy tourist and jumped on a Hop On/Hop Off bus. SO should have done this at the start. I love this kind of intro to the city because it gives you an overview of where things are and you can gage if you want to see certain things again or just skip it. Frankly, it was cheap. As is everything in Malaysia if you have a western currency. Overall, I'd like to go back to Malaysia but Kuala Lumpur kinda freaked me out. Way too busy! I will need to go back to check out all the different countryside areas that I didn't see on such a short trip.
August 11
Today was a fly day. Boring!
I had two hours until boarding so I stopped for brekkie at Cafe Espresso. I liked the message on the wall --
Pause...take your time. Enjoy. There's a time to cook a good breakfast and a time to brew a good coffee. Ah tasty! As much as I would have liked the Sardine pastry, I think I made a good choice with the Chocolate brownie to go withe the Cafe Mocha!
I was looking forward to the hostel I was staying at because it was considered a Flashpackers, yanno, my kinda thing. It's called Habitat Hostel and the rooms were supposed to be based on the Japanese pod beds which were like capsules. When I got there I didn't get an actual pod, same ol hostel bed. Only thing that made it better was that it was the metal bunks that other hostels have were nowhere to be seen. Tomorrow, off to see Singapore!
August 12
In keeping with the hop-on/hop-off tour idea, Lo signed herself up for the Hippo Tours! How fun does that sound?! I didn't know where to start so the first tour I took was called the Heritage Tour. This took us through the historical districts of Singapore. The colours were brilliant and the architecture was amazing. You could be smack dab in the middle of Chinatown and walk a little bit and be surrounded by the temples in Little India covered by the different deities. One of my favourite buildings was the Sultan's Mosque in Kampong Glam. I knew I wanted to go back there. When we got back to the starting point, I took the City Tour which took us through, well, the city, but mainly to the shopping district on Orchard Road. Need designer wear, this is where to get it. I dunno, that kinda stuff just doesn't float my boat so I didn't go in to the malls that covered the street. Nice to drive by the glamour but that's as far as I go!
For a midday tour, I went on the Hippo Boat tour which took us along the river and then to the Merlion. This is the symbol for Singapore based on the story of the rediscovery of Singapore by a prince who thought he saw a mystical beast along the shores that had the head of a lion and the tail of a fish. The afternoon was spent wandering until it was time to join what I thought was an evening tour of Singapore. The city by night is a photographer's dream and although I'm not quite there, I still wanted to see it. Turns out the brochure needs a little updating since what it was actually transportation to Sentosa Island for a show. No thanks! I went along with another girl from Kenya and enjoyed a walk around the island and stopped to eat an ice cream on the beach while the sunset hit. Not too shabby an ending to the day!
August 13
For my last full day in Singapore, I decided to head out to the Jurong Bird Park and then head back on the Heritage tour to go to the area of Kampong Glam where I could take a closer look at the Sultan Mosque, and finish off with an evening walk back to hostel through old colonial area and along Orchard Road back to my hostel.
Birds. They make me laugh. It was a great walk around the park where I saw so many different species. Species... is that right? Anywho.... I'd never seen the bright pink flamingos or the crazy looking emus so up close. The parrots were entertaining too. Honestly, took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many pictures!! What was I thinking?! But really, tell me that this guy isn't the funniest thing you've seen?!
I spent a good couple of hours checking them out and then made my way back to the city for the last Heritage tour ride. I got off in my favourite area around the colonial buildings near the Supreme Court and Parliament. Ready to take the close up pictures of the places I liked best. OMG - batteries dead. This was the extra set of batteries! I made some new friends on the streets of Singapore and basically asked where I could buy new ones. This area was becoming a ghost town because it was after 5pm. Thankfully after my fourth attempt, I found someone who knew and I was set to go! The weather was still gorgeous but finally the heat was bearable, so I started my walk back to the hostel. Along the way I encountered a practice session for the one year countdown to the Youth Olympics that Singapore was hosting. Came across a really great dance troupe and witnessed some technical difficulties... are amps supposed to smoke like that...?
August 14
My trip was over. I wish I had gone to Singapore for much longer than I did. I underestimated how much time was needed for a city state. This was my very long travel day back to Melbourne - who gets up at 5 am for this kinda crap? I first had to fly back to Kuala Lumpur and hope to make my connecting flight to Melbourne. Thankfully I did! I had a long midday flight, didn't sleep too much but scored a two seater to myself! After I finally made it home, my fantastic flatmate Phil got drinks ready with our new Absolut Raspberri vodka, we caught up and stayed up until the wee hours of the morn... honestly one of the funniest people I have ever met! Great ending to a long day!
For more pictures click on one of the following links:
Kuala Lumpur & Melaka, Malaysia
Singapore
