Home (May 26...)

Thank you so much for reading my blog! I knew from the statistics that I had faithful followers and this really encouraged me to continue writing. I hope you were able to participate in my trip with all its ups and downs and that it was entertaining.

A trip of this length is not a normal holiday, that’s for sure. In two or three weeks you will probably not risk being in a bad mood or even getting depressed but if you are travelling for longer, there are good and bad days, like always in life. If you are travelling alone, some days can be really lonely and this shouldn’t be underestimated. Some days you are full of energy and others you’d prefer to stay the whole day in the guest house without doing anything. That’s why having a nice guest house with the possibility to hang out and relax without being disturbed is so important. You need a substitution for the couch you have back home! The best is having a hammock in a nice garden to substitute your couch. The flipside of the coin is that then it’s very difficult to leave (and travelling is actually what you want). The next important factor to reduce the risk of a “bad” day is meeting the “right” people. Normally in a nice guest house, you will automatically meet the right people. Imagine you went to an expensive hotel because you could afford it. You would never be able to meet people in a business hotel without any common hang-out area. Even if there was a common area, there wouldn’t be many people to hang-out! I spent three days in a real hotel and met no one.

I sometimes planned my travel itinerary according to the possibility of meeting people. I did that when I returned to Pai and also when I returned to Melaka for instance. Meeting people and sharing activities can be more important than the visited sights themselves because doing things together is more fun than being alone – that’s not a big surprise. My biggest concern before starting the trip was being alone for very long. Luckily this was not the case. I was alone when I wanted but I also knew where to find companionship.

People now ask me how it was. That’s really a difficult question. Some things were really overwhelming, amazing or stunning but I don’t like these adjectives so much. “Interesting” sounds boring but maybe that’s the word which describes best what I saw and experienced. The Japanese toilets for example are definitely not overwhelming (at least not for me) but they are very interesting. It’s more these little things which make travelling an experience and not so much the world-famous sights. Not because they are not interesting (or overwhelming or amazing or whatever) but rather because you spend comparably little time there. Again, who you meet is very important. I wouldn’t have enjoyed Angkor like I did without the nice companionship and this is true also for many other sights.

Now, the question of all questions: Would I do it again? Are you kidding?

If you want to contact me for whatever question please get in touch with me via Facebook or eMail. It has been a great help for me knowing that there were people supporting me! Thank you very much!

P.S.: Who read my blog in Russia? I would really like to know that J

Sepang KLIA (May 25)

As I decided to go to Japan spontaneously, I had to come back to KL from where my final flight goes home tomorrow. I arrived early this morning at 5:45am and 25 minutes ahead schedule (that was the pilot’s and Air Asia’s pride because they stressed it several times). As you can guess Air Asia’s low cost seats were not really designed to offer a great sleeping experience to the passenger, although I paid extra for the so called hot seats which offer more leg room. In my case taking any other seats would be impossible. I realized that in Air Asia’s Airbus A330 they put 9 seats in a row instead of the normal 8 seats. Thank God I have lost weight on my trip, maybe I wouldn’t have fitted J. For my last day I reserved a hotel at the airport because I didn’t want to go for one day to my “favourite” KL and then stand up at 4am in the morning to take the bus to the airport. At the hotel, they really made me pay 60 RM (15 euro) extra for early check-in (what cheek!) but I paid them back by raiding the breakfast buffet. I changed breakfast from tomorrow to today because tomorrow I wouldn’t have had enough time to fill my stomach with all the wonderful food. They had all the Western breakfast stuff, even including an omelette station. They also had fresh fruit – I don’t know when I had fresh fruit the last time!

Now I’m sitting in my hotel room after a long nap and start to realize that it’s over! I travelled for 132 days – 42 days in Thailand, 2 days in Myanmar, 20 days in Laos, 8 days in Cambodia, 48 days in Malaysia (whereof 30 days in West-Malaysia and 18 days in Borneo) and 12 days in Japan. In the last couple of days people have asked me how I feel with regard to the fact that the trip comes to an end. My sincere answer is that I don’t feel anything. I’m neither happy nor sad. What I know is that it is time to go home. I couldn’t have travelled for another 4 months or so like other travellers because I think that at one point of time I’d not be able to enjoy it any more like I should be enjoying it. That is due to the fact that the longer you travel, the more it becomes routine. I experienced that sometimes that I was not in the mood to travel and I just wanted to stay for a longer time at one point without doing anything. That’s why I stayed in Pai for 10 days after travelling in Laos and Cambodia. I think travelling in these two countries was the most strenuous part of the trip.

Some people also asked me which country I liked most. It’s an extremely difficult question because I think it’s impossible to compare a country like Cambodia with Japan, just to make an example. It’s easier to compare rather places than countries (because every country has good and bad places). The big highlights for me were: Umphang in Thailand (because the place was unspoiled and the people amazing), Pai in Thailand (the best place to hang out, meet people and party), Luang Nam Tha in Laos (because of the trekking), 4.000 islands in Laos (the place was so beautiful that even the unfriendliness of the people couldn’t destroy the good impression), Angkor in Cambodia (self-explaining), Melaka in Malaysia (because of the guest house, the people, the food and the interesting mix of cultures), Perhentian Islands in Malaysia (because of the paradise beaches and the diving), Bako National Park in Malaysian Borneo (because of the stunning jungle), Kyoto in Japan (because of the temples and the “photo shootings”) and Fujiyoshida in Japan (self-explaining when you see pictures). If you forced me to select only one single place from the list above, I would probably say that Mount Fuji was my favourite place. I was really freaking out when I saw that mountain! Although there are two places in Laos on the list, maybe Laos was the country I was most disappointed about. I think partly this is due to the fact that my expectations were huge (the famous expectation-reality ratio!) but namely because the nature was not as unspoiled as I expected (not mentioning the littering) and because the people were strange. I don’t say they were unfriendly because this would probably be unfair but their indifference and general attitude was really bothering me. If you want to refresh, you can read my entry on 4.000 islands.

Next week I will reincorporate into normal life (whatever that is). It definitely involves working so job offers are very welcome! What I am really looking forward to is seeing family and friends, the German summer, the barbecues, the good beer and of course the upcoming European Championships. What a surprise – you can have this all together: Watching football while having barbecue and beer with family and friends in summer! Voilà!

I will close this blog with a final entry from home, so please don’t “disconnect” yet, only one more thing!

Tokyo (May 20-24)

Tokyo holds two superlatives: It’s the world’s biggest and also the world’s most expensive city. With regard to the latter, I don’t see a big difference to other places in Japan. I think food for instance is even a bit cheaper. With regard to the size, I can definitely confirm that Tokyo is very big. A subway ride within central Tokyo can easily take 40 minutes from one point to another, and this is just the centre. I guess that people working in Tokyo and living in the suburbs have to calculate up to 2 hours one-way every day. The good thing about Tokyo is that it is very organized (like Japan in general) and the public transport is very efficient. In fact, if you want to party, then you have a problem. The subway stops between around midnight and 5am. There are no night buses or any other substitution for the subway (like we know it from cities in Europe), meaning that you are forced to take a taxi. I heard that some Internet cafés have private rooms you can rent on an hourly basis to bridge the time until the subway runs. This is obviously way cheaper than taking a taxi.

I arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, spending the rest of the day hanging out in the guest house. On Monday I did a large tour through different quarters of Tokyo, starting in Shinjuku, the neighbourhood with the largest train station. I wanted to see how people are being pushed into the overcrowded subway coaches but at 10:30am I was too late because rush hour was already over. Then I went to Shibuya with its world famous pedestrian crossing. Back in the guest house I had an afternoon nap before heading to the Tokyo Tower (it looks similar to the Eiffel Tower) from where I watched a spectacular sunset over Tokyo. I waited until it got completely dark to see the city’s skyline illuminated and took some great pictures.

Tuesday was a horrible cold and rainy day and I did nothing except from having dinner with my room mate Jason from the US. We went to an Indian restaurant close to our guest house, which was amazingly good. On Wednesday the weather was good again and I went to some other neighbourhoods I hadn’t seen before. In the guide books they say that the quarters have different styles and characters but to be honest, for me Tokyo looks pretty similar everywhere. To see something really different, I went back to Shinjuku in the evening. It is also the city’s amusement centre and all buildings have illuminated advertisements. That looks pretty cool. I also walked through the red light district and found out that most of the amusement places advertise their “services” by showing girls in school uniform on big signboards. Obviously this must be the local taste... It’s also strange that I didn’t see any female prostitutes. Instead I saw several dozens of very young dressed-up men waiting for... for what? I don’t know how Tokyo has organized this business (I am sure it is well organized like everything in Japan!) but maybe females are working inside and males outside. Maybe they want to protect females from the weather, really thoughtful! After rejecting several very clear offers from street touts, I went to a sushi bar to have dinner. I looked quite normal from outside and the prices seemed reasonable. When they gave me the menu, I realized that the prices were for one piece of sushi and not two (like normal), so the whole dinner turned out to be very pricy. At least it was very good and I had some nice interaction with my neighbours. Their English knowledge was close to non-existent but using hands and feet we were able to communicate a little bit. I think what they understood was that I am from Germany and that I like Japan and Sushi. The latter could have been guessed inside a Sushi bar!

I am now sitting in the lobby of my guest house and have to bridge the time until my flight departs late in the evening. I will fly back to Kuala Lumpur and from there to back home on Saturday. It’s unbelievable but my time is almost over! More about that tomorrow...

With regard to Japan, I can say that it was definitely worth it coming here. It’s an amazing country with a very rich culture. The best are its people. I think I have never been to a country with a better service than Japan. All the locals I have met were amazingly friendly and tried to help me with everything. They have so good manners and are so polite, it’s really unbelievable! Details are very important for Japanese people and I think that this attitude is the reason for the country’s wealth and success. They always try to make things a little bit better and never lose their patience – admirable!

Fujiyoshida (May 18-19)

The Shinkansen ride from Kyoto to Mishima was really great. If travelling could always be that comfortable! There is a flipside of the coin and you probably guess what. In Japan you should not think too much about your daily expenses because it probably prevents you from enjoying this fantastic country. Anyway it’s not the Japanese’s fault but rather the European’s that the Euro is almost on an all-time low to the Yen.

But let’s come back to the train ride. At the end of the trip the tourists of my coach suddenly stood up and pressed their noses to the windows on the left side. I first didn’t realize what was going on but then I saw it and it gave me the creeps! Mount Fuji appeared, one of the most amazing mountains I have ever seen! Then at the latest I knew that going to Japan was definitely the right thing! I got off the train at Mishima station from where I took a local bus to Fujiyoshida on the northern side of the mountain. The views were absolutely stunning! In Fujiyoshida I went to my guest house where I was supposed to sleep in a 10-bed dorm room. To my big surprise I was the only guest, meaning that I had the whole room for my own (that implies great sleep!). Today the situation hasn’t changed although it is weekend.

I got up at 7 this morning and left the guest house at 7:20 without having breakfast. The weather was fantastic and views were amazing. I wanted to arrive at the viewpoint as soon as possible in case the weather changes. Fortunately that was not the case. I had the whole pagoda-mountain viewpoint for myself and was able to take amazing pictures. Later in the morning I took the bus to the 5th station up the mountain (at 2.300m). Who would have thought that I had to use my hard shell jacket and fleece another time? At least this gives me the good feeling of not carrying this stuff for nothing! The landscape views from up there were nice but not breathtaking. You could see the snow covered cap but I would say that the mountain looks a lot more spectacular from the distance.

Back to town I had late lunch in a sushi bar and then took a long nap. My timing was perfect as it began to get cloudier in the late afternoon. This was by far the best day I had in Japan so far. It was a lonely day but having the mountain, I don’t need anybody else!

Kyoto (May 16-17)

The sight-seeing tour in Kyoto was exhausting but worth the effort. My first impression from this city was a little bit disappointing. I thought it was smaller (now I know it has 1.5 million inhabitants) and with less concrete. Nevertheless Kyoto is one of the most interesting cities in Japan from a cultural point of view with countless temples, castles and gardens. Especially the gardens are beautiful (I guess even more in spring) and they make the temples look very picturesque. Yesterday I did a walking tour in the afternoon, visiting the temples which are more or less close to the guest house and today I purchased a day-pass for the bus to see the monuments which are farer away. The sight-seeing is a bit annoying as distances between one place and another are substantial. The weather these days was fantastic with warm but not hot temperatures and sun all day (and with a nice smell of spring in the air). I really enjoy this climate without having to sweat all day long (as happened before in the tropical countries).

Yesterday the photo-shootings with kids continued (4 shoots in total). It’s cool to get some group photos with Japanese kids for my own photo album but it became a bit annoying to attract their attention wherever I go. It was like running the gauntlet for me! Like in Nara, the temples here are crowded with school classes from every corner in Japan and sometimes it can be difficult even to find a place from where you can take a picture.

The guest house is very comfortable (even sleeping in a dorm room) but not as family-run as the guest houses I stayed in before. It’s more like a perfectly organized hostel machine. There are people here of all ages and nationalities but it is harder to hook up with people.

Tomorrow I will have my first long train ride to Mishima, from where I will take a bus to Mount Fuji. I am really looking forward to taking the Shinkansen train and seeing this famous volcano!

Nara (May 14-15)

On Monday I arrived in Nara on a beautiful spring day. Taking the regional train from Osaka was very easy. Yes, I can confirm that it’s true – trains arrive exactly to-the-minute, I proved it personally! After leaving my bags at the guest house I started my walk through the huge park with all its temples and gardens. For me the most interesting part was observing hundreds or even thousands of school kids in their uniforms. Someone told me they come from everywhere in Japan to visit the temples. Obviously these kids have the task to talk to tourists and deploy their English knowledge with the help of a small booklet. In fact, the most important part of the interview is not the questions but rather the photo shooting at the end. I seem to be an interesting target for the kids because of my outward appearance. I didn’t see any other tourists being interviewed.

In Nara I had amazing lunch (Udon noodles in Japanese style curry) and in the evening I went to my first Japanese Sushi bar. I was surprised that it it almost identical to the Sushi bars we have in Europe. At least they don’t cheat on us and sell food which is not authentic like it happens with the Chinese restaurants.

Yesterday the weather was very bad. In the morning I continued the sightseeing tour but I had to stop in the early afternoon as it began to rain heavily. I spent the rest of the day sleeping. In the nights I don’t get a very good sleep because of the dorm rooms, the only affordable option in Japan.

The evening turned out to be very nice. I met Tommy from the US who has been working for four years in a Japanese company in Tokyo. He told me very interesting stuff about the working culture and living in Japan in general. We went to a Sushi bar in the evening (the same that I had been to before) and this time they had a special promotion offer for draft beer. Actually I wouldn’t have noticed because of the language barrier but thanks to him we found out. The beer was amazingly cheap (105 Yen, normally it’s three to four times more), so we took advantage. We continued drinking in the guest house where we also met a French couple, a guy from the Czech Republic and other Japanese people. It was a nice group and we could have continued until late. Unfortunately in Japan the rules are strict so we had to stop the “conversation” at 23:30.

What really impresses me in Japan is that everything has a sense, even if this sense is not visible for us as Europeans at first sight. One example: In the Sushi bar there were plastic baskets on the floor. I asked Tommy what they are for and he told me that they are for putting your bag inside, so it won’t get dirty on the floor. Amazing! Someone is thinking for you, similar to staying with mum.

This morning I continued to Kyoto with hangover. Just this: The photo shootings with me continued!

Osaka (May 12-13)

The difference between Japan and all the other countries I have been to in Asia so far is that Japanese are able to invent a toilet with integrated water tap. It’s not a revolutionary invention but at least someone invested some brain power. In other countries some guest house rooms didn’t even have a hook at the wall to hang up a towel. This is definitely equal to zero brain power.

Yesterday I was lucky to catch one of the last trains from Kansai airport to the city because the flight was one hour delayed. I left the plane running to be in a front position of the immigration queue. It was a good decision to push to the front because the queue turned out to be huge. If I hadn’t been able to catch the train, I would have had to pay a real fortune for a taxi. Someone told me that in the vicinity of more than 100 euro! Unfortunately when I arrived in the city, the subway was already suspended, so I had to pay 20 euro for a taxi to my guest house. Thank you Air Asia! No wonder that the taxis are so expensive, the drivers are wearing suit and tie and the cars are real limousines. I felt ashamed to put my dirty backpack on top of the white seat cover. Ok you get a bit more for your money but do I really need a TV (in Japanese) in the taxi? I think only millionaires would be able to afford watching a whole movie inside the taxi.

The guest house is really nice. The rooms are Japanese style with bamboo floor and there is a common area with free Wi-Fi, bar, etc. The showers and toilets are immaculate! Yesterday night I met a German guy and he seemed to be overwhelmingly happy to meet another compatriot. He told me that he hadn’t met any German since he started travelling two weeks ago. That is really impressive because in other Asian countries you meet Germans every day. In fact, the traveller scene here is very different. There are only few real backpackers and the proportion of Westerners is way smaller than in other countries. It’s not surprising because the money you spend here in week or little more would be enough to travel a whole month in Thailand or Cambodia.

Osaka itself is a big and modern city. There are only few real sights such as the castle but for me the travel experience is simply walking around, trying the amazing food and observing the people. There is so much to discover! Today, in one of the pedestrian streets I was interviewed by a Japanese TV channel. They were asking the typical questions such as how long I have been in Japan, if I like it, etc. I think they wanted me because I look so strange to them J. Today the streets were quite empty because it’s Sunday. I had the impression that half of the city is gambling. They have gambling halls with slot machines everywhere and this seems to be one of the favourite weekend activities.

The weather today was very good but it’s quite cool – day temperatures of around 20°C and 12°C at night. Compared to the places I have been to before, this is very, very cold!

First day conclusion: I like it! Tomorrow I will head to Nara, only 40 km east of Osaka. It’s a world heritage site with a lot of gardens and temples.

Kuala Lumpur (May 10-11)

Here I am again in Kuala Lumpur. As my last experiences with backpacker places in KL were close to disgusting, I decided to book a hotel online. I don’t regret a single cent for this nice room with white bed sheets (I mean really white, not grey), towels (also white), a bathroom with rain-shower shower, aircon etc. It’s still comparably cheap because I got a special promo offer. In Japan, I will have to pay the same price for a dorm room bed!

After going to the haircutter this morning, I visited the Batu caves in a northern suburb of KL. The big cave itself is actually quite nice but not what mankind has done to it. Today it’s a Hindu pilgrim site with some small temples but it’s all extremely cheesy. There are even souvenir shops at the entrance! The floor inside the cave is entirely paved and completely destroys the cave experience. There is a long stairway you have to go up for reaching the cave. It’s beleaguered by hundreds of monkeys looking for food. I saw people feeding them, so no wonder that they reproduce uncontrolled. I have given up to get worked up about the stupidity of people. In a nutshell, visiting the Batu caves is not an indispensable activity in KL.

This afternoon I did some decent shopping in Chinatown, which means a toothbrush and a deodorant. It was so terribly hot that even that can be exhausting! Fortunately it started to rain later and the air cooled down a little bit. Unbelievable but true, I was able to buy some Japanese Yen for a good exchange rate. I hope that the bills are not faked but they seem to be alright.

Tomorrow I will finally depart for Japan. I will keep you posted as soon as possible. I heard that they also have Internet so it shouldn’t be a problem J

Kota Kinabalu (May 6-9)

Saturday evening ended quite scary. I had dinner in one of the typical restaurants which are completely open towards the street. As it was raining I decided to sit inside. All of a sudden parts of the ceiling collapsed and big concrete blocks fell down. I was sitting maybe 3 metres away. Fortunately nobody was injured because it happened in one of the corners without tables. It was a terrible noise and all the people were staring with a face of disbelief. Nobody left the restaurant, the people discussed what happened and finally continued eating. I tried to finish my prawn soup faster, burned my tongue and left as soon as possible.

I completely changed my plans in Kota Kinabalu. As I commented in my previous entry, on Sunday I went diving (nice!!). On Monday I was too lazy to go somewhere else and besides I didn’t really know what else could be interesting around KK. Going to the Mt. Kinabalu National Park finally didn’t convince me, I thought it could become really boring there without climbing the mountain. On the other hand side, staying in KK is terribly boring because there is nothing to do. I went back to the diving centre because I knew they were also offering other activities than diving. As nothing really convinced me neither I finally decided to do my Advanced Open Water Diver course. Now I can say that it was definitely the right decision. The dive sites here are not spectacular but very nice and this is perfect for a course. I mean if you go to a world-famous diving site like Sipadan you don’t really want to “waste” your time doing exercises instead of fun dives. When I did my Open Water Diver on Perhentian Islands I was almost a little impatient because I wanted to see turtles and sharks and would have preferred to skip all the exercises. I know that they are necessary but you know what I mean!

The deep dive to 30 metres was actually a bit disappointing because the visibility was almost zero. Furthermore the water was freezing cold down there. My dive instructor told me that the temperature was 23°C which in Germany would be a warm temperature for an outdoor swimming pool but compared to the 29°C above it felt cold. The other dives were really nice although visibility could have been better.

In my mind I am already somewhere else, planning my last two weeks in Japan. This afternoon I will fly back to Kuala Lumpur and on Saturday to Osaka. I am really excited and to be honest, I have a certain respect. It feels like beginning a completely new trip because I imagine it to be so different from what I have seen until now. I tried to prepare as good as possible, booking a hostel for the first two days, downloading the train timetable for the ride from the airport to the city, etc. The guesthouse already sent me some additional and very useful information, so I think I should be able to make it. Unfortunately my plane arrives very late. I hate arrivals at night in a new city because it makes travel and orientation even more difficult (not to mention the fatigue).

Kota Kinabalu (May 4-5)

OK I already knew it, Kota Kinabalu (KK) is a spotless town. Normally people use KK as a stopover to the famous Mt. Kinabalu. It’s Southeast Asia’s highest mountain with 4.095m and so crazily popular that you have to reserve weeks in advance and pay a tremendous amount of money to climb it. Obviously I didn’t purchase my permit and camp accommodation on time, so I will not climb Mt. Kinabalu. The other big highlight in this region of Malaysian Borneo beside Mt. Kinabalu is Sipadan Island – one of the world’s most famous diving sites – but same same, you need a previously arranged permit and also it’s very expensive. Instead I will go diving tomorrow in the Abdul Rahman National Park just some few kilometres off KK, which consists in a couple of islands. I hope it’s more than the poor man’s version of Sipadan.

After that, my plan is to spend the three remaining days in Borneo somewhere in the nature. Maybe I will go to the Mt. Kinabalu National Park and do some trekking at the foot of the mountain. I read that there are some decent lodges and I think that would be a nice way of concluding my stay in Borneo.

Yesterday morning Krystyna and I said goodbye. She already flew back to Kuala Lumpur from where she’s heading to Bali. We really had a great time travelling together! I took a flight to KK with a small prop aircraft – I love that! I am glad that I didn’t take the bus because I heard from other travellers that the ride takes more than 10 hours and involves numerous border crossings between Brunei and Malaysia. Look at the map and you’ll see why. Actually flying is quite cheap here so the bus is not an option for me as a 2m man. By the way I already know that my height is 6 feet and 5 inches. Everywhere people ask me and they are still not used to the metric system in Malaysia although officially they use it.

In KK I went to a guest house which someone recommended to me in Miri. It’s a nice place but the only remaining room yesterday was a tiny prison cell without window. I was too tired to go somewhere else so I accepted. Beside it was really cheap. Fortunately I was able to change the room today. Now I have a window and even aircon but I have to pay triple. I did not do any sightseeing today (due to a lack of sights), so I spent the day vagabonding around and looking for Wi-Fi places as the Wi-Fi in the guest house doesn’t work. I told them a lie saying that I have to contact my boss back in Germany and finish some work (I had this idea because I really met people working while travelling) but this didn’t seem to speed up their efforts to fix the problem.

Niah Caves National Park (May 2-3)

All the negative stuff we have heard about Niah National Park was bullshit. The park was absolutely amazing. I have never seen a cave like this, it was huge! Some parts of the inner cave have holes in the ceiling and sunlight is shining through. This creates a really mystic atmosphere. Other parts of the cave are completely dark. Without torches you cannot even see a person standing beside you, really freaky. Unfortunately another cave called the “Painted Cave” was closed due to maintenance of the walkway. In this cave you can find paintings which are 1200 years old.

We went to the National Park together with Bernd from Germany and his Malaysian girlfriend Amelie from Kuala Lumpur. We shared a private car taking us to the park, which is more than 100 km south of Miri. The accommodations in the park were stunning – huge rooms with wooden furniture and private bathroom for 10 EUR per room. I think we were the only guest spending the night there because we didn’t see anybody around later in the evening. The small restaurant seemed to open only for us. We didn’t expect amazing food in a National Park with hardly any visitors but it was really lousy.

The next day after sleeping long in the luxurious rooms, we went to the small museum at the park entrance. On the way back, there was a guy asking us if we would like to go back to Miri with him for 30 Ringgit each. You have to know that going to the park by public transport is quite a hassle and expensive because it consists of a mix of public bus and taxi. He told us that he is waiting for a German couple to come back from the park and that this would take another 2-3 hours. It was the same for us hanging around in the park or in Miri, so we accepted. In the meantime, the man took us to the next village, so at least we could buy some decent food and drinks. There was a Chinese supermarket selling smuggled beer for a very good price, so we took advantage. We spent the waiting time drinking and listening to music (Krystyna even had some small loudspeakers). Bernd and Amelie spent another night so we could sit on the nice veranda of the bungalow. We had to wait 4 hours until the German couple came back from the park and I was already a bit drunk when we finally left. This was the first time that I drank alcohol during the day, so don’t get a wrong impression J. Anyway I had to ask the driver to stop on the road because I had to pee. Later, talking to the German couple in the bus, I found out that they come from my small village Hüttenberg, not kidding. It’s unbelievable how small the world is!!!!!! I hope that they didn’t realize that I had drunk. They would have got a totally wrong impression of me.

Back in Miri, Krystyna and I spent our last day together with a group of locals on the roof terrace. They were from Kuching and came to Miri working for a music festival which starts next week. They were drinking a lot and brought loads of very bad spirits which I didn’t touch because otherwise my hangover would have been evil! Anyway, yesterday was really fun.

Miri (April 30 - May 1)

Last night I had to sleep in an 8-bed dorm room. There were no other options in the guest house we went to and other places in town were overpriced and low-standard. At the end it wasn’t that bad but I normally hate sleeping in a room without space to put your things, squeaking bunk beds and noisy roommates. Men and women here are separated on different floors which I think is pretty ridiculous because the travellers are not 12 years old. Thankfully we got an own room today.

We spent 2 hours discussing yesterday evening with other travellers what would be the best option to get to Niah Caves National Park, if it is worth spending a night there and so on. At the end there was no minibus available for today because of the bank holiday (yes they also celebrate Labour Day). Instead of trying to go there by public transport, we decided to stay one more day in Miri. The problem is that there is really nothing to see or do here. This town was mainly built because of the oil boom in this region (it’s also very close to Brunei) but tourists only use it as a gateway to the national parks around. We went to the only sight which was recommended in the guidebook – a really nice Taoist temple – but it took not more than 30 minutes to visit it. At least we had a fantastic sea food dinner today with other travellers!

I hope that the Niah Caves National Park will fulfil our expectations because the park is the main reason why we flew here. We already heard some negative things but we will have to see it with own eyes.

Kuching (April 27-29)

Actually we wanted to head directly to Gunung Mulu National Park but some bad reviews we read online made us doubt whether it’s really worth it spending so much money for it. Some of the park's highlights are only accessible by a multiday trekking you have to spend even more money for. You are not allowed to go on your own and need a guide for everything. That’s understandable from an ecological point of view but annoying for travellers who take care of the environment and don’t litter like others do. We somewhat postponed our decision and booked a flight to Miri, a town we will have to pass anyway on our way to or back from Mulu. Around Miri there is loads of other stuff to do so we won’t get bored.

Originally we wanted to continue yesterday but we found a very cheap flight for today (Monday), so we stayed one day longer in Kuching. On Saturday we didn’t do anything special, we just wanted to relax a bit after coming back from Bako National Park. Yesterday we took the bus to a famous beach near Kuching. It wasn’t bad but I have seen nicer beaches. As we arrived at around 11am, it was terribly hot and I got sunburned although I was staying in the shade almost all the time. I guess 15 minutes swimming were enough to get burned under the equator sun. Surprisingly there were only few Westerners and a lot of locals. It was really strange for us to see them swimming with clothes.

Bako National Park (April 25-26)

Wednesday morning we went to the Bako National Park, which is the main tourist attraction around Kuching. It was quite a hassle to get there because the bus timetable they gave us at the guest house was incorrect. When we arrived at the place where the bus was supposed to leave, it had just left and we had to wait for another 2 hours, really annoying! In the bus we met a girl from Australia who was travelling together with a guy from Sabah (that’s the easternmost province of Malaysian Borneo).

You can only access the National Park by boat and we had some trouble at the boat ticket counter because they wanted to make us pay the round trip price although one-way was also on offer. We didn’t know at that time if we will go back with the other two or not and didn’t want to pay double for the way back even if we go together. After some time arguing they promised to refund the money if we decide to go back together.

When we arrived at the park and the boat dropped us off at the beach, we knew that Bako is an amazing place. We moved into our room in the “forest hostel” (cheapest option on offer) which we had booked in Kuching and the scenery was really like in the Jungle Book. We saw the long tail macaque monkeys walking and jumping around in big families. The first day we liked that and took loads of pictures but you soon change the attitude when you notice how naughty and annoying they can become. They constantly mob the accommodations and park facilities, searching for food. It happened twice that they suddenly grabbed food from our plates when we were eating! A guide we met told us that they are very smart. He told us that he once gave a cracker to a monkey but putting a very spicy chilli paste on it. Obviously the monkey didn’t enjoy the cracker. The next day, the guide gave him another chilli cracker and the monkey washed the chilli away before eating it, really unbelievable how they learn! Normally you should never give food to the monkey because they will come back with more monkeys and the situation gets worse.

The first day in the afternoon we did a short trekking to a view point which was quite close to the headquarters. It was really one of the most beautiful jungle areas I have seen and the view was amazing. After that we went to a mangrove area and saw another fantastic sunset with burning sky and sea. The second day we did a trek to a waterfall but the trail wasn’t as spectacular as the one we did the previous day. Sometimes there was no shade because of lower vegetation. Walking in the sun for a longer time is the most infernal thing you can do here! The waterfall itself wasn’t overwhelming but at least we took a refreshing bath there.

Today we went back to Kuching with the Australian-Malaysian couple. We asked the boat driver if he could take us first to the famous sea stacks (Bako’s emblem) which are located in the opposite direction of the tourist jetty. Normally the small trip from the park headquarters to the sea stacks is around 17 euro but he did it for free (we gave good tip later)! The beaches we saw from off the shore were absolutely stunning and I regretted that I hadn’t trekked to there. On the other hand it’s impossible to go everywhere because some treks even take several hours. I don’t have to mention the climate again and what that means here. The only disappointing thing of our trip to Bako National Park was that we haven’t seen the famous Proboscis long-nosed monkey who lives only in Borneo and nowhere else on earth. It seemed as if everybody else in the park saw it except us. We followed all the advices in terms of location and timing but we didn’t see it. There are things which cannot be planned so we have to live with it! Maybe next time J

We are now back to Kuching city in order to plan how to continue. We would like to go to the famous Gunung Mulu National Park but it’s a very long way with different options (bus, boat, plane) so we have to check carefully.

Kuching (April 22-24)

The first five days in Borneo were absolutely amazing. I arrived in Kuching on Sunday afternoon and it was pouring heavily, not a very good first impression! At the guest house I joined Krystyna from Vancouver. We met in Thailand three months ago and were both planning to travel in Borneo at the same time. It’s pretty cool that we are coinciding and that we can travel together!

Kuching is the biggest city in Borneo. Of course, being a big city it doesn’t look like the Borneo you imagine after watching wildlife documentaries but it’s really a place you could hang out for longer. It’s not spectacular but it has a nice riverfront, the obligatory Chinatown and some green areas. We haven’t seen loads of tourists yet (at least not many backpackers) but there must definitely be some foreigners here because otherwise they wouldn’t have an international airport and a Hilton. The people in Kuching are amazingly friendly. Everywhere they are waving, smiling and greeting us, especially the school kids. We have seen so many schools here that one might think that the city mainly consists of schools. In any case it’s a very good sign. I forgot to mention the food which is amazing, maybe even better than in West-Malaysia (although this is already hard to achieve).

On Monday we went to the Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. It’s kind of a zoo outside the city but without cages and fences. The apes can move freely inside the jungle but the area is too small for them to survive without being fed. We have witnessed one of the feedings in the morning and it was really impressive to see these majestic animals in their natural environment and not in a zoo. In the afternoon and evening we walked around the city. At the waterfront we saw a spectacular sunset, which for me was the most beautiful I had ever seen before.

The following day we went to the Kubah National Park (it consists of a vast jungle area), which is 40 minutes outside the city. To our surprise we were the only tourists that day (in a National Park!) and the whole park headquarters area seemed quite abandoned. I had the impression that the park rangers were really happy to see someone. At the end we had all the trails for ourselves and walked around for around 5 hours. It was up and down all the time, so you get pretty exhausted in the jungle climate. The highlights there were a 10-m waterfall and a fantastic viewpoint from which you can see the coastal area and the South China Sea in the background, really gorgeous! Unfortunately we didn’t see large animals but that couldn’t be expected anyway. The park rangers told us that they had to close one of the trails because there would be a wild Orang Utan family with babies and that they’d be really aggressive when they have babies. We didn’t believe that story and thought that the trail was closed for another reason. In any case there were other interesting things to see in the jungle.

Melaka (April 19-21)

I spent my last days on Malaysia Peninsula in Melaka, my favourite city in Malaysia till now. I was lucky to catch a bus on Wednesday afternoon from Mersing to Melaka after I had returned by ferry from Tioman Island. In Melaka I went directly to the same guest house as the first time, for me one of the best places I have stayed during the whole trip in Southeast Asia. I arrived there late in the evening at around 10pm. A Spanish couple opened the door for me because the owner wasn’t there. The couple told me that he had gone for a bike tour and would return soon. I saw that the room I stayed in the first time was free so I didn’t have to worry that they were full. I waited for around two hours but the owner didn’t show up. I had a shower and when I finished he still hadn’t returned. I was so tired and it was almost 1am so I took they room key from the reception and confiscated my old room. I left him a message to explain the circumstances and wrote my details into the guest book. I would call that “self check-in”. I mean it’s so cool, these things only happen in backpacker hostels and they make your trip more interesting. By the way, when I met the owner in the morning he didn’t seem really surprised about my nightly action, maybe he wondered why I waited so long to enter the free room.

There were very interesting people in the guest house, from China, Korea, Japan, UK, Spain, Denmark and the US. Friday and Saturday we went to the famous weekend night market in Melaka and I took advantage and stuffed myself with loads of food. It was so good! Apart from eating I didn’t do much. I found a very good German book in the shelf of the guest house and I even finished it within two days. That means I didn’t have to exchange it for one of my books. In the evenings we watched movies from the guest house owner’s huge library. It was almost like spending the time in a real home, not in a hostel. I almost forgot to mention that yesterday evening we also went to a pub –drinking real beer! Doesn’t really sound extraordinary but in Malaysia it is because alcohol is so expensive. The guest house owner knew a place with a good happy hour until 8pm. That meant paying around 2,50 Euro for a pint instead of 5, not too bad!

I’m now sitting in the airport terminal (with free Wi-Fi!) waiting for my flight to Kuching (Borneo). I’m pretty excited!

Pulau Tioman (April 13-18)

Tioman Island is completely different to Perhentian Islands. It’s a lot bigger and even has mountains more than 1000m high. When I arrived at the jetty in Mersing (that’s the town where ferries leave for Tioman), I was shocked by the huge number of people waiting there to get to the island. As a big surprise, the number of Westerners was very small. Someone told me that many locals and also people from Singapore go to Tioman for the weekend. Then I realized that it was Friday afternoon, a fact I haven’t paid any attention to before. I was really worried to arrive on the island and not finding any accommodation, all other Westerners had a reservation. Tioman is 40km off the shore and there is no boat returning in the evening.

I decided to go to the northernmost beach Salang, which is supposed to be most backpacker-friendly. At the end it was no problem finding a nice accommodation because the island is very big and has many different beaches with guest houses and resorts but seeing such a large number of people at the jetty made me feel a bit nervous.

As I hadn’t eaten anything during the whole trip from Kuantan to Tioman, I was very hungry on Friday evening. I went to a restaurant and ordered two different dishes. As I figured out later in the night the second of these two dishes was bad and I had to empty my whole stomach. Actually I didn’t like the food while eating but it wasn’t so bad at that moment that I felt like having to stop eating. On Saturday I felt really sick as you can imagine and I had to postpone the diving trip I already registered for on Friday afternoon. In the evening I still felt so weak that I told the dive master that I had to postpone it even until Monday. Yesterday I finally went diving but it wasn’t comparable to the underwater paradise of Perhentian Islands. It was still very nice but I didn’t see as much spectacular sea life.

I spent most of the time here relaxing, reading and swimming. The beaches are not as clean as on the Perhentians and there are a lot of rocks underwater, which make swimming more of a challenge. Life on this island is very relaxed (like on every island) and it isn’t very crowded. Actually it was hard to find any people to hang out with. I met some Westerners, mostly Scandinavians who were attracted by the duty-free alcohol, but I didn’t really have much in common with them so preferred to stay on my own. The locals and Singaporeans are normally travelling in large groups and families, so it’s hard to get in touch with them as a foreign traveller.

Yes, you won’t believe it, but a paradise can also be boring. That’s why I leave tomorrow. I will spend some few days in Melaka and maybe also in Kuala Lumpur before taking a flight to the Malaysian part of Borneo on Sunday.

Kuantan (April 12)

This is one of these situations you normally want to avoid as a solo traveller. But let’s start from the beginning: I took the 10am local bus from Taman Negara to the next bigger town Jerantut. Unfortunately when I arrived there I had missed the 11am bus to Kuantan, a large city at the east coast which I have to pass on my way to Mersing (this is the town from where ferries leave to Tioman Island). I had to wait in Jerantut for 3 hours for the next bus and I used the time for Internet and lunch. The bus to Kuantan didn’t take the fastest route. Instead we had a stopover in Temerloh where we had to change bus (I guess because our bus was almost empty and they wanted us to be united with other passengers to make the trip more profitable). I arrived in Kuantan at 6pm and headed directly to a guest house recommended by Lonely Planet which is very close to the bus station. From the description I already knew it wasn’t really nice but I thought that for one night it doesn’t matter. Unlike what’s written in LP, the staff was not friendly but the rooms were ok so I accepted.

I started to explore the city (which has half million inhabitants) but found out quickly that there is nothing to see. Unlike other places in Malaysia, it’s quite dirty and the buildings are ramshackle. The missing sidewalks are an additional challenge for pedestrians, who are already busy watching out not to fall into the stinky drains. I arrived at the riverfront from where you can already see the mangroves on the opposite side which indicate proximity to the sea. I sat down in one of the restaurants and ordered some food. Actually I thought that it was impossible to get bad tasting food in Malaysia but in Kuantan it’s possible. After this experience I was looking for a McDonald’s, Burger King or Pizza Hut which can normally be found at every corner in Malaysia but obviously not in Kuantan. There were only KFCs which I hate. Finally in one of the shopping malls I found a Pizza Hut where I filled my stomach.

As I had nothing to do in this horrible city I was looking for an Internet café (of course in my guest house there was no Internet). I went to the bus station where according to Lonely Planet there is a cybercafé. It was still there but seemed abandoned. The door was open but the stairways were not lit and garbage was lying on the floor. I thought that it was better not to proceed because who knows which surprise would have waited for me in the darkness! Back in the guest house I asked for a cybercafé and the guy at the reception pointed towards a shopping mall around 500m away. He said “maybe” there is one. I asked if “maybe” or “sure”. Then he changed to “sure”. I arrived at the shopping mall sweating (because thanks to the missing sidewalks I had to jump several times in order not to hit a vehicle). Of course there was no cybercafé. Can you believe that in a city with 500.000 inhabitants there is no cybercafé? In addition to all this the people here are strange and staring at me all the time. It’s needless to say that I haven’t seen any other tourists in Kuantan. I know why! I hate this place!

I am now sitting in my hotel room and writing all this offline. I cannot wait taking the bus tomorrow morning and leave Kuantan. When you read this it’s already over for me and I will hopefully be in a much better mood somewhere else!

One day later: Yes I am definitely in a better mood now! I arrived on the paradise island Tioman and I will go diving here :-) By the way, there was another cybercafé inside the bus station of Kuantan but I hadn’t seen it yesterday...

Taman Negara National Park (April 10-11)

The Taman Negara National Park is the only remaining primary rainforest in Peninsula Malaysia. You can enter the park from a small town called Kuala Tahan which has some guest houses and hotels. Being a National Park, the touristic infrastructure of Taman Negara is quite developed. It's possible to trek without guide as the paths are very well marked. I was quite irritated because the park authorities are building pedestrian bridges, so you can walk through the jungle avoiding to touch the muddy ground. They are building a sort of "jungle-light" and I think the place will definitely lose some of its charm.

Yesterday I did a 6 hours walk with plenty of stops and I have to say it was really sweaty! I think I haven't been exhausted like this on my whole trip. It was unbelievably humid and hot. Furthermore the ground was very muddy because it has been raining the whole previous night. At one place, there is a 500m canopy walk up in the trees and it was really fun walking 10-15 meters above the ground. As it could be expected I didn't see any big animals. The people told me that you cannot see them not even if you go deep into the jungle. Nevertheless Taman Negara is really a nice place and absolutely worth visiting. For one day it was ok but I wouldn't have stayed longer.

After the walk and back to the guest house I put off my shoes and one sock was full of blood. I had no idea where it came from. On my right foot, there was only a very small wound which didn't bleed anymore. The only explanation I have is that maybe an insect bit me while I was resting because I put off my shoes. I any case I will have to further observe the wound.

In the afternoon I met Mareike from Belgium who has also been on the bus to Taman Negara so I had some companionship. In general there were not many people in the park (which is good!).

This morning I took the local bus back to Jerantut which is the next bigger town and I am now waiting for a connecting bus to Kuantan where I will have to stay overnight before heading to Pulau Tioman.

Kuala Besut (April 9)

No big deal, just a stopover at the tiny and spotless coastal town Kuala Besut, opposite to the Perhentian Islands. I missed the minibus service to Taman Negara National Park, so had to stay there for one night. I used the time for eating (a lot cheaper than on the island) and sleeping, what else! Just a note in the margin: I finished reading the "Magic Mountain", it took me 7 weeks! I can definitely recommend it! Thanks Vero for the tip!

I have finally arrived at the entrance gate to Taman Negara National Park after a long bus ride. They say it's the oldest rainforest in the world. I am really confused about this information as I think all primary rainforests should have more or less the same age. On the other hand it doesn't surprise me that a country where 95% of the rainforest (referring to Peninsula Malaysia) has been replaced by settlements or palm oil plantations must do some marketing for the remaining spots.

Also I booked my flights to Japan, it's now official!

Pulau Perhentian (April 4-8)

The ride from Cameron Highlands to the east cost of Malaysia was really scenic and it was a pity that we couldn’t stop to take some pictures of the jungle-covered mountains. We didn’t even dare to ask the driver of the minivan because he seemed to want to beat his own record. We actually made it in four hours, which isn’t bad taking into account the long distance.

We arrived in Kuala Besut at around noon time and were able to take the speed boat not even an hour later. I travelled with 4 other Germans: Dominik and Steffi, brother and sister from Bavaria and Dominic and Justina from Essen (the same couple I went trekking with in Cameron Highlands). The Perhentian Islands consist of a small and a big island. I decided to stay on the small island because it is supposed to be more backpacker-friendly. I found a nice bungalow uphill with a great sea view (you can see pics on Facebook) and started to compare prices and services of the different diving centres. Doing a diving course was actually my main reason for going to Perhentians. I decided to book with a centre called Turtle Bay Divers as they made the most professional impression. The choice was perfect! Our instructor Sun was very strict and we had to scrupulously fulfil all the theoretical and practical exercises. At the end of the course this was a bit annoying because we wanted to have more time for fun-diving but it’s for your own safety. The dives were really amazing, we saw huge turtles, stingrays, snappers, triggerfish, barracudas, coral cat sharks, huge unicorn fish and a lot more I don’t remember. The Perhentians are well known for its great diving spots and I think I made the right decision to do the course in Malaysia, and not in Thailand. It’s only a little bit more expensive but the quality is much better. We were only 3 people in the group. People told me that in Thailand there are up to eight people in a group. Furthermore the diving centre had all the equipment in my size, including the suit and shoes! My diving buddies were Steffi from the bus ride (her brother already had a diving license) and a 13-year old girl from the UK. I think we did pretty well!

Besides the diving, my activities on the island were quite limited. The course started at 9am and finished at 7pm and lasted for 4 days, so there was not much “leisure time”. The last day it finished at noon after we passed the exam but I decided to go for another fun-dive in the afternoon (without safety exercises!) One night I took a beer with Nuria from Spain (I met her before in Cameron Highlands) but that was pretty much it. The other days the only activity after the course was having dinner.

The weather was very good the first three days with sunshine during the day and some rainfalls in the night. The last two days were more cloudy and rainy but underwater the weather doesn’t really matter. Nevertheless, Sunday afternoon and night was quite tough. The rainfalls were so heavy that I really thought it was the end of the world. Due to strong winds, there was even water in my bungalow entering from under the door!

I didn’t really sleep well on the islands. I had no mosquito net and there was no way of avoiding bites from these small devils which turned my first night into a nightmare. The next day I got the tip from my bungalow neighbours to buy incense sticks which ban mosquitoes. It really helped! The flipside of the coin was having the stench inside the room but it was definitely better than being bit all the time.

The Perhentian Islands are definitely paradisiacal, especially for divers and snorkelers. I hope that the increasing tourism will be sustainable and not destroy this beautiful spot of earth.

Cameron Highlands (April 1-3)

The Cameron Highlands are really a relief in terms of climate. The temperatures are very moderate during the day and cool in the night. The main town Tanah Rata is located around 1500m above sea level and the highest mountains reach 2200m. In this part of the country, large areas are still covered with rain forest although settlements and agriculture are spreading rapidly (like everywhere in Malaysia). There are also a lot of tea plantations.

I arrived Sunday afternoon in beaming sunshine but few hours later I got to know the regular rainfalls here which tend to be quite heavy. At the guest house I met Marion from France and Dominic and Justina from Germany and we agreed to go trekking the next day. You can do that on your own here as the paths are pretty well signed. Everyone told us to go in the morning and thus avoid the regular afternoon-rainfalls. We started when it was clouded and ended up being showered because it started raining at 11am, not in the afternoon like usually! Although we got soaked to the skin, it was a really nice trek and the forest seemed even more mystic under these weather conditions.

Today I decided to sleep late because I always got up early within the last week. After my wake-up at 9:30am, I saw that there was sunshine and so I decided that I had to do something. This “something” ended up being a motor bike rental because I was too lazy to walk. I got an old bike with manual gear but I said to myself that someday I had to learn it. The rental station didn’t have an automatic bike anyway. I knew from a person in Pai how to drive such a bike but I hadn’t practised yet. To be honest I didn’t feel very comfortable with it, not because of the gear but rather because it was trembling in a strange way. I cruised through the tea plantations and there were some really nice views! I even entered a road which according to the lady from the bike rental was forbidden for their clients. I couldn’t resist driving uphill because of the views but at some point of the road I returned because it became too steep. I feared that the rain started early and I wanted to avoid driving downhill on a slippery road, it would have been kamikaze. I returned the bike after two hours (I really had enough) and spent the rest of the day hanging out in the guest house. It has a lovely terrace and is perfect for relaxing and meeting other travellers.

Tomorrow I will go to the Perhentian Islands, the first time at the beach on my whole trip!

Kuala Lumpur (March 30-31)

I arrived yesterday at KL’s hyper modern bus terminal and took the commuter train to the city centre. The public transport system is fast, efficient and cheap, a real pleasure to discover the city (if there was so much to discover). I went directly to a guest house, which was recommended by the owner of my guest house in Melaka. It was really horrible with rooms as large as prison cells and without outside window (needless to mention that there was no private bathroom and no air condition neither). A single room was “on offer” for 50 Ringgit (12,50 EUR) which was out of question for me. The next guest houses were similar and I really started to worry. At the end I found a brand new place with rooms for 65 Ringgit, including private bathroom and air condition (and very good mattresses). It has a window to the interior, not to outside but it is very quiet, so ok for me. Actually I didn’t want to spend more than 10 EUR per night for accommodation (and I have never passed this limit except the first night in Bangkok) but in KL I have to make an exception. A room for 10 EUR in KL is definitely not fun!

Yesterday afternoon I was strolling through Chinatown, where my guest house is located. It’s also the centre of KL. Just before sunset, I went to Merdeka Square (where the country’s independence was proclaimed) to take pictures of the sunset and KL’s skyline. There are some colonial buildings, so it’s a nice contrast. Then I had dinner in a food court in Little India before going to the roof-top terrace of another hostel, which is almost next door to mine. I met some people there and it was a nice final of the day.

Generally spoken I am really impressed how multicultural this society is. If you go to KL, you almost don’t need to go to India or China. For me the main problem is that I don’t know which dish to try first; there is so much great food everywhere!

Today I woke up at 7:30am to get entrance tickets for the Petronas Towers. There are 15 min time slots available for visiting the Towers and if you arrive late it may happen that all tickets are sold out. When I arrived the queue was already huge. I was really surprised that you have to pay 50 Ringgit. Someone told me recently that it was for free but obviously since 2010 you have to pay. I found it quite of a rip-off and so I decided to go back to the guest house and continue sleeping. It was raining anyway and I guess the views you have from the tower are quite poor under these conditions. There is also a kind of television tower in KL (called Menara KL) with a platform 276m-high. It’s not as high as the Petronas Towers but I thought that you probably have a great view of the Petronas Towers from there. On the foot of Menara KL there is a small leisure park. I only wanted to go up the tower but tickets are only sold in combination with the 3D cinema and the zoo – for 45 Ringgit. What bullshit! Why do I have to pay for a cinema and a zoo when I only want to ascend the tower? On principle I didn’t buy the ticket! Besides, it was still raining. At the end I don’t care about their towers here. They take advantage of the fact that the towers are the main touristic highlights (in a city which doesn’t have too many other sights) and I will not support this rip-off. I will come back to KL anyway, so the chance was still there if I wanted.

I planned to leave KL on Monday but I think I will already leave tomorrow. There is not too much to do and the weather isn’t very good, drizzling all day long.

Melaka (March 27-29)

Some say that Malaysia is a bit boring because travelling is so easy. The infrastructure is like in a Western country, transport is comfortable and punctual and everybody speaks English. Generally spoken, Malaysia is a lot more advanced than its neighbours in Southeast Asia (except Singapore). But boring? I know there are travellers who need their daily dose of unreliable and uncomfortable transport, chaotic street life, etc but I would definitely not call this country boring. It’s the most multicultural country I have ever been to with a rich mix of nationalities and religions. Although dominated by Islam, there are also large communities of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. The population is composed by Malayans, Chinese, Indians, Westerners and many others. This is the main reason for its fabulous cuisine. Unfortunately there are very high taxes on alcohol which turn the evening beer into a luxury.

I decided to go first to Melaka instead of Kuala Lumpur. The airport lies between the two cities, so it made more sense to go first to Melaka and then to Kuala Lumpur. Melaka is a city full of history. First conquered by the Portuguese, it was then taken by the Dutch and finally by the British before Malaysia gained independence in 1957. There are still various monuments and buildings from the different periods.

I found a very nice guest house with large common areas and a roof-top terrace. The staff is really cool, they organise a bike tour every evening to different markets and eateries. Some of the other guests stay here for longer; it’s really like a big family! The bike is the perfect means of transport as Melaka is not very big and because it’s flat. The biggest surprise for me was the climate. I expected unbearable heat and humidity but it’s really enjoyable. The temperatures are moderate, between 22°C and 32°C and there is always a nice wind blowing from the sea. All other places I have been to at similar latitudes were a lot worse (Melaka is only 240 km north of the equator). I didn’t witness yet one of the torrential rainfalls which occur quite often. It sometimes seemed as if it was about to rain with dark thunderclouds appearing but then there were only some few drops.

Yesterday I did a little bike tour around the city. Although not very exciting, I also went to the sea front to have a look at the Strait of Melaka and the ships passing by. The Strait of Melaka is one of the busiest shipways in the world, chokepoint for all ships operating between Europe and the Far East but Melaka’s harbour is not playing a major role any more; it has been replaced by Singapore.

Tomorrow I will go to Kuala Lumpur and continue my culinary journey!

Pai & Chiang Mai (March 25-26)

Bye Thailand! It has been a great time with you! I am sad because Thailand is the ideal place to travel with an impressive cultural heritage, nice people, great food and also because it is so easy to meet people here. I really enjoyed my stay and who knows if I come back one day!

Tomorrow I fly to Malaysia. I’m really curious because it’s a different culture and also a different climate zone – 100% tropical. Let’s see how I come along with humidity and daily rainfalls.

My last days in Pai were very similar to the previous days, so I won’t go into details. Only one thing: the rats the French girl was talking about (see previous blog entries) really exist; I have seen them in my bamboo hut last night! I finished my stay yesterday evening in a very Pai-authentic way, that means going to a reggae bar. The offered songs from the funny little band were “No woman, no cry”, “Redemption song” and “Buffalo soldier” – in an infinite loop. They suddenly stopped playing in order to get some alcoholic “refreshments” and I think they never got back to their instruments. We left earlier.

This evening I will enjoy Thai food for the last time here in Chiang Mai, go to bed early and have a 6 am wake up tomorrow. I have an appointment with Borja from Madrid (I met him in Pai). Let’s see if he is there. He was quite surprised when I told him that I don’t use a mobile phone. He seriously asked me how I can make appointments with people without a mobile phone. I told him that in the classical way (from the old times before everyone had a mobile phone), that means agreeing a place and a time. It’s so easy!

Pai (March 22-24)

Yesterday I went out with some people I met on the streets. Some of them were belonging to the “alternative” scene, visible through their tattoos, piercings and clothes. It has to be explained that Pai as a tourist destination has once been founded by hippies in the 90s and that this place is especially attracting “alternatives” from around the world. In Pai, “alternative” has already become the mainstream. There are loads of tattoo and piercing studios and shops selling all kind of “alternative” insignia.

Yesterday evening I had to leave this group of people because from my point of view, a normal conversation was simply not possible. The list of discussed topics was reduced to drinking, smoking (not tobacco), tattoos and piercings (combined with an elevated alcohol level). They think they are different and cool compared to the “normal” people but I don’t think it is very alternative to get tattoos and piercings, drink latte ice shakes, eat veggie burgers (because meat is bad!), get spiritual enlightenment by drinking fancy tea sorts (to balance body and soul) and enjoy all the other Western amenities which are offered here. By consuming alcohol and marihuana and who knows what else, body and soul will never be balanced anyway, useless to spend money on fancy Indian tea!

The really alternative people (in a positive sense) would never go to Pai anyway because this place has as much to do with traditional Thailand as wearing rags, piercings and rastas has to do with being alternative. For me being alternative is having a specific mindset. For me it means being extremely tolerant and open for new things, having the absolute will to immerse in new cultures. I am not this person but I met people who are like this, obviously not in Pai. They don’t need to wear specific clothes (if you can call rags clothes) or piercings or whatever because being alternative is part of their mindset and doesn’t need to be defined through their outward appearance.

Wearing rastas, piercings and tattoos is equal to wearing suit and tie, it means belonging to a specific group of people. This is nothing bad (and I don’t have a problem with that) but I cannot hear these comments anymore from “alternatives”, who think that they are so tolerant because they discover “exotic” countries like Thailand. At the end of the day, the only reason for them to come to Thailand is because it’s cheap, an important factor taking into account that a large part of their travel budget is spent for alcohol and marihuana. Pai is a very nice town (otherwise I wouldn’t have come back) but it could be everywhere on earth. “Alternative” towns look pretty much the same everywhere. Fortunately, the mainstream alternative places also attract lawyers or investment bankers (who can live like kings with their fat bonuses and pay-offs from previous jobs). They are the new “alternatives” in Pai. Long live capitalism!

Pai (March 18-21)

66 days are lying behind be and 66 days ahead. This is approximately half time. In Pai my life has completely decelerated. I’m moving my ass from bed to the hammock (checking mails and Facebook and reading news on the internet), then walking 2 minutes to town (breakfast, consisting in some toast, fruit salad and mango shake), then back to my hammock (reading one chapter of the book, about 25-30 pages), then lunch (normally a rice or noodle dish), then back to my hammock (surfing the web or in the best case reading another chapter). In the dusk I go back to town to check out if new people have arrived. I already know the hippies and Rasta people who live here or get stuck for a longer time, so I’m looking for normal travellers. I have dinner and then check out the bars.

On Monday I met a French girl I had already met in Chiang Mai. I recommended her my guest house in Pai and she actually showed up. On Tuesday morning I met her in a very bad shape. She told me that she hasn’t slept because there were rats in her bamboo hut and that she has been crying. She decided to leave Pai immediately and go back to Chiang Mai (although she wanted to stay a whole week). I have to admit that rats inside the hut are not very delightful but is that a reason to immediately leave? She could have changed the guest house... By the way, I have the bamboo hut next door!

I think I haven’t mentioned yet that on Saturday evening I went to a very nice bar with Lauren. They had really good live music there and the bar was full of people (tourists but also a lot of Thais). It was the bar’s 16th anniversary and obviously they organised gigs of the best bands you can get in Northern Thailand. The weekends seem to be quite busy here compared to “working days”, so I’m looking forward to the next weekend. It will be my last one. On Monday I go back to Chiang Mai and on Tuesday I will fly to Kuala Lumpur. The laziness of Pai will have an end then (and also the chilly nights)!

Pai (March 16-17)

Yesterday was the most perfect day since I started travelling. I was picked up at the guest house and taken to the place where minivans leave from Chiang Mai to Pai. The minivan was real luxury with comfy seats, leg space and a driver, whose target was to arrive in Pai as soon as possible. I had the same target. We made the route in sensational 2,5 hours and arrived at 11 am. I met Lauren, a Canadian girl on the ride and also two English whose names I have forgotten. In Pai, Lauren accompanied me to the guest house where I had already stayed when I first came to Pai. The woman at the reception smiled. She recognised me and said: “You are back! Have you been trekking?” I was a bit confused and told her that yes, I have been trekking but that I have also been to Laos and Cambodia in the meantime and that 6 weeks have passed since last time. Then she was surprised. I asked if number 4 is vacant and it was! I am back to my old bamboo hut! Then she said that the price is now 200 Baht instead of 300 because it’s low season. I was really close to tears; Pai is so nice to me!

The town is really quiet now, nothing compared to six weeks ago. The streets are half empty and not packed with people. I don’t know what happened and why all of a sudden, many tourists have disappeared. In Bangkok for instance, the guest house was almost fully booked and I didn’t have the impression that it is low season. Same applies for Chiang Mai which is only 150 km away from here.

Anyway, I went to the Yellow Sun bar yesterday (my favourite place), then had dinner with Lauren and finally went back to the bar. Yes, life is quite simple here! The night was cool as expected, guaranteeing a relaxing night.

My permit for Thailand expires March 26 (because you only get 15 days entering at land borders), so I will at least stay here until that day. Depending on my mood, I will probably extend the visa. This would mean having to pay a visa-run service to Myanmar, which is quite expensive. I will see. I guess that the days here will be quite similar. I will inform you in case there is some variation, such as an excursion but don’t expect too many blog entries during the next week.

Chiang Mai (March 15)

The last weeks I was dreaming of eating a burger with fries but I resisted the temptation because it didn’t seem coherent to go to McDonalds or Burger King in a country with such fantastic food like Thailand. Finally at Bangkok’s airport there was an opportunity. At airports food is always expensive so it didn’t make a difference going to McDonalds or having local food. Furthermore there was free Wi-Fi so the choice was easy. As a big surprise, the Big Mac tasted like everywhere in the world. It is like you had never eaten anything else in your life, food without soul.

When I left the airport building in Chiang Mai, I had this great experience of a different climate. It was a great relief compared to Bangkok – hot, but not humid and the sky was blue! I shared a taxi with two French and found a nice German run guest house in the centre. I really like Chiang Mai, the people are amazingly friendly and life is so relaxed – what a contrast to Bangkok’s big city madness! I used the evening for going to the barber and eating at the town’s abundant food stalls. I am so slim that I really have to gain weight. Chiang Mai is the perfect place!

Bangkok (March 13-14)

Tuesday and Wednesday I explored the modern part of Bangkok. On Tuesday I first started with the Golden Buddha in the Wat Traimit temple (5,5 tons of pure gold), then continued to the Golden Mountain (a temple and pagoda located on a small hill) and ended the tour at the Jim Thompson house near Siam Square (the commercial centre of Bangkok). Jim Thompson was an US-American entrepreneur dealing with silk and textiles from Thailand. He built an impressive teakwood mansion in Bangkok before he mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in 1967. Today his teak house is a museum and can be visited. The climate in Bangkok really made me feel tired, so I spent the evening relaxing in the guest house (with air condition!).

On Wednesday I took the fantastic subway (with brand new stations and trains, all air conditioned!) and went to the Sukhumvit neighbourhood. I explored Bangkok’s little Arabia but at 10 am the quarter was still dozy with some few men having their morning tea. Then I went all the way along Sukhumvit Road to Siam Square. It wasn’t particularly interesting but I had some nice stops in some of the frozen shopping malls, not to buy but rather to cool down. Then I went from Siam Square to the Lumphini Park by Skyrail train. I was really tired from the heat, so my plan was to rest on a shady park bench. I lay down to have a nap but after five minutes a policeman indicated that I had to sit on the bench, not lie down. What the f***? I thought a park is for recreation. How can I refuel my batteries without lying? I can only guess the reasons for this rule. Anyway, Bangkok seems to have too many policemen if they are even scheduled to control that nobody “misuses” the city’s park benches.

In the evening I went back to the wonderful place I have been to two days before with Wolf and the Swedish guys. I was completely alone on the terrace and spent two hours taking dozens of pictures of Bangkok’s skyline, really cool! At the end I have to say that Bangkok is not so bad. It’s big and chaotic and it’s definitely too hot and humid but there are some really interesting places (Khao San Road is definitely not one of them!). I don’t regret having spent three more days there and the skyline pictures were really worth it! You can see one on my Facebook wallpaper.

Bangkok (March 12)

I have finally finished my loop – I’m back to Bangkok! Yesterday I met Wolf (a German guy) in the bus to the border. My original plan was staying one night in Aranya Prathet (a border town on the Thai side) and continuing the next day but he told me that there is a train to Bangkok, leaving at 2 pm. I decided to follow him because I haven’t been on a train yet during my trip and I was really curious. It was a great thing! First, the train ticket is ridiculously cheap, 48 Baht or 1,20 EUR for a six hours ride! Second, you have plenty of room for your legs and third, the train leaves you in the centre of Bangkok (not in a remote bus station). Apart from that, a train ride is nicer because you see a lot more from the landscape.

After arrival at Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok, we had dinner in a food stall opposite to the train station and met an English guy who recommended a guest house not far away from the train station. We went there and it was really nice – not cheap but brand new and with a nice common area. We decided to stay there and shared a room for one night. We also met some Swedish guys there and went to a roof top bar with them. It was actually Wolf’s idea because he knows Bangkok quite well. The bar was absolutely amazing; with an almost 360° panorama view on the river and Bangkok’s skyline. Unfortunately I left the camera and tripod in the guest house. I could have taken amazing pics!

I still have two more days in Bangkok until I return to Northern Thailand by plane. I didn't like it the first time in Bangkok, so I will give it a second chance. I think it may help not staying in the horrible Khao San road area and exploring the modern Bangkok and other sights I haven't been to before.

Siem Reap & Temples of Angkor (March 8-11)

There is not much to say. The huge Angkor area with its hundreds of larger and smaller temples is just amazing. On Thursday after the arrival in Siem Reap I met Lotte and Johan, a Dutch-Swedish couple I had already met two times before, really a coincidence! They had already been to the temple area for two days but still hadn’t seen the more distant temples, around 40 km off the main temple area. We agreed to share a Tuk-Tuk the next day to visit these remote temples and share costs. I didn’t regret it! At the end we did a large tour and ended with the sunset at Angkor Wat, really impressive!

On Friday evening I met two German girls (Claire and Sonja) at the guest house and we shared a Tuk-Tuk the next day to visit other temples, for instance the famous Ta Prohm site, where parts of the Tomb Raider film were shot. It’s a very mystic place because huge trees have overgrown the temples. After eight hours of visiting different sites we were really tired. The weather was actually quite bearable but you need to stay in the shade wherever and whenever possible. In the temple area I met two other people I already met before, Rodrigo, a Chilean who lives in Berlin and Ruth, Peruvian who lives in Stockholm. In the evening we all went for dinner and had some drinks in Siem Reap’s Pub Street. It is a bit similar to Khao San Road in Bangkok but more modest and without so many drunk people, so actually not too bad. Of course this street is only aimed for tourists (as is the whole city). In fact, Siem Reap, a town with 150.000 inhabitants only exists because of Angkor.

The third day (Sunday), I went to the temple area with Ruth, Sonja and Claire to visit the remaining sites. It’s impossible to see everything but the most interesting places can be seen in two or three days. The three day pass is the same price as two days, so it’s worth going three days and taking it easier. We ended up visiting the interior of Angkor Wat, which I hadn’t seen before and stayed until after sunset. This time I went to the opposite side of the temple to observe the sun setting behind it. I have some really nice pics!

The three days in Siem Reap were really great because I met a lot of people to share the experience of visiting the Angkor temples. I was actually thinking of skipping Cambodia because I was tired of travelling on horrible buses but at the end I’m glad I didn’t! I really liked Cambodia (more than Laos), mainly because the people are more open and friendlier.

Phnom Penh (March 5-7)

Phnom Penh is surprisingly clean compared to what I had seen before in Cambodia. It’s a quite modern city, I would say similar to Bangkok but smaller. The city has a doubtful reputation for being a favourite place for sex tourists. You can see plenty of establishments right in the centre, it’s really obvious. Nevertheless, it’s a place you can stay longer, with a nice atmosphere and good food. The people are very friendly. It’s normal that in the centre tourism is their business, but they are very polite and don’t get on your nerves.

I went to Phnom Penh with a French couple I have met several times before, the first time in Pai, which was 5 weeks ago! We checked in a nice guest house with a fantastic roof top terrace. My room was a bit musty and humid but still ok. Phnom Penh is quite expensive compared to other places in the region, really surprising because Cambodia is a very poor country. The guest house room was 12 USD and a decent dish for lunch or dinner can be around 4 USD. In Thailand for example you can eat great for 1 USD.

I did some of the excursions in Phnom Penh together with Guillaume and Aurélia (the French couple). On Tuesday morning we went first to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S-21), where the Red Khmer once tortured and executed their compatriots. It is really not easy to digest what you see there and it is unbelievable that all this happened only 33 years ago.

In the afternoon I went to the Royal Palace (a set of temples and other official buildings of the Kingdom), but it wasn’t too exciting. It is very similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The late afternoon and evening was reserved for chilling at the roof terrace, having dinner, etc. Wednesday was quite similar. We went to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in the morning. It is really unbelievable which kind of atrocities human beings are able to commit. I will not go into details here but it was terrifying.

In the evening I met a German photographer’s couple and I had a very interesting conversation with them. They travelled exactly in those countries which I plan to visit next and vice-versa, so it was very useful for both sides. They also showed me photos and videos from their trip, really great what you can do if you know how! I also said good-bye to Guillaume and Aurélia who continued to Sihanoukville this morning. I took a morning bus to Siem Reap, where one of the main highlights, if not “the” highlight of Southeast Asia is waiting for me – Angkor Wat. It is almost useless to mention that the bus ride was horrible. This time it was the air condition (in a bus without possibility to open windows) which failed. It didn’t have enough power for the whole bus – not nice taking into account the outside temperatures of 35°C.

Kratie (March 4)

Yesterday we were ripped off. “We” includes all the tourists who have booked a transfer from 4.000 islands in Laos to a specific town in Cambodia (in my case it was Kratie, half way between the border and Phnom Penh). The day started how travel days in Laos normally start – with trouble! Our boat to the riverside almost sank because it was packed with about 15 people and the respective luggage. First there was only a little bit of water in the boat and no one was worried because the riverside was quite close but then the water level inside the boat increased rapidly. After we shouted to the boat driver (because our backpacks were already partly under water) we stopped at an island and thus avoided capsizing. From there we were distributed to other boats.

Our bus which was supposed to take us from the riverside village to the border was two hours late and as they overbooked it, three of us had no seats. I was one of them because I waited until they finalised the procedure of trying to stow all bags in the luggage compartment (to make sure the bags will not fall out on the way) and then when I entered the bus it was too late. Nobody thanked me for my supervision! The border was only 20 minutes away and as we paid 30 dollars for the visa-on-arrival instead of the official 20 dollars, the border procedure was pretty straightforward. We learned that the Lao officer receives 2 dollars bribe for giving the departure stamp quickly, then 3 dollars for the first Cambodian officer (who issues the visa), another 3 dollars for the second Cambodian officer (giving the entry stamp) and 2 dollars “administration fee” for the Mafia cartel from 4.000 islands. They are so kind to “help” the tourists with the immigration procedure but have to charge you for that service. Apart from the border scam it has to be mentioned that they sell bus tickets for 23 dollars which would normally cost 7 or so. The problem is that you have no choice because on the islands they have formed a cartel and there is no competition.

As it we could expect we had to change the bus and finally travelled to Kratie in a minivan with 20 people or so. I took an analgesic to reduce the pain for my back and my legs because there was no space. I was really pissed off because after paying so much money they pack you into these horrible minivans as a consequence of overbooking. These people working in tourism are so useless, I really hate them. I am not used to so much incompetence. The worst is that I bought my ticket on 4.000 islands from an American guy. I mean if you get ripped off by locals, it’s maybe understandable because they are poor but an American! He should really be ashamed of himself to belong to this Mafia. I am sure he has also been a backpacker some time ago and was in the same situation as the people he is now ripping off!

Anyway, we finally arrived in Kratie, a spotless Cambodian town. The stay there was more meant as a stopover. I met a lot of people there who I have already met before in Laos or even Thailand and I spent a very nice evening. Today I continued to Phnom Penh in a big bus with own seat and paid USD 6,25 for 8 hours bus ride. It’s also possible to travel without pain!

4.000 islands (February 29 - March 3)

On Wednesday I fell in love – with a bus! You’d probably ask how it is possible to fall in love with a bus but in Laos it’s possible. The bus from Tad Lo to Pakse was a real bus with seats, and the best – there was enough space for my legs! It was half empty, so I could have even put my legs to my virtual seat neighbour. It was early morning and a gentle and refreshing wind was blowing through the small windows. I put on my iPod and was even about to sleep but then I started to realise that the 2 hours on this bus were too valuable to spend them sleeping.

In Laos heaven and hell are close together. I had to change bus in Pakse and the vehicle that expected me for my trip to 4.000 islands was a pick-up truck. Here they call it Song Tauw. It’s a harmless name for a vehicle that was designed to torture their passengers. Well, the truth is that it has never been designed for passenger transport but who cares? I will not mention all the details of the 3,5 hours trip, only the most important facts: Unlike the pick-ups I have used before, it had 3 sitting benches instead of two. That means more passengers, animals and goods per square centimetre. My “seat” was one of the better ones. I was sitting on the edge of the middle bench with my feet on the footboard. That meant I had space for my legs (always watching out not to fall outside) but the flipside of the coin was that the exhaust pipe was below my legs. I breathed a mixture of black and definitely not healthy Diesel emissions and the usual dust from the road. It wasn’t very recommendable neither to turn my head towards inside the torture chamber because the smell was not better. As I knew after the trip there were living fish in a big box under the middle seat (and the box was leaking!). It definitely seems as if my last “bus” ride in Laos was one worthy of this country!

Before I start describing the beauty of 4.000 islands, I have to mention a topic which really makes me angry. It’s the environmental awareness (or better said non-awareness) of the locals. Two days ago I observed the lady from my guesthouse washing the dishes at the river, just below my bungalow. Apart from the dishes there was also a bit of garbage in her basket (such as cans and plastic bottles) and guess where the garbage landed – in the river! I have seen people throwing garbage everywhere but the behaviour of this lady has a different quality because here they live directly from the beauty of this place. I don’t think that tourists would be very keen to swim in a river full of garbage. If they continue like that, maybe in a couple of years there are no tourists any more. The behaviour is so short-sighted and I don’t know if it is because the people have no education (although I think you don’t need to go to school or university to understand this simple correlation) or if they just don’t fucking care. I am really asking myself why other countries give development aid to countries like Laos if the people here are not willing to contribute a tiny little bit to the conservation of their nature (and hence also foster economy through tourism). The country is still lucky because it has only 7 million inhabitants, that’s simply too few people to achieve massive destruction of nature. For the sake of fairness I have to add that I have also seen tourists (mainly the type of Vang Vieng tourists whose single objective is to get drunk) who threw beer bottles and cigarettes into the water. That is even worse because they should have received the education to know what is right or wrong. I have no words to describe how angry I am.

Anyway, 4.000 islands is really a beautiful spot of nature. It’s a delta of the Mekong before the river flushes down a series of impressive waterfalls further south. The region is the southernmost point of Laos, located next to the Cambodian border. In dry season the water has a nice green to turquoise colour. If you also consider the palm trees growing here, you could really think of being at the coast. It’s really nice swimming in the fresh water and relaxing in the hammock of my bungalow. The day before yesterday I rented a bike in order to go to the next island but unfortunately I had a flat tyre on the way. I didn’t want to go back so I stopped a motor bike, whose driver was so kind to take me. On the other island I went to see one of the 6 big waterfalls of the Mekong River (in former times insuperable barrier for steam ships). On the way back there was no motorbike, so I had to walk more than one hour in the midday heat. Due to agricultural use of the soil, there were no trees and no shade, really tough in these latitudes! Apart from this “incidence”, there is not much to tell. I spent many hours lying in my hammock, reading or listening to music, accompanied by a Dutch-Swedish couple who I met on the “bus” ride and who was staying in the bungalow next door.

Tomorrow I will leave Laos and enter Cambodia. In general I would have expected to be nature more abundant in Laos but I am not disappointed. It is a relaxed place and if you are able to accept the people’s relaxed attitude (implying good and bad things) then you can spend a great time here.

By the way, I have fully recovered from my sickness :-)

Tad Lo Waterfalls (February 25-28)

I’m feeling sick for more than a week now because of this fucking pizza I had in Vang Vieng. I started to take antibiotics but there is only little effect till now. One day you think you feel better and start eating but then it comes back again. Two good side effects of this are that you lose weight and you save money you would have spent for food otherwise.

On Saturday I took the plane from Vientiane to Pakse. It was a small propeller machine and half of the seats were empty. The flight was super punctual and we even started 15 minutes before schedule. The domestic terminal in Vientiane was really interesting. Very little reminded you of being in an airport, it rather looked like a bus station from a small town.

After arriving in Pakse I took a taxi to the bus station and continued immediately to the Tad Lo waterfalls. The bus ride took about 2 hours and wouldn’t have been too bad if they hadn’t packed it with maybe 100 people and several tons of cargo. Someone had the fantastic idea to keep a 10 litre water deposit under my seat. Unfortunately I don’t speak the language because I wanted to explain them that this space is supposed to be reserved for my legs! I then carried the deposit on my knees together with my small backpack. There was really not a single square centimetre not used for cargo or human livings. I think under these circumstances you cannot say passenger.

My activities in Tad Lo village can be narrated quickly. I spend 2-3 hours every day for swimming and jumping the waterfalls. The rest of the day and night is reserved for sleeping, reading (I finally started reading the Magic Mountain), “eating” and using the toilet (normally after eating). There is one place with internet but it is really expensive, so I have to reduce surfing the web. It’s like wanting to reduce the number of cigarettes when you are a smoker. Yesterday was really tough because I knew that Bayern and Dortmund had played on Sunday but I didn’t know the results. My guesthouse is pretty nice. I have a nice room (with own bathroom!) and a balcony overlooking the river and the lower parts of the waterfall.

When I arrived there were quite a lot of tourists here but now it has become pretty quiet. I will leave tomorrow to 4.000 islands and continue relaxing there. I heard that the area is quite popular among backpackers so I will definitely meet more people than here (although this place here is also quite frequented for being such a laid-back village).

It’s also worth mentioning that on Sunday I witnessed the first rainfalls since my start in Bangkok. It was really refreshing and all the dust was wiped out of the air. The climate is generally more humid here than in the places I have visited before but it is not unbearable. The temperatures are now increasing from week to week and will reach their maximum before the rainy season starts in April/May. I am not planning to stay in this area until May anyway, so I hope that I can avoid the hottest period. The 32°C we have now are enough for me!