Prophet Muhammed said:
" There is no better companion on this way than what you do;
Your actions will be your best friend;
Or if you're cruel and selfish,
Your actions will be a poisonous snake that lives on your grave."
I think this explains, along with other things, why people have completely different experiences of seemingly the same trip they have. It is true that on the way it is much easier to experience instant karma. One who travels knows that the energy you emanate attracts a similar energy. Your actions and even thoughts are equally rewarded.
July 31, 2008
July 28, 2008
Experiencing the Typhoon with an I
Today I’m locked inside the house by the most forceful typhoon I’ve experienced so far. This being the third one, does not scare me as much as the first two. But the wind is very strong and it is pouring. It is a surprise that we still have electricity and even the cable TV is working.
This will be the typhoon with the letter I. My first one was Frank, which killed a th
ousand people in the Philippines but was just a rainy day in Baguio. Then we got caught in Helen when we were on the northern tip of the Luzon Island, attempting to go sightseeing around Pagudpud. But then we thought, what the hell happened to the letter G? There was supposed to be one with G between Frank and Helen. They couldn’t have missed it, in fact they love G here in the Philippines, they have it everywhere. The language is TaGaloG, the national breakfast is lonGGanisa, they have BaGuio, BenGuet, iGorots and Rufa Gutierrez. Then we realized that the president was Gloria M. Arroyo and perhaps some American meteorologist had named a typhoon Gloria and the Filipino authorities had decided to ignore that one. We never heard of it.
In any case, it seems these big storms are more problematic in the lowlands. Up here in the mountains it gets wet and cold but that’s all about it. It’s not necessarily a disaster. When we were on the way back to Baguio during the heaviest time of Helen, we had to pass a flooded road near Laoag. The river next to the highway had burst its banks and the road was indistinguishable apart from the line of trees between the river and the road. It was strange for me to see the land that sees 30 typhoons a year so unprepared.
When it got deepe
r and deeper and the water level reached the first step of the door of the bus and the traffic came to a standstill I said to myself “wow, I’m stranded in a typhoon, so cool.” But then, when the bus was trying to move a few centimeters forward I felt the river push the bus a few centimeters to the side, I thought maybe it was not that cool. I had been in some such river crossings in North India but I was usually on top of the bus and had felt I could just jump down if the river took the bus. Here though, we were all inside and even the doors were closed due to the heavy rain. I looked around me to see if people were getting anxious about the situation but saw that I was the only one making it into a big deal. I was just being the foreigner.
How do disasters happen? Do they come slowly and give you time to reflect whether it’s been a worthwhile lifetime or not? Or do they come when you least expect them? There we were in a bus, the size of a nutshell compared to the size of the swollen river, and we thought we are fully safe because there is the road, although we cannot see it, there is the 3 tons of the bus, although it’s slowly being pushed to the side, and there are all the other vehicles on the road, although they are also half swimming. When we hear a bus has been taken by the river during a storm, do the passengers there also feel the way we do till the last moment? Or when these accidents happen you know it from the very beginning that something’s going to happen?
Perhaps our bus was not being pushed to the side at all and the flood adventure lasted about half an hour and the rest of the 8 hour ride was uneventful apart from the little argument we had with Maya but that was because of the full moon energy.
Did you know there were more violent crimes during the full moons than at other times? Luckily all the accident we had was a bite on the arm and a slap on the head.
***
It’s so flattering to receive a quick personal reply from God. Right after I wrote the above stuff, the house started to rock. It is a 3 storey concrete villa by the side of a steep hill. It’s hard to believe any wind would shake it like an earthquake. It was scary. Then Maya texted me asking if I want to go out! I couldn’t even imagine that it’d be possible to walk around without flying. But she said the main road and around the mall it must be full of people now (it’s Sunday). People just go on with their lives as usual, always experiencing that there is a greater power we cannot control.
This will be the typhoon with the letter I. My first one was Frank, which killed a th
ousand people in the Philippines but was just a rainy day in Baguio. Then we got caught in Helen when we were on the northern tip of the Luzon Island, attempting to go sightseeing around Pagudpud. But then we thought, what the hell happened to the letter G? There was supposed to be one with G between Frank and Helen. They couldn’t have missed it, in fact they love G here in the Philippines, they have it everywhere. The language is TaGaloG, the national breakfast is lonGGanisa, they have BaGuio, BenGuet, iGorots and Rufa Gutierrez. Then we realized that the president was Gloria M. Arroyo and perhaps some American meteorologist had named a typhoon Gloria and the Filipino authorities had decided to ignore that one. We never heard of it.In any case, it seems these big storms are more problematic in the lowlands. Up here in the mountains it gets wet and cold but that’s all about it. It’s not necessarily a disaster. When we were on the way back to Baguio during the heaviest time of Helen, we had to pass a flooded road near Laoag. The river next to the highway had burst its banks and the road was indistinguishable apart from the line of trees between the river and the road. It was strange for me to see the land that sees 30 typhoons a year so unprepared.
When it got deepe
r and deeper and the water level reached the first step of the door of the bus and the traffic came to a standstill I said to myself “wow, I’m stranded in a typhoon, so cool.” But then, when the bus was trying to move a few centimeters forward I felt the river push the bus a few centimeters to the side, I thought maybe it was not that cool. I had been in some such river crossings in North India but I was usually on top of the bus and had felt I could just jump down if the river took the bus. Here though, we were all inside and even the doors were closed due to the heavy rain. I looked around me to see if people were getting anxious about the situation but saw that I was the only one making it into a big deal. I was just being the foreigner.How do disasters happen? Do they come slowly and give you time to reflect whether it’s been a worthwhile lifetime or not? Or do they come when you least expect them? There we were in a bus, the size of a nutshell compared to the size of the swollen river, and we thought we are fully safe because there is the road, although we cannot see it, there is the 3 tons of the bus, although it’s slowly being pushed to the side, and there are all the other vehicles on the road, although they are also half swimming. When we hear a bus has been taken by the river during a storm, do the passengers there also feel the way we do till the last moment? Or when these accidents happen you know it from the very beginning that something’s going to happen?
Perhaps our bus was not being pushed to the side at all and the flood adventure lasted about half an hour and the rest of the 8 hour ride was uneventful apart from the little argument we had with Maya but that was because of the full moon energy.
Did you know there were more violent crimes during the full moons than at other times? Luckily all the accident we had was a bite on the arm and a slap on the head.
***
It’s so flattering to receive a quick personal reply from God. Right after I wrote the above stuff, the house started to rock. It is a 3 storey concrete villa by the side of a steep hill. It’s hard to believe any wind would shake it like an earthquake. It was scary. Then Maya texted me asking if I want to go out! I couldn’t even imagine that it’d be possible to walk around without flying. But she said the main road and around the mall it must be full of people now (it’s Sunday). People just go on with their lives as usual, always experiencing that there is a greater power we cannot control.
Blogging and Me
I don’t read blogs unless I come across one with some useful information about the places I want to go. So when I learned that Maya was blogging I was curious and thought it could be a good way of sharing experience. I attempted a travel blog and started writing “useful” things but the outcome was very unsatisfactory. It was boring and not that useful. It was also not that easy to get inspired in internet cafés. But now that I have my own little laptop, Susu, I decided to give it another try. But first is the reason why I gave up before.
This is what I originally wrote about Cambodia in a hot and uncomfortable internet café in Bali at one go. I’ll resist the temptation to edit it so you see why I haven’t blogged so far.
Cambodia First round
WARNING
This is my first ever blog try.
It may contain anything.
It may also contain nuts.
A blood red welcome
After a few extra days of waiting in Trat on the Thai side of the border and really enjoying the little town energy there we took the minibus to the border afternoon 22nd of December. Although it was one of the dustier borders around this side of the world, it was also one of the smoother border crossings, thanks to Maya's nationality being a member of ASEAN with Cambodia and me being smart enough to buy an e-visa online. The land borders of Cambodia are very famous with the officials' scams to rip incomers off their 30+ US dollars instead of the official 20 so I agreed to pay 5 extra online to avoid the hustle (am I smart?) and it worked fast.
As soon as we crossed the main gate and even before we got to see any Cambodian officers we were spotted and "taken care of" by motodops, the motorbike drivers who can help you with almost everything. We agreed to get a ride downtown (10 kms) to Koh Kong on two bikes and refused to be involved in any drug story (I know it's the dreads and the earrings but I really don't do it anymore!) Somehow the first sunset we witnessed while very slowly riding behind the bikes was also one of the most colorful sunsets we have seen for a long while, a blood red welcome. We also passed by a very posh luxury building right next to the border area which we learned was a casino perhaps owned by some retired generals. It looked incredibly out of place in front of the dusty road and in comparison to all that we would see the next day. We found a cheap room in a place called Koh Kong Riverside and turned off.
Meet the Dust
We have thought we could stay there one day and move the next so that we see one more place in this neglected country of our maps but we woke up and walked downtown for breakfast and met the dust. It seems there were some asphalting works way back in history but there were also some strong rains and much mud which luckily dried before we arrived and turned into fine dust that's everywhere. Not pleasant. We had a local breakfast (nice soup with free tea) and paid in Thai Bahts. and found the bus station where we saw how true the reports of the fullness of local minibuses were. They were pretty unbelievable, so many people in such a small minivan. I think this happens all over the poorer parts of SE Asia but somehow they seemed fuller than the ones I saw in Sumatra but, I know, Java is coming.
We agreed to pay 100 Bahts more (3 $) and take seats on a shared Toyota Camry taxi with AC. There we were only 6 grown-ups, 2 kids and the driver and the ride was much nicer than we feared after we had read the stuff on the internet because they've been pretty busy paving all the way from the border to Sre Ambel (connecting it to the way between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville). Even the 4 famous short but time consuming ferry rides over the rivers are coming to an end. two of the bridges were near to finished and one already opened. I really enjoyed the 3 rides on the flat boats with creative designs on the tropical surroundings that reminded me images from Apocalypse Now. It is such a beautiful scene, yet so polluted in our memories with wars and in reality with land mines.
Our taxi driver decided to help us experience the minivan rides and put us on one from Sre Ambel to Sihanoukville but we were given the front seat only for ourselves (although our bags didn't seem as comfortable dangling on top of the two motorbikes loaded on the back of the minivan.)
Wrong timing once again
By the time we arrived in Sihanoukville, ate something and made it to the famous beach with an impossible name to spell or pronounce (it amazes me how it can be famous at all with such a name as Ochheuteal - I copy-pasted this- shall we blame this on the French influence?) it was already couple of hours to sunset. Leaving bags with Maya I started the room hunt. Wow, although the beach is not so much built by resort hotels it was so crowded, it was immediately clear that the Khmer Rouge didn't make it this far in their landmining campaign. It was packed (we later learned that it was also Sunday and the beach was full of local tourists from Phnom Penh).
With good hope I started from the "Serendipity" beach side and although the place looked, well, OK, it was full. The only room that was available for that night only was 30$. So I came back to the second option of the roadside cheapies. GST full, next door to it 30$, Cobra brothel, next door full... until I made it to the last hotel on the beach fully wet in sweat. Jasmine Hotel had a room for us for 10$ and that seemed to be the only option for the night. It also had attached bathroom and cable TV, so I said it's OK for a couple of days. Just before I went to pick up Maya the receptionist said "but you know tomorrow it is not 10$", "what? why?", "All rooms are 50 % more expensive because it's the holiday season!" And it dawned on me that the effects of Christmas tourism was what was making me sweat. Got Maya and managed to be in the perfectly still sea for the sunset.
Change is good
We started the day early, had breakfast on the beach and I said goodbye to find a room on the Victory Hill area. I took a motodop and checked Sakal bungalows, full, Bungalow village, full, rainy season full, and finally got a room in a place with a good view from the restaurant called Chez Mari Yann. When we were moving in Maya saw another sign nearby which even looked better with same prices and after we had difficulty sleeping because of the private disco of the guest house we stayed, in the morning once more we moved to Sunset Garden Inn.
It came as a strange surprise that all these cheap rooms (5$) even came with attached bathrooms and always cable TV. But I could enjoy a little bit of it after a year of abstinence (well I had one day with a TV for myself in Jinhong, China and that's pretty much the thing. I don't count Ms.Loh's TV in Penang because it was only Malaysian and I saw mostly only 7 o'clock news there.) After we moved to Mari Yann I also had an interesting time trying to find a bike to rent. All the foreigners were riding bikes and there seemed to be none left for us. After an hour of walking and searching, I found one, took it to the gas station, filled the tank and saw the tire was flat, took it back and changed it, transferred the gas and made it back home just before the sunset.
And it was Christmas. We passed by all the Victory Hill bars with "hostess" girls dressed in Santa clothes waiting for the sexpats. It also seems Cambodia is some destination for the sexpatriates. There are so many fat men with tiny Asian women around it hurts the eyes.
So what's special about Sihanoukville?
This place was chosen as Cambodia's main port after it became clear that using the Mae Kong river delta which is in Vietnam was not so good anymore, in 1952. So there are no historical, cultural things around. The beaches are nice long yellow sand beaches and the sea is pretty shallow. The first day we sampled all the nearby beaches on the map, Victory, Hawaii, Independence, Sokha, Occhi-whatever and Otres and decided the one nearest to us Victory, was better for us. Somehow it was hard to understand the Antonov plane on the beach but it was more peaceful than the others for sure.
The following days we also discovered the Prek Treng beach to the north of town and were happily surprised that we were the only ones on this long white beach. We decided to go off-road and came across the first protected forest we saw in Cambodia, the Kbal Chhay watershed. I felt like some Indiana Jones on wheels crossing the very dodgy wooden bridge on the river and felt even more strange paying 0.5$ for it at the end. The waterfall was great but pretty dry because of the dry season. And it was not very pleasant to find yet another flat tire when we were leaving. Luckily we were not very far from the waterfall picnic site cafes so we found a man who did the repairs but we had to cancel our plans to go to Ream National Park and headed back.
Kampot
[To be continued]
[At this point the writer realized that blogging his travels in internet cafés while traveling is not really happening. The places are hot and noisy, very uninspiring. After reading what he had already written and feeling utterly bored and embarrassed about it, he went between deleting it and keeping it private and he decided to add a note and stop feeling bad about not adding more on his travel blog until the day that he starts traveling with his little lap-top. The day is coming in some months hopefully. Till than, have patience.]
***
So that day has come and I’m hoping to have a tastier blog this time. I’d love to hear your comments. I may need to be motivated :)
This is what I originally wrote about Cambodia in a hot and uncomfortable internet café in Bali at one go. I’ll resist the temptation to edit it so you see why I haven’t blogged so far.
Cambodia First round
WARNING
This is my first ever blog try.
It may contain anything.
It may also contain nuts.
A blood red welcome
After a few extra days of waiting in Trat on the Thai side of the border and really enjoying the little town energy there we took the minibus to the border afternoon 22nd of December. Although it was one of the dustier borders around this side of the world, it was also one of the smoother border crossings, thanks to Maya's nationality being a member of ASEAN with Cambodia and me being smart enough to buy an e-visa online. The land borders of Cambodia are very famous with the officials' scams to rip incomers off their 30+ US dollars instead of the official 20 so I agreed to pay 5 extra online to avoid the hustle (am I smart?) and it worked fast.
As soon as we crossed the main gate and even before we got to see any Cambodian officers we were spotted and "taken care of" by motodops, the motorbike drivers who can help you with almost everything. We agreed to get a ride downtown (10 kms) to Koh Kong on two bikes and refused to be involved in any drug story (I know it's the dreads and the earrings but I really don't do it anymore!) Somehow the first sunset we witnessed while very slowly riding behind the bikes was also one of the most colorful sunsets we have seen for a long while, a blood red welcome. We also passed by a very posh luxury building right next to the border area which we learned was a casino perhaps owned by some retired generals. It looked incredibly out of place in front of the dusty road and in comparison to all that we would see the next day. We found a cheap room in a place called Koh Kong Riverside and turned off.
Meet the Dust
We have thought we could stay there one day and move the next so that we see one more place in this neglected country of our maps but we woke up and walked downtown for breakfast and met the dust. It seems there were some asphalting works way back in history but there were also some strong rains and much mud which luckily dried before we arrived and turned into fine dust that's everywhere. Not pleasant. We had a local breakfast (nice soup with free tea) and paid in Thai Bahts. and found the bus station where we saw how true the reports of the fullness of local minibuses were. They were pretty unbelievable, so many people in such a small minivan. I think this happens all over the poorer parts of SE Asia but somehow they seemed fuller than the ones I saw in Sumatra but, I know, Java is coming.
We agreed to pay 100 Bahts more (3 $) and take seats on a shared Toyota Camry taxi with AC. There we were only 6 grown-ups, 2 kids and the driver and the ride was much nicer than we feared after we had read the stuff on the internet because they've been pretty busy paving all the way from the border to Sre Ambel (connecting it to the way between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville). Even the 4 famous short but time consuming ferry rides over the rivers are coming to an end. two of the bridges were near to finished and one already opened. I really enjoyed the 3 rides on the flat boats with creative designs on the tropical surroundings that reminded me images from Apocalypse Now. It is such a beautiful scene, yet so polluted in our memories with wars and in reality with land mines.
Our taxi driver decided to help us experience the minivan rides and put us on one from Sre Ambel to Sihanoukville but we were given the front seat only for ourselves (although our bags didn't seem as comfortable dangling on top of the two motorbikes loaded on the back of the minivan.)
Wrong timing once again
By the time we arrived in Sihanoukville, ate something and made it to the famous beach with an impossible name to spell or pronounce (it amazes me how it can be famous at all with such a name as Ochheuteal - I copy-pasted this- shall we blame this on the French influence?) it was already couple of hours to sunset. Leaving bags with Maya I started the room hunt. Wow, although the beach is not so much built by resort hotels it was so crowded, it was immediately clear that the Khmer Rouge didn't make it this far in their landmining campaign. It was packed (we later learned that it was also Sunday and the beach was full of local tourists from Phnom Penh).
With good hope I started from the "Serendipity" beach side and although the place looked, well, OK, it was full. The only room that was available for that night only was 30$. So I came back to the second option of the roadside cheapies. GST full, next door to it 30$, Cobra brothel, next door full... until I made it to the last hotel on the beach fully wet in sweat. Jasmine Hotel had a room for us for 10$ and that seemed to be the only option for the night. It also had attached bathroom and cable TV, so I said it's OK for a couple of days. Just before I went to pick up Maya the receptionist said "but you know tomorrow it is not 10$", "what? why?", "All rooms are 50 % more expensive because it's the holiday season!" And it dawned on me that the effects of Christmas tourism was what was making me sweat. Got Maya and managed to be in the perfectly still sea for the sunset.
Change is good
We started the day early, had breakfast on the beach and I said goodbye to find a room on the Victory Hill area. I took a motodop and checked Sakal bungalows, full, Bungalow village, full, rainy season full, and finally got a room in a place with a good view from the restaurant called Chez Mari Yann. When we were moving in Maya saw another sign nearby which even looked better with same prices and after we had difficulty sleeping because of the private disco of the guest house we stayed, in the morning once more we moved to Sunset Garden Inn.
It came as a strange surprise that all these cheap rooms (5$) even came with attached bathrooms and always cable TV. But I could enjoy a little bit of it after a year of abstinence (well I had one day with a TV for myself in Jinhong, China and that's pretty much the thing. I don't count Ms.Loh's TV in Penang because it was only Malaysian and I saw mostly only 7 o'clock news there.) After we moved to Mari Yann I also had an interesting time trying to find a bike to rent. All the foreigners were riding bikes and there seemed to be none left for us. After an hour of walking and searching, I found one, took it to the gas station, filled the tank and saw the tire was flat, took it back and changed it, transferred the gas and made it back home just before the sunset.
And it was Christmas. We passed by all the Victory Hill bars with "hostess" girls dressed in Santa clothes waiting for the sexpats. It also seems Cambodia is some destination for the sexpatriates. There are so many fat men with tiny Asian women around it hurts the eyes.
So what's special about Sihanoukville?
This place was chosen as Cambodia's main port after it became clear that using the Mae Kong river delta which is in Vietnam was not so good anymore, in 1952. So there are no historical, cultural things around. The beaches are nice long yellow sand beaches and the sea is pretty shallow. The first day we sampled all the nearby beaches on the map, Victory, Hawaii, Independence, Sokha, Occhi-whatever and Otres and decided the one nearest to us Victory, was better for us. Somehow it was hard to understand the Antonov plane on the beach but it was more peaceful than the others for sure.
The following days we also discovered the Prek Treng beach to the north of town and were happily surprised that we were the only ones on this long white beach. We decided to go off-road and came across the first protected forest we saw in Cambodia, the Kbal Chhay watershed. I felt like some Indiana Jones on wheels crossing the very dodgy wooden bridge on the river and felt even more strange paying 0.5$ for it at the end. The waterfall was great but pretty dry because of the dry season. And it was not very pleasant to find yet another flat tire when we were leaving. Luckily we were not very far from the waterfall picnic site cafes so we found a man who did the repairs but we had to cancel our plans to go to Ream National Park and headed back.
Kampot
[To be continued]
[At this point the writer realized that blogging his travels in internet cafés while traveling is not really happening. The places are hot and noisy, very uninspiring. After reading what he had already written and feeling utterly bored and embarrassed about it, he went between deleting it and keeping it private and he decided to add a note and stop feeling bad about not adding more on his travel blog until the day that he starts traveling with his little lap-top. The day is coming in some months hopefully. Till than, have patience.]
***
So that day has come and I’m hoping to have a tastier blog this time. I’d love to hear your comments. I may need to be motivated :)
My very personal statistics of South East Asia
I have been in South East Asia for over 20 months now. There are things I’m happy to have done and places I want to go back to. Here is a brief list, some statistics and toplists I’d like to share, for those who are asking those questions “which country is best for a 2 weeks holiday in July, and we’d like to dive and see some volcanoes and make it cheap?”
Countries visited : 8
Countries really visited : 7 (OK, the visit to Myanmar was a little brief.)
Countries really visited that were really in SE Asia : 6 (well, China doesn't count for SE Asia, does it?)
The shortest visit to a country : Myanmar, a total of 15 minutes in 2 visa runs (because second time I had to buy some cigarettes for a friend)
Will you tell us which countries?: Sure. They are (in order of visit) Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, China, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and Philippines.
Countries missing: Only Vietnam
What about Singapore?: I was there 16 years ago. It can’t have changed much.
Nicest big city : Bangkok (reminds me of Istanbul)
Biggest name for a nice big city : Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit which is Bangkok
Nicest historic city : Dali, China (photo)
The flattest capital ever: Vientiane, Laos (just really flat)
The easiest country to find someone to ask directions: Philippines (where English is spokening!)
The hardest country to find someone to ask anything: China (where even speaking basic Chinese don’t make enough sense since its pronunciation is harder than French.)
Best food : Penang, Malaysia (great choice of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Western and Nyonya food) (photo)
Hardest time to find food : Ramadan in Indonesia (don't do it!)
Hardest time to find anything : Christmas in Cambodia (don't do it!)
"World's Oldest Jungle" : Taman Negara, Malaysia (go there)
Best riverside chill out location : Khanchanaburi, Thailand (especially after being in Bangkok just a few hours before.)
Most common name for a guesthouse: Riverview (surely there is a view wherever there is a river.)
Most guitars per person : Indonesia (I love it) (photo)
The coolest back-to-future feeling : Riding the skytrain in Bangkok looking at a local newspaper and realizing it is year 2550.
The simplest toilets : China (simple they are and for the rest just use your imagination freely)
"Best" leader around : King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (who is also the world's longest reigning monarch today, this year is his 61st.)
Most corrupt leaders around : Cambodia, or maybe Indonesia, or no no Philippines perhaps. Well, it’s so hard to say.
Most colorful marine life : Weh Island, Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia (where I finally took a diving course)
Weirdest food I ate : Iced prawns, Kampot, Cambodia (which are just raw prawns on ice)
Weirdest food I didn't eat : Fried scorpions, Bangkok, Thailand
Weirdest food I tried and fully enjoyed: Balut, chicken embryos, Philippines (that is fertilized chicken egg with a hint of the developing chick inside. Supposedly an aphrodisiac and a high energy food. Non-vegetarian.)
Weirdest drink I had : Bird's nest drink, Cambodia (actually made of the nest of the swallow accurately called the edible-nest swallow!)
Worst bus ride : Medan to Banda Aceh, Sumatra (it rained on us inside the bus.)
Best bus ride : Banda Aceh to Medan, Sumatra (of course, this time we paid for a super-executive bus.)
Three most daring rides I did on a 100cc motorbike :
3- Samosir Island, Sumatra, September ‘07 (we had to see the lake on an island on a lake on an island but we trusted the map a bit too much)
2- Bokor Hill, Cambodia, December ‘07 (this time we trusted the bike rental guy who said "no, no, there are just some stones but this small bike is better than the big ones", and had a flat tire on the half way and ended up spending 4 hours going up and down dusty roads and slept during the new year.)
1- Tiger Hill, Penang, May ‘07 (after a rainy day, alone this time, I got the directions wrong and ended up on a 20 cm wide muddy walking path in the thick of the jungle and just made it out before dark with very little gas.)
Most flat tires : 3 times in 1 week in Cambodia
Most inspired name for a repair shop : Non-Triangle Services, Teluk Bahang, Penang
The repair shop you’d better avoid: Freakish Service, Bali
Most luxury room I stayed: Jinhong, China (I had no verbal communication with anyone in the city and ended up in this shiny hotel but first time ever, I had cable TV, AC, hot water, luxury decoration and even a tea machine and free condoms for less than $7.)
Least luxury room : Rona (Sputnik) Guesthouse, Medan (oh my god, do I miss India?)
Nicest, cheapest and most traditional room : Tuk Tuk Timbul, Lake Toba, Sumatra (a real old big Batak house right on the lakeside for $2 a day) (photo)
Most unnecessary item that one finds even in the cheapest rooms in Cambodia: cable TV
Most necessary item that one cannot find even in the costly rooms in Indonesia: mosquito screen (as if Indonesian mosquitoes are better behaved than Thai mosquitoes)
Nearest death experience : Tubing on Bohorok River, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra (we’ll take a guide next time.)
Cheekiest monkeys : National Park in Penang, Malaysia (they just ignore you while going into your bag.)
Easiest way to find drugs in all these countries : have dreadlocks (anywhere anytime)
Best way to avoid being hustled for drugs because you do not use them: cut the dreadlocks (Come on, why do I have to be a smoker only because I have the same hair style with Bob Marley? I don’t do it, seriously.)
Closest feeling to another planet : Merapi Volcano summit, Sumatra (photo)
Best on-board music : The minivan ride from Sihanoukville to Kampot, Cambodia (oldie rock and punk)
Worst on-board music : The boat from Penang (MY) to Medan (IN) (cheapest Indonesian video karaoke made with a single but noisy keyboard)
Best way to wake up : by sunrise near Lake Toba, Sumatra
Worst way to wake up : before sunrise by the noise of the preaching in the great mosque in Medan, Sumatra
Best market for anything : Jatujak weekend market, Bangkok
Best second hand clothes markets: Philippines
Coolest looking fisherman boats : The catamarans of Bali with eyes and a mouth to ward of evil spirits. (photo)
Coolest one-man vehicle : police two-wheelers in Bangkok
Most comfortable tricycles: Siem Reap, Cambodia (apparently adopted from horse carts)
Least comfortable tricycles: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines (how come they never thought it could rain in a country where there are 30 typhoons a year?)
Most insanely overloaded public transport: Indonesia
The tranciest trance experience: Kesiman temple, Denpasar, Bali
The most noticeable hilarities:
Best names:
Services: Non-Triangle service (Penang), Freakish Service (Bali)
Restaurants: Full On Restaurant (Siem Reap)
Shops: New Open Shop (Siem Reap)
Bands: Chakrasonic (India)
Taxi: Hard Drive Taxi (Baguio)
Best Ads:
- Angelina Jolie was here before you! (Red Piano Restaurant in Siem Reap near Angkor ruins where she shot the film Tomb Raider.)
- We don't serve dog, cat, rat or worm (and this is the advertisement for a restaurant named Dead Fish in Phnom Penh)
- Lonely Tonite? Confused in Gender? Why don’t try Mixwell Lounge & Bar (Bali)
Best mottos and signs:
- We deliver like there’s no tomorrow (a Filipino cargo company )
- When the going gets hot (on the main façade of Baguio Fire Station)
- Avoid penalty, Sit properly (on park benches in San Fernando)
Wisest, smartest and cutest women of all : of course the Igorots of the Philippines (hi Maya)
Countries visited : 8
Countries really visited : 7 (OK, the visit to Myanmar was a little brief.)
Countries really visited that were really in SE Asia : 6 (well, China doesn't count for SE Asia, does it?)
The shortest visit to a country : Myanmar, a total of 15 minutes in 2 visa runs (because second time I had to buy some cigarettes for a friend)
Will you tell us which countries?: Sure. They are (in order of visit) Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, China, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and Philippines.
Countries missing: Only Vietnam
What about Singapore?: I was there 16 years ago. It can’t have changed much.
Nicest big city : Bangkok (reminds me of Istanbul)
Biggest name for a nice big city : Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit which is Bangkok
Nicest historic city : Dali, China (photo)The flattest capital ever: Vientiane, Laos (just really flat)
The easiest country to find someone to ask directions: Philippines (where English is spokening!)
The hardest country to find someone to ask anything: China (where even speaking basic Chinese don’t make enough sense since its pronunciation is harder than French.)
Best food : Penang, Malaysia (great choice of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Western and Nyonya food) (photo)Hardest time to find food : Ramadan in Indonesia (don't do it!)
Hardest time to find anything : Christmas in Cambodia (don't do it!)
"World's Oldest Jungle" : Taman Negara, Malaysia (go there)
Best riverside chill out location : Khanchanaburi, Thailand (especially after being in Bangkok just a few hours before.)
Most common name for a guesthouse: Riverview (surely there is a view wherever there is a river.)
Most guitars per person : Indonesia (I love it) (photo)The coolest back-to-future feeling : Riding the skytrain in Bangkok looking at a local newspaper and realizing it is year 2550.
The simplest toilets : China (simple they are and for the rest just use your imagination freely)
"Best" leader around : King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (who is also the world's longest reigning monarch today, this year is his 61st.)
Most corrupt leaders around : Cambodia, or maybe Indonesia, or no no Philippines perhaps. Well, it’s so hard to say.
Most colorful marine life : Weh Island, Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia (where I finally took a diving course)
Weirdest food I ate : Iced prawns, Kampot, Cambodia (which are just raw prawns on ice)
Weirdest food I didn't eat : Fried scorpions, Bangkok, Thailand
Weirdest food I tried and fully enjoyed: Balut, chicken embryos, Philippines (that is fertilized chicken egg with a hint of the developing chick inside. Supposedly an aphrodisiac and a high energy food. Non-vegetarian.)
Weirdest drink I had : Bird's nest drink, Cambodia (actually made of the nest of the swallow accurately called the edible-nest swallow!)
Worst bus ride : Medan to Banda Aceh, Sumatra (it rained on us inside the bus.)
Best bus ride : Banda Aceh to Medan, Sumatra (of course, this time we paid for a super-executive bus.)
Three most daring rides I did on a 100cc motorbike :
3- Samosir Island, Sumatra, September ‘07 (we had to see the lake on an island on a lake on an island but we trusted the map a bit too much)
2- Bokor Hill, Cambodia, December ‘07 (this time we trusted the bike rental guy who said "no, no, there are just some stones but this small bike is better than the big ones", and had a flat tire on the half way and ended up spending 4 hours going up and down dusty roads and slept during the new year.)
1- Tiger Hill, Penang, May ‘07 (after a rainy day, alone this time, I got the directions wrong and ended up on a 20 cm wide muddy walking path in the thick of the jungle and just made it out before dark with very little gas.)
Most flat tires : 3 times in 1 week in Cambodia
Most inspired name for a repair shop : Non-Triangle Services, Teluk Bahang, Penang
The repair shop you’d better avoid: Freakish Service, Bali
Most luxury room I stayed: Jinhong, China (I had no verbal communication with anyone in the city and ended up in this shiny hotel but first time ever, I had cable TV, AC, hot water, luxury decoration and even a tea machine and free condoms for less than $7.)
Least luxury room : Rona (Sputnik) Guesthouse, Medan (oh my god, do I miss India?)
Nicest, cheapest and most traditional room : Tuk Tuk Timbul, Lake Toba, Sumatra (a real old big Batak house right on the lakeside for $2 a day) (photo)Most unnecessary item that one finds even in the cheapest rooms in Cambodia: cable TV
Most necessary item that one cannot find even in the costly rooms in Indonesia: mosquito screen (as if Indonesian mosquitoes are better behaved than Thai mosquitoes)
Nearest death experience : Tubing on Bohorok River, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra (we’ll take a guide next time.)
Cheekiest monkeys : National Park in Penang, Malaysia (they just ignore you while going into your bag.)
Easiest way to find drugs in all these countries : have dreadlocks (anywhere anytime)
Best way to avoid being hustled for drugs because you do not use them: cut the dreadlocks (Come on, why do I have to be a smoker only because I have the same hair style with Bob Marley? I don’t do it, seriously.)
Closest feeling to another planet : Merapi Volcano summit, Sumatra (photo)
Best on-board music : The minivan ride from Sihanoukville to Kampot, Cambodia (oldie rock and punk)
Worst on-board music : The boat from Penang (MY) to Medan (IN) (cheapest Indonesian video karaoke made with a single but noisy keyboard)
Best way to wake up : by sunrise near Lake Toba, Sumatra
Worst way to wake up : before sunrise by the noise of the preaching in the great mosque in Medan, Sumatra
Best market for anything : Jatujak weekend market, Bangkok
Best second hand clothes markets: Philippines
Coolest looking fisherman boats : The catamarans of Bali with eyes and a mouth to ward of evil spirits. (photo)
Coolest one-man vehicle : police two-wheelers in Bangkok
Most comfortable tricycles: Siem Reap, Cambodia (apparently adopted from horse carts)
Least comfortable tricycles: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines (how come they never thought it could rain in a country where there are 30 typhoons a year?)
Most insanely overloaded public transport: Indonesia
The tranciest trance experience: Kesiman temple, Denpasar, Bali
The most noticeable hilarities:
Best names:
Services: Non-Triangle service (Penang), Freakish Service (Bali)
Restaurants: Full On Restaurant (Siem Reap)
Shops: New Open Shop (Siem Reap)
Bands: Chakrasonic (India)
Taxi: Hard Drive Taxi (Baguio)
Best Ads:
- Angelina Jolie was here before you! (Red Piano Restaurant in Siem Reap near Angkor ruins where she shot the film Tomb Raider.)
- We don't serve dog, cat, rat or worm (and this is the advertisement for a restaurant named Dead Fish in Phnom Penh)
- Lonely Tonite? Confused in Gender? Why don’t try Mixwell Lounge & Bar (Bali)
Best mottos and signs:
- We deliver like there’s no tomorrow (a Filipino cargo company )
- When the going gets hot (on the main façade of Baguio Fire Station)
- Avoid penalty, Sit properly (on park benches in San Fernando)
Wisest, smartest and cutest women of all : of course the Igorots of the Philippines (hi Maya)
I travel
When I was in elementary school I had my best friend Cinar and the one game we loved most was missing the school bus and exploring the way back from school. We would go around the neighborhood villas with a wide awake imagination and all the narrow roads would be full of adventures, the monstrous guard dogs would want to eat us alive while we would try to reach the last piece of food left on earth, the cherry on that tree.
Then when I grew up things changed just a little bit but still today, sitting and watching the 3rd typhoon of the year hit where I live with full strength, I tend to see it as God getting too hot and turning on his fan a bit too strong while we desperately struggle to keep our clothes dry. I’m happy to be here now to see one more manifestation of Godly power.
Even when I was very young I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with staying in Turkey (mostly because I’m from Turkey) but at first I was thinking I could find another place and settle there. Traveling helps one learn about himself much faster and one of the first things I learned about myself was that I couldn’t be happy stopping for too long. I needed to discover.
I am so thankful to my parents who sponsored me for one month interrail trip to Europe when I was 16. After a few more visits to the West I saw it clearly that whatever I was looking for was not there. And I had a few pushes sometimes when I tended to stop. After my 2 years of hibernation in Istanbul, having a steady work, steady girlfriend and a nice rented house, I was kicked out of Turkey by the army which wanted me to wear uniforms and carry orders for 18 months after they give me a risky operation on my spine. India was welcoming and extremely rich, richer than I could ever imagine any land to be. So for a few years I thought I could settle in India and keep traveling in that country which is anyway 5 times the size of Turkey. But it was not to be.
What it gave me was this sense of being a traveler. [I’ll explain it separately how different for me a traveler and a tourist are]. There I started to live down to earth, travel in remote places, cook and enjoy local food, learn local language, make a few local friends, and in short be there rather than see there.
This required more time than just traveling with a schedule and a camera. Since I didn’t carry a camera, I had to sit in front of that mountain and take it in slowly. Mostly I would just rent a house there and do everything right in front of that mountain until I was sure I had it in me. I don’t know what else I took in during those days but one of them is the traveler’s bug for sure.
I was very fortunate for having a rent income to support my travels but just because I don’t have to work, not everything is hunky-dory. For a long time I stubbornly insisted on local ways. I felt this is the way I can deserve what I am already given. I wouldn’t take any touristic buses or eat in touristic restaurants. I was in India for 3 years and I haven’t seen Taj Mahal. I would generally try to live on the cheapest edge. Which taught me a lot of things and made me a stronger person. But the time comes when one says “ok, now I know I can handle the 20 hours of bumpy jeep ride, so I can take the super deluxe bus this time”. Another hard thing about traveling is all the family and friends back “home” calling me back all the time. Two out of 3 communications with anyone back there has the question “when are you coming back?” while I don’t make such plans. If I made such plans, for example, to go back to Turkey, let’s say, in 10 months, I’d feel I have to speed up and do all the things I want to do and be in all the places I want to be in before I go to Turkey. I want to be back to Thailand and Indonesia, I want to visit Nepal and Sri Lanka on the way back. I want to dive a few more coral islands and surf some more, perhaps go up a few more volcanoes, but putting this in a time frame is somehow impossible.
On the other hand I’m aware I am not a hard-core traveler. I am very slow, and lately, pretty touristic. My friends who were with me in Thailand when I first arrived in SE Asia about 20 months ago have been all around Asia, some went to Australia before we met back in China and now most of them are in the Americas already. I’m still here.
I can go on for hours when I start to talk about traveling. I believe everyone should travel. I believe the world would be much less problematic if more people traveled (and I’m talking of traveling and not a one week tour where one stays in a global hotel, eats global food and meets only other tourists). I really would do my best to inspire anyone to travel. So I’d love to answer any questions that would make traveling clearer for you (as long as it is not “what’s the meaning of life?”. That you have to find out for yourself.)
When I was in the university I met these two Brazilian travelers. They spent some weeks with us and we gave concerts together and made good friends. One of them, Marcus Borges Dias, gave as much time as it takes to tell me what traveling is all about, how they arrived in Portugal with a one year open ticket and traveled across North Africa doing all sorts of things. I don’t know if he knows that he became my guru but I received his guidance from the universe and I wish I have the occasions to return it.
May this blog be a means to giving a hand to other travelers.
Then when I grew up things changed just a little bit but still today, sitting and watching the 3rd typhoon of the year hit where I live with full strength, I tend to see it as God getting too hot and turning on his fan a bit too strong while we desperately struggle to keep our clothes dry. I’m happy to be here now to see one more manifestation of Godly power.
Even when I was very young I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with staying in Turkey (mostly because I’m from Turkey) but at first I was thinking I could find another place and settle there. Traveling helps one learn about himself much faster and one of the first things I learned about myself was that I couldn’t be happy stopping for too long. I needed to discover.
I am so thankful to my parents who sponsored me for one month interrail trip to Europe when I was 16. After a few more visits to the West I saw it clearly that whatever I was looking for was not there. And I had a few pushes sometimes when I tended to stop. After my 2 years of hibernation in Istanbul, having a steady work, steady girlfriend and a nice rented house, I was kicked out of Turkey by the army which wanted me to wear uniforms and carry orders for 18 months after they give me a risky operation on my spine. India was welcoming and extremely rich, richer than I could ever imagine any land to be. So for a few years I thought I could settle in India and keep traveling in that country which is anyway 5 times the size of Turkey. But it was not to be.
What it gave me was this sense of being a traveler. [I’ll explain it separately how different for me a traveler and a tourist are]. There I started to live down to earth, travel in remote places, cook and enjoy local food, learn local language, make a few local friends, and in short be there rather than see there.
This required more time than just traveling with a schedule and a camera. Since I didn’t carry a camera, I had to sit in front of that mountain and take it in slowly. Mostly I would just rent a house there and do everything right in front of that mountain until I was sure I had it in me. I don’t know what else I took in during those days but one of them is the traveler’s bug for sure.
I was very fortunate for having a rent income to support my travels but just because I don’t have to work, not everything is hunky-dory. For a long time I stubbornly insisted on local ways. I felt this is the way I can deserve what I am already given. I wouldn’t take any touristic buses or eat in touristic restaurants. I was in India for 3 years and I haven’t seen Taj Mahal. I would generally try to live on the cheapest edge. Which taught me a lot of things and made me a stronger person. But the time comes when one says “ok, now I know I can handle the 20 hours of bumpy jeep ride, so I can take the super deluxe bus this time”. Another hard thing about traveling is all the family and friends back “home” calling me back all the time. Two out of 3 communications with anyone back there has the question “when are you coming back?” while I don’t make such plans. If I made such plans, for example, to go back to Turkey, let’s say, in 10 months, I’d feel I have to speed up and do all the things I want to do and be in all the places I want to be in before I go to Turkey. I want to be back to Thailand and Indonesia, I want to visit Nepal and Sri Lanka on the way back. I want to dive a few more coral islands and surf some more, perhaps go up a few more volcanoes, but putting this in a time frame is somehow impossible.
On the other hand I’m aware I am not a hard-core traveler. I am very slow, and lately, pretty touristic. My friends who were with me in Thailand when I first arrived in SE Asia about 20 months ago have been all around Asia, some went to Australia before we met back in China and now most of them are in the Americas already. I’m still here.
I can go on for hours when I start to talk about traveling. I believe everyone should travel. I believe the world would be much less problematic if more people traveled (and I’m talking of traveling and not a one week tour where one stays in a global hotel, eats global food and meets only other tourists). I really would do my best to inspire anyone to travel. So I’d love to answer any questions that would make traveling clearer for you (as long as it is not “what’s the meaning of life?”. That you have to find out for yourself.)
When I was in the university I met these two Brazilian travelers. They spent some weeks with us and we gave concerts together and made good friends. One of them, Marcus Borges Dias, gave as much time as it takes to tell me what traveling is all about, how they arrived in Portugal with a one year open ticket and traveled across North Africa doing all sorts of things. I don’t know if he knows that he became my guru but I received his guidance from the universe and I wish I have the occasions to return it.
May this blog be a means to giving a hand to other travelers.
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