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Time to apply what learned in the amazing Taman Negara jungle.
In presence of leeches, venemous tarantolas, scorpions and snakes, move rapidly and do not slow down to their rhythms... They cannot move as fast as you do. Lead.
When confronted with big wild beasts, become part of the environment, don't let them perceiving you and move against the wind, if needed. Confidence is the key: they can attack you, but so could you.
Above all, time to apply Thais' simple and wise lessons...Try to be happy and smile from the inside.
Singapore Changi airport is quite a fancy one. There is a swimming pool, nice restaurants and caffes, plenty of movie areas, very comfortable armchairs and live music. Guess whose music do they play?
Once again a sign of Asian obsessesion for " the King" (see previous posts).
Insect repellents for tropical areas are quite strong. They irritate the skin and melt plastic. More importantly they do not always work: we do have plenty of insect bites.
Once left the jungle and in general poor regions, you may want to stop using them.
Walking around the city and repellent-free, you may want to reconsider your choice...
"Ops...Have we already trashed away the DEET?"
In a city that is featured by an unbelievable number of chaotic shopping malls and very few cultural attractions, that is populated by a great number of stressed professionals and hyper active shopaholics; where almost everything is at walking distance, you may end up pretty tired and looking forward to a nice seat of the tube train that will bring you back to the hotel, before going out again to enjoy the night.
The video that is broadcasted in some of the tube trains, showing a fake terrorist attack to Singapore underground, explosion included, and remembering each single train attack carried after 9/11 doesn't really help to relax and enjoy the ride.
Whitening products are common in South East of Asia.
Whilst in the Western countries we plan holidays and weekends to get the perfect tent, surprisingly here in the East they long for a nice pale look.... No wonder why Brits are so popular in the area then.
Check the last sentence in red.
They must have laughed here when they first heard of Giuliani's Zero Tolerance policy.
Once traversed the forest,the story gets more and more intriguing. We found a ghost town and all around banners like the one in the picture.
The words of the lady that consigned the keys echo in our minds:
"Be careful. See you tomorrow"... (maybe)
Back in Melaka, we later discovered that the island is a sort of a Muslim spiritual center where - according to some rumors - Christians were (still are?) killed. This would explain the presence of a Mosque in such a small island.
BTW, the place we passed the night in, was apparently part of a resort that closed in mysterious circumstances.
Doubt: how comes that there is a golf course in the middle of the forest of a desert island? Is it truly desert? If it is, why is it?
Intriguing...
When the desert island you plan to spend your next night... Is literally d-e-s-e-r-t-e-d
Don't stop to the first impression. This is the ticket to enter to the Sultanate Palace in Melaka.
Use it and Recycle!
If you were left wondering how to flush the water in most of Thailand and Malaysia loos, here you can find the instructions. See the drawing on the left. It couldn't be more clear.
This picture doesn't represent any kind of judgement on the town... That has, to be fair, very little to offer
In the jungle there is enough to get anyone at least tense: scorpions (easy to spot at night), wild animals whose sounds get confused with all sorts of noises, tarantolas living in the trees and getting out after the rain... But there is nothing that bothers more then leeches. They get you e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e at anytime. Very difficult to get rid of, they keep stucked in your clothes and shoes. You can smash them on the ground, they will not die. The only way to eliminate them is to burn them.
You may want to use this tip at the office too; be advised, it may make you not extremely popular... Kidding :)
Not sure about the singing... But certainly under the rain.
If you are looking for Abay waterfalls, but the distance sounds too long, the jungle rain is what get closer to the feeling.
Regardless of the remote rainy place you have been living, you will find the jungle rain quite impressive: the level of the river rises at sight, walking paths turn to small rivers and bridges... Forget bridges, they would be somewhere under the water.
The jungle seems to wake up at night. Trekking at night you will discover a universe of animals and insects rarely observable in the day. Falling asleep at the sound of such wild nature you will probably awake at the rise of one simple question: "Will I have or will I be breakfast tomorrow morning?"
In either cases, it will be an experience hardly forgettable.
It must be part of the fun or more probably of the extremely cheap DIY deal you can get to go to the jungle... Once arrived in Kuala Tembeling, the boat navigating to the jungle will eventually get stucked on the river bed.
"Ale Op! All out to push."
Never mind. The jungle is amazing and breathtaking; everything will be forgotten soon... Mobile phones included: there is no network connectivity :)
Scene of dispair: the engine shut off about 10 times. After a struggle of 2 hours, that in medical terms you would describe as 'therapeutic obstinacy', the engine and the driver gave up.
"Engine clinically dead."
Manhattan picture next to the Petronas Twin Towers one; with what misses and what stands. Bad taste? lack of respect? what?
There are very few places open for dinner late at night in the center. We went for an outdoor restaurant in the streets of the lively China Town.
Almost done with the food we saw beatles on the street... And they were not singing.
Another test for the vaccins.
As a backpacker without plans, you never really know how you will meet the next persons you will share your next experience with...
At the arrival to the hotel a nice surprise: the room we paid for was not available. Actually the hotel was full, so were all the other hotels the receptionist contacted.
Fellow of the same faith was an enlighting painter that lived and worked in New York city and then moved to Thailand long time ago to discover what life is without working. In all his wisdom he guided us through the adversity of that night. He invited us to seat around a table in the hall of the hotel, he took out of his bag a bottle of fine Thai Whisky and tought us a lesson we will hardly forget: there are times when the only thing you can really do is drinking and enjoying the company... Even in a Muslim country as Malaysia is.
What is more odd? A monk at the airport or the guy on the left wearing those boots with 35 degrees Celsius outside?
Make your mind.
... Of Rock'n'Roll.
We couldn't fail to notice that Thais are obsessed with Elvis but a monk acting like the 'the King' is probably far too much.
Kidding :). I couldn't resist the joke, somehow a monk with a microphone looks odd to me.
To be fair this picture has been taken during a Sunday market and the monk was speaking to the crowd to raise some money ...
But Thais are obsessed with Elvis though: there are Elvis shows almost everywhere in the country and often on TV
The only way to the temple consists of steep stairs. 1278 steps to climb surrounded by the forest and a great number of monkeys.
The cute monkey in the picture is the one that stole our only bottle of water... At about 1000 steps to go and 33 Celsius degrees.
Monkeys can be adorable at times. Can't they?
Tourists in the South of Thailand mostly spend their time on a beach or travelling around islands... So there are very few means to go to Wat Tham Seua (the Tiger temple), one of the most impressive temples of the South.
After stopping a school bus, contracting a fare and agreeing a ride, at last we arrived at the feet of the mountain on top of which the temple is built. There you can find the Tiger Cave and a very small and bare village where old nouns live and monks come to pray and meditate.
There you could expect any other banner but this.
There is always room for another mango shake...
If corrected according to the Caribbean recipy
We already know that Thais are quite skilled when it comes to electronics (see previous post). What about their mechanical skills?
Consider two long boats: one with an flat battery and one with a charged one. Take the charged one to the boat with the flat battery; connect the twos with a wet cable and a wet metallic bar (kept in place by pushing on it with a very wet sandal). Start the engine. What is the result?
Yep, a smoking cable and two flat batteries.
End of the story: electric is not electronics
Enviromental friendly commuters in Krabi. Three people on the same motorcycle is quite common in Thailand. And four is not so rare neither.
BTW tourists are part of it too. We have been offered by a 'taxi driver' to jump on one in three.
Why not?!?
Post tsunami banner.
Not really the most reassuring text when slipping on a beach.
Strict police security checks
Air Asia Boarding passes to Krabi
Trough the centuries the inhabitants of the forest have refined their techniques to protect themselves during the rainy season, as this waterproof roof made of leaves shows.
No worries tough. In fact the name 'tribe', given by locals for mainly tourist purposes, can be quite misleading. They do seems to have electricity and, according to some rumors, also internet high speed connection. Soon they will discover better materials.
Pedestrian bridges in the forest mainly consist of a bare stem.This is the finest example of bridge handcrafting in Doi Inthanon
Local tip. Hold your breath and keep repeating: "This is a perfectly built flat bridge, it is not so tall, I will not slide and fall...". Chances are that you will be at the other side of the river by the time you have said it... Otherwise, see you at the end of the river.
At last a shower with a decent jet.
Planning to grow your Sales department?
She is cute, she is cudly and she can sell e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Even air.
Of course this picture wasn't for free.
Elephants in Thailand used to work full time to produce paper and later in the rain forest for lumberjacking. Nowadays they work part time and they retire at 55...
Not sure they still wish to reincarnate as humans in their next life.
I bet this elephant is a male one. Would you?
This is kind of luxury in the country side (and not only) in the north of Thailand...
Here in the north of Thailand, there are few options when it comes to what's on TV: a couple of channels about music, a couple about local soap operas and one about electronics. Today the subject is transistors: PNP and NPN...
No wonders why here basic electronic circuits come for so cheap then.
Guest house owner: "At what time is your bus?"
Us: "In about 10 minutes"
Guest house owner: "It is not possible"
Us: "Never mind, we will wait for the next one"
Guest house owner: "Jump on my car"
Us: "Kopkunka!"
Sitting in the back of his pick-up, after few bumps and turns taken at high speed, a question is raised: "Do Thais and Buddhists cherish more patience or races against time?"
We arrived well on time for our bus. Kopkunka :)!
In Bangkok air conditioned underground stations and trains with fancy plasma screens, or in one of the many shopping malls, you are left often wondering if in reality you are in Japan. Here in Sukhothai there are very few signs of progress: some PCs accessing internet (mainly in the guest houses), the usual 7eleven and this lab open night and day that is also an house/flat. Check your seat. You may be literally seating on their work... Or the one of someone like them.
Waiting for a bus that would take you to your next destination in about 7 hours, sometimes you are left with no option. This is the sink and best part of the loo at the station.
Ops, I forgot to mention... You have to take off your shoes or sandals to enter. At times socks are really your most valuable belongings
Guess what? the Police station rents bikes (!). Stolen bikes? BTW bycicles there are so short that if you are 1.60 meters you'd feel tall
A fine example of Thai bridge engineering. This floating bridge quite literally sinks at every single step.
Check the banner
Walkers shortbread boxes are so cheap that this alone would bring Scottishes here;) (95 bahts are equivalent to £1.4). Are they imitations too?
Can you spot the original iPod Mini?
In Bangkok everything is elegantly orchestrated to get the most from a tourist. The usual first step is being approached near tourist attractions by a stranger telling that the site is closed for holiday. The prey is then enticed to tour the city on a tuk-tuk that rides the victim to dubious shops. Tip: don't buy anything from those shops and get a taxi instead. It is a much cheaper and pleasant option in the polluted Bangkok!
A first step to prove Hepatitis A vaccine. We later discovered that Thai people use to fish in putrid canals
The TNT office
Apparently it smells more then our trekking boots
