Tioman-Singapore

This last weekend I was on Tioman Island on the east coast of Malaysia. Nice beach to lay in a hammock in and read. On Sunday I went on a snorkel trip with a bunch of Malaysians from KL... a group of motivational speakers.................... um yeah you can imagine how that went down. Let's just say that was a cultural experience. Anyways, the Island was really chill I met a couple of musicians from London and we traveled to Singapore together. Unfortunetly, we and a shit load of Singaporeans were making our way back at the same time. This weekend was a vacation for most, due to Singapore's National Day (45 years ago they got their freedom from Brittan) so that means masses of people needing to get through immigration from Malaysia. I wish I would have had film to take picts it was def a sight to behold. The funny thing was no one seemed upset everyone was chill even though it was hotter than hot and the ques for the buses were ginormous (once you go through immigration you cant hire a taxi for some reason). We started chatting to some Singaporeans behind us in line and they were soooo friendly! Everyone in line on the Malaysia side was smacking gum like it was going out of style before they got to Singapore because gum is illegal here! HAha yes its true, really! So is J-walking. There is something about Singapore though the second I got here I just wanted to follow the rules! haah

In&Around Malacca

Wondering around the streets in the Chinatown section of Malacca I stumbled on some fun curious sites. Had some good food of course and met some crazy-ass locals! I first ventured out looking for a famed pineapple pastry but no one would sell me just one. They only came in boxes of 10 and me being the proper lady I am would never dare eat a whole box of cookies!!!!!! so I just had to go without... and sample all the free pieces instead! (Budget traveler lesson #1)

Then I went to a Buddhist temple that is most famous for prayers for the deceased. They have these little tablets where people write the name of the person who died some attach a photo and they come by and make offerings or burn intents. Some of the photos looked like they had been there for quite a while and I wanted to know about these people. SOme old some young. In some of the photos their faces were so angelic, like the thought of them ever dying could never apply to them. Really moving seeing their photos. It was a beautiful temple with dark lacquered wood carvings intricately covering the entire building. Built back to the early 1600's, right after the Dutch conquered Malacca, it's the oldest Buddhist temple in the city.

Then I stumbled upon a cobbler who has been around for a looooooooooong time and was famous for making the bound shoes that the Chinese women would wear to be in fashion. Strange thing to be proud of I thought but hey I took some picts anyway. They also had some normal sized antique shoes which was cool.

Had some tea at a Chinese tea house hung out with the family for lunch (Bugdet Traveler tip number 2 go to family owned shops around lunch time and get free food! haha).

Food GLOREous FOOD

The top one is where I had chicken rice balls with a spicy hot suace for dinner.

Middle is a famous desert here in Melaka (or Malacca) called Cendol I had a bomb one the other day but forgot to take a photo. crushed ice, kidney beans, condensed milk, jackfruit, avocado, green something... and rose water to make it sweeter!Its a great pick me up in the middle of a hot day. Trying to find a place to serve them at night is a challenge.... I just hope they have these decadent deserts in Tioman!

Bottom is a donut at one of the big malls in KL. Avocado and Chocolate... mmm i think this needs to be put into a popsicle when I get home!

Where Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Dutch, and English Collide

Phnom Penh-

After Siem Reap I took the bus to PP. I was already stoked because I was meeting up with my neighbors' nephew who is from PP and was going to show me around the city. I also had dinner plans with the Australian couple who I met in Pakse so that would be fun too! The first night Mr. Sithuel picked me up and we went to a hole in the wall restaurant where his friends were waiting. I was glad to find out that they had a couple of friends who had a pretty good grasp of English because my Cambodian consists of "hi how are you" and my favorite kind of fish dish called "amuk"(fish doused in coconut and baked in banana leaves, yummy). It was a cool environment because kids would come in selling things and then the owner of the place who was these guys' friend would cook it up adding whatever spices or things we wanted. Most kids had fruit, chickens etc. till one came in with crickets! Yes i ate two crickets fried up with peppers and spices mmmmmmmhhmmm. I took more pictures but on film only. The picture above is when we went to lunch the next day at one of the friends' house where chickens, frogs, cockles, and rice of course! I also ate some leaves wrapped around a sliced piece of cucumber and dipped in a fish soup.... as soon as the food touched my mouth i knew it was going to be bad but there was no turning back now............ the leaves were extremely bitter and the soup was some kind of fishy blah! Why did I take such a big bite??!?! The Cambodians just laughed I guess they know that its not popular with Westerners but they wanted to see my reaction anyway. I did not disappoint. Later that night after running around town all day to different museums and etc. I finally got to meet up with the Aussies at the FCC (Foreign Correspondants Club), a really nice bar on the riverfront. The bar couldn't have been a more different place than where I was the previous night but it was still cool. Then we walked down a little further and had some Lak Lok beef which is really tender steak in a savory sauce served with rice and cucumbers.

Alas, I was ready to leave Cambodia and the 3rd world for that matter. Sick of no soap or tp in the bathrooms. Tired of using a squat toilet and pouring water down after inorder to flush. Sick of flies and ants onh me and in my food. Tired of muddy/dusty streets. I know I know it sounds like I am done with traveling... and honestly there were a few times (like on those bus rides from hell )when I thought about getting on the next plane home. I was really being tested I can attest to that. I am glad I didn't though because now I am in Malaysia and its been really great so far. I thought the food was great where I had already been but I hadn't even tipped the top of the iceburg on food till I got to Malaysia...

Siem Reap home of the $5 massage, Dr. Fish, and bomb food!

Siem Reap is a great city I stayed near the Old Market and could walk to cheap shopping, massages, food, travel agents etc. Oh yeah there are some temples that are over a 1,000 years old too! haha

This is a picture of me getting my dead skin eaten off by some fish and enjoying some Cambodian beer.. which beer you may be wondering well Angkor of course!

The top picture is at this place called the Blue Pumpkin which had the most amazing food in a really nicely minimalist designed cafe in the center of town. I went here twice during my stay it was amazing!

Cambodia here I come!

Well the bus ride from Pakse to 4,000 made the one I previously described seem like a walk in the park. There were about 30 of us crammed into the bed of a pick up truck! Luckily I had some friends to laugh with on the ride. Pictures to0 come I cannot begin to describe the craziness of that trip! Fast Forward now to Cambodia. I arrived in Karatie Tuesday the 27th of July. When the bus pulled up there were several tuk-tuk drivers fighting for the chance to pick up the people who were getting off the bus. They approached me with little business cards of local Guesthouses giving me their 30 second spiel then one guy busted through the group and said, "Right now the city is experiencing a power outage the only hotel that has electricity is..." I said", "SOld!" Hahaha I thought I was going to "rough it" on this trip but then I got out here and actually felt the HEAT and humidity!hahaha ; )

My moto driver introduced himself as Ben and after I checked in to the hotel he took me to see the famous fresh water Irrawaddy Dolphins which the city is famous for. There I took a boat to the middle of the Mekong River and saw the illusive dolphins (only 70 left in the world and 45 of them in this section of the Mekong). It was very zen like being out there on the water patiently waiting for a glimpse of these precious creatures really really special. Then I got back and Ben drove me around town pointing out areas of interest and places to stay away from! He was a great guide whom I could ask about Cambodian life. He was one of the few Cambodians who I met that spoke really good English. Then next day he picked me up from the hotel and we zoomed around town getting batteries and taking pictures before I had to catch my bus at 8:00 am. He also introduced me to a new favorite food. Sticky rice steamed in a sugar cane and then corked with coconut leaves! awesome snack AND Eco friendly packaging! I was really impressed with the resourcefulness of the businesses here.

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat here I ...... ooops
I thought I was going to Siem Reap but apparently me and some other travelers got hoodwinked into staying the night in Phnom Penh. We were supposed to get off the bus before PP and get on another bus but the stop never came and we had to stay the night in PP because no other buses from PP were going out that afternoon. It wasnt a total loss though, I met some friendly Parisians and one Brit and we got the cheapest guesthouse possible $4/night and then went out for some street food infront of the King's Palace. PP is a lively city with tons of motos tuk tuks and cars zooming past. The riverfront is very cosmopolitan but one block in you encounter "lady bars"pretty much brothels teeming with sex and drugs. Not good. we also saw a ton of land mine victims some of which actually having to be carted around to beg for money. I was surprised at how many Lexus and Mercedes' I saw around town. I know a weird thing to notice but coming from Laos and Vietnam you rarely see a car besides a luxury one, and this city seemed to have some VERY wealthy people in it.

The next day we got up super early to catch the bus to Siem Reap to explore the religious temples of Angkor Wat..... more on that later!

ta ta for now!

Tad Lo , Bolvean Plateau, Pic-the bus from hell

This is going to be a short post but as it is I am probably a week behind in posting I thought I better get this one in. From Pakse I thought it best to hit the road so I wouldn't have to spend another second being a 3rd wheel to the Parisians whom I was sharing a room with. So at 8 am I checked out of Sabyedee2 Guesthouse and headed to the bus station. Luckily I met a group of young Austrians headed the same way so we could share the cost of the tuk tuk. They said they were going to get a "local"bus to Tad Lo so I figured hey its cheaper what the hey I ll go with them.... Famous last words. WHen we pilled up to the "bus station" which consisted of a huge red dirt lot in the middle of the jungle with loads of food stalls,people,busses, and tuk tuks scattered everywhere in no particular order...I had my first look at a bus that lloked as though it had come straight from hell (I am going to ask the Austrians if they have picts of the outside of the bus I was too dumbfounded to even lift my camera). The bus was covered with red mud and all the windows were opened and a 30 year old brown rag was blowing in the wind then it started to rain.... I didn't know whether to go back to the hostel, cry, or get on but then one of the Austrians looked back and with a colgate smile said, "Come on this will be an adventure!" Ugh so I found a spot near the back and sat down. It was wet I was sitting in a leak so I moved back one more spot infront of a monk. Oh cool I thought to myself I will be able to ask him a bunch of questions ( most of the monks have a pretty good handle of English). So I pull out all the English/Laos books I had just bought including a Hmong Daily Life Coloring Book, (whom I had met the Illustrator and gotten a signed copy to bring home) to share with the kid. Most of the kids in the southern part of Laos have never seen a book before so I wanted to share some with him. Then as people came on the bus they grabbed a book and started looking through the pages even really old people reading these children's stories it was really a sight to behold. Then we started trying to converse a little bit and then the monk shows me his notebook where he had written, Ëverytime I look at you I fall more in love with you!" AH! That gave me a good laugh. Then when it was my stop I gathered all my stuff and forgot all my books! I was really pissed especially about the coloring book ; (
Then the four Austrians and I went walking about 4km to get to Tad Lo which is a small village on the Bolvean Plateau. I found a small guesthouse overlooking the falls with a balcony and my own restroom for about 8 USD. It was pretty basic don't get me wrong this place was far from luxe. There were many creatures who were the permanent residents I was just passing through. During my stay I saw two geckos, four water beetles, several spiders and a daddy long legs (in my room). We decided to go check out the falls after the grueling 2 and a half hour bus ride. They were incredible and it was totally worth it. We went on a short trek to find a spot where we could jump in and it was really refreshing.

Sabi DEEEE Pakse,Laos

Pakse is a little rough around the edges for my liking but had good luck in meeting cool people! When landing in Pakse I saw a HUGE golden Budha from my window and I though that would be a cool thnig to see but was unable to find any information about it in my guide so when I landed I decided to go to the local tourist information center to dig up what I could. When I arrived they suggested things lke going to the local temple or the Museum. I looked over some brouchures and wasn't interested. Pakse was looking like a dead end no wonder why no travels I met had ever been there! But then I remembered the golden Budha and I decided to ask about it. The guy working said it was about 25km away and I could get a tuk tuk driver to take me there so I got him to write the name of the place on a scratch sheet of paper and I was off back to the hotel to get my camera and find a tuk tuk. It couldnt have been more than five minutes of walking till a tuk tuk-like vehicle approached me. Perfect I thought so we agreed on a price and I got in. Rember this is a "tuk-tuk -like vehicle it was more like a motorcycle with a side cart connected. The motorcycle was pertty old grungy and loud, those words could also be used to describe my driveras well. So we stopped to put some gas in the tank (which was a plastic container 6 inches away from my head onm the sidecar). The paved road turned into a red dirt road and I was a little worried but then we arrived to a small village where everyone was carving stone Buddha's just like the one I had seenfrom the air so we must be getting close. Once we got there (I was relieved) I started explornig and taking photos of the impressive monument. I then relaized that you could actually step inside so I went. I was promptly greated by a matronly woman would motioned for me to make a donation and then she gave me a bowl of coins and through sign language showed me to put one coin in each bowl lining the inside of the temple.... there must have been atleast 300 bowls in this place but I thought what the hey I drove 25km to get here might as well pay homage to Budha. When a got about halfway through a spirited young girl popped out of no where and smiled really huge at me and said'"SABYE DEEE!" then she got a bowl and started following me putting a coin in each bowl around the temple. She then showed me how to make the giant gong ring really loudly by rubbing my hand on it diagonally. pretty cool. We said bye and parte ways. Back to Pakse!! My driver turned out to be cooll and would stop for me to get out and take my photographs of cows in the middle of the road and then he showed me around town and to a Taoist temple where I me two Aussies working in Phenom Pehn. SO of course we found a spot to get some beers and have a chat. Moer about Tad Lo, the Austrians, and 4,000 Islands. Miss you!
love,
m

SABI DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Luang Prabang, Laos

Sabi dee is hello in Laotian. So much has happend I don't even know where to begin actually. I arrived in Luang Prabang the 16th and stayed until the 22nd. It was really cool because I met so many fun people staying at the SpicyLaos Hostel. The first day we woke up at 5 in the morning to go see the monks recieve their daily alms or offering from the townspeople. I learned later that the people that give the alms (sticky rice) are actually our equivalent to the "sinners" or people who want to kind of clear their name because they have done bad according to Budhism. Some friends (who were once monks so they are good sources of info) told me that there was a woman who would give alms a couple years ago beacuse she actually turned ïnto"a waterbuffalo because she was killing and selling too many water buffalos at the night market. She died a couple of years ago but many people from the village remeber when this happend. Weird story but that is just one of the many that I heard about when I was weaving at Ock Pop Tok weavnig center. I took a three day course and got to actually dye and weave my own Ikat scarf! The best part was haning out with Laotions all day and picking their brains about the culture. I also got to eat lunches there with all the workers and try authentic Laotion food which is a lot more than sticky rice (though that is a really big component). It was cool getting up each morning and working in the studio because it gave me a feeling of what it might be like to live in a place like Luang Prabang. Dealing with the heat/24hour rain/walking palces. It was great fun and can't wait to go back! My friends Doua and Khun showed me the ropes of the weaving center and would tell me stories to pass the time while I wove. They were both monks for a combined total of 12 years so I got to pick their brains about that fascinating religion.
I also got to climb Kuang Si Falls with some British, Candaians,Lao, and a fellow badass chick from LA. Vistied some temples,took lots of photos, got a massage (90 minutes for 9 dollars US you can't go wrong ;)) ate good food for under 1 US dollar and did some shopping. Sure Luang Prabang is the most tuoristy of the cities I visited but also the most beautiful! I had a great time there; )