Singapore

never had wanted to leave Melaka, but I had to eventually ... so i took off on a bus bound for Singapore. It took me 45 minutes to get through immigration as I ended up in the wrong queue ... once on the Singapore side...no welcome sign, no atm, no money exchange...and worst of all, no bus. all the others were there with me waiting for the bus to turn up .. another 45 minutes later we decided to take a taxi. many people waited for taxis, they rarely did turn up. So we settled for the bus, which got stuck in a traffic jam shortly after it took of. good times!



singapore is a city full of arrogant yuppies and the like...everybody minds their own business, nobody is being helpful. and its really expensive here...like in Europe. The only good thing is, its really clean and its convenient to get around by public transport.

my hostel or shall i say homestay is situated in Little India...I dont know why they use "Little" though. When I walk down the streets of "Little India", I feel like being back in Mumbai/Bombay (only that it is much cleaner here).



today, i went to see Singaporeans spent all there money shopping at famous Orchard Road, before going to Sentosa Island, which is a mere playground for young and old. There were beaches, beach bars with swimming pool (for the yuppies), jungle treks, butterfly farms and various other attractions - an artificial setup to entertain the city folk. in terms of entertainment, you can see the rich folk (and wannabes) getting drunk on Boat Quau - the poor folks watching across on the other side on the riverbank.



...after a disappointed final i had to sleep in until midday ... i then met Pamela (below) who shares a room with me ... and we spent the afternoon together ... she was kind enough to show me her favourite places in Little India and surroundings...a nice a relaxing last day in Singapore.

Melaka

There are the tourist spots downtown, i.e The Stadthuys, St. Paul's Church, the many temples and mosques...



... but we managed to get away from it (somehow) finding the Portuguese Settlement, which had a festival going on ... St.Pedro. Its a christian festival for fishermen; the boats are being made ready (fresh paint and some decoration) to be blessed by a priest at the last day of the festival.




Here, we met Gregory, a portuguese descendant. Look at him (above) and tell me how old he is. You wont guess. Anyways, he was kind enough to invite us for a beer. His stories were interesting, his jokes hard to understand (not only because of his accent).

Leaving KL for Melaka

Finally I had to say "Good bye" to KL and Malek - a guy from the hostel (Oasis) I was staying in, who was kind enough to introduce me to local food and restaurants. What a nice guy - his kindness wont be forgotten.

Malek and Marek


Melaka seems like a really nice and quiet place - a perfect place to relax for a few days. I walked around town for a couple of hours visiting the Stadthuys, the Town's square, China Town and the ruins of St.Pauls's cathedral. Here are some pictures I took today ...

Kuala Lumpur

After breakfast on the river, I finally left Taman Negara (not wanting to) by getting a free lift (from Karsten and Susanne - danke schoen!!!) to Jerantut. From here I took a bus to Temerloh, where I boarded a bus bound for KL.



After checking into a hostel in China-Town, I took off to explore the town. I checked out China-Town and the Golden Triangle - thats where everyone seemed to spend time on a weekend. I returned to the hostel shortly before midnight, then went to bed.



Being a sunday, I slept in until about 10 before doing some more sightseeing - I visited the Central Market and Dataran Merdaka - the independence square - before heading for the Petronas Twin Towers - only to find that all tickets were gone for the day (unsurprisingly). Well, there was still another tower in town (equally high) - so I ventured off to the KL Tower paying 20 RM entrance fee. It was nice to see KL from above - but its not worth the money.



KLCC (a park) was packed with people ( most of them being families). I just sat down for a few minutes and had all sorts off people asking me to take pictures of and with me...time to move on. But I also managed to take pictures of others....



Then I went back to Low Yat Plaza, where I finally bought the laptop I have been wanting to buy for so long : the ASUS Eee 900. Its sooooo small and light - ideal for traveling. And I saved myself some money compared to what buyers in Europe or the US are paying. It was 1,700 RM (or 330 EUR).

http://eeepc.asus.com/global/900.htm

The next morning I ventured off to see the National Monument and the Lake Garden, which was totally deserted. Afterwards, I visited the National Museum to learn more about Malaysia and its history.



Since I liked the place so much, I had to stay another day. So, I went to the Batu Caves ... a cave in the mountains 15km outside KL featuring a Hindu Temple. Unsurprisingly enough, there were lots of Indians. Check out the pictures below ...

Taman Negara

...one of the oldest rainforests in the world. It supposed to be 130 million years old.

I arrived here yesterday after an 8 hour bus ride - which was quite exhausting. But the journey was worth it since I now find myself inmidst a jungle - and I am loving it. Not just because it is very peaceful place, but also because i am staying in a very nice guesthouse (with wireless internet, a terrace where I can chill out and drink free tea) where i meet and met nice people.



There a lot of things to do here : today I joined a couple and we hiked to a cave whose inhabitants were bats. On our way we passed a village, where the 'original' people live (called the 'Orang Asli'). It was amazing to see them living a nomadic livestyle in the jungle. The women were only partly dressed while the kids wore next to nothing; their house being a hut. They didnt seem busy at all, the kids playing, the adults chatting.. There were fewer men than women - I suspect they were out hunting..



We continued on to the cave where we saw a bunch of bats hanging from the ceiling - quite spectacular. On the way back we came across a giant lizard - but it ran away too quickly for me to take a photo. It took us a total of 4 hours to complete the hike. I was soaked in sweat when I returned.



After lunch I participated in a boat ride labeled 'Rapid Shooting'. This involved our wooden boat going upstream by shooting the rapids. It was fun especially once we were all wet from head to foot. Back in the hostel, I chilled out on the balcony sipping on tea (which was endlessly supplied) and chatting with the other travelers, with whom I went for dinner afterwards at one of the floating restaurants.



The next day I took of to the 'Canopy Walkway' - on my own! I got there shortly after 12 pm to be told that they just closed - how annoying. However, that was not the end of the hike - I continued on to the hilltop - a sweaty affair. The climb was well worth it - given the nice view up there. There I met a couple from nice Germany (Karsten and Susanne) with whom I continued the hike (or loop). This site of the hill was less developed and required climbing skills (we all didnt have). Worst of all, the path was 'guarded' by lots of leeches , which didnt take long to find their way into and up our shoes. Karsten was the first to be bitten (he was wearing sandals), but later we were all attacked. Shortly before we got back to the starting point (having completed the loop) we were given the opportunity to go for a swim in the river - exactly the kind of refreshment I was looking for. I spent about 30 minutes swimming and bathing, while the two were watching (they forgot to bring swimming clothes). When I got out, I discovered a leech sucking away on my leg - bahhhhh! Back on the other side, we all went for a well deserved lunch on one of the floating restaurants. I chilled out on the balcony for the rest of the afternoon - reading my book and sipping my tea. Dinner again had to be in a restaurant on the river, followed by watching the Germany vs. Portugal replay on TV.

Cameron Highlands

I am stationed in Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands, which is famous for .... tea ! That was probably the original purpose. Dont worry, the tea plantations are still there, but a lot of other things have been built around it to make it a more 'interesting' tourist destination. It attracts less Westeners, but bus loads of Singaporeans (and Japanese).



They seem to be really astonished by the sight of a flower blossoming , a strawberry (another big business here) growing, a butterfly flying or bee producing honey. Most normal to me, but most fascinating for people stuck in one and the same city (or country as in the case of Singapore).



Otherwise, there is lots of nature here: streams, waterfalls, mountains and the walks, treks and hikes that lead to them. One particular sight is a giant flower called 'Rafflesia'. I had to hike 2 hours through the jungle in order to see it. But it was worth it. The flowers we found measured almost 1(!!!) meter in circumference.

'Selamat Datang' in Malaysia

After 4 weeks in Thailand I was more than ready to see something NEW. From Hat Yai in South Thailand I got on a 'VIP' Bus (indeed very comfortable) bound for Kuala Lumpur (KL).

The border formalities out of the way (took less than 30 minutes) we were on the national highway full speed for Ipoh, my first port of call. I was dropped just off the highway and was told to make it on my own from here on (thanks very much). Luckily there was a bus station and a very helpful local who made sure i got on the right bus heading for the bus station, where I would board another bus heading for the Cameron Highlands.

I had to kill 2 hours at the bus station. It seemed like I was back in India, not only because of all the Indians. Where there are Indians, there is Indian food. So I stuffed my stomach with super delicious samosa's (with all sort of fillings) which were sold everywhere.

Since I was the only Westener around it didnt take long before I was approached and questioned - in the usual manner : Where are you from? How old are you? Are you married? ....and so forth.

After a couple of days I can confidently announce : Malaysians (including the Indians and Chinese that make up the society) are very very nice people !

'Auf Wiedersehen' in 'Thailand

This time I spent a whole 4 weeks here; longer than on all 3 previous times together. The first half of which I confined myself to the bounderies of Bangkok (except for a three day trip to Pattaya). I considered remaining here for much longer (months, even years). Life in this city seemed super convenient - you can have anything at any time. Everybody speaks English and its very easy to meet people and make friends.

So it seemed. But, I eventually got educated. People who speak English speak it for a good reason. They make money with tourists. Whenever those people look at you, they see your money. I hear (or read) that it is different with people outside the tourist industry. But how are you going to meet them if you are a tourist - they most likely dont speak English. In general it is hard to escape the tourist trap - its like a path you cant leave (unless you settle down here). Maybe thats what i will do (one day).

Otherwise, people are generally nice, have a good sense of humour and most fascinating of all: they smile a lot - hence the slogan "Thailand, the land of smiles";. Its addicting.

As for sights and monuments: Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai (which i bad visited on my previous trip) are worth seeing if you like temples and
stupas. Kanchanaburi and surroundings are great for nature, while Phuket and Phi Phi are superb locations for beautiful beaches and bays.

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Dieses Mal verbrachte ich ganze vier wochen in Thailand; laenger als an allen vorherigen Malen zusammen. Die erste Haelfte davon verbrachte ich in Bangkok (mit einem Ausflug nach Pattaya dazwischen). Ich spielte mit dem Gedanken hier fuer eine Weile zu bleiben (Wochen, sogar Monate), weil die Stadt einfach alles zu bieten hat was man braucht. Jeder spricht Englisch und es ist sehr einfach Leute kennenzulernen bzw. Freunde zu machen. So schien es zumindest.

Allerdings lernte ich schnell dass das Ganze nur ein Trugschluss war. Leute die Englisch sprechen, sprechen es aus einem guten Grund. Sie machen Geschaeft mit Touristen. Wenn die dich anschauen sehen die nur dein Geld. Sicher, so habe ich gehoert (und gelesen) gibt es auch andere Leute; naemlich die die nichst mit Touristen zu tun haben. Aber wie soll man die treffen als Tourist wenn auch noch davon auszugehen ist dass die dann kein Englisch sprechen ? Vielleicht indem man hier her zieht. Eines Tages vielleicht.

Im Generellen allerdings muss man sagen dass Thai's sehr nette Leute sind, die einen guten Sinn fuer Humor haben und vor allem die ewig am Laecheln sind. Daher auch der Slogan : "Thailand, das Land des Laechelns". Es ist total faszinierend und macht suechtig.

Ansonsten kann man in Thailand auch Sehenswueridgkeiten sehen : Ayutthaya und Chiang Mai (welches ich auf meiner letzten Reise besichtigt habe) sind voll mit Tempeln und Stupas. Kanchanaburi und Umgebung hat eine Menge fuer Naturliebhaber zu bieten, waehrend Phuket und Phi Phi wohl ein Paradies ist fuer Leute die Straende und Buchten lieben.

Phuket - Phi Phi Island - Krabi

This is my island hopping tour finishing off my last week in Thailand.
Dies ist meine insel tour um meine letzte woche in Thailand abzurunden.

Phuket

An island with beautiful beaches and bays ... though very touristy. Patong (thats where i am staying) is all about nightlife (and whatever comes with it).



Eine Insel mit super schoenen straenden und buchten ... allerdings sehr touristisch hier. Patong (da wo ich bin) dreht sich alles ums Nachtleben (und allem was damit verbunden ist).



and a beautiful sunset


Phi Phi ...



a paradise , indeed. it became famous after the movie "The Beach" was filmed here. but thats not the only reason tourist come here. the small town has charme and the surrounding waters seems to be perfect for scuba diving; at least that is what most people here seem to do. I got on an all day boat tour which took us to some other islands where there were more beaches and bays, while we were given the opportunity to snorkel (which i did). i could have stayed here forever, but opted for a move-on after 3 days. there are more places waiting to be visited.



ein echtes paradis. es wurde beruemht nachdem der Film "The Beach" hier gedreht wurde, aber das ist nicht der einzige Grund warum Touristen hier her kommen. Das kleine Dorf auf der Hauptinsel ist sehr charmvoll, und die Gewaesser um die Insel scheinen bestens fuers Tauchen geeignet zu sein. Ich nahm teil an einer Ganz Tages Tour; mit dem Boot ging es zu den verschiedenen Inseln wo man eben noch mehr schoene Straende und Buchten sehen konnte. Man bekam auch die Moeglichkeit schnorcheln zu gehen, was ich dann auch tat. Ich koennte fuer eine laengere Zeit hier bleiben, aber ich habe mich dann doch dazu durchgerungen weiter zu ziehen, schliesslich gibt es noch viele andere Dinge zu sehen auf meiner Weiterreise.