Not so Beautiful Boracay

Our unplanned destination, Boracay, is a monument to overdevelopment. Hotels, bars, tacky shops and restaurants line the beach without a break. 4km of buildings! We were there in the low season and still the place was heaving. There were people everywhere! The photographers must have been up at dawn to take a picture of an empty beach for the postcards - which must be photoshopped as the sand is not that white or idyllic.

I know this sounds like a rant, which I guess it is, but there are a couple of good things about Boracay. Bbq fish, mango shakes, a couple of chillout bars with live music - so us girlies still had a good time - but I won't be rushing back there.

The fact that the police patrolled the beach on foot and on buggies also didn't endear me to the place any more. You have to wonder why. However, Lynsey did enjoy her lift home on one!

Perfect Planning

For the half term break I headed off to the Philippines with the girlies. After a night in Manila our destination was the island of Paluwan. Having studied our lonely planet and the map our plan was to fly into Roxas, travel to Port Barton for some snorkelling, diving etc then down to Sabang to see the underground river, before flying out of Puerto Princessa. Simple.

However, when we landed in Roxas our requests for a Jeepney to Port Barton were met with puzzled looks. We took out our trusty Lonely Planet to show them where we wanted to go at which point they started rolling with laughter. Never good. Apparently there are 4 places called Roxas in the Philippines and we were not on Palawan at all, but on the island of Panay instead.

After studying our trusty guide book we realised that our only option was to change our flights (we weren't going to be getting to Puerto Princessa) and jump on a bus then a boat to Boracay. Oh the best laid plans.....

Speed

Top of the list of Kris's things to do on his visit was a day at the Sepang Circuit for the MotoGP. What a great day! Noise, speed, leathers! Awesome. The races were exciting and by the end of them I could just about tell the bikes and the riders apart as they zoomed past in a blur. Rossi won, and it was amazing to watch him get closer and closer to the guy in pole as each lap passed until he finally overtook him and left him for dust. I can just about hear again and my sunburn has nearly disappeared. Definitely up for watching that again.

Petronas Towers

After over a year in KL I've finally made it up to the viewing deck of the Petronas Towers! Although I have visited these iconic buildings regularly and use them instead of a compass around town I have never actually made it up them. Luckily for me Kris came to visit from Bangkok and it was on his itinerary of to dos, so up we got early and queued with the masses.

We did have to sit through what can only be described

as an 8 minute long advert for Petronas it was a lovely trip. Unfortunately it had rained, again, so the view wasn't that great, but there definitely a feeling of being somewhere special. Admittedly I was a tad concerned when the video told me the platform was suspended between the buildings and not really attached, and that when the wind blows it can sway up to 75 cm, but I soon got over that and started pointing out landmarks to Kris.

And yet more luxury!

This year my birthday coincided with the Hari Raya celebrations celebrating the end of Ramadan, so it was clearly an excuse to go away for a few days. Having made the most of my contacts here in KL we headed to the Berjaya Resort and Spa in Redang on a special package with an upgrade thrown in. Looking forward to my sea view room I was a little concerned when the Manager said that they were very full until he asked if we would mind being upgraded again to a suite!! I'm telling you I really could get used to living the high life. It was a beautiful apartment and I miss the glorious bathroom when I'm attempting to wake up under the comparative trickle that is my shower in my pokey ensuite.
The weather was beautiful, the sea crystal clear and my sun lounger just close enough to the refreshments. I was also treated to a session in the spa on the birthday - fantastic! Some wine and a very naughty cheese platter finished the day off perfectly. No dancing til dawn though - does that mean I'm getting old? Hope not!

A Bit of Luxury

As it was CK's birthday this week we drove down to Port Dickson for the night to stay in the luxurious Avillion resort. Picking one of the Water Chalets we were treated to a gorgeous room, complete with four poster bed and out door bathroom, over the water. A very romantic getaway indeed and one I hope to repeat again in the near future. I could get used to all this luxury!

Malaysia Taxis Worst in the World

We've suspected it for a long time, and now our suspicions have been confirmed as today the taxis in Malaysia have been voted the worst in the world. MSN news today reports about the "shabby service of unkempt and hostile drivers behind the wheels of decrepit vehicles who refuse to use the meter, overcharge and pick-and-choose which destinations they will travel to."

It's true! I'm regularly met by cries of "no meter" or "flat rate" as a sneaky driver tries to milk you for as much as he can. If it is raining you have no chance, and "bad traffic lah" is often cited as a reason not to take you to your destination. Truly! The traffic is always bad in KL. If you don't want to spend your day in jams don't become a taxi driver.

There is, however, an exception to the rule. Vincent. My friendly airport taxi driver who never over charges, is always on time and sends texts to see how you are enjoying your holiday while you are away. He really is a star. Maybe there is hope!

Engagements

So what is the best way to celebrate an engagement? Why Singstar at Hannah's of course! Friday night we toasted Tim and Karen with wine, Thai Girl and lots of tuneful singing. Saturday I had a sore head, but I'm thinking Hannah might have some irate neighbours. Fab night!

Back in the Big Kok

With two weeks left til term starts I certainly wasn't going to hang round KL kicking my heels so I packed my bags and shot over to Bangkok for a few days. I never fail to have a fabulous time when I visit there. So many people to see, spas to visit and shops to peruse.

I had a lovely couple of afternoons visiting the new additions. First it was cuddles with the lovely Leo, Si and Tessa's new bub, who made my day by happily snoozed in my arms for hours making occasional gurgling sounds. Very, very cute. Then it was over to Adam and Adele's to see the gorgeous Ihlara, not so much interested in the snuggles but enjoyed showing off her new trick of rolling over all on her own and giggling away - another absolutely cutie. (Can you hear it? If you concentrate really hard you might just make it out...... tick tock tick tock). Think it was a good thing CK wasn't there to witness the broodiness - he might just have legged it!

Needless to say I got stuck in endless Bangkok traffic jams so kept having to switch to motorbike taxis to actually get anywhere on time. For the first time ever I was actually given a helmet. The strap wasn't adjustable but I thought something would be better than nothing. Not so! As soon as we picked up a little bit of speed the wind caught in the gaps in the helmet which was far too big and flew about 5 inches above my head! I ended up having to release my vulcan death grip on the bike and hold onto the helmet instead, relying only on my dubious sense of balance to stay on. I think in some circumstances no helmet is better.

Friday was our big night out and met the old gang for a bit of a bar crawl along Sukhumvit. Needless to say there was a stop at Cheap Charlies and then for a bit of a boogie to the band in Titanium. I can't remember when I last went out dancing! It was great to see the old SIS lot and of course Ange Mad Dog Molony intent on teaching us some very important sign language!

Of course there was shopping and the Rachels, Soph and I hit MBK with a vengeance. Determined to stock up on warm clothing for my winter trip to the UK I managed several pairs of jeans and some trainers. A few bikinis and flip-flops were also thrown in for a good measure, as well as a new suitcase to get it all home in.

I don't think I have ever spent a weekend with Rach and Rach without some serious pampering and they didn't let me down. Post shopping we enjoyed a Pretty Face, Happy Feet package - a simultaneous foot massage and facial. Bliss! Then after a very large sunday dinner Rach P took me to her new fav spa, The Oasis, for the Lanna massage - three massages in one. First you have a thai massage to loosen all those knots, followed by a hot stone massage and finally topped off by an aromatherapy massage. Fantastic. Truly spoilt.

All in all a great trip. Great to see everyone. I'm sure I'll be back over very soon.

Pics

Some holiday snaps

Kopi Luwak

Meet the Palm Civet - a cat like creature with a penchant for coffee berries. This picky animal only chooses the best berries for its dinner which it devours joyfully. As with all of us nature takes its course and the coffee beans come out the other end having passed through the civets digestive tract unharmed but enhanced by the enzymes it met on the way. Some lucky person then has the delightful job of collecting the poop and it is then turned into Kopi Luwak or 'monkey poo' coffee, the most expensive cup of coffee in the world. Mmmm.

Biking in Bali

What better way to see Bali than by bike. We were dropped off at a high point with a view of Lake Batur and started our descent through the back roads of the island. Although it was a 40km ride the majority of it was downhill so I mainly just exercised my hand muscles on the brake. We were met by shouts of 'hello' from everyone we passed and all the kids wanted to high five us - I had to let CK do the honours as I'm far too un-co for much one handed riding. We whizzed past village temples hosting local ceremonies, through brilliant green paddy fields and past people carrying everything under the sun on their heads. It was a fantastic way to spend our last day in Bali.

Escape from Gili Meno

Lazy days have been spent on the gorgeous Gili Meno. White sand, blue sea, scorching sun and cool beers. It really is beautiful island. You can walk around it in a about an hour and we took late afternoon strolls along the beach to watch the sun set on the other side of the island. Needless to say there are no cars or motorbikes and, apart from boats, the only form transport is an old fashioned horse and cart.

The snorkelling was fantastic and I was uber excited to swim with several turtles. The sea was crystal clear, the coral bright and the fish in abundance. But mainly we spent lazy days reading and chilling on the beach.

After a few days of this you would think nothing could faze us, however our journey to Bali undid all the good work. As we didn't particularly enjoy the ferry ride over to the island (rolling waves, nausea and 4 hours turning in to 6) we were delighted to be offered a faster trip home. Just 2 1/2 hours in a sparkly new speedboat - seats 28, galley, facilities, safe and reliable - we even saw a picture! As there was no jetty we weren't surprised to first get into one of the longboats that shuttled us from the ferry to the beach when we arrived. However, it soon became clear that this was our transport all the way to Bali. Admittedly my sea legs are non-existant but I tend not to freak out about things willy nilly and I can tell you now I was not happy with the journey. The boat pitched and reeled with each wave and each roll covered me with a new spray of water. I held on tight but left my seat on several occasions, first staring at sea and then at sky. I kept my eyes firmly on the outline of Gunung Agung and felt my spirits rise as it got closer and closer. Not a trip I would care to repeat and not too chuffed about being duped - how long have I been doing this now? You'd think I would know better. Hey ho - at least I'm in one piece.

Temples

Yogyakarta = temples galore.

Our first stop were the Buddhist temples of Borobodur. With over 2 million individual blocks of stone it is apparently the largest single temple in S.E. Asia (although it is pretty stunning it somehow doesn't quite rival Angkor Wat). With six levels leading up to a huge stupa at the top the temple represents the Buddhist idea of the cosmos leading up to Nirvana. The intricately carved stones show the story of Bhudda and took three generations to carve.

After the Buddhists left Java the temple was abandoned and was eventually covered with ash from nearby Mount Merapi. However, the Dutch found it again and it has been carefully restored - a couple of times- since someone tried to bomb it and earthquakes shook it's foundations.

From Borobodur we went to the Hindu temple Prambanan. This didn't fare so well after the 2006 earthquake but were still beautiful to see.

After a long day temple tramping it was time for an apple pie and camomile tea. Mmm.

All Change

Friday saw Hannah flying back to KL and me boarding a train for the 9 hour journey to Yogyakarta. Trains are definitely the way to go. Leg room, 1 seat 1 person and a good breeze. I was on the 'bizniz' train though so maybe the economy train might not have been so pleasurable. Unfortunately without Hannah there to give me her 'we're not sleeping here' look I checked into a pretty basic room and after a night of no sleep got up and found a much better option just in time for Craig's arrival. So we're kicking round Yogyakarta for a couple of days before we head of to the beach. Today saw us visiting the Sultans palace and local markets as well as enjoying a cultural performance - although the soporific music and slow dancing did send Craig to sleep! Boys!

A Lazyman's Guide to Climbing Volcanoes

With over a hundred active volcanoes to choose from in Indonesia there is quite a choice when deciding which one to visit. Have watched Anak Krakatoa erupt from the safety and sort of comfort of our boat it was now time to get to the top of a volcano and peer in. However, we weren't so keen on a 2am start to reach the top or on a ten hour trek so Tangkuban Prahu seemed to fit the bill. Only an hour away from Bandung it is possible to drive all the way to the top. Yes to the top! No arduous uphill struggle to reach the summit. Sounded perfect.

The problem with such an easily accessible volcano is that it was rammed with hawkers and guys offering rides on ponies with dyed pink manes. Also the view was not that impressive. It did smell of sulphur and have gas seeping out of the ground but as Hannah pointed out she would have been really annoyed if she had hiked for hours to get to the top only to be greeted by that view!

We did walk back down to the road though so weren't complete lazybones. A pretty steep downward trail led to a second crater with hot pools and rocks you could fry eggs on and after that it was a pretty easy walk back down to the road. I almost managed to convince Hannah that the monkey we saw was a panther but surprisingly she was having none of it.

I think we learned a valuable lesson here and realise that for gorgeous views and some excitement we might actually have to put a bit of effort in!

Fusion Food

Since the delicious spring roll pastie at Lake Toba we have been witness to and unfortunate tasters of some rather random food combinations.

- Fruit Salad: well it was exactly what it says on the tin. Chopped up fruit, covered in thousand island dressing, on a bed of lettuce with half a boiled egg on top.

- Honey Pancake: After looking forward to my honey pancake I was surprised when it turned up to see that before the honey had been poured over the top the chef had sprinkled grated cheese all over it. Mmm.

- Croissants: Where can you go wrong with a croissant you may ask? Serve it with chilli sauce!

-Banana Surprise: Following the cheesy path this dessert was a combination of fried banana, cheese and chocolate.

- Toast: Our simple breakfast choice arrived with egg and chocolate sprinkles. Just what you need to get you going in the morning.

Shopaholics!

What the Lonely Planet doesn't tell you about Bandung is that it is a factory outlet mecca (it has to have something going for it really). Hannah and I have just spent pretty much the whole day trawling round all the shops in Jalan Dago and have come away with some great bargains! We're now weary and ready for a massage but I'm very excited about my new clothes. Luckily for me Hannah is flying home on friday and is willing to deliver my new purchases back to KL so I don't have to lug them round with me. We have barely touched on the available outlets so maybe we'll have to finish what we started tomorrow!

Partying Carita styleee

Following in a long tradition of sticking a stage in a field the people of Carita, a small fishing village, prepared for their long awaited concert. The musicians were great, the singers had fab voices even if they were dressed like 80's throwbacks and everyone was in a party mood. Games booths circled the field for our entertainment and we wandered over to have a quick game at darts to see what prizes we cold win. We were soon told that we could only play if we brought a packet of cigarettes. We looked puzzled. The rules were repeated again - you could only play a game if you brought a packet of cigarettes for which you recieved a ticket you could swap for a game. Yes EVERYONE around us was smoking and didn't understand why we would delay in purchasing a pack.

We soon heard a commotion around the stage and saw the MC was inviting people up. I narrowly got away without being hearded up there by the chief of police who was very keen I had a go. The contestants had to complete various tongue twisters and their prize was - you guessed it - a bag full of packets of fags!

Cigarette advertising may be banned at home but it is rife here. Billboards are everywhere and it really is encouraged wherever you are. We got away without buying a sackful of ciggies but the rest of Carita were probably not as fortunate.

Big Bang

The loudest ever recorded bang occured in 1883 when the volcano Krakatoa blew itself apart and sent a 40m tsunami crashing against the shores of Sumatra and Java. It threw up a column of ash 80km into the sky which rained down on land as far away as singapore. It is now a shadow of its former self and no longer active, however, Anak Krakatoa is slowly taking its place on the list of celebrity volcanoes and was the destination of our trip.

After an hour and a half crashing over waves in a speed boat we saw the shape of Krakatoa in the distance and next to it was the pretty unimpressive height of Anak Krakatoa. It may have been short in stature (it only appeared 80 years ago so is pretty young in the grand scheme of things) but it is fierce and shouldn't be underestimated!

Withing ten minutes of us spotting it this baby volcano it spewed out a cloud of smoke and ash a couple of km into the sky and as we got closer we saw the glowing rocks that it was regularly threw out. After each episode it calmed down and then as if by clockwork it started belching smoke and ash again. Truly amazing to watch.

We then pulled the boat up to the beach to have a wander on the slopes of the volcano (not too close to the top obviously). Everything was covered in a thick layer of ash and the landscape had an eerie feel to it. Amazingly some hardy plants are able to survive there! We were soon also covered in ash too. We were half expecting the ground to shake as the volcano geared up for its next eruption but the place was spookily still and quiet until the calm was broken by an almighty bang. Time to make an exit.

We washed ourselves in the clear blue waters next to the original Krakatoa and donned masks and snorkels to have a look at the underwater life. What a great day!