It was a slightly tearful departure from Brunei but not as many were shed as i thought might be. It's only my second time in Brunei but i really hate leaving. Not just because it is such a nice place but because i have to say goodbye to Victoria. I have had such a fantastic time and i hope for many more exciting times in the future.
At the airport immigration i had a bit of an argument with the woman because she told me i entered the country on the 29th feb which i hadn't and i've been in and out of the country since then. It turns out that immigration at the border on thursday had their stamp on feb instead of march. Not that it makes any difference because you can stay in Brunei for three months.
The flight was awful. We had to take a different route because of bad weather around India. It was so turbulent and i do not like that. Out of the window you could see lightning storms and at one point in the middle of the ocean we obviously went around something because there was a kink in the flight path. This made us late so we spent what felt like forever circling Dubai and landed eventually. Then after we took off from Dubai we circled again. I started getting a bit twitchy especially when the plane started heading back towards the airport. After a while the pilot managed to point it in the right direction. I didn't really sleep on the first leg of the journey, maybe an hour or so. On the second leg thanks to some tablets i managed 3 or 4 hours. I woke up to see the sun rising and it was such an amazing sight from above the clouds. I had a bit of a moment on the plane and had a bit of a cry. I'm far to soppy. Anyway because we were running late we circled around London and i saw the Olympic Stadium, Thames Barrier and the Millenium Dome. I didn't see them on my last trip because it was cloudy. We headed towards Heathrow and started circling there. I had just got to the point where i wanted to get off the blasted thing. We finally landed about 1.5 hours late. The flight home wasn't as bad as i expected it to be. I just remember my awful experience of the return leg from last time. As we were getting off i used my new found confidence in Malay to say thank you to one of the cabin crew who looked at me with surprise before replying in Malay. It'll be a while before i can practice again.
I knew i'd be cold but i am freezing. I'm sure such extremes of temperature can't be good for your health. I was stood outside in direct sunlight with a jumper on and a blanket wrapped around me in an attempt to warm up. It feels weird being home but i couldn't stay forever however much i wish i could. At the minute there are no signs of the dreaded jet lag but whether i make it to bedtime is another question.
My adventure is over and i am so grateful for Miss Bicki a)letting me go over a little earlier and b)putting up with me for so long. Now it's back to reality.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Goodbye Brunei
The last couple of days have been hard because I've know my trip is coming to an end. Yesterday we didn't do a lot mainly due to the after effects of Thursday night. In the evening we went out for a meal with a couple of other people which was nice. Then we went over to someone's house. Another late night. I didn't get much sleep last night due to a very itchy, angry bite on my forearm. It's not looking particularly attractive being red, swollen and blistered. My body has obviously got tired of being bitten and is staging a protest. I've never had bites so bad.
Today I packed and we went shopping because Vicki had a little lunch for a couple of her friends. It was nice until I was asked how I felt about leaving and promptly started crying. To be honest I've felt like that all week and even now as I write this. My bag weighs a tonne and was close to the limit which is unusual for me. I'm very sad to be leaving but I know I'll be back. I've had such a fantastic time and I hope Vicki has too.
Right now I'm eating chocolate cake until I have to make that horrid journey to the airport. I expect there will be tears. It's becoming more of a struggle to hold them in. In a few hours I shall be on my way back to reality. At least I have got my window seat.
Today I packed and we went shopping because Vicki had a little lunch for a couple of her friends. It was nice until I was asked how I felt about leaving and promptly started crying. To be honest I've felt like that all week and even now as I write this. My bag weighs a tonne and was close to the limit which is unusual for me. I'm very sad to be leaving but I know I'll be back. I've had such a fantastic time and I hope Vicki has too.
Right now I'm eating chocolate cake until I have to make that horrid journey to the airport. I expect there will be tears. It's becoming more of a struggle to hold them in. In a few hours I shall be on my way back to reality. At least I have got my window seat.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Food roulette
What has happened in the las few days? Well on Tuesday we went to an area of Brunei called Seria because Vicki needed to find a school she has to go to later in the year. It took about 1.5 hours to get to the there. It was sad to see on the way parts of the jungle are being chopped down. Seria is where the Shell HQ is and that is where the oil refinery is. It's like another planet. We drove around for a bit trying to find the Billionth Barrel monument. Eventually we did. It was built to commemorate the production of the billionth barrel of crude oil produced in 1991. Not something I would visit if we hadn't of been going to the area anyway. There is also a discovery centre which I presume tells you the history of oil production etc. We didn't go in there though. It was nice to see another part of Brunei but if I'm honest it kind of all looks the same. Lots of green.
In the evening I drove to the shop to get a pizza. I've never had an issue with communication before. There's always a first time. I pointed to what I wanted and the girl it turned out spoke little English. I heard her say makan masuk which means eat in. I understood what she had said but I was unsure of the reply but I managed to utter makan keluar which was the right reply as it means eat out. I felt really pleased with myself for managing the situation although I did feel slightly panicked by it. Having my confidence boosted by our initial encounter I said terima kasih (thank you) when she gave me my order. I did say a little while ago to Vicki that I wanted to have a go at speaking Malay but I wasn't expecting that. It makes me feel relieved that I have spent time working out what certain words mean. If I hadn't I'd have been stuck. I do believe that if you go to a country for a period of time that you should at least attempt to learn the basics. Malay seems quite easy to pick up. They don't have pleurals for a start so person is orang and people is orang orang. You just repeat the word to make it a pleural. Also we have I, me, mine, I'm whereas in Malay they just use saya which means all of these. Keluar which I used to say out also means exit. It does make it quite a simple language. Although my limited Malay was no use when we went shopping on Wednesday when I had to try to explain what cous cous was.
Last night a group of us went over the border into Malaysia. It doesn't take long to get there but the main difference between Brunei and Malaysia is that there is alcohol in the latter. If you are not Muslim you can bring in 2L of wine/spirits and 12 cans of beer/alcopop and no cigarettes. We walked over the border so once we were stamped by immigration at Brunei to say we had left the country where were we? We hadn't entered Malaysia so I guess we were in no mans land. Vicki asked what would happen if you were to commit a crime in this in between area? Who would deal with you? Probably best not to find out. The area we sat in has changed since I was there last time so I didn't recognise it initially. I started on the sprite because it was too hot for beer. I dread to think how much booze was consumed by the ten people sat around the table. I joined in eventually with my two beers. I was offered wine but that would have been messy. A lot of food was ordered some of it nice some of it not. Some 'duck' came round which I tried and it didn't look like any duck I'd ever seen or tasted like it. The bones were not that of a duck. It was a strong flavour almost liver like. The bones looked like they were from a mammal. I have never seen bones like that come out of a duck. I just hope that the word wasn't lost in translation and it was dog and not duck. Some pork came round too and it was delicious, so tender. I almost went back for more until Vicki told me that I had just eaten pigs trotter. I was almost sick. I don't know why because it tasted really nice, I think it was the thought of eating pigs feet. I didn't have any more. Another dish I tried was jungle fern. There was one in a fermented fish stock which was pungent and tasted a bit like smelly socks would taste I imagine. It wasn't too bad though. I also had normal jungle fern which is exactly what it is, bits of foliage. It was like eating grass. Apparently you can't get this dish outside of Borneo. We had squid, chicken, fresh fish, noodles, satay and some meat kebab thing too. It was nice to try different foods. I'm not sure I would again.
There was a moth the size of my hand in the toilet which was shaped like an arrow head. That wasn't a problem it waste flying monster outside that were the issue. Every now and then you would see something huge flying out of the corner of your eye and wonder if it was a bat. There was a humongous cricket and then when I was talking to someone a massive bug of some description. This massive bug decided to land on the other persons head. Whatever it was it was about 4 inches long with huge wings. The calm that was shown by the victim of this flying beast was amazing. I would have been screaming like a 5 year old girl and probably crying. Unfortunately as the monster was brushed from the persons hair it landed under my seat. I was terrified it would fly at me if I moved but I couldn't stay where I was. I jumped up and a kind, brave soul shooed it off. It is probably a good job my jungle trek was cancelled in Langkawi because I would have been a jibbering wreck with mega insects like that flying around.
You have to get over the border before 10pm of you get locked out essentially so we made a move but not before a rendition of My Way by Tony and his backing singers in the karaoke bar. We all went back to Vickis and carried on where we left off and the Singstar was unleashed. I went outside and Tony was playing with his stargazing app so I asked what these two stars were. It turns out that actually one of the 'stars' was Saturn. All this time I had been wondering what the two random stars were and in fact I was looking at a planet.
In the evening I drove to the shop to get a pizza. I've never had an issue with communication before. There's always a first time. I pointed to what I wanted and the girl it turned out spoke little English. I heard her say makan masuk which means eat in. I understood what she had said but I was unsure of the reply but I managed to utter makan keluar which was the right reply as it means eat out. I felt really pleased with myself for managing the situation although I did feel slightly panicked by it. Having my confidence boosted by our initial encounter I said terima kasih (thank you) when she gave me my order. I did say a little while ago to Vicki that I wanted to have a go at speaking Malay but I wasn't expecting that. It makes me feel relieved that I have spent time working out what certain words mean. If I hadn't I'd have been stuck. I do believe that if you go to a country for a period of time that you should at least attempt to learn the basics. Malay seems quite easy to pick up. They don't have pleurals for a start so person is orang and people is orang orang. You just repeat the word to make it a pleural. Also we have I, me, mine, I'm whereas in Malay they just use saya which means all of these. Keluar which I used to say out also means exit. It does make it quite a simple language. Although my limited Malay was no use when we went shopping on Wednesday when I had to try to explain what cous cous was.
Last night a group of us went over the border into Malaysia. It doesn't take long to get there but the main difference between Brunei and Malaysia is that there is alcohol in the latter. If you are not Muslim you can bring in 2L of wine/spirits and 12 cans of beer/alcopop and no cigarettes. We walked over the border so once we were stamped by immigration at Brunei to say we had left the country where were we? We hadn't entered Malaysia so I guess we were in no mans land. Vicki asked what would happen if you were to commit a crime in this in between area? Who would deal with you? Probably best not to find out. The area we sat in has changed since I was there last time so I didn't recognise it initially. I started on the sprite because it was too hot for beer. I dread to think how much booze was consumed by the ten people sat around the table. I joined in eventually with my two beers. I was offered wine but that would have been messy. A lot of food was ordered some of it nice some of it not. Some 'duck' came round which I tried and it didn't look like any duck I'd ever seen or tasted like it. The bones were not that of a duck. It was a strong flavour almost liver like. The bones looked like they were from a mammal. I have never seen bones like that come out of a duck. I just hope that the word wasn't lost in translation and it was dog and not duck. Some pork came round too and it was delicious, so tender. I almost went back for more until Vicki told me that I had just eaten pigs trotter. I was almost sick. I don't know why because it tasted really nice, I think it was the thought of eating pigs feet. I didn't have any more. Another dish I tried was jungle fern. There was one in a fermented fish stock which was pungent and tasted a bit like smelly socks would taste I imagine. It wasn't too bad though. I also had normal jungle fern which is exactly what it is, bits of foliage. It was like eating grass. Apparently you can't get this dish outside of Borneo. We had squid, chicken, fresh fish, noodles, satay and some meat kebab thing too. It was nice to try different foods. I'm not sure I would again.
There was a moth the size of my hand in the toilet which was shaped like an arrow head. That wasn't a problem it waste flying monster outside that were the issue. Every now and then you would see something huge flying out of the corner of your eye and wonder if it was a bat. There was a humongous cricket and then when I was talking to someone a massive bug of some description. This massive bug decided to land on the other persons head. Whatever it was it was about 4 inches long with huge wings. The calm that was shown by the victim of this flying beast was amazing. I would have been screaming like a 5 year old girl and probably crying. Unfortunately as the monster was brushed from the persons hair it landed under my seat. I was terrified it would fly at me if I moved but I couldn't stay where I was. I jumped up and a kind, brave soul shooed it off. It is probably a good job my jungle trek was cancelled in Langkawi because I would have been a jibbering wreck with mega insects like that flying around.
You have to get over the border before 10pm of you get locked out essentially so we made a move but not before a rendition of My Way by Tony and his backing singers in the karaoke bar. We all went back to Vickis and carried on where we left off and the Singstar was unleashed. I went outside and Tony was playing with his stargazing app so I asked what these two stars were. It turns out that actually one of the 'stars' was Saturn. All this time I had been wondering what the two random stars were and in fact I was looking at a planet.
Monday, 26 March 2012
Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix
On Saturday we flew from Langkawi to KL. I was both sad to be leaving such an amazing place but excited at the prospect of what lay ahead. The flight was ok and we managed to get into KL about 15 minutes ahead of time. We hoped that we might make the F1 qualifying but it took too long to get from the airport due to a lot of waiting around. Our hotel was literally a couple of minutes from the airport. When we got to the room I must admit I wasn't impressed. It was tiny. There was just enough room to fit the bed in never mind two people and two suitcases. I went downstairs to see if there was another room but as I thought they were fully booked. In the evening we went into KL to meet a couple of Vickis friends at the Hard Rock Cafe. The taxi driver was practicing for the race I think. He was driving at 80mph touring car style. Cutting across lanes, tailgating other cars, it was literally bumper to bumper for 45 minutes. I have never felt so scared about my safety in all of my life. Fortunately we got to KL in one piece. We drove under the Petronas Towers and got an amazing view. We ate, listened to a band and everyone but me danced. I don't do dancing. The weird thing is seeing everyone smoking indoors. I'm so used to it being smoke free inside that it felt odd seeing people light up. Anyway it must have been half one by the time we made a move. We walked down the road and found a taxi. By the time we got to the hotel it was about half two. I was hoping to have a decent nights sleep before race day.
I woke up on Sunday feeling very tired. We ate at the airport before getting on a shuttle bus to the circuit. I thought that we would get dropped off at the circuit. Well we did, on the other side of what can only be described as a motorway. There were streams of people being dropped off and we all had to run across three lanes, clamber over the central reservation then run across another three lanes. Not how I expected to arrive at Sepang! We then got a bus to the main entrance. After the mission of trying to find where to get our tickets we finally got them and proceeded to wander through the mall area. If you look at a map of Sepang it is situated at the wide end of the V shaped grandstand. We had to leave the central area to get another bus so e could get to our ticket area. This seemed to take forever. We were at turn 11 but could see from turn 9 to turn 14 and some of the following straight, give of take a few trees blocking the view. For me it was a fantastic view and as the weekend ticket only cost £15 it was definately value for money. In the distance we could see a storm and it was thundering quite a lot. We weren't sure if it would actually hit, this was about half an hour before the race started. Well by the time the race was red flagged on lap 8 we were drenched. I took some video of the cars going round behind the safety car because the spray coming off the cars was unbelievable. You see it on the tv but when you can actually see it for yourself it is something different. We eventually got a rain mac but it was too little too late although it did keep us warm. It was such a surreal experience, we were at the Malaysian GP. I couldn't quite believe I was watching F1 cars flying passed me. We had a tv screen in front of us but it was just too far away to see the names on the screen so I was counting the cars as they came round to work out positions. I could recognise some of the drivers from their helmets. You know the drivers push the cars to the limit but seeing the back ends twitching as they accelerated out of turn 11 was awesome. It looked like they were going to get a tank slapper going but they quickly got the car under control. The engine noise was deafening as they screamed passed. I actually thought my ears were bleeding at one point. I knew they were loud but that was something else. It was disappointing to see Button have a bad race but towards the end I was cheering on Perez as I could see he was getting closer to Alonso every lap. At one point I thought he was going to pull it off but sadly not. I don't know where Perez ran wide but I did see a Sauber in the gravel at turn 9. The crowd was entertaining. At one point the whole of our section and the next were doing Mexican waves. Our section which was undercover were doing it properly but the next was uncovered so they were just lifting their umbrellas up. There were people rolling down the bank and running with banners. It was a fantastic atmosphere.
Getting out of the circuit was hideous. We walked all the way back to the main entrance which was miles but the buses were crammed. They were so full I'm surprised people didn't have their faces pressed up against the windows. Clearly no health and safety in Malaysia. We paid for a bus rather than get the free one because otherwise we would have been there all night. There is a garage across from the main entrance which was rammed. The motorway was at a standstill heading into KL and people were making a dash across the road as we had to on the way in. Eventually the nightmare ended and we got dropped at the hotel. I have been going through my photos of the GP for three days now and I still haven't finished erasing all of the rubbish ones. I must have taken a thousand.
On Monday we left KL and headed back to Brunei. For someone that's scared of flying you do not want the captain to tell you that the flight is delayed because of a problem and that there's going to be turbulence then hear lots of odd noise coming from somewhere on the aircraft. It turned out fine and we landed in Brunei to rain and cold. 25 degrees may not sound cold but when you are used to 33 degrees and blazing sunshine it is. I also saw my first snake. Unfortunately it had just been flattened by a passing car.
I woke up on Sunday feeling very tired. We ate at the airport before getting on a shuttle bus to the circuit. I thought that we would get dropped off at the circuit. Well we did, on the other side of what can only be described as a motorway. There were streams of people being dropped off and we all had to run across three lanes, clamber over the central reservation then run across another three lanes. Not how I expected to arrive at Sepang! We then got a bus to the main entrance. After the mission of trying to find where to get our tickets we finally got them and proceeded to wander through the mall area. If you look at a map of Sepang it is situated at the wide end of the V shaped grandstand. We had to leave the central area to get another bus so e could get to our ticket area. This seemed to take forever. We were at turn 11 but could see from turn 9 to turn 14 and some of the following straight, give of take a few trees blocking the view. For me it was a fantastic view and as the weekend ticket only cost £15 it was definately value for money. In the distance we could see a storm and it was thundering quite a lot. We weren't sure if it would actually hit, this was about half an hour before the race started. Well by the time the race was red flagged on lap 8 we were drenched. I took some video of the cars going round behind the safety car because the spray coming off the cars was unbelievable. You see it on the tv but when you can actually see it for yourself it is something different. We eventually got a rain mac but it was too little too late although it did keep us warm. It was such a surreal experience, we were at the Malaysian GP. I couldn't quite believe I was watching F1 cars flying passed me. We had a tv screen in front of us but it was just too far away to see the names on the screen so I was counting the cars as they came round to work out positions. I could recognise some of the drivers from their helmets. You know the drivers push the cars to the limit but seeing the back ends twitching as they accelerated out of turn 11 was awesome. It looked like they were going to get a tank slapper going but they quickly got the car under control. The engine noise was deafening as they screamed passed. I actually thought my ears were bleeding at one point. I knew they were loud but that was something else. It was disappointing to see Button have a bad race but towards the end I was cheering on Perez as I could see he was getting closer to Alonso every lap. At one point I thought he was going to pull it off but sadly not. I don't know where Perez ran wide but I did see a Sauber in the gravel at turn 9. The crowd was entertaining. At one point the whole of our section and the next were doing Mexican waves. Our section which was undercover were doing it properly but the next was uncovered so they were just lifting their umbrellas up. There were people rolling down the bank and running with banners. It was a fantastic atmosphere.
Getting out of the circuit was hideous. We walked all the way back to the main entrance which was miles but the buses were crammed. They were so full I'm surprised people didn't have their faces pressed up against the windows. Clearly no health and safety in Malaysia. We paid for a bus rather than get the free one because otherwise we would have been there all night. There is a garage across from the main entrance which was rammed. The motorway was at a standstill heading into KL and people were making a dash across the road as we had to on the way in. Eventually the nightmare ended and we got dropped at the hotel. I have been going through my photos of the GP for three days now and I still haven't finished erasing all of the rubbish ones. I must have taken a thousand.
On Monday we left KL and headed back to Brunei. For someone that's scared of flying you do not want the captain to tell you that the flight is delayed because of a problem and that there's going to be turbulence then hear lots of odd noise coming from somewhere on the aircraft. It turned out fine and we landed in Brunei to rain and cold. 25 degrees may not sound cold but when you are used to 33 degrees and blazing sunshine it is. I also saw my first snake. Unfortunately it had just been flattened by a passing car.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Langkawi: Part two
Well after sitting in the lobby to blog the other day I had a rather traumatising experience on the way back up to the room. As I was walking along the corridor I came across a three inch cricket. It was huge so I took a photo of it. This must not have gone down well because as I walked passed it I heard its engines start up and before I knew it I was being chased down the corridor by what was now a flying monster. At one point it disappeared and I thought it had landed on my back. A hilarious sight for any onlookers.
Yesterday we went on a mangrove tour. Which involved yet another boat which we had to clamber out of at regular intervals. I don't have very good sea legs so this was not nice for me. Our first stop was a walk to a bat cave. We had to walk along a raised platform along the cliff edge. In the mud below us were some fiddler crabs and above us was an elephant palm. It's called this because it grows off the edge of the cliff and looks like an elephants trunk. The guide told us that they only grow something like an inch a year which made the tree were looking at approximately 1000 years old. After the little talk we had to walk through our first cave but it was so small I nearly thought I'd have to go on hands and feet. Fortunately it wasn't low for very long. This cave had no bats in it. When we got to the oth side there was another raised platform that meandered through the mangrove. It was here we encountered monkeys. It's a strange sight seeing monkeys appearing through the trees. It was like seeing an ant, once you've seen one you then start to see all of it's little friends. We walked along the platform and came to the bat cave. Bats don't bother me in the slightest so I was quite happy in there. Some of them were swooping around and they were quite noisy. It was only when I got to the other end I realised I was missing something, Vicki. It took her a little while but she walked through the cave to the other end.
We floated down the river and came to an area where there were boats moored. The guide told us to moor at the harbour would cost around £400 per month, to moor in the geopark which is a lot more scenic as it's in the middle of the jungle was more like £100 per year. I know which I'd rather. Anyway there was a floating fish farm where we made a stop. They showed us all the different types of fish they had and the stingrays. The young chap asked if anybody wanted to feed the stingray. I really wanted to do it and after a while I plucked up the courage. By feeding it I don't mean throwing food into the water, I actually held the food in my hand then place my hand in the water and this stingray flapped it's way over my hand until it's mouth was over the food then essentially vacuumed it up. It was a bizarre sensation to say the least.
After this we went to a place called crocodile cave, so called because they used to find lots of crocodiles there but because of the tourism they have moved on. In this cave were two boats full of loud Americans and they had tv cameras etc. Initially I thought they were filming the area but it turns out we bumped into an American reality tv star from American Chopper of something. He looked like Hulk Hogan to me. They filmed our boat so I wonder if we'll end up on the show? We couldn't go in the cave because it was high tide and our boat was too big. We moved on and watched some eagles. Our guide explained that he doesn't agree with the eagle feeding do he doesn't do it, which is good. We stopped by some monkeys and watched them clambering all over another boat then stopped by an old charcoal oven. They used to chop down the mangrove trees and put them in the ovens and make charcoal. The whole process from chopping down the tree to final product used to take about two weeks. They've stopped it now so the brick ovens are now a part of the jungle and it's history.
Not long after this we got abandoned on a beach. The sea was lovely and full of little fish. The sand however was burning hot. I don't think I have ever walked on sand and thought my feet were going to blister. I can only imagine that is what it feels like to walk across hot coals. It was not nice. Vicki sat in the sun but I went and found some shade in the trees. We could just about make out the outline of Thailand from our little piece of paradise. After this we went to a floating restaurant and had lunch which was really nice. It was simple home cooking apparently. Going back to the mainland the driver up his speed and we bounced across the waves getting soaked in the process. Looking at the islands it just reminds you of the scenes in Jurassic Park when the helicopter flies over. It is an amazing place.
On the way back to the hotel I saw my first monkey road kill and had to sit next to a crazy taxi driver. He was having a good old rant about some nationalities and how rude they are. It was funny but slightly unnerving especially when you want the driver to concentrate on what he's doing. We went for Arabian food in the evening which was yummy. That was Thursday.
Today we went up to the cable car. Now I haven't been looking forward to this at all because I don't like heights. When we got there and I saw how steep it was I really wanted to chicken out. There is no way I was going to come all this way and not go up. I gritted my teeth and up we went. I don't like cable cars at the best of times but this was something else. We got to the first platform and got off. We had a look around and took pictures then I had to brave another cable car but fortunately the journey was a flat one rather than something so steep it's almost vertical. According to a notice we were nearly half a mile above sea level, it looked a lot higher than that! It is from this second platform you can walk across a bridge. This is no ordinary bridge but one suspended between to peaks. I really did not want to do it as it scared the living s*** out of me. Unlike most people who were sauntering across stopping and looking around I basically charged across especially when I realised that there were gaps in the floor so you could see straight down. I got to the other side and calmed down a bit, I had to walk all the way back across it. On the way back there were areas in the walkway that were far wider than I liked and I stood on one bit and it rocked. That was it I was off like a rocket almost in tears. How I didn't have some sort of mental breakdown there and then I do not know. I was terrified. To be honest the views were stunning but I can't say I'm glad I did it. Nevermind having to cope with the cable car back down. I did do it though and I am quite pleased I faced my fears but I would never do it again.
After we had eaten we went for a ride on an elephant through the jungle. I sat at the back and soon started to regret this. I didn't know my legs could stretched that wide. It was a rather large beast not to mention uncomfortable and very slow. It was quite amusing being smacked in the face by tree branches because I was too busy looking around to pay attention to what was in front of me. At one point the elephant decided it was hungry so started to trudge off towards these plants. I must admit I did start to panic slightly as I was stuck on the back of it but the little man got it under control eventually. When we got back we got to feed it to say thank you.
When we had finished we went and had a walk around the shops and it was at this point I noticed the sunburn. Oops. To make it worse I have a strap mark across my chest where my bag had been. The taxi driver told me that this is the hot season and lasts until May so there aren't many tourists. I can understand that! When we got back to the hotel Vicki went for a spa thing and I went to sleep and this ends our visit to Langkawi as we leave tomorrow.
Yesterday we went on a mangrove tour. Which involved yet another boat which we had to clamber out of at regular intervals. I don't have very good sea legs so this was not nice for me. Our first stop was a walk to a bat cave. We had to walk along a raised platform along the cliff edge. In the mud below us were some fiddler crabs and above us was an elephant palm. It's called this because it grows off the edge of the cliff and looks like an elephants trunk. The guide told us that they only grow something like an inch a year which made the tree were looking at approximately 1000 years old. After the little talk we had to walk through our first cave but it was so small I nearly thought I'd have to go on hands and feet. Fortunately it wasn't low for very long. This cave had no bats in it. When we got to the oth side there was another raised platform that meandered through the mangrove. It was here we encountered monkeys. It's a strange sight seeing monkeys appearing through the trees. It was like seeing an ant, once you've seen one you then start to see all of it's little friends. We walked along the platform and came to the bat cave. Bats don't bother me in the slightest so I was quite happy in there. Some of them were swooping around and they were quite noisy. It was only when I got to the other end I realised I was missing something, Vicki. It took her a little while but she walked through the cave to the other end.
We floated down the river and came to an area where there were boats moored. The guide told us to moor at the harbour would cost around £400 per month, to moor in the geopark which is a lot more scenic as it's in the middle of the jungle was more like £100 per year. I know which I'd rather. Anyway there was a floating fish farm where we made a stop. They showed us all the different types of fish they had and the stingrays. The young chap asked if anybody wanted to feed the stingray. I really wanted to do it and after a while I plucked up the courage. By feeding it I don't mean throwing food into the water, I actually held the food in my hand then place my hand in the water and this stingray flapped it's way over my hand until it's mouth was over the food then essentially vacuumed it up. It was a bizarre sensation to say the least.
After this we went to a place called crocodile cave, so called because they used to find lots of crocodiles there but because of the tourism they have moved on. In this cave were two boats full of loud Americans and they had tv cameras etc. Initially I thought they were filming the area but it turns out we bumped into an American reality tv star from American Chopper of something. He looked like Hulk Hogan to me. They filmed our boat so I wonder if we'll end up on the show? We couldn't go in the cave because it was high tide and our boat was too big. We moved on and watched some eagles. Our guide explained that he doesn't agree with the eagle feeding do he doesn't do it, which is good. We stopped by some monkeys and watched them clambering all over another boat then stopped by an old charcoal oven. They used to chop down the mangrove trees and put them in the ovens and make charcoal. The whole process from chopping down the tree to final product used to take about two weeks. They've stopped it now so the brick ovens are now a part of the jungle and it's history.
Not long after this we got abandoned on a beach. The sea was lovely and full of little fish. The sand however was burning hot. I don't think I have ever walked on sand and thought my feet were going to blister. I can only imagine that is what it feels like to walk across hot coals. It was not nice. Vicki sat in the sun but I went and found some shade in the trees. We could just about make out the outline of Thailand from our little piece of paradise. After this we went to a floating restaurant and had lunch which was really nice. It was simple home cooking apparently. Going back to the mainland the driver up his speed and we bounced across the waves getting soaked in the process. Looking at the islands it just reminds you of the scenes in Jurassic Park when the helicopter flies over. It is an amazing place.
On the way back to the hotel I saw my first monkey road kill and had to sit next to a crazy taxi driver. He was having a good old rant about some nationalities and how rude they are. It was funny but slightly unnerving especially when you want the driver to concentrate on what he's doing. We went for Arabian food in the evening which was yummy. That was Thursday.
Today we went up to the cable car. Now I haven't been looking forward to this at all because I don't like heights. When we got there and I saw how steep it was I really wanted to chicken out. There is no way I was going to come all this way and not go up. I gritted my teeth and up we went. I don't like cable cars at the best of times but this was something else. We got to the first platform and got off. We had a look around and took pictures then I had to brave another cable car but fortunately the journey was a flat one rather than something so steep it's almost vertical. According to a notice we were nearly half a mile above sea level, it looked a lot higher than that! It is from this second platform you can walk across a bridge. This is no ordinary bridge but one suspended between to peaks. I really did not want to do it as it scared the living s*** out of me. Unlike most people who were sauntering across stopping and looking around I basically charged across especially when I realised that there were gaps in the floor so you could see straight down. I got to the other side and calmed down a bit, I had to walk all the way back across it. On the way back there were areas in the walkway that were far wider than I liked and I stood on one bit and it rocked. That was it I was off like a rocket almost in tears. How I didn't have some sort of mental breakdown there and then I do not know. I was terrified. To be honest the views were stunning but I can't say I'm glad I did it. Nevermind having to cope with the cable car back down. I did do it though and I am quite pleased I faced my fears but I would never do it again.
After we had eaten we went for a ride on an elephant through the jungle. I sat at the back and soon started to regret this. I didn't know my legs could stretched that wide. It was a rather large beast not to mention uncomfortable and very slow. It was quite amusing being smacked in the face by tree branches because I was too busy looking around to pay attention to what was in front of me. At one point the elephant decided it was hungry so started to trudge off towards these plants. I must admit I did start to panic slightly as I was stuck on the back of it but the little man got it under control eventually. When we got back we got to feed it to say thank you.
When we had finished we went and had a walk around the shops and it was at this point I noticed the sunburn. Oops. To make it worse I have a strap mark across my chest where my bag had been. The taxi driver told me that this is the hot season and lasts until May so there aren't many tourists. I can understand that! When we got back to the hotel Vicki went for a spa thing and I went to sleep and this ends our visit to Langkawi as we leave tomorrow.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Our trip to Langkawi
So we are in Langkawi now and boy is it hot. I actually thought I was going to melt today. We left Brunei yesterday and flew to Kuala Lumpur where we had a long wait. I'd rather that than the mad dash we had the last time we flew in to there. It was rather stressful. The first thing we saw as we walked into the airport was a Caterham F1 car. Obviously not one that they will be racing this weekend but I was still as excited as a kid in a toy shop. What was even more impressive was our plane to Langkawi. It was painted in Caterham F1 colours and even the seats inside were green and yellow. I think that's the closest I'll ever get to a F1 car. I just hoped it didn't have a mechanical problem like one of the cars did at the Australian GP.
It's difficult to describe Langkawi. It hasn't quite been bombarded with tourists so it's not covered in all the western takeaway places like you might find elsewhere. It looks very run down and almost abandoned in some areas. Where are hotel is it looks like what might be left after an apocolypse. It's very strange. There are areas that do seem more tourist orientated but it all seems very local if you know what I mean? There are areas that are being developed and modernised but mostly it seems like little may have changed. One of our taxi drivers told us that originally only 20,000 people inhabited the island and there are now 75,000 due to the increased tourism. It is definitely not what I expected. The driving skills are a little on the scary side. There are a lot of scooters and they very rarely indicate or look before pulling out into the road.
We didn't really do much yesterday as we only got here at about 6pm. We did go for a walk and then ended up having to get a taxi back to the hotel. It is not a very pedestrian friendly area it would seem. We sat in the hotel bar and had a few drinks and put the world to rights as you do. As for the hotel, it looks impressive but once you get up close the awe starts to vanish. The views from the balcony are impressive looking over the bay. The rooms are tatty and the bed linen stained. For the price it is ok. The staff are really polite and helpful. It could be an amazing hotel.
Today we had to get up at the crack of dawn or so it seemed. Breakfast was bizarre. Most people were eating curry, which I might try tomorrow. The reason we had to get up early was to go island hopping. It was amazing. The holding pen we were sat in before we got on the boat on the other hand was not. Row upon row of plastic seats in a run down building. The boat was tiny. There were six seven of us all together, a nice size group. We all had to don fetching life jackets which in this heat were stifling. I'm not a fan of boats and I wasn't too impressed with some of the steering of our driver but I survived.
The first island was just what you would expect of a tropical island. It was gorgeous. The sea was clear enough to see the shoals of fish swimming around. There were however monkeys. I didn't have a problem with them until this trip. There were a lot of them from big males to tiny babies. People feed them so they have become quite brave. One even snatched a packet of nuts from a woman's hand. A group of people were stood under a coconut tree whilst watching them and suddenly there was a thud and shouts of surprise. A coconut had fallen and how it missed every one I do not know. I walked of up towards the jetty and it was at this point a monkey came charging at me baring its teeth. I turned and ran to the amusement of another couple. They told me it wouldn't bite but to be honest I didn't really want to take the chance.
We left this island and went to another where we had to walk through the jungle albeit on a man made path passed lots more monkeys. These were a little less aggressive so it wasn't so bad. After going uphill and then back down we came to the lake of the pregnant maiden. It is called this because from the sea if you look at the hill formation of the island it looks like a pregnant lady lying down. The lake is huge and we discovered it used to be a huge cave. The roof collapsed and eventually it filled with rain water, creating the lake.
We also went to an area where they throw food into the water just off an island so that the eagles swoop down close to the boats. I don't necessarily agree with this practice but seeing the eagles so close is very impressive especially because of their size. When we got to dry land again we went to a place. Called Underwater World which is basically like a Sealife Centre. It was good and there were some absolutely humongous fish in there but my highlight was stroking a shark. It was only about a foot and a half long but it's something I've never done before.
In the evening we watched the sunset and had a drink. It's early to bed tonight because tomorrow we are going on more water based adventures and then in the evening I am going for an evening trek in the jungle. Slightly nervous!
It's difficult to describe Langkawi. It hasn't quite been bombarded with tourists so it's not covered in all the western takeaway places like you might find elsewhere. It looks very run down and almost abandoned in some areas. Where are hotel is it looks like what might be left after an apocolypse. It's very strange. There are areas that do seem more tourist orientated but it all seems very local if you know what I mean? There are areas that are being developed and modernised but mostly it seems like little may have changed. One of our taxi drivers told us that originally only 20,000 people inhabited the island and there are now 75,000 due to the increased tourism. It is definitely not what I expected. The driving skills are a little on the scary side. There are a lot of scooters and they very rarely indicate or look before pulling out into the road.
We didn't really do much yesterday as we only got here at about 6pm. We did go for a walk and then ended up having to get a taxi back to the hotel. It is not a very pedestrian friendly area it would seem. We sat in the hotel bar and had a few drinks and put the world to rights as you do. As for the hotel, it looks impressive but once you get up close the awe starts to vanish. The views from the balcony are impressive looking over the bay. The rooms are tatty and the bed linen stained. For the price it is ok. The staff are really polite and helpful. It could be an amazing hotel.
Today we had to get up at the crack of dawn or so it seemed. Breakfast was bizarre. Most people were eating curry, which I might try tomorrow. The reason we had to get up early was to go island hopping. It was amazing. The holding pen we were sat in before we got on the boat on the other hand was not. Row upon row of plastic seats in a run down building. The boat was tiny. There were six seven of us all together, a nice size group. We all had to don fetching life jackets which in this heat were stifling. I'm not a fan of boats and I wasn't too impressed with some of the steering of our driver but I survived.
The first island was just what you would expect of a tropical island. It was gorgeous. The sea was clear enough to see the shoals of fish swimming around. There were however monkeys. I didn't have a problem with them until this trip. There were a lot of them from big males to tiny babies. People feed them so they have become quite brave. One even snatched a packet of nuts from a woman's hand. A group of people were stood under a coconut tree whilst watching them and suddenly there was a thud and shouts of surprise. A coconut had fallen and how it missed every one I do not know. I walked of up towards the jetty and it was at this point a monkey came charging at me baring its teeth. I turned and ran to the amusement of another couple. They told me it wouldn't bite but to be honest I didn't really want to take the chance.
We left this island and went to another where we had to walk through the jungle albeit on a man made path passed lots more monkeys. These were a little less aggressive so it wasn't so bad. After going uphill and then back down we came to the lake of the pregnant maiden. It is called this because from the sea if you look at the hill formation of the island it looks like a pregnant lady lying down. The lake is huge and we discovered it used to be a huge cave. The roof collapsed and eventually it filled with rain water, creating the lake.
We also went to an area where they throw food into the water just off an island so that the eagles swoop down close to the boats. I don't necessarily agree with this practice but seeing the eagles so close is very impressive especially because of their size. When we got to dry land again we went to a place. Called Underwater World which is basically like a Sealife Centre. It was good and there were some absolutely humongous fish in there but my highlight was stroking a shark. It was only about a foot and a half long but it's something I've never done before.
In the evening we watched the sunset and had a drink. It's early to bed tonight because tomorrow we are going on more water based adventures and then in the evening I am going for an evening trek in the jungle. Slightly nervous!
Monday, 19 March 2012
Random fun
It's been a little while since I last wrote a blog so there are a few days to catch up on. Let's start with Friday. We were invited over to one of Vickis friends for holiday drinks. Now as I don't drink all that much I half volunteered to drive later in the day so Vicki could drink. It was quite amusing and turned into a bit of a gathering in the end. So I ended up driving us to have something to eat which could have gone slightly better. There is a junction which I wasn't happy with and my fears were realised. It's the only time I've felt uneasy in the car. Anyway I drove us to Jerudong Park and we went to the gardens to watch a waterfall show. It was actually alright. The music was a mixture of Disney and pop. A few of Vickis friends joined us part way through and once it had finished we went back to the park. This turned out to be highly amusing as we ended up going on the pedalo boat things and tried racing each other around the lake. After that we wandered over to these hovercraft type things. They were a bit like dodgems but you were say on an inflated rubber ring. I couldn't go on these as the handles looked like they were made of rubber. We did go on the dodgems which was entertaining until a bloke flew at me head on at the same time someone smashed into my side and I ended up with a rather sore neck.
On Saturday I woke up with a very sore neck after the dodgems incident plus I felt poorly so we didn't really do anything. We ended up watching Saw 6 which was disgusting. When we went to bed I hid behind Vickis door and had closed mine to make it look like I had gone to bed. As she walked passed my room she said goodnight, walked into her room and that's when I said goodnight quietly behind her. This resulted in her turning round, hands to face and screaming in shock. I actually nearly wet myself through laughing so hard. In fact I'm still laughing now. Apparently she is going to get her revenge. I really wish I had recorded it because it was hilarious.
On Sunday I felt really poorly so did absolutely nothing. I felt a bit bad for Vicki but it felt like my head was going to explode.
Today I felt much better and after going shopping for walking shoes we went for a walk to try them out. After this we went to the Empire for a swim. Now I hate water and haven't been swimming since my school days. Not only did I have to contend with that but I had to brave a public place in my newly acquired swimwear. It took a while but eventually I was brave enough to recline on the sun bed albeit tensely. After a little while we went to the pool. It may sound strange to most people but it was really difficult for me to get in but I did. I didn't swim more bounced across the pool. Eventually my confidence grew and I stayed in whilst Vicki got out. I'm quite pleased I did it because it's something that I have known I had to do but was dreading. Let's put it this way, when we went to Corfu I wouldn't even dangle my legs in the water. That's how much I hate it. Maybe I'm becoming braver in my old age?
Tomorrow we are off to Langkawi and I can't wait. It looks like such a beautiful island. There are definitely going to be plenty of photo opportunities. I'm really looking forward to going but it is slightly overshadowed by the fact that on Sunday we will be at the Malaysian GP. So in the next week there will be lots to talk about.
On Saturday I woke up with a very sore neck after the dodgems incident plus I felt poorly so we didn't really do anything. We ended up watching Saw 6 which was disgusting. When we went to bed I hid behind Vickis door and had closed mine to make it look like I had gone to bed. As she walked passed my room she said goodnight, walked into her room and that's when I said goodnight quietly behind her. This resulted in her turning round, hands to face and screaming in shock. I actually nearly wet myself through laughing so hard. In fact I'm still laughing now. Apparently she is going to get her revenge. I really wish I had recorded it because it was hilarious.
On Sunday I felt really poorly so did absolutely nothing. I felt a bit bad for Vicki but it felt like my head was going to explode.
Today I felt much better and after going shopping for walking shoes we went for a walk to try them out. After this we went to the Empire for a swim. Now I hate water and haven't been swimming since my school days. Not only did I have to contend with that but I had to brave a public place in my newly acquired swimwear. It took a while but eventually I was brave enough to recline on the sun bed albeit tensely. After a little while we went to the pool. It may sound strange to most people but it was really difficult for me to get in but I did. I didn't swim more bounced across the pool. Eventually my confidence grew and I stayed in whilst Vicki got out. I'm quite pleased I did it because it's something that I have known I had to do but was dreading. Let's put it this way, when we went to Corfu I wouldn't even dangle my legs in the water. That's how much I hate it. Maybe I'm becoming braver in my old age?
Tomorrow we are off to Langkawi and I can't wait. It looks like such a beautiful island. There are definitely going to be plenty of photo opportunities. I'm really looking forward to going but it is slightly overshadowed by the fact that on Sunday we will be at the Malaysian GP. So in the next week there will be lots to talk about.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Interesting few days
So on Tuesday we went for a walk on the beach at a place called Berakas. You drive through a large wooded area and at the end you come to a large beach. It was sunny but very windy. Further down the beach you could see the sand being blown up by the wind. I'm not a huge fan of sand but sometimes I make an exception and this was one of those times. Also this was my first real opportunity to get my camera out so I became a little trigger happy. I've since deleted all the rubbish pictures. There was a little rubbish on the beach which spoilt it a little but other than that it was lovely. Who wouldn't be happy walking along the beach in the blazing sunshine? I didn't put sun cream on (naughty) but as per usual I am still Daz white. I'd be happy to change just a couple of shades of darker pale. I did however put on bug spray because i'd rather not have another bite like the one i had on my arm. The wooded area looks like a nice place to go and explore as it has trails wandering through it. In the evening we went round to one of Vickis friends and had a really nice meal. It's nice to meet all of these random strangers although some are not quite strangers anymore.
On Wednesday blimey did I ache. I put it down to walking/running along the beach. I did no other exercise than that so it's the only explanation I can think of. Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day. We did go out for sushi in the evening. I'm surprised I haven't grown gills the amount of times we seem to have been there. I tried Miso soup which is an acquired taste. I'm not to sure about it. I also tried Edemame which are beans which are heated and salted. Again an acquired taste and I'm not too sure about them. At least I tried them.
Today was a great day. I got to pretend to be a school nurse for the morning. I was a little nervous to start with but I soon started jabbering on in my unique way. What I found fascinating was the experiences of the other nurses. One had gone straight into school nursing so had never worked in a hospital so only had her school experience to go by. The other had come from a hospital background. What I found particularly interesting was the relationships between the nurses and the doctors. There seems to be a definate hierarchy in most of the hospitals here. The nurses are there to nurse in the eyes of the doctors and they shouldn't have an opinion on the treatment plan or diagnosis of patients. Completely the opposite to what I am used to. In the UK there is definate teamwork with each respecting the other. Here the doctor is in charge, end of discussion. The nurse in charge was very nice and I am grateful for her letting me have the opportunity to see another side of my profession. I'm not entirely sure I like being called Miss Tracey but I have been called worse. I even managed to contribute in my own way to their first aid training by providing an example of my own experience. What I did notice is that the nurses don't use any medications, whether in tablet or ointment form, unless they have to. They always try to use herbal remedies if they can. Also first choice for pain management is alternating hot and cold compresses. This is exactly what I wanted to see, the difference in culture. It was a really fantastic experience and it has filled my mind with so many ideas for when I get home. I just have to remember to write them down.
Anyway enough talking shop. I drove on my own for the first time today. Initially I felt a bit nervous but it was fine. It's not far to get home and it gave me a real sense of freedom. I did go for the non existent gear stick once, I was doing so well.
On Wednesday blimey did I ache. I put it down to walking/running along the beach. I did no other exercise than that so it's the only explanation I can think of. Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day. We did go out for sushi in the evening. I'm surprised I haven't grown gills the amount of times we seem to have been there. I tried Miso soup which is an acquired taste. I'm not to sure about it. I also tried Edemame which are beans which are heated and salted. Again an acquired taste and I'm not too sure about them. At least I tried them.
Today was a great day. I got to pretend to be a school nurse for the morning. I was a little nervous to start with but I soon started jabbering on in my unique way. What I found fascinating was the experiences of the other nurses. One had gone straight into school nursing so had never worked in a hospital so only had her school experience to go by. The other had come from a hospital background. What I found particularly interesting was the relationships between the nurses and the doctors. There seems to be a definate hierarchy in most of the hospitals here. The nurses are there to nurse in the eyes of the doctors and they shouldn't have an opinion on the treatment plan or diagnosis of patients. Completely the opposite to what I am used to. In the UK there is definate teamwork with each respecting the other. Here the doctor is in charge, end of discussion. The nurse in charge was very nice and I am grateful for her letting me have the opportunity to see another side of my profession. I'm not entirely sure I like being called Miss Tracey but I have been called worse. I even managed to contribute in my own way to their first aid training by providing an example of my own experience. What I did notice is that the nurses don't use any medications, whether in tablet or ointment form, unless they have to. They always try to use herbal remedies if they can. Also first choice for pain management is alternating hot and cold compresses. This is exactly what I wanted to see, the difference in culture. It was a really fantastic experience and it has filled my mind with so many ideas for when I get home. I just have to remember to write them down.
Anyway enough talking shop. I drove on my own for the first time today. Initially I felt a bit nervous but it was fine. It's not far to get home and it gave me a real sense of freedom. I did go for the non existent gear stick once, I was doing so well.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Lazy day
Yesterday we did nothing. Well that is a bit of a lie. It was a lazy day though. To be fair most of mine have been so far. Anyway, it's really odd because all week it's seemed overcast and dull but as soon as the weekend arrived there was blazing sunshine. Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe the sun shines at the weekend here. The English weather should take note.
We went shopping and I drove again. I couldn't remember the way so needed directions. It is a week since I last drove and I was probably jet lagged so that is my excuse for my poor memory. I felt more confident but I was still cautious and still had a heavy right foot at times. They need more speed limit signs because I didn't have a clue. The only place I'm sure of the speed limit is directly outside the police station. There seems to be a distinct lack of signs. I must be used to being bombarded with information every five seconds at home. In a way it's quite nice not seeing a gazillion road signs everywhere but when you're new to an area it's kind of useful. It's one of those things though, if you do it regularly enough you will remember.
In the evening we went out to a restaurant for a birthday meal for one of Vickis friends. The food was yummy. I had a salmon fish cake to start and it was huge and very fishy. It was more mixed fish than salmon. For my main I had chicken pie and mash. I couldn't finish it because the portion was humongous, it was more than a man sized portion. The mash was creamy albeit a little lumpy but that doesn't bother me, I had what seemed like a whole tin of peas on my plate and the portion of the pie was huge. I have never had a nicer pie filling. It was a really nice evening with lots of chatter and laughter. I must remember though that sitting on leather seats in this country is not a good idea. After a couple of hours sat down when I got up it felt like I had wet myself.
We went shopping and I drove again. I couldn't remember the way so needed directions. It is a week since I last drove and I was probably jet lagged so that is my excuse for my poor memory. I felt more confident but I was still cautious and still had a heavy right foot at times. They need more speed limit signs because I didn't have a clue. The only place I'm sure of the speed limit is directly outside the police station. There seems to be a distinct lack of signs. I must be used to being bombarded with information every five seconds at home. In a way it's quite nice not seeing a gazillion road signs everywhere but when you're new to an area it's kind of useful. It's one of those things though, if you do it regularly enough you will remember.
In the evening we went out to a restaurant for a birthday meal for one of Vickis friends. The food was yummy. I had a salmon fish cake to start and it was huge and very fishy. It was more mixed fish than salmon. For my main I had chicken pie and mash. I couldn't finish it because the portion was humongous, it was more than a man sized portion. The mash was creamy albeit a little lumpy but that doesn't bother me, I had what seemed like a whole tin of peas on my plate and the portion of the pie was huge. I have never had a nicer pie filling. It was a really nice evening with lots of chatter and laughter. I must remember though that sitting on leather seats in this country is not a good idea. After a couple of hours sat down when I got up it felt like I had wet myself.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Random
It's been a few days of randomness (is that a word?). Let's start with Friday.
On Friday we went to Jerudong Park Playground which is a very bizarre place. Basically many years ago the Sultan built a playground for his family and eventually it was opened to the public. It reminds me of Neverland. That is the best way to describe it. Walking around you can see that once it was probably a great place to go with the family. It looks like a mini theme park. There is a go kart track and ride, a children's play area, bumper cars etc etc. Now it is sun bleached and run down. You can see where things have been removed and there are areas where the attractions have been left to rot in all honesty. It's a shame because it's quite a large area with so much potential. I can imagine once it was swarming with people and now there is hardly anyone there. I'm no attractions expert but if the place was done up I think it would be quite a draw to locals and tourists. As it is it's nice to walk round but that is all.
While we were there a huge black cloud came over and it started to rain. Across the road there is a waterfall display in the evening but a) we were there far too early and b) it was raining. Something to do on another day when it's a bit drier. We decided to walk back to the car at which point some Asian chaps came up and asked if they could have a photo. I wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going on but apparently they wanted a picture with me because I'm pale and ginger. I duly obliged. That has to be one of the most random requests I have encountered. We walked around and had a look at some food stalls before we left. I quite like being able to understand what I'm reading even if it is only a tiny amount. At least I have a fair idea of what to order. We got food, went home and one of Vickis friends came over for a little while which was nice.
Saturday was really hot, well I thought so. I know it's a hot country but the sun seemed to be shining a bit brighter and hotter. In the afternoon we went for sushi with a group of Vickis friends. It was nice and I tried something different. I just can't stand the seaweed stuff around the outside of some of the food, it's way to fishy for me. I tend to stick to boring things rather than eat real sushi. After that we were struggling to think of something to do. Unless you like the jungle your options appear to be limited. Then one of Vickis friends from the block opposite invited us over. Cue mega hyperactive child. It was nice sitting on the balcony chatting although I didn't understand the work chatter but that's ok. They were going to a party and suggested we tagged along. Essentially we gate crashed which I have never done before in my life. I knew nobody in a house full of people apart from the three I was with. To say I felt uncomfortable was an understatement. Eventually I got chatting to people and it turned out quite nice. I must have been the only person in the house who wasn't a teacher apart from the kids. For me it was a really scary situation and I almost bottled it and said I would go home but I'm glad I didn't because it turned out to be a really enjoyable evening meeting complete strangers.
It got late and I got cranky because I was tired. We went to the house of one of Vickis friends on the way home but I was exhausted to the point of tears. I feel bad because I kind of had a tantrum about wanting to leave but I really had to. I left Vicki there and went home to bed. I managed to slam my finger in a drawer when I got back. I am so bloody accident prone! I put it down to tiredness. That's my excuse anyway.
So it was a strange couple of days with much randomness.
On Friday we went to Jerudong Park Playground which is a very bizarre place. Basically many years ago the Sultan built a playground for his family and eventually it was opened to the public. It reminds me of Neverland. That is the best way to describe it. Walking around you can see that once it was probably a great place to go with the family. It looks like a mini theme park. There is a go kart track and ride, a children's play area, bumper cars etc etc. Now it is sun bleached and run down. You can see where things have been removed and there are areas where the attractions have been left to rot in all honesty. It's a shame because it's quite a large area with so much potential. I can imagine once it was swarming with people and now there is hardly anyone there. I'm no attractions expert but if the place was done up I think it would be quite a draw to locals and tourists. As it is it's nice to walk round but that is all.
While we were there a huge black cloud came over and it started to rain. Across the road there is a waterfall display in the evening but a) we were there far too early and b) it was raining. Something to do on another day when it's a bit drier. We decided to walk back to the car at which point some Asian chaps came up and asked if they could have a photo. I wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going on but apparently they wanted a picture with me because I'm pale and ginger. I duly obliged. That has to be one of the most random requests I have encountered. We walked around and had a look at some food stalls before we left. I quite like being able to understand what I'm reading even if it is only a tiny amount. At least I have a fair idea of what to order. We got food, went home and one of Vickis friends came over for a little while which was nice.
Saturday was really hot, well I thought so. I know it's a hot country but the sun seemed to be shining a bit brighter and hotter. In the afternoon we went for sushi with a group of Vickis friends. It was nice and I tried something different. I just can't stand the seaweed stuff around the outside of some of the food, it's way to fishy for me. I tend to stick to boring things rather than eat real sushi. After that we were struggling to think of something to do. Unless you like the jungle your options appear to be limited. Then one of Vickis friends from the block opposite invited us over. Cue mega hyperactive child. It was nice sitting on the balcony chatting although I didn't understand the work chatter but that's ok. They were going to a party and suggested we tagged along. Essentially we gate crashed which I have never done before in my life. I knew nobody in a house full of people apart from the three I was with. To say I felt uncomfortable was an understatement. Eventually I got chatting to people and it turned out quite nice. I must have been the only person in the house who wasn't a teacher apart from the kids. For me it was a really scary situation and I almost bottled it and said I would go home but I'm glad I didn't because it turned out to be a really enjoyable evening meeting complete strangers.
It got late and I got cranky because I was tired. We went to the house of one of Vickis friends on the way home but I was exhausted to the point of tears. I feel bad because I kind of had a tantrum about wanting to leave but I really had to. I left Vicki there and went home to bed. I managed to slam my finger in a drawer when I got back. I am so bloody accident prone! I put it down to tiredness. That's my excuse anyway.
So it was a strange couple of days with much randomness.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Quiet few days
It's been a quiet few days really. I have spent my days lazing around and cleaning. On Monday I really went for it and scrubbed the cooker, swept the floor etc. These last couple of days has been more bits and bobs. I don't want to do everything otherwise I'll have nothing to do. I have considered walking to the supermarket but it's about a mile away in scorching 30 degree heat. Not to mention i'd have to walk along the road which has no pavements and dodgy Brunian driving. I'm sure I'd survive but I'd rather not take the risk.
Monday was the night of a thousand fries. We went to get dinner and it turned into a comedy sketch. I ordered a pizza but really wanted a chocolate milkshake so was looking around to see if anywhere sold them. It was then I discovered the KFC. We waited for my pizza which came after about what felt like an hour. To cut a long story short, the cheesy wedges from KFC had mayo on them so Vicki ordered some normal fries but had to wait forever for them. I went to Jollibee, which is a fast food chain in Brunei, to get a milkshake. Vickis fries took so long I ended up walking back down to KFC. My milkshake was well, different. With every mouthful I'd get a squidgy blob which I can only describe as looking like those bath pearls but it felt like chewing on frogspawn or something. I mentioned to Vicki that Jollibee had cheesy chips so guess what? Yes, we stood for another eternity waiting for yet more chips which incidentally were bright orange and smelt like old socks. Eventually we got home at which point I discovered my pizza wasn't a small chilli and pepperoni but in fact a large margarita.
It doesn't sound entertaining but it was a comedy of errors.
Tuesday was uneventful. My arm decided to swell up and go hot and red where I get bitten. It was that bad I took an antihistamine. It's calmed down a lot now but if I lean on it it feels like a bruise. To be honest one bite from an hour in the jungle after forgetting to put bug spray on is not bad going.
Wednesday was amusing. Basically myself, Vicki and one of her friends went to a fabric shop. They suggested trying another fabric shop but couldn't explain where it was. So what do you do? Yep that's right, drive in the general direction with an intermittent mobile phone gps tracker without having a clue where you're going. It was quite funny. I certainly had no idea but it's a bit concerning when the two people you're with haven't got a clue and they live there. By some random miracle we actually found the place and what must be the most advanced technology in Brunei, a drive through cash machine. I felt a little uncomfortable in the area we were. I don't know if it was because we'd never been there before or because it felt like a local place for local people. Anyway we found the fabric shop and everyone was happy. Apparently £1.75 per metre for material is good?
Afterwards we went back to the other fabric shop. Well I stayed in the car and tried to learn a bit of Malay. I've learnt a few sentences but I'm too shy to use them. Silly really. When they'd finished we went to have sushi. I was slightly apprehensive after the last time I was here because I was quite poorly following my first visit. I was ok this time. I did my usual trick of ordering far too much so it's in the fridge awaiting my afternoon graze. I don't think any of this was meant to happen but by random coincidence it did and I'm glad because it was highly amusing.
We literally got home and had to go out again because we had been invited to someone's house. It was nice seeing the familiar faces from my last visit. I said to Vicki on our way over that I feel more comfortable this time because I kind of know people. I'm not meeting a whole bunch of people for the first time, which was a little overwhelming if I'm honest. I have met a couple of new people but I can cope with that. We didn't stay long but it was still enjoyable sitting round chatting. Although it got to about 10pm and I hit my tiredness wall. I've become such a lightweight but at least I'm sleeping without the aid of benzo's now. God knows what it'll be like when I get home but that's weeks away so I don't even want to think about it.
There was a fantastic storm last night as well. I'd forgotten how impressive the lightning is. Sheet lightning that turns night into day and the most amazing fork lightning that stretches across the sky. Oh yea, I saw my first gecko of this visit on the balcony and named it Tarquin. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again, I'd rather have geckos in my house than bloody spiders!
Monday was the night of a thousand fries. We went to get dinner and it turned into a comedy sketch. I ordered a pizza but really wanted a chocolate milkshake so was looking around to see if anywhere sold them. It was then I discovered the KFC. We waited for my pizza which came after about what felt like an hour. To cut a long story short, the cheesy wedges from KFC had mayo on them so Vicki ordered some normal fries but had to wait forever for them. I went to Jollibee, which is a fast food chain in Brunei, to get a milkshake. Vickis fries took so long I ended up walking back down to KFC. My milkshake was well, different. With every mouthful I'd get a squidgy blob which I can only describe as looking like those bath pearls but it felt like chewing on frogspawn or something. I mentioned to Vicki that Jollibee had cheesy chips so guess what? Yes, we stood for another eternity waiting for yet more chips which incidentally were bright orange and smelt like old socks. Eventually we got home at which point I discovered my pizza wasn't a small chilli and pepperoni but in fact a large margarita.
It doesn't sound entertaining but it was a comedy of errors.
Tuesday was uneventful. My arm decided to swell up and go hot and red where I get bitten. It was that bad I took an antihistamine. It's calmed down a lot now but if I lean on it it feels like a bruise. To be honest one bite from an hour in the jungle after forgetting to put bug spray on is not bad going.
Wednesday was amusing. Basically myself, Vicki and one of her friends went to a fabric shop. They suggested trying another fabric shop but couldn't explain where it was. So what do you do? Yep that's right, drive in the general direction with an intermittent mobile phone gps tracker without having a clue where you're going. It was quite funny. I certainly had no idea but it's a bit concerning when the two people you're with haven't got a clue and they live there. By some random miracle we actually found the place and what must be the most advanced technology in Brunei, a drive through cash machine. I felt a little uncomfortable in the area we were. I don't know if it was because we'd never been there before or because it felt like a local place for local people. Anyway we found the fabric shop and everyone was happy. Apparently £1.75 per metre for material is good?
Afterwards we went back to the other fabric shop. Well I stayed in the car and tried to learn a bit of Malay. I've learnt a few sentences but I'm too shy to use them. Silly really. When they'd finished we went to have sushi. I was slightly apprehensive after the last time I was here because I was quite poorly following my first visit. I was ok this time. I did my usual trick of ordering far too much so it's in the fridge awaiting my afternoon graze. I don't think any of this was meant to happen but by random coincidence it did and I'm glad because it was highly amusing.
We literally got home and had to go out again because we had been invited to someone's house. It was nice seeing the familiar faces from my last visit. I said to Vicki on our way over that I feel more comfortable this time because I kind of know people. I'm not meeting a whole bunch of people for the first time, which was a little overwhelming if I'm honest. I have met a couple of new people but I can cope with that. We didn't stay long but it was still enjoyable sitting round chatting. Although it got to about 10pm and I hit my tiredness wall. I've become such a lightweight but at least I'm sleeping without the aid of benzo's now. God knows what it'll be like when I get home but that's weeks away so I don't even want to think about it.
There was a fantastic storm last night as well. I'd forgotten how impressive the lightning is. Sheet lightning that turns night into day and the most amazing fork lightning that stretches across the sky. Oh yea, I saw my first gecko of this visit on the balcony and named it Tarquin. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again, I'd rather have geckos in my house than bloody spiders!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
A day of firsts
Well what a day. We had to go shopping and I had to drive. I was slightly nervous a) because I've never driven an automatic before b) I have never driven in Brunei and c) the driving skills of the locals is somewhat unpredictable. It was the latter that made me the most nervous. It actually wasn't that bad. Of course I didn't stick to the speed limit. Once I my confidence had grown I fell into my speeding ways. It was a bit strange not having to change gear and I went for the gear stick a few times. Apart from that I think I did ok.
A bit later in the day I went to Bukit Shahbandar recreational park with one of Vickis friends. When I was told that we were doing the short route I thought it would be fine. I nearly died. Bukit means hill and we did four. They are so steep they are practically vertical and uphill is just a never ending trail of steps. It is basically many trails through the jungle and it really felt like it at points. It was raining so where it was just dirt track it was really slippery. Trying to walk down tree root ridden mud at a steep angle is not easy. Although I must say a little easier than getting up the hills. The views from the top were amazing despite it being dull from the rain. I would have taken pictures but I didn't really want my camera getting soaked. Getting to the bottom of the fourth hill was a real jungle experience. Clambering down the steep parts of the track holding on to trees and strategically placed ropes. The sounds from the creatures lurking in the trees is just fantastic. Although the only things I saw were a butterfly and a some fish in the stream. Who knows what was hiding in there. I did feel a bit guilty because I was quite slow but to be fair I am not used to the heat, I only got here yesterday so am probably still a bit jet lagged and I have never walked anything as extreme as that in my life. The important thing is that even though I thought I was never going to get out of there alive I did it. Tomorrow I expect my legs will put up some sort of protest and I will feel it. I would like to go back when the weather is better because the views are fantastic but the only problem would be the heat. Today wasn't too bad because it was cooler due to the rain. Although it does mean putting myself thought hell again. There is really no way I can begin to describe Bukit, it is definitely something you have to experience to appreciate.
In the evening Vicki cooked a meal and some of her friends came over. It was a very enjoyable evening. I think the earlier activities started to take their tole though because I am now very tired. So despite it only being 9:30pm I am off to bed. Hopefully I will wake up with fully functional legs.
A bit later in the day I went to Bukit Shahbandar recreational park with one of Vickis friends. When I was told that we were doing the short route I thought it would be fine. I nearly died. Bukit means hill and we did four. They are so steep they are practically vertical and uphill is just a never ending trail of steps. It is basically many trails through the jungle and it really felt like it at points. It was raining so where it was just dirt track it was really slippery. Trying to walk down tree root ridden mud at a steep angle is not easy. Although I must say a little easier than getting up the hills. The views from the top were amazing despite it being dull from the rain. I would have taken pictures but I didn't really want my camera getting soaked. Getting to the bottom of the fourth hill was a real jungle experience. Clambering down the steep parts of the track holding on to trees and strategically placed ropes. The sounds from the creatures lurking in the trees is just fantastic. Although the only things I saw were a butterfly and a some fish in the stream. Who knows what was hiding in there. I did feel a bit guilty because I was quite slow but to be fair I am not used to the heat, I only got here yesterday so am probably still a bit jet lagged and I have never walked anything as extreme as that in my life. The important thing is that even though I thought I was never going to get out of there alive I did it. Tomorrow I expect my legs will put up some sort of protest and I will feel it. I would like to go back when the weather is better because the views are fantastic but the only problem would be the heat. Today wasn't too bad because it was cooler due to the rain. Although it does mean putting myself thought hell again. There is really no way I can begin to describe Bukit, it is definitely something you have to experience to appreciate.
In the evening Vicki cooked a meal and some of her friends came over. It was a very enjoyable evening. I think the earlier activities started to take their tole though because I am now very tired. So despite it only being 9:30pm I am off to bed. Hopefully I will wake up with fully functional legs.
Friday, 2 March 2012
The eagle has landed
Well what a journey. Finally it is over. To be honest it wasn't that bad. The flight was delayed at Heathrow because of the thick fog but we still made it to Dubai on time. The wind must have been blowing in the right direction. I had my bag swabbed for explosives at Heathrow, which is a first. Luckily I don't tend to carry any around with me. The plane wasn't that busy and when we left Dubai I had a whole row to myself. I had my two blankets, three pillows and made myself a makeshift bed. Unfortunately I only slept for a few hours then couldn't get back to sleep. It was nice to be able to stretch out though. I also wandered around, something I wouldn't previously do. Now I realise the plane won't fall out of the sky if I stand up it's ok. One thing I must say about RBA is that they do provide you with a lot of food and surprisingly for an airline it is edible. I was feeling really poorly on the first leg of the journey which wasn't particularly nice. I think it was just tiredness. The worst part is the second leg because it seems to take forever to get to Brunei.
Apart from fear of flying rearing it's ugly head occasionally the journey was pretty uneventful. It's weird to think I set of at 10:45 on Friday and landed at 10:40 on Saturday even though they are only 8 hours ahead and I was only in the air for about 16 hours.
It's so nice and sunny and of course hot, 32 degrees in fact right now as I speak. I find it quite amusing going outside to warm up. It can get a little chilly with the air con.
I successfully managed to deliver 3kg of chocolate to Victoria which incredibly included intact Easter eggs. I half expected them to be squashed after having seen how bags are thrown about. Talking of blondie, it was so good to see her and if I'm honest I nearly cried on the plane when we landed not to mention when I walked out of the airport. I'm looking forward to the exciting things we have planned. This is going to be a good month.
Apart from fear of flying rearing it's ugly head occasionally the journey was pretty uneventful. It's weird to think I set of at 10:45 on Friday and landed at 10:40 on Saturday even though they are only 8 hours ahead and I was only in the air for about 16 hours.
It's so nice and sunny and of course hot, 32 degrees in fact right now as I speak. I find it quite amusing going outside to warm up. It can get a little chilly with the air con.
I successfully managed to deliver 3kg of chocolate to Victoria which incredibly included intact Easter eggs. I half expected them to be squashed after having seen how bags are thrown about. Talking of blondie, it was so good to see her and if I'm honest I nearly cried on the plane when we landed not to mention when I walked out of the airport. I'm looking forward to the exciting things we have planned. This is going to be a good month.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
The day before
So tomorrow i will leave for Brunei. I have still got so many things to do. Procrastination is my word of the day. I seem to like leaving everything until the last minute.
I'm very excited about my travels. A month away from home will be difficult but it will be worth it. I even have a tankini now. The first time i have owned any for of swimwear since my school days. Heaven help those who have to see my Daz white skin.
The aim is to rest and relax. It's been a difficult month and i hope that this will clear my mind sufficiently to be strong enough to face my issues head on when i return. The first hurdle will be getting on the plane. I have done it before so i can do it again. Although i know what to expect now, a numb bum and jet lag. They are just small sacrifices to make though.
It feels a bit strange knowing that tomorrow i will no longer be here. Hopefully i will return recharged and refreshed.
I'm very excited about my travels. A month away from home will be difficult but it will be worth it. I even have a tankini now. The first time i have owned any for of swimwear since my school days. Heaven help those who have to see my Daz white skin.
The aim is to rest and relax. It's been a difficult month and i hope that this will clear my mind sufficiently to be strong enough to face my issues head on when i return. The first hurdle will be getting on the plane. I have done it before so i can do it again. Although i know what to expect now, a numb bum and jet lag. They are just small sacrifices to make though.
It feels a bit strange knowing that tomorrow i will no longer be here. Hopefully i will return recharged and refreshed.
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