I must make this quick as I'm on a deserted island and the internet rates are astronomic!...(deserted?)
After bangkok, I caught the express shuttle to the BKK airport for 130 bhat...read: 1050 my first afternoon in bangkok! My goodness the things I have learned. The flight went smoothly, although my backpack was 2 kilos over AirAsia's limit, so for a few frightening hours I was separated from my long time friend, the backpack. Although I did receive it back on Bali with full contents and structural integrity, the already peeling Canadian flag decal was gone.
Was this some sort cosmic sign highlighting my ex patriotism? or perhaps just careless handling/pasting of the decal. Either way, no longer do people realize my home country from 100 meters away bursting into 'CANADAAAAA! Vancouver or Toronto?!'....'neither bro, but close' i would reply. I will take it as a sign as my separation from all the things I hold dear from back home including, but not limited to:
Driving a car
Tim Hortons
My friends
Dolan's Pub
Keiths Beer
Free Internet
Having an income
Back to current events though! There is a certain vision I have of the next destinations, a daguerreotype in my mind if you will, and sometimes that vision is exceeded, and sometimes it is let down. Bali has been a looming fascination of my mine since day one, not only as the last stop on my adventure but from the numerous personal accounts I receive from fellow travellers.
I must say, and this is very pre-mature (that's what she said), I was let down. I was told to go to a beach called 'Uluwatu', good surf, lively, cheap. After paying the 14$ to get down there, I quickly realized that the surf was impossible but for the most X-treme australian bros, there was not much going on other than surfboard shops, and no accommodation. Disappointed but not dejected, I was picked up by a lovely indonesian couple on their 'second honeymoon' They drove me to the main beach, called Kuta, where I hit the pavement looking for anything costing less than 12$. Failing that, I booked a grungy room for that price, and set my feet towards the town. I have seen and breathed touristy, but this certain beach takes the cake.
'Masssssage?'
'Please buy somtingggg'
'Girl, man?, you want girl?'
'You want shirt boss? cheap cheap?'
'Come in look, I have guns!'
'Marijuana man? good price for you'
'Surf lesson boss? Come on, come on!'
etc etc etc
Don't let me bore you with my over-touristed whining, but you get the drift. In fairness, Kuta is the worst of the worst if you come to Bali, and if I can I will get on a scooter (the deadly scooter!) and check out the rest of the island. Apparently there are monkeys in the center of the island that will scratch you and steal your shit, so that sounds like something I would really be interested in. I did get to surf yesterday morning, and it was pretty fantastic. 'Bra, i was getting like 6 foot left handers, but it was tight because the righters were crushing my jam!'...or something like that. Kuta beach mostly entailed me eating pringles and buying new release DVDs for a dollar, not super exciting, but you must understand my bank account and brain account are both completely overdrawn at the moment.
Thus leading to the current island, gili T! I had heard few things about this particular stomping ground, but after 4 hours here is my take. It is extremely refreshing that motorized vehicles are outlawed, everything being drawn by horse and carriage or plain old bicycle. Things are mentally expensive, almost parallel with back home. (Imagine paying 6 dollars for a grando burrito on the beach, outrageous!) So my time here is short, but tomorrow entails some crystal water snorkeling, some sea side snoozing/reading, and perhaps try to make friends. I have mostly tried to cut alcohol out of my diet due to monetary restrictions, which tend to make for some quieter nights. This is not a problem because I can almost hear my sanity returning!
Currently there is an Australian work visa in the process, so after this tiny hole in the wall island, I will head back to Bali, onto the Malaysian airport and into Melbourne to start another adventure! Where do you find time to further your 'real life' Josh? It doesn't get much more real than this, bro. One love!
josh
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I-lands
YO!
It feels like a really long time since I dusted off the keyboard and gave some updates, and after reading the last post I feel like I didn't leave on a very high note.
My head healed up nicely, although the stitches are still in there (you could say I've grown quite attached to them). There is some god somewhere though that finds it neccessary to inflict a new and painful wound on me every week...the Deity of carelessness perhaps. More on this later.
After the first day in Siem Reap we made two whole hearted attempts to get to Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples, both falling through due to bad tuks tuks, bad waking up skills and massive hangovers (surprised ya?) Siem Reap turned out to be a wonderful little town, having a good mix of cultural attractions and touristy night life and restaurants. For some reason I found it necessary to eat Mexican food 4 nights in a row, which I have narrowed down as my favorite genre of meal (perhaps mexico after this?) Let me give two descriptions of the Angkor Wat. One how a person who was really interested would say and one how well.....ya.
1) As we rose with the dawn, anticipation tingled through us we prepared to watch the sun rise over the '8th wonder of the world' A short taxi ride took us to the main gate where we payed a paltry 20$ to see one of the most amazing historic and architectural pieces of human ingenuity. As we sat on the open expanse of field waiting for the sun rise, droves of eager tourists followed suite. There was a hushed silence as the morning sun crested the main spires of the temples, presenting a real life post card that was only made for you, and you alone. We spent hours combing through the old wats, admiring the intricate carvings and sprawling array of temples, never letting the shutter on the camera close once. The pictures will always be there, but the feeling of walking down thousands of years history cannot be recreated by any photo album.
2) Rolling out of bed at 4:30am with a dry mouth, still mostly asleep and with no ambition whatsoever we grumpily crawled into the tuk tuk for a solid 5$, where we roll up to a gate that's demanding 20$ to see the temples. So, the sun isn't even up yet and the daily budget has been spent. Sick. We wait in a big courtyard while starry eyed tourists get there foolishly large zoom lenses ready waiting for sunrise, allegedly the best time of day to check out this dusty old hunk of rocks. 35 minutes later we realized the sun had come up, but the cloud cover was thick so we just didn't notice. Perfect! We wander around as the heats gets ever more unbearable, until 2 hours in we look at each other and say...let's get OUT OF HERE!. A few more touristy booths where I bought an extremely homosexual looking hemp man-satchel and a beer, and that was the end of Angkor WHAT THE HELL?
It's not to say the Angkor Wat wasn't impressive, because it definitely was, I just think that on this trip I have enjoyed the 'doing' and 'socializing' aspect much more than the sight seeing...it's hot, you get absolutely wiped out after a few hours, and they begin to all look the same. A few photos and maybe a quick chat about how 'TOTALLY AWESOME!' it is and I was good to go. Call me a poor tourist but honesty is key is any blog.
After Siem Reap, and a goodbye to my favorite mexican restaurant, we took an easy bus ride to Bangkok where I had to say a weepy farewell to Nick, who I had been traveling with for over a month! Friends will be made, partied with and split, but not forgotten. As he went back to London for a somewhat normal return to life, I turned around and walked back down khao san road. Now, the first time I came to Bangkok almost 3 months ago, bright eyed and full of wonder I stopped to talk to all the touts, taxis, scammers, hookers, fortune tellers, shop keeps, pan handlers, rig-a-ma-rollers and pretty much anyone who asked for a minute of my time. With 3 months of traveling experience (including thefts, rip offs, problems, languages etc) I found myself a changed man in a 'same-same' city.
It's funny how such a short time can shift your attitude on so many things. My first night in thailand, with a full bank account and trust in peoples' honesty, I bought everything without a second thought, was led down an alley by a lady boy for a good 8 minutes while a politely told 'her' I wasn't interested, and just balked at the favorable exchange rate we westerners receive. Now, especially coming from Vietnam, I am fully grossed out at the prices, cringe at the staggering drunken fools who are so pleased with themselves for 'travelling' (to give you an idea, khao san has a ipod shop, macDonalds and Burger King all in a row), and miss the the honest smiles you get in some of the worse off countries. But hey, let me get off my high horse and say I really really really enjoyed my Whopper with cheese....I also got the chance to tell a lady boy to piss off, called a taxi driver 'crazy' for charging 10$ from across town and bought absolutely nothing. Call it jaded, broke or tired...possibly all three.
But to more current events! Two buses and one ferry later found me on Kho Phangan, the site of the infamous 'Full Moon Party'. Unfortunately I did not time it properly and had to miss out on the 7000+ people, drug and alcohol fueled extravaganza...a shame. But no worries! Looking to bank (literally $$$) on the success of that party, the island throws a 'Half Moon Party' twice a month. This one was thrown in the jungle, had about 1000 people and we mostly just sat around and talked about how drugs and alcohol are destroying the youth of today. It was really insightful, if not a little opposing as to what I thought it would be....as every English person I met likes to put it I'm 'taking the piss'. It was a massive party with full on body paint, three DJ's, overpriced buckets and a torrential downpour...I think I really enjoyed it but you would have to ask the people dodging my flailing arm dance.
Of course, no week on this trip would be regular if I didn't wound myself somehow...so here it is. After the party I felt like a really wasn't experiencing enough scenery for these beautiful islands, so I hop on my scooter with an excellently labeled map....(thumbs down emoticon)....and hit the trails. About half an hour in, I thump down a hard trodden road looking for a waterfall, only to come across some horrendous pot holes. Now you may say 'Josh, you made it down Vietnam on a motorcycle without a scratch! Surely these small sandy potholes were no problem for you?' They were, and don't call me Surely.
Breaking much to hard the sand grated between the tires and as the bike went skidding out from under me. I bounced along the gravel a couple times getting some fantastic road (if you can even call it a road) rash down my arm and leg. Once again fellow readers, I will live, luckily I have a solid stock of anti biotics left over from my head ordeal. What feels absolutely riveting though is climbing into this salt water with a leg that looks like the surface of Mars. The leg was the least of the crash though. The bike, in my opinion (which doesn't count for shit to any local, I've found), could have a 5 minute buff job a little paint touch up and been sorted out. Clearly that is not the way it works. Other than these crazy moon parties, the biggest business on Koh Phangan is renting scooters to tourists, letting them scratch them up a bit, then charging them for brand new parts...not local prices. White people prices. Think of it as reverse racism.
With a little uneasiness, I rolled the bike up to the rental hotel, thinking they were going to ring me for 50-75$ Ouch! That price range was obviously something from my dreams, as the grand total (after my pity discount) was 180$. Now why not just walk? Mostly because my passport was locked in the office, and thai people will beat the living hell out if things get too heated. Not my kind of party.
Anyways, bitter as I am about that....this too shall pass. I am currently sitting on one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, learning the graceful art of SCUBA diving with four nights accommodation included. Brilliant coral, pools, people and food surround...The instructors are the most english blokes I have met yet, real good sort 'Arrigh brufva, now once you're in tha wa'er, make sure ya don' hol' yer feckin breff, or your lungs are gunna straigh' pop like, ya?'
I must say I am getting a little homesick as I see FB pictures pop up from the summer festivities, and I hope everyone back home (BC and NB bros) are sponging as much joy out of life as I am. And to people who aren't, your life is yours. Grab 1500$ and come down here for a month...I'm sure it'll be the smallest regret you ever have <----(Glass half empty sentence?)
Back to Bangkok for a quick stopover, then Indonesia until my dwindling resources run out. I am still on the fence about work there or Australia, perhaps one of those things you decide when you meet a cute Aussie girl...right mate?
The sun is shining, and I got a hot date with a chicken kabob and big beer. One love!
It feels like a really long time since I dusted off the keyboard and gave some updates, and after reading the last post I feel like I didn't leave on a very high note.
My head healed up nicely, although the stitches are still in there (you could say I've grown quite attached to them). There is some god somewhere though that finds it neccessary to inflict a new and painful wound on me every week...the Deity of carelessness perhaps. More on this later.
After the first day in Siem Reap we made two whole hearted attempts to get to Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples, both falling through due to bad tuks tuks, bad waking up skills and massive hangovers (surprised ya?) Siem Reap turned out to be a wonderful little town, having a good mix of cultural attractions and touristy night life and restaurants. For some reason I found it necessary to eat Mexican food 4 nights in a row, which I have narrowed down as my favorite genre of meal (perhaps mexico after this?) Let me give two descriptions of the Angkor Wat. One how a person who was really interested would say and one how well.....ya.
1) As we rose with the dawn, anticipation tingled through us we prepared to watch the sun rise over the '8th wonder of the world' A short taxi ride took us to the main gate where we payed a paltry 20$ to see one of the most amazing historic and architectural pieces of human ingenuity. As we sat on the open expanse of field waiting for the sun rise, droves of eager tourists followed suite. There was a hushed silence as the morning sun crested the main spires of the temples, presenting a real life post card that was only made for you, and you alone. We spent hours combing through the old wats, admiring the intricate carvings and sprawling array of temples, never letting the shutter on the camera close once. The pictures will always be there, but the feeling of walking down thousands of years history cannot be recreated by any photo album.
2) Rolling out of bed at 4:30am with a dry mouth, still mostly asleep and with no ambition whatsoever we grumpily crawled into the tuk tuk for a solid 5$, where we roll up to a gate that's demanding 20$ to see the temples. So, the sun isn't even up yet and the daily budget has been spent. Sick. We wait in a big courtyard while starry eyed tourists get there foolishly large zoom lenses ready waiting for sunrise, allegedly the best time of day to check out this dusty old hunk of rocks. 35 minutes later we realized the sun had come up, but the cloud cover was thick so we just didn't notice. Perfect! We wander around as the heats gets ever more unbearable, until 2 hours in we look at each other and say...let's get OUT OF HERE!. A few more touristy booths where I bought an extremely homosexual looking hemp man-satchel and a beer, and that was the end of Angkor WHAT THE HELL?
It's not to say the Angkor Wat wasn't impressive, because it definitely was, I just think that on this trip I have enjoyed the 'doing' and 'socializing' aspect much more than the sight seeing...it's hot, you get absolutely wiped out after a few hours, and they begin to all look the same. A few photos and maybe a quick chat about how 'TOTALLY AWESOME!' it is and I was good to go. Call me a poor tourist but honesty is key is any blog.
After Siem Reap, and a goodbye to my favorite mexican restaurant, we took an easy bus ride to Bangkok where I had to say a weepy farewell to Nick, who I had been traveling with for over a month! Friends will be made, partied with and split, but not forgotten. As he went back to London for a somewhat normal return to life, I turned around and walked back down khao san road. Now, the first time I came to Bangkok almost 3 months ago, bright eyed and full of wonder I stopped to talk to all the touts, taxis, scammers, hookers, fortune tellers, shop keeps, pan handlers, rig-a-ma-rollers and pretty much anyone who asked for a minute of my time. With 3 months of traveling experience (including thefts, rip offs, problems, languages etc) I found myself a changed man in a 'same-same' city.
It's funny how such a short time can shift your attitude on so many things. My first night in thailand, with a full bank account and trust in peoples' honesty, I bought everything without a second thought, was led down an alley by a lady boy for a good 8 minutes while a politely told 'her' I wasn't interested, and just balked at the favorable exchange rate we westerners receive. Now, especially coming from Vietnam, I am fully grossed out at the prices, cringe at the staggering drunken fools who are so pleased with themselves for 'travelling' (to give you an idea, khao san has a ipod shop, macDonalds and Burger King all in a row), and miss the the honest smiles you get in some of the worse off countries. But hey, let me get off my high horse and say I really really really enjoyed my Whopper with cheese....I also got the chance to tell a lady boy to piss off, called a taxi driver 'crazy' for charging 10$ from across town and bought absolutely nothing. Call it jaded, broke or tired...possibly all three.
But to more current events! Two buses and one ferry later found me on Kho Phangan, the site of the infamous 'Full Moon Party'. Unfortunately I did not time it properly and had to miss out on the 7000+ people, drug and alcohol fueled extravaganza...a shame. But no worries! Looking to bank (literally $$$) on the success of that party, the island throws a 'Half Moon Party' twice a month. This one was thrown in the jungle, had about 1000 people and we mostly just sat around and talked about how drugs and alcohol are destroying the youth of today. It was really insightful, if not a little opposing as to what I thought it would be....as every English person I met likes to put it I'm 'taking the piss'. It was a massive party with full on body paint, three DJ's, overpriced buckets and a torrential downpour...I think I really enjoyed it but you would have to ask the people dodging my flailing arm dance.
Of course, no week on this trip would be regular if I didn't wound myself somehow...so here it is. After the party I felt like a really wasn't experiencing enough scenery for these beautiful islands, so I hop on my scooter with an excellently labeled map....(thumbs down emoticon)....and hit the trails. About half an hour in, I thump down a hard trodden road looking for a waterfall, only to come across some horrendous pot holes. Now you may say 'Josh, you made it down Vietnam on a motorcycle without a scratch! Surely these small sandy potholes were no problem for you?' They were, and don't call me Surely.
Breaking much to hard the sand grated between the tires and as the bike went skidding out from under me. I bounced along the gravel a couple times getting some fantastic road (if you can even call it a road) rash down my arm and leg. Once again fellow readers, I will live, luckily I have a solid stock of anti biotics left over from my head ordeal. What feels absolutely riveting though is climbing into this salt water with a leg that looks like the surface of Mars. The leg was the least of the crash though. The bike, in my opinion (which doesn't count for shit to any local, I've found), could have a 5 minute buff job a little paint touch up and been sorted out. Clearly that is not the way it works. Other than these crazy moon parties, the biggest business on Koh Phangan is renting scooters to tourists, letting them scratch them up a bit, then charging them for brand new parts...not local prices. White people prices. Think of it as reverse racism.
With a little uneasiness, I rolled the bike up to the rental hotel, thinking they were going to ring me for 50-75$ Ouch! That price range was obviously something from my dreams, as the grand total (after my pity discount) was 180$. Now why not just walk? Mostly because my passport was locked in the office, and thai people will beat the living hell out if things get too heated. Not my kind of party.
Anyways, bitter as I am about that....this too shall pass. I am currently sitting on one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, learning the graceful art of SCUBA diving with four nights accommodation included. Brilliant coral, pools, people and food surround...The instructors are the most english blokes I have met yet, real good sort 'Arrigh brufva, now once you're in tha wa'er, make sure ya don' hol' yer feckin breff, or your lungs are gunna straigh' pop like, ya?'
I must say I am getting a little homesick as I see FB pictures pop up from the summer festivities, and I hope everyone back home (BC and NB bros) are sponging as much joy out of life as I am. And to people who aren't, your life is yours. Grab 1500$ and come down here for a month...I'm sure it'll be the smallest regret you ever have <----(Glass half empty sentence?)
Back to Bangkok for a quick stopover, then Indonesia until my dwindling resources run out. I am still on the fence about work there or Australia, perhaps one of those things you decide when you meet a cute Aussie girl...right mate?
The sun is shining, and I got a hot date with a chicken kabob and big beer. One love!
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