Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now... only much, much better"

Laurie Anderson

Sorry Laurie, but on this occasion I may just have to disagree! 

I spent last week on Pulau Besar learning to dive.  I had only intended to stay three days but could easily have stayed three months.  Each day I would wake early to watch the sunrise, eat a breakfast of tropical fruit and pancakes, take a couple of dives (thanks Henrik) learning new skills and experiencing a fascinating new world of abundant and breathtaking beauty, while away an afternoon of reading, napping and chatting before sinking a few cold beers as the sun set over what is truly an island paradise.

Highlights of the diving included the luminscence we encountered during an atmospheric night dive, it's magical, conjuring a trail of sparkling light, the sharks and turtles we dived with and the sheer variety of weird and wonderful life.

Ok, so perhaps it could have been just a little better if it was Keira Knightley helping me put on my suncream (no offence Henrik)...  but really Laurie you need to get yourself to the Perhentian Islands.

Sumatra

"Jungle Trek, Jungle trek,
In Bukit Lawang,
See the monkey, see the bird,
See Orangutan!"

Local Guides (to the tune of Jingle Bells)

I had read mixed reports about visiting Bukit Lawang but I have to say I'm sold.  I took a two day trek into the jungle with local guide Eddie which proved to be a highlight of the trip so far.  We stopped regularly for Eddie to share his knowledge about the local flora and fauna in his inimitable and entertaining style.  Our first sighting of an Orangutan was magical and we were lucky enough to enjoy many more that day.  The Orangutans range from wild and cautious, through downright aggressive like the infamous Mina, to cuddly Jackie who had grown up with humans before being released into the wild.  Experiencing these incredible animals up close and personal, whilst still in their natural habitat, can only help raise awareness to their cause.

From Bukit Lawang to Samosir island on the crater lake of Danau Toba with three beautiful French girls.  We hired scooters, explored the island and visited the hot springs.  Great fun.  Merci mes amies!

On the following day, after the French girls had left for Padang, West Sumatra, I took a cooking class with local guru Haddy (Juwita cafe).  Together we cooked some Indonesian classics - chicken rendang, fish sambal, vegetable gado-gado and banana fritters.  Highly recommended indeed!

One Month In...

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."

Maya Angelou

I can scarcely believe that it is only a month since I waved goodbye to my parents at Newport station.  What a month it has been! 

I've had all sorts of adventures - climbing into volcanoes, visiting temples, eating strange and exotic things, chatting to locals, chatting up foreigners.  I've biked, hiked, hitch-hiked, taken buses with chickens, taken taxis without, caught trains, planes and a ferry too.  

I've met Balinese, Javanese, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Nigerian, American, Argentinian, German, French and even someone from Birmingham!  In short it's already been a trip of a lifetime.  

But what still stands as the most striking thing is the sheer generosity and good spirit of the people here.  I have been welcomed into their homes, entertained, fed and watered.  Cycling yesterday when I was dying for a drink an old guy on a scooter pulled up beside me and gave me a cold can of coke.  He caught up with me sometime later and handed me a bag of sweet, juicy fruit.  And why?  Well, I guess, just out of pure generosity.  

We do all cry, laugh, eat, worry and die but what makes us human is the capacity to share these things, even with strangers.  And long may it last.

Next step Sumatra...

Singapore

"I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind"

Antoine de Saint -Exupery

If you haven't been to Singapore you must go.  Tell me what you think.  

After the chaos of Indonesia, Singapore feels like the calm in the eye of the storm; a piece of the West relocated.  Here is a very modern city, with a fascinating past, that is superbly clean, efficient and architecturally striking.  Everything has been carefully thought out; not only does it work but it looks pretty too.  But there is a catch.  
Perhaps Singapore is best likened to the prize front room - yes it looks fantastic but pity help you if you spill your tea on the rug.  
Perhaps this judgement is too harsh.  Afterall, it's only natural for a society to need rules to keep it functioning at such an impressive level.  But, again, is all as it seems?  Censorship is a reality.  Academic friends talk of a lack of creativity, a suppression of critical thinking and free thought. 

I would love to have stayed longer, to have dug deeper.  I left with my (free) mind still undecided.  Either way, I would still rather walk down a Singapore back street at night than many Brtish streets by day...

Java Lava Palaver

 "With a population of 136 million it is the world's most populous island and one of the most densely populated regions in the world"

Wikipedia
 

I've landed in Singapore after just under a week in Java.  Wow, what a crazy island and a great travelling experience!  

Visiting Ijen crater, where local hard men carry 100kg loads of sulphur up out of a crater spewing poisonous gases and 3km down a trail to the road, is like nothing I've experienced before.  So was trying to catch a bus out of the local village. 

"Bus at 1pm, sir" - hotel reception

"Bus about 3pm" - local lads

"No buses after 1pm" - Lonely Planet Guide.  Bugger.

Luckily we were saved by Beni, a student in Yogyakarta returning there from his homeland of Malaku.  What a guy!  Not only did he help us with the lingo, but then organised a car to take us to Mt Bromo, accompanied us on the climb, then took us to his home in Yogya, put us up for a few days and showed us around the city.  Mia Sari you're a lucky girl!

But why does someone with a bike need to take buses anyway?  Well sadly because, as beautiful as Java is, the beauty lies at the top of big hills with terrible roads (think Stanage causeway to the top of Ben Nevis twice).  And in between the beauty spots are miles of congested roads where death defying scooters play chicken with hurtling trucks.  (It is after all the most populated island in the world!)  Fingers crossed for Singapore and Malaysia...

Oh and I almost forgot... go to Borobudur and Pramanan.  They're really rather good!

First Day on the Bike

"I want to know,

Have you ever seen the rain?

Coming down on a sunny day"

Creedence Clearwater Revival

The alarm went off at 5.30am and I woke to the sound of monsoon.  I'll usually accept any excuse to stay in bed but today I wanted to get things started.  I dozed for 30 minutes wich gave the rain enough time to die down.  I packed my last few things, said my goodbyes to Tom and Karen (thanks again for your wonderful hospitality) and hit the road.  I was lost within minutes!  Fortunately, Karen had suggested buying a compass the day before and between that and many stops to ask for directions I was soon on the main road north through the mountains.

The morning rain kept things cool and I giggled and chuckled my way through the first few hours with the sheer joy of being on my own on the road.  The sun came exactly as the hill kicked in and what had been a respectable pace dropped to a crawl.  I drank 5 litres in fewer hours but just as the giggles were about to be forgotten entirely the top appeared and all that was left was to race the cars and scooters down the other side.

I made Lovina with time for a swim, a massage on the beach and a shower before watching the sun set on another beautiful Bali day.

Bali

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single pedal"

Lao-tzu (China's most famous cyclist?)

I arrived in Bali almost exactly this time a week ago.  I was met at the airport by a driver called Tam Tam who had been kindly arranged by my hosts Tom and Karen (Tom was in my year at Bath uni).  The hour drive from the airport gave me my first taste of Indonesian roads.  On first appearances, it's a bit like Fight Club - the first rule?  There are no rules!  But after borrowing Tom and Karen's car for the day I got the hang of it - people joining a road at a junction have right of way (!) and if you think someone's not seen you horn them and if they have horn them anyway!  In fact the horn can be used to express all manner of things like I'm about to do a 3-point turn or my favourite colour is blue.  If in doubt, horn!

I spent most of the week with a beautiful Argentinian girl that I met at the airport.  We hired a car and driver and explored together.  We visited surf spots, temples, walked in the woods, hitched (when we got lost), swam in the sea, ate Sushi, lazed on the beach, listened to live music and generally had a bloody good time!  It was great to meet someone with such a passion for life and beautiful things.

As in Kuala Lumpur, I was consistently taken aback by people's friendliness.  Religion, or ceremony, is a massive part of life here.  

Small offerings are placed on the pavement and prayers are said several times a day.  This devotion seems to have given the people a real sense of duty towards each other.  Of course it's something that is common amongst friends in the West but it seems to include complete strangers here.  I have been told that when I travel further from the beaten track that I will find this even-more-so.

The bike has been released from its box and rebuilt so all being well I will begin the ride tomorrow.  My intention is to ride through Java, Sumatra, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia but first let's see what tomorrow brings...