Happy Canada Day from Brunei!

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians. It's sort of an odd place to celebrate Canada Day. 　Ｉhaven't met any Canadians as of yet. At all the sign in registers at the museums today, I'd scan to see if any other Canadians had visited lately, but nope... no Canadians. When I was having brekkie though, a picture of Stephen Harper was on the TV, but I had no idea what it was about.

I got in late last night into Brunei. My flight was delayed 3.5 hours from KL, up from the 2 hour delay the day before into KL on Air Asia. Air Asia, if you don't know is a dirt cheap discount airline based out of Malaysia. But it's true - you get what you pay for. When I was looking at the computer screen, close to 50% of the Air Asia flights were delayed. Good grief... it's otherwise a decent airline, friendly service. What's also interesting is that there's no assigned seating so it's a crazy mad dash at boarding time. And then as soon as the plane stops, everyone jumps out into the aisle. You'd think there was a prize for the first person off the plane.

So on Friday, I flew from Kota Bahru to KL. Not much to see in Kota Bahru. It's predominantly Malay and Muslim on the east coast of Malaysia. I looked around a bit. The locals were SUPER friendly there and helpful. I was helped so many times by so many people. Not too many foreigners are seen in KB though b/c I was getting stared at lots. Funny story though - at the resort on the Perhentian Island, I got mistaken as a worker at the guesthouse by a few guests. I am rather tanned now...

I had a nice night in KL. In anticipation of a quiet and dry night in Brunei, I went out once I got to KL. I had to check out the club scene. And I went to a club called Zouk. The alcohol after Happy Hour was SO expensive that I only had two drinks - we're talking Canadian/Aussie prices for beer. Zouk was awesome though. A handful of foreigners but otherwise all locals, which was cool. The music was awesome. Trance, electronica, house and anthems. There were some guest DJs there that night but I had no idea who they were. I had a great time dancing the night away.

Brunei is an interesting place. THe country has about 400,000 people. There is no alcohol sold in the country but foreigners and non-Muslims are allowed to bring in a few cans of beer or two bottles of liquor I think. I was curious as to what there was to do on a Saturday night in Brunei. Near where I was staying was a shopping mall opened until 10pm and a night market. I saw l0ts of young people at the movie theatres. I didn't realise that Transformers was out in the theatre... So yeah, I guess that's what you do if you live in Brunei. You wander the markets and malls late into the night. I can't imagine living in a country without bars and clubs, etc. Wow.....

The city itself is pretty plain. The buildings are short. The tallest structures are the minarets of the mosques. Not a lot of people around. I just went to the Royal Regalia museum. I saw all the gifts that various rulers/leaders have given the Sultan of Brunei. There was a stone carving of a walrus from Jean Chretien at least.

Anyway, I"m leaving tonight to fly into Malaysian Borneo. One day in Brunei is probably just enough. I met a poor Aussie who didn't realise that Brunei was that bland... she's here for 4 days.... the travel agent tried to warn her...

Gotta go eat again... (how many times have I signed off with that, eh?)

Beach Bum, Malaysian style

Alas, internet again. I just spent the last few days without access to internet and there are so many emails to catch up on. Thankfully, there really isn't much to see here in Kota Bahru where I stationed for a few hours. I fly back to KL tonight for one night before flying onto the richest country in SE Asia - the little country of Brunei, located on the Borneo side of Malaysia.

I was in the Perhentian Islands - absolutely gorgeous islands just off the east coast of Malaysia. I was there for four nights and it was pretty darn amazing. I lucked out and followed an Irish couple to this guesthouse called D'Lagoon. D'Lagoon had its own beach to itself and was quite quiet and remote. What I didn't know is that they also had two small beaches facing west that are hardly visited.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at Adam and Eve beach and had it to myself for a few hours. Imagine with me for a minute - white sandy beaches, clear, clear water where you can see little fish swimming around your feet, the beach littered with coral (which was sort of annoying b/c it hurt to walk around barefoot) coconut trees in the background, ... and a massive lizard that hides in the garbage area. Yes, imagine having it all to yourself.

The last three days consisted of alternating between eating (choices were very limited sadly... back to usual backpacker fare... banana pancakes and the like... that's okay, I had roti canai this morning once I arrived in Kota Bahru), snorkelling, lying in a hammock, or lying on the beach.

Snorkelling was amazing. Basically, you walk off the beach into amazing coral reefs. The coral reefs were more impressive in the Whitsundays in Australia, but the fish here were pretty amazing. I got up early in the morning to go look for sharks. I only saw baby sharks though. :( I also saw sting rays, clownfish (Nemo!), and a longtom (a fish with a really long nose/snout.. whatever you wanna call it). I also went swimming with turtles, which was amazing. Those suckers move pretty darn fast. I read a few books and managed to not to get too sunburned. I am a slightly darker shade again. :D

Ahhh.... paradise.... It rained as I left the island today...

So that's how tea is made...

Greetings from the Cameron Highlands. Not quite sure why Cameron... I am loving the Cameron Highlands though - it's beautiful up here. That and it's way cooler than KL. I was able to take a breath of fresh air when I stepped off the bus yesterday. That and I think it's probaby in a more reasonable low 20's here. It's like a little tourist mountain town. The Cameron Highlands are known for the tea plantations in the area.

Today, I hiked up to this peak, which would've been amazing, if I hadn't been inside of a cloud. Then I hiked down the valley towards the massive BOH tea plantation. It was absolutely amazing and I'd post some pics if there was a USB port on this computer. Oh well... It was a really nice hike.

So have you ever wondered how tea is made?

Well, I'll try to explain it as technically as possible. So they have these big rollers that mash up the tea leaves, stalks everything. And then they dry it for a few hours so it starts to ferment. Then the stuff gets put through some machine where they blow hot air through it. And then it goes through a bunch of sifters which sort out the various parts of the plant. Then it gets packaged. How's that?!? ;)

I did have an amazing cup of tea. I've actually started getting into drinking lots of tea lately. I bought some tea leaves for my mom today. Hope she likes it.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Perhentian Islands, which are just off the east coast of Malaysia. Here's hoping that it'll be sunny for the next 4 days.

So I'm actually feeling a bit homesick. I haven't felt this way since I left home. I'm starting to count down. Less than 6 weeks to go. I really want to see you guys again. And I'm starting to miss Vancouver.

KL, lah!

Greetings from KL. I've been here for two nights already. I'm headed to the Cameron Highlands later in the arvo for some trekking. Or at least, I hope I can do some trekking and don't get rained out. I've also heard that it's cooler up there, which will be a nice change from the sweltering humidity of the trip so far. You don't have to do anything except stand outside and you start sweating. I have no idea how the Muslim women do it here - dressed up in their hajib, let alone the women who are cooking in super hot kitchens in full Muslim garb.

Kuala Lumpur is a pretty cool city. It's not as crazy as Bangkok or Hong Kong, but definitely more grittier than Singapore, which is okay with me. My chinese is coming in handy again as I use Cantonese to get around w/ shopkeepers. I LOVE the food in Malaysia, I've eaten something different for almost every meal so far. You can have Malay food, Indian food, Chinese food... That and I'm feeling bold, so I pretty much only eat street hawker food. I havne't been sick so far (knock on wood). And it's ridiculously cheap here. What isn't cheap though is the alcohol relative to the other countries that I've visited in SE Asia. I think it mainly has to do with the fact that malaysia is a muslim country.

That and you do notice that fact. It's weird, b/c I never relaly thought about that fact. But there are mosques everywhere. Women wear hajib - they're quite colourful. And even some of the skyscrapers here in KL have a certain islamic design to them - the use of arches and symbols, incorporated right into the architecture. It's really quite fascinating. I visited a mosque earlier this morning, which was cool. They get quite busy around lunch time when worshippers come. I also visited this islamic art gallery yesterday.

Speaking of skyscrapers, I visited the Petronas Towers yesterday. You know the big twin towers with the skybridge in the middle of it. See the movie "Entrapment" to know what I'm talking about. The towers are quite pretty - esp. when lit up at night. We were subjected to a long corporate propaganda film about the company Petronas (malaysia's national oil and gas company) prior to going up to the skybridge, which I guess is alright, b/c it's free.

The heat here is pretty oppressive and I regularly seek refuge in shopping centres. Although, I haven't really bought anything so far. I realise that anything I buy, I need to carry for the next few weeks. That and I'm just not in the mood to shop although apparently Singapore and KL are suppose to shopping meccas. I do eat every few hours here though. ;) Did I mention the food is amazing. Like AMAZING!

Alright, gotta go eat again. I'll catch you folks later.

Summer has arrived

So i got on a plane on Sunday night and left Sydney. It was a very cold weekend in Sydney. It rained lots. :P And when I got off the plane at 5:30am in Hong Kong, it was 30 degrees + humidity and summer time. Totally surreal. I actually had a bit of culture shock. After a couple of months of living in Canberra (pop'n 300,000), I wasn't ready for millions of people, skyscrapers, smog, and all that stuff that Hong Kong is. I was thoroughly overwhelmed. That and I wasn't used to being a head taller than everyone else again. ;)

I had a day in Hong Kong, to catch up with the fam, and Cheryl (my friend from Vancouver). I had an early night, got up this morning, and here I am in Singapore. I haven't seen much of Singapore just yet. I checked into a hostel in Little India and indeed, it is Little India here. Lots if Indian people. Yes, I know, it took me awhile to figure that one out. ;) It's pretty neat. Everything is clean. I might go for a wander in the city tonight. Nighttime is the best time to walk around b/c it's so stinking hot during the day.

Tomorrow, I'm headed to Melaka, which is in malaysia. I'll come back to Singapore in about 3 weeks.

Anyway, that's it from me for now. Less than 7 weeks to go before I'm back in Vancouver. Looking forward to it.

PS I miss my Aussie peeps. Nothin but love for you guys. Mwah.

Description

1) Kings Canyon

2) Ormiston Gorge

3) Kings Canyon

4) Uluru - aka Ayer's Rock

Beach Bum in the Desert

So I'm currently in Alice Springs - which really is in the middle of Oz. I'm here for another few hours before I fly back to Sydney. I'm in Sydney for the weekend and I have a bunch of friends coming up from Sydney to see me off, which I am VERY excited about. It's going to be bitter sweet. I'll love seeing them and then it'll be sad to fly to Hong Kong on Sunday night.

I've just spent the last few days in the Outback. It's been pretty phenomenal. I got into Alice Springs on Saturday night, which was sort of surreal. Leaving behind lush rainforests and beaches and most notably, warm weather - to find myself in the middle of a desert - lots and lots of red sand - in winter. Brrrrr....... There really isn't a whole lot to see in Alice Springs - pop'n of about 32,000, so I went to see Shrek 3 on Sat night which was awesome. I highly recommend it.

Over the next 5 days, I went on a pretty flash camping tour. Really nice 4WD vehicle with plush seats. Permanent tents and shower facilities. Surely, you didn't expect me to rough it that much. ;) We saw lots of beautiful sights. The desert has a lot more vegetation that I thought it would. There were lots of trees, little desert bushes, etc. We saw wild horses, camels, kangaroos, etc. There were also lots of annoying black flies....

We watched the sunset at Uluru the first day. Uluru - is the iconic big red rock in the middle of desert that I'm sure you've all seen pictures of. The big dilemma the next day whether to climb it. The Anagu aboriginal people in the area ask visitors not to climb it out of respect. I had no intention of climbing it until I talked to some other tourists who said it was amazing. It seemed to be quite the dilemma - some people thought it was culturally insensitive to climb it, others were saying it'd be amazing. I decided in the end to climb it, but unfortunately it was closed due to wind. Oh well... I guess the ancestral spirits won that day... That's okay, no regrets. And actually having met some Aboriginal people later on the tour - I'm really glad that I didn't get the chance to climb it. It really is a respect thing. While I might not share the religious beliefs of the aborigines, the least I can do is not climb their sacred mountain. Frankly, if it's that much of a big deal - I think they should just outright ban the climb instead of making a big thing out of it. You can even buy certificates that say "I didn't climb Uluru out of respect..." what a crock.

So we just walked the base of it at 7:00am, and it was freezing. I haven't been so cold in so long... it must've been just above 0 degrees. The next day, we climbed King Canyon's and it was amazing. I loved it! I think it was way better than Uluru.

Over the next few days, we did different walks through gorges, valleys, etc. It was sort of surreal walking through this landscape that was hundreds of millions of years old. In some places, I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs. It was so amazing. I"ll try to post some pics. And I loved being around the campfire each night and looking up into the night sky and seeing the Milky way.

Anywho, this will probably be my last post from Oz. After a brief layover in Hong Kong for a day on Monday, I'll be flying to Singapore to being a 3 week journey through Malaysia. Hurray!

Catch you boys and girls later.

Last batch of pictures

Description

1) The Skyrail to Kuranda overlooking the valley

2) Alma Bay on Magnetic Island

3) The "car" we rented on Magnetic Island.

Beach Bum in the Rain

So I've made it to Cairns. The most north I'll go on this trip to Australia. I last left you in Airlie Beach, having just stepped off the boat if I recall correctly. I headed to Townsville, where I promptly caught a ferry over to Magnetic Island. There isn't a whole lot to do on Magnetic Island, especially if the weather is poor. I stayed at this backpacker called Base, which is also home to the Full Moon Party. I had just missed the full moon party by a few nights so the nights that I was there were pretty tame. While the hostel itself had great potential - I loved the little bungalows right above the beach, the hostel itself sucked. Everything seemed to be broken - internet terminals, washers, dryers, stoves, there were hardly any dishes. It was downright poor. I did have fun the day that I was at magnetic island. I had a few friends from the previous stop there and we rented a car for the day (see pictures) to drive around the island. It was the "campest" card ever. A little white and pinkconvertible that reminded me of Barbie's dream car or something. The island itself wasn't very big but we drove from bay to bay, looking for cool beaches. I did get some sunshine that day. We also got to feed some rock wallabies, which was cool. We were suppose to go on this trail in search of koalas, but it was closed. :( Oh well, we did find another pretty bay to check out.

The next day, the 3 friends that I had been hanging out with checked out. The weather was bad again, so I made a snap decision, forfeited by 3rd night accomod and headed northwards. I stopped into Townsville briefly to kill a few hours and went to the Reef Aquarium which was pretty cool. By nightfall though, I was in Cairns, which is the jumping off spot for trips to the Great Barrier Reef. It proved to be a wise decision. There was a much bigger night life in Cairns - full of backpackers.

Yesterday, I went to Kuranda, which is just north of Cairns. It's a small town (read: tourist trap) located in the tropical rainforests of Queensland. I rode the 7.5km skyrail (gondola) up to Kuranda. There were two tree top stops along the way, which were pretty cool. I walked around Kuranda for a few hours and then caught the scenic rail back down to Cairns. It was an old, old renovated train, which was pretty cool. Lots of nice views of gorges and the valley below. Last night, I couldn't go out b/c for some reason, my bank cards weren't working. All I had was $16 cash (i had a mini freak out) so to be on the safe side, I decided to "ration" my cash. Thankfully, my ATM card was working again this morning, so I can go drinking tonight. Hurray! Actually, in an hour or two, I'll be checking myself into a resort for a night. I decided to splurge. I am craving my own room, own bed, and bathroom to myself, even for one night. I figured it was the best way to prepare myself for my camping trip next week. So yeah, tomorrow morning, I'll be flying to Alice Springs - which is at the very center of Australia. From there, I'll be doing a 5 day camping trip in the desert. Looking forward to it!

I'm rather sad that my time in Australia is drawing to a close. Thankfully, I'll get to see some really good friends during my last weekend in Sydney next week. Hurray!

More pictures from Queensland

Description

1) The boat that we were on in the Whitsundays. Loved the spa! esp. at sunset

2) The rainy day at Whitehaven Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. :(

3) I gave scuba diving a go

4) One of the lakes on Fraser Island. Gorgeous!

5) Fraser Island - the "Champagne pools" - because when the waves come over the rock, they bubble

6) A few of one of the beaches on Fraser Island

7) Shipwreck on Fraser Island

Pictures from Queensland

DESCRIPTION
1) Fraser Island - playing in the sand dunes. A couple of guys named themselves Stinky... sure...

2) One of the lakes on Fraser Island. What you can't really see is that there's a massive hill leading down to the lake below. I (and many other people) ran down the hill into the water. Some people did a face plant or tripped or rolled down the hill.

3) Fraser Island - 4WD on the beach.

4) Nimbin - pothead capital. I had never heard of the brand Bringabong until that day...

5) Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast - the big pointy building is Q1

6) view from Q1

7) My coworkers in Canberra.

Beach Bum goes to Sea

So I just got back to land a 1/2 hour ago. I think I'm still rocking a bit from side to side, but it might be the overwhelming fatigue that I'm pretty sure will sink in once I'm on my bus ride this afternoon which will take me further north.

After a brief stopover in Rockhampton with a friend of a friend of a friend, I was back on the bus up to Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is a very touristy little backpacker place. The beach is actually pretty crappy considering it's namesake. There's heaps of souvenir shops and bars. On Saturday, I boarded a little vessel called Powerplay - not a sail boat, but rather a catamaran. It was small to say the least but it had a nice little jacuzzi on the front of it. Guess where I was yesterday arvo.

We took to the high seas... well, around the Whitsunday Islands. The islands actually look a lot like other islands that I've seen - around Vancouver Island, around Halong Bay... so it wasn't exactly what I expected. The weather was pretty lousy for most of the trip so I wasn't able to work on my tan. I kinda look pale.... ;) j/k We visited the infamous Whitehaven Beach yesterday morning but it was POURING... I huddled under an umbrella for awhile until I was coaxed out to come play footie on the beach. Then we all went swimming b/c the water was warmer than being out in the rain. I can only imagine how beautiful it is on a sunny day.

We spent lots of time visiting little bays around the 74 islands that comprise the Whitsundays. I got to try my hand at scuba diving on Saturday afternoon. Yeah.... not so much... I gave it a go but when I was underwater, I started to panic. I don't like the feeling of not being able to adjust my goggles, respirator... the diving instructor was amazing but I just couldn't handle it. I feel trapped under water or something. Mind you, I had never snorkelled ever either, so I bailed out fairly quickly and was content to snorkel for the remainder of the trip. It was pretty phenomenal snorkelling around the reefs though. Amazing... like swimming in a fish tank or something... so many fish, so many colours.... it was amazing. I can't explain it. But there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping b/c we'd get up pretty early to go diving, etc.

Anyway, that was fun and I'm ready to head north again. Although the weather isn't looking too good... so much for this "drought" I'm headed to Magnetic Island for 3 nights... here's hoping for sunshine.....

I leave Australia in 2 weeks. Wahhh............................. *tears*