Bharat = sab khuch milega

My 4th month in India has stared and yet I didn't share a line with you. I am very sorry. As much as I love sharing, this time it has been a bit more challenging.

As you know, I started in Mumbai, where a friend was happy to host me for a week and nicely, mildly introduced me to local customs. I sat one course nearby and visited Igatpuri by my self by local train. It was very nice and exciting, ladies couches are good fun and easy way to get around. Then as planned I met my friend Jan on a platform 4 at central station of a train from Jaipur which brought him to Mumbai - on time!! So we found each other without a mobile phone like in old times. Since then we travel together. And it is a big phew for me. India alone is OK, possible and probably safe as I met other single ladies here and they were just fine. BUT, with a man by side, it becomes a very different experience. For example, I am spared some of the stares, I am spared some very uncomfortable sounds from men when I pass by, I am not talked to most of the time (!) and more little details. One more: men when actually talking to me feel more at ease then when I was alone. It's all about very tiny feelings and when perceptive, one starts understanding this society a little bit, step by step. Indian clothes is just a must, I felt almost naked in a skirt which was covering knees and that was in Mumbai which is very modern compare to other parts.

So why is it so challenging to keep my blog updated here? Well, first of all, WiFi is not available at every corner as I was used to it in SEA, it's hard to find it and it's often paid. Then I didn't really know what to say at first because I didn't really knew much and India is so overwhelming! That is a big reason, it's just all over you. It's such a big country with so many different beliefs, ideas, it works very differently from other societies and is so divers, that it is just very difficult to comprehend it and do it a good justice. Well, I braved up now and I am trying my best to transfer some of my experience to you, but I am sure it will not be perfect. Another reason for writing less is also the fact, that I am not alone anymore and I am actually already sharing my experience here and that is very enjoyable too.

So yes, I confirm, a HUGE country with huge bicycles, huge motorcycles, huge trucks, long trains, many and many train tracks, millions of people, number of ethnicities, casts, levels of living, stray dogs, cows, horses, no waist management, and many customs from 19th century. All those cliches are true... I love it, it is fascinating. Indians would be the world number one if there was a serious staring competition. That is a bit annoying part... But people are always ready to smile, help, try to help or at least try that one word they know in English. Almost any stranger will ask "your country?" And if they speak English, many more nosy questions will follow. But they can also be cute and childish, honest, readable.

Any dealings here take so much more time then back home! Sometimes 10 times more, like sending a parcel or buying a ticket or finding one particular thing which you need to buy. So you do not even know how and days are gone with simple tasks.

So far I met some Indian girls and ladies on Vipassana courses and each encounter was a very interesting story on its own and another small sneak peak to this extremely complicated society. I am not sure I would like to be born in India as a woman. It is very hard for me to understand the whole thing how women are treated here. The more I thought about it and spoke to people about it, I figured out that it is not so much a fault of male side. Yes, they have very dirty minds, I can see and feel it, they do molest and abuse, but the root might be somewhere else. The main word in a family here belongs to the mother. That's it. And family is everything in India. So the mother (and once married, the mother in law) will say how to bring kids up, what you can and cannot wear and will treat her kids (most of the time, this is just an example and is not true for everyone of course) according to their sex. So the boys are pampered and spoiled and the girls are made to kind of slave for their brothers. So a boy is of more value than a girl from day one. One shocking thing which is telling this clearly is that Indian states has passed a law forbidding doctors and anyone else to tell a sex of unborn child or foetus. It is against the law to tell the parents want are they expecting. (You can imagine what was happening before and why there is less girls then boys now.) So, back to that family situation, boys will naturally grow daring, confident and cocky and their sisters will quickly learn how to get around those terrible family arrangements by developing many tricks and ways around. Mothers in law can be very very challenging. So imagine, it is completely normal to be married in an arranged marriage here and dowry is very important and there are tight rules to the first meeting and all is very much tight up by customs and do's and don's. Alright, let's say you like the guy, he likes you, OK, you get married and you think that if you work on this relationship and possibly even fall in love with each other, you have won and this so very non liberal system was outsmarted. Well, actually no, you didn't because you are not marrying only your husband, you are marrying his whole family as well, that is where you belong from now on and have no rights in your previous home. Yes, kind of sold to a new place. And who rules that place? Yep, mother in law. Now, you might be lucky again and get in to an nice mature and understanding family, where everyone is balanced and self confident and just happy with themselves and others. OK, that already sounds like a fairytale. The reality is, that this very mother in law will be jealous of you as you now have her precious and spoiled, pampered son. She is not the only woman in the family anymore and she is also aging and that is painful, you are young and beautiful, so envy will come to visit and so on, it can be countless things and there are countless strategies how to make your life a hell. And this is just one off millions of possible situations in which you can end up. I am trying to say that it's not just machism in India, it's the whole society and it is very complicatedly interlocked. Women are usually the keepers of traditions, bitterness is passed down to young generations and I just do not see how this can change within this century.

I mean, sure, western women can get them selves in trouble if they choose a wrong husband and so on, but at least it's their free decision and free will and they are not a subject, but feel like a self sufficient beings. I know that can be just an illusion too, but from my European perspective it is a bit better option.

Oh dear, you see such a long post and we didn't even leave Maharashtra state yet! :-)

OK, let's move on. After Christmas in Igatpuri, we hopped into a sleeper express to the north and that is Varanasi (around 28 hours with delay). From there we took a rickshaw to Sarnath as Jan's plan was to do the Dhamma Yatra = Buddhist pilgrimage and Sarnath is one of the important places from Buddha's life. It was cold and covered in fog for 3 days,...very cold. Many of the stupas were hardly visible. And there is no indoor heating in India, anywhere!

Varanasi was a tiny bit warmer and had some nice food and shopping opportunities to offer as well as nice walks along the river. Another train took us to Gaya and another rickshaw to Dhamma Bodhi, a meditation center just outside Bodghaya. We sat a 10 day course there which started on the first day of this year. Then we took a 5 day long break in a nice guesthouse in Bodghaya and returned to the center to give service ( volunteer) for another 10 days. Bodghaya is very interesting, it is the place where Gothama the Buddha got enlightened. So a very important place for all Buddhist communities and countries. High number of temples was built here and very high number of monks and nuns are on their pilgrimage or staying in their respective monasteries. Many Nepali's pilgrims and merchants are coming here as well. It was very enjoyable time, we had some nice food, did some shopping and most of all met Dinu, Jan's Facebook friend, who was our guide for couple of days. Dinu took us to nearby cave where Buddha was practicing austerity before deciding on taking the middle path. It was a sunny day, we hired Indian bicycles, crossed (waded) the river and got completely taken by the countryside. It was fun.

Once we finished our service we took a bus to Rajgir and did some sightseeing, meditating, eating,... Another very packed train to muddy Patna just for a transfer for another train to noisy Gorakhpur for a night and then one shared jeep to Kushinagar.  Did you know than one jeep without doors can fit in 18 people? Anyway, we stayed in temple's accommodation in Rajgir and Kushinagar, it is quite nice for a change. Few nights in Kushinagar helped me get over a flu and then we went on again, bus back to Gorakhpur and to Gonda by train and then another two shared jeeps to Sravasti, where we are just now.

 We have been moving around Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states in last two months and to be true, it's getting more and more poor and basic, English speaking people are very rare here and so are many of the modern life technologies and comforts. It is interesting, new, natural, but only a little comfortable.

                                                

So I am very much looking forward to the next destination - Rishikesh! It should be developed and warm. Rishikesh is a famous place for yoga courses and we hope to move our practice forward there as well. Then we meet another friend, Sebastian in Amritsar. Both, Jan and Seb are flying home at the beginning of March from Delhi, so I will wave them good bye and enjoy the Holi festival there. :-)

I will spend another 3 weeks here alone so I hope you will here from me again before I pack all the presents, leave the worn out clothes behind and fly home for good.

What to add, India is showing the impermanence of our world like under a magnifying glass. Everything rots and decays extremely fast, the dirtiness and difficulty to clean, the number of people, the wild life,... and one feels literally like a drop in the ocean. It is a good reminder and it surely makes one thinking and rethinking and reevaluating many aspects of life. I guess that's why people like this country.

India in pictures

Dear friends, I will write soon, I hope, in the mean time enjoy all our pictures :-) Namaste!

Bodghaya and Rajgir

Dhamma Giri

Varanasi, Sarnath and more

Lonavla etc.

Mumbai

My debt to tell you more about Myanmar

I am sorry, life came in the way of writing more here on my blog. Especially very poor internet connection in Myanmar, too much to see there and too many nice people to talk to! So yes, it was fun. I loved it. The atmosphere in this country is peaceful.  And I loved it - again. Greed didn't come in the way between visitors and locals yet. The people are lovely honest creatures with amazing smiles on their faces, ready to greet you and even help.
Travel in Myanmar is slow so even 18 days is very little time. To do this country proper justice, I would like to take the full 28 days of visa allowance, hopefully next time. Buses and trains are slow and not in very convenient times. Night buses usually take a little less time then they say (1-4 hours difference) and they leave early so you will mostly arrive too early - 3 or 4 am. And that is not very nice as bus terminals are mostly out of town and you need to get out and ready in the middle of the sleep cycle. And the whole day will and up tiring. OK, that is how it is, if you have more money, you can always fly. I did't and I kept a low budget, which is a challenge there, but it is doable. If you need more details about budgeting, let me know.

Bagan - on the top of a pagoda

I started in Dawei, then took a very advantageous bus to Mawlamyine, explored the world largest reclining Buddha and the river side and moved on to Kyaikto to see the Golden rock - boulder balancing on a rock which became very golden and a pilgrims sacred place. I have enjoyed this experience very much. After that I took an afternoon bus to Bago and cycled around the most important pagodas and temples for a day and took a night bus to Inle lake. There I stayed in lovely new place called Graceful Inn. I can recommend it. Inle is a beautiful place, nature is everywhere and is very pure. The boat trip is a must and there is surely much more to do.
Mandalay was charming! I met two fellow-countrymen and a monk. Both encounters were very refreshing and interesting. Thank you! Again, the touristy places are not very touristy and are worth a visit. Bicycles are a good choice to go around here. Cruise ship trip to Bagan was worth the money, I mean it was very expensive, but the cheep boat goes only twice a week and who can make the timing right? This was very refreshing, as it meant clean and hassle free traveling. Unfortunately, most of the passengers were upper class tourists and that caused me a bit of a shock as I did't meet those people for a while. Anyway... Bagan is unmissable, I made just too many pictures there, I couldn't help it.
 My last night bus took me to the former capital - Yangon, where I found a nice place to stay after some searching - Beautyland hotel ll. Very nice staff and good spot in the down town area. Yangon on Sunday feels like a village. Sacred places are nice and busy. Bicycles and motorbikes are band here, so unless you bring your own bicycle, you cannot cycle around. Walking is OK as distances are not great and taxis are everywhere.

Let me just say that this is for sure my favorite country and I will come back soon (hopefully).

Here are my pictures, they might say a bit more then my post this time...

First pictures

Mandalay and Bagan

Yangon

At the moment, I am in Mumbai, enjoying Indian air. It is different, you know. So far so good. I will come back here at the end of the month or maybe even year, we will see. Write a comment, leave a note :). take care!

Myanmar

Burma
Yes, I am here :-) !
I took the advice from www.southernmyanmar.com and crossed the border at the closest point from Bangkok, the Phu the Ron cross 2 hours away from Kanchanaburi. I am still on the way and I am already happy with the decision. I have not met any oteher toursts the whole way from Bangkok, only few Thai people at the border who were kind enough to give me lift to the other border. This cross is in the jungle, it's basic and scenic. It is my first time when I've seen working elephants, working in the forest, not for tourists. It's only 3 of us in a minivan and the road is OK. Dawei is the place where I will spend few days.
I have crossed few borders lately and it always amazes me how big differences can be spotted just behind the line! Each country has different kind of cows, different huts, a bit different vegetation and so on, but some things are same even thousands kilometres away! Like long boats on the river or type of house.
Anyway, all went well, I am in bed after sweet hot shower, I have WiFi and drinking water and can just go to sleep. :-)

Day two
I think I am the only tourist in this town. Everybody smiles at me! And there is something gentle in the air here. ATM works and people speak basic English. Beach tomorrow!

The immigration office

Mandalay & Bagan 

Practicalities about on land travel Vietnam - Cambodia - Bangkok

Hello my readers!

As I have found it a little challenging to find information about reliable bus connections in this area, so I want to share what I have done.
This whole area is covered by company called Mekong express which was also recommended to me, but as I travel on tight budget, I was looking for cheeper options.
I have found a nice bus from Ho Chi Minh for half price! :-)
Company called Kumho Samco Buslines connects Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh and runs daily buses at 7am, 8am, 9:30am, 11am, 13pm, 15pm. Here is their card with all other details. In Phnom Penh, they can drop you off if your address is on the way to their office, otherwise you get off at the office. It is not far from center at all. If you feel like tuk-tuk, never pay more than 5$ (more likely just 3$) and for motorbike taxi just 1$ is a good price, unless you cross the whole town.

Later on I was looking for a direct connection from Phnom Penh to Bangkok and again, I found many complicated ways how to do do this journey, but nothing direct. But I asure you, it's easy and OK, if you don't mind 13 hours on a bus. I know it's a lot, but do you want to pay the high fee for leaving Cambodia by air?So Capitol is the answer: http://www.capitoltourscambodia.com/contact_us.php
Nice and reliable company, can book you a seat over a phone as well. Bus leaves once a day at 6:30 am from the company office. It costs 18 USD, so don't pay at agents, go strait to street 182 and buy the ticket there. We took the southern road (not through Siem Reap). The road is OK there and it took 8 hours to the border (as bus delivers things and drops people off). At the boarder, wait for another employee of the company to come aboard, he speaks English, gives you another ticket for the driver on Thai side and shows you the way to immigration. ;-) Yes, easy right?
Now once you are on Thai side, hold your new ticket visibly and people will point you out to he right minivan (in front of 7eleven) once all customers cross and sit, bus is ready to go. It takes another 4 hours to Bangkok (with one stop). Drop of is at Khaosan road or Victory monument (sky train). Or just speak to the driver at the break time, when our driver was visibly more relaxed and talkative.
Wish you a safe journey!!!

Cambodia

It has been a while since I crossed the border from Vietnam to Cambodia. I did it by bus and all went smooth. I chose Phnom Penh as a place for getting my Indian visa as I googled it should be nice and easy here, but, there is always a but when getting visa. Apparently here they don't issue visa earlier then 2 weeks before your journey, so they told me to come back later. And also the procedure takes only few days, not two weeks like in EU. I was highly disappointed, packed and went to Siem Reap to do some volunteering teaching English in a small village. This was definitely a good decision and great experience. I never did this before and I have to say it's not so difficult. Kids are eager to learn and wild. The school is very basic and chickens often take over the classrooms during breaks. It's very organic and follows the pace of the village. I stayed for 10 days and visited some of the Angkor temples at weekend. (Did you know that Angkor is run by Vietnamese and all the profit goes to Vietnam?)
I had bad diarrhoea followed by a flu while there, it had spoiled the experience a bit. I was tired and at the end loosing my voice, so it was good that more volunteers arrived and we could split the day. How did I find it? On workaway.info. There are many schools and organisations listed, just choose the one for you. I was lucky to meet some great people there.
Cambodia is very poor and people live simply. I thing that it's the highest number of tuk-tuk and motorbike drivers per head here. And I have not seen expensive motorbikes elsewhere but here, which is a bit bizarre. Dukes are especially popular. It is definitely a land of smiles, grieve, eating, flat landscape, lots of water and pretty people. Phnom Penh as any capital is a place of many possibilities, dirt and traffic. It has large French community and some fine bars, restaurants and one Costa coffee shop. Everyone warns tourists to be very careful with handbags as lots of bag snatching apparently happens here. Otherwise it feels safe during daylight. Moto ride through town and day is just one dollar.. tuk-tuk ride should not be more then 5$. Me and my friend Mel went to a cinema last night to watch The killing fields and that was a nice experience. Good movie, it was only us there so we could talk and enjoy it well.
There is lots of beggars here as well and many of them are children, or children selling things at night on streets, sad picture, but not much we can do, apart from not buying and not giving them money and hope this businesses will disaapear. Cambodia is also a land of pretty ladies and lots of prostitution can be noted. High risk of HIV is present. And Lady boys!! Yes it's somehow normal social thing and very popular.

On the other hand, people in the countryside are still growing their own rice, cook on fire, sleep in stilt houses and rely on natural resources. Cambodians eat almost everthing, frogs, snakes, crickets, you name it. Homes are simple and traditional. Rubbish is a huge issue, there is no education about it, so it's either everywhere, or burnt.

I am currently waiting for my Indian visa to be issued, so stuck in Phnom Penh, but with very nice couch surfers. As this visa process takes so long, mainly due to holidays, I will have to change my plan, skip Laos and go to Thailand instead. I still hope that I can visit Myanmar for 2 weeks. Wish me luck!

Lots of pictures

Vietnam's second post

About Vietnam again. Yes, it diserves it.
This country is wide, and crazy. Many things are possible. Country of scooters and motorbikes, mountains, beaches, poverty, luxury, resorts. Small tribes and villages with unique languages and customs. Cowboys who want to make money on you. People who don't mind lying about obvious things. But many very honest people. Communisms breaths strongly in the north, I had many childhood flashbacks there. Buildings which are never finished, propaganda, don't care attitude, arrogance and ignorance is in huge contrast with people who has everything but almost nothing and are happy to share that all with you, smile and be happy to see you. This is a country where families burry their dead in the middle of their land to protect it from buyers. I don't want to forget the beautiful wood work I can see everywhere, new and old, I love it. Skills are visible, good craft. Eye infection. Dust. Cheap hotels which are just about clean. Crazy night buses. Breaking waves on beach in Hoi An. Ice cream three time more expensive then cigarettes. Cheap bear. Bad roads. Very wide menus but each meal served in different restaurant. Strong conservative outlooks on family and partnership. Pressure on girls to get merried and have kids. School is not for free. I don't know anymore, come and see for your self :-) . But I like the fading colours on walls and houses. It's cute.

Pictures from Hoa and Hoi An.


Ho Chi Minh city pictures

Hanoi and train to Sapa

I arrived to Hanoi in the morning. Immigration went smoothly and in fact, they took only one form with one picture instead of two. By the time I arrived to the centre by bus 17, it stopped raining and I packed up with two other girls who just came from Bangkok. We had lunch together and exchanged our plans and info and went to get some accommodation. I went to centre backpackers as I was happy to crash somewhere soon as i was pretty tired. It is a place for party people so not entirely for me. I went to find something cheaper and more like me place (without my back pack) and after seeing few, I picked one and moved there next morning - lucky guesthouse 2 at the edge of old town and close to railway. Hanoi is famous for mad traffic and I was very happy that I have found "how to cross a street in Hanoi" article online. :-) Also I found my way to the north bound train station and bought my self a DAY train to Sapa. Everyone goes by the expensive and luxurious night sleeping train offered by many agencies. But I just wanted to taste how the normal train travel in Vietnam is like and it was a good sample, I tell you :-) ! The train left at 6:10 am and arrived to Lao Cai 5 pm. I got soft seat in coach with aircon, it was a dirty train, nothing special. But surely better then the wooden benches in other coaches. The countryside I have seen from barred window was very green and very agricultural. Several people passed through the train selling different kind of food and drinks and many passengers changed too. For example the seat behind me was later taken by a guy in a green uniform who stuck his very smelly feet between my seat and the window so I moved away and dared to gesture my opinion on that to him. As a result he took off his green socks... it helped a bit. Well it was fun, but I admit it was tiering too. Arriving to Lao Cai with a delay just on time to catch the last bus to Sapa. This bus is official government bus and costs 28k+15k for a bag.

The famous annoying guys trying to get everyone into a minibus are hard to shake off and about 10 of them followed me until they saw me getting the official option. We got to Sapa just when the dark falls and again new people fighting for me to get to their hotel. It was sad as I was the only foreigner coming, so only one could win. At the end I gave up and went on with one of them, I was tired and needed a bed and rest. And he took me on is bike. He gave me a good price for single room with bathroom. Its a bit damp and smells a bit mouldy, but looks clean.

My breath was taken away by the green views and the beauty of this mountains, slowly I was realising that this was part of my dream and happiness flooded me. More greenery to come tomorrow, when I will stay in a village with a local family. Cannot wait!

Joining a couchserfing meeting in Hanoi was a good move. Those lovely people meet every Sunday, so if it suits you a tiny bit, I can only recommend it. I had great time, all spoke good English and gave me interesting insights as well as took me to a Cafe Acoustic for authentic night scene. Thank you so much!

All pictures taken so far.

Gungung Kinabalu and all we did inland on Borneo, Sabah!

Kampung Kiau - Guas Nabalu Home stay

So here comes my first home stay. It is in the middle of Bornean mountains just at the foot of great Mount Kinabalu. I have to say that the experience was great and it was more of an experience than a stay. The money are well worth it too. Strait away we notice that the climate is nice, fresh and free from the costal humidity, what a nice change!
Jehirin has picked us up on a junction where a minibus from KK has spited us out. He is number 11 of 14 children in this family (most of the kids are away for work or studies). The dad is still a guide taking tourists up the mountain around five times a month. The mother is a smiley big hearted woman who cook's for the guests and the family. Both also work on their fields and farms.
The village is Christian and lives a commune life. People here speak their own Dusun language and learn Malay at school + basic English. The land belongs to the village, (sharing it between families) and if you are local, you can build your house on patches dedicated for new buildings. Houses are humble even if they are new. On the farm, families grow rubber tree, pineapples, bananas, mountain rise, cocoa, and lots of jungle fruit trees and plants including wild ginger and tapioca. It is a very friendly place, relaxed and peaceful.
We had a great swim in a river which runs strait from the great mountain and is pristine clear and cold, but fun. That was our afternoon shower!
Young guys of this village build a special type of wind mils from light wood and bamboo to keep wild animals off their little farms as the mils create a whistling noise. That's what we learnt the first day. We also had plenty of food and it was mostly local and fresh. Dusun people are also very short and smiley. :)
Track to the jungle on second day:
We have tracked to a jungle strip trough number of farms and arrived to a small jungle house where we learnt how to make a cup from bamboo, how to make floor from bamboo, how to make fire from bamboo, some bamboo has water inside and bamboo sprout-shoot can be served for a diner. Also a frog or fish trap can be easily made from a bamboo and a jungle string. We got some wild cucumbers and young stems also for diner. Jimy cooked us simple lunch there and we had some rest before the mid day heat passed. Now, a banana tree can be cut and the very inside of the stem can be used for cooking as wedgie but the webs needs to be taken out from each cut ring. Also the juice is an antidote for snake bite needs to be drank and also can be applied on a cut or wound as a disinfection! What a useful plant!
Pineapple price goes as low as 3 cents per kg when there are other fruits like durian on the market and when and many other farmers grow it. So lots of nice ripe pineapple is left on the fields as it is just too much work for little income to harvest it and bring down. It can get cold there when it rains for few hours. Squirrel traps are also made from bamboo and rattan (see pictures). The track through farms and jungle are very nice. Due to the high altitude the humidity is gone and even a hot day is a very nice day. In this family, only 3 kids has stayed, the oldest is a lady who married in the village, Jimmy, our guide and Jeherin. Other family comes for weekends and holidays.
There is a big history and tradition in Kiau village for the people to become guides for Kinabalu mountain. Girls and boys usually learn from their parents by climbing along from young age. They are lovely natured. So as you see, we have learned a lot here and we loved it.

Pictures from Home stay

Kinabalu climb

So we learnt a bit more about guides and people around the mountains while climbing up. It is a difficult hike with lots of steps up. Well, but let's start from the beginning. Doing this track is kind of a controversial topic between travelers as the whole activity and accommodation is owned by Sutera Harbour company and what ever these people do gets very expensive so the cheapest deal for the climb with staying over night, food, guide and all the fees comes to 750 MR. We have met tourists - meaning holiday-makers on the way not long term traveling folk. And that just proves that the price is too high. Also the local people don't go up anymore for the same reason. So only guides and porters go up there. Porters carry all the supplies up to the lodge and as they often carry over 30 kilos, they concentrate on every step they take. They get paid 4 MR per kg and the oldest guy we met was 57. Many women do this job as well. They all walk in locally made rubber shoes with rubber buttons on the sole because they do not slip at all and are made from rubber these villages produce and also the shoes costs only 7 RM. They are fit people! Anyway we did it and it was more of a luck as every guidebook tells you to book couple of weeks upfront and our home-stay has organized it all for us at last minute and that was a piece of luck so we picked it up and went.
Mountain facts:  In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low's Peak) height at 4,095 meters (13,435 ft) above sea level, which is some 6 meters (20 ft) less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 meters (13,455 ft). More here.

The two days are organized interestingly. Fist day is 6 km to Laban Rata 3270 meters above sea level, rest and dinner and early bed as the next day you wake up at 2am and start walking in the dark after simple pre-breakfast. The sunrise is about 5:30 and we arrived there just on time. The last kilometer or so is very cold (and I mean ti, it was 0`C) and windy so it's nice to hide from the wind behind a rock and wait for the sun to come up chewing on some snack. Take pictures and run back down as toes and fingers freeze so fast! The scenery is magnificent and so surprising because you don't see where you actually are until the light returns and everything appears! I do not regret doing it. :) Altho, the descend continues after really nice breakfast and legs starts feeling it soon. It combines 3 km in the morning up, 3km down and another 6 km to the base so almost 12 km of steep hiking in one day. My knees didn't like me and my ankles started to complain just before the end. And I was not alone, all tourist where the same. The entry pass to the Kinabalu National Park is valid for another few days and includes free entry to another park called Poring hot springs where hot sulphur springs are managed into bathing pools. It was a very nice treat for our muscles but the hotel where we stayed had accommodation in second floor and that was painful. Ouch! I still look at stairs with respect...

More Pictures

Orangutans and Proboscis monkeys

The next day, we took a taxi to Ranau and hoped into a bus to Sepilok - the Orangutan place! Sepilok is just some hotels and guesthouses around the rehabilitation center and not much then that. The weather is back to hot and humid and prices are also more upscale, but that is understandable. Next day we went early for the feeding time and took some good pictures of baby Orang-utans there, check them out. We have packed at lunch time and squeezed another activity in this day and went to see the Proboscis monkeys to near by oil plantations, where the owner left some forest for the wild animals and builded a platform for visitors and drinking wells for monkeys. They also get fed in certain time so they show up and once the food is eaten, they go again. It is a great fun and we loved it. From there we moved to Sandakan, a small town on east coast. We did not like it there. The place is smelly, noisy and somehow unfriendly. Search for clean guesthouse was very hard and unsuccessful. The room was dirty and bathroom smelly and something has stung me during the night creating huge hard red stings which where of course very itchy. Well anyway, hop into a minibus and go to Kinabatangan river!

More Apes and Monkeys

Kinabatangan river experience

Another wild live pursuit. Barefoot lodge was nice and inviting, clean and sitting on the river bank...yes romantic. This one night stay included 2 wild life spotting river cruises. There are some 1000 wild orangutans in Sabah and we managed to see 3, I think thats great! We have also seen 3 crocs on the first trip! 2 swimming and one on the bank in shade. There are many types of hornbills and other birds, proboscis monkeys, long tale macaques and more. The night cruise was very interesting as the driver/guide has a huge spotlight and finds sleeping birds which are somehow frozen by the night and don't move. I felt a bit guilty shining the light into their eyes and disturbing their resting time. But the fact is, there is no other chance to see those birds, first, they are tiny, second, very fast and shy. The last morning cruise was misty and quiet as everything was just waking up. There, we've seen a back scales of the largest crocodile - 4 meters long.

More wild life from a river boat

So after this adventure, me and Dale have split our ways as he was missing his boat and I wanted to visit friends on Ocelot who were just making their way to Tawau town by sea. We met and had some nice 3 days together there. Thank you for having me!

Please leave your comments if you feel like it! :) Next report will be from the land of green tea -Vietnam!

Kota Kinabalu

Two weeks in Kota Kinabalu went fast, I have been enjoying all the luxuries of world class marina here and explored the city. There are 8 shopping malls and another one is being build. It's a bit incredible number for the size of the town. But tourism brings money and you can see them everywhere. Also the shopping options spoils you in no time. Borneo is certainly less muslim and more relaxed then other parts of Malaysia. Also, you can clearly recognize the original people from others, it is a very divers place. It is also very clean here and there are many options for eating and entertainment. I have enjoyed the Sabah state museum a lot, it is very empty and quiet, but there are interesting things to see and learn.

This guy has sold me ice-cream :)

We are leaving for the Kinabalu National Park tomorrow and fingers crossed we might get squeezed in for the climb as well. It is booked out at the moment, but maybe someone will cancel at last minute or we will just go around the park which should be nice enough. Next is orang-utan park, probostic (live only here on Borneo) monkeys, Danum valley an some diving on islands of Tawau on the other side of Borneo - Sabah. We are also hopping to catch up with our friends on Ocelot and see them good buy before they set of with the Indonesian rally to sail to all the beautiful small islands and Raja Ampat and more. We didn't make it on time for the military escort which was organized by rally for security reasons. Yes, the Philippine issue is a worry there. It is happening only on a short strip of a land and islands, but it is not a safe place, where policemen are being shot and tourists kidnaped. Well hopefully, the Malaysian government will take good measures and will prevent more violence happening in the future.

My next plans are not involving any sailing, at least for few month. I will be flying to Vietnam at the end of this month and explore Laos and Cambodia as well. I need to fly through Kuala Lumpur again which is an extra hassle, but also an opportunity to visit my friend Bee and stay over night at her place, which will be enjoyable.

So wish me luck and if you have any tips for me for these three countries, they will be more then welcome!

Pictures

Sailing in pictures

https://plus.google.com/photos/113539602896214804659/albums/6039220374061972593

Kuching, city of cats

Kuching in Malay means Cat, the name originates from a name of small water stream which has now bean build over, but it doesn't mean the city is not crazy about cats. We flue over there by short national flight with AirAsia and landed in a heavy rain, meaning cool air.
Finding a middle range accommodation is a harder quest then I thought but we managed to avoid gigantic hotels and backpackers bungs and found nice small and clean place in the middle of the city. Kuching is extremely clean compare to the rest of Malaysia and is also well developed and easy to orient. We have stayed 2 nights, visited some museums and did some shopping and then moved to Bako national park which lies on close by peninsula, to see some jungle nature and monkeys. The park is in beautiful nature and its worth hiring a guide, which we have not done. Still we have seen some animals and lots of diverse plants. Few tracks ends on an empty beach which is a real treat after sweaty jungle walk. After a night in a very mouldy accommodation and one more tour around, we left for Cultural village - kind of lived on museum - to have a look at some of traditional long houses, hand work and dancing. While we had a dinner in a nice nearby hotel, I realised that it has been exactly 6 month from the time I arrived to Bangkok and put my feet down on Asian land for first time, so we called it a celebration.
Generally, Borneo seams to have a very rich culture and is more confident and settled down then the peninsular part, to me anyway. This part of the country seams to be more steady and undisturbed by the world fast movements. They surely have some money hear and probably good management as you can see good roads, new development, finished projects etc.
Dale wanted to go see orang-utans but everyone was telling us that they do not come to feeding spots as there is lots of fruit in the jungle at the moment. Well we are tying our boat off tomorrow morning and will travel on to northern parts of Borneo where we can hopefully get closer to more spices. We should do day sailing (night anchoring) for next 8 days or so with a stop in Brunei. OK, off I go to do some research on that! Post soon!

The Sweetest Leeches :)

Pictures

Miri landing

So we have arrived at Miri marina on Thursday 19th (left Sat 14th) right on time for high tide and before a small storm started. Got in the dock, got some welcomes from other sailors already here, helped Ocelot (see more below) to get in just behind us and rushed for lunch with our legs still wobbly and the ground moving under our feet. All sins committed straight away: Pizza for lunch (the best I eat in Asia), Starbucks coffee and a cake, shopping and back to boat for clean up and full 8 hours sleep, aaaaahhhh :).

The journey was interesting. It was my very first sea crossing, my very first sea sickness and many other first times. These 600 miles took us about 5 days of nonstop moving. Unfortunately not sailing all the way as we lost the wind for a while and had to motor last two nights and a day. First 24 hours were challenging, I was seasick, my stomach didn't like the water movement, I felt tired and drowsy  and it was a bit busy, especially at night as we were going through a very busy shipping channel and had to keep a good watch for all the ships nearby. Fortunately, we were ready for all that, we had meals and snacks ready and Dale is well experienced so he needed me only for the night watch shifts, so I could have been left sitting or lying around not doing much. We were also pretty fast that time as we had pretty good strong wind. The wind and the sea had calmed down a bit later on the second day when we were passing by the Anambas islands and we could relax as those huge cargo ships were not using this part of South China Sea. Next day went pleasantly on at the same peaceful pace and we were slowly moving towards our destination. I have to say I felt much better for the rest of our journey and enjoyed it. I was able to cook down below again and that was a good sign.

Star gazing is amazing, each early morning, around 4am the moon, which was just approaching New moon would appear in front of us as we were heading east. And the sun rise and sun sets,... When the wind died out and the water got glassy one morning, I spotted around 50 sea snakes floating around enjoying the peace and a few fish jumping out in front of the boat. We got a few more visitors: One fly, one butterfly, one bird and some moths. Flying fish kept us company all the way. But I was disappointed, this was not much, I was expecting a bit more wildlife during such a long journey. I guess the fishermen are doing a too good job here... Or we just were not lucky as Ocelot has seen some dolphins on the way.
There were more things to look for in the water once we got closer to Borneo. Rubbish, yes and lots of logs and wood and we saw some huge whole trees floating fortunately only in a far distance. We hit a log only once during night, that was pretty fortunate because, you can avoid them in the day light, but there is not much you can do at night time.
Ocelot is a catamaran which left about two hours before us for the same passage and same destination as us. We have found out only one hour after we left when they contacted us on radio (and were already out of sight), that was pretty happy surprise. This nice couple is well known for their sailing blog (link above) where they share much useful information. We managed to catch them on the last day as we were motoring a bit more then they did, but it was still surprising as catamarans are usually much faster (they kind of fly as they don't dip as much) than monohulls. So we overtook them just a few hours from the land and entered the marina first. That way we could help them with getting in on radio. What a pleasurable meeting! We have spent some time together talking on their beautiful and spacious deck over past few days.

You can see us on the pictures here and also Ocelot in beautiful morning sun. Yes, we were shooting each other :D.

Miri is a wealthy town which got its' riches from Oil industry (started by brits long time ago). The Oil platforms are all around at sea, we saw about 6 of them. Scary metal constructions, they are. The city it self is not very interesting. Surprising is the number of shops of all kinds and two big and well equipped shopping centres. The chinese community is very strong here and where chinese people are, there is business. The population of muslims is much smaller and it's clearly notable on streets. We have not done much exploring yet, but as we are flying to Kuching tomorrow, we hope to see more of Borneo soon. We are planning to do some jungle trips, caving and cultural exploring. So that is about it for now, please comment if you have any questions! :)

We are on the way!

I hope it will be like this for us once we get to Miri on Borneo: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L4HYqC8II9I

Bali trip

Hello my dear readers, I am finally catching up with writing and sharing my latest stories with you. It's been long I know. I've chosen to go to Bali for my visa run as I wanted to serve a Vipassana course there and the date fitted me well. Well as we Dhamma people know, if you take care for Dhamma, Dhamma will take care for you. No, I am not relying on it, it just happens naturally. So I have registered for the course, but few days before my flight, they emailed me that course is full for service and sitting equally, but I got a contact of Sara W.  who is the driving force for Vipassana on Bali. She was kind enough to recommend me a nice guesthouse (WWW.serenityecoguesthouse.com) owned by an old student. There is a meditation room and number of yoga classes, swimming pool and it's 5 mins. from beach. I enjoyed this place a lot more because I was not feeling very well, so most of the time I stayed in, did yoga or just relaxed and enjoyed solitude. Sara came to meet me, introduced me to a nice girl who was volunteering there at the time and we had great fun. Sara usually manages the courses and after some chatting, she got an idea! She didn't sit a course for a while and was happy to swap with me and sit which meant I got a place! This was a great news, I was happy. We sat one day course with Balinese old students and teacher Anna and I moved to Ubud by the evening for few days before the course start. Ubud is a nice place packed with good shopping opportunities for good quality and beautiful Balinese goods, eco products and food. Ubud is a bit cooler then coast and full of expats, this really changes the market and many aspects of this place are very westernised - especially healthy food options. Hmm, still not for me, I must have got a pretty bad so called Bali Belly, which normally takes a day and I had it for a week. I had to get ready for the course and regain strength and health so I went for acupuncture to a local Chinese doctor. His needles hurt, I can tell you, but that is supposed to be a good thing. I wasn't much better after day and half so I got some activated carbon and an appointment with Australian Chinese medicine specialist. By the time I got there, the carbon worked and I was feeling better so his magic only strengthened me and I was cured. Anyway after this week my guts were so clean that the food was coming out totally unprocessed... I believe that everything happens for a reason and this might have been a good thing for my body after all, as there is a suspicion that I had mild dengue fewer before in Tioman as Dale and other sailors had it confirmed by doctors and I had the symptoms, so who knows maybe this was the final reaction to it.

OK, enough of illness! :-) Landih ashram lies in mountain area close to volcano Gungung Angung which I originally wanted to hike to so at least we ha a pretty good look at it. It's beautiful and scarcely visible (10 days is long enough to catch a good glimpse). This whole area is pretty cold, humid and foggy which makes it even colder, everything gets damp and moldish unless the sun is out for few hours and you take your stuff outside to dry. The ashram is more of a place for rent then a monastery, but nice and totally in nature. We had a great team of 6 servers and lots of fun. We left the ashram together and 4 of us spent one more day exploring Bali on scooters and foot. It was pleasure to meet you all my Dhamma sisters and brothers! Everything just fell in place very nicely.

At this moment, I am on ferry back to Tioman where the boat is getting ready for Saturday take of. And we shall scream out loud "atravestiamo" and appear in Kuching on Kalimantan island 5 days later and after some 600 nautical miles of sail! Wish us a good wind!
Pictures from Bali.

Floating

Good news from Tioman island! I have been sailing since Thursday! Time just passes me by, I don't even know it exists! The boat is great and the ovener also. All togeter far beiond my expectation or even my famous vivid imagination, honestly. It looks like we will do more sailing together next month.
I will have to do a visa run and I will do it my way and visit meditation centre at Bali to do some Dhamma service (fingers cross), come back to Tioman and we will cross over to Borneo.

Hello, with a little update :-) 16.5.:

We did more sailing with Dale over last few days and seen more islands, did some snorkeling, relaxing, watching sky and moon and storms going around. We have seen dolphins too!

And I forgot to tell you, that last week when diving we've seen 3 turtles! They are so pretty! Corral reefs around here are nice although lots of corals are death, lots of them are growing again.

We have another week of sailing around and then trip to KL to catch a flight to Bali, my first Indonesian experience!

Another month is almost over and no post! What happened? Well this is what happened :-) . After few days in Kuala Lumpur I moved to Kuantan where Dhamma Malaya meditation centre is located and sat my third 10 day Vipassana meditation course. KL was different this time as I stayed with a couchsurfer so had a sneak peak to the life of Malay secretary, local alternative scene and public transport. I have tried to like it more, but even this time I was not much more successful. So maybe if I go again and follow advice of my new friend Eva, I will finally enjoy this dirty city, who knows. Meditation centre was a real opposite. It's located close to two highways in the middle of palm oil plantations and fruit farm. Lots of trees, birds and reptiles. I stayed for few more days after the course to help out with maintenance before a 30 day course started. There is always so much to do in a centre that I was quite happy to leave again :-) no, no I have enjoyed my stay but relaxing there was out of question.
From Kuantan town I moved further north on east coast to place called Cherating. It took some patience to wait for old beaten local bus and shake away demanding taxi driver... anyway, Cherating  is known as a surfing beach, but only in the monsoon season in Chinese sea, which is December to February. This time it was very sleepy, most  of the businesses were closed and there was little to do. I have finished one book and that was my goal so all cool.
Night bus to Kuala Besut, short transfer, couple of hours waiting in the early morning and first boat to paradise = Perhentian islands.
I've chosen the small one of the two - kecil and so far I am pretty happy. The speed boat delivers everyone to their place stopping over around the islands. My place is called D'lagoon and a smaller boat had to pick me up in the middle of the bay :-) cool hm?
Even though I was tired after night traveling, I went for a jungle track to another beach, got lost so paced one track twice, found myself and arrived to Long beach hungry and thirsty. They charge more for everything in paradise, so good bye cheep food. Even water is more expensive. But no complains, right!  I booked my open water PADI diving course (starting on Wednesday)! The decision making was very difficult, as this is a cheapest place in SE Asia to do it, but the budget is always tight... Well I have to thank my family which helped me with this decision, thank you! I hope I will like it as many people tell me so.
I sleep in a dorm here and Swiss (French speaking woman) Martin already lives there. So far we have it for our self. She is very much into snorkeling and was kind to take me with her today. Overcoming stupid childhood fears is a hard work. Also swimming against current is! :) The under water life is very rich here, lots of colourful fish, some corals still alive, blue spotted rays and I hope to see a turtle, that would be just awesome.
This afternoon has been exceptional!! I met 4 Slovakians on the Adam's and Eve's beach and later 'at home' I found out there are Czech guys staying next door. They arrived today. So much native language practising has not happened to me yet. So I call it connection to home day.  :-)
Pictures will follow once I upload them, we have very limited and slow WiFi here.

Pictures

Back on solid ground...

...even now everything is still swinging :-) and being on land seams just strange after a week at sea. I am now taking ferry to the mainland and a night bus to Kuah, this post will get better as soon as I find another WiFi. Here some pics:

Alright, so here I am sitting in a motel restaurant in Alor Setar close to a bus station, talking to a blind Malay man who has a very good English while waiting for my night bus to KL. We had a huge and long storm which cooled us down :-) . 

A week ago when I was still in Cenang, I met a nice New Zelander Malcolm who recommended me a better guesthouse, so I moved to a very family like place. We spent some time together talking and then he introduced me to Edy, american guy staying in same dorm, we enjoyed very interesting conversations and Edy gave us a great hata joga class. We swam at night in the sea, sat on the beach for long hours and had a banana roti at 2am, I enjoyed every minute! Thank you, you two scientists and filozofers! 

Sailing with http://www.langkawisailingschool.com was great fun, I have received my competent crew certificate today so I feel a bit more competent now :-) . We sailed around the island and seen some fantastic places. I have to admit that sailing is a hard work and my body is sore and tired, but I wouldn't change it for anything, it was a very nice experience.  And I am glad I made the effort and got some gloves and good sun glases. I slept on deck most nights as it was just too hot down below. Stargazing is more fun when someone knows what stars are you looking at isn't it? :-) . It was 3 of us taking the course, me and English couple originally from Manchester, bit more world citizens now as they have been on the road for 4 years. Barry, the instructor was joking around a lot and his wife Lynette cooked as some great meals! I was outnumbered by Englishmen, but enjoyed tea breaks and European breakfasts for a change. My head is full of sailing terminology now, I hope I can remember it all till next sailing opportunity. Life is so different on a boat, slower and more intensive. This planet is very beautiful and fortunately, there are still some unspoiled places, there is hope!

 The school has 3 boats and there were two courses alongside, so we met them in marinas, and actualy, we raced them once, it was good fun. Marinas here are great, two of them have nice pool, restaurant and bar. Well enjoy the pictures, I thing I made too many. Those birds are eagles, Langkawi actually means a red eagle, and there are truly many or them, also sea eagles, we had a chance to see them well from the boat.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113539602896214804659/SailingAroundLankgawiWithSailingCourse

Cenang beach

Dear friends, as I am slowly recovering from the mosquito attack from last week, there is not much to report. I made some pictures on this beautiful beach. We had rainy afternoons lately, which is much appreciated by people and the nature equally. Some strong winds blown some animals ashore so I have taken some pictures of fragments of the sea life.
I have spent a great afternoon on Rebak island, where I was invited to by Mike yesterday. It's a private island owned by a hotel but marina tenants can use the whole facility. We had pleasant conversations, did some laundry, had nice ready meal dinner on the boat and met some fellow sailors, hotel guests at the beach bar... I came home around eleven totally exhausted from this nothing doing. But I guess that's all down to my current condition and medication. I might visit again tomorrow as I don't feel fit enough for scootering around yet, maybe on Thursday. Today, I am just hanging around WiFi and sorting some things out. So have a look at new pictures :-) .

One news actually! Found cheapest lunch place so far, vegetarian plate and ice tea for 5RM! Very tasty and just around the corner. Bye bye expensive touristy restaurants :-) yep!

https://picasaweb.google.com/113539602896214804659/MalajsieASIjA2014

Itchy bites story

OK this post is not going to be as cheerful as the last one.
 I came to Langkawi two days ago by ferry from Penang. As the royal marina is very close by, I went there and placed my number on notice board for some sailors to pick up in pursuit of a crew position. Got a taxi, found the guest house I wanted to stay in but they were full, so I went on to the next one, got a shabby room with awfully shabby shared bathroom for 40RYM and I immediately started looking for other place or solution like volunteering or so. I have met my future sailing teachers to pay my skipper course and enjoyed sunset on the beach. I woke up early in the morning for a sunrise swim in the sea and found out that lots of mosquitoes were having luxurious feast on me. The windows were not closeable so they had it easy. :( Swimming will cool it down I thought so I enjoyed nice morning on the beach and went looking for a local dog and cats shelter to see if they need any volunteers. Later that day, I got a text that they are full and other places I tried online didn't reply to me. So I have moved to a bit better guest house near by and for same price I got nice room with a private bathroom. Phew! Hung my mosquito net for a first time and enjoyed the rest of the day. I only had a slight suspicion that some of the spots are new and that was weird. After rather itchy night I found out in the morning that lots of my spots multiplied but there was no insect to do so, also some of bites got blisters and that is a sign of infection. So I got a taxi (teksi) to hospital for a check. They gave me antihistamines, antibiotics, some other pills, creams to apply on skin and an injection. I feel a bit weak but my skin is already improving. So I think it's good I didn't get any volunteering job for now as I need to take care for myself first. It's nothing serious, I am just glad I had it checked. It reined for first time after 4 month of draught this afternoon so that feels very nice too and it might rain again :-) . I have met Mike a boat owners and his fellow sailor - a nice girl from Poland, we might meet again next week to see the boat. Once i feel better, I will hire a scooter and explore this island a bit more.
These mosquitoes really love me, I need to do anything to stop them from now on as I might be allergic to them or, they might carry infections which I do not deal well with. Oh, dear I hope next post is much more positive as I am sure that this place can offer much more joy and fun. :-)
Here is an evening update: medication started working so all is a bit better, less itchy, less red,...

Malaisian pictures are in this new album : https://picasaweb.google.com/113539602896214804659/MalajsieASIjA2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-_wbahtNalUw