Here we are in the Philippines

                                        Known for it’s boast of 7107 islands or is that ferry rides!

                                                     7107 isla upang galugarin ang

one of the many boats - ferries between the many islands

      
We started 8 months ago in a country that started with a P (Portugal) and now 26 countries later we are finishing off with a country starting with a P (Philippines). You wouldn’t realize how much I want to make that a double ll in their name. But none of the other countries started with a P not that we used every letter of the alphabet though.

    On planning the trip a year ago we aimed to finish this trip with lots of ocean and white sandy beaches, they didn’t have to be real white just nice sandy beaches before hitting the white ice cold stuff of our winter!!  I do have to admit it gets hard to chill out after a while. (baugh hum bug ey!) Our first stop here after Cebu (a big city) was Sipalay with Sugar Beach, a boat ride away – a to die for area but after 4 days we were ready to move – rather than just sit on the butt or swim.

of course at the beach you have sunsets

sorry alittle slanted but really deaths do happen from falling coconuts

drying cocnut meat beside the road

one of the other hotels on Sugar Beach

    Not much area to hike and therefore pretty limited in activity. We did find the riptides interesting though, floated for a couple of minute and we found ourselves 75 meters further out in the ocean, thinking our next stop would be Australia. ( this required a little bit of adrenaline rush to swim back in to shore).  Next stop was Siquijor island for more beach but with the availability of a motorbike. This island didn’t even have a petrol station and only sold gas out of pop bottles. They must teach their young very early not to drink out of a coke bottle or else.

beach - sunset - what can I say - beautiful!!

    This island is 72 kms circumference with a few roads crossing over  through the middle. We did over 600kms and I don’t think we left a road untraveled unless it petered out to nothing but a cow track and the tires weren’t that good to risk a flat tire! Believe it or not sometimes it is good to turn back.  Hard convincing Russell though ( I know you all though I was the impossible one!!) then we ferried over to  another island called Bohol – certainly more touristy and more crowded. The claim to fame here are the Chocolate Hills – more so in the dry summer than the wet season (for obvious reasons).

Chocolate Hills like numerous bumps on a log

overall view of the hills

 Read here we are still getting caught in the heavy downpours ( monsoons) and we thought the rainy season would be over here - WRONG. The Chocolate Hills  legend has it they were caused by two giants throwing rocks at each other as they fought over a woman!  Do know when we tried to climb up one it was very slippery with marble size and shaped rocks that rolled you back each step of the way. While in the hills we stopped at a Tarsier Sanctuary.

jr is only about 3-4- inches big

biggest Tarsier yet!

 They are the smallest primate – up to 6 inches in length but with huge eyes as they are nocturnal. They do not do well in captivity as people end up keeping them awake all day (they are nocturnal) and they become sleep deprived and usually die within a year or so. Now I feel  guilty for going to see them! The tourists we seen couldn’t stop poking them and using a flash which they were told not to do. Think of those big eyes and a flash going off right in their face. They only have one offspring a year with a 6 month pregnancy, and we only  saw 3 to 4 inch ones. With doing the motorbike riding it’s a good thing we have a few months off at home and can forget all the new bad habits we have picked up. But will find it strange not to wave and say hi to all along the roadside!! It will be quite a tame ride!

these butterflies mate for 24 hours before all the eggs (100 - 150 eggs are fertilized)  what do you think Viagra or Cialis

I think they might be angel wings

    We have noticed that the Philippines as the Indonesians think it is good luck to have a cat in the household. They either break the tail or cut off the tail, thinking it will keep the cat around. I would have thought not likely but I am not a cat. Also we think there is even more white males with filipino  girls, now I realize some are married but many are their guides (well….) but many more couples than the other S. E. Asian countries.  Have also had to use more deet here than elsewhere although I don’t believe there is malaria on these 4 islands that we did, but there is dengue fever and I don’t want that either.

Jeepneys - common transport beside the tricycle

coconut transport or people

    Having a tough time finding Russell a sweater here – somehow he is not quite the right size and he only has t-shirts and sandals to arrive home to -20C and snow. It may warm up a little but not that much. Although I went looking for shoes as well, thinking that my 8 ½ size isn’t that big well I was too big for ladies and not big enough for mens – another words no shoes. Thank gosh my coat from Bangkok has arrived at Suzanne’s so most of me will be warm. I do wonder where the expats go for their stuff or must do a lot of ordering through the internet.

Russell starting to do his ski patrol first aid studying = the course starts the day he arrives home

get ready mate

   Well that is it for this trip going home to COLD – YUK,   SNOW – YES, home cooking with lots of salads,8+ months of restaurant food where the menus start looking surprisingly similar, my own bed and pillow, visiting family and friends. I am sure there are many changes in our 5 grandchildren and all those hugs and kisses through skype just aren’t the same as real ones which will be FANTASTIC!!!  Although little Sasha trying to climb through the computer to find Gramma is priceless!

cock farm for the cock fights also a A I farm

fights usually twice a week = whenever you see a large group of males look for the fight

oops! water lines in the gutter numerous and going in all directions

but it works for them

making of a cocnut Xmas tree - coconuts are good for everything - right!

couldn't believe the Xmas lights and tunes starting the beginning of November  already

Thanks for following along on our quest of the Silk road and other adventures.  Who knows where the next quest will be. But for now it will be home in BC Canada for 2012!!! Afterall I made Russell a promise!! Therefore no litros of beer or wine for a bit - our tans will fade quickly as the snow continues to fall, many meters worth I hope but memories will last especially if I do some scrapbooking!

Russell and Sylvia

Hi from Indonesia

  Where are you going? Do you have a ticket?

Kemana kamu akan pergi? Apakah Anda memiliki tiket?

    After saying cheerio to all our new friends from the truck we left Singapore a day later than everyone else. With Singapore slings at Raffles and the brunch at the Hyatt we thought we should actually spend a day touring Singapore before flying to Kuta, Bali. We couldn’t believe how busy Kuta was now compared to almost 10 years ago. It seems like night and day difference now. It was actually quite hard to even recognize some of our favorite areas. Now we are here on the shoulder season and not the low season BUT STILL!!!  Building happening everywhere! Our second day here there was an earthquake. The ground just started wobbling and rumbling – the walls on our hotel spread apart and then closed up again. We couldn’t figure it out and then the locals all started yelling and running out to the middle of the hotel parking lot – so we did the same!! We didn’t yell and scream though, just headed to a clearing. Then came the second tremor. We all stood and looked at each other and wondered what next? It recorded at 6.1 on the scale and quite a few were injured but only one death that we were aware of. Our first and hopefully our last of experiencing one! And that was nothing compared to Japan!!

   With Kuta so busy we decided enough and got on a plane to Flores.

sunset from Labuanbajo was beautiful but the town - not so much

fishing boat on Flores - can dry the fish on the side nettings

Our objective was to see the Komodo Dragons, as we missed them last trip. We thought it would just be a small plane but we were wrong. I guess it is more of a bus with many different stops to many different islands. Landing in Labuanbajo on Flores was quite a surprise for us. It didn’t have the beaches and what it did have was just a garbage dump – not really seeing the tourist side yet!! WE originally thought we would explore more of the island but with what we were seeing WHY?? I guess after 6 ½ months of travelling we just wanted chill out time- relaxing on a beach etc. We decided on a 2 night boat ride along with 30 others to see the komodo dragons on Rinca Island.

Russell calls it my cruise ship

the sail boat I really wanted for the cruise

at the entrance to the National Park on Rinca Island

We got there early in the morning – so the dragons were nice and active. The two guides carried sturdy pronged sticks, one walking in front and one at the end of the line. The guide also told us that if a tourist was bitten – he would be charged and put in jail. When the dragon starts to salivate it means he is looking at a food source – so a slight warning signal. When the one we were taking lots of pictures of started to drool we were out of there.!!!!  Their bite with the enzymes and bacteria will kill a water buffalo in 2 days, a human in 7 days (if no medical help). The female lays 20-50 eggs, buries them in the ground and for the first 3 months guards them, then with the rainy season the ground hardens and the smell disappears and the eggs incubate a further 6 months. When the dragons first hatch they climb the nearest tree for protection from adult dragons and other predators. They will stay in the trees till they are too big to climb – nails get too long, bigger than 1 ½ meters, and ready to prey on bigger animals than insects. They can actually run up to 18 km an hour and are found mainly  on Rinca (over 1300) and Komodo Islands (have the largest ones),and are the only living dinosaurs alive today.

Komodo Dragon - up to 150 kgs

look at those claws - no wonder adults can't climg trees

On the boat we also stopped and snorkeled many times and walked into a water waterfall – felt nice and cool for swimming. Had a great time on the boat and met some neat people. We started to run into these new mates in the next couple of stops – nice to share a bintang (beer)  and a meal with. After the boat we splurged and did a four star hotel – on the beach and got some western pampering – infact we even stayed a little longer than first thought we would. Worth every dime honey!!.

beach at four star hotel Senggiggi

view from poolout to the ocean

dishes made from banana leaves - classy!!

     Next we went to Gili Trawangan on Lombok. We remembered it as quite laid back, beach around the island – can snorkel anywhere etc. There must have been at least another 100 hotels – homestays built in the 10 years and the beach was now crowded with extra places to stay. The island is only maybe 6 kms around. Still had our R&R here, tried a different spot for supper on the beach everynight with Happy Hour of course. Even hit a pub to catch the last of the World Cup Rugby games. Of course we were cheering for the All Blacks (New Zealand) but in the final game the rivalry with the French was pretty fierce. Of course our group just cheered louder!!

snorkeling in the blue waters of Gili Trawangan

the boat that didn't make it

    It was time to move along and when we found a hotel with the balcony facing the bay and easy access to motorbikes , we knew we had to stay there. Imagine our surprise riding down the road with a noisy horn beeping away at us. We both said *&^&^& pass us buddy!!! It was Sandra and Keith (English couple from the truck). Well what a nice reunion. We knew they were on Bali, leaving Borneo behind. Just didn’t expect them yet! It had only been 2 weeks since we parted but was so great to see them again. Spent the next day catching up and stuff – me eating all Keith’s cheese because we hadn’t seen any yet (he always finds it first! – but neither of us found wine!) they were on their way to meet their first granddaughter Darcie, in Australia while we fly on to the Philippines.

one of the many wet season rains - got caught on the motorbike - YUK

rice paddies still appeal - touring with the bike

found a wood carver

  To those back home no one did Hallowe’en here!!  Definitely ready to move on and out of the rainy season hopefully the Philippines will be drier as they are finishing the wet season.

all the beaches and Indonesian Islands for an idyllic holiday

Last country before home, stay tuned for the Phillipines.

 

Hello from Malaysia

Hello dari Malaysia

   But first I have to finish off with the last 2 nights in Thailand at the Khao Sok National Park. We arrived at our jungle hotel in the pouring rain. We really can’t say anything as it is the rainy season but…. We had bungalows built on stilts above the river. Over the 2 nights we stayed there the river went up and down like a yoyo – changing at least 3 feet at a time.  Every deluge meant a rise in the river quickly, receding again just as quickly. As our bungalow had tarpaulin roof we could definitely hear the rain – a great lullaby to go to sleep with. I’m sure in the right season this would be an awesome national park but this time of year it was mainly wet and muddy. In fact the truck was parked facing in the right direction for a quick get away as it was noticed that the local’s cars weren’t parked in the same area. Did try some floating down the river but with the high water it made it a little treacherous, water over all the bushes and sticks that are normally ‘high and dry’.

     Next stop was the border crossing into Malaysia. We hit the duty free store and saw 5 litres of wine on sale. Well the wine drinking has suffered big time as it has been so expensive and not easily come by in Thailand.  Therefore we were lining up to buy 2 – 5 litre boxes and get the 3^rd box for free. Only to be told that you can only bring in 1 litre of any spirits per person into Malaysia. As we didn’t want to take a chance with a border crossing we put it back and then wined a lot!!!! Or was that wingeing?  Didn’t want that darn wine anyway!

    Then we stopped in Penang – the area of Georgetown is another Unesco site with lots of colonial buildings. Here the Malaysians’ like to eat at street vendors more than restaurants. Which we really enjoyed and found many Indian vendors as well and are actually starting maybe a little bit to figure out their meals – but we love them so far.

satays on the BBQ

While in Penang we took the tram up Penang hill – must have been an engineering feat to build it. It was actually a cloudy day and therefore the view didn’t live up to expectation – but we were out doing a walk about.

tram line to the top of Penang Hill

motorbike grave yard - always wondered where they went - the vines will bury them quickly here

We decided to walk down and get some more walking in as well. (I believe this is where Russell says I decided!!) So the road down was mainly 30% grade for the 5 kms.  We ran into a pile of monkeys and of course rain – did I say rain! After 3 storms – one that killed my cheap umbrella and the trees weren’t big enough to shield us, we were rather soaked. Finally reached the bottom and asked a fellow where we would find our bus. He said 23 kms that way. I said no way – must be the English maybe 2 or 3 kms that way. WE WERE WRONG!! Well long story short took us over 4 hours to get down the hill into town – one must flag a bus to get them to stop not just be at the stop and I mean flag – not a light wave and with the next one being an hour later. Plus that liquid stuff kept coming down. My feet were done in – totally fried - the sandals with all the grit caught in them and the toes feeling quite webbed by this time. Let alone to add more insult to injury, where the cars were driving past and splashing great walls of water at us!!!  Well I mean!!! The hard part to accept was the Reid’s had no map of the area and didn’t have clue what part of the city we were in, so needed to get back to familiar ground somehow. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.

   Next we were off to the Perhentian Islands. Another great place to chill out on the beach and not have to wear shoes – thank god! We did do a quick change of hotels so we could have a deck and a view of the ocean. (Better for happy hour that way)

Happy Hour on the beach with Keith and Sandra

look at that water!

We did some snorkeling with all the tropical fish and the tortoises. Made me remember how much I enjoy snorkeling. Guess that is why we are heading to Indonesia and the Philippines next. Even did some kayaking – in the most uncomfortable boat ever! One beach nearby even had some waves big enough to body surf on- yahoo!! One afternoon we all participated in the Calypso Olympics.

 Of course the Reid’s are not competitive at all and were in there like dirty shirts! We did all the kid (adult) races: 3 legged races, sack races, frog races(crawling through everyone’s legs) castle building and finding answers to quiz questions running up and down the island. Anyway we had a wild time –with many tourists watching us thinking we were maybe a little crazy but.. most important my team WON!!!!

crawling through - we can't leap anymore

   Before we actually left the islands a team decision was made to miss the next national park. One comment from Lonely Planet was that in the rainy season it’s only mud and leaches! Good reason to skip it.

   Therefore we were in Kuala Lumpur a little early. The name "Kuala Lumpur” which in the Malay language means "Muddy Confluence" or “Muddy Estuary”, reflects the city's humble reverine beginnings. This is definitely a big city with lots of new stuff ie malls, hotels. We did use the hop on hop off bus to get a good tour of the city. Enjoyed our stop at the cultural center as different artists showed how they did their craft, another stop was the Lakes area which were nice and peaceful compared to the hustle of the city. And of course we stopped at the Petronas Twin Towers but they were closed for renovations (the tallest building in KL with a bridge between the buildings).  On our last night Ben (fellow truck mate) did a comedy act at Dirty Nellie’s, an Irish bar. We all went to lend our support and enjoy his show. What a character and definitely had a lot of laughs.

Petronas Twin Towers

KL Towers

Dragon boat at the National Museum

Little India street centre piece

    Next stop Melaka – another Unesco Heritage spot on the Melacca Strait. This is the trading hub from our history books. This would have been on the Silk Road via the ocean so definitely a part of this whole trip – the ships would wait for the monsoons to start at the different times depending on which sea they were heading to. Now it is very much a tourist town mixing old with new. In fact it has to be all the tourists buying in these trendy malls as it doesn’t seem to be the locals. Noticed on our ceiling in the hotel a sign saying KIBLAT and presumed it meant exit as it pointed to the door. In another room it pointed towards a wall – then realized that it pointed towards mecca. That way no one would pray in the wrong direction. Exit is kabular so pretty close.

boat cruise on canal

trishaw lit up for a ride home

holding meteorites and a polished section of one

   Next was Singapore - the last stop for most of us on Odyssey tour of the Silk Road. Of course first stop was for a Singapore Sling at Raffles. Mine tasted good but kinda over-rated me thinks but one has to do these things.

enjoying our Singapore Slings at Raffles - where they were invented

 Next was brunch at Orchard’s Hyatt well at $100.00 US, it had better be good – was Russell’s comment. With all the champagne you could possibly drink let alone all that food – it was amazing!! But I think I actually had too much champagne as I don’t remember eating any of the desserts or from the fancy cheese platters but I did eat a lot of smoked salmon and roast beef let alone the sushi and crab, shrimp. I loved it but kinda think this was a one of.

      I can’t believe what we have all seen and done in last 6 months – the friendships that were made with group that all have the travelling spirit!! Wish everyone the very best to wherever life may take them.

still looking good after 180 days

    Next our own adventure in Indonesia – Bali and Flores for sure who knows what else at this stage. Stayed tuned!!!



Thailand says Hi !!

 

สิ่งที่คุณจากประเทศหรือไม่?  

                What country are you from? (heard every time you meet someone)

     First stop in Thailand was Bangkok – but this time we stayed in a totally different area of this big city. We stayed in the Old Towne area where it was very touristy. Wait a minute it was only tourists there!! We both couldn’t believe the different feel just by staying in a different part of the city. One night the boys all went out and of course the girls all gathered together for a night out as well. The first stop for us was a Lounge called Vertigo. It was on a rooftop 62 stories up and we were there to watch the sun set.

Me getting Vertigo

book ends at a restaurant

We also got to see a storm brewing and heading across the sky straight towards us but we did luck out – it waited until we were done. Our drinks were a fair price – only $14 a cocktail but the ambience was worth it. They also put out some nuts etc which had to be replenished regularly as there were 13 hungry females up there. Next we went to what we thought was going to be a LadyBoy show only to find out it was a brothel? show. I’ve never seen a performer look more weary or bored – no show biz in the show but what they could pull out of their pussy (mind the language) or make it do ie shoot ping pong balls, puff on a cigar, write stuff etc you get the picture. Well must admit we all said enough was enough especially as we saw many guys walked across to a room? with many girls following. We definitely had a laugh at ourselves later. No way can I do ping pong balls!! Need I say I don’t think I ever need to go to another show of this caliber!! Only to find out our boys went to another show but they saw string of 50 razor blades being extracted – I felt jipped – laugh!

    Russell and I met a teacher on a street corner and of course we were looking at a map – but he did give us some great information of things to see, without charging us!! We found a government tuktuk that would drive you around for 3 hours for only $1. Our driver was 55 years old and when Russell told him how old he was he was our friend for the day – in fact he toured us around for 5 hours for $1.00, pretty good deal.

Our 55 year old tuktuk driver

large wat on the river

 One afternoon a group of us went on a long-tailed boat through the canals of Bangkok. This gave us a different view of the city. I made a smart remark on how we just needed a beer to make it a cruise – one of our mates got the boat driver to stop and along came the beer. Anyway we had fun! The canals have a lock at the start to keep the water levels constant. If they didn’t with all the rain and flooding here, the whole canal system would have been flooded out. And many of the housing units along the canal wouldn’t take any rise in water level as they were already sinking. It is the rainy season but there have been over 90 deaths because of all the rain and flooding.

Denis coming back with the beer

heading into the lock for the trip through the canals

feeding thousands of fish in the canals - considered to be good luck

sunset on the canals

looking at the bridge on the way home with the long tail boat

      As we took the night train (yup more wine and cards with Keith & Sandra) we could see all the fields under water, even the train tracks at times. Chiang Mai is the expat capitol of Thailand. It’s a little higher in the hills and therefore a little cooler and less humid. A couple of us did take in a LadyBoy show here. We had done one on a previous trip and thought it quite worthwhile, comparable to a Las vegas style show.  A LadyBoy or Kathhoey refers to a biological boy who exhibits transgender behavior. I think we have all heard of Thailand and it’s beautiful LadyBoys. Facts: in a class of 50 students  5 – 20 could be transgender.  94% of Thais are Buddhist and they believe in the Law of Karma. If someone did something wrong (sexual transgression) in their past life they might be reincarnated as a transvestite or transgender person. The kathhoey should therefore be pitied rather than blamed. In Thailand even if the boy has the full operation he/she cannot change their legal status assigned at birth ie. Passport will say Mr. etc.  Anyway enough of that, this show had an excellent pre-show dinner buffet but the actual show was only our high school quality. Definitely not up to par with our last show but the LadyBoys still looked stunning.

the LadyBoy Show in Chiang Mai

   Our drive down to Kanchanburi was back in our beloved truck, Calypso. Really nice having the truck back again, and the room to move around in the back. This is the city with the Bridge over the River Kwai. We had our history lesson at the Hellfire Pass Memorial Burma – Thailand railway built by the Australians. The Thais had signed a treaty, very reluctantly with the Japanese. They wanted a railway built across to Burma for supplies, weapons etc. in WW 2 So the POW’s and Asians were forced to build the railway through the canyons, fields etc – over 500 kms. Actually they are still using 130 kms of it. Over 20% of the POW’s died making that rail line. They only had shovels and picks for digging through the rock. In fact they were working 24/7 and the fires lit in the bamboo casings filled with oil gave this canyon it’s name of Hellfire. We learned a lot and the Aussies did such a good job explaining it that I actually had tears listening to their audio-tapes. More Thai people died building the railway then did POW’s, some 19,000 asians and 1/5 of the POW's.

the bridge over the River Kwai - I must watch the  movie again

Hellfire Canyon monument built by the Australians

one of the bamboo lights on the side - giving the canyon it's name

   Then we visited the Buddha Tiger Temple. They have 98 tigers now that you can walk with and pet them and of course have your picture taken with them. If you want more just open your wallet and you can feed them and play with the cubs etc. Bengals tigers look mighty big when you are up close to them. One fact: there are more tigers in American homes than there are in the wilds of Asia. Anyone want a 200 kg tiger living with them in their house or apartment? I think they are crazy!! If Bengals mate with Siberian tigers the males are sterile! All these odd facts ey! Siberians only became their own species in 2004.

how smart is this monk?

big pussy cats

NO Russell it's not your meat supply

Next day we took a big tuktuk out to  7 tiers of waterfall basin. We had a great hike up them plus you could swim in all the pools to cool off. Water was nice and cool and very refreshing and fish to nibble at your feet.

one of the many waterfalls and pools

some waterfalls have many tiers

Colin and Wendy with Dr Fish - the fish clean up your dead skin - many pay big bucks for this

imagine these leaves in your house

   Lastly we had a holiday on our holiday out to Koh Samui for a week on the beach - swimming in the ocean daily. What a tough life ey?!!!

our hotel and Lamai Beach on Koh Samui

 All our mates are in different spots – we have one other couple on the same island, that we had to rent a motorbike to visit, and gallivant around with. Think Russell and I are quite into the motorbikes – in fact I don’t think we left a road on the island not explored. Plus we found a Lotus Tesco (read big grocery store with an England base) with clothing – like a Walmart Supercentre). Which meant we could have cooked chicken with salad and a glass of milk – to die for!!! In fact we had salad 5 out of 7 nights.

Nope - we didn't rent these beauties

largest family mover we saw was 4 kids with mom and dad

where are the seat belts = but then where is the car

   Next stop will be Malaysia and then Singapore. Basically only two weeks left on Odyssey truck and then we are on our own.