Thursday 20 September 2012

Thailand...firs stop - Bangkok



There is so much to Bangkok...I found myself hating and loving this city at the same time. I still don’t know how I feel about Bangkok, very mixed feelings. Whilst I was staying there I couldn’t wait to get out, but at the same time places I would go and see fascinated me. Always surprising and irritating. Made me laugh, smile and be angry, fuming...



Happy-angry feelings for tuk tuk taxis. 
Its great! I mean you can see most of the city sights for very cheap price. The driver drives you around and drops you off to see amazing temples and waits patiently for you to return and off you go to next destination. And its also great experience to ride in one of those all day, as walking in Bangkok...My oh my...its so hot there, you run out of energy instantly. And its massive, what on a map looks like a short distance you end up walking hours from one place to other. these taxis are great...until they start ruing your day! They say to you that they will take you to a place that we tourists might dont know. its a shop. According to them: you go in...look look. you want you buy, you dont want you not buy...well, ok I thought. And he adds: Good for me, I get coupon. In that case I said ok I thought I don’t mind to help to earn extra coupons or whatever...but no, one is not enough, he takes to another one and gets angry and says: Why u no buy anything?! You have to buy something. Good for me. I take you to another place....I can take only little of this bullshit. I start arguing and saying I don’t want to go to another shop, I am not buying anything anyway. He insisted, I am not agreeing..the end is: just stop the bloody thing and I am off! 
 So what started an amazing experience ended me being angry as I never experienced this pressure of doing something I don’t want and paying for that!! Amazing!
Breath taking temples






Wednesday 19 September 2012

Sarawak

The journey to Sarawak was all about the people and experience staying in the longhouse with local tribe. Being the largest state in Malaysia, Sarawak covers a vast area of 124,000 sq-km of land along the northwest coast of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. It is also known as Land of The Hornbills. The population comprises of local ethnic groups namely Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau and other minor tribes plus the Malays, Chinese and Indians living together in harmony for more than a century.



 In a local bus from airport to Sarawak capital Kuching. Kuching is very small town considering that its a capital of a largest Malaysias state

Exploring Kuching...not much to explore thou

Just waiting for next day as it was arranged one of the most exiting trips in my life.

  A trip to the jungles where was the longhouse was taking over 4-5 hours. On a way there our group stopped in a market. We had to buy presents to longhouse family. Nothing fancy...little packets of coffee and salt for each family, 32 all together. and some sweets for children



After a long trip there was a 50min journey waiting by a long boatin a man made lake.



Finally! We are here!


In the longhouse

In day time women usually stay at home doing crafts and basic home stuff (whatever that is) and men work in farms


Dinner was made by our tour guide. It was very delicious. We basically had what tribe people usually eat.

 Rice vine and whiskey were served later in the evening. And then traditional dancing took place





The evening with dancing and drinks turned out into a party and we had a great time. It was definitely the party I had never had before. An amazing experience. People living there were very friendly and although they didn’t speak much English and even if some of them did it was difficult to understand them. But families living there are very proud of their community and place they live. Everything is very basic there, the only modern thing in the house was toilet and shower build for tourists like us. Other than that the whole experience was very real and true to the life tribe people live.



Singapore



Singapore is a very modern and rich city. Clean and sterile…and to keep everything in order fine system is a big help. If you don’t want to get fined you better obey the rules. There is nothing much about Asia in Singapore. Just a temple there and there. In fact it’s so westernised and developed that you wouldn't know its Asia if not people around. A very big difference from all the Asia countries I have visited. Price wise as well. Everything is as expensive as in England, or even more. 


The night life in Singapore is really good!



 How is that for a swimming pool?



Monday 27 August 2012

Island Of Gods - Bali

Bali is certainly very Religious Island. Full of stunning Hindu temples and every balaniese is giving a gift to their god once a day every day. When you walk in the streets you can see it everywhere. At first I had no idea what’s that about, I thought why they make a mess...it looks like it’s full of rubbish, but when I asked and find out what it was those little gifts started to make much more sense and its really a nice gesture of saying thank you.



 Bali has two sides. For example town Kuta is a party town full of Australians. Its like Spain for British. They came here not just for surfing, which is very popular as the sea and the waves are perfect for that but also to drink like crazy. I spend there three days and I had enough. I surfed, I partied...but I wanted to see the good side of this beautiful island. So I and my friend headed to town call Ubud. Very famous as the writer of “eat, pray, love” was staying there.



There was a very cute little boy playing with his kite



Monkey forest in Ubud
Its a big jungle like park just full of monkeys! 




Walking around the town...for me people of a place speaks more then a picture of a building.


A trip to see volcano( which I didnt due to a bad weather), temples, rice fields...





So yeah ladies...if you on your period, you are not allowed. Never seen it coming.



Entering this temple people who checked the tickets tried to trick us in saying that only with a guide you can enter this place. If you will not have local guide, you will only be allowed to walk around. That was a big lie. And that happens a lot in Bali. people try to rip you off everywhere and anywhere. This side of these people I really disliked.






 Ricefields




Indonesia is full of beautiful art and culture

One evening I found myself watching traditional Balinese dance. The music was buzzing in my ears for the whole evening after it finished. It wasnt something mind blowing, but definitely something very different and unseen



People in Bali are very friendly...but I think sometimes their need to sell or to pester you into buying something can be quite annoying. If you want to get anything you have to bargain, you have to play this game otherwise you will pay double triple the price. You can not pass with just looking, If you just stop to look they will try to sell.

 Big fraises when you pass. Add the different pronunciation+the voice tone= Oh my god! hilarious and annoying after you hear them like thousand times
Here they are:
yes miss?Saran? many colours
Cheap cheap
I give you good price
Good for me good for you
Buy...for good luck
Just looking?
Buy something
You say your price/Whats your price?Tell me your price
you bankrupt me
give me more...
And thats not it!!! you pass the streets and all you can hear:
teksi?transport?maybe for tomorrow?massage?Free to look...Man that is challenging hahaha

All together I enjoyed this experience. I really had a good time there. And although you can buy some really nice stuff for a very good price alchohol is overpriced. If you go to eat somewhere you end up spending much more as they add serviche charge and goverment tax. You enter the country you pay for visa, fear enough...but whats with the aditional payment for goverment tax when you leave the country? So yeah...you are a tourist there...so give give give, pay pay pay