Sunday 28th February, 2010
I have to kick myself and apologise for the fact there will no pictures to go with this post. I had to recharge the battery (which I did do) but that didn’t put the camera back in the car. 100km away from Perth I remembered that I didn’t have my camera with me and spent the rest of the day sulking when I saw things I wanted photos of.
Today was the day I we went to York. Not checking the map we headed of in the direction of Armadale and after realising we were on the same road I drove back from Albany on and actually heading south instead of east we decided to consult the map. Not wanting to retrace road and the thought of exploring more ground I picked out a new route through Beverley.
The drive was lovely and I am getting use to the red dust and tree lined straight roads. I did see an wedge tail Eagle though that when I looked in the book is the southern hemispheres version of the golden Eagle. It was so graceful sitting in the wind effortlessly above the road.
Beverley is a very quiet little place but had a couple of cafes and small museums we didn’t spend long here before driving on to York. Shirley pointed out the buildings that Geoff (my great uncle) had helped to build after we parked up. We walked around for a bit, listening to the band playing outside the Settlers Tavern all over town. I asked the advise of the man in the tourist information where he would recommend getting some lunch, and after a look round the other places, we took his advise and sampled the food at the Tatty Parrot.
York has loads of old colonial style buildings and inside the town hall it had a real Art Nouveau feel. It was actually the first inland town of the swan river colony. There are certainly no leaning Tudor houses, imposing Minster or cobbled Shambles markets here.
The weather was really nice here, not to hot and with a gentle breeze. The drive back was considerably shorter on a more direct road and only one stop at a fruit and veg shop to grab some gorgeous fresh figs and grapes.
Thursday 25th February, 2010
After taking one of the other girls from my dorm into Margaret River to catch her bus I took to the road again, this time focused on the Valley of the Giants and the promise of a fabulous tree top walk. I went through a few small towns stopping at Pemberton and Walpole along the way. You know the old westerns with the prairie towns of wooden houses and shops and tumble weed down the main road, well all these places were like that, it was like stepping back in time.
The signs directed me through the Valley of Giants which are basically, blood big tingle trees. Their bases were really wide and they seem never ending. I later found out that they grow to about 16 metres circumference at the base and an average of 60 metre tall.
The tree top walk was truly amazing, although a bit wobbly, not helped by the fact that other people were trying to make it wobble! The walkway was all ramps with no steps and really easy access for people in wheelchairs and I wondered if they would consider such things back in the UK. I enjoyed the walk so much I went round twice and followed the ancient trail underneath where you can walk through the bases of some of the trees. I am still utterly amazed at how plants and trees have adapted to grow here in the heat and the dusty conditions.
I decided to try and stay the night in a youth hostel in Denmark and then on to Albany for the next night. I went into the visitor centre to try and find out where the hostel was and found a leaflet for an alpaca and wildlife park and I knew I wanted to go, especially when I saw the bit about koala feeding. That was the plan for the next day then, koala feeding at 10am. The Blue Wren Hostel in Denmark was nice with a friendly owner and an even friendlier dog. I walked around Denmark for a little while but it was Sunday and most of the places were closed.
My eagerness to see the koala’s and alpaca found me sitting in the car park for half an hour waiting for the place to open and when I got in I wasn’t disappointed. With my camera and bag of feed I had a great time and so did the animals. The owner asked if I wanted to go in to the enclosure and pet the koala so I did and they were lovely, eating away on eucalyptus leaves. One got stuck and had to wedge herself out of the branches. They are not very agile, sleep for 20 hrs a day, rarely move and don’t really drink anything because they usually get all the water they need from the leaves. The goats, alpaca, sheep and wallabies were very friendly although I am sure that was more to do with the bag of feed than being pleased to see me.
I finally managed to tear myself away from the now sleeping koala I drove to Albany wishing I had thought of a way to smuggle one out. I parked the car at the hostel, which was really easy to find, and walked up the main street into a few shops and galleries and lost count of the number of churches and chapels I passed. I went to see the Brig Amity ship down by the bay and walked along the front to the beach. The hostel here was nice too and I seemed to be sharing my dorm with 4 Irish folk. After dinner they did what the Irish do best and went to the pub and it didn’t take much persuasion for me to go with them.
The next morning I got up early and drove to Frenchman’s Bay and then to The Gap, a natural bridge formation in the stone. The waves here were massive and really powerful, crashing into the rocks with tremendous force casting spray in all directions. The road back from Albany was one very long boring road with very little to see. The odd cluster of houses and a petrol station was all I saw for 4 hours, it is times like these when it is easier to travel with others, sharing the driving and the conversation. All in all a good road trip though.
Saturday 20th February, 2010
Me and my custard Hyundai Getz took to the road yesterday. I drove first to Bunbury trying to get used to an automatic I had to stop myself numerous times from changing gear. Stopping to get a few provisions and for a toilet stop, then on the Bussleton for a walk along the beach and down the jetty.
My final destination for today was to be Margaret River, or so I thought. I wanted to stay in the Youth Hostel there but when I arrived I immediately saw the sign that said ‘No Vacancies’. The lady explained that they were fully booked for the weekend and so was everywhere else. Not one to be defeated, I went to the tourist information office. Within 5 minutes I had a bed in a hostel in Prevelly about 10km outside Margaret River town at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea.
The hostels here are not like any others that I have stayed in. They have the feel of English hostels, but more modern than most and with the added benefit of swimming pools and BBQ areas.
I settled into the hostel and had been warned by various people, including the car rental place, not to drove after dark because of the kangaroos. For this reason I stayed at the hostel and shared a bottle of local wine and watched telly with a girl from Germany called Nina. I originally only booked one night at this hostel but looking at the map it seems a great base to explore the area so I will stay an extra night.
Today I headed out to Margaret River town to explore the book shops, bead shops, fudge shops coffee shops and galleries. A couple or pieces of sample fudge and a latte later I left Margaret River on the Cave Road to visit various vineyards, olive groves, cheese shops and galleries. The hours raced by and I finished my time out with a trip to Mammoth and Lake caves. They were pretty incredible and not really what I expected to see down here.
Back at the hostel and I had dinner and walked down to the beach to watch the sun set. I am drawn, like a magnet, to the beach at sun set. Like being outside in the dark when drunk, totally at ease. Hours could pass by and I wouldn’t even notice. Moments of clarity in a confusing and frustrating world (Deep man, really deep!).
Photos to be added soon (hopefully).
Thursday 18th February, 2010
What can I say, it has been a busy one. I am staying with relatives in Perth and they very kindly, picked me up from the airport. The first glimpses of Perth seemed different, inviting and full of possibilities.
Since arriving I have been utilising the transport links to their full potential, on the first day visiting Perth city. This mini metropolis is perfectly proportioned and is extremely clean and welcoming. We walked from the centre up to Kings Park on the hill top with great views over the city and the Swan river. It is great to have a park land retreat so close to the city. They hold outdoor concerts and cinema screenings in the park and it has a good collection of gardens designated to different areas of Australia.
The next day saw us heading to Mandurah which is an hour down the coast from Perth. Walking on the waterfront, eating on the Quay and soaking in the sun. I have realised that the sky is different here. Varying degrees of blue with the strongest almost creating an infinite dome above the world. For a long time I have been intrigued by the skies of Northumberland and the skies here have the same aire of mystery and intrigue. I can’t help but compare it with the grey cloudy skies of England and the oppressive effect this has on me, particularly in January and February. Already I am aware that my outlook will have changed and I just want to talk about the things I have seen and done all the time!
Back to reality and the next day we went to Freemantle, wandered round the indoor markets, comparing fruit and vegetables in abundance. We visited an art house and the Maritime Museum before sharing fish and chips on the quay.
A couple of morning walks down by the river or on the beaches at Cottesloe and Scarborough and afternoons spent researching nursing agencies and what I need to do. I applied to a couple and went off with my CV to another. An hour later I was walking out of their office with a uniform, name badge and a catalogue of forms that I needed to complete and process. I opened a bank account and got a new phone. Extremely pleased with my productivity I headed back to start filling out the forms.
I have seriously depleted the worlds paper stocks with all these forms but they are done and another trip into Perth put them in the system for processing. I have filed for a tax number and given away a small fortune for the pleasure so I hope this brings some money in. Its a waiting game now so I am hiring a car and going down the coast for a few days. Not wanting to travel the 4500miles across Australia on my own in an old camper van on very deserted roads I have decided to rent over here and then revisit the van idea for the east coast.
I have also applied to work at the Byron Bay festival at the beginning of April. Allowing me to get in for free and enjoy the festival when not working.
Tuesday 16th February, 2010
A quick apology for not posting anything from Australia yet, it has all been really manic and trying to get paperwork, online courses completed and MRSA swabs done. I have had a great week here and will tell you all about it in the next couple of days. Promise. Thanks again for all the comments and I am still enjoying receiving them, its nice to keep a link to home.
Saturday 13th February, 2010
Firstly, I have managed to add some more photo’s to previous posts if you want to have a look.
How weird, even after KL, coming back to a big city and all that it involves, masses of people, transport links and most alarmingly, city prices. A month traveling round Asia where everything is cheap and the food ridiculously so, and I come here. Singapore rivals London on the pricing stakes. I like the idea of paying 50 pence for a beer not 5 pounds!
Arriving from Changi Airport I got the MRT to Little India then walked to the hostel. This one was called Prince of Wales and although still cheap to most, I paid more for a dorm room here than 2 nights in a private room in Thailand or Malaysia. But enough about money, Little India was teeming with people. To think I was worried about crossing the road at the wrong time or place, people here tool over the road and the cars tried to weave between them. I later found out that Sunday is the only day off for the construction workers and they were making the most of it. Free of my rucksack once more I wandered out with map in hand. The official map is massive and I couldn’t fold it up small. 2 streets away I resorted to desperate measures and set about tearing off the adverts and the bits I didn’t need. Totally oblivious to everyone around me, I was concentrating on keeping the right bits. Then a guy looked over my shoulder and said ‘Are you making it smaller, how clever are you!’ this made me laugh. People here seem really nice and friendly and I soon felt at home.
After walking round the markets with the millions of other people I went back to the hostel as there was a live acoustic session, a guy called Seth Roach. He was really good playing some of his own stuff mixed with some Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Rolling Stones. I sat with an Australian guy working out in Singapore. He said he often comes to the sessions as they are really good. After the session we decided to get something to eat and as we were in Little India it was only right that is was Indian. The food was great and so was the place, above the hustle and bustle of the street below eating at low tables and sitting on cushions on the floor.
The next day I set out to Bugis MRT station and then on to City Hall. On the map it didn’t look that far to the Singapore Flyer so I walked in that direction. I am also getting better at picking the side of the road out of the direct sun and trying to do my best to stay cooler. Taking loads of photographs on the way I arrived at the Singapore Flyer. This is the largest wheel in the world (like the Eye or Millenium Wheel). It’s a great view of the city and from here you can see up to Malaysia and across to Indonesia on a good day. It takes about 45 minutes to rotate and then I decided to walk across the starting grid for the F1 road race circuit. I am not entirely sure where it takes them round the streets but this is basically the only bit that isn’t used as a normal road. I saw the pit lanes, the seating areas and the skid marks on the roads.
Back to City Hall MRT and then to Clarkes Quay further up the Singapore river and on to Orchard Road. This is the Shopping district of Singapore.One road lined on both sides with shopping centre after shopping centre all 8-10 floors of shopping heaven. Again another city where the main occupation is shopping, but I did have to see it.
I returned to Little India for an internet session, dinner, and a music session with beer and it was time to pack up and head to bed for the 5am start to Perth. I can’t believe that I am leaving Asia. I knew in the planning that the time would fly by quickly but I can’t believe what I have seen and done in the last few weeks. The photographs only give a tiny snapshot of all the images that my brain has registered and processed in the last few weeks.
Monday 8th February, 2010
A few key words can be used to describe Langkawi:- Spectacular, sunsets, seafood, sweltering heat, sailing boats and sedentary appeal.
Langkawi seems to pull off both budget and luxury like nowhere else I have visited so far. It is suited to both and there are legions behind the island that only seems to add to its mystical appeal. The story of Mahsuri is one of these legions that has shaped the island into what it is now. Basically she was a very beautiful women that every girl wished they were and every guy wishes he was with. As a result of this jealousy she was killed as various people accused her of being unfaithful to her husband. She claimed she was innocent and she cursed the island for 7 generations. She supported this curse by saying that if she was telling the truth, her blood would run white. They uses a Kris knife between her shoulder blades and her blood ran white. A lot of the locals followed this story and the 7th generation curse was eventually over in the 1980s. Maybe due to the lifting of the curse or pure coincidence, but this was the same time that the island started to prosper with the tourist trade, and has seen great financial gain from tourism since.
There are loads of things to see and do whilst on the island and we started by Shukor taking me on a tour round the island and going to Babylon bar on the beach to take in the sunset. Pantai Cenang is the main area for cafes and shops and the main hangout for both backpackers and hotel dwellers when they venture out of their resorts. We had seafood at a great restaurant and the tiger prawns were massive and totally delicious.
Saturday was spent again riding round the island, visiting the construction site of the boutique resort development that Shukor is managing and taking in the views from various different vantage points including the giant eagle of Langkawi. We decided again that Babylon bar was the best place to be for the sunset having not given ourselves enough time to get anywhere else! I can’t believe how quickly the sun disappears. From when it first touches the horizon to being gone completely only seems to take a few minutes. The only reminder that it was there is the glowing red sky. I keep thinking I am going to wake up from the dream soon.
Another 2 days gone and I am back on the plane to Singapore. When I started this trip I had not imagined that I would be flying from place to place so much but I didn’t really understand the practicalities. Plane travel is so quick, cheap and widely used here that it would seem stupid not to take advantage of it. Plus it has the added benefit of being able to detatch myself from my rucksack for a while!
Saturday 6th February, 2010
I am feeling a bit behind at the moment with the blog. I have already spent a night in Langkawi but need to tell you about the couple of days that I spent in Melaka. Melaka is south of KL and has a mass of historical links. It is a lovely town and is a real eclectic mix of styles and influences. The Dutch, Portugese, Chinese, Indian and Malay have all played their part on shaping this trading port, among others. Shukor drove me down there and we took a walk down Jonkers Walk. Melaka is famous for its antiques and food and Jonkers walk is the main street to find the antique shops and and there are also many small eateries that will give you a huge range of dishes to suite most tastes.
We took a few photos, some that we weren’t suppose to take, and had a delicious bowl of curried chicken noodles then we tried to find the hostel. I had the street name and Shukor had the sat nav but we couldn’t find it. I rang the guy and someone came to find us. It turned out that we were not far away and this was when I met Raj. Raj is infamous on hostel world as most of the comments seemed to refer to him as the person that made Little Nyonya Youth Hostel. He was really lovely, he asked questions about my travels, gave me a map of the best places to visit and offered to walk with me if I didn’t feel comfortable walking around on my own at night. I actually felt very safe in Melaka and it is a good place for lone travellers to visit. Everything is within easy walking distance and you meet other backpackers, although I was informed that it is more lively at the weekends. I walked around a little that night and sampled some more delicious food, it has to be sad though, I don’t think I have tasted anything bad yet.
The next day I walked up to the top of St Paul’s Hill to visit St Paul’s church, it was originally for Portugese catholics but there are a large number of Dutch nobility buried here. From there on to Dutch Square with the fountain and the clock tower and all the Dutch buildings around here are uniform all in red. There was a number of Museums around this area including the Historic Museum, Ethnography Museum, Youth Museum and an art gallery. I spent some time in all these places an
d got absorbed in the culture.
Leaving the square with a the trishaws and their drivers trying to drum up business I went to the water. The remains of St John’s fort was the first this that I saw and this had sections that were the original Portugese build but most of it was rebuilt by the Dutch in the 18th century. I walked along the river leading out to the Straits of Melaka talking to a few locals on the way that were all excited about the Malaysian PM’s visit that afternoon. I passed a Portugese ship and went in the Maritime Museum. Flora De La Mar a portugese ship sank off the coast of Melaka and the maritime museum was constructed to commemorate this as a large number of valuable treasures seized from Melaka were lost when the ship went down.
Back to the hostel to discuss the things that I had seen and done and a few more suggestions from Raj including a great place to go to try satay. Satay with the great peanut dip. I went with another couple of people from the hostel and it was great. There were burners in the tables to heat the dip and everyone tucked in. I ended the day just checking out the local shopping place and wandering around the shops for a while. A good time in Melaka and a load more photographs taken. Tomorrow would involve getting up early to get the bus back to KL and to the airport to fly to Langkawi island.
Thursday 4th February, 2010
I had met up with Shukor last year in London and told him that I was planning this trip to include Malaysia. I was hoping that he would be around while I was here maybe to meet up and for him to show me his city. Texts, emails and facebook messages followed andeventually all the months were gone and we were meeting outside central market. He drove to a coffee shop and over breakfast we discussed what I had done the previous day and basically what I had already seen. When I told him that I had already seen a few things in the city and Batu caves I could see that these were the places he would show me so I had immediately trashed his plans for the day, great!
It didn’t take long to formulate a new plan and we were on the road to Genting highlands. He told me the story behind this place, which is really interesting but a little long winded, so basicallyit is like Malaysias version of Las Vegas but at 6,000 ft. It has the largest hotel with more than 6000 rooms. It has theme parks, bowling alleys, cinemas and climbing walls. Everything you could want, and more. It has
ticket queueing for check in and check out due to the sheer volume of people coming and going all the time. We wondered around the complex and in the theme parks, went on the antique cars, that I got to drive, and had photo’s taken with the London bus, why not!
My tattoo, it's already fading
Inside they has a Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Petronas
Towers, Venice with gondolas and the Statue of Liberty riding a motorbike. We both got a temporary airbrush tattoo and had a good laugh. The road was a ride in itself. It wound it way up the mountain side and was incrediably steep in places, I was pleased I wasn’t in charge of this car. We passed other cars on the road that had crashed and looking at the scid marks on the road and I wondered how many near misses there had been.
From one extreme to another and we travelled from here to Putrajaya. This is the new Federal administrative centre that has been moved out of the city but is fas more than that. It has amazing architecture from the bridges to the mosques and even the street lamps. The way it has been designed, there is one main strip with the Perdana Putra building at the head. This is the offices of the Malaysia’s PM and Deputy PM and it is absolutely stunning. The Putra Mosque sits to the right of the Perdana Putra. We took loads of photographs and Shukor laughed at me for noticing the hundreds of different street lamp designs. From here we finished the day off with a bang and went to the Skybar. On the 33rd floor of a hotel directly opposite the Petronas Towers and KLCC. It was dark when we arrived so the view was great and the bar was really nice and had a pool inside. I have to say having spent the last month as a backpacker, I didn’t seem to fit in here but with a view that great and good company I tried to forget that I was completely undressed for the occasion and go with it. We drank cocktails and sampled chicken satay, soft shell crab and had a good laugh. It was really a great way to end the day and another memory to keep and treasure.
Wednesday 3rd February, 2010
Arriving at the hostel in KL I wondered what I had walked into. There was a corridor with a few doors off, a load of guys asleep in the first room. One of them managed to wake up long enough to tell me that my room wasn’t ready yet and I could leave my bag and go look round for an hour.
I changed my walking shoes for my thongs and headed to central market, pleased to have the air between my toes again. The walking shoes are comfortable but in the heat really restricting and too much to stuff in the rucksack so I have to wear them to travel. I wondered around the market and there was plenty to see and be tempted by, intricate batik work, hand carved souvenirs, lovely bags and shoes.
When I got back to the hostel about 2 hours later the room still wasn’t ready but there were a couple of other people there now and a bit more life. I immediately met a girl called Nadine from Frankfurt. She had traveled from Australia and then to Chiang Mai and back to KL. She told me there was a very big Hindu festival happening over the weekend and Monday at Batu Caves (12km north of KL) and that she was planning to go there after checking in. She invited me along and we asked the hostel owners where we needed to go to catch the bus.
We knew that the caves were 12km out of the city and that it normally took about 40 minutes on the bus but because of the festival it was so busy that it took 1 1/2 hours to get to the caves and 2 1/2 hours to get back but it was really worth seeing. There were thousands of people there and everyone was in traditional dress. Up to the caves there was a big procession and everybody climbed the 300 steps to go and have a big gathering in the caves. There religion dictates that at this time they are not really feeling any pain so they were piercing big needles and hooks through their skin,mostly on their backs and hanging from these hooks to prove their commitment to the gods.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photographs in the caves but I took some outside. There were hundreds of stalls selling clothes, sweets and traditional foods and the smell of incense was really strong everywhere. When we had seen enough we headed back on our long journey. Nadine is really nice and also a nurse, conversation was really easy.
I went out with Nadine again the next day. We saw the Petronas Towers, went up the KL tower and went to IMBI, a huge shopping/entertainment complex. We went to the cinema to see Avatar and 10 pin bowling. I was particularly impressed with this because I won and I have never won at bowling in my life but it won me a beer which was much needed when to found the Reggae Bar. All in all a great fun packed day.
Food today included Thai soup in bread. Basically the they serve the soup in bread bowls and the idea is to eat some soup then cut down the sifes of the bowl to dip that in the remaining soup. A guy saw me taking a photograph of it and came over all impressed. He said it was his company and was obviously really proud of it and asked us to join him facebook group! Bizarre!
