Well everyone, this is it. The final Chapter. It has been a pleasure a blogging for you, i hope i have inspired some of you to do something a little crazy or different. I certainly did some much that i cannot put in this due to parents reading, however the entire year will be in my memories for the rest of my life. I also hope maybe some of you might even consider a gap year with Project Trust, an incredible charity. Also you shall be pleased to know i have been very careful not to make the 'gay year' spelling mistake repeat from my fundraising. I hope you haven't found the awful grammar too horrible and feel free to contact me about anything, even the film Frozen.
The last 6 weeks blew by in a blur. Adapting to live without Dermody was rather interesting, however i had my three wonderful kittens Orea, Mozz and Auzz to keep me company. First i managed to do on my return was stab my fridge, yes well done there Cal. No cold water for me until i get home then. The main excitement of the last stint was of curse the world cup. Now most people would watch the world cup in the evening, maybe some pizza and a cold beer. Bliss. Me, alarm goes at 3:30 to catch the opening game. Fun Fun Fun. The group stages were incredible and the entire country was buzzing with talk, I'm sure they learned more English from the football than from me the whole year. However discussing the likes of how bad England where, James Rodriguez, Suarez the dinosaur and as the boys called them the "Beautiful Brazilian Babes" kept us all very entertained.
Due to the big house now having only me in it, we decided to move our PT meet up to Kota Putra, home of Tom and Danny. Now they happen to happen to have a beach, complete with large amounts of driftwood. Que giant manly fires. All 18 year old boys are pyromaniacs in case you didn't know. This couldn't just be any fire, we had to put stuff on it. It began with just plastic, some shoes however ended with some classics. Deodorant cans. Incredible, enjoying the lack of Malay health and safety one last time before returning home. We finished the nights with what we called 'The Triskelion'. This beast was three deodorant cans strapped together with a fuse. Lets just say it put the fire out with a bang. Lads Lads Lads.
I decided that some female influence was potentially required so the girls of Kuala Krai, Alex and Helena were invited for the last free weekend before Ramadan. We had a girly day. Sat, watched films and ate junk food. I felt very guilty due to the brilliant gym progress i am making, but one day cant hurt. I have now lost 8 KG in 4 months, 4 inches of my waist and can bench 55KG. The six pack is coming ladies, watch out. Now all that was left was to prepare for Ramadan.
Ramadan is the annual Muslim fasting festival. From sunrise to sunset, nothing may pass your lips. Nothing. I decided however, challenge accepted, i would take part. I fainted the first week, lack of water. After that i slightly bent the rules, but still did my best. how the kids manage it, from as young as six i cant understand. Suppose it is testament to what utter belief in something can drive you too achieve. Through all this however, they still find the energy to play football. For me however Ramadan introduced unique festival foods and markets. You will never taste, smell, hear, touch and see food like this in your life. It was staggering, the amount, the excitement. I got completely absorbed into the celebrations, was invited to break fast with all the teachers and really knew then what a part of the community i had become. The only downside is, the gym opens at 9 at night. Nightmare. Ended up getting to sleep at 12 for an 8am start everyday. Almost as bad as school at home.
There was time for one last small holiday before the end of my teaching contract. Another trip to the gorgeous Perhentian islands, this time with the lads from Besut. We arrived and did exactly what immature bys do at the beach, bought a tennis ball and an inflatable ring. We spent the day trying to drown each other, throwing sand and smacking each other in the back of the head with the ball. Standard Proceed huh. the funny moment came when Danny, looking confident, hurdled the ball at me. I dodged. It landed in a fisherman's boat. He went insane, threw the ball back at Danny. The colour of red that boy went, he could have been middle class strawberry at Wimbledon. However not as red as i was later that night when we got out the water. In a disastrous move, no sun cream was applied that day. To say i was a lobster was an understatement, in was so painful. Kids, listen to your parents, sun bad, suncream good. However, it wouldn't phase me from an evening of good mates,, sunsets and alcoholic beverages. the next morning involved snorkeling, sunbathed and generally enjoying the beautiful of relaxing on a tropical beach on my GAP YAH. Had to reference the great video at some point in my final post, hopefully i haven't copied Orlando too much. For people who don't know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU is this bible for traveling in this world. It certainly was the way my biology teacher say my year going, and i have to say it made me laugh a few times after id 'been on the lash'. Best nights o my life. The Perhentians were rounded off by watching Germany beat France at football, always fun when the bar is full of German's and French. I shouted out GO SCOTLAND at one point, not the right crowd. The islands had given me many incredible memories over the year and will be sorely missed, having such a beautiful place on my doorstep, i have never know what that feels like. Oh wait, i live in the highlands of Scotland, so its simply beautiful in a different way. Comparing the two is impossible, they are both as unique and breathtaking as each other.
With the end of my wee holiday, all that was left was to watch the world cup semi final's. Shouldn't be too interesting. 5-0 at half time, what am i seeing. The Brazilians being beaten 7-1 was possibly the most shocking things i actually saw in my entire year, which is saying something. The school went insane, the kids couldn't contain the shock that the great Neymar was out of the greatest competition on earth. Some of them even managed to blame me for it, not quite sure how that happened. Moving onto to the final, the atmosphere was tense, who would win, would Messi perform. To be honest, i got the time wrong and missed the start of the final, epic fail. The lads would never forgive that that one.In true German style, clinical. What more did we expect to be honest, i won a beat with the teachers for predicting the winner from the beginning. Another welcome surprise from the Final result, i won my phone. Well an invite to be my exclusive dream phone,, the Oneplus One. I had been wanting this phone for months, and now it would be waiting for me at home. Mum did seem slightly unhappy when i let slip that this was the thing i was looking forward to most about my return to Scotland. Such a teenager was the comment used. Clearly Asia hadn't changed me too much.
With the football over, there was time for one final Malaysia lads meet up. What did we do, build a massive fire again. This time in the back garden. The evening finished with a beer on the roof watching the sunset. This was perfect, it was exactly what my year had been about. Good company, fantastic place and good drink. Now came the packing. Oh the packing. After dumping my life for a year onto my bed i realised that when mum said it may not all fit, she might have had a point. After packing my suitcase to 29.7KG with a 30KG weight limit, get in, i thanked myself i had been hitting the gym for so. The last few days at school where very emotional, the kids gave me so many posters i was gutted i couldn't get them back. Some of the teachers were still calling me James,but that's to be expected. In all the hype for Hari Raya the fact they made space to give me a send off was very touching. I had a school assembly where i even got to sit in the posh VIP chairs, love it.On my final evening, i gaev a shout out speech to the kids, who had been the main reason my year had been such an incredible experience. I was then grouped hugger by half the school, they also promised to look after next years Project Trust volunteers as they have me. I will admit i was rather touched as i pulled away from the house for the last time. It had been my home for a year, so many memories had been made and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Kelantan was left behind, so after a short stay in KL which involved the cinema and rooftop drinking, it was time to board the plane. I cant really describe how i felt, the 3 girls where crying their eyes out but i will say i felt more as though a great chapter of my life was over, time for the next adventure. The flights home where thankfully uneventful, i was used as a human pillow and my jumper was stolen within 10 seconds however that's what you get for traveling with girls. Alex i have to say is the cutest sleeper i have ever seen, she looks like a kitten snuggled up under a blanket. Adorable. The stop in Abu Dhabi was brief, onto to London. Again, snuggles with Alex and nearly loosing my passport kept the flight interesting. The passport incident was solved and the air hostess simply said 'sure, would you like a whiskey'. She will always have a special place in my heart. The arrival on British soil was eventful, a burr of family tears and reunion, lea and i watched from the sidelines, didn't stop Alex's mum from pulling us both for huggage with luggage. So that was it, on the train. A surprise of too old women was waiting for me at Kings Cross. In the true and never changing fashion of my Granny and Gac, i was promptly scolded for not being more punctual in my arrival. Brilliant. It was fantastic to see them after a year, i cant wait to see everyone in the wide Vickerstaff family. As i boarded the train, i finally felt that the best country in the world was within touching distance. I was going home. Scotland. In true fashion of, as Helena described us, 'The people north of the wall, you wildlings' i met some quality girls on the train and we preceded to take full advantage of the free alcohol in first class. My mum would have been proud. On my arrival in Inverness, my first thought was 'God this country is cold'. However on seeing my now fatter brother, dad and a quick chippy on the way home, it started to sink in, i had done it.
Reflecting on my year is something that is very difficult to put into words. I view it as many things, i had survived. I have changed so much, more than i could have ever imagined. I had seen some truly incredible things, done some truly incredible things. Some things i would love to repeat, some I'm glad have remained in Asia. There is so much i cannot put in this blog and so much i still wish in my short blip of existence i hope to achieve. Thank you to everyone that supported me both before, during and hopefully after my life changing experience. In Malaysia, one of my favorite girls Mitts has provided the cute factor to brighten my day, Posh Twanks has hated me religiously, but i know she loves me really, the north Malaysia lads have provided manly moments, including chasing a chicken from the kitchen with a mop, Li Li and Dope on Sabah provided exotic company when i saw them and all my others friends i have made during the year, have a drink on me. Now it is time to be reunited with some of my old nutcases at one of the best weekends the highlands can offer, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. I'm sure i will teach them how to live Asia style, Lads on the Lash.
I really hope you have all enjoyed keeping up with my doings, hopefully this has been a slightly unique taste of just a small piece of what i have experience. A big shout out the Chris my desk officer and Project Trust for being the best support any crazy teenager could ask for and i would encourage anyone with even the slightest curiosity to just drop everything and get out there. You are only young once, get out there and see the world. Say 'just do it' and go make some incredible memories. I certainly have. So for that, priceless experience, i am incredibly lucky.
Next steps are university in Edinburgh to study Biological Sciences which my mum has already started nagging me for. You can travel the world but some things never change huh. Thank Mum and Dad for looking out for me, we drive each other nuts but i wouldn't have it any other way. Love you both. Oh and Siobhan, cheers for irritating Boi for we while Ive been away. Love you both too. In fact to everyone, i love you and Thank You. For everything.
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
NAM and parents
Well as reliably as ever, im back blogging. Due to the time restraints of a year, this will be the penultimate blog on this, what can only be described as a blog that will go down in history. Scholars will write poems and sing songs of the literary genius that has constructed this overview of his volunteering year. Hopefully everyone has enjoying my slightly, shall we say different style of telling my story. This will cover the last 3 months, including two family visits and a trip to Vietnam.
Well last time i left you i was rather drugged up, unable to walk and had just passed out in an immigration que. Im sure you will be happy to know that i am good as new, no lasting damage done. Upon returning to school, we had a visit from everyone's favourite desk officer to prepare for. Yes, Chris was flying all the way to Malaysia to 'check up' on our progress. He wasn't fooling anyone, he comes for the food. His time at Pasir Tumboh was fairly standard, he arrived and ate some food. We taught some lesson, ate some food. He interviewed us, ate some food. The visit was finished with, of course, a violently competitive game of ping pong. No one remembers the score. His final present to us was a bag of Haribo and mini eggs. We decided not to mention that we had been to Tesco early that week, purchasing a wide selection of confectionery, including Haribo. He was most shocked as we devoured both bags within 15 minutes. "Most vols ration them for months" well we aren't most vols.
The next event in the calender was a visit from James family. Now this is what most people might call a normal family, unlike my lovely bunch. They arrived, decided it was hot and went straight for the air-con and cold drinks. Due to his granny being a bad-ass granny, they were staying in the luxurious 5 star Renaissance hotel in Kota Bharu for the price of a small Travelodge back home. James and myself took full advantage of the complementary nibbles. There visit was a mix of eating food and preparing to eat more food as they were of course pampered by the school. His sisters in particular were a subject of most interest. Many students were curious if i was married to both or just one of them. Well, im good but i think married in 3 days is maybe a little outside my abilities. It was great meeting James family and they seemed to enjoy there time in Malaysia.
Next, the big test was to come. My parents. The trip hit a 'small' initial snag. Dad decided "you know what would make this 10,000 miles trip around the world to seem my loving son even more enjoyable, a broken pelvis". Yes, he managed to fall off his, lets guess? Bike is correct. Unable to walk, 3 weeks before coming out. Thankfully, he put on his game face and played through the pain. He made it, just. It was great to see my two troublesome parents arrive in my small corner of the world after having been free for 8 months. I didn't actually take an official time on the nagging, but i think about 12 seconds rings a bell. As by my advice, my parents were also staying in the luxurious Renaissance hotel. This was mostly for my benefit, having enjoyed the complementary nibbles so much the first time around, it seemed criminal to pass up this opportunity. The trip followed a similar pattern of food food and more food. A MacDonald s was even squeezed, just to check it wasn't any different. We spent a day at the MARA debate competition at MSRM Pengkalan Chepa. This was a chance to experience another Malay school, formal Malay dress and an organised event. What did my parents, sat around and chatted to the other volunteers. It was school all over again, leave the room for 5 minutes and my mum steals my friends, brilliant. After this hectic week, monging out was needed. The Perhentian Islands, the perfect place to do nothing for 2 days. Now, i could have been to these beautiful islands at any time during the past 8 months, however they can be rather pricey. Que Bank of Dad to cover the bill, excellent. Reading, beer, snorkeling and of course, more food ended a fantastic week. We even saw a dragon, well a very large lizard i was convinced was a dragon. Finally it was down to KL and onto the flight. The last food experience was my parents trying Durian. Mum fained some interest, calling it "different'. Dad simply said it was the most bogging thing he had ever experienced. I agree. So it will be nearly 4 months till i see my crazy parents again, will have to fend for myself until then. Hopefully they will be just as generous when i return to the UK, fingers crossed.
So, all that was to do now was to prepare for the final holiday of this amazing year, there was really only one country to do. I was going to NAM. Mostly so i could finally say, YOU WEREN'T THERE MAN, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT I SAW!!!!!!!
Now to begin with Nam was the perfect opportunity to be reunited with my long lost brother. Liam is based on the Borneo side of Malaysia and we had known each other since we shared a house at selection, the beginning of our Project Trust experience. We had planned to travel together and enjoy the wonders of Vietnam. Unfortunately however he acquired an attachment, with hormones. I joke of course, his girlfriend Hope happened to be the girl i was 'escorting' during the Bali incident and due to that we had become incredibly close having only known each other a total of 6 days. This predicament, traveling with a couple did however lead to much ridicule and nicknames. Captain Third Wheel seemed to be the most favored.. Never the less we arrived in KL full of excitement.
After much teasing of Liam over the weekend, we departed for Vietnam. This was the usual short haul flight, however a hidden surprise was waiting in Hanoi. Unknown to myself, Liam had organised a personal taxi to the hostel, complete with man, name board and even black cap. Fare to say felt more like an ambassador than a backpackers at this point. This quickly changed on arrival at our hostel in downtown Hanoi. Lively,, bustling, full of slight burnt westerners. A proper travelers hostel. Our stay in Hanoi mostly involved lounging in the upstairs beanbags and getting lost in the maze of Hanoi. Even Bear Grylls and his squirrel tracking skills would have struggled in this place, everywhere was the same i swear. There must be 200 shops on every street with the word 'Noodle' in the name. Finally we stumbled upon the central park and lake, peace. Que attempt at arty photos on Liam's fancy camera, he kept complaining he wasn't in any of them however neither hope or I can take a photo. There goes my career for Vogue. The rest of Hanoi passed with lakes, coffee and unfortunately, grenades again. I did however put 8 on the board for Scotland, represent. Then it was time to split the group, due to a mixed interest in hitting up Hai Long Bay. I decided, it isn't going anywhere and it was rather expensive. The three of us felt the need to relax, so we traveled down the the rice farming town of Ninh Binh, located in the centre of Northern Vietnam. This is one of those hidden gems of the world, unknown by tourism. The views were entirely staggering, the most incredible i had experienced in Asia so for. We took a small boat through the rice paddy's, being rowed by a women. Now when i say rowing, she was using her feet. Couldn't work that one out, but she new what she was doing. The limestone caves, hilltop temples and general tranquility of the place was breath taking. I highly doubt i will ever have a more peaceful nights sleep.
So far Vietnam was fully living up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful but also rocking countries on the planet. Our next stop on the journey south was Hue, the old capital. WE rejoined the others coming from Hai Long bay and decided a beach day was in order. We rented the mopeds, put the helmets on and gunned it. Well we reached the beach fine, my navigational skills. There was a small obstacle, a hill. I thought 'I am a man, i know what to do". Stand back ladies, gave it full POWER. I unfortunately didn't notice the hole halfway up. There was a smash, swearing, screaming and I'm pretty sure Dale peed a little. I had broken the bike, no drive. Great. After pushing, yes pushing the bike down the road, i found a mechanic. No English. Eventually we discovered the problem. The chain had broken, into 8 pieces. Only i could manage this, the look on the mechanics face when it fell onto the floor was priceless. So a day at the beach was enjoyed, included amazing BBQ's, drink and sun. Amazing place to just relax, have some great banter with some incredible friends in a stunning part of the world. However then it was time to retrieve the bike. Upon arrival, i was told it would be double the original price. No way. I jumped on and drove off, leaving the original agreed sum. National pride of Britain, save money at every opportunity. The drive back however, in the dark, on Vietnamese roads, was not pleasant. After four near collisions, including one evasion maneuver we made it back to the hostel. Well most of us. In an attempt to constantly overtake me, Danny forgot he didn't know the way. Its far to say, when he finally turned up i felt karma had been sweetly served. That evening was rather eventful, ending with a rather mental girl getting a taxi from the front door of the hostel, to the hostel. She was promptly charged and kicked off at the driver. Hilarious.
So Hue done, we were more than halfway down the country. Next stop, the one i had been most looking forward to. Hoi An. Now for anyone who has seen the top gear special which by the way was all of my research for coming to this country, Hoi An is the very place the boys bought there fantastic suits. I couldn't wait. Arrived, slept, woke up, straight to the tailors. Three piece, full cashmere, black, purple lining. Class. Plus tailored shoes, belt and shirts. I felt incredible, i was ready to receive my Oscar. However, on the way back, something was spotted in a small corner shop. Dark maroon red, white trim. Smoking jacket. I couldn't resist, so for less than 200 pounds, i had the full works from head to toe, plus a smoking jacket. What more do you need it life. The next night, the hostel threw up what i will only describe as the current best moment of my life thus far. There i was, in my dorm, completely oblivious to the life changing moment about to occur. From the next door balcony i begun to hear the chorus of "I wanna dance with Somebody". Without even thinking a jumped up, ran to the window, our eyes met in the dim light of sunset and we both sang our hearts out with 'With somebody who loves you'. I feel myself and Imz will now be friends for life, it was ones of those perfect moments of human communication. So much feeling, love, passion and emotion in one moment, it was indescribable. However it was now time to head out, and of course myself and Imz spent the entire night telling everyone about our moment. Now, the hostel was rather quite this evening so myself and another guy decided to make some nightlife, so after raiding the local hostels and bar, we arrived at the river side with a group of 60. Now this certain establishment had a deal, buy 1 get one free. We promptly asked for 60. They had to bring out crates, on a trolley. What a photo, what an evening. there was however to be a slightly sour end to our time in Hoi An. Due to a dispute over money, my friend got into an argument with a local. The golden rule of traveling, don't mess with the locals. I decided to step in, send my friend home and that would be it. However once my friend departed, a large group of Vietnamese arrived, one of them swinging nun chucks. I was out of there rather quickly. The rest of the evening was spent poolside, simply admiring the stars.
Our travels at Vietnam were slowly coming to and end. After a Valium filled, uncomfortable bus ride with careered into Na Trang. Russian territory. Due to the now lack of funds, we decided the expensive water park was not our favorite. What to do instead. Of course, rent mopeds. We filled them up and drove, and drove, and drove. It was incredible, full throttle, Vietnamese coastline flying past. This was what backpacking was all about, being free. We discovered and abandoned holiday resort on the harbor front, overgrow and spooky. We watched the sunset from the balcony of an old house. Bliss. Driving back, we experienced again Vietnamese traffic at its worst, many ear misses. Don't worry mum, it was safe really. That evening was spent on the beach where someone we managed to walk into an exclusive Russian yacht club. Finally, a trip round Vietnam wouldn't be complete without a midnight skinny dip. However one of our group suddenly remembered he couldn't swim. Cal to the rescue. So after dragging this idiot back to shore, it was most definitely time for back. Just time for one last Vietnamese street sandwich, so much better than any Donner kebab.
The bus to Da Lat left at some ungodly hour, some we were pretty much vegetables when we collapsed in our hostel a few hours later. However this wasn't just any old hostel, this was the Da Lat family hostel. With Mama. Mama is possibly the most crazy, mental, bag of spanners i have ever met. She was however incredible, always singing, dancing and posing for selfies. This hostel as well, no single beds. Slept sixteen all in one giant bed, top and bottom. Plus a sign that simply said 'no single no bed". That was a strange night. We had karaoke, everyone sitting and eating on the floor and backpackers forced to wash the dishes. The next day was my last in Vietnam. Lets go out with a bang huh. Canyoning. A full day of running, jumping, sliding and general water fun. Plus abseiling waterfalls, sexy sliding and jumping 14 foot cliffs. Its fair to say, i was knackered.
The next day also began with a blur of packing, bacon rolls and a bus with dodgy air con, now almost expecting in NAM. On to Ho Chi Minh, the end of our journey and the start for the Americans. I had achieved in 2 weeks what the Americans could never do, travel the length of Vietnam. Ad watched 3 Vietnam war films on the way, best way to appreciate the culture. My night in Saigon involved a rooftop pool and shirtless snooker, where i was beaten by what i can only describe as a snooker god. Also a girl. Jumped on my plane, back in Malaysia this time with no immigration fainting fits. Prepared to take the bus home to Kelantan, oh wait. Delayed 7 hours, fun for me. Finally rolled home at 3 the next afternoon, brilliant, so it was time for bed.
Looking back, Vietnam was my favourite of all the countries i visited in Asia. It had everything you would expect from asia, incredible food, sun, sea, cheap booze, culture, history and finally amazing people. However it seemed to have something else, possibly it was the backpacker vibe that seemed so much stronger as I travelled down this giant snake of a nation. The atmosphere was full of the feeling that the people there were incredibly happy, content with themselves. Living life, not a care, taking everyday as it came. Take what you can, give nothing back.
6 weeks to go, then home to sunny Scotland. Vietnam however will always be in my memories, along with the memories i made there. What a country.
Well last time i left you i was rather drugged up, unable to walk and had just passed out in an immigration que. Im sure you will be happy to know that i am good as new, no lasting damage done. Upon returning to school, we had a visit from everyone's favourite desk officer to prepare for. Yes, Chris was flying all the way to Malaysia to 'check up' on our progress. He wasn't fooling anyone, he comes for the food. His time at Pasir Tumboh was fairly standard, he arrived and ate some food. We taught some lesson, ate some food. He interviewed us, ate some food. The visit was finished with, of course, a violently competitive game of ping pong. No one remembers the score. His final present to us was a bag of Haribo and mini eggs. We decided not to mention that we had been to Tesco early that week, purchasing a wide selection of confectionery, including Haribo. He was most shocked as we devoured both bags within 15 minutes. "Most vols ration them for months" well we aren't most vols.
The next event in the calender was a visit from James family. Now this is what most people might call a normal family, unlike my lovely bunch. They arrived, decided it was hot and went straight for the air-con and cold drinks. Due to his granny being a bad-ass granny, they were staying in the luxurious 5 star Renaissance hotel in Kota Bharu for the price of a small Travelodge back home. James and myself took full advantage of the complementary nibbles. There visit was a mix of eating food and preparing to eat more food as they were of course pampered by the school. His sisters in particular were a subject of most interest. Many students were curious if i was married to both or just one of them. Well, im good but i think married in 3 days is maybe a little outside my abilities. It was great meeting James family and they seemed to enjoy there time in Malaysia.
Next, the big test was to come. My parents. The trip hit a 'small' initial snag. Dad decided "you know what would make this 10,000 miles trip around the world to seem my loving son even more enjoyable, a broken pelvis". Yes, he managed to fall off his, lets guess? Bike is correct. Unable to walk, 3 weeks before coming out. Thankfully, he put on his game face and played through the pain. He made it, just. It was great to see my two troublesome parents arrive in my small corner of the world after having been free for 8 months. I didn't actually take an official time on the nagging, but i think about 12 seconds rings a bell. As by my advice, my parents were also staying in the luxurious Renaissance hotel. This was mostly for my benefit, having enjoyed the complementary nibbles so much the first time around, it seemed criminal to pass up this opportunity. The trip followed a similar pattern of food food and more food. A MacDonald s was even squeezed, just to check it wasn't any different. We spent a day at the MARA debate competition at MSRM Pengkalan Chepa. This was a chance to experience another Malay school, formal Malay dress and an organised event. What did my parents, sat around and chatted to the other volunteers. It was school all over again, leave the room for 5 minutes and my mum steals my friends, brilliant. After this hectic week, monging out was needed. The Perhentian Islands, the perfect place to do nothing for 2 days. Now, i could have been to these beautiful islands at any time during the past 8 months, however they can be rather pricey. Que Bank of Dad to cover the bill, excellent. Reading, beer, snorkeling and of course, more food ended a fantastic week. We even saw a dragon, well a very large lizard i was convinced was a dragon. Finally it was down to KL and onto the flight. The last food experience was my parents trying Durian. Mum fained some interest, calling it "different'. Dad simply said it was the most bogging thing he had ever experienced. I agree. So it will be nearly 4 months till i see my crazy parents again, will have to fend for myself until then. Hopefully they will be just as generous when i return to the UK, fingers crossed.
So, all that was to do now was to prepare for the final holiday of this amazing year, there was really only one country to do. I was going to NAM. Mostly so i could finally say, YOU WEREN'T THERE MAN, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT I SAW!!!!!!!
Now to begin with Nam was the perfect opportunity to be reunited with my long lost brother. Liam is based on the Borneo side of Malaysia and we had known each other since we shared a house at selection, the beginning of our Project Trust experience. We had planned to travel together and enjoy the wonders of Vietnam. Unfortunately however he acquired an attachment, with hormones. I joke of course, his girlfriend Hope happened to be the girl i was 'escorting' during the Bali incident and due to that we had become incredibly close having only known each other a total of 6 days. This predicament, traveling with a couple did however lead to much ridicule and nicknames. Captain Third Wheel seemed to be the most favored.. Never the less we arrived in KL full of excitement.
After much teasing of Liam over the weekend, we departed for Vietnam. This was the usual short haul flight, however a hidden surprise was waiting in Hanoi. Unknown to myself, Liam had organised a personal taxi to the hostel, complete with man, name board and even black cap. Fare to say felt more like an ambassador than a backpackers at this point. This quickly changed on arrival at our hostel in downtown Hanoi. Lively,, bustling, full of slight burnt westerners. A proper travelers hostel. Our stay in Hanoi mostly involved lounging in the upstairs beanbags and getting lost in the maze of Hanoi. Even Bear Grylls and his squirrel tracking skills would have struggled in this place, everywhere was the same i swear. There must be 200 shops on every street with the word 'Noodle' in the name. Finally we stumbled upon the central park and lake, peace. Que attempt at arty photos on Liam's fancy camera, he kept complaining he wasn't in any of them however neither hope or I can take a photo. There goes my career for Vogue. The rest of Hanoi passed with lakes, coffee and unfortunately, grenades again. I did however put 8 on the board for Scotland, represent. Then it was time to split the group, due to a mixed interest in hitting up Hai Long Bay. I decided, it isn't going anywhere and it was rather expensive. The three of us felt the need to relax, so we traveled down the the rice farming town of Ninh Binh, located in the centre of Northern Vietnam. This is one of those hidden gems of the world, unknown by tourism. The views were entirely staggering, the most incredible i had experienced in Asia so for. We took a small boat through the rice paddy's, being rowed by a women. Now when i say rowing, she was using her feet. Couldn't work that one out, but she new what she was doing. The limestone caves, hilltop temples and general tranquility of the place was breath taking. I highly doubt i will ever have a more peaceful nights sleep.
So far Vietnam was fully living up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful but also rocking countries on the planet. Our next stop on the journey south was Hue, the old capital. WE rejoined the others coming from Hai Long bay and decided a beach day was in order. We rented the mopeds, put the helmets on and gunned it. Well we reached the beach fine, my navigational skills. There was a small obstacle, a hill. I thought 'I am a man, i know what to do". Stand back ladies, gave it full POWER. I unfortunately didn't notice the hole halfway up. There was a smash, swearing, screaming and I'm pretty sure Dale peed a little. I had broken the bike, no drive. Great. After pushing, yes pushing the bike down the road, i found a mechanic. No English. Eventually we discovered the problem. The chain had broken, into 8 pieces. Only i could manage this, the look on the mechanics face when it fell onto the floor was priceless. So a day at the beach was enjoyed, included amazing BBQ's, drink and sun. Amazing place to just relax, have some great banter with some incredible friends in a stunning part of the world. However then it was time to retrieve the bike. Upon arrival, i was told it would be double the original price. No way. I jumped on and drove off, leaving the original agreed sum. National pride of Britain, save money at every opportunity. The drive back however, in the dark, on Vietnamese roads, was not pleasant. After four near collisions, including one evasion maneuver we made it back to the hostel. Well most of us. In an attempt to constantly overtake me, Danny forgot he didn't know the way. Its far to say, when he finally turned up i felt karma had been sweetly served. That evening was rather eventful, ending with a rather mental girl getting a taxi from the front door of the hostel, to the hostel. She was promptly charged and kicked off at the driver. Hilarious.
So Hue done, we were more than halfway down the country. Next stop, the one i had been most looking forward to. Hoi An. Now for anyone who has seen the top gear special which by the way was all of my research for coming to this country, Hoi An is the very place the boys bought there fantastic suits. I couldn't wait. Arrived, slept, woke up, straight to the tailors. Three piece, full cashmere, black, purple lining. Class. Plus tailored shoes, belt and shirts. I felt incredible, i was ready to receive my Oscar. However, on the way back, something was spotted in a small corner shop. Dark maroon red, white trim. Smoking jacket. I couldn't resist, so for less than 200 pounds, i had the full works from head to toe, plus a smoking jacket. What more do you need it life. The next night, the hostel threw up what i will only describe as the current best moment of my life thus far. There i was, in my dorm, completely oblivious to the life changing moment about to occur. From the next door balcony i begun to hear the chorus of "I wanna dance with Somebody". Without even thinking a jumped up, ran to the window, our eyes met in the dim light of sunset and we both sang our hearts out with 'With somebody who loves you'. I feel myself and Imz will now be friends for life, it was ones of those perfect moments of human communication. So much feeling, love, passion and emotion in one moment, it was indescribable. However it was now time to head out, and of course myself and Imz spent the entire night telling everyone about our moment. Now, the hostel was rather quite this evening so myself and another guy decided to make some nightlife, so after raiding the local hostels and bar, we arrived at the river side with a group of 60. Now this certain establishment had a deal, buy 1 get one free. We promptly asked for 60. They had to bring out crates, on a trolley. What a photo, what an evening. there was however to be a slightly sour end to our time in Hoi An. Due to a dispute over money, my friend got into an argument with a local. The golden rule of traveling, don't mess with the locals. I decided to step in, send my friend home and that would be it. However once my friend departed, a large group of Vietnamese arrived, one of them swinging nun chucks. I was out of there rather quickly. The rest of the evening was spent poolside, simply admiring the stars.
Our travels at Vietnam were slowly coming to and end. After a Valium filled, uncomfortable bus ride with careered into Na Trang. Russian territory. Due to the now lack of funds, we decided the expensive water park was not our favorite. What to do instead. Of course, rent mopeds. We filled them up and drove, and drove, and drove. It was incredible, full throttle, Vietnamese coastline flying past. This was what backpacking was all about, being free. We discovered and abandoned holiday resort on the harbor front, overgrow and spooky. We watched the sunset from the balcony of an old house. Bliss. Driving back, we experienced again Vietnamese traffic at its worst, many ear misses. Don't worry mum, it was safe really. That evening was spent on the beach where someone we managed to walk into an exclusive Russian yacht club. Finally, a trip round Vietnam wouldn't be complete without a midnight skinny dip. However one of our group suddenly remembered he couldn't swim. Cal to the rescue. So after dragging this idiot back to shore, it was most definitely time for back. Just time for one last Vietnamese street sandwich, so much better than any Donner kebab.
The bus to Da Lat left at some ungodly hour, some we were pretty much vegetables when we collapsed in our hostel a few hours later. However this wasn't just any old hostel, this was the Da Lat family hostel. With Mama. Mama is possibly the most crazy, mental, bag of spanners i have ever met. She was however incredible, always singing, dancing and posing for selfies. This hostel as well, no single beds. Slept sixteen all in one giant bed, top and bottom. Plus a sign that simply said 'no single no bed". That was a strange night. We had karaoke, everyone sitting and eating on the floor and backpackers forced to wash the dishes. The next day was my last in Vietnam. Lets go out with a bang huh. Canyoning. A full day of running, jumping, sliding and general water fun. Plus abseiling waterfalls, sexy sliding and jumping 14 foot cliffs. Its fair to say, i was knackered.
The next day also began with a blur of packing, bacon rolls and a bus with dodgy air con, now almost expecting in NAM. On to Ho Chi Minh, the end of our journey and the start for the Americans. I had achieved in 2 weeks what the Americans could never do, travel the length of Vietnam. Ad watched 3 Vietnam war films on the way, best way to appreciate the culture. My night in Saigon involved a rooftop pool and shirtless snooker, where i was beaten by what i can only describe as a snooker god. Also a girl. Jumped on my plane, back in Malaysia this time with no immigration fainting fits. Prepared to take the bus home to Kelantan, oh wait. Delayed 7 hours, fun for me. Finally rolled home at 3 the next afternoon, brilliant, so it was time for bed.
Looking back, Vietnam was my favourite of all the countries i visited in Asia. It had everything you would expect from asia, incredible food, sun, sea, cheap booze, culture, history and finally amazing people. However it seemed to have something else, possibly it was the backpacker vibe that seemed so much stronger as I travelled down this giant snake of a nation. The atmosphere was full of the feeling that the people there were incredibly happy, content with themselves. Living life, not a care, taking everyday as it came. Take what you can, give nothing back.
6 weeks to go, then home to sunny Scotland. Vietnam however will always be in my memories, along with the memories i made there. What a country.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
A New Outlook
Well I am back! After a long absense from the blogging world after my very long adventures in Cambodia and Thailand its time to fill you in on what Ive been up to over the last 3 months. This is going to be quite difficult to write as my experiences traveling were some of the best of my life, which is a tough act to follow. Never the less with a combination of my amazing skill and some hard graft, here goes.
The start of the year calender year was rather hectic, everyone was returning, presents were being exchanged like the cold virus and no classes were officially being taught. After much boredom, our timetable was finally ready. New classes, all nicely organized, the whole package. It lasted two whole days, then it was changed, and changed, and changed again. With students leaving, arriving and the school a disorganized mess, it did at least feel as if we were home in Malaysia. It was quite a quiet new year, dominated mostly by films and cleaning. We did however have no of the usual pressure to have the BIGGEST NIGHT EVERRRR! there was no choice in the matter. January was leading up to another short trip, our first meeting with our new volunteer friends on the island of Penang.
Penang is a small island city on the Malaysian west coast. It is famous for its incredible street food, richly diverse culture, including Indian and Chinese and of course the huge Chinese new year celebrations. We of course experienced no of this. Volunteers had come from all over Malaysia to meet the new volunteers, in Malaysia on an 8 month placement instead of the full hardcore 12! We had Lottie, Sharon, Lucy, Robyn and James. We introduced each other in the normal way for teenagers in a foreign country, and insults filled drinking game. To any other member of society this seems ludicrous however we really do enjoy it. During our stay in Penang we did experience some culture, including street Dragon Dances and the largest temple on the Malaysia west coast which was specially lite up for the celebrations, WoW! It was like someone had taken the lights of London and given them some actual personalty, beautiful.
Penang was rather important for me personally, it gave me a chance to have a look at myself. If there is ever a chance in your life to make a change for the better, then a year on the other side of the world is almost definitely the best one. I decided finally that it was time to stop blaming others for myself and do something about it, an epiphany sort of. It made me feel sort of free, like i could finally accomplish anything. Obviously this cannot be an overnight thing, however i do now feel like this is one of things i will really take away from my incredible opportunity in this amazing country.
I returned to school with a new found optimism. There were new clothes, better self care, new hair, a whole new look. Posture, attitude, opinions, outlooks even exercise and healthy eating, all changed. A grand plan indeed, one that will take months of hard work. It is already worth it though, everything i do does not feel a chore, simply something that makes me feel great about myself.
Language week was the next event on the school calender, which this year our school had the honour of hosting. A total of 12 school would come to Pasir Tumboh for the weekend and complete in Public Speaking, Spelling, Storytelling etc. This also included the volunteers from Kota Putra, Besut and Kuala Krai, the trusty northerners. Although is was great to see them, there was a small problem. Monopoly. Now we all know that Monopoly is famous for being able to break up family and couples in record time. now imagine 7 teenager playing, including one is is a rules maniac. It was chaos. The D-Day scene in Saving Private Ryan was more organized, there was more mess than in my sisters room. Mental. Even when someone suggested a break, daggers were thrown from all angles. The only way to stop the brutality was a trip to the new opened KFC down the road, although this was only temporary rest bite. Language week finished and James and I had the house back, or what was left of it.
Now at this point James and I had been without WiFi in the house for nearly two weeks, it was killer. We had read all the books, watched all my films (twice) and i had cleaned everything including the cleaning equipment. It was time for some entertainment. First came the darts bored, complete with patriotic UK darts. This was great, although since we are not beer bellied, football playing builders in the pub at 1 on a Sunday we did need some practice. Unfortunately for us men, this just wasn't enough, nothing is ever enough. Next came the Ping Pong. Now obviously we couldn't buy a full size table, ridiculous. I simply built one, old kitchen table, net and pegs, job done. Now this was it, the competitive aspect. The pay is still no stop, constant. Everyday the challenge is laid down, the testosterone surges round. The ball becomes and blur, the paddles a mere extension of our arms, flesh and bone. Forest Gump is an amateur compared to our Ping Pong skill. This however did leave little time for relaxing so i finally bent to James desire. We are now the owners of three of the cutest kittens you will ever see. There names? well we have Oreo, Mosquisia and Austina (guess who named the last two) We did have a mum called Zazzlez but she moved n the pursue a new husband as the kids call it. The kittens have however developed an unfortunate habit of attempting to bite our, well, you can guess. It is a rather painful experience with blood having been drawn more than once, ouch. We love them to bits though.
While all this was going on, preparation was underway for the next holiday of the year. A group of us were flying to the island of Bali in Indonesia. James had sadly decided not to accompany me, but that's nothing new, he likes doing his own thing. I traveled to KL and met with volunteers from all over Malaysia, not just from MRSM school but outward bound projects and other smaller teaching schools. Then BAM, plane delayed. Thanks Air Asia, thanks alot. We reached our hostel in Bali at 3:30 in the morning me having been up for over 40 hours at this point, including a night bus. Our first few days in Bali were rather standard, beach by day bar by night. Tried surfing for the first time, don't think I will be trying it again. It was all going to well, then my friend Matthew dislocated his shoulder. Now i would say i know the theory of putting a shoulder back into the socket, i however never actually want to have to do it. After a rather pain filled ambulance ride, the hospital was there. We were promptly told insurance first, treatment second. Matthew was quickly filled with morphine and I was left to sort the PR stuff. After 4 hours, finally it was done, the 6 million bits of paperwork were signed. Unfortunately the shoulder wouldn't go back in, so he had to go under local. Ill add that during this time we had both come straight from the beach. We quickly filled the entire hospital with sand and were wearing no shirts, shoes or underwear. Highlight of the place. The McDonald's on the way home did something to brighten the experience. After the beach we heading into the islands centre to climb Mt Batur, a famous active volcano. A 3am start was painful but the sunrise and beer on the top made it worth it, proper mountaineering. The guides then got rather upset with us when me and Matthew decided to Free run down the mountain. 3 hours to climb up, 20 minutes to get down. It was a wild ride. The rest of the time was spent in the small village of Ubud, know for being spiritual and traditional. We watched fire dancing and ate gorgeous vegetarian food. i had grilled Polenta with Lemongrass, Chili and Pesto with a side of homemade Houmous, Caramelized Onion and Ciabatta. This restaurant was beautiful however no one had mentioned to Dale it was vegetarian. He arrived, looked at the menu, turned to me and said 'were is the burger'. I nearly died of laughter.
The final night was spent back at the beach. Now this was our last night before having to return to our strictly Muslim projects. Everyone was planning a big one, carnage was inevitable. To my surprise, everything progressed very well, i discovered i have brilliant talents as a wing man and was having a brilliant end to the holiday. Unfortunately things went slightly downhill. After a finding a friend in some trouble I took it upon myself to help her home.When supporting someone on your arm, the last thing you need is an over-enthusiastic bracelet salesman. However this 'sale' then turned into an attempt to steal her purse. My rather considerable effort to retrieve the purse was successful, although there was a price. I may have been bottled in the knee. At this point i was more concerned for my friend, meaning helping her home was more important. I awoke the next morning to a bloody knee and the inability to walk. After a day of relaxing poolside i thought 'this isn't that bad'. I promptly passed and in the immigration que in Bali Airport and had to be wheel chaired through the rest of the airport to the plane, much to the enjoyment of my friend Holly who got the pleasure of pushing me. I was referenced as a 'human snow plow' more than once. After a painful and drug filled journey home to Kelantan, X-rays confirmed everything is OK, no lasting damage. The gossip when i returned to school however was unreal, i heard everything from car crash, to shark attack to sword fight. Kids huh. My story was i was helping a friend who needed me and I would do it for anyone. My trip to Bali was a roller coaster but one which i thoroughly enjoyed. we unfortunately managed to miss the annual Hindu day of silence where the entire island is silent. No ones does anything except stays indoors and thinks. Weird, wish the UK tried that sometime.
Oh also i forgot to mention, in the last 3 months i also turned 18. What a wild one it was, Irn Bru and a dinner with Muslim women, crazy stuff. Seriously however, thank you to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday and sent me things, the money especially for it was spent making memories. It is an important milestones, it means Mum and Dad can either put a tick or a cross in the 'did you rasie him well' box. I think they did a pretty good job.
The next events in the Pasir Tumboh calender are a visit from project Trust, James birthday, visits from both sets of parents and then potentially a trip to Vietnam. If that happens finally ill be able to say 'YOU WEREN'T THERE MAN, YOU WEREN'T IN NAM!!!!!' I am really looking forward to my last 4 months, seems scary that ts only that long, time has flown by. Hope you are enjoying my slightly unorthodox way of telling my story but i you all know i wouldn't do it any other way.
Oh P.S. as my parents keep telling me, yes the spelling is awful but realistically who has time for spelling. Cheers
The start of the year calender year was rather hectic, everyone was returning, presents were being exchanged like the cold virus and no classes were officially being taught. After much boredom, our timetable was finally ready. New classes, all nicely organized, the whole package. It lasted two whole days, then it was changed, and changed, and changed again. With students leaving, arriving and the school a disorganized mess, it did at least feel as if we were home in Malaysia. It was quite a quiet new year, dominated mostly by films and cleaning. We did however have no of the usual pressure to have the BIGGEST NIGHT EVERRRR! there was no choice in the matter. January was leading up to another short trip, our first meeting with our new volunteer friends on the island of Penang.
Penang is a small island city on the Malaysian west coast. It is famous for its incredible street food, richly diverse culture, including Indian and Chinese and of course the huge Chinese new year celebrations. We of course experienced no of this. Volunteers had come from all over Malaysia to meet the new volunteers, in Malaysia on an 8 month placement instead of the full hardcore 12! We had Lottie, Sharon, Lucy, Robyn and James. We introduced each other in the normal way for teenagers in a foreign country, and insults filled drinking game. To any other member of society this seems ludicrous however we really do enjoy it. During our stay in Penang we did experience some culture, including street Dragon Dances and the largest temple on the Malaysia west coast which was specially lite up for the celebrations, WoW! It was like someone had taken the lights of London and given them some actual personalty, beautiful.
Penang was rather important for me personally, it gave me a chance to have a look at myself. If there is ever a chance in your life to make a change for the better, then a year on the other side of the world is almost definitely the best one. I decided finally that it was time to stop blaming others for myself and do something about it, an epiphany sort of. It made me feel sort of free, like i could finally accomplish anything. Obviously this cannot be an overnight thing, however i do now feel like this is one of things i will really take away from my incredible opportunity in this amazing country.
I returned to school with a new found optimism. There were new clothes, better self care, new hair, a whole new look. Posture, attitude, opinions, outlooks even exercise and healthy eating, all changed. A grand plan indeed, one that will take months of hard work. It is already worth it though, everything i do does not feel a chore, simply something that makes me feel great about myself.
Language week was the next event on the school calender, which this year our school had the honour of hosting. A total of 12 school would come to Pasir Tumboh for the weekend and complete in Public Speaking, Spelling, Storytelling etc. This also included the volunteers from Kota Putra, Besut and Kuala Krai, the trusty northerners. Although is was great to see them, there was a small problem. Monopoly. Now we all know that Monopoly is famous for being able to break up family and couples in record time. now imagine 7 teenager playing, including one is is a rules maniac. It was chaos. The D-Day scene in Saving Private Ryan was more organized, there was more mess than in my sisters room. Mental. Even when someone suggested a break, daggers were thrown from all angles. The only way to stop the brutality was a trip to the new opened KFC down the road, although this was only temporary rest bite. Language week finished and James and I had the house back, or what was left of it.
Now at this point James and I had been without WiFi in the house for nearly two weeks, it was killer. We had read all the books, watched all my films (twice) and i had cleaned everything including the cleaning equipment. It was time for some entertainment. First came the darts bored, complete with patriotic UK darts. This was great, although since we are not beer bellied, football playing builders in the pub at 1 on a Sunday we did need some practice. Unfortunately for us men, this just wasn't enough, nothing is ever enough. Next came the Ping Pong. Now obviously we couldn't buy a full size table, ridiculous. I simply built one, old kitchen table, net and pegs, job done. Now this was it, the competitive aspect. The pay is still no stop, constant. Everyday the challenge is laid down, the testosterone surges round. The ball becomes and blur, the paddles a mere extension of our arms, flesh and bone. Forest Gump is an amateur compared to our Ping Pong skill. This however did leave little time for relaxing so i finally bent to James desire. We are now the owners of three of the cutest kittens you will ever see. There names? well we have Oreo, Mosquisia and Austina (guess who named the last two) We did have a mum called Zazzlez but she moved n the pursue a new husband as the kids call it. The kittens have however developed an unfortunate habit of attempting to bite our, well, you can guess. It is a rather painful experience with blood having been drawn more than once, ouch. We love them to bits though.
While all this was going on, preparation was underway for the next holiday of the year. A group of us were flying to the island of Bali in Indonesia. James had sadly decided not to accompany me, but that's nothing new, he likes doing his own thing. I traveled to KL and met with volunteers from all over Malaysia, not just from MRSM school but outward bound projects and other smaller teaching schools. Then BAM, plane delayed. Thanks Air Asia, thanks alot. We reached our hostel in Bali at 3:30 in the morning me having been up for over 40 hours at this point, including a night bus. Our first few days in Bali were rather standard, beach by day bar by night. Tried surfing for the first time, don't think I will be trying it again. It was all going to well, then my friend Matthew dislocated his shoulder. Now i would say i know the theory of putting a shoulder back into the socket, i however never actually want to have to do it. After a rather pain filled ambulance ride, the hospital was there. We were promptly told insurance first, treatment second. Matthew was quickly filled with morphine and I was left to sort the PR stuff. After 4 hours, finally it was done, the 6 million bits of paperwork were signed. Unfortunately the shoulder wouldn't go back in, so he had to go under local. Ill add that during this time we had both come straight from the beach. We quickly filled the entire hospital with sand and were wearing no shirts, shoes or underwear. Highlight of the place. The McDonald's on the way home did something to brighten the experience. After the beach we heading into the islands centre to climb Mt Batur, a famous active volcano. A 3am start was painful but the sunrise and beer on the top made it worth it, proper mountaineering. The guides then got rather upset with us when me and Matthew decided to Free run down the mountain. 3 hours to climb up, 20 minutes to get down. It was a wild ride. The rest of the time was spent in the small village of Ubud, know for being spiritual and traditional. We watched fire dancing and ate gorgeous vegetarian food. i had grilled Polenta with Lemongrass, Chili and Pesto with a side of homemade Houmous, Caramelized Onion and Ciabatta. This restaurant was beautiful however no one had mentioned to Dale it was vegetarian. He arrived, looked at the menu, turned to me and said 'were is the burger'. I nearly died of laughter.
The final night was spent back at the beach. Now this was our last night before having to return to our strictly Muslim projects. Everyone was planning a big one, carnage was inevitable. To my surprise, everything progressed very well, i discovered i have brilliant talents as a wing man and was having a brilliant end to the holiday. Unfortunately things went slightly downhill. After a finding a friend in some trouble I took it upon myself to help her home.When supporting someone on your arm, the last thing you need is an over-enthusiastic bracelet salesman. However this 'sale' then turned into an attempt to steal her purse. My rather considerable effort to retrieve the purse was successful, although there was a price. I may have been bottled in the knee. At this point i was more concerned for my friend, meaning helping her home was more important. I awoke the next morning to a bloody knee and the inability to walk. After a day of relaxing poolside i thought 'this isn't that bad'. I promptly passed and in the immigration que in Bali Airport and had to be wheel chaired through the rest of the airport to the plane, much to the enjoyment of my friend Holly who got the pleasure of pushing me. I was referenced as a 'human snow plow' more than once. After a painful and drug filled journey home to Kelantan, X-rays confirmed everything is OK, no lasting damage. The gossip when i returned to school however was unreal, i heard everything from car crash, to shark attack to sword fight. Kids huh. My story was i was helping a friend who needed me and I would do it for anyone. My trip to Bali was a roller coaster but one which i thoroughly enjoyed. we unfortunately managed to miss the annual Hindu day of silence where the entire island is silent. No ones does anything except stays indoors and thinks. Weird, wish the UK tried that sometime.
Oh also i forgot to mention, in the last 3 months i also turned 18. What a wild one it was, Irn Bru and a dinner with Muslim women, crazy stuff. Seriously however, thank you to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday and sent me things, the money especially for it was spent making memories. It is an important milestones, it means Mum and Dad can either put a tick or a cross in the 'did you rasie him well' box. I think they did a pretty good job.
The next events in the Pasir Tumboh calender are a visit from project Trust, James birthday, visits from both sets of parents and then potentially a trip to Vietnam. If that happens finally ill be able to say 'YOU WEREN'T THERE MAN, YOU WEREN'T IN NAM!!!!!' I am really looking forward to my last 4 months, seems scary that ts only that long, time has flown by. Hope you are enjoying my slightly unorthodox way of telling my story but i you all know i wouldn't do it any other way.
Oh P.S. as my parents keep telling me, yes the spelling is awful but realistically who has time for spelling. Cheers
Sunday, 2 February 2014
The Travels Part 3 (Thailand)
After having had a ball in Cambodia it was
off to Thailand. We had been told some rather chilling tails involving young
tourists in Thailand from the infamous gem and tailor scams to actually being
beat up by 10 Thai guys and then being arrested by the police for fighting. We couldn’t
wait to go! After Danny was an idiot and had his knife confiscated from his
hand luggage at airport security (the Cambodians are relaxed, but not that
relaxed) we bored the plane to Bangkok. I was almost instantly hit by a horrific allergy attack from the planes air-con and spent the next hour irritating everyone with my sneezing etc, not nice. There was quite a line for the immigration post so using my cunning and charm I managed to get sent through the important foreign diplomats station. The women behind the desk instantly realised I wasn't a foreign diplomat but found it so funny that I had been put there she stamped me through anyway, ahahah. After meeting up with Lauren in the airport (she had been waiting for us for nearly nine hours, ouch) we headed for our hotel. This hotel wasn't the Ritz but it did have one feature that will go down as legend, the shower. This shower, it was like being bathed in a waterfall from heaven, mixed with unicorn tears and everything else wonderful. Tom and I must have been there for an hour each. After going to see the new hunger games (seeing a cinema again was a nice change but when we had to sing the nation anthem before started that was an interesting change) we bored a sleeper train to Chang Mai. Tom was promptly ripped off within 10 minutes and i almost stepped on a sleeping child in the dark, but 17 hours later we arrived in the cold north.
Chang Mai was one big adventure park, so many things to do, so little time.The main reason I had heard of Chang Mai was it's Tiger Park. This place breeds tigers and has been breeding tigers for years. The difference is the tigers are bred in the company of people thus over the generations have become totally tame. For those of you who haven't seen the photos on Facebook, I got to hug a tiger, a TIGER!!! They were quite possibly the most cuddly thing in the entire world, certainly a close second behind my chickens. Lying next to them was so surreal, I could never have imagined being allowed to do it. They were like big stripy pillows but with huge claws and teeth and that were breathing. I am sure I have seen things that fit that description in the mess in my sisters room but those are certainly not tame.
This however was not the scariest experience in Chang Mai, there were two others that topped it. First there was a completely innocent visit to Burger King. Everyone knows Burger King, a slightly more expensive version of McDonald's, just usual stuff. Wrong! This was Thailand Burger King and there was something slightly different on the menu, a TRIPLE WHOPPER BACON AND CHEESE!!! Imagine three normal whoppers, large even then, but stacked one on top of another. This was the behemoth that was served here. So naturally i challenged my travel partner Danny to finish a whole one. He also went large on chips and drink because as my dad has always told me 'Son, if a job is worth doing it's worth doing well'. It came to early 450baht, almost ten pounds. It was a struggle and there were points were we thought h would fail but Danny did manage to devour the beast, amazing.
Now comes the most intense and scariest experience, possibly of travelling altogether. We had been told of the dense and incredible jungle that completely surrounds Chang Mai and so had to experience it. We were recommended a whole day adventure trip, seemed safe enough. It started with a scenic bike ride, taking us along a river, through fields and hills with amazing limestone rock cliffs and huge hanging trees and vines. You could hear nothing but the crunch of gravel and the sound of birds, bliss. We rode for maybe an hour until we reached my most anticipated moment of the day, the elephant camp. I had the opportunity to ride an elephant, how many people from Gairloch can say that. Our group was however was slightly large so someone had to sit on the elephants head instead of in the seat. Step up tom. He described it almost like sitting on a hair brush, although a very large, grey and moving hairbrush that hit him with its ears every 20 seconds. We trekked through the jungle on our elephants still struggling to grasp quite what we were doing. Everything was going nicely until our elephant decided she had had enough of just plodding along. In a swift movement she turned off the path and into the trees at a brisk pace. Our faces were hit with branches, seeds, leaves, vines and everything else in-between. I think she was just bored and hungry, Lauren was convinced she was trying to kill us. Our guide finally managed to rectify the situation.
Now comes the scary bit, after the elephant trek was our white water rafting experience. We travelled up river and were briefed. The rapid goes from 1 to 6 with 6 being almost 90% un-survivable. We would be experiencing category 5 rapids, yeah. We set off fine, traversed the first few rapids with little difficulty, just a few bumps. Maybe half way through however came a rather larger rapid. Here during a particularly tricky corner, the raft almost flipped, onto my side. I was out of the raft, my head was under the water for a significant amount of time. Thankfully our captain managed to grab and hold my ankle while still steering the raft. I survived just. That brought our time in Chang Mai to a rather intense end. The next morning we went to the 2nd Hobbit film on release day, the went even further north to the sleepy town of Pai This was the perfect backpacker spot: chilled, relaxed, peaceful. We spent the day chilling by the river and the night hanging out with other people doing excatly what we were doing. It was also incredibly cold, so cold that you could see your breath in front of your face. We did rent mopeds one day to visit the countryside around Pai. The highlight of that was pulling into a temple car park and find an entire biker convoy, all riding large, noisy manly bikes. Oh did i mention our mopeds were bright pink (they were the only two left for hire). We said joining the as they departed the temple would be immature and childish s naturally we did it anyway. Riding back into town we felt very macho.
After Pai, south we went. We wanted to see the Thailand's famous east coast tourist islands. We had to take a ferry to Koh Tao. This was quite possibly the worst journey ever! The sea was very very rough, I mean Scotland rough. We were lurching all over the place for nearly two hours, this was before 7 in the morning. The worst part was the vomiting. People everywhere were chucking up, loudly. It was horrible, I had to put my music on full volume to drown out the noise. Finally we reached the island all looking rather pale. That night we went for a stroll down the beach, just chilling. What we found was incredible. There was a huge fire show, complete with performers, flaming jump rope and limbo. Being of course completely awesome, I decided I could totally jump the flaming skipping rope. 3 times I tried, 3 times I epically failed. The next morning I awoke to find I had burnt all the hair off my legs. They were as smooth as a babies bum, softer than the tigers in Chang Mai. It was utterly hilarious! Next day was probably the day one of us would regret most from the whole holiday. We rented mopeds again and attempted to drive to the top of the islands mountain. Halfway up, Tom drove his moped off the road. Due to the contracts we had signed, we were charged for any damage caused. Tom was out 11000baht, which I then had to bail him out for.
We left Koh Tao very poor, but Christmas was approaching and we had arranged to meet in Phuket. This was the ultimate south Thailand tourist location with huge packed beaches, night life, shopping and great food. Unfortunately we found it was also the seedy capital of Thailand. It was rather horrible to see all the old men that were clearly only there for one reason, and it wasn't to enjoy the beach. We still had a good time and had an amazing Xmas lunch, it was an all you can eat buffet complete with silly party hats and party poppers.
After Phuket it was nearing the end of our travels. We had to take a local Thai commuter train to reach the border. You know when you are packing a rucksack and you are sure there is room for just more things, this train was like that. There was sometimes 3 people to a seat, stand, people in luggage racks, everything. We survived and reached the border squashed but alive. On walking over the border however i tripped, causing my legs to start bleeding. I have to say walking over an Asian border covered in blood is not the experience ever, but I was let into the country.
Finally after being away for almost two months we were back in Malaysia our now home. I think one of the best bits about going on holiday is the feeling when you get back home, and this was no different. I also returned to 14 dead cockroaches in the house, lucky me. My two months travelling round South East Asia will possibly be one of the most experiences of my entire life. My horizons were certainly broadened, I did many things ill remember and a few things ill regret but all the memories wll last forever.
Back to Project now, ready to take on the New Year.
Chang Mai was one big adventure park, so many things to do, so little time.The main reason I had heard of Chang Mai was it's Tiger Park. This place breeds tigers and has been breeding tigers for years. The difference is the tigers are bred in the company of people thus over the generations have become totally tame. For those of you who haven't seen the photos on Facebook, I got to hug a tiger, a TIGER!!! They were quite possibly the most cuddly thing in the entire world, certainly a close second behind my chickens. Lying next to them was so surreal, I could never have imagined being allowed to do it. They were like big stripy pillows but with huge claws and teeth and that were breathing. I am sure I have seen things that fit that description in the mess in my sisters room but those are certainly not tame.
This however was not the scariest experience in Chang Mai, there were two others that topped it. First there was a completely innocent visit to Burger King. Everyone knows Burger King, a slightly more expensive version of McDonald's, just usual stuff. Wrong! This was Thailand Burger King and there was something slightly different on the menu, a TRIPLE WHOPPER BACON AND CHEESE!!! Imagine three normal whoppers, large even then, but stacked one on top of another. This was the behemoth that was served here. So naturally i challenged my travel partner Danny to finish a whole one. He also went large on chips and drink because as my dad has always told me 'Son, if a job is worth doing it's worth doing well'. It came to early 450baht, almost ten pounds. It was a struggle and there were points were we thought h would fail but Danny did manage to devour the beast, amazing.
Now comes the most intense and scariest experience, possibly of travelling altogether. We had been told of the dense and incredible jungle that completely surrounds Chang Mai and so had to experience it. We were recommended a whole day adventure trip, seemed safe enough. It started with a scenic bike ride, taking us along a river, through fields and hills with amazing limestone rock cliffs and huge hanging trees and vines. You could hear nothing but the crunch of gravel and the sound of birds, bliss. We rode for maybe an hour until we reached my most anticipated moment of the day, the elephant camp. I had the opportunity to ride an elephant, how many people from Gairloch can say that. Our group was however was slightly large so someone had to sit on the elephants head instead of in the seat. Step up tom. He described it almost like sitting on a hair brush, although a very large, grey and moving hairbrush that hit him with its ears every 20 seconds. We trekked through the jungle on our elephants still struggling to grasp quite what we were doing. Everything was going nicely until our elephant decided she had had enough of just plodding along. In a swift movement she turned off the path and into the trees at a brisk pace. Our faces were hit with branches, seeds, leaves, vines and everything else in-between. I think she was just bored and hungry, Lauren was convinced she was trying to kill us. Our guide finally managed to rectify the situation.
Now comes the scary bit, after the elephant trek was our white water rafting experience. We travelled up river and were briefed. The rapid goes from 1 to 6 with 6 being almost 90% un-survivable. We would be experiencing category 5 rapids, yeah. We set off fine, traversed the first few rapids with little difficulty, just a few bumps. Maybe half way through however came a rather larger rapid. Here during a particularly tricky corner, the raft almost flipped, onto my side. I was out of the raft, my head was under the water for a significant amount of time. Thankfully our captain managed to grab and hold my ankle while still steering the raft. I survived just. That brought our time in Chang Mai to a rather intense end. The next morning we went to the 2nd Hobbit film on release day, the went even further north to the sleepy town of Pai This was the perfect backpacker spot: chilled, relaxed, peaceful. We spent the day chilling by the river and the night hanging out with other people doing excatly what we were doing. It was also incredibly cold, so cold that you could see your breath in front of your face. We did rent mopeds one day to visit the countryside around Pai. The highlight of that was pulling into a temple car park and find an entire biker convoy, all riding large, noisy manly bikes. Oh did i mention our mopeds were bright pink (they were the only two left for hire). We said joining the as they departed the temple would be immature and childish s naturally we did it anyway. Riding back into town we felt very macho.
After Pai, south we went. We wanted to see the Thailand's famous east coast tourist islands. We had to take a ferry to Koh Tao. This was quite possibly the worst journey ever! The sea was very very rough, I mean Scotland rough. We were lurching all over the place for nearly two hours, this was before 7 in the morning. The worst part was the vomiting. People everywhere were chucking up, loudly. It was horrible, I had to put my music on full volume to drown out the noise. Finally we reached the island all looking rather pale. That night we went for a stroll down the beach, just chilling. What we found was incredible. There was a huge fire show, complete with performers, flaming jump rope and limbo. Being of course completely awesome, I decided I could totally jump the flaming skipping rope. 3 times I tried, 3 times I epically failed. The next morning I awoke to find I had burnt all the hair off my legs. They were as smooth as a babies bum, softer than the tigers in Chang Mai. It was utterly hilarious! Next day was probably the day one of us would regret most from the whole holiday. We rented mopeds again and attempted to drive to the top of the islands mountain. Halfway up, Tom drove his moped off the road. Due to the contracts we had signed, we were charged for any damage caused. Tom was out 11000baht, which I then had to bail him out for.
We left Koh Tao very poor, but Christmas was approaching and we had arranged to meet in Phuket. This was the ultimate south Thailand tourist location with huge packed beaches, night life, shopping and great food. Unfortunately we found it was also the seedy capital of Thailand. It was rather horrible to see all the old men that were clearly only there for one reason, and it wasn't to enjoy the beach. We still had a good time and had an amazing Xmas lunch, it was an all you can eat buffet complete with silly party hats and party poppers.
After Phuket it was nearing the end of our travels. We had to take a local Thai commuter train to reach the border. You know when you are packing a rucksack and you are sure there is room for just more things, this train was like that. There was sometimes 3 people to a seat, stand, people in luggage racks, everything. We survived and reached the border squashed but alive. On walking over the border however i tripped, causing my legs to start bleeding. I have to say walking over an Asian border covered in blood is not the experience ever, but I was let into the country.
Finally after being away for almost two months we were back in Malaysia our now home. I think one of the best bits about going on holiday is the feeling when you get back home, and this was no different. I also returned to 14 dead cockroaches in the house, lucky me. My two months travelling round South East Asia will possibly be one of the most experiences of my entire life. My horizons were certainly broadened, I did many things ill remember and a few things ill regret but all the memories wll last forever.
Back to Project now, ready to take on the New Year.
Saturday, 11 January 2014
The Travels Part 2 (Cambodia)
So, after 2 and a half months of Malaysia it was time to leave again, after one of the most journeys through security i will ever experience (my friend Helena was having her bag searched and the security officer promptly went off to eat a doughnut halfway through). The airport also happened to have a very interesting shop, a large sweet shop. The brilliant thing was the free tasters of every single variety they had available. We probably ate 3 days worth of calories each and didn't spend a single penny, win! It was like any other flight, however i was a little apprehensive as i wasnt sure what to expect from Cambodia and backing being so young and having just settled into a new county and life. I didnt worry for long tho.
When we landed in Phnom Penh we had to go through immigration. It was a bit of a nightmare! First after filling in a small form our passports were taken by a grumpy desk officer and taken into the back. They then reappeared 10 minutes later 50 metres away down the hall with a short Khmer man holding them up and trying to pronounce our names (Vickerstaff proved a little to much for him). We were then charged $20 and we were in, expect for tom who managed to get charged twice, but when an armed Khmer man as your passport and asks for $20 you give him $20. After an ridiculously long wait in the rain for a taxi we arrived at our hostel, The Mad Monkey. It had everything, beds so big you could get lost in, BBQ dinner and cheap beer! I even tried my hand at beer pong. It was great to be able to meet so many people doing exactly the same thing as us, relaxing and spending money on the other side of the world.
The next day however was a rather somber affair. For anyone who doesn't know of the troubles in Cambodia during the late 1960's Pol Pot came to power. His idea was to build a completely self sufficient Cambodia run by a communist government. This meant everyone would feed and support themselves, working the land. Everyone educated or in an advantageous position was marked an enemy of the regime. The people were sent back to the countryside and the cities became ghost towns. Schools, hospitals, temples and landmarked were destroyed. Over just3 years 3 million Cambodia people were killed, over one third of the population. The day we visited the
Choeung Ek killing fields outside Phnom Penh where over 18000 were brought and killed with spades, hoes and swords. Today there is a Buddhist Stupa containing over 5000 human skulls to mark the site. The most thing of the day however was the killing tree which was were the Khmer Rouge would kill infant children by repeatedly swinging them against the trunk. It was an incredibly humbling and disturbing place and I really struggled to believe that people could do such things to the people of their own country. We also visited the Tuol Sleng genocidal centre which is a converted school which was called S-21. Prisoners here were starved and tortured until they confessed to a crime, even if they were innocent. They were then taken to the killing fields to be executed. I didnt sleep very well that night.
The rest of our time in Phnom Penh was spent recovering, it was quite nice to be able to enjoy shorts, beer and pork again. I think we all had our fair share of bacon rolls in those first few days. Our next stop was the seaside town of Sihanoukville. We had been warned by a few travellers that this place was a little crazy, we were about to find out just how crazy!
Imagine the typical lads holiday, now imagine it in Cambodia were everything is really cheap, that was Sihanoukville. We were told that the local drink, Mekong whiskey can be as cheap as 40p a bottle and orange just is $4 a carton. Every drink was cut at least half and half, coupled with promotions and the horror that is buckets i swore after one day I would never drink again. I was in far too far over my head, it was a long way from the local pub in Gairloch for a pint of An Teallach. We decided to spend our time on the ridiculously chilled Otres beach were I tricked Danny into buying a pair of sunglasses when he was already wearing a pair. The Khmer people had worked out a while ago that white tourists have lots of money so you are constantly badgered for Tuk Tuk, massage and to buy crap you don't want.
After Sihanoukville we felt we need to chill so we headed for the riverside town of Kampot. We hired a bungalow and for three days and night we sate on the riverside in our own hammocks reading books, playing guitar and watching the sun go across the sky. Bliss. We also took to trip to the world famous Kampot pepper fields were I bought a small wooden pot of Kampot pepper, judging by the price it better be as good as they say it is! The trip to get to this field took us through proper rural Cambodia so we got to see the country away from the tourist hotspots and see what ordinary people live and work with. It also our spines a workout as our Tuk Tuk had no suspension and the track felt like we were driving over a teenagers face.
From Kampot it was back to Phnom Penh to catch a bus to Siem Reap but since we had a free afternoon we went to the local shooting range. Now i have shot a rifle before, it took 2 full days of safety drills, exercises and tests. here in Cambodia you walk in, hand over some money and they give you a loaded AK-47. The 12 year old boy inside me was in his element, all those hour playing Call of Duty and annoying my mum with stick guys, this was the real deal. The guy briefly motioned to the safety regulations however they were all in Khmer so it was less than useless. After draining an AK-47 magazine into a couple of coconuts and having to drag Tom away from the RPG (for $400 you could fire an RPG rocket at a cow, which I decided was completely horrific but Tom said 'no one could ever top that story' ). Our bus to Siem Reap was only 5 hours long but it ended up being nearly he most terrifying thing I have ever experienced, including Mum when she hasn't had coffee. Cambodia has just over 38000km of public roads, less than 2000km of that is tarmacked. Even the moon rover would have struggled on these roads but our bus driver was determined, he would off road, drive on the wrong side and basically do anything to get their. We even came across and accident were I swear I saw two dead bodies in the road. The bus just swerved around and kept going.
Finally we made it to Siem Reap in one piece.
This was to be a very interesting evening for as we arrived at our hostel, I looked to my left and thought 'no surely not'. It turned out to be Gino, someone from three years above me at school. What are the odds of two people from Gairloch possibly the smallest place in the history of existence meeting on the other side of the world at the same hostel, weird. Couldn't dwell for long however, as when we went upstairs we were presented with a challenge. Our hostel ran a competition known as the grenade challenge where during your stay you must drink 10 grenades to earn a free t-shirt. A grenade is a Jaeger bomb with an added shot of tequila, were you 'pull' the pin by drinking the tequila which then makes the Jaeger bomb. I am proud to say I did earn the t-shirt.
The main attraction in Siem Reap however are the world famous Temples of Angkor. It is considered the world largest single religious monument and were built from the 9-15th centuries. The main Temple Angkor Watt is the largest and was the seat of Khmer Empire. Seeing these great structures in real life is amazing and it is difficult to believe that people actually built these hundreds of years ago. The others highlights were the temples of Ta Prohm, which has been partially retaken by the jungle and was featured in a Tomb Raider film and the temple of Bayon which has a central spire carved with giant human faces supposedly Buddhist prophets. We ended the day by climbing the hill to watch the sunset over the vast Tonle Sap lake. The day would have been perfect if it hadnt been for the ridiculous amount of Chinese tourists. They move in packs so you cant move through or round them. They also take pictures of anything and everything so the narrow tunnels were a very log and tedious nightmare. Some even stopped and took pictures of me at one point.
Th remainder of our time was spent relaxing poolside in our hostel. One afternoon we bought a bag of 200 balloons and filled them all with water, sparking a mass battle. Other highlights involved burying an Australian man in the sand, tom buying 3 buckets at once and waking up wearing a different t-shirt and on the final night someone we had met at the hostel buying an extra large pack of Viagra and spiking everyone's drink at the bar, oh dear.
There are so many other stories from my time in Cambodia but hopefully this has given you a good overall impression, ill let your imagination do the rest (or worst). We boarded the plane to Bangkok knowing we would miss this beautiful country. The people here have suffered so much but they are some of the most kind and caring people i will ever meet and the country is a wonderful place because of it.
The final instalment of my travels, Thailand, is coming soon.......
When we landed in Phnom Penh we had to go through immigration. It was a bit of a nightmare! First after filling in a small form our passports were taken by a grumpy desk officer and taken into the back. They then reappeared 10 minutes later 50 metres away down the hall with a short Khmer man holding them up and trying to pronounce our names (Vickerstaff proved a little to much for him). We were then charged $20 and we were in, expect for tom who managed to get charged twice, but when an armed Khmer man as your passport and asks for $20 you give him $20. After an ridiculously long wait in the rain for a taxi we arrived at our hostel, The Mad Monkey. It had everything, beds so big you could get lost in, BBQ dinner and cheap beer! I even tried my hand at beer pong. It was great to be able to meet so many people doing exactly the same thing as us, relaxing and spending money on the other side of the world.
The next day however was a rather somber affair. For anyone who doesn't know of the troubles in Cambodia during the late 1960's Pol Pot came to power. His idea was to build a completely self sufficient Cambodia run by a communist government. This meant everyone would feed and support themselves, working the land. Everyone educated or in an advantageous position was marked an enemy of the regime. The people were sent back to the countryside and the cities became ghost towns. Schools, hospitals, temples and landmarked were destroyed. Over just3 years 3 million Cambodia people were killed, over one third of the population. The day we visited the
Choeung Ek killing fields outside Phnom Penh where over 18000 were brought and killed with spades, hoes and swords. Today there is a Buddhist Stupa containing over 5000 human skulls to mark the site. The most thing of the day however was the killing tree which was were the Khmer Rouge would kill infant children by repeatedly swinging them against the trunk. It was an incredibly humbling and disturbing place and I really struggled to believe that people could do such things to the people of their own country. We also visited the Tuol Sleng genocidal centre which is a converted school which was called S-21. Prisoners here were starved and tortured until they confessed to a crime, even if they were innocent. They were then taken to the killing fields to be executed. I didnt sleep very well that night.
The rest of our time in Phnom Penh was spent recovering, it was quite nice to be able to enjoy shorts, beer and pork again. I think we all had our fair share of bacon rolls in those first few days. Our next stop was the seaside town of Sihanoukville. We had been warned by a few travellers that this place was a little crazy, we were about to find out just how crazy!
Imagine the typical lads holiday, now imagine it in Cambodia were everything is really cheap, that was Sihanoukville. We were told that the local drink, Mekong whiskey can be as cheap as 40p a bottle and orange just is $4 a carton. Every drink was cut at least half and half, coupled with promotions and the horror that is buckets i swore after one day I would never drink again. I was in far too far over my head, it was a long way from the local pub in Gairloch for a pint of An Teallach. We decided to spend our time on the ridiculously chilled Otres beach were I tricked Danny into buying a pair of sunglasses when he was already wearing a pair. The Khmer people had worked out a while ago that white tourists have lots of money so you are constantly badgered for Tuk Tuk, massage and to buy crap you don't want.
After Sihanoukville we felt we need to chill so we headed for the riverside town of Kampot. We hired a bungalow and for three days and night we sate on the riverside in our own hammocks reading books, playing guitar and watching the sun go across the sky. Bliss. We also took to trip to the world famous Kampot pepper fields were I bought a small wooden pot of Kampot pepper, judging by the price it better be as good as they say it is! The trip to get to this field took us through proper rural Cambodia so we got to see the country away from the tourist hotspots and see what ordinary people live and work with. It also our spines a workout as our Tuk Tuk had no suspension and the track felt like we were driving over a teenagers face.
From Kampot it was back to Phnom Penh to catch a bus to Siem Reap but since we had a free afternoon we went to the local shooting range. Now i have shot a rifle before, it took 2 full days of safety drills, exercises and tests. here in Cambodia you walk in, hand over some money and they give you a loaded AK-47. The 12 year old boy inside me was in his element, all those hour playing Call of Duty and annoying my mum with stick guys, this was the real deal. The guy briefly motioned to the safety regulations however they were all in Khmer so it was less than useless. After draining an AK-47 magazine into a couple of coconuts and having to drag Tom away from the RPG (for $400 you could fire an RPG rocket at a cow, which I decided was completely horrific but Tom said 'no one could ever top that story' ). Our bus to Siem Reap was only 5 hours long but it ended up being nearly he most terrifying thing I have ever experienced, including Mum when she hasn't had coffee. Cambodia has just over 38000km of public roads, less than 2000km of that is tarmacked. Even the moon rover would have struggled on these roads but our bus driver was determined, he would off road, drive on the wrong side and basically do anything to get their. We even came across and accident were I swear I saw two dead bodies in the road. The bus just swerved around and kept going.
Finally we made it to Siem Reap in one piece.
This was to be a very interesting evening for as we arrived at our hostel, I looked to my left and thought 'no surely not'. It turned out to be Gino, someone from three years above me at school. What are the odds of two people from Gairloch possibly the smallest place in the history of existence meeting on the other side of the world at the same hostel, weird. Couldn't dwell for long however, as when we went upstairs we were presented with a challenge. Our hostel ran a competition known as the grenade challenge where during your stay you must drink 10 grenades to earn a free t-shirt. A grenade is a Jaeger bomb with an added shot of tequila, were you 'pull' the pin by drinking the tequila which then makes the Jaeger bomb. I am proud to say I did earn the t-shirt.
The main attraction in Siem Reap however are the world famous Temples of Angkor. It is considered the world largest single religious monument and were built from the 9-15th centuries. The main Temple Angkor Watt is the largest and was the seat of Khmer Empire. Seeing these great structures in real life is amazing and it is difficult to believe that people actually built these hundreds of years ago. The others highlights were the temples of Ta Prohm, which has been partially retaken by the jungle and was featured in a Tomb Raider film and the temple of Bayon which has a central spire carved with giant human faces supposedly Buddhist prophets. We ended the day by climbing the hill to watch the sunset over the vast Tonle Sap lake. The day would have been perfect if it hadnt been for the ridiculous amount of Chinese tourists. They move in packs so you cant move through or round them. They also take pictures of anything and everything so the narrow tunnels were a very log and tedious nightmare. Some even stopped and took pictures of me at one point.
Th remainder of our time was spent relaxing poolside in our hostel. One afternoon we bought a bag of 200 balloons and filled them all with water, sparking a mass battle. Other highlights involved burying an Australian man in the sand, tom buying 3 buckets at once and waking up wearing a different t-shirt and on the final night someone we had met at the hostel buying an extra large pack of Viagra and spiking everyone's drink at the bar, oh dear.
There are so many other stories from my time in Cambodia but hopefully this has given you a good overall impression, ill let your imagination do the rest (or worst). We boarded the plane to Bangkok knowing we would miss this beautiful country. The people here have suffered so much but they are some of the most kind and caring people i will ever meet and the country is a wonderful place because of it.
The final instalment of my travels, Thailand, is coming soon.......
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
The Travels Part 1 (and last weeks of school)
Well, after a rather long break i suppose i had better get back back to blogging. There is so much to tell from the last month and a half that it will be in several gripping instalments, inspiration being taken from all worldwide best selling book series.
When i left you last, we had returned from our wet week on Langkawi and were preparing for our last weeks of school. I will say that they were rather hectic with teachers running around attempting to prepare the form 3 for THE MOST IMPORTANT EXAMS OF THERE LIVES as our principal put it. The PMR exams went very smoothly, however there was one more hurdle to overcome before we were set free on our holidays, my singing! By some strange series of events I still don't understand, the school had decided i was good at singing. Now I am aware I enjoy singing, often slightly too much and too louder however i am under no illusion that I totally suck. I would get 3 buzzes on x factor faster than a dying cat, however the school were determined. James was to play the guitar and I would sing. We practised hard, James provided slightly forced encouragement and the day finally arrived. After a typically amazing Malay dinner, we were called t the stage. We performed Under The Bridge (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and The Scientist (Coldplay). I will admit it was probably the most nervous i have ever been, having never actually having been asked to sing before, usually people ask me to stop. To my pleasant surprise, the kids and teachers really seemed to enjoy it. We received great applause, I was even given a rose mid performance. The pictures that followed seemed to be endless, however once the event was over that was goodbye to the Form 3 students. We had had some amazing laugh and memories even in the 3 months I had known them and we were both sad to see them go.
After the end of PMR came the annual inter school sport competition for teachers, North West Malaysia Sumur. It took place at MRSM Jeli and every MARA school from Kelantan and Terengganu was represented. There were many sports to compete in from Football to Table Tennis and even Chess. Being from such a small school James and I were drafted in too bulk up the team. We would compete in Chess, Volleyball and Futsal. Chess was supposed to be our signature 'sport' as James had been abruptly only 2 weeks earlier that he was school chess captain and so was responsible for all the organisation. Now James is one of the cool kids, pretty laid back and notoriously un-organised (lucky he is partners with me). If someone had told him he was school chess captain in high school, well that would have been 'gay'. Never the less he asked around for a partner and having little luck he turned to the one person he didn't want to ask, me. My chess are are truly awful, i am sure even my Granny could beat me, never the less I stood by my friend. After being totally destroyed in the first round I decided my chess career wasn't going to work out. James was up against Dale, who cleverly outsmarted him by failing to mention the time constraint rule. James called it cheating. We didn't do so well in the volleyball being quickly substituted halfway through the first game.For the futsal (indoor Malay football) we actually did OK. James scored a wonder goal to win us a game in the dying seconds and I used my advantage of being the tallest person in the entire country to defend quite effectively. We still lost however. To our pleasant surprise however at the final award ceremony we found our other colleagues had performed very well and we came third, missing second by only 1 point. Kuala Terengganu were the overall champions and the school even gave us free Canterbury tracksuits for tacking part. All in all a good weekend, apart from the bus breaking down on the way home, in the rain.
We had one last treat in store, the school had planned a trip to the Malaysian Cup Final at Shah Alam stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The was because the local team, Kelantan Red Warriors had narrowly made to to the final only a week before. The excitement was incredible, we travelled by night bus down to KL and after a quick snooze we headed for the stadium. You haven't experienced football fans until you have experienced Malay football fans. The atmosphere was incredible, I cant describe it. It was a sea of red, however the great thing was there were no police, very little security. The fans weren't separated, there was no violence at all. Not all football fans are animals, it just seems British ones are, it was very nice to see. It soon became apparent however that we were attracting alot of attention. Two young white men wearing Kelantan football jersey is not a common sight, so uncommon in fact we were the only white people, the only other was the Kelantan team manager. The photos were endless, the cheers and shouting never stopped. This was an 80 000 person capacity stadium and in true Malay style there were at least another 30 000 standing. I didn't think my actions through when i on my chair stood up to get to the bathroom and someone shouted MAT SALLEH! Within 30 seconds and entire were cheering and taking our picture, must have been 20 000 people. Very strange experience. Unfortunately Kelantan lost the game 1-0 after a pretty poor performance so our teachers were a little grumpy on the way home.
We couldn't be sad for long however for after a long packing session (thanks for the tips mum, i managed to get it too all fit) we had to board the bus again. This was the ride to English camp and the start of our 7 weeks leave from Pasir Tumboh. It was very sad to say goodbye to the place which now felt like home, but we knew amazing adventures lay ahead. We arrived at English Camp in the state of Perak. This was 4 days of English based games and activities using newspapers as the source material. We assisted the various groups of kids throughout the day, including giving out various coloured stickers to signify achievements. I had so much power! The main enjoyment was catching up with all the other MARA volunteers from across Malaysia. There are 12 of us all together, James and myself, of course Tom and Danny (Kota Putra), Dale (Besut), Holly and Emily (Kuala Lipis), Helena and Alex (Kuala Krai), Imogen (Kota Kinabalu) and Elisa and Ruyana (Gemenche). Hearing their various stories from their projects was really good fun and also let us boast a little about our project, but we all tried to do that a little.
Once english camp was finished we heading for Kuala Lumpur, and after several rather expensive and uneventful days we caught our flight to Phnom Penh in Cambodia to begin our adventures.
To be continued....
When i left you last, we had returned from our wet week on Langkawi and were preparing for our last weeks of school. I will say that they were rather hectic with teachers running around attempting to prepare the form 3 for THE MOST IMPORTANT EXAMS OF THERE LIVES as our principal put it. The PMR exams went very smoothly, however there was one more hurdle to overcome before we were set free on our holidays, my singing! By some strange series of events I still don't understand, the school had decided i was good at singing. Now I am aware I enjoy singing, often slightly too much and too louder however i am under no illusion that I totally suck. I would get 3 buzzes on x factor faster than a dying cat, however the school were determined. James was to play the guitar and I would sing. We practised hard, James provided slightly forced encouragement and the day finally arrived. After a typically amazing Malay dinner, we were called t the stage. We performed Under The Bridge (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and The Scientist (Coldplay). I will admit it was probably the most nervous i have ever been, having never actually having been asked to sing before, usually people ask me to stop. To my pleasant surprise, the kids and teachers really seemed to enjoy it. We received great applause, I was even given a rose mid performance. The pictures that followed seemed to be endless, however once the event was over that was goodbye to the Form 3 students. We had had some amazing laugh and memories even in the 3 months I had known them and we were both sad to see them go.
After the end of PMR came the annual inter school sport competition for teachers, North West Malaysia Sumur. It took place at MRSM Jeli and every MARA school from Kelantan and Terengganu was represented. There were many sports to compete in from Football to Table Tennis and even Chess. Being from such a small school James and I were drafted in too bulk up the team. We would compete in Chess, Volleyball and Futsal. Chess was supposed to be our signature 'sport' as James had been abruptly only 2 weeks earlier that he was school chess captain and so was responsible for all the organisation. Now James is one of the cool kids, pretty laid back and notoriously un-organised (lucky he is partners with me). If someone had told him he was school chess captain in high school, well that would have been 'gay'. Never the less he asked around for a partner and having little luck he turned to the one person he didn't want to ask, me. My chess are are truly awful, i am sure even my Granny could beat me, never the less I stood by my friend. After being totally destroyed in the first round I decided my chess career wasn't going to work out. James was up against Dale, who cleverly outsmarted him by failing to mention the time constraint rule. James called it cheating. We didn't do so well in the volleyball being quickly substituted halfway through the first game.For the futsal (indoor Malay football) we actually did OK. James scored a wonder goal to win us a game in the dying seconds and I used my advantage of being the tallest person in the entire country to defend quite effectively. We still lost however. To our pleasant surprise however at the final award ceremony we found our other colleagues had performed very well and we came third, missing second by only 1 point. Kuala Terengganu were the overall champions and the school even gave us free Canterbury tracksuits for tacking part. All in all a good weekend, apart from the bus breaking down on the way home, in the rain.
We had one last treat in store, the school had planned a trip to the Malaysian Cup Final at Shah Alam stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The was because the local team, Kelantan Red Warriors had narrowly made to to the final only a week before. The excitement was incredible, we travelled by night bus down to KL and after a quick snooze we headed for the stadium. You haven't experienced football fans until you have experienced Malay football fans. The atmosphere was incredible, I cant describe it. It was a sea of red, however the great thing was there were no police, very little security. The fans weren't separated, there was no violence at all. Not all football fans are animals, it just seems British ones are, it was very nice to see. It soon became apparent however that we were attracting alot of attention. Two young white men wearing Kelantan football jersey is not a common sight, so uncommon in fact we were the only white people, the only other was the Kelantan team manager. The photos were endless, the cheers and shouting never stopped. This was an 80 000 person capacity stadium and in true Malay style there were at least another 30 000 standing. I didn't think my actions through when i on my chair stood up to get to the bathroom and someone shouted MAT SALLEH! Within 30 seconds and entire were cheering and taking our picture, must have been 20 000 people. Very strange experience. Unfortunately Kelantan lost the game 1-0 after a pretty poor performance so our teachers were a little grumpy on the way home.
We couldn't be sad for long however for after a long packing session (thanks for the tips mum, i managed to get it too all fit) we had to board the bus again. This was the ride to English camp and the start of our 7 weeks leave from Pasir Tumboh. It was very sad to say goodbye to the place which now felt like home, but we knew amazing adventures lay ahead. We arrived at English Camp in the state of Perak. This was 4 days of English based games and activities using newspapers as the source material. We assisted the various groups of kids throughout the day, including giving out various coloured stickers to signify achievements. I had so much power! The main enjoyment was catching up with all the other MARA volunteers from across Malaysia. There are 12 of us all together, James and myself, of course Tom and Danny (Kota Putra), Dale (Besut), Holly and Emily (Kuala Lipis), Helena and Alex (Kuala Krai), Imogen (Kota Kinabalu) and Elisa and Ruyana (Gemenche). Hearing their various stories from their projects was really good fun and also let us boast a little about our project, but we all tried to do that a little.
Once english camp was finished we heading for Kuala Lumpur, and after several rather expensive and uneventful days we caught our flight to Phnom Penh in Cambodia to begin our adventures.
To be continued....
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