Malaysia

Like salt complementing pepper, Malaysia is fused with even mix of Indian and Malaysian people living harmoniously together. Venturing through the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, don’t be surprised by to see many Chinese people either.  Petaling Street also known as China town is where the many backpackers migrate to. With cheap rooms, cheep food, and knock-off shopping you can be sure to make a temporary home base here. If you’ve been to Kohsan Road in Bangkok, Thailand…then you probably have seen it all already. The city does have a few sights and attractions that are must do’s while in the city. The Batu Caves – about a 13km city bus ride to the Gombak district (2.50RM one way – or $1CAD=3.22RM), will provide some cheap entertainment for an afternoon. The caves are from a limestone hill, which occupy a series of ridiculously large caves and temples. As you walk up the 272 concrete steps, you will soon realize that you should have brought a lighter backpack and a Gatorade for the ride up. On a hot sunny day, an umbrella to block the sun and defend you against the crazy surrounding monkeys is good thinking too. Not as cute as Curious George, watch out as they are quick buggers, some even with sharp teeth and huge balls! If you’re the more adventurous type, there are some neighboring rock-climbing walls against the limestone as well. Apparently it goes up about 150m, which would probably be a great view if you can muster up the strength to climb up all the way.

If you’ve seen the movie Entrapment with Shawn Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones, then you may recognize the Petronas Twin Towers incandescently lit up in the night’s sky. Costing about $1.6 Billion and hovering with 88 floors, it’s worth a quick trip to go see. As I ventured on the monorail towards, I wondered how tourists were allowed to visit for the Sky Bridge for free. I soon realized that the 15 minute “3D” viewing they showed beforehand is a publicity stunt and mass advertising for the company’s success in the marketplace. No free lunch here! Just a quick note that if you do plan on visiting the Sky Bridge… they only let about 1700 tourists on the Sky Bridge per day. Head early in the morning to grab a pass (free pass with set visiting hours), and you can guarantee your postcard shot without having to worry about waiting in long lines.

If you want a slower and more relaxed pace of “life” than KL, you can take a 3.5hr bus to the region of Mersing before taking a 1.5hr Ferry ride to an island called Tioman. Located on the East Coast of the country, this island is in all aspects an undiscovered gem. Self-medicating the travel bug I contracted while on my journeys last time, I recommend a prescribed amount of 4 to 5 days here and it should rejuvenate against the hustle and bustle of city life. With a population of approximately 3000 people and a narrow sidewalk serving as the main walkway (and highway)…you won’t have to worry about being hassled by locals for shopping, massages, or restaurant menus. The people are friendly, warm and quite kind to the tourists (so be sure to reciprocate). If you’re lucky and not too loud, as you walk down the sidewalk, you may even cross paths with a monkey, monitor lizard, or giant spider. Staying on the ABC side (Air Batang), there are several places to stay at fairly inexpensive prices. If I were to come here again, I would recommend staying at Nazri’s Place as their guesthouse has a beautiful beach great for snorkeling, a restaurant (with breakfast buffet included), and a bar with happy hour between 5 to 7pm. Rent a bike for about $2CAD a day and you can explore the other parts of the island as well. Just be sure to check the brakes and chain before you rent it. Both of mine did not work and it was only until I came across a large hill that I soon realized . For the more adventurous type – you can take a 2 hour hike to the other side of the island (to Juara). Hiking through the jungle, the locals have built up many concrete steps to make your life easy. Still, with the humidity and heat, it can be quite challenging.

As you come across trees that have been tapped like maple syrup, you will soon realize that the milky substance that comes out is actually rubber. Rubber trees are everywhere and have been known to produce some income for the local economy. Juara’s beach is like no other I’ve come across. There must have been no more than 3 people on the beach that day. With the tide out and little debris on the beach, the sand felt like silk on my flip-flop inflicted callused feet. The water is mix of vibrant royal and turquoise blue that is so clear you can see to the sand patterns on the very bottom. Throw a piece of bread in the water while standing on the pier and you will witness hundreds of swimming Nemos’ spear themselves against the food. It’s no wonder why there are so many dive shops around too. After visiting a few islands around the Caribbean and South-East Asia, this island is definitely an up and coming contender. Hopefully, the beauty is not overdriven with mass tourism as it continues to grow…

Halong should you stay in Vietnam - Vietnam (Hanoi & Halong Bay)

 Head to the bank machine upon landing in Hanoi (Vietnam) and you will finally have more DONG (the currency in Vietnam) in your pants then ever before! With bill denominations of 100,000’s and 200,000’s, I was a sudden millionaire as the ATM spit out four million dong into my ever so famished wallet.

Every year around mid-February, the city participates in what they call Tet…The Lunar New Year celebrated in Vietnam. Unlike the Western New Years, this celebration lasts for an entire week instead of our only one sad-drunken night. Expecting to be mesmerized by lanterns, fireworks and moon-cake as I’ve heard from others, I was sadly disappointed only to realize that this was a holiday that meant a stop on all business activity. Restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and even massage parlors (yes, only the legitimate ones) were all closed! What was even more depressing was that it was so damn cold! Underdressed in flip-flops and board shorts while walking through nine degree weather meant that I was back in a Toronto winter hanging around Spandina St. with abrupt whiffs of nasty creeping up my nose! Amongst some major attractions like the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Water Puppet Shows, and the Old Quarter District, there is a vague but shimmering glow to the city. Night time is best as the city lights and lanterns camouflage the over-congested scooter filled sidewalks and garbage filled streets. As you walk by the streets at night, you’ll notice the many entrepreneur chefs sandwiched between the parked vehicles. Locals both chill and swarm as they sit on kiddie plastic chairs and tables eating Pho (Raw beef soup) while sipping hot Vietnamese Tea. Sadly, as Asian as I claim to be (see definition of term CBC or loosely referred term to banana – Chinese Born Canadian that is white on the inside and yellow on the outside), I still haven’t been able to muster enough strength to eat at one of these stalls. Where these people claim to get their “clean” water to wash the used chop-sticks and bowls creeps my already sensitive bowels from the last encounter of my 3rd world country adventures…

One thing I will never forget is what our tour guide mentioned about the city that you should all know. As he coined it to be the newest “extreme sport” for tourists…I like to refer to it as, kamikaze cross-walking. This city is busy! Scooters and cars are everywhere and in every direction. With no room on sidewalks to walk on, this means you’re walking on the roads dodging vehicles of all shapes and sizes. On rare occasions, you may be lucky enough to come across a proper intersection with working traffic lights, however more usually tourists will find themselves waiting…and waiting…and waiting… for the “right” time to cross the ever so busy intersection without cross walk signs. The best strategy to handle a situation like this (as followed by the locals), is to walk steadily into oncoming traffic. That’s right - walk into the direction of oncoming transports, cars, and motorbikes. Much like the hesitation of a seat-belt and a drunk driver, any hesitation here will turn into fast regret and bad times. If it wasn’t for the 85 or so year old women to follow behind (and use as a human shield to soften the impact) as I crossed a busy chaos for the first time, I wouldn’t have believed it with my own eyes. Like river water flowing smoothly around a pebble, it actually worked amazingly and without a scratch on me!

Contemplating the continued travels of my snowbird vacation vs. an underdressed adventure through this cold and miserable country, an executive decision was made to speed up the travels through this country. Sappa, Hoi An, and Nha Trang, all places that have high recommendations by others were cut out to make room for more sunkist vitamin D weather. However, coming this far into the country, my friend Cailey and I still decided to partake in the Halong Bay experience. A 3.5hr bus ride east and you will encounter the most majestic and beautiful islands. Like scenes from the movie Avatar or Pirates of the Caribbean, jagged rocks with lightly decorated greens sporadically shot out of the water to form islands in every direction. Some more travel advice if you are in opting for this excursion…stick with the 2 nights and 3 day tours. It takes so long to get to the bay; you want to enjoy it as much as you can. Also, with so many tourist agents offering competitive packages in town, it’s hard to get a grasp on who’s actually offering the best packaged deal for the best value. Usually for this type of deal, you do get what you pay for. For around $100CAD, this will get you transportation there and back, all meals, cave fees, kayak rentals, and even “enthusiastic” tour guides (as the brochure highlights) for the entire trip. Anything materially cheaper or for much more and you should definitely question. Talking to fellow travelers about their experience should shed some meaningful light for the proper experience as well. Smaller boats (of 16 people or less) should be more sought out for vs. the congested “party” boats of crammed 36 people or more. For a more relaxing experience, you can probably bank on the fact that a more mature crowd (mid 20’s and up) will opt to pay more for better accommodations and company in avoidance of a college frat party. With great food, great people and awesome scenery this has been one of the most memorable experiences for sure!

Local Water Puppet Show in Hanoi:

Laos

Laos – A small country sandwiched and landlocked between Burma, China and Vietnam, I was surprised to see the amount of fellow backpackers and tourists in this country. Starting our journey in the Capital of Vientiane, I soon discovered through our guide books that this place was previously occupied by a French Colony. This made sense after a confused look at the many French bakeries around the city. A quick heads up…This city is dusty as hell! With construction of many hydroelectric dams by the Mekong, dust is everywhere and will get everywhere. Right now is dry season and even the locals have been known to complain about the dust and dirt. Luckily we only made a brief pit-stop here and headed to Vieng Vang which was about a 5hr bus ride commute. Make sure you have a solid stomach for the ride up. With roads intermingled and intertwined around the mountain, expect to be head-bobbing the whole way up.

Amongst the adventure trekking and outdoor activities like kayaking, rock climbing and mountain biking, the main reason tourists come to this city is for the “tubing”…drunken tubing! In a nutshell, inner tubes from large tracker trailers are rented to tourists to stay afloat by the river. The fee is about 55,000Kip which also includes the Tuk-Tuk ride to the top of the river (where the drop off point is). Word of mouth is a great indicator of this place as it is everything people say it is who have been there. As we were dropped off, I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds around me. With bamboo built bars alongside the river and bumping music pounding, locals are sure to convince you to go to “their” bar…as they throw you a rope and reel you in from your tube. Mixed with free shots, “specialty shakes n desserts” and copious amounts of Beerlao available, its no wonder that there are several injuries a year amongst the tourists.

Like a scene from the movie, Hook/Peter Pan, there are also giant swings and slides that launch you several hundred feet from the air into the water. It honestly felt like an adult playground. This time of the year is quite dry and the water quite slow though, so if you do decide to ever venture down the entire river from start to finish (3.5km), give yourself plenty of time to make it down before it gets dark. We had friends who had to paddle in the dark to find their way back. If you are in this area as well, do check out the lagoon about 6km outside the main city. Motorbikes and bicycles are available to rent, but the ride is pretty bumpy. Save the sweat and rent a motorbike in my opinion. There is cave which will take your breath away. A brief hike up the mountain before reaching the entrance, make sure you bring proper shoes and a great flashlight or headlamp. As I made it to the top and entered the cave, I was soon swallowed by the dark around me. Feeling like I was in the Bat-Cave, you will be amazed by how big, deep and dark it is….With so many directions to walk in, I was really disoriented and got lost at some points. It wasn’t until after I came back down the mountain that I read that the site offered tour guides (for a marginal price)…lol.

Probably the most memorable experience I have encountered so far has been from this city as well. The guesthouse we stayed at (Dokhova Guesthouse) tried to rip us off. Apparently, several others were scammed by the same guesthouse owner as well in the days were there too. Attracting tourists in, the guest house owner sold us by offering a “discount” price, and then attempted to charge us a different price upon checking out. As we explained to him and his wife that they were indeed wrong (as they claimed to show us the “discount rooms” the day prior but didn’t), we refused to pay the extra charge. Calling the wife’s bluff on her “attempt” to call the police, we told then told him we were displeased by the level of service and that he should expect to be receiving a bad review in the Lonely Plant travel reviews. Big Mistake! The Guesthouse Owner then snapped with head bursting rage and started yelling at us. He grabbed my friend Cailey by the wrist and stole not only her passport, but her baguette lunch and his business card. He then refused to reason with us until the police “got” there. We were so shocked by his actions; both of us were taken aback. As I tried to reason with him further, he said that he was allowed to keep our passport since we were staying at his place. Note to all – your passport is your property, and your property only. Anyone attempting to take it is acting illegally. After some brief words of distraction, Cailey then fought back and successfully snapped her rightful property (and baguette lunch which he stole as well…lol). As the owner attempted to grab her again, I gave him a hefty shove against the glass display case and told him not to assault her again. We then ran to the nearest tuk-tuk in attempt to make it in time for our bus ride to the next city. Thinking we were in the clear, the crazy wife started chasing us directly behind in her truck. As we got to the bus station and she brought over a police officer who looked who looked no more than 16 yr old in puke-green police uniform. Barely speaking fluent English he then asked for our version of the story. Luckily the other tourists in the tuk-tuk witnessed everything and vouched for us. We finally just settled and paid her the extra cash to shut her up and get her going. Looking back, fighting for the differential of 120,000KIP ($15USD), probably wasn’t worth the effort of being stuck in a 3rd world country…but hey that’s like 3 days of fine living in South East Asia! Learning our lesson for next time, we will always make sure to have our rates written in writing prior or equally pay in advance for our accommodations. Another piece of advice I have learnt is to always take a business card of the hotel you are staying at. If you ever get lost (which seems to happen a lot), you can just give the taxi driver the card and tell him to go there! This becomes handy if you don’t speak the local language as well!

Laos Tubing Video: (Can't take credit for this vid, found it on youtube, but it's a pretty good depiction of what you could expect in Vang Vieng, Laos...

Thailand

Thailand:

So far, Thailand is still the cheapest place I’ve traveled to thus far. Flying in from Hong Kong, we minimized our cost using one of the many discount Asian airlines. Canada is just crazy with the amount of taxes and fuel surcharges they charge in comparison to this part of the world. A flight from Phuket to Bangkok (3hrs flight) will run you about $50CAD give or take. Other airlines to checkout in this vicinity are Nok Airlines, Pacific Airlines, One-two-go Airlines, Air Asia, Korean Air, and Singapore Air. All these companies are much cheaper to fly indo-china vs. the more commercialized (and much more expensive) companies. Last time I came to this part of the world, I missed the island that I wanted to see the most, Koh Phi Phi. A small remote island where the movie “The Beach” was filmed, it has now been overruled by tourists and many dive shops around the island. Still, the island does possess a beauty like no other. The island is so small you can literally walk from one end to the other in about 5 to 10 mins. A steep hike up to the “viewpoint” or the Tsunami high ground as the locals call it and you will be able to see both sides of the island quite well. I wish I had a wide angle SLR camera as the view was quite surreal. This island is marginally more expensive than other islands like Koh Tao or Ko Samuai, however you can save some cash if you stay near the center of the island instead of the beach front. Between 500 to 1000 Bhat (1 CAD = 32BHAT) and you can get a decent double bed room. We stayed right beside the Rimley beach side and ended up paying around 2500Bhat a night (as justified by my own lifetime experience!). There are many tourist agents around the island offering longboat tours around many of the surrounding island.

For the most part, they are all the same tour so rest assured you can negotiate rates to try and get the best price available. We ended up booking through a company that had quite a considerably larger boat (with a Washroom and enough space to lie down) for the same price as a long-boat tour. I should advise that if you are on a boat all day (for the one day trip experience), go for the bigger boat! Having more space for you individually will make a difference vs. sharing a tight seat with some wet, soggy, and hairy European. Snorkeling through the ocean while on the tour was my highlight of Phi Phi for me! The visibility was excellent the day we all went on the tour. I could see so many foreign but intriguing creatures. At points, the water was so low (about 10 inches deep), that my face was whisking by live coral reef, schools of fish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers (black like slugs that are the size of the vegetable). Word of advice, apparently live coral is quite dirty and filled with bacteria, clean it well if you cut yourself as I did on my foot and it can get pretty nasty! We stayed around 5 days which is more than enough to see on this island, you can either take a ferry from Krabi or Phuket, so there is some flexibility dpending on how you look at it.

Be warned of all the dirty Caucasian men and their local and "hired" girlfriends from Phuket though... I've had friends who have been through this part of the world warn me, but until you see it, its something like no other... I tried keeping a running count in my head of all the Westerners and their "hired" girlfriends, but lost count after waiting in the airport for about an hour....lol.


Snorkling while feeding the local fish:



Local Fire Dancer:

Hong Kong

Hong Kong:

A quick 4 day dash and you can see a lot in this city. Hong Kong has one of the most high-tech and efficient subway systems ever! Once you mind the vague stint of pollution in the air, you become captivated by all the tall skyscrapers, high-end department stores, and very well spoken locals (fluent in English). Once your there, buy an “Octopus card”. Much like an ATM Card, this prepaid card also gives you access to the subway. Unlike Toronto as well, fares for the city is charged by distance and not a flat rate. This makes riding public transport much cheaper if your only doing shorter runs.

Accommodations can be vary and be quite expensive depending on your wiliness to pay as well. I’ve been told that the YMCA has cheap (not in quality but only in price) rooms right in the heart of the city, so you don’t have to “waste-time” getting around. Another good word of advice is that if you’re flexible in proximity to where you want to stay, you can checkout priceline.com. Much like eBay, but only for hotels, you set your bid on neighboring hotels. We were able to luck out and save half the cost of a regular rate at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Central. Since Hong Kong was under the British influence for so long, this is probably the best place to go to as “training wheels” for Asia. There are so many ex-pats (aka White people…lol) everywhere it’s ridiculous. As we ventured into Soho (which also has the longest and tallest escalator I’ve ever been on, I could have sworn that I forgot I was in Asia and was in New York City or downtown Toronto. If you want to check out the “Vegas” of Hong Kong, then you can take a quick ferry ride via TuboJet to Macau.

Don’t forget to bring your passport with you as there are immigration and customs officers you need to clear…despite being the same country?!? Anyways we went during the day and it wasn’t as exotic as I was hoping it would be. Don’t bother hiring a taxi from the port to get you into the city either, there are so many Casino Hotel buses hawking at tourists, that you can take one of the buses for free instead. For some great sight-seeing take the tram up to the peak and you’ll be sure to catch a great view, just be sure to sit on the right side of the streetcar and you can see both sides of the Island. Although I never made it, there is also the daily 8:15pm laser light show any tourist should check out. Apparently if you go by the water around this time, the buildings light up in unison and there’s suppose to be a great 15min light show…very picturesque.

Here are some words about the High Tea experience. Every afternoon around 3pm, locals/tourists participate in a tea-time (like brunch but in-between Lunch and Dinner instead). The Four Seasons Hotel as well as the Peninsula Hotel is supposed to be the more reputable places for the most authentic experience. Served on a 3 level tray of specialty sandwiches with a select variety of tea-blends and desserts, this surely will whisk your taste buds and pallet. Just be prepared to pay up… the average cost of this “mid-day” lunch was about $35 to $40USD. Many people rationalize that they will spend the extra dollar while traveling b/c it may (or may not be) a lifetime experience. Some advice if you do decide to partake on the high-tea experience would be to go on a weekend as their “lunch buffet” is included and is all you can eat. Lastly, while most of Asia is like this already… if you want the best price for something, barter for it. There are many night markets the area that sells a variety of touristy goods, clothing, and other paraphernalia (cell phones, stun-guns, throwing knives, etc). Locals are very well aware that tourists pay much more for the equivalent goods back home and will have no problem charging you a price that is somewhat marginally lower. The reality is, most of the stuff you think is real that your buying is probably not and was probably made around the corner from where you are buying it from. What ever they offer, offer half that cost and settle for somewhere in-between.

Japan:

Japan was extremely fast paced and quite dynamic. Starting off our adventures in Tokyo, I was captivated by the sights and sounds of the nightlife. There are sooo many people, its easy to be quite overwhelmed by the amount of people and traffic. Amongst the rest of our travels, there were few Western travelers we ran into (not like the rest of our trip so far). We wanted to see as much as we could with the 8 days we had allocated there so we purchased the JR tourist unlimited train pass. This was probably the best decision to make. $300.00CAD will get you an unlimited pass on any JR train. It will also get you some access to some of the subway lines across the country. Once we ventured off from the bigger cities and into the more local communities (Nagoya), it did become somewhat challenging. No one spoke English, nor were any of the signs in English. I can recall walking aimlessly with hunger pains as we wondered down the streets of Nagoya trying to find a damn restaurant that at least had pictures we could order off of. Mmm... nothing like mystery meat and raw cabbage... to down it with some local brew. After spending a night in Tokyo in Roponggi and a night in Nagoya, we made way down the bullet train to Kyoto. This city is absolutely beautiful! There are many awesome historical sights and temples. Luckily we were able to get some advice by some "locals" (Ex-pats from the UK now teaching English) the night before and hit up the main and most popular ones. Did I also mention that we slept on a traditional Japanese Hotel... Equipt with bamboo floors (which would also serve as our bed), and a communal washroom, we found ourselves saving a few Yen rather than staying in the more "Western" places. Hiroshima was the favorite of my journey and the very furthest South of our trip. This is where the Atomic bomb dropped and killed so many people. Peace Park and the war museum were something that made it all so real and educationally fun. A few highlights to remember...

Eating and drinking - If you have a strict Western diet, you might not survive in this country. There are very few Western restaurants to eat at. Never eating McDonalds back home (not even after a bar night), I actually found myself buying the morning breakfast on a regular basis and it was the closest thing that reminded me of home (comfort food... even though Canada has not yet adopted the "Soy Sauce McPork Burger". The Japanese for some reason LOVE their canned coffee (which comes hot from the vending machine). I was thrown off at first b/c we are so use to only drinking a fresh brew, but by the end of the week, I found myself addicted to this "redbull" like shot cans of caffeine. Kobe beef is also worth the trip in the city of "Kobe". Making a pit stop on the way down the country, I was quite surprised how tasty and expensive this beef was. There is something about the way they prepare the beef that makes it so tender and tasty. Massaging the cow and taking "extra" care of the cow before it is slaughtered, it is definitely worth the trip. At last by not least, sushi! Be warned, what you eat back home in Canada, is far away from what the "real" sushi is in Japan. The Japanese very rarely use avacado and sauces to make the rolls and sashimi slices. Expect to slices of raw fish with extra potent servings of Wasibi and soy sauce. Nevertheless, the original version is much more fresh and flavorful. On the last day of in Japan, we visited the morning fish market. A must see for any tourist. You will see the biggest and baddest fish that looked like it was injected with steriods. Interesting to see that the fish I ate actually came from a "bigger" animal and not just a styrofoam shrink wrapped package...lol.

People - Friendly, warm, and hospitable. Due to our budget constraints in this expensive country, we found ourselves staying in smaller and local hotel guesthouses. Many of which were ran as a family business. Every place we stayed at, we were taken care of like family. The New Matsu hotel in Hiroshima was run by two older men (at least in their late 70's). Every morning we would be welcomed with either fresh oranges, Milk (as they think Westerners drink lots of Milk), or fresh coffee. I can recall one of men speaking in broken English that the Udon noodles at his restaurant was described as very good good "Japanese Spaghetti" with a warm and sarcastic smile. On occasion we also found ourselves getting seriously lost within the city. And as soon as a map would come out, a “business” man would pop out from the crowd and not only help us, but walk in the complete opposite direction to help us where we wanted to go (more than just a km too!). What I couldn’t stop thinking before is what did they want in return? Surely in our city, no one is nice enough to offer help unless their want something in return. It wasn’t until after the Traditional Tea Ceremony that we participated in, in Kyoto, that I realized that it's actually part of their culture to make sure that take it upon themselves to “take care” of each other.