Get lost

All about this trip

ccwrichard — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:42:00 GMT

Best food – Masaman curry, Thailand

Best drink – Mango lassi, India

Adventures

Best rafting – Bali Indonesia

- Rafting thru rice paddy fields, tropical jungle, and small village. Water is crystal clear.

Best diving – USAT Liberty, Indonesia

- So far, the best wreck diving ever down, seen a lot stuff, even the sharks, and swim across the wreck.

Best kayaking – Vang Vieng, Laos

- Kayak thru the villages, farms, and naturals. Pop-in to pubs by riverside, a bit adventures to try the swinger and slider. Hit my thigh and arse flat on water and that’s hurt.

Best hiking – Mt. Kinabalu, Malaysia

- Hiking 4100 m height with short. Crazy huh? It was cold up at the peak.

Highest mountain – Mt. Everest’s base camp (5200 m height)

Deepest – USAT Liberty (23 m depths)

Most shocking town – Varanasi, India

- A dead body floating and no one seems to care and still swimming next to corpse.

Best tour – Secret wall, Beijing China

Best beach – Ko Toa, Thailand

Longest train journey – Chengdu – Lhasa, Tibet (43 hours)

Best night view – The Peak, Hong Kong

Best town – Shanghai

Most expensive town – Kathmandu (Beers)

Fun nights

Biggest party – Ko Phangan, Thailand

- Crowds of at least 8000 people. Cheap buckets, 250 baht and get pissed.

Smashed – Ko Phangan, Thailand

- The worst was to find way back to guest house on the hill while throwing out.

Cheapest night club – Shanghai

- Free flow of spirits whole night for CNY 0.00.

Craziest – Begging on the street, Mongkok, Hong Kong

- First time begging, and didn’t even get a cent but weird looks from local. Oh well, we were quite wasted.

Best night out – 7-eleven’s pub crawls

- Drinking with mates from Mongkok to Harbour and back.

Weirdest stuff ever seen – Ping pong show, Bangkok, Thailand (Curiosity brought us there)

- A bit of argument over the price, cheater (price different from menu).

Highlights of India

ccwrichard — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:16:00 GMT

It is now to the end of my whole 6 months trip round the Asia. A very excitement feeling, knowing that I would be back to comfy zone, seeing my family and friends, and also feeling uncertainty about back to work, about my future. The whole trip has covered 7 countries, which included Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, China, Nepal, and India. This has been my first longest trip and also the most adventurous trip, and the best part of this trip is about learning the different people and their cultures.

Among all countries covered, I voted India as the most interesting country. As a saying, either you like it or you hate the India. Despite a month staying in India, I yet to like it or to hate it; it’s just neutral. But India is truly what many travellers claimed, you really have to be careful, watch your stuff all the time, touts everywhere and they are annoying, make sure you lock your big backpack with a chain when you boarded a train, rubbish everywhere, cow has a good life there.

As myself, I see India as the best with its cultures and colours, the tough dealing with its people, the uncertainty of up and down emotions every single day.

1. Crossing Nepal India border – “Where is the immigration office?” I was walking past the Nepal’s immigration office to India’s border and turn back to look again. India is a sauna, I was sweating whole day, and for first time this trip, and I drank the most water and wouldn’t need a toilet.

First impression of India; India has very obvious class system. I was at the immigration with one big boss sitting in a chair drinking chai tea. The others, his servants came to us, brought us the form to fill and put everything nicely in front of that self-thought big boss? He isn’t doing anything but just sitting there for few minutes drinking his fucking chai tea. We were just sitting there waiting him. “very efficient, huh”

2. Varanasi – 41 degrees, it was no jokes for such a melting day - you just wouldn’t do anything. It is a holy place for Indian, a place they taking the bath and even swim in the river, the place they cremating the body and throw the remains to river. But, the pregnant, children, with diseases, bitten by snake are to be thrown and sink to river. It was uneasy to see the corpse everyday on the street, cows eating the rubbish, open public toilet in middle of public area with no drainage.

Day 2: an early morning boat ride by river, watching crowds taking bath by river. A gruesome boat ride when we spot a floating corpse, just few metres away from crowds. Apparently local were used to corpse floating by riverside and they were okay to swim with corpse floating next to them. They would usually leave the body floating or pull the corpse to the other side of riverbank to decay.

This town is easy to get lost. For first time ever this trip, I have failed to find my ways back to the guest house again and again. It is a beautiful old city but it was too much for me.

Varanasi to Agra – First time boarding the Indian train. It has few classes, 3 AC, SL. Indian’s train was very different from China’s train. For sure China’s train is far more comfort, faster than India – which they stopped a lot – single track vs. china’s double track. Met a few Korean and Japs on train, saw an English expat locking her bag with chain, telling that it is a necessary as theft is common on train.

3. Agra – Arrival time printed on ticket is 6.10 but we were an hour behind. Agra is hot, again sauna. It’s Friday and I was told Taj Mahal is closed on Friday. So, just a chill out day. The best part was the walk to the river behind Taj Mahal and cross the river for Rs50 only. It probably saved me Rs200 - rickshaw fares, Rs100 and admission fee thru front gate, Rs100. This part probably even better than go in to Taj Mahal and pay Rs750, super expensive admission fee. But anyway, once in lifetime, just got to do it.

Agra fort is the first I seen in India – quite something, amazing but expensive. Baby Taj (worth skipping at least for me) is really nothing compared to Taj Mahal.

4. Delhi – “No thanks, NO…, Alright, back off, F***, I say back off now …” A tiring evening and sick, I was very impatient against touts. I was shouting at 11 pm but none of these words taken seriously or they were just stubborn. They follow you to every guest house with hopes to get commission and guesthouse would raise the price higher to pay them at your expenses and some would just say its full house when the tout said something to them in Hindi, how annoying was that?

Really enjoying the mango shake, my favourite drink so far in India.

Delhi is just about the red fort and big mosque. Red fort is nothing as I seen one in Agra. The biggest mosque was not worth the camera price I paid.

5. Udaipur – “Where is the lake?” A drying land, but city palace and Lake Palace are amazing. The town itself is really nice and worth staying. This is first town I like in India so far.

Udaipur to Mumbai – “Full train, no seat to Mumbai, I can arrange you the sleeper bus”. My first mistake; never trusted any travel agent – always check with train station yourself. I have bought the sleeper bus but been downgraded to seat, non-ac, a nightmare and sleepless night. Damn!

6. Mumbai – Second best city so far. This is massive city but people are far friendlier than Delhi. Here, it’s just so easy to talk with locals with no hassle and taxi driver won’t bother you. No hard-deal touts, city is cleaner too, and things are more organized.

The Udaipur – Mumbai bus dropped me of nowhere, and a university student came to offer his help. Without him, I probably would have paid expensive taxi to Colabra. Walk along the Taj Mahal Hotel, tour agent came to offer his tour, not in annoying ways, we later had a friendly chat even I didn’t take the tour (too pricey). Met 2 Indians, walking by riverfront, have a friendly chat for the night while waiting for my train to Goa.

Stay with Salvation Army shelter, first dormitory in India, ok but shower room is a mess. No complaint for the price of Rs195 and it’s a good place to meet travellers. (Can’t beat the hostels in China though).

Sigh, can’t resist my first beer since Nepal – Chitwan National Park. Okay, first beer after 12 non-alcohol days.

Mumbai has good places for tasty Indian food.

7. Goa – It can’t beat with Thailand but still my favourite and the longest stop in India. The best of Goa is Palolem beach and second is Anjuna. The weather wasn’t pleasant at all; it was raining most of times.

I did my laundry and came back with smelly clothes and missing garments. Food is expensive but they made good food.

It was a monsoon – low season, everything was just so cheap, big bike for Rs200, beach-front room for Rs100 per day, quiet beach, but no party scene.

Renting a big bike was a good choice; it was a nice riding from a beach to another.

8. Hampi – My favourite small village. It reminds me of Angkor Wat, a small village Siem Reap and the temples surrounding it. But Angkor Wat is far more awesome than Hampi. The weather was very unfavourable, it was really hot and the heat made me uneasy. I rented a scooter for Rs100 per day and pumped in petrol for another Rs150. Also realised the technique Indian used to cheat me over petrol. They first pumped in petrol for another bike, when finished, another guy came to distract me, chatting with me, then, without resetting price to 0, he pumped to my motorbike, I was paying Rs50 for Rs20 fuel. How ridiculous? How would I trust those Indian in India?

9. Bangalore – According to lonely planet, “...crazy traffic, associated pollution...will fast drive you demented” I still can take that but Bangalore is really nothing. Nope, it is just nothing to do. Staying a lazy day in a coffee shop online, and having a fine dinner on 13^th floor, overlooking the IT town was a great way to spend my day (it has been the most expensive dinner so far in India).

Hey, I found out a very unusual sign, “Government work is God’s work”

So far, India has been the toughest country I ever been. It was not the country but the people.

- Indian women are more honest than men (if you dealing with money) – “India was having overnight inflation; the water I bought had price increased from Rs 15 to Rs 20 (same shop)”. Oh well, the night before was probably his wife but second night was the husband. Proven that women are most trustable than Indian men.

- Sikh people are the most trustable people in India (if you dealing with money). If you need auto-rickshaw, taxis, and other money related, find Sikhs.

- Indian children are more realistic – first word, money, money!!! Even 5 year-old street kids can ask you for money. “Photos sir, take photos of me!” Don’t be fooled, they would chase you for money later.

- The poorest area is surrounding train station and rail track. I was boarding night train a lot and seeing lots of children, homeless sleeping on platform. The poorest residents were living next to rail tracks with rubbish disposal area, open-air toilet just outside their houses. The saddest part of India.

A lot beggars can be found nearby the train station, and most of them are children.

- India has the most annoying drivers. They horn every single minute they driving.

- Auto-rickshaw drivers are very stubborn

- Overall, Indians are very friendly.

Gallery: Nepal

ccwrichard — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Nepal

Highlights of Nepal

ccwrichard — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:11:00 GMT

1. Chinese Nepal’s border –Nepal is completely different from China, different faces, different town different immigration building, different army uniform, etc. China is far more advance than Nepal, reminds me of crossing Laos to China. But it was great feeling again to see green.

“Horn Please” – These words written at the back of almost very trucks and buses. Nepalese’s drivers are even crazier than any driver I ever seen. Horn is just so annoying and you won’t have any moment of silent. Btw, they do horn at human if you blocked their way but not the animals. Animals have a good life in Nepal.

2. Kathmandu – How to spend money in Kathmandu? After weeks of extreme travelling, altitude things, basic food - Kathmandu has been a great place; food was amazing, pubs everywhere. Great food but expensive and beer was triple the price in China. Kathmandu was pretty much a resting stop for me - the most expensive town so far with spending on average 2500 rupees per day.

Been to holy temple, seen the body burning site and it was quite confronting to see burned body shape, white skull.

Also been to Tibetan’s monastery and seen Tibetan’s monks praying with music instruments. This is something you won’t be able to see in Tibet - definitely worth it.

India Visa in Kathmandu – It has been the worst and slowest way of applying visa. It is all about waiting and you need to visit the embassy 3 times to get your visa done. For first time, I had an argument with a traveler over the queue. He maybe was waiting in café since early morning but he wasn’t queue up in line. I came later and stay in line at first but he wasn’t happy.

Kathmandu to Chitwan National Park – Sigh, not another road block! According to local, they blocked the road to protest as local police refused to take the local murder case. There was no system in Nepal. It was frustrating.

3. Chitwan National Park – Paid USD 120 for 3 days 2 nights tour, get to ride on elephant, see the rhinos, and see the elephant bathing. Nah… it wasn’t worth the money we paid. Hey, you get to stay in jungle – strange, Malaysia has more and better tropical jungle but I haven’t been to Taman Negara (my next target). Out from Kathmandu, weather was hot, got the diarrhea the first night, unpleasant, rush to toilet middle of night.

4. Lumbini – A great night stop from Chitwan National Park before border crossing. It was birth place of buddha, with every country’s Buddhist temples built alongside the lake. Skipped the temples as they are newly built so not so interested. It wasn’t worth a stop at all. Town was often power cut, we were having dinner with candle light, hmm… and full of mosquitoes.

End of Nepal – Nepal has a lot more to offer such as Annapula trek has been the best according to lonely planet. There are rafting, bungee jumping, paragliding, mountain trekking, Everest base camp, and more. I would be back.

Gallery: India

ccwrichard — Sun, 4 Oct 2009 02:33:00 GMT

India

Gallery: Beijing

ccwrichard — Sun, 4 Oct 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Beijing

Highlights of China (April - June, 2009)

ccwrichard — Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:05:00 GMT

1. Laos – China’s border, immigration at Chinese side was unbelievable. First time ever an officer gone thru again and again my passport. She wasn’t satisfied the first officer who took my passport for inspection. She questioned me if I were in china for some other purposes. It was the longest ever I stand in front of officer waiting for her clearance to let me in.

Boten to JiunHong has the most impressive highway with at least 20 tunnels. The longest has 4 km. Also first minor bus accident in China – I was wondering why people just grab their bags and left hitchhiking on the street and then found out a minor accident like that can be 2 hours long waiting for district police and insurance agent to solve the problems.

2. JiunHong – I have been to the smelliest toilet ever for first time, and get to see squat toilet without door.

JiunHong to Dali – My first night sleeper bus. The bus has 3 double-decker sleepers in a row.

3. Dali – Been watching too many old ancient Chinese – Hong Kong series, I finally get to experience the old ancient town, like it but feel like it was new with an old style buildings.

Frustrating, you must pay “super” expensive admission fees to every tourist spot in China. One good highlight, we were hiking mountain by-pass the ticket counter thru the apple farm and saved us 30 yuan admission fees.

Dali – Kunming – China’s train soft sleeper was comfy but journey has been whole night and train can be quite expensive way of travelling. Even surprisingly, night sleeper bus and train have nearly similar prices. Of course, train is far more comfy.

4. Kunming – A great day spent drinking with a mate. A long day waiting for train, got into a hostel and pretending you were staying there, using their free wifi, and shower – sweet…

Also a nightmare for my mate who has been puking and shitting same time on the train toilet.

5. Yangshuo – It was the best stop so far, with cool people and a lot more fun. Been to 20 yuan note’s scenic area and also very impressive (or maybe not as I been to one in Vietnam) rice paddy fields. The best was Monkey Janes’s bar.

6. Hong Kong – Impressive with its buildings. Didn’t do much of travelling. The best part was 7 eleven’s pub crawls with cool people. Hostel has been the worst compared to China. Apparently China has much better hostel than Hong Kong and Macau.

7. Macau – Not so impressive, similar to Genting Casino.

8. Guangzhou – A lesson learnt, to buy train ticket in advance. Stuck a day in town, looking for an accommodation without internet and no guide book. Don’t quite like the town.

9. Shanghai – Tried the Jian Long Pao, which was very nice and like it a lot. Got into a disco for free and free flow of spirits. A fun night with cool people. Taste funny but no complaints. Been to people park, found that parents are looking matches for their daughters and sons. Hmm, arranged marriage still happening. Also tried the first bullet train to Hangzhou, up to 170 km/h.

10. Hangzhou – The most touristy area in China, get to see tour groups wearing the same caps following different colour of flags. Again, thinking of getting to Beijing but no luck with last minute bookings. The best to arrange train to Tianjin but failed to book accommodation for the night, slept on couch back in hostel. It was freezing but staffs have been very nice, provided warm quilt and it’s free.

11. Tianjin – Jump on a bullet train to Beijing, the fastest train ever tried so far, speed up to 330 km/h.

12. Beijing – Secret wall has been one of the impressive tour, expensive but worth-it. It is unrestored great wall, very original and no other tourists, very tranquil.

Have learnt a trick, use non-chinese character identity card, or driving licence with photo can get you a student’s discounted admission fees. It has saved few hundreds yuan so far in China.

Tianmen square has been the most heavily guarded place ever in China so far. Police and army are everywhere, every entry to the square needed xray, army armed with bullet proof vest at night. Curiosity; is Beijing the safest or the most dangerous place in China? Of course, the safest.

Silk market has been the best place to shop for fake stuff. Bargain is a satisfaction also a disappointment when you realized you can get even cheaper.

13. Xian – Army Terracotta, has been popular but didn’t find it so impressive.

14. Lanzhou – Planning to go Xiehe but failed to get in as area closed due to Tibetan things. Very dusty town. A Muslim town.

15. Xining – A stop-by town for Yushu. Very dusty place.

16. Mardu – Worst night ever this trip; At altitude of 4300 metres, I got headache, diarrhoea, nausea, and freezing cold.
A Tibetan lady invited us to her very Tibetan house, having a yak tea. First time hitchhiking, but China has been different, you need to pay for hitchhiking.

17. Yushu – Very Tibetan snowy town. Saw the Tibetan monasteries, mountains decorated with praying flags and stones. The most unusual is the sky burial site – Tibetan would place the dead body in an open air and cut the body and feed the birds. Second time hitchhiking but for free this time. Saw the first china’ riot police car, looks like a safe car but with camera and water canon on top. Police – armed patrolling the town.

Yushu to Ganzi – It was the most tiring and longest journey but worth-it. The bus has been very bumpy (sit-dancing) all the way for 14 hours (300 km) – a disco bus huh? It has the most impressive scenic and snowy mountains - one of the best of China.

18. Ganzi – again very Tibetan. The best monastery I have been so far. The town is another heavily guarded place, maybe more than Beijing’s Tianmen square. Fully armed police, riot police car, and army barracks and army everywhere. According to Tibetan monks, army has moved in last year and has temporary setup the barracks just outside the monastery. Monks want to be independent but China has different views? Hey, they even got the bunkers setup along the bridge.

Ganzi – Chengdu – The worst longest bus trip ever. Bus broke down in middle of dusty and windy road, trucks accident and blocked the whole road and the worst road conditions ever seen in China. The journey took 20 hours(700 km) long pain sitting on the bus instead of 14 hours that been told. Glad to be back to Chengdu.

19. Chengdu – Dealing with Chinese bureaucratic over visa extension. My visa was near expired in 2 days and I have to rush 2 hours bus to Leshan to renew my visa. Despite Chengdu has bigger PSB, they were full of bureaucratic. Also the most unproductive trip ever, waiting for Tibet’s permit; I have been staying in hostel doing nothing but online and enjoying tasty Sim’s famous cheese ham burger with egg.

Seen the icon of china, the panda breeding centre; Pandas have been so cute by the way they eating while lying back.

Chengdu – Lhasa, Tibet – Some Chinese had been so fucking idiots. Okay, I am Asian, but were I looked like translator or a tour guide to Westerner. Lost counts of how many times I had been asked past 2 months. Asian travel in China has been hard compared to Westerner, in term of respects.

The highest, the longest train journey ever so far, 43 hours climbing to peak 5000m plus above sea level. Awesome. How to spend the time on the train? Watching a few movies I downloaded the other days and it has been great accompanying for me. Hey, they did provide the oxygen tube for each of the person, the one I usually found in the hospital.

20. Leshan – Big buddha, big but nothing impressive.

21. Lhasa – Very Chinese, we were restricted to go monastery by ourselves, armed police and army everywhere, spy camera everywhere. Potala palace has been amazing. Jokhang monastery is great, Tibetan are passionate about their religion.

Lhasa to Shigatse – It has been tiring trip; maybe we were drinking a bit too much the night before. But, the Yamtrok Lake has been amazing, very blue. We stopped in Gyantse, nothing impressive but just another small town.

22. Shigatse – an overnight stop to Mt. Everest base camp. I decided to skip the Shigatse Monastery. I was started to get bored with monastery after so many I seen past few weeks.

23. Mt. Everest Base Camp – Mt. Everest looks smaller than what I expected. But it was cool to overnight in the tent. Feeling wasn’t great when night was freezing. Not a good night, slightly heavy breathing but no headache. It was a great experience.

Mt. Everest’s base camp to Zhangmu – Views had been amazing, from snowy mountain to desert to very green and waterfall. Frustrated with road block. According to local, the Chinese army was trying to show their power and block any Tibetan’s car to pass thru. We had been waiting for two hours.

24. Zhangmu – China – Nepal’s border town. An overnight stop. It was nothing but surprised to see prostitutes everywhere on the street; very rare to see elsewhere in China.

End of China

Gallery: Shanghai

ccwrichard — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:34:00 GMT

Shanghai