Miriam Explores

Time to travel again - THAILAND!!

miriamexplores — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:43:00 GMT

Well, the time has come for me to pack my bags and leave my lovely life in Sydney and start travelling again. Mixed feelings really... I LOVE Australia and am very sad to leave, but I am immensely excited about nearly 10 weeks travelling around SE Asia.

I arrived in Bangkok about midnight and it was 31 degrees!! Talk about hot, hot, hot! After 5 hours sleep I began the journey to Koh Tao, a little island south of Bangkok. After a long train journey, another 5am start and a ferry ride I eventually go to my destination - shattered but happy. I met a great couple on the beach that afternoon and went out with then for the next few nights. I spent my days either on the beach soaking up the rays, or out diving and doing my advanced PADI course. I passed, not sure how as i'm sure my navigation took us the wrong way! Oh well, all good fun :-)

I left Koh Tao on the Sunday morning having had a great few days and got on another ferry to go to Koh Phangan (another little island). Not a nice trip - spent all the time feeling sick and getting soaked by the salt water. :-( Anyway, I arrived in one piece and checked into my place - a wooden bungalow on the beach. Life is so good out here! That afternoon I met a fabulous girl, Sarah, and a group of 4 guys from manchester - small world! We went on the boys mopens to a bar down the road and later we watched the sunset at the top of a huge hill - beutiful.

The following morning Sarah and i had a day trip to Ang Thong Marine Park (think its a world hearitage site, but don't quote me on that!). WE went snorkelling, swimming, sailing around many of the 400 small islands and kayaking too. We had such a nice day and the lunch was pretty good too, always a bonus!

We were up early the next mrning and went to Haad Rin (about 10 mins in a tuk tuk taxi thing) which is 'party capital' and where the Full Mon Party is held. Again, another lazy beach day topping up my tan... The Full Moon Party was the following night so we needed to preserve our energy!

Full Moon Party was AMAZING!! The atmosphere of thounsand of people on the beach, music blaring, drinking buckets of alcohol (yes, mum & dad plastic BUCKETS!) plus fire shows etc was insane. You will see from the pics i will add to Facebook soon ;-) Such a wicked night - everyone should go!

Since the FMP Sarah and I have been reading, sunbathing, eating and sunbathing a bit more. Tonight the two of us are going to Phuket on an overnight ferry - should be interesting with my penchant for being seasick!

Anyway, I'm having a blast over here but very excited about returning home on the 23rd June :-)

Will write again soon, hopefully i will have had some funny/scary/amusing stories to tell by then!

Lots of love,

Miriam xxx

Update from down under!

miriamexplores — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:50:00 GMT

Sorry I haven't writted for a while... been a busy bee!

Well, so far Oz is fabulous! I had a great 4 days in Melbourne with Matthew and he took me to all the sights, and I dragged him around the shops! It was so cold in Melbourne compared to Bali that I had to buy proper shoes and jeans (and a pretty dress and another pair of shoes!).

I loved Melbourne, beautiful riverside, great places to eat, good shopping and small enough to get around pretty easily. However, I had decided that it would be best if I wasn't in the same city as Andy, so I had made the decision to go to Sydney.

I flew up to Sydney and was met at the airport by George, David and Renee (distant relatives who I'd never met before!) and they were really welcoming. George's wife, Hilary was in China and would not be returning for just over a week... so it was me, George and DJ the dog!

George was great at looking after me/feeding me up so I was pretty content staying with him in Gymea (about 30 mins away from the city). On the Sunday I seriously started looking for jobs and applying for anything and everything... the same activity was repeated on the Monday and Tues as it was chucking it down with rain! I was not impressed with the rain to say the least, but at least it meant I was happy to stay inside searching for a job. By the time Thursday arrived I had an interview - finally!! By 9am the following day I had a job offer - Online Marketing Exec for a hairdressing franchise and the salary was amazing! Obviously I accepted...

Now I had a job in the bag, I could start to relax and do a bit of sightseeing... so i went to the Bontanical Gardens, Opera House, Harbour Bridge and on a ferry ride to darling Harbour! I was trying to make up for lost time so crammed in loads and had a fab day!

The next day (Sat) I met my friend Kat and her boyfriend Sam (met them on the Gili islands) for coffee in Paddington and then we had a look around the trendy market that is held there each week. Later on I met Marie (a friend of a friend from home) for lunch at darling Harbour which was really nice - we chatted for hours! Marie and I then decided that we would go to Manly the next day as the weather was meant to be hot again.

We said goodbye and I headed home to Gymea...

As planned, Marie and I went to Manly on the ferry the following day. The boat trip took about 30 mins and gave us amazing views of the Sydney Opera house and bridge... I'll put them on facebook soon. We had a mooch around Manly and had lunch on the beach - sadly it wasn't hot enough for sunbathing :-(

We headed back after a few hours and a nice ice cream and I went back home to see Hilary; she had arrived that moning from China. It was great to see Hilary and it was good to have some female company too. I had an early night on the Monday as I was going to the races the next day with David and his friends...

Losing love in Lombok

miriamexplores — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:54:00 GMT

The title of this story says it all really... Andy and I broke up in Lombok. I still don't quite understand where it all went wrong, but I am now back in Kuta, Bali and have a flight to Australia on the 20th October.

I have 4 days in Melbourne with Matthew and am then flying to Sydney to meet some friends and hopefully get a job and house. I'm sure that it will all work out for the best...

The past few days in Kuta have been spend just chilling out and also surfing again. A nice Canadian guy has given me a couple of surf lessons and i've managed to stand up a few times - progress! I don't think Bondi beach will know what's hit it when i show off my new skills (joking, really!).

I feel like i don't have much to say this time, so I shall write again when i have some more happy news and stories to share.

M xxx

Best 6 days and worst 2 hours so far!

miriamexplores — Wed, 7 Oct 2009 12:51:00 GMT

I left Lovina to go to the Gili islands which are just off the coast of Lombok - the journey didn't go quite as planned! Firstly Rose and I were told the boat was broken and we would have to spend the night at the port of Pandang Bai and then the bus broke down in the middle of the mountains! Talk about bad luck...

We ended up getting a little bemo bus to Padang Bai and got a 100% refund - result! Another company then said we could travel with them over to Lombok, take us to a hotel and then provide transport the naxt day to the Gili islands. This worked out fine and by 10am the next day we had arrived on Gili Trawangan and we were in paradise.

As soon as we arrived we met two great girls from England who were in the room opposite us - Laura and Shakira. We spend the day on the beach with them and met a couple of really funny guys also from England. We all went out together that night and had a fabulous time! It was so good to be hanging out with other English travellers and just having fun.

The next day was pretty much the same - banana pancake for breakfast followed by lots of sunbathing, afternoon drinks and then a great meal out and a fair bit more drinking! I can honestly say this is basically what i did all the time i was on Gili Trawangan - i got rediculously brown and seriously relaxed (Andy says i'm too brown, but that's impossible!) :-)

One thing i actaully did whilst on Gili was my 'deep dive' which can be put towards my Advanced PADI certificate. It was a dive to 30meters so i was a bit scared, especially because i had chosen to divce at 'Shark Point'! Needless to say, it was all fine and I saw sharks and the most beautiful sea turtle.

Another day, 6 of us went on a snorkleing trip to all three of the Gili islands - the water is so crystal clear that you could see masses of beautiful, colourful fish. Was a really nice day out and snorkelling was a new experience for me so it was really good fun and quite different to diving.

I had planned to leave Gili on the Friday so i was back in Kuta on the Friday night and then meet Andy on the Saturday evening... this didn't quite happen! I really wanted longer on Gili Trawangan so decided to forefit my return ticket and pay for the 'fast boat' direct to Bali on the Saturday morning. In some reapects this was THE best idea and in others it was the worst idea ever! We had an amazing final night out which i wouldn't have wanted to miss for anything, but the boat ride back on the Saturday was the worst experience of my entire life.

I took a couple of sea sickness tablets in preparation for a rocky ride but i had totally underestimated what the 2.5 hour trip would entail. Imagine the worst boat ride EVER and the the most old, rickety fairground ride that throws you around, times both of those things by ten and you get a vaugue idea of what it was like. After 20 minutes i was really poorly (no details needed!) and was practically carried to the back of the speed boat where i was told it was a bit better. Granted it was a tad better but i was not only feeling horrendous and continually asking for more little black bags, but i was scared for my life! It does sound rather dramatic, but about 1/4 of the people on the boat were poorly and Laura and Shakira were also scared.

When the boat finally arrvied in Bali I was literally shaking and just wanted to cry - I felt like i deserved a medal or certificate congratualting me for surviving the trip!! Sadly, all i got was a big bill to pay...

Once i got to my hotel i had a lovely pedicure and then chilled out waiting for Andy's plance to land about 11pm. I picked Andy up from the airport and we just had a few days chilling out in Kuta before heading to the East coast to go diving.

We met up with a couple of people i had met on the Gili islands and booked to do two dives at a shipwreck just off the coast. It was a huge U.S Marine ship that we went to see and it was really good. The visability wasn't great but we saw a huge barracuda, stingray, parrott fish and lots of beautiful coral. Was a really good day but two dives before luch was pretty tiring! After we had finished diving, Andy and I piled into the back of Sam and Kat's Jeep (with all the luggage!) and had a bumpy ride down the coast to a pretty village called Candi Dasa. We stayed there for one night and had a delicious meal out together and a few drinks which was really nice - perfect end to a really good day.

The next morning Andy and I got the ferry over to Lombok and plan to stay here for a few days... maybe climb Mount Rinjani and hire a car and explore a little.

I'll write more once we've done something interesting! I'm getting very good and just taking it easy and chilling on beaches :-)

Hope everyone is well back home,

Love M xx

Shocking surfing but delightful diving!

miriamexplores — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:42:00 GMT

Whilst in Kuta i decided to take a surf lesson as its meant to be an amazing place to surf... not for me! After about 2 hours of standing up for one second and then dramatically falling off, i gave up. I had been totally abused by the surf board and even now (after 6 days!) i still have 3 massive bruises. Seriously, i was in so much pain i just wanted to cry - surfing was not the dream i had imagined!!

I left Kuta to head North to Lovina and begin my PADI diving course - i was praying that i would like diving and would be good at it (unlike the surfing). I met 2 great girls on the bus to Lovina and have been hanging out with them all the time I'm not in my class.

I have been really lucky and have had 1 2 1 tuition for diving for the past 3 days with a lovely instructor who held my hand and made me feel so safe in the water. The first day we spent in the pool just learning and practicing skills, like using alternate air source, taking off your mask, emergency ascent etc. The next day we carried out the skills i had learnt but out in the open water... it was amazing!! I saw sea cucumbers, clown fish, barrel coral and so many beautiful colored fish i don't know the names of. I was well chuffed with myself to have gone down 10 meters and been totally fine with all the tasks i was set.

Today (day 3) a group of us went to an island just off Lovina and my instructor and I went down to 18 meters and again, saw the most amazing marine life. I knew i could dive and was comfy in the water but i was a bit worried about the written exam - i'd done no work as i ended up handging out with the girls i met and time just vanished! Needless to say i passed with flying colours - so happy - i now just want to dive more and more!

Tomorrow, Rose and I are heading to the Gili islands for a few days and then maybe to Lombok... we have no plan which i like! Hopefully i can dive on the Gili islands - money depending. Dad, if you want to send any funds... feel free!

Anyway, having an amazing time and its only 1 weeks until Andy arrives so very excited about October 3rd :-)

I hope all is well back home, love to you all.

M xxxx

Brillient Bali!!!

miriamexplores — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:23:00 GMT

After spending the night in a stupidly overpriced room the Canadian girl announced she was going to the airport to get a flight to Singapore! I think she was a bit whimsicle and didn't really know what she wanted to do... she kept saying she wanted to have some fun but then didn't stick around long enough to actually have any fun! Anyway, she left and i found some great hotel which costs 6 pounds per night and includes breakfast. It's perfectly located on Poppies Gang 2 and has a really nice pool and helpful staff. Perfect - all i needed now was some English speaking people!

I was lying by the pool later on in the day and got chatting to a lovely Brazilian girl who speaks perfect English - we arranged to have dinner that evening :-) Then, about 4pm i guy started chatting to me who had just finished uni at Exeter - he was with 3 other guys and 2 girls. They all came over and we were chatting, they then invited me to join them for a night out - things had totally turned around from the previous few days! I now had a dinner date and a night out planned - woo hoo!

I had a fantastic tea - red thai curry - which cost abou 70 pence with the Brazilian girl and also a German chap who was also staying at our hotel. After tea i went and got ready to go out - first time i had worn make-up for about 5 weeks! I had almost forgotten what to do... At 9pm i sat outside my room filing my nails and kinda waited for the guys and girls to come and get me... i waited for about 30 mins and wondered if they had forgotten about me! Luckily an Australian guy asked to borrow some scissors and then invited my out with his mates, should the English people didn't show. Really thoughtful... Anyway, they English people did show up and we had a few beers and played drinking games at the hotel before going to a nice cocktail bar. It was buy one get one free, so obvioulsy we all had 2 cocktails (which were ultra strong!) and headed to the club over the road. It was terrible so we left and went to Bounty - the main club over here - which was an experience! It was so bad we had to have shots of tequila and share a few fishbowls which were horrid but very strong. On our way out of Bounty we stopped to do karioke - our chosen song was 'eye of the tiger' - don't ask why, we were all very drunk at this point!!

We got a taxi to 'Double Six' which was about 15 mins away as Nick said the club there was amazing. It was 50,000 to get in but luckily they paid for mine as i was 'a travelling girl'! :-) Needless to say, nobody was in the club despite it being about 2am so we went to the bar next door and had another beer... We decided that it was a bad idea to go to the empty club, so literally went in, got our free drink and walked out. A very bizarre experience...

We eventually got home about 3:30am all very drunk and tired - so off to sleep we went. Until... an earthquake happened at about 7:30am!! Yes, a proper 6.4 Richter scale earthquake!! It was mad - the hotel guys thought the water tower was going to collapse and everyone ran out of their rooms to see what was happening! It lasted about 6 or 7 seconds which doesn't sound long, but when your room is shaking it feels like forever. Such an amazing experience, it was incredible! I went back to sleep as i felt pretty rough and when i woke up about 10am i thought i had dreamt it all... until i saw my mosquito guard above the windown had fallen out of place and was on my bed.

I spent the day with the guys and girls from England and chilled around the pool and went to the beach - i also booked myself a surf lesson! The lesson is later today and i'm very excited! Will let you all know how it goes...

Anyway, I'm loving Bali and the local people are lovely and i just want to stay here forever! I leave Kuta on Tues to go to Lovina in the North to do my diving course... again, very excited!

Will write soon and i've added some pics to facebook if you want to have a nose.

M xxx

Temples and kamakazi driving to Bromo!

miriamexplores — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:48:00 GMT

On my third day in Yogyakarta i decided to be a bit cultural and booked a trip to both Borobudur and Prabanam temples. It was only an extra 60pence to do both places so it made sense to do both. The 4:20am alarm wasn't much fun but i knew the afternoon would entail lots of swimming and lounging around so didn't mind too much.

On arrival at Borobudur, which is the most visited tourist attraction in Java, I met a lovely Australian girl and her Indonesian friend. I spent the next couple of hours with them and we climbed the the temple and wandered around. I thought that Borobudur would be much bigger than it actually was based on the pictures i had seen and what people had said - it was a bit disappointing but in reality it was pretty big! Borobudur is just one big structure and is about 1000 years old - it is a Muslim temple whereas Prabanam is a Hindu temple.

After a delicious banana pancake and sweet tea for breakfast, all of us piled back on the minibus and drove to Prabanam. I was far more impressed with Prabanam as it had 4 separate temples which were very big and had beautiful carving on them. The grounds were also beautiful and there was much more information to read than at Borobudur. I bumped into Paul at the temple (the guy i had met 2 days previously) so i spent some time having a look around with him and having a natter - was so nice to chat to someone English!

As planned, the afternoon was spent by the pool and i also popped into the town centre on the local bus.... it took forever! I had to go 7 stops, then change and go another 4 stops to get to the main high street. Madness! However, it was a good way to see some of the city... After a bit of shopping I headed back to my hotel and had some fruit and yoghurt for tea (its no fun eating out on your own) then had an early night.

The next morning i had booked to travel to Mount Bromo, a volcano south of Yogyakarta and en route to Bali. Paul was also on the minibus so again, it was nice to be able to chat with someone. All the drivers in Indonesia at pretty terrible and dangerous, but our driver was in a league of his own! I sat in the front as i get a bit travel sick and we had about 8 near head-on colissions! A couple of times i said out loud 'oh my god' because i thought we were going to crash! The driver literally got about 2 centimetres from the car/motorbike/lorry in front on us and would then lurch out and attempt to overtake - way more scary than my diving!

After our lunch stop and everyone talking about the scary driving the driver then started to smoke a joint! I wasn't too shocked when he was talking on his mobile, but smoking weed at the wheel was just something i never expected!! I can also assume that his crazy driving was to compensate for lacking in other areas...!

Somehow we got to Bromo in one piece after about 12 hours or so - we were all shattered. I went to bed at 9pm as we had to get up at 3:30am to climb the volcano - i had booked a horse so i could ride up and was really excited about it. I thought it was pricy - about 12 pounds - but thought it would be worth it... how wrong was i?!

I met my 'horse' at about 4am in the middle of a road in the pitch black. I hopped on and it was more like a donkey - my feet nearly touched the floor, the saddle was sooo uncomfortable and i simply could not ride the beast! A guide practically dragged the horse across the crator of the volcano until the part where i had to climb up. I was so mad at 1) being totally ripped off and 2) for having been so excited about riding and being given a bloody donkey! I told the man i would walk back... not a happy bunny!

The sunrise over the volcano was stunning and the volcano was blasting out a lovely sulphuric gas which stank to high heaven! After plenty of pictures i decided to head back down with a couple from France. I got back to the village and was met by the guide who i told in no uncertain terms that the horse was rubbish and i couldn't ride it!! We walked back to the hotel where i had a nice hot shower and looked forward to breakfast. Breakfast, it turns out was a hard boiled egg and two pieces of bread with a non-existant amount of jam inbetween them. I then managed to put salt (or maybe MSG) in my tea rather than sugar - this just topped off my day - i wanted to cry.

At 9:30am we left the mountain and continued on our journey to Bali... another 12 hours sat on a coach - not very appealing. I got chatting to a Canadian girl who was also travelling alone so we decided to spend the night together once we arrived in Bali. She said she would stay for a couple of days so we could have some fun and nights out...didn't quite work out! Will tell all in my next story!!

M xxxx

Yogyakarta - miriam and motorbikes!

miriamexplores — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:10:00 GMT

I'm not too sure what has come over me, but i keep hopping on strangers motorbikes and paying them to drive me places! The first time I was trying to get the main square (where the Sultan's Palace is amongst other things) when i started chatting to a guy who pursuaded me to go to the 'Art's Centre'. He then spoke to a chap on a motor bike who said he would take me for 3,000 Rupiah (18 pence!). Despite wearing a little dress, i hopped on his bike and he gave me a huge helmet to wear which was just useless! he took me to the 'Art's Centre' where i was shown how they make Batik paintings (very interesting) and then swiftly exited before being coercedinto buying something!

Later on, after some yummy frozen yoghurt and fruit, i was once again looking for the Sultan's Palace. I though i had found it when a guy on a motorbike started to try and talk to me - I really wasn't in the mood but he said he wanted to practice his English so i took pity on him! I decided this was a perfect opportunity to ge a free lift home so suggested that he drove me to my hostel and then we could have a drink and he could practice his English. He seemed happy with this deal, so i hopped on his motorbike - no helmet this time!

We got to my hostel and then went to a bar / restaurant across the road for a drink. I expected him to ask me lots and want to 'practice his English' but he barely said two words - i was sooo bored! The only thing he did talk about was football which was hardly the most riveting conversation. I quickly finished my drink, paid the bill and said it was time to leave. We were walking down the road and he asked if i wanted to have dinner with him - what a joke!! A twenty minute drink was far too long, there was no way i was going to have tea with some boring Indonesian guy! I politely declined and said i had to go and talk to a travel agent to esape him.

Today i had an early start as most of the sites seem to close aboy 12pm - maybe its because of Ramadam...

Again, i got some guy with a motoebike to drive me to the Palace for 5,000 Rupiah this time. I had a personal guide take me around the Palace and explain everything to me - she was so helpful and informative i really enjoyed my visit. After the Palace i wanted to go to the Water Castle but was unsure of the way, so the guide kindly asked a chap to walk me there. After about 20 minutes wandering down tiny little allyways and a brief stop at a Batik shop (yes, anaother one) he said "i leave you here, go straight and turn left to get the the Water Castle"! I couldn't believe i had been let on a total wild goose chase! Needless to say, i never did find the Water Castle, but did find the Bird Market which was also on my 'to see' list. The Bird market sold everything from reptiles to puppies, mice and obviously lots of birds! It was fascinating walking around although it was very cruel and if the RSPCA had seen they would have had a heart attack.

I thought that it was time for a change from motorbikes, so went on a push-bike with a seat on the front from the Market to the main street. The poor chap peddling must have been shattered - i think he got off at one point to push the bike (and me) up a hill. I paid him just 5,000 Rupiah - a quarter of what he originally asked for! They are so cheeky over here but i can understand why they try...

I spent the afternoon by the pool relaxing as i have a 5am start tomorrow - Borobudur and Prabanam temples are the plan for the day.

I shall say goodnight and will write soon... M xxxx

Jakarta - cockroach's and a dinner date

miriamexplores — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:24:00 GMT

I wasn't too sure what to call this little story, i was thinking maybe 'Culture shock and tears' or 'jakarta - avoid it like the plague' or 'hell on earth' also crossed my mind!

You have probably guessed that I didn't really like Jakarta and had a pretty rubbing time there - you would be correct!

I arrived in the afternoon where i checked into my really nice hostel which cost a pretty penny (100,000 Rupiah - 6 pounds) and was feeling rather positive about everything. I decided to go for a wander to get my bearings and a feel for the place whilst it was still light - i don't think its advised for girls to wander the streets at night on their own!

I literlly couldn't walk more than 5 steps without someone shouting something at me. It was either "hello mister" , "where are you going?", "nasi goreng?", "transport", "i take you on my motorbike" and the list continues. To begin with i smiled sweetly and often said hello back, but after a good 15 minutes i was just sick and tired of the hassle. It was worse than Medan!! I think it was heightened by the fact I was on my own and usually Han and I would be able to distribute the comments between us... no such luck this time.

After an hour or so of walking the rediculously busy, dirty streets amd having seen nothing of interest whatsoever, I headed back to my hostel for a bit of a snooze. I was just reading on my nice double bed and spotted a cockroach just casually walking across the floor! My instant reaction was to scream and cry - both of which weren't really an option seeing as though i would seem like a crazed little girl and i didn't want anyone to come into the room as i was half naked! I decided my best option was to capture it, get some clothes on then call for someone to dispose of it. Well, capturing it wasn't the easiest thing to do... i got the plastic pan thing used to flush the loo but then the cockroach started moving at top speed, so my lame attempts to throw the pan thing at it were lost! In the end i shoved on some clothes and got one on the guys to kill and remove it... yuk!

After that little escapade I decided to go for another walk - just to get out of the room! It was about 7pm and dark, but i neded food and decided not to walk far. I spotted a street stall selling Nasi Goreng which looked fab - so stopped and ordered a portion. Whilst the guy was cooking my rice and egg, i sat on the bench with a nice lady. Up until now i had managed to avoid getting hassled and then a guy came up and started chatting to me in English - he was South African. We exchanged to usual plesentries and then he promptly sat down and continued to chat to me. My food was handed to me and i only had a 50,000 note, whci the guy didn't have change for, so the South African guy ended up paying for my tea!! Result! Well, it was until he started trying to get me to go for a drink with him and wanted to give me his mobile number... people seriously don't seem to get hints in Asia! In the end i insisted that i was tired and didn't want to have a drink or play pool with him and was going to my hostel. He was rather persistent about seeing me the next day, so i agreed to meet in in the same place at 6pm the following day and said we would have dinner - he seemed happy with this and off i went knowing full well i wasn't going to show up! :-)

I got back and ate about hal of my rice before actually looking at what was in it... chicked liver and chick feet perhaps?! Either way, it didn't look too good so i extracted the 'suspect' bits and polished off the rest. Again, i was in bed reading (about how to get out of jakarta!) and was about to go to the loo before turning off the lights and as i opened the bathroom door, spotted ANOTHER Cockroach! This was just not funny - one was bad enough, but two!!!! I was dying for the loo so tried to get it to move by throwing an elastic band at it - no joy. Again, i was half dressed (this isn't my usual attire!) so put on some clothes and went to get help. The man came and the cockroach had vanished - typical! How i slept that i night i do not know...

The next day i had a plan - get train ticket then go to a shopping mall where they had Starbucks, Topshop and no street guys shouting at me!

I walked to gambir train station and got to the right place with my form all filled in only to stand in a queue and be repeatedly poked, yes poked, by some man 2 spaces behind me in the queue! Why he was poking me in the back and shoulder i do not know... maybe i wasn't pushing forwards in the same way the lady behind me was! I was already hot and bothered and desperate to leave - this man was just adding to my problem. I got to the counter only to be told that the tickets had sold out. I then showed the lady by book and she told me I was at the wrong train station! I think i was about to cry, until i saw a do-nut shop where i stopped for a drink and pulled myself together.

I got a taxi to the other train station where i was told i couldn't buy my ticket until 6pm... this was turning into a serious nightmare. All i wanted to do was leave Jakarata and everything and everyone was getting in my way! I got more hassle leaving the station - one man even stood over me whilst i was clearly looking at my book and then sat down next to me!

Anyway, i got in a little orange 3-wheeler taxi thing (so cool, i cannot explain!) and headed to the Mall. I arrived at this beautiful, quiet, clear, air-condiutioned mall with a sigh of relief. I then had lunch at Starbucks and bought myself some new underwear to cheer myself up - simple things... :-)

After a good few hour shopping i decided to walk back to the hostel, get my bags and go and catch my train. I walked for a good hour in the wrong direction before giving up and getting in a taxi and back to my hostel! Oh well, at least i had killed some time.

I got to the train station and bought my ticket to Yogyakarta without any hassle - i was just about 3 hours too early. I sat down next to a lady (always a good call) who offered me various different foods including a duck egg, cake, fruit and the one thing i accepted (to be polite) was a little round squidy thing covered in coconut. I bit into this sweet / cake thing and some brown liquid spurted everywhere! I was so embarrased but we both though it was highly amusing and couldn't stop laughing! Obviously i had no idea there was anything inside this cake thing until it went everywhere! It really was rather tasty so when she offered another, i accepted but ate it very carefully second time around!

After the food lady had left, a nice Indonesian guy came to sit and chat with me. For once, he wasn't selling anything and just wanted to practice his Enlish. He said he lived near Borobudur (huge temple) and that he would show me around if i wanted him too - i have his e-mail, so maybe!

Once on the train, which arrived early, I got chatting to another guy who told me all about his ambitions to work on a cruise ship in America! Their perceptions of Westerner's are so idealist it's scary... interesting conversation though and another e-mail to add to the collection i've started!

I managed to get some sleep on the train - it was hard with people constantly trying to sell coffee, "pot mie" (pot noodle!), newspapers, nail clippers and other bits and bobs. I arrived in Yogyakata at about 5:30am - an hour ahead of schedule which was highly confusing - and got straight in a taxi to my lovely hostel and went straight to sleep.

I will write about Yogyakarta soon... but so far, so good :-) Oh, although i have already had one invitation for dinner! The men here are very odd, i'm glad i have a Western man!!

Beautiful Lake Toba

miriamexplores — Mon, 7 Sep 2009 11:48:00 GMT

Finally, time to recover, relax and get a tan! We hopped on the ferry from Parapat to Samosir which is an island in the middle of Lake Toba. We got off the little ferry at Samosir Cottages and were met by a guy called Buddy who showed us to Reeption and welcomed us. Unbeknown to us he was just some random guy who didn't actually work for the hotel! There seem to be lots of these guys in Indonesia who are very attentive (often overly so) and then try to become your guide of chauffeur!

Anyway, we got a room right on the Lake with 3 beds for 120,000 Rupiah which was a bargain considering it had a hot shower and flushing loo. this was a real luxury after squatting in the jungle and washing in cold water! I quickly got into my bikini and promptly lay in the scorching sun all afternoon, regularly dipping into the clean, clear lake to cool off - perfect day. Later on, we met up with three of the girls we had done the jungle trek with - such a nice suprise - so we arrange to meet them for drinks later... We were just on our way out for tea when the power went out, apparently this happens all the time so was no big deal although we did wonder how our food would be cooked. We ended up having a fabulous candlelit dinner at Jenny's restaurant; fish curry turned out to be a whole fish covered in a paste / sauce which was just delicious. There were only about 8 people in the resaurant (nearly full!) and we were entertained by a fantastic Indonesian guy playing the guitar and singing. perfect end to a perfect day :-)

The next day we walked around Tuk Tuk which took about an hour - beautiful sleepy little place with lots of character and then spend the rest of the day by the Lake just lounging around. It sounds like we were very lazy, but after all our walking we were in need on lots of lying down! Buddy was still following us around and trying to heal Carolyn's poorly tummy with reflexology and herbs and leaves... very bizarre but seemed to help somewhat! We agreed with him to drive us back to Medan the following morning to catch our flights - it cost a bit more than a regular taxi but the air conditioning was worth the extra pound or two.

This was my last day with han and carolyn as they were flying to banda Axhe and i was going back to Penang to get a 60 day visa. I knew it was going to be a waste of 2 or 3 days but needed my visa so it had to be done.. I am due to get my visa today and then hope to fly to Jakarta tomorrow (11th). I had booked a flight from medan to jakarta but have missed it - total waste but again, i need my visa!

Will write again once i am in Jakarta or Jogjakarta (southern Java) and keep you updated. It's really hard to upload pictures on this system and takes forever to do on facebook - will try though! I managed to crash the entire Internet cafe in Medan the other day as i was faffing around with pictures - oops!!

Volcano Climbing in Bergastagi

miriamexplores — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 20:34:00 GMT

After a long bus journey from Bukit Lawang we arrived in Bergastagi absolutely shattered. I promptly refused do climb any volcano as i thought my legs might fall off! I wanted to chill out at Lake Toba then stop and climb Mount Sibayak on our way back to Medan in a few days time. After some food and drink I felt much better and made an agreement with han and Carolyn that i would climb the volcano at 7am the following day if my shoes were dry! They were still soaking from the jungle trek so i was pretty confident there would be no climbing the next day! Unfortunately we had to make a decision that evening as we had book a guide and transport to lake Toba following the climb.

We booked to go the jungle route up the volcano with a guide, have lunch provided, visit the hot springs on the way back down and then be taken all the way to Lake Toba. It cost more than the local bus but saved us lots of time and hassle and for less than 10 pounds it was a bargain considering the journey takes about 5 hours.

So, we all had an early night and got up about 5:30am to get ready for our volcano climb. Mount Sibayak is over 2000ft high so its doable but not easy. I have banana porridge for breakfast (regular meal now!) and tea with condensed milk (try it - it's amazing!) which set me up for my challenge!

We were picked up by our guide, Gilly, and driver at 7am and taken to the edge of the jungle. It started off pretty easy and i was thinking it was a doddle compared to the trek in Bukit Lawang! I was feeling highly fit and healthy until the scrambling and crawling parts arrived... by the time we had nearly reached the top i thought my legs were going to drop off. I still don'y know how i made it, my legs just stopped working! My excuse is that a leech had attached me half way up the volcano and must have sucked out half of my energy.

I cannot begin to describe how many leeches there were in the jungle part of the volcano - they were everywhere! I spotted on on my ankle and lept out a little yelp (well, maybe it was more of a scream) and Gilly came to my rescue. he pulled the leech off and it was bleeding quite a bit - yuck! After that i was paranoid about getting bitten again so every 2 minutes i was checking my feet, and more often that not there was at least one leech on my shoes.

The climb was well worth it when we got to the top - took about 3 hours or so - the views were fantastic. The volcano is dormant but still had sulphur and steam coming out of parts. I have never seen a volcano before so don't know if it was big or small - it looked big to me though! We stopped at the top for lunch which was Nasi Goreng (spicy rice with a fried egg). This is one of my favourite Indonesian meals although sometimes it's a bit too hot to handle!

It was chilly at the very top so we headed back down after a 20 minute rest - it was sooo much easier walking down! After about 2 hours of walking we arrived at the hot springs, which were more than welcome. We stripped off to our bikini's and relaxed and soothed our sore muscles for a while before getting in our minibus and heading back to out hotel to collect our big bags.

We picked up all our stuff, including our fresh, clean washing and got back in the minibus and headed to Lake Toba. On the way we stopped at a beautiful waterfall that was just enormous - the largest waterfall i think i have ever seen. While we were there we met some Indonesian schoolgirls who were dying to talk to us. They were about 13 or 14 years old and they were so cute because they all wanted to stand next to us and talk to us. They even asked if we were on facebook and wanted to add us as friends! After chatting for about 5 minutes we said goodbye and continued on our journey to the Lake... i will write about this in the next story.

Orangutans at Bukit Lawang

miriamexplores — Thu, 3 Sep 2009 21:51:00 GMT

What a nightmare journey!! We got up early aa we wanted to be in Bukit Lawang before the predictable tropical storm at about 4pm. We headed to the bus station in a motorcycle with a side-car which was an experience... the roads in Medan are like real life Wacky Races! There don't seem to be any rules - its every man for himself! We agreed with the driver a price of 30,000 Rupiah but when we arrived at the bus station after about 30 mins he demanded 35,000! All of a sudden a big group of guys were around Han and I telling us to give the driver an extra 5,000. Not a nice situation when it was clear we were two young women who couldn't run anywhere with huge bags and about 9 guys surrounding us. In the end we just walked away and just paid the agreed price. This was the start of a long saga...

We me a Dutch couple who were also going to Bukit lawang and said a minibus was faster than a big bus. We searched for one but ended up paying 10,000 (60p) and got on a big bus. We drove for about 5 mins then the bus pulled over and the driver got out - after 5 mins or so it was clear we weren't going anywhere so lost our money and got out! We then realised there was no ATM in Bukit Lawang and needed to withdraw money - this meant a taxi ride all the way back to where we had spent the night in a taxi that had to be hot-wired as the driver had no key! It was a bit dodgy when he stopped for petrol and didn't turn of the engine...

Anyway, we eventually got our money and a decent taxi back to the bus station and got into a minibus. After a hairy 3 hour ride we arrived in the little village of Bukit Lawang. I'm sure it was no coincidence but two 'guides' got on our minibus and one got out and came with Han and I and the other chap went with the Dutch couple. We got settled into our lovely but pricy room (9 pounds per night!) then had a chat with the guide who had got on our minibus. We signed up to the 2 day jungle trek which cost nearly 1 million Rupiah (50 pounds) and included meals, overnight tent and tubing back to the village on the second day.

It was an early start the next day and we donned on our sexy walking gear (will add pics soon!) and met up with the other people on our trek - 5 girls and a guy. One girl, Carolyn was from England so we spend most of the time chatting to her and she subsequently travelled with us for a few days after the trek.

After about an hour or so of being in the jungle we got our first sight of an Orangutan! He was beautiful and was just chilling out up in the trees. We then saw a mother and baby which was just fantastic and the baby was really small. later on in the day we saw two Orangutans playing together and our guide - Donny - informed us they were about to make love! We never saw that part and i think it may have been rather disturbing so i'm kind of glad we missed it!

Throughout the two days we were shown lots of different plants and told all about their medicinal properties which was interesting. We also saw plenty of enormous ants, millipedes, spiders and leeches. We arrived at our camp about 4pm which was by the river, so we all had a swin which was so welcome after being hot and sweaty all day. The guys cooked a great evening meal and entertained us in the evening with various card games and puzzles. I slept really badly as we were just on roll mats and it was pretty cold in the night - not ideal when we had loads of hard walking the next day.

Day two was harder than the first day - lots of scrambling up and down steep parts and walking through the river in socks hurt my feet! By the time we reached the River to go tubing back to the village it had started throwing it down. It meant the river was more full and the rapids were bigger! It was great fun going down in big rubber rings although I was frozen and soaked to the skin by the time we reached the village. Sadly Bukit lawang doesn't have hot showers so a cold shower didn't really warm me up, but at least i was dry and clean.

We moved from Eco Loadge when we finished the trek as we were offered a room elsewhere for 50,000 (3 pounds) for 3 people! Carolyn had joined us at this point and stayed with us for the following 4 days. All 8 of us that had been on the trek spend the night drinking and chatting and the Indonesians guides and their friends all joined us for the evening - great fun. The only downside was that the Indonesian guys took it in turns to try it on with each Western girl! They just didn't seem to get the hint... can't blame then for trying though!!

We left Bukit Lawang early the next morning, but i will write that up in another story....

Medan - crazy town!

miriamexplores — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:06:00 GMT

It was a very early start for Han and I this morning - 6:30am!! We'd been up late chatting so we were not happy when the alarm went off, but we had to cath our flight to Medan, Sumatra (Indoneasia) at 10:30am. We kind of waddle (highly ungraceful)with our bags, so needed to put in a fair amount of travel time!

We landed in Medan at about 11am and got a tax to a hostel that had been recommended to us. It is alright - double bed, air con, little e-suite with a cold shower and loo that doesn't have a flush! After a bit of a rest, we headed towards the centre for a bit of a mooch and to get our earings.

We had been out of the hostel for 2 seconds before a guy on a motorbike with sidecar / taxi was shoting and wanting to give us a ride. We said no thanks and carried on walking and a moment later someone was shouting, another wanted to take us in his motorbike taxi thing - this continued for the entire time we were on the road!

Once we had found the centre we went into the mall to get some food and everyone was looking at us, staring and some were even pointing! It was like being an animal in the zoo - such a strange feeling to be stared at and have everyone think we were a novelty! A lot of the men just said "hello miss" or whistled or shouted but not in a nasty kind of way.

There was just one guy who totally freaked us out - he folowed us for about 2 and a half hours around the city! Everytime we thought w had lost hime, he popped up! We asked him what he wanted but didn't / couldn't say and we told him to go away, but to no avail. We didn't want him to know where we were staying so we went into a posh hotel for a drink... he came right up to the door and peered though the window but luckily didn't come in. Very odd behaviour and we were very glad to have gotten rid of him with our hotel trick!

Tomorrow hannah and I are leaving for Bukit Lawang - this is where there is a jungle with Orangutans and other animals that you can go trekking in. We're going trekking in the jungle on Tuesday, spending the night in a tent in the jungle (mad, i know!) and then 'tubing' back down the river on Wednesday. Should be great fun!! We are also meeting Julia tomorrow - another girl i met online so fingers crossed she is as lovely as hannah!

I have put photo's on facebook for those who want to have a nose..

M xxxx

Penang - Muslim's and more rain

miriamexplores — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:01:00 GMT

We arrived in Georgetown, Penang about 8pm and decided to go for a wander after we had put our bags in our room had had a rest. Han and I got some food from the guys that just cook in the street and found ourselves outside a Mosque. Prayer time had obviously just finished and everyone was on the street outside. The Mosque was beautiful so we walked down and were ushered inside and handed long gowns and headscarves. Afrer we had donned on our new gear, we were welcomed by the guy who seemed to look after the Mosque and he asked us where we were from etc. he explained lots to us about his religion, why they fast and pray facing a certain direction etc. He then took us on a bit of a tour to places where tourists aren't usually allowed...

We went round to the side of the Mosque where some men were sitting on the floor eating and drinking - we were offered to share their food and I took a really yummy samosa! The head guy of the Mosque (not sure what you would call him) then came over to us as we were eating with these men and asked us lots of questions and wished us well on our trip, telling us not to stay out too late! We were then shown the area where the men (women have a totally separate area) wash their feet, arms, face and hands - to wash away their sins. It was beautiful and the man was so kind and told us so much stuff we didn't know.

We walked back to the entrance and had some tea with ginger (very tasty) sat on the floor and we talked some more about why they sip their tea, eat slowly and sit on the floor to eat.. amongst other things. We then handed back our gowns etc and left feeling incredily special that wehad been shown around and been able to share food and drink with these men and talk to the head guy. We were told that we "had been chosen" and that why they allowed it - not too sure about that bit but we certainly felt that we were priviledged to have had such an experience. han said it was a shame she didn't take a picture of me in my robes as i looked hilarious!!

We were already loving Penang so much more than Langkawi, but we were still seeking the sunshine. The following day it was sunny so we packed our stuff and got on the bus to Batu Ferringi ready to hit the beach! We arrived and found a room about 10 metres from the beach and speedily put our bikin's ion! It was beautiful and so warm... until the rain came! Yes, we had more rain! It has now been raining for the past 2 days - sometimes it comes down so hard that you think the roof is coing to cave in! We stayed 2 nights by the beach and moved back to the town today.

We have a flight booked for Sunday morning to Sumatra and the forecast is sunny - roll on Sunday!!

Langkawi disaster!

miriamexplores — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:44:00 GMT

After a few scorching hot days in KL, Han and I decided we needed some beach time... Langkawi is reknowned for its perfect paradise beaches so we booked a cheap flight and some cheap accomodation for the next day. We were sooo excited it was unbelieveable and couldn't wait to arrive.

We nearly didn't arrive as we had to circle the airport for a good 30 mins and wait for the weather to clear before it was safe to land - torrential rain is an understatement! We were glad we had arrived and hoped it would be good weather the next day... we then got a taxi to our hostel. Well, it certainly was not a hostel! A barn with MDF boards to make a 'room' would be a better description! I cannot describe how terrible it was - there was no window, the walls didn't meet the ceiling, it didn't have a light good enough to read a book and well i didn't even sit on the bed as it looked so old and uncomfy. I was just in shock and didn't know what to say! We had already paid so knew we had lost 1 night's money but didn't care and decide to look for a new place immediately.

We were about to leave and start looking for a new room and the owner / manager collered us (Irish lady about 40)and explained the drinks system, showed us the TV area, internet and the 'swimming pool'. Oh how we laughed when we saw the 'pool'!! It was a round paddling pool overflowing with water and looked rediculous! She was so excited and explained how she had had "so many parties" and "great times with 18 adults in the pool". She must have been insane! So, we wandered off and found a room directly on the beach - it was clean, comfy and had an en-suite. It was 90 Ringitt per night (16 pounds) which was more than we had hoped to pay but there was no way we were staying in the shack with the crazy Irish lady!

We got some of our money back and walked in the rain to our new pad - such a relief! Well, a relief until the next day came and it wasn't sunny!! We were so mad - all we wanted was some sunshine! We had a bit of time on the beach as it was warm, but then the rain came...

We were so fed up that we got the ferry to Penang that evening and were just glad to get off the island - we had 24 hours in so-called paradise! We met some girls on the ferry who hooked us up with a good guesthouse (30 Ringitt per room!) and we felt things were finally going our way...

Our afternoon with Amir

miriamexplores — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:22:00 GMT

What an amazing day we have had!! In the morning I got chatting to Beth and we arranged to go to the Batu caves together as her boyfriend was poorly and it made sense for Hannah, Beth and I all to go together. After breakfast she said that she had gone to college with a Malay guy and that she had arranged for him to meet us all at the Metro station and take us to the caves and also a waterfall. Obviously we said it was more than ok to meet this guy and be taken around by car rather than the train and bus!

So, the afternoon arrived and we put our bikini's on ready for the watherfall and hopped on a couple of trains and Amir met us about 2:30pm. he was absolutely delightful and his English was perfect. We all went to the Batu caves which were just fantastic - held a snake and saw loads of monkeys (one was eating an ice cream!). The gold statue outside was enormous and the entire experience was just fabulous... managed to avaoid the bat cave - phew!

We left the caves and drove all through the mountains seeing a massive man-made lake, little villages and lots of wandering cats and dogs (nobody seems to keep dogs on a lead in malaysia). We arrived at the river and waterfall and sadly we were under a rainy patch (dry either side of where we were, but wet in the middle!) so couldn't swim but was still beautiful.

Amir then asked if we wanted to go to his house for a drink, we all agreed so off we went... On our arrival there was food on the table, tea in the pot and a very warm welcome from his mum and dad. Bearing in mind they are on Ramadam and can't eat or drink, we felt so touched that his mum had prepared so much amazing food for us.

We sat down at the table and helped ourselves to noodles with king prawns and then for pudding we had banana cooked in a banana leaf and chocolate cake - all absolutely delicios! Just as we started to eat, Amir's 4 younger sisters came downstairs and we were introduced and they all shook our hand. They were so polite and just sat on the sofa watching us quietly - we were the first western people ever to visit their home so it was understandable that we were a novelty.

After we had finished eating and drinking we took lots of photo's and had a chat with his sisters who spoke quite good english. We then went to the local market where they were selling all sorts of food and drink, it was just a shame we couldn't try much as we were all full from the meal Amir's mum had given us. We walked back to Amir's house and sat down and chatted for a while - we declined the offer of drinks but a few minutes later one ofthe sisters came in with a tray and glasses "just in case you get thirsty" which was just so sweet!

We were welcomed with such warmth it was very touching and we were amazed at how well behaved Amir's sister's were and how hospitable they had been to 3 westerner girls who had just turned up pretty much unannounced. Since i have been here, all the Malay people have been very kind and hospitable - makes us English look pretty rubbish to be honest.

We kissed all the family goodbye and Amir drove us back to the train station about 7pm. It had been the best day and we all made our way back to the hostel just feeling like we were so lucky to have spent the afternoon with Amir and to have met his family.

Miriam visits the Immigration Office

miriamexplores — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Oh yes, i had a Bridget Jones moment and was told to sit outside the Immigration Office and wait to be seen to.

To tell the story from the start... i was getting the train from Singapore to KL and had filled in my immigration form and had a stamp at the station in Singapore. So, i thought i was good to have a snooze and relax when after about 30 mins the train stopped and we all had to get off - we had reached the border to Malaysia and had to go through Immigration (for what i thought was the 2nd time).

I got in the queue and showed my passport and immigration card thinking all was fine until he asked for a bit of card that i filled in on entering Singapore. Well, this card was in my big bag on the train in my 'souvenir' book! I couldn't be bothered getting it so i just said i'd lost it.... He then said to wait outside the Immigration Office to be seen to. I found this highly amusing as i felt like a naughty schoolgirl haviong to sit outside the headmasters office! I thought it would be good to have a memory of the occasion so took a picture of the 'Immigration Office' sign. Well, before i knew it 4 officers were on me like a ton of brinks saying i wasn't allowed to take pictures, pointed out the huge sign saying 'no pictures allowed' and took my camera and made me delete the picture!

I don't think it helped that i still found this all very amusing!! So, i went into the office and was told off for losing my bit of card but it was fine and the officer just photocopied my passport and filled in some forms. I was really late getting back on the train and the guys sleeping near me were getting worried! I was sleeping on top of a guy who looked like a bedragled Morgan Freeman - i couldn't decide if he was dodgy or nice as he looked like pretty scary. It turns out that he was absolutely delighful and took me under his wing and showed me where i needed to go once we arrived in KL. :-)

I got to my hostel about 9am and it's alright... not as nice as the other place but it's 1/3 of the price so i can't complain. I spent far more than i had planned in Singapore so trying to be ultra good for the next few weeks!

I hope everyone is well back home,

M xxx

Last day in Singapore

miriamexplores — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:39:00 GMT

My time is up and i'm moving on to Kuala Lumpur tonight. Apparantly the trains are really old and rickety so how i am going to sleep in my bed i do not know! On the other hand, the public transport here is so fantastic that the trains they consider 'rickety and old' might be just like ours at home!

Had a good last day - did a few jobs (including sending a parcel to Mat in Oz) and then went to the National Museum. I was really impressed with the museum - they had a great talking headset thing (geeky, i know!) which managed to keep my attention for a good 45 minutes. There was also an art exhibition which was good, apart from the room full of dead horses! Well, five horses which pretty much filled the room!

Just back at the hostel now and going to read my book before getting the train at 9pm.

Will write again once i arrive in KL and will do my best to learn how to upload pics too.

M xx

Days 2 & 3 - Miriam gets lost

miriamexplores — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Don't worry! I wasn'nt lost for 2 whole days, just managed to get lost twice in 2 days... well, what else do you expect from me! :-)

Since i last wrote, i've been a very busy bee and still have sore feet, but luckily my fingers have regained feeling! Happy girl, i was starting to worry a tad.

On Monday evening I went to the 'Night Safari' which was about a 30 min bus trip outside of the city. It was absolutely amazing, i would definately give it 10 out of 10! Unfortunately you couldn't take photo's as the flash would scare the animals.. so i bought some postcards from the shop!

To begin with there were some fire throwing / breathing dancing men wering next to nothing which was highly entertaining and then it was time for the tram ride to see all the animals. The animals were so much more active at night than in the day and they were so close you could practically touch them - obvioulsy we didn't get too close to the lions or hyaenas though!

After the Night Safari we headed into town; It was about 11:30pm and we were starving so stopped and had some really nice food (spicy pork & rice for me!) and some nibbly bits too. After a long tea and natter we decided to say goodnight and my adventure began! I decided to get the MRT (metro) but had missed the last one so decided to walk... and walk...and walk! I wasn't too sure i was going in the right direction and I didn't recognise anywhere either. My little legs were so tired i decided to get the bus (i'm very public transport savvy!). I got on my bus and the driver ushered me on when i got my purse out... i then tried to pay when i was getting off the bus and caused a huge confusion! The drived was asking how i had paid and i kept saying "I've not paid, i need to give you some money...". Needless to say, he just ushered me off and i got a free ride home! Result!!

After just a few hours sleep I got up and hoped on the bus to the zoo (i love anything animal related!). I spent a few hours there an saw White Tigers, Polar bears, these big cats that were ultra cute, Leopards and lots more. The zoo was incredible, so well done and it felt & looked really natural. The best bit was that the monkeys were allowed to just hang out in the trees and weren't enclosed at all - they were literally just a feet or two away from you in the trees.

Today (day 3) I went to Sentosa wich is a little island just next to Singapore and is owned by Singapore. After a busy couple of days i just wanted to chil on the beach... needless to say i fell asleep and now i'm rather red! Fingers crossed it will go brown by tomorrow!

This has turned into a really long piece, so i'll leave it here. I leave for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow evening and am meeting a girl called Han who i'll be spending a few days with.

Hope all is well back home,

M xxx

Day 1 in Singapore - sore feet!

miriamexplores — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:31:00 GMT

I have been walking around Singapore for 7, yes 7 hours today!! And we only stopped for about 30 mins (two refeshment stops for 15 mins!) Breakfast was yummy (scrambled egg, toast with peanut butter & jam and tea) so i was fully fuelled to walk for miles

Deborah and I have explored Little India, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Raffles Hotel and Singapore Art Museum (the museum was for you Dad!). I've had a great day with Bridget (Dutch girl who's training to be a doctor) and we're planning to go out for tea & drinks tomorrow as its her last day.... should be good :-)

My feet are about to drop off so im going up to the top floor to sit outside and read my book. I'm meeting the Australian girl, Bridget, at the night safari in a couple of hours so need to relax for a bit first.

Dad - tried to send you an e-mail but it bounced back... please can you e-mail me and then i can just reply. Don't worry, im not asking for money, yet!!

M xxx

ps - will try to add pics soon, i know just text is probably very dull!