SE Asia... Oceania... and Beyond

Hello from Australia! Or maybe I should say “G’day Mates”.

Yes, my trip has taken a dramatic twist and I am now in the land of Oz. But before I tell you about it, let me backtrack to where I previously left off… Cambodia.

Cambodia was to say the least very different from anywhere I have ever been. It is very chaotic and poor, yet very interesting and strangely enjoyable. While in Cambodia I visited Phnom Penh, Siem Ream and Angkor Wat.

Phnom Penh is probably the poorest capital city I have ever visited. However, I can understand why this is when you read about the horrific crimes the Khmer Rouge (KR) committed against the country, this city and their own people in the late 1970’s. One also shouldn’t forget about the colossal amount of obvious political corruption that has gone on since. So anyways… while in Phnom Penh I visited the classic sights such as the Palaces, Temples and great monuments. I also visited the accepted tourist sights of the Killing Fields, shooting ranges and former KR training camps. I think at this point I need not say much more. However, I do necessitate that all the Cambodians I have met have all been exceptionally nice, welcoming and hardworking. It is nice to see they are not giving up and even with all the corruption are striving to make Cambodia a better place.

Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor Wat (one of the 7 wonders of the world). Quite a small town Siem Reap is, but is has such a nice charm to it. The people there are also extremely helpful and nice, as they should be, the city survives off the tourism of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat, for those of you who do not know, is the pride and joy of Cambodia. Angkor Wat itself is the largest house of worship in the world, and it is also surrounded by what seems like countless other temples, terraces and altars. It is quite a sight to see. Some people take a week to see all the temples. I spent a day and a half there, after that I was all “templed out” and ready to head back to Thailand (via three hours on the worst road I have ever, ever, ridden on. Apparently this road is owned by an “unknown airline” (Bangkok Air I’d assume) who tries to force people to fly to Thailand.)

After the atrocious drive to the border I found Thailand. Again it was off to Koh Samui, my home away from home. I moved in with my friend Aom for about two weeks so I could just relax with friends, go to the beach, read some books and get a follow up dentist appointment for my wisdom tooth. It was nice being back. I enjoyed being by the ocean, yet surrounded on three sides by mountains, having a real bed, home cooked thai meals, water buffalos across the street and elephants on the corner.

While I was in Thailand I also snuck off to Koh Phangan for a weekend so that I could get in four scuba dives. The diving was quite incredible and better than the previous dives I had done. I think I am finding a new obsession.

So after two weeks and a failed attempt to change my airplane ticket I was off to Sydney, Australia. Sydney was great. Although it was kind of windy, I was able to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the Circular Quay, botanical gardens, the various parks, and Ashbury, the home of my friend Kris’s family. All in all, I enjoyed Sydney very much and I found it extremely nice to be in a westernized country again.

So this brings me to today, Monday January 29th, 2007. I just arrived in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. The weather is hot and humid and the beach is waiting for me. Tomorrow it is off to the nearby Fraser Island, a World Heritage island. This island is supposed to be the jewel of Oz and I will spend the next two days discovering all it has to offer. Following Fraser is a two day/two night sailing trip in Whitsunday and the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. I am really looking forward to this trip. Just me, new friends, a retired championship racing yatch, more scuba diving and snorkeling, and of course the Great Barrier Reef.

OK… enough said mates.

Cheers,

Tim

P.S. – I am supposed to be heading back home on February 5th. We’ll see what happens?

Pictures *Pics of Australia coming soon

Laundry and Farming in Phnom Penh

My tuk tuk driver (called Santa Clause) and his lovely daughter

Killing Fields, monument of respect for those who died

Angkor Wat in the morning

Massive tree covering part of theTemple where the Tomb Raider movie was filmed in Angkor Wat

Ahhh... Koh Samui, my home away from home

Typical Samui... Coconuts, Monkey and my favorite roasted chicken stand

So much to say, so little time… I will try to keep this of reasonable length.

Since the last update I have been not only city hopping, but country hopping as well. It all started on December 18th as I left Koh Samui and headed to the island of Penang in Malaysia.

Penang was to be a quick stopover for me before heading out to the 99 islands of Langkawi. I was there to straighten out my Vietnam visa and to eat some good indian food. Unfortunately, only the later happened as the travel agencies in Penang were unable to get me a visa. The indian food was great and ridiculously cheap I must say, about $1-$2 for a full meal.

For those of you who don’t know, a great portion of the malay cuisine is actually what most of us would consider curry based indian food, although only about 7-8% of the population is Indian. The rest of the country is about 50% Malay, 24% Chinese, 11% Indigenous and the rest is a mix. As for the religion, well it is predominately a Muslim country which makes it a strict Islamic state where you will be hung for drug possession and trafficking. However, there are other minority religions in the country such as Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian/Catholic (about 10%) and Sikh.

So after Penang it was the islands of Langkawi. These islands are located about 45km off of the northwest coast of Malaysia. I spent sometime island hoping and enjoying a laid back nightlife with people from all over the globe. The beaches here were quite nice, the people very friendly… but all in all it didn’t compare to the islands of Thailand (Although I did enjoy watching the filming of some random Bollywood movie which you don’t see in Thailand).

To top off Malaysia I headed to Kuala Lumpur for the Christmas holiday. I spent the first two days doing the KL sites of KL Tower, the Bird Park, the Batu Caves, the Petronas Towers, Putrajaya and more. For Christmas it was the water park all day and then a really nice dinner, drinks and euchre.

As departure time neared, I prepared myself to head to the shopping capital of Asia, Singapore. I was there to meet my friends from NY, Jeff and Felicia. I used to work with Felicia in NYC. She herself grew up in Singapore originally so her and her husband Jeff were able to show me the sites (I mean malls) of Singapore and all of the good eats. There wasn’t too much else other than this to do, as for the first time on my entire trip it was pouring rain all day, every day. (Although I am told that this never happens in Singapore)

On December 29th it was time for country number 23, Vietnam. As I flew into Ho Chi Minh City, or as I prefer to call it, Saigon, I was awed by all of the old USA military hangers, bunkers and other structures and equipment that lay idle along the old USA/South Vietnamese airport. Saigon, from what I understand, is much like it used to be during the war (especially in the outer lying areas). It is kind of eccentric seeing everything here. I have watched so many documentaries and seen so many movies about what went on in and around Vietnam and now I was here.

Saigon is quite an interesting place. One of my favorite places on the trip so far. It is very different from everywhere else I have been. One of the most shocking things is the lack of traffic lights. For the most part they are non-existent, even in the biggest of intersections. It is pretty much a go when and where you want, just try not to hurt anybody type of place and 98% of the vehicles on the road are motorbikes. Just picture in you mind the start of a marathon race, then replace all of the people with motorbikes and put 2-6 people on each one. Then drop a random car in now and then and remove all traffic lights… welcome to the organized chaos of driving and crossing streets in Vietnam.

But there is so much more to Saigon than the streets. Great markets, shopping, historic museums (Reunification and War Museum in particular), underground war tunnels, great food, clubs, people and culture… oh and tons of communist propaganda. All in all Vietnam treated me well.

Well I have just arrived in Phnom Pehn, the capital of Cambodia. I really do not have much to say about Cambodia as of right now so look for my thoughts in the next blog entry (hopefully from Koh Samui) soon.

Good luck and happy new years to everyone. I tried my best to keep this short.

Tim

Christmas inside the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Towers at night

Spoiled rotten at the Park Hyatt Pool Saigon

Hiding out in the Cu Chi tunnels of Vietnam

Typical farming in Vietnam

Spending time on the farm

Typical transportation in Saigon

Happy New Year from Tim, Oli, Jeff and Felicia