Penang: Jewel Of The Orient

Hey folks,

Not too long since my last post but Penang has been so interesting and full of experiences that I had to log some of it now while it is still fresh in my mind. Tonight is my third night here, and I am taking it easy and doing some reading, something I'm latching onto again now that I'm on my own. But my first night in the city was quite interesting and crazier than expected.

It started out with a great meal of fried rice and fried frogs at the local food mall. I spent fifteen minutes trying to decide what to eat because there were about twenty places to choose from, all affordable and seemingly pretty tasty. Eventually, curiosity for something abnormal and new won out and I tried some frog. It really didn't taste too different from fried chicken, except the texture of the meat was more similar to fish as it came off in flakes. Still worth the experience! After stuffing my face, I headed to the area where the bars were concentrated, all offering happy hour specials which were decently affordable considering the taxes Malaysia imposes due to their disapproval of alcohol. While I was enjoying a margarita, a group of about thirty Aussies shouted for me to come join them and feeling a little bit lonely, I took their offer and went and sat down with the rowdy bunch. It turned out they are all in the army and are doing some of their jungle training in Butterworth, a nearby city with an air force base. Several of them were completely nuts but they were quite fun to hang out with and they were buying me drinks and food so I stuck around and went to a few bars with them. After a few hours, I snuck away when they became a little too belligerent and headed back to my hostel.

Khoo Kongsi clanhouse, the grandest in all of Malaysia

On Wednesday, I started my day early and had a full day of walking around Georgetown set as my task at hand. I started things off with a visit to the nearby pier, where I found it a bit of a strange sight to see the crystal clear blue waters considering how much of a mainland city Georgetown seems to be. In only twelve hours, I had almost forgotten I was actually on an island! Next, I headed over to Fort Cornwallis, the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort was intended as a defense against the pirates, Kedah, and the French because of the Napoleonic Wars, however, it has never actually been engaged in any battles. It is also home to a large cannon called the Sri Rambei Cannon which traded hands between the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Portugal before the British finally placed it in Penang where it currently resides. My next stop was the famous clanhouse, Khoo Kongsi, the grandest in all of Malaysia. In 1894, the clanhouse burned down, allegedly struck by lightning, however, the Chinese believed that it was due to its resemblance to the Emperor's palace, which provoked the gods. It was rebuilt ten years later and still seems pretty magnificent to me in its present form, the architecture fairly intricate and heavily ornamented. After a brief nap at my hostel, I headed back out for a late-afternoon meal in the area of Little India, a several-block region in the heart of Georgetown where you can hear Indian music blaring from the video stores and you can waft scented candles and the frying of samosas. I found an amazing restaurant where I chowed down on butter chicken, garlic naan, samosas, pakora, and about five different dips with a rich variety of spices, all for under five dollars of course. After walking around for an hour or so, I retired for the evening, exhausted from the heat and activity of the day.

Kuan Yin bronze statue at Kek Lok Si Temple

Today, I left Georgetown to explore another area of Penang, Air Itam. On the way, I got off the bus near the local stadium and found a hidden flea market my hostel had warned me about where I picked up some electronic accessories I was in need of. The flea market was really like any other, although at this one there were plenty of vendors selling a strange assortment of iced tea drinks. After the market, I headed for my actual destination, the awe-inspiring Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest temple in Malaysia. Penang seems to be all about having the biggest and best when it comes to historical sites! But this temple surely couldn't have been surpassed, as I could see it as soon as I got off the bus before I climbed the hill for twenty-five minutes to reach it. The sheer amount of time and effort that must have gone into constructing such a massive temple is hard to imagine and they still add on additional buildings to this day with the limited funds they receive from people buying souvenirs and using the cable car to reach the highest point. At the highest point is one of the biggest statues I have ever seen, named Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The statue stands 30 metres high and is made of solid bronze. After wandering around the temple for an hour or so, completely famished from the steep hills and blistering heat, I returned to the lower part of Air Itam and had a bowl of fish head soup, an interesting lunch to say the least. The plan for the afternoon was to visit a place called Penang Hill, known for its cooler temperatures and its botanical garden, but unfortunately the bus that is supposed to go there wasn't running and so I had a relaxing afternoon instead. For dinner, I continued my experimentation with new foods and went to an Indian soup stall where I ordered beef tongue and stomach soup, which was absolutely delicious! I will continue to keep trying weird foods every chance I get!

Next stop is the Cameron Highlands tomorrow, where I will be staying in a quiet little inn known for their strawberry tea and scones. The area is supposed to be reminiscient of the rolling hills of Ireland and I'm looking forward to some hiking in the hills and the cooler weather (it's a full 10 degrees colder!).

Ciao for now,

Max

Lazing In Langkawi

Hey folks,

So it's now been almost a week in Malaysia and it has been quite the mixed bag so far. I started things off with a minivan ride down from Krabi last Wednesday to Langkawi, an island on the North-Western tip of Malaysia that is known for some of its white-sand beaches, tourist hotels, and duty-free shopping. On the way, I met and became travel buddies with two girls from Manitoba who were sharing the minivan with me. Because of the change of plans with scuba diving in Thailand, I was heading to Malaysia a couple of days early and didn't have a place booked for the first two nights in the country. Neither did the girls, so we decided to check out what Lonely Planet had to say and found a backpacker's place near the main beach and main road on the island. After a somewhat lackluster meal of fried noodles (which we got because they were cheaper than most of the $5 meals in the area), we hit up a bar where I introduced them to the wonderful world of sheesha with one of the hookahs they had there. Despite all the travel, it was feeling like a pretty good day and it was nice to have some companions to talk to. Unfortunately, when we returned to the hostel, things took a turn for the worse...

That night, I tossed and turned due to the fact that I felt like I was getting bitten all over. In the morning, after only a couple of hours of rest, I looked myself over in the daylight and realized I had been bitten at least fifty times, twenty-five bites which were concentrated on one spot on my right elbow. This worried me right off the bat because it looked reminiscent of the bites I had two summers ago from bed bugs. This hostel had been one where I had forgotten to check the mattress and by the time I was coming to these realizations, I wasn't at the hostel but on a tour, island-hopping with the two girls. To make things worse, not only was I preoccupied by thoughts of impending costs for laundry and the hassle it would cause me, the island tour itself was the worst tour I have been on so far in my travels. Our boat driver didn't speak a word of English and there was no actual explanation of what places we were stopping at. Our first stop was at a lake called The Lake Of The Pregnant Maiden. I assumed at the time that there was a story behind the name but there was no one to tell the story to us and the lake itself was a little too warm and not too impressive-looking. I would have been happy to stop there for maybe 20 minutes but we were stuck there for an hour before our boat returned to pick us up. Next, we had a stop at an island with a nice white sand beach. Unfortunately, the weather turned when we were there and it was overcast and a little on the chillier side. On top of that, I have seen much nicer beaches already in Thailand and so this one paled in comparison. Finally, we were off to do the activity that had been the draw for me for the tour, eagle feeding! But once again, my expectations were too high as we didn't even stop but simply drove by an area with lots of eagles in the sky and there was no feeding involved. There was supposed to be a fourth stop but it never happened. All in all, despite the cheapness of the tour, it wasn't worth the money I spent on it. When I got back to the hostel, I checked the mattress for bed bugs and was relieved to see they didn't exist there. The woman at the front desk assured me that the bites on my elbow looked like ant bites and apologized, telling me that the previous guest in my dorm bed had brought food up there and she had tried to rid the area of ants but had obviously not been completely successful. My bad day started to look better with this good news and we went to the night market in the area where I found some delicious food for dirt cheap, a welcome treat after a disappointing day. The girls were also nice enough to share a double bed room with me that night so I didn't have to brave the dorms again. The next day, I went to the local beach with the girls and then said my goodbyes before heading down the road about 5km to my next hostel.

The next place I stayed felt much different, and although it was more expensive, the extra cost was worth it. The surroundings were much quieter and they had a nice library where I found a book that I had wanted to read for awhile. I've spent the last few days in lazy mode, down at the beach the first day (but decided against it after that because of lots of jellyfish) and then by the pool the following days, spending nights in the common area watching movies and going to bed early. The solitude has been nice, although the past few days have been the most homesick of my seven months away from home, maybe due to lack of activity or just the realization of how long I actually have been away from Vancouver. Nevertheless, the time alone has given me the opportunity to go on a run to the tip of the island (where I was followed for several hundred metres by a group of monkeys), to finish an entire book (which I haven't done since my first week in Israel), to explore the area on my own at my own pace, and to do lots of thinking about the future. There were a few spots I could have checked out on Langkawi for tourists, namely Seven Wells Waterfalls and the Langkawi Cable Car. But for one, the cost of a taxi there and back was grossly inflated and a motorbike rental was a possibility but I didn't feel comfortable riding by myself with no one there if something happened to me. Second of all, I have seen plenty of waterfalls in the past few months and they are starting to lose their allure, and the cable car although cool is expensive and quite feasibly a tourist trap. Last night, my hostel put on a delicious free dinner consisting of biryani rice, chicken skewers and green beans and it was great not only for the quality of the food, but for a chance to meet lots of backpackers because everyone was there for it. I sat around with several people my age till late at night discussing experiences traveling so far and getting some tips for my future months ahead...

Today, I made the ferry trip over to Penang, another island south of Langkawi known for its central city of Georgetown where I am now staying. The plan for the next few days is to exhaust my feet by exploring the city by foot. I already found a great little food mall where I tried frog legs for the first time tonight. And yes, they do taste like chicken...

That's all for now. Don't have too much concretely booked for the rest of my travels now, which is both a relief and a bit daunting as well. Lots of opportunities present themselves and I want to make sure I choose wisely. Then again, life's about not being afraid to make a mistake or two, right?

Hope you're all doing well and I leave you with a list of some cultural differences I have noticed so far in Malaysia...

Ciao for now,

Max

Cultural Differences In Malaysia:

1. Corn: Right off the ferry entering Malaysia, I was greeted by the smell of corn. It seems the residents here have a fascination with the vegetable and use it for pretty much everything. So far I have seen several different types of corn on the cob, corn used in pastries and desserts, corn tea, corn juice, and corn ice cream. Not sure if this was just a Langkawi thing or exists all over Malaysia but time will tell...
2. Movies: Censoring in movies on television here is rampant and can be quite amusing actually. Not only is any word that might be considered offensive blocked out, cigarettes and alcohol are blurred out and scenes that feature kissing or anything related to sex are completely removed, even if the scene contains critical dialogue to the movie...
3. Women's Clothing: While Thailand was the land of the ladyboys, Malaysia is the land of the burqa. Religion is all of a sudden quite apparent all around me and I am reminded on a constant basis by all the women who are covered up in any situation. For example, several women took their kids into a kiddie pool at the lake I stopped at on my island-hopping tour, but didn't show any skin. They simply went in in all their clothing, whether it was several layers, jeans, or a burqa...
4. Bugs: I thought I had started to get used to the bug situation in Thailand and although I got the occasional bite, it didn't bother me too much. But in Malaysia, the bugs have a fervor I can't quite describe and I've suddenly got more bites than I would ever care to have on my ankles, knees, hands, wrists, elbows, and lower back. Not only that, it's no longer just mosquitoes but ants and bed bugs I have to be cautious of... 
5. Language: Although it's hard to notice when it's being spoken, Malay is quite similar to English when written out, at least for some words. I have noticed so many signs that have English words, but spelled in peculiar ways, mainly due to Malay not having the letter "c". Some examples are: klinik (clinic), ais krim (ice cream), and karbohaidreit (carbohydrate)...

Hard To Be Crabby In Krabi

Hey folks,

One of the beaches on my island-hopping tour

So the past week has been an interesting one... It was the start of travels on my own, things didn't exactly go according to plan, and it was the first time I stayed in one place for more than three days for the past month. Starting with traveling alone, this has not been an issue for me so far. Sure, I miss my buddies Goose and Dan and they were a blast to travel with but it has also been nice to have some solitude, to have my own single room, to explore the streets of the city without a timeline or an obligation to others, and to have a chance to meet new people (which I feel is easier if traveling solo). It's hard to say how being alone will affect me after a long period of time but so far, after one week, I'm doing all right. After doing a kayaking tour my first day, I followed it up the next day with a rock-climbing course. The backdrop for the climbing was magnificent, the course being held at a place called Railay Beach which is one of the nicest places in Krabi and in Southern Thailand. I realized after a few attempts that I'm getting a lot better at rock-climbing after having done it once already, and confidence is a big help when inching up a rock face at heights of 20 metres. Getting down is still terrifying for me, however, as you have to essentially lean back off a cliff and trust in the person belaying you on the ground. I also did an island-hopping tour of four smaller islands this past week, which was maybe the best deal I have had yet in Thailand. For a day where I was driven to the beach, chauffeured around on a longtail boat, given a delicious buffet lunch, unlimited bottles of water, and snorkeling equipment, 400 Baht ($12 CDN) is not a lot to pay! The sun was ready to make an appearance as well and was shining down the whole day in all of its glory, as if to say "I know you've missed me, well here I am!" The rest of the week, I have been lazing around the hostel, exploring the neighbourhood a little, and getting chores done like passport photos and finding more insulin. My original plan was a little different...

I planned to take a scuba diving course a long time ago and it is something I have been looking forward to for a long, long time. I know how many amazing diving spots there are in Malaysia so I wanted to be certified to dive there before arriving so that I could take advantage of the amazing sites around the country. However, things don't always go according to plan. Because of the crazy weather in Thailand, tons of people were stranded on the islands, thousands trying to get off of Koh Tao, the very island where my scuba diving was supposed to take place. This concerned me and so I called the diving outfit and asked them, "Is everything okay over there? Do you have water, food, electricity, all the essentials? And most importantly, are you still running diving courses for beginners?" They assured me that things were getting back to normal and that boats were running to the island. The people at my hostel told me it was a bad idea to head to an island where people were being evacuated, especially because that very day, the government had sent the only aircraft carrier in all of Thailand to rescue 700 tourists! But based on what I was reading online and what Ban's Diving Resort had told me, I was ready to go anyway. I wasn't ready to sacrifice my dream of scuba diving!

Fate had a different idea... I booked my ticket that day for a bus to the ferry terminal in Chumphon and a ferry over to Koh Tao, but the next morning I awoke to find out that the flooding in Krabi (where I was staying) had caused major damage to the main bridge in Phang Nga Bay and the bridge had collapsed! This bridge is the only way by land to exit Krabi and the gateway to all of Northern Thailand, and so my options were now either to fly somewhere close to Koh Tao (which would mean a flight, a bus, and a ferry, plus a lot of dough!) or to take several ferries and a very indirect route (which would take 24 hours or more). It seemed that it was time to give up my scuba diving dream and so I called Ban's and asked for a refund on my deposit, which thankfully they were able to give me. Because I had already extended my visa in Thailand for the course, I decided to take a few extra days in Krabi to relax, and that leads me to now...

Having a week to spend in one sole location has been quite nice. Things have gotten a little boring from time to time, but having a home base and not having to keep packing up my bags every night has been a relief. Now I'm taking off for Malaysia and a whole new set of experiences and I can't wait! I'm ready for a new culture and some new scenery and I'm sure I will find it there!

Hope you're all safe, happy, and healthy and more to come soon!

Ciao for now,

Max

Please Leave Me High, Please Leave Me Dry!

Hey folks,

Screaming in pure bliss midway through my first jump!

So I wanted to give you an exciting update about my adventures... Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to my two travel buddies because they head home to the real world so I'm officially on my own. We didn't want to have some sappy teary-eyed goodbye, so we decided to go out with a bang and headed to Phuket Jungle Bungee Jump. For some time now (I'm not sure exactly when it started but it's been at least 5-6 years) I have been afraid of heights. Slowly over the past year, I have conquered this fear by exposing myself to situations I would normally avoid. It started when I was a counselor last summer with indoor rock-climbing and diving boards at the pool. More recently, I did the Slingshot in Eilat, I did cliff-jumping off a waterfall in Chiang Mai and last week I did rock-climbing in the middle of the sea without any sort of harness. So yesterday was finally the real test: a 50m (165 foot or 15 stories) drop above a lake in Phuket that would make Evil Kneivel do a double-take. My buddies let me go first to avoid a long wait and after a quick ascent to the top, and a man counting down with the most authoritative voice I have ever heard, I fell forward into free-fall! The jump was absolute insanity and one of the most incredible things I have ever done. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for 20 minutes after as Goose and Dan completed their jumps. A second free jump was included, so I thought "why not?!" and did it again, the second time inclusive of a full dunk in the lake below. Unbelievable experience and so proud that I have gotten over my fear! Skydiving lies ahead at some point...

Now I'm on my own in a seaside town called Krabi. My arrival has been strange as the hostel I'm in is nice and cheap, but the town has been ravaged by floods the past three days and over 200 people have died, mostly due to capsizing boats and mudslides. Thankfully, my boat made it through the storm a few days ago... This was awful news accompanied by more bad news that there is no running water, which means no showers and no easy way to go #2. Guess I'll have to keep improvising, I'm becoming pretty good at it...

Today, despite warnings from my family to avoid boats altogether, I went sea-kayaking and met lots of cool people. It was raining quite hard but we had partial cover some of the time when we went through caves. I paddled through two really cool caves, the first called Anaconda Cave because it's shaped like the innards of an anaconda, and the second called Cave of the Garden of Eden because it leads to an amazing lagoon that some would compare to the birthplace of Adam and Eve. We had an awesome seafood lunch and then headed to a place called Ghost/Skull Cave. It was a huge cave full of stalactites and stalagmites and paintings all over the ceiling that date back over 2000 years! Very cool and a good first day on my own.

Now I'm trying to figure out my next move. My plan was to finish off in Thailand with my Open Water Scuba Diving certification course, but the island that I would be doing it on is not the safest place to be right now. There are thousands stranded there and a lack of food and water and today they sent Thailand's only navy carrier there to rescue tourists. I have contacted the diving resort and am eagerly awaiting a reply to see if diving will be an option...

Miss you all!

Ciao for now,

Max

Phuket: Gateway To Paradise

Hey folks,

Standing atop a rock at Maya Bay

So excitement has once again crept not so quietly into my life and the lives of my two buddies Goose and Dan! After a mild first day in Phuket, we amped things up the next day of our tour and headed to the pier to hop on a speedboat bound for islands galore. Our first island was a small one by the name of Khai Island. The sun came out briefly and was warmly welcomed as we stood at the shore and let hundreds of fish swim around us. We attempted to snorkel in the shallow water, but the fish were particularly hungry that day and were fond of nipping at our feet, which despite not hurting is quite uncomfortable! We had a great buffet lunch before jetting off to our next destination, the island of Koh Phi Phi. We had only heard good things from all the travelers we had met along the way and I was certainly not disappointed. First, we stopped in a bay for 45 minutes and had a real opportunity to snorkel. This was my first time snorkeling (aside from a 5 minute venture at a lake as a kid) and it took a minute to get used to breathing only through my mouth, but once I got the hang of it, the experience was completely exhilarating! I swam amongst hundreds upon hundreds of fish of different sizes in the pristine, turquoise-blue waters and was shocked at how fast the time went by. Next, we made the stop all of us were anticipating and that I have been looking forward to for months: Maya Bay. For those of you who aren't familiar with the name Maya Bay, it is the location that was used for the film "The Beach" starring Leonardo Dicaprio, and it is the star of that film. Before the film, I can imagine what an absolute paradise it would have been for Thai locals to stumble upon and enjoy in solitude. Now, although it is swarming with tourists and companies who suck profit out of its beauty every day, this doesn't change the fact that it is one of the most picturesque, amazing viewpoints I have ever witnessed. The water is an incredible glowing-blue colour and the sand could be the softest I have ever squished between my toes. Standing on that beach made me feel like I never wanted to leave and our 45 minutes there went by way too fast! But after stopping at Maya Bay, we had one last stop at some rocks jutting out of the other side of Koh Phi Phi, home to a family (or several families) of crab monkeys. We threw them watermelon and pineapple and watched their amazing dexterity as they caught the fruit and devoured it quickly before putting their hands up for more. A few of them ventured to greet us, hopping on the boat and approaching cautiously before abandoning ship and swimming back to their home amongst the limestone. After an exciting day of beautiful vistas and new experiences, we headed back to our hotel in Phuket, tired but very content...

The three of us posing at James Bond Island

On the third day of our tour, we had a long drive to Phang Nga Bay, a bay that is home to hundreds of islands, forty-two of which are considered "big". The longtail boat throughout the bay was quite pleasant despite the crappy weather, and eventually we made our way to another destination that was used for filming, James Bond Island, used as a set in the 1974 film "The Man With The Golden Gun". The island was a pretty cool place to stop, although it was swamped with tourists, and we circled the whole island in around 45 minutes. We then headed for lunch in a little village, but not just any village, the only one in Thailand that is completely built on the water! It consists of over 200 homes built up without any land beneath them. I found this village pretty cool and enjoyed walking through the long narrow market (which reminded me of parts of Jerusalem), all suspended by wooden posts and docks. We ate a nice seafood lunch in the village before heading back to the mainland and checking out a cashew factory. Finally, we ended our day by hopping on a boat over to Koh Yao Noi, our next island destination...

Climbing up my first limestone crag during Deep H2O Diving

The following day, we did another activity I have been anticipating for months, Deep H2O Diving! The title may seem confusing, as there is no diving involved in this activity... what is involved, however, is an adrenaline rush from boating out to the middle of the Andaman Sea to specific limestone crags that jut out from the sea floor, and rock-climbing by stepping straight out of a kayak and just going for it! At first, it seemed quite intimidating as our instructor was not telling us much, and the rocks are incredibly sharp. To give you an idea, picture going into a cave where there are lots of stalactites and stalagmites and trying to climb on the ceiling! However, after trying it out for a few minutes, we all adjusted and managed to succeed in our first climb to the top of a 10m crag overlooking the islands of the Andaman Sea. It was a spectacular view and a spectacular feeling to have accomplished for the first time! We continued with a few more crags, some lower but more challenging, before heading back to re-do the original with a bit of a different route. We were limited in our options, unfortunately, due to low tides which made the starting points of climbing much more difficult. None of us have enough upper body strength to hoist as much as our instructor was demanding! Despite this minor pitfall, it was an incredible experience and definitely a highlight so far. The only major drawback was the damage the rocks did to our arms and legs. I have no fewer than 20 or 30 cuts and scrapes on my hands, wrists, knees, and ankles and Goose was not as lucky as me... he fell on his second climb and tried to grab back on to the rock face, a futile attempt. This resulted in him falling 5m onto his face in the water, and also cutting his hands up on the sharp rocks by trying to grab back on. Deep H2O Diving is not for everyone!

My first driving experience!

The rock-climbing adventure ended early in the afternoon so we wanted to find something to finish off our day. At the pier, we noticed signs pointing to a motorbike rental shop and they were only 350 Baht for an entire day ($12 CDN) so we decided to go for it! I have never driven a vehicle before, so I was a little (understandably) nervous but after about five minutes on the road, I was accustomed to the feel of it and ready to roll. Driving around that little island was incredibly fun and we darted along muddy trails and through forest paths at pretty awesome speeds! Even with my lack of driving experience, it was a little weird getting used to driving on the left side of the road and I found myself on the wrong side for a few seconds at one point with another Thai family (yes, that's right, 4 people on one bike) coming at me laughing. But aside from this little minor error, I did quite well on the bike and was sad to return it. I could have driven around on it comfortably with the wind in my hair for a whole week...

This morning, we headed to the pier to take a ferry back to Phuket but had to wait several hours because of the weather. There was a huge storm and it was warranted unsafe to travel in such conditions. By 1:30PM, they decided it was calm enough for us to leave although the ride was incredibly rocky and rain pelted me from all directions the entirety of the trip. Definitely happy to not have any boat rides for a week or so...

That's all for now people. New updates will follow soon

Ciao for now,

Max

"On An Island In The (Sun?)"

Hey folks,

So it's been awhile since my last post and things have definitely slowed down on the activity end of our trip, but I still have plenty to report. Unfortunately, due to a bizarre turn in weather, a lot of our plans haven't panned out and there has been a lot more confinement to our hostel rooms or porches due to the rain. The locals keep saying that this weather is not normal for this time of year and it should get better any day now, but I'm still waiting. I think today marks Day 8 of cloudy skies and frequent rain, sometimes at a monsoon level. I should be used to it coming from Vancouver, but I've learned that the rain is something I never get used to. I was born for the sun!



Our view from our bungalow on Koh Tao



So our stop in the beachside city of Hua Hin was a complete bust. The weather was terrible the entire time we were there, except our first night. Because it wasn't pouring rain the first night, we decided to go out for dinner and then try and meet some locals or other backpackers at some of the many bars scattered throughout our neighbourhood. We soon learned two things... One, Hua Hin is a city that caters to tourists and doesn't hide it in the least. The streets are scattered with sleazy-looking men that often don't look at all like they are of Thai descent, who hound you at every shop window to come in and buy a suit because they will give you the best deal in Thailand. On top of that, this is the first city where the price of food was stilted and the menus were mostly of European or Indian origin rather than the traditional Thai fare we have grown accustomed to... Two, we learned that Hua Hin is a city for old people. Now to all my family members reading this, don't get offended when I say that by old people, I mean people over the age of 40, but even then, the majority of tourists filling the streets were above the age of 65. This made our efforts to meet people our own age rather difficult and after a couple of hours of walking the streets in search for a cheaper venue with fellow backpackers, we gave up and headed to bed early. The next morning, it was pouring down buckets and so we had to cancel our bike tour we had been looking forward to. We spent the day lazing around our hostel (which was actually quite a peaceful one) and napping before our long journey late at night to Chumpon, the transfer point for getting to the islands.

We departed from Hua Hin at 11:30PM by bus and arrived at the pier at around 5AM where we waited till 7AM for our boat to leave. The boat ride was by far the rockiest I have ever been on, a combination of rain and waves slamming against the window and making the wood groan ever ten seconds. Luckily, I had my MP3 player handy and was able to tune out those around me, because although I don't get motion sick (like my poor buddy Goose who was outside puking the whole two and a half hours), I can't stand the sound of others puking and there were at least eight people around me who couldn't hold in their breakfasts! The little kid next to me was cute for the first ten minutes of our journey but not when he was swaying into me with a bag over his face... Upon arrival on Koh Tao, our first island stop for one night before heading to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party, I quickly looked up a nice place to stay and we hopped on the back of a pick-up and drove there. The place turned out to be pricier than what Lonely Planet quoted, but we were tired and didn't want to find another place so we decided to splurge. We had a fantastic bungalow perched on the rocks overlooking an amazing turquoise blue bay. The only thing that would have made the view more picturesque would have been the blinding sun we so desperately craved, but alas, it was not meant to be...

Full Moon Party insanity!

The next destination was the island of Koh Phangan, better known as the home to the world-renowned Full Moon Party. Our arrival was greeted by one of the craziest rainfalls I've seen yet and our stupid money-blind taxi driver (who crammed 12 of us into the back of his pick-up!) dropped us off at the wrong destination, a hostel about 1 km down the road from where we actually were supposed to be staying. So we trudged through the rain to our hostel and arrived looking like we had taken showers but happy to have at least arrived. Not for long... the hostel alerted us that the partner website we had used to book the hostel had never notified them about our booking and that this was a common problem with Hostelbookers.com (don't use it people!). The man in charge of the booking confirmation had disconnected his phone so it was impossible for the hostel to contact him and tell him to stop this nonsense. So we said goodbye to our booking deposit, but thankfully the woman running the hostel found a bungalow for us right on the beach and it just so happened to be the last one and not out of our price range. How lucky we were, because it had a fantastic view, a comfortable hammock, a mini-fridge to store my insulin, a nice bathtub, a great little restaurant, an adjoining internet cafe with Skype access, and a taxi service to the Full Moon Party and to the ferry for our departure two days later! The woman running the place, who I will refer to as "I Heart Bear" because that is the only shirt I saw her wear in three days, was amazing at her job and very helpful and accommodating. So we settled in and took the day to get some rest before amping ourselves up for the Full Moon Party... 10PM came quickly and we were off, zooming across the island in a taxi bound for the craziest party any of us will ever experience. Stories and rumours couldn't quite prepare me for what met us at Haad Hin beach... Booths galore selling neon merchandise, from tank tops and hats, to jewelry and glow-sticks... hundreds of booths selling buckets of alcohol, the only way to drink at the Full Moon Party, where they pour in a small bottle of whiskey or vodka and mix it with Coke and Red Bull to keep you dancing all night. The amount they must have made off the thousands of 20-somethings ready to get drunk is incalculable... and then there was the beach itself, a 2km stretch of white sand packed full of thousands upon thousands of sweaty, dehydrated partiers, dancing their little hearts out to loud DJ's and ready to make the night one to remember (or one to forget!). There were people skipping with a fire-rope, which was ending badly for most of them, people using the ocean as a toilet all along the shore, and people on their worst behaviour, aware that most were not foolish enough to bring a camera to document their temporary insanity... After a night of debauchery, I managed to walk down the road a few kilometres (barefoot at this point, I lost my sandals within the first hour), and got a good deal on a cab back to our hostel at 6AM. I paid only 100 Baht (around $3.30CDN) whereas my good friends, who took cabs home at different times, each blew around 1000 Baht for a motorcycle ride home, something I surely couldn't have stomached at that point. I can now say I have experienced one of the craziest parties in the world, although I'm not sure I would do it again... It was a little too crazy for my taste!

Grandmother Rock

Grandfather Rock

Our last island stop (as a group at least) was the island of Koh Samui, the most southern and largest island on the Western gulf of Thailand. We spent three days on the island, once again a little confined by the rain but we got a little time in on the beach. We stuck mostly to our little neighbourhood next to the main beach and ate at a cool little 24hr restaurant called Ninja Crepes which had over 100 items on the menu to choose from, most of them fried and coronary-inducing. We made one trip on our last day to the Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks, a famous spot on Koh Samui where nature imitates man. The story goes that an elderly couple were on a fishing boat long ago and a storm threw their boat up against the rocks on the shore, leaving their remains to become one with the surrounding landscape. This results in two rocks, coincidentally very close to one another, that resemble... well I'll let the pictures explain... I also found a little art gallery with a guy my age who was quite talented and paints a lot of contemporary pop culture paintings. I decided to buy one of The Joker from the movie The Dark Knight which will be a nice wall hanging when I finally return home to Vancouver (and which will certainly make my brothers jealous). Because I didn't want to pay high prices for shipping, the guy offered to drive me on his motorbike to the post office to get the cheapest shipping price (which I did get thanks to him!). However, the experience of driving on the back of his bike was absolutely one of the most terrifying experiences of my life! As soon as we got going, the rain came down and hammered the streets, completely blinding me as we zoomed in and out of traffic through narrow alleyways . Drivers in Thailand rarely stay on one side of the road, and this painter was no exception! At one point, we actually hit a bump and got off the ground! I have no idea how he was able to see in the rain, without anything shielding his eyes from the pelting raindrops, but thankfully he got me back to my hostel in one piece and shook my hand goodbye. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

This morning, we took a flight to Phuket on a tiny, little plane which looked like it was straight out of an Austin Powers movie and began a tour with TourPhuket. The first day was short and sweet, a few stops at key cultural points in the city, but nothing too special. Tomorrow, we being an island-hopping adventure and visit the sites of two famous movies so I will update you soon on how that goes.

Hope you're all fantastic and keep me updated on your lives too!

Ciao for now,

Max

"We Just Stood There Getting Wet, With Our Backs Against The Fence..."

Hey folks,


Sitting in my hostel room in Hua Hin right now as I write this and the rain is pouring down like crazy. When I last wrote, I had just finished a cooking course in Kanchanaburi and the weather was still sweltering hot. How quickly the weather can change in Thailand! That night, there was a monsoon of epic proportions, the most rain I have witnessed in years and that is saying something coming from Vancouver! We sat out on our porch at VN Guesthouse, stranded but happy to have some time to contemplate a little and think about the past and the future...


My thoughts these days keep coming back to Israel. The first time I went to the country, it was on a program that suspended reality for 10 days and gave my brother and me the opportunity to see all the famous historical sites and do a bunch of fun activities, but not really absorb the real culture of Israel. We were surrounded by other Canadians the entirety of the trip and were not exposed to any Hebrew or daily interactions with Israelis, only those who make up the tourist industry and the program of Oranim. That is one of the reasons I wanted to return so badly when I got back. I had a taste and knew I liked the flavour, almost like an Israel amuse-bouche, but I wanted the main course!


And so I applied almost immediately when I returned home for a full five-month program with Oranim and was told to wait until closer to the date. For months I counted down the days till I could apply, and my feelings about Israel didn’t dissipate, they only grew stronger. Once accepted to the program, my plan for a year abroad materialized and I had a wonderful adventure to look forward to and work towards, a reward after so many years of hard work and nights spent in a dimly lit library...


Once in Israel again, the first month was full of splendour and new friendships formed with both my group and the previous one. I began to learn Hebrew, saw my family and was part of a cousin’s wedding, and of course became an English teacher and started making an impact on my students’ lives. Two more months passed, and life became a little too much of a routine. I questioned my choice some days as things got stale, the students took advantage of us at school, and my roommates became a little hard to handle. I wondered once again whether I was getting the “real” Israel experience because I spent so much time around Americans, Canadians, and Brits. My interactions with Israelis, aside from my coordinators and students, were limited. I isolated myself at times from the group and chose to focus my energy on planning for Thailand and Malaysia, the South East Asia adventure on my horizon...


But then the last six weeks happened. A new group arrived and my Israel was revitalized. I found myself acting as a tour guide for the new group in Ashdod, exploring the country more and capturing a new fervour for daily life. I made some of my best friends so far in the last six weeks, was going out on nearly a daily basis, and began to realize how much I was going to miss this new routine once I left. My problems with the social aspect of the program the first three and a half months seemed like they never existed. I redeveloped an interest in playing guitar and singing, I had a blast sitting around laughing with my roommates, cooking delicious food, smoking hookah and simply enjoying life. My students started to realize we were leaving and chose to focus all their energy on learning, and I saw the results in their English. I began to worry about leaving but I kept saying to myself, “You have a whole new adventure in Thailand to look forward to with two of your best friends from the program.” This mantra I repeated frequently and I managed for the most part to stave off feelings of hopelessness and loss of control at my fast-approaching departure...


Now I’m in Thailand and life is fast-paced here. My first week was so full of new experiences and adventures that I barely had time to reminisce about the life I left behind in Israel. But the rain setting in has caused our plans to alter and has spurred a plethora of swirling emotions. My heart yearns to be back in Israel whenever I lie down at night and hear the drops falling down from the drainpipe. Granted, it has only been two weeks since I left and so these feelings might pass, but at this point they are so strong that I am checking flights back to Israel after South East Asia, to see off the group of people who became my best friends over there, to see new members of my family (I have another baby cousin on the way), and to really discover the “real” Israel because I still don’t quite know it. Although I spent five months there this time around, I was part of another program, and right now I don’t know if this hole in my heart is from missing the country or from missing the people. I know it is a mix but the question is which do I miss more?


To all you reading, I know you must think I am acting spoiled and ungrateful. I am incredibly fortunate to be in Thailand right now experiencing the things I am experiencing. Not everyone gets the chance to travel without having to worry too much about a budget and leave financial worries for later. However, everyone gets homesick and I now truly feel I have two homes: Canada and Israel. I can only try to focus on the present for now and try to keep myself busy to suffocate these feelings of longing. But when I go to sleep at night, I will dream of both my families.


Ciao for now,


Max


P.S. As always, keep guessing what song my blog title is derived from!