Day: 34
Location: Donsol, Luzon, Philippines
Steph and I left Melaka early on the 11th, bound for Singapore. We met Eugene at his place and went for lunch with Michelle and Tasha at one o the few places open - due to New Year holidays.
For the rest of the day we did a bit more sightseeing, once again under the capable direction of Michelle. First to Dempsey Hill - a shopping village with expensive restaurants where a lot of expats hang out and then a short trip to Sentosa Island which was teeming with people. We didn't bother with Universal Studios or any of the other attractions.
Eugene invited some past school friends around for dinner so we had a delicious barbecue and cocktails that I devised out of apple juice, lemon juice, lemon barley cordial, Grey Goose Le Citron and soda.
After Melaka I was tired, there was a party atmosphere because of the New Year and great people to hang it with as I mentioned which lead to about 4 or 5 hours sleep of the last two nights. I was planning to go to bed at 12 in preparation for the early flight to Manila the next day however Eugene and Co used an array of tactics including 'you're only in Singapore once' and 'you can sleep when you're dead' to corale me into going with them to join in on some more traditional New Year festivities.
At Tasha's cousin's house we played blackjack for hours. I was up until the banker changed, upped the buy in and began to produce 21s every second round. The betting was done with everyone's Hong Bao - small red envelopes filled with money that are given by married couples to visitors over New Year. It seems like a good way to test if the prosperity you had been wished over the past few days had come true. So bed at twelve turned into gambling and pratha at 4am ( because food doesn't stop at any hour in Singapore) and then 1 hour or sleep.
As a result the next day was sleepy and mostly spent getting to our accommodation in Manila. First impressions were that it is a rough looking place, it appears busier than Tokyo, for example even though the population is smaller. It took hours to get from the airport in Clark to the accommodation in Makati City but as usual it was great arriving at the hotel.
The local area was seedy, on a short stroll to 7/11 I was offered a variety of weapons and saw a handful of strip clubs with large white men as their patronage of course.
Even better than arriving in Manila was getting to Donsol the following afternoon. The town is very small but the strip of beach front resorts and construction suggest that we will look back and say "we put Donsol on the map".
The main attraction here are Whale Sharks at this time of year. We only had this morning to take the boat trip and hope to see the shark and with overcast weather we were unfortunate as I think many people have been lately.
On the flip side we did catch a Valentine's Day parade this afternoon in the town as well as crab and prawns that will be cooked for us tonight all for under $10.
Tomorrow we go back to Legazpi City for a ride to the Lava front of Mount Mayon and a flight to Boracay the next day.
Ben x
Aus
Thursday 14 February 2013
Sunday 10 February 2013
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Day: 30
Location: Melaka, Malaysia
I must keep this post brief unfortunately as I'm about to drop some things off to stay here in Melaka while I'm in The Philippines and this will include my computer. I may add more text to the photos later.
China Town was alive with stalls and shops filled with people buying everything necessary for a happy and prosperous New Year.
The Arts-Science Museum held an exhibition with Lego art and another called 'Ouside In' by three Magnum Photographers. Seeing these easily filled in an afternoon.
Ben x
Aus
Location: Melaka, Malaysia
I must keep this post brief unfortunately as I'm about to drop some things off to stay here in Melaka while I'm in The Philippines and this will include my computer. I may add more text to the photos later.
In Singapore I saw the incredible Botanic Gardens and National Orchid Garden. Despite being the youngest white tourist my about 30 odd years it was a great place to stroll around. My friend Eugene generously offered a bed at his parents' house to me on Monday before his arrival from Aus on Wednesday evening. His parents Priscilla and Joseph were so kind - showing me around the local area so I could go out and explore for the next couple of days.
China Town was alive with stalls and shops filled with people buying everything necessary for a happy and prosperous New Year.
The Arts-Science Museum held an exhibition with Lego art and another called 'Ouside In' by three Magnum Photographers. Seeing these easily filled in an afternoon.
Eugene didn't waste any time once he arrived as we met a group of his friends and went to a nightclub called Zouk at about 11 that evening. A long night followed and while the place had all of the hallmarks of an Australian club there were a few things that made it distinct to what I'm used to such as the VIP area where drinks are purchased by the bottle and served to you in your own section of a booth.
Thursday started late, for me anyway. We met more of Eugene's friends - Tasha and Michelle and took sight seeing to a level I have never experienced - it consisted of many meals, shopping, a night safari, prawning, driving through some areas that were as alive at 2am as pm and a stroll through Gardens By the Bay. Michelle was an excellent tour guide ensuring that my visit to Singapore would include sampling important local cuisine such as pig intestines nor would it skip any attractions like the red light district which we cruised through with windows up, doors locked and all limbs inside the vehicle at all times.
Thursday started late, for me anyway. We met more of Eugene's friends - Tasha and Michelle and took sight seeing to a level I have never experienced - it consisted of many meals, shopping, a night safari, prawning, driving through some areas that were as alive at 2am as pm and a stroll through Gardens By the Bay. Michelle was an excellent tour guide ensuring that my visit to Singapore would include sampling important local cuisine such as pig intestines nor would it skip any attractions like the red light district which we cruised through with windows up, doors locked and all limbs inside the vehicle at all times.
The next day I came to Melaka on minimal sleep, entering Malaysia on a tourist visa as opposed to the student pass that I will use when I return.
Melaka has been great for accommodation, people and atmosphere in the lead up to the New Year which was celebrated with many fireworks, a dragon dance, money packets and some other customs that I would struggle to explain.
Tomorrow I go back to Singapore with Steph before our flight to The Philippines the following morning. I will return to KL on the 24th for orientation at Uni on the 25th even though that concept seems foreign after so long away from lectures, tutes and everything else that accompany them.
Melaka has been great for accommodation, people and atmosphere in the lead up to the New Year which was celebrated with many fireworks, a dragon dance, money packets and some other customs that I would struggle to explain.
Tomorrow I go back to Singapore with Steph before our flight to The Philippines the following morning. I will return to KL on the 24th for orientation at Uni on the 25th even though that concept seems foreign after so long away from lectures, tutes and everything else that accompany them.
Ben x
Aus
Tuesday 5 February 2013
Monday 4 February 2013
Turbo Taiwanese transit tucker
Day: 24
Location: Singapore
We came to the conclusion that waiting for our 'new' flight felt a little bit like detention - being stuck in one place when you know you should be in another - even though we made the most of it.
A short stroll around the area local to our accommodation was all that was possible the morning before we left because we'd budgeted to get rid of any remaining Yen down to the last 30 or so with room only for a train ticket to the airport and a snack.
Some Japanese girls must have heard we were leaving the country and to overcome the disappointment of knowing this they asked if they could have a photo to remember the two strapping Australians that they'd heard were in the area.
As a point of interest one of my fellow backpackers who is also from Melbourne went to church last night. From his reports it wasn't on any scale close to what we have in Australia as a Sunday consists of four services that attract 20,000 people each and require online booking to attend. Furthermore, the Pastor's income suggests that if a job in finance isn't successful you can find an impressive six-figure salary as a preacher.
Ben x
Aus
Location: Singapore
We came to the conclusion that waiting for our 'new' flight felt a little bit like detention - being stuck in one place when you know you should be in another - even though we made the most of it.
A short stroll around the area local to our accommodation was all that was possible the morning before we left because we'd budgeted to get rid of any remaining Yen down to the last 30 or so with room only for a train ticket to the airport and a snack.
Some Japanese girls must have heard we were leaving the country and to overcome the disappointment of knowing this they asked if they could have a photo to remember the two strapping Australians that they'd heard were in the area.
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| Say chee-zu! |
We made it to the airport an hour before check-in opened just for good measure.
On a one hour stopover in Taipei we wandered around the before finding dinner which left us with ten minutes to tuck into some tasty Taiwanese tucker in the transit terminal.
Arrival in Singapore was smooth and we were relieved to be in the warmth and have no trouble checking into the guesthouse at 2 a.m.
Singapore turned on the good weather for Ed's last day. We enjoyed lunch with Arnesh, a friend of Ed's in the Arab Quarter and then strolled to the CBD. After a look at some gardens the stunning Marina Bay Sands Hotel was too amazing to pass up as a venue for Ed's last afternoon.
On a one hour stopover in Taipei we wandered around the before finding dinner which left us with ten minutes to tuck into some tasty Taiwanese tucker in the transit terminal.
Arrival in Singapore was smooth and we were relieved to be in the warmth and have no trouble checking into the guesthouse at 2 a.m.
Singapore turned on the good weather for Ed's last day. We enjoyed lunch with Arnesh, a friend of Ed's in the Arab Quarter and then strolled to the CBD. After a look at some gardens the stunning Marina Bay Sands Hotel was too amazing to pass up as a venue for Ed's last afternoon.
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| Marina Bay |
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| iPad-ography |
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| Gents |
Ed and I left Arnesh after a fantastic afternoon, running into a lazer and light show on the way home.
It has been a pleasure travelling for three weeks and a bit with Ed and it was like starting a whole new phase of by trip when I left him at the airport. Japan certainly wouldn't have been the same without such a great travelling companion to share each experience and a repertoire of inside jokes with. I imagine both will live on when we hang out at home or somewhere else overseas in the future.
Thank you very much Ed-san for a great to start to a big adventure!
It has been a pleasure travelling for three weeks and a bit with Ed and it was like starting a whole new phase of by trip when I left him at the airport. Japan certainly wouldn't have been the same without such a great travelling companion to share each experience and a repertoire of inside jokes with. I imagine both will live on when we hang out at home or somewhere else overseas in the future.
Thank you very much Ed-san for a great to start to a big adventure!
Day one of solo travel:
It was great to stay in for the morning catching up on some postcards and organising things for my mostly free schedule over the next week or so leading up to the start of the Lunar New Year - and year of the snake.
Walking through Little India in the afternoon displayed the diversity of religious and ethnic culture in Singapore which is reminiscent of home. Within a few kilometers of each other are two Chinese Buddhist Temples, a Hindu Temple and a Mosque.
After talking to a Chinese-Indonesian man at my accommodation in the evening a few of the observations I had been making were confirmed. The price of owning a car in Singapore due to a $90,000 permit means that once you are actually able to buy a car it may as well be a worthwhile one. The result is many BMWs, Mercedes and the odd but not so un-common Lamborghini.
Second of all my friend who works in the finance sector bemoaned Australia's high tax rates which are almost double Singapore's. It was fascinating to hear the different approaches to doing business in the countries he'd worked in such as Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and here in Singapore. Despite the comparisons he drew I remain unconvinced that the 'tax haven' environment here is necessarily better than the arrangement we have at home albeit a restraint on businesses.
It was great to stay in for the morning catching up on some postcards and organising things for my mostly free schedule over the next week or so leading up to the start of the Lunar New Year - and year of the snake.
Walking through Little India in the afternoon displayed the diversity of religious and ethnic culture in Singapore which is reminiscent of home. Within a few kilometers of each other are two Chinese Buddhist Temples, a Hindu Temple and a Mosque.
After talking to a Chinese-Indonesian man at my accommodation in the evening a few of the observations I had been making were confirmed. The price of owning a car in Singapore due to a $90,000 permit means that once you are actually able to buy a car it may as well be a worthwhile one. The result is many BMWs, Mercedes and the odd but not so un-common Lamborghini.
Second of all my friend who works in the finance sector bemoaned Australia's high tax rates which are almost double Singapore's. It was fascinating to hear the different approaches to doing business in the countries he'd worked in such as Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and here in Singapore. Despite the comparisons he drew I remain unconvinced that the 'tax haven' environment here is necessarily better than the arrangement we have at home albeit a restraint on businesses.
As a point of interest one of my fellow backpackers who is also from Melbourne went to church last night. From his reports it wasn't on any scale close to what we have in Australia as a Sunday consists of four services that attract 20,000 people each and require online booking to attend. Furthermore, the Pastor's income suggests that if a job in finance isn't successful you can find an impressive six-figure salary as a preacher.
Ben x
Aus
Friday 1 February 2013
Nara, Osaka and breaking the scale
Day: 20
Location: Osaka
Location: Osaka
You last heard from Eddie while we were zipping across to Nara, from Hiroshima for Wakakusa Yamayaki. It may have been said before but with my propensity for pyrotechnics it wasn't hard to convince me that our itinerary should be manipulated to allow us to attend this festival during which fireworks are let off and then a grassy hill is set alight. Emma, Eddie and I stood watching as the fireworks twinkled, boomed and echoed over the valley. As embers turned to a blaze that engulfed the hill, smoke turned the full moon a hazy orange colour.
I'm sure you'll agree that as an Australian it is amazing to see fire in a large open place and know that it is safe.
I'm sure you'll agree that as an Australian it is amazing to see fire in a large open place and know that it is safe.
When the festival was over we strolled back into the busy shopping area of Nara in search of something to quench our thirst. Nara was a bit sparse on the bar front so we came to a Daiso before somewhere to drink.
Daiso is a ¥105 store and when that is said in Japan it means that everything in the store is ¥105. The business model goes like this - a customer walks into the shop in search of one ¥105 item that they need, customers have a series of unexpected 'needs' triggered by the plethora of items available whose purchase is justified by their being ¥105. The customer leaves the store having spent ¥1050 (for simplicity divide ¥ by 100 to get the equivalent in AUD$).You'll be relieved to hear that we did make it to a simple restaurant to end a great evening before walking back for a 'traditional' night's sleep on the Tatami mat floor of our room at a very homely hostel.
The following day we were able to have a free student-guided tour of Nara including more temples. The building that housed a giant 50-odd metre tall Buddha is the largest wooden building of its age in the world. Our very helpful and humble guide, Hiro was very generous with his time and always happy to answer our questions on anything from language to tradition and religious demography of the country.
Arriving in Osaka later that evening for our last two days felt good. It was familiar because of its similarity to Tokyo - interesting metropolitan streets, good food and some places to shop.
At the hostel in Osaka a cleaner named Mr.Yano leads a night out on a Sunday. We joined the group consisting mostly of Australians but including some Canadians, a Belgian and a Brit for dinner and drinks.
Interestingly this was the first instance that really stood out where a Japanese person advocated the attitude taken by many Australian tourists in other parts of Asia - to get drunk overseas with little respect or regard for local culture or custom. Mr.Yano’s imploration to “Get drank!” often accompanied by a ‘thumb’s up’ was the best example of what I’m talking about.
Interestingly this was the first instance that really stood out where a Japanese person advocated the attitude taken by many Australian tourists in other parts of Asia - to get drunk overseas with little respect or regard for local culture or custom. Mr.Yano’s imploration to “Get drank!” often accompanied by a ‘thumb’s up’ was the best example of what I’m talking about.
Mr.Yano stood out because of a broader trend that has been noticeable in Japan which is that almost everything here exists solely to serve the Japanese market. Contrast this with areas in Thailand, Malaysia and I imagine Indonesia where there a whole areas devoted to tourism and for many people speaking English is a key to an income. The difference is evident primarily in language, that is, the number of people who speak English at tourist attractions and the like. I think rightly so, if Japan can retain its language and culture so strongly in times where a lot of traditional culture is at the jeopardy of being tainted by international influence then that is fantastic. I’m not advocating cultural isolationism, just supporting pluralism.
Our first morning in Osaka was thus lost to slumber which was ok and we still managed to visit Osaka Castle. Within the castle was a fairly uninspiring museum although the view from the top of it was quite nice near sunset. In the evening we staggered through the kilometres long shopping arcade of America Mura where stores of all calibres could be found.
This brings us to the 29th and our final day in Japan. With a few errands to run we went to the post office, a few more shops including re-visiting some, another inexplicably closed attraction at Umeda Sky Building and in the evening, Spa World.
Spa world has an indoor water park, gym, multiple masseurs, a hotel, a
hairdresser and two levels of continent-themed spas and saunas. In January the
Asian level was for men and the European level for women. We were sprayed,
splashed, sauna-ed, salted, spa-ed, warmed, cooled, washed, scrubbed, dried and
doused by the time we left at midnight, having arrived at 10pm when the gym and
slides were closed. We have tried a good sample of onsens in Japan and it is
something I think would be great to have in Melbourne, in the winter at least.
I have wondered whether Victorians would be too prudish to walk around naked in
a gender-segregated bathhouse or not though.
A further point on onsen – Ed mentioned that we braved one bathhouse in Hiroshima that is known for some of its patrons being members of the Yakuza. You may know that the trademarks of these individuals are large tattoos that can be covered by a suit. As a result many onsens will not allow tattooed people to attend them and Spa World is one such place. The moral of the story is if you are ever being pursued by anyone from Collingwood Football Club an onsen is a safe place where you can hide.
Having missed the last train back to Fukushima Station (not where the nuclear reactor is) we took a taxi that was far less comfortable, quick or economical as the train would have been.
By the time I’d packed, ready for our flight the next morning it was 2.30am and I got into bed looking forward to three hours sleep before Ed’s alarm went off, breakfast and Singapore.
The next morning was quite disappointing. We broke the scale we had been using for things going badly wrong – the Tsukuji (as in fish market) Scale. One being things are going really well and ten being missing out on seeing Tsukuji Fish Market in Tokyo because it was closed and then a second time because we slept too long to make it worthwhile. Missing a flight is definitely worse than missing the market was.
It is hard to describe the feeling to you of waking up at 7.45am and having a one hour train ride between you and checking in for a 9.40am flight. It is part confusion, frustration and motivation all at the same time. So we rushed as fast as we could to the train station, had a deeply uncomfortable ride and arrived with about 20 minutes before the plane left. Apparently that is too late for an international flight these days.
We still don’t know exactly how the alarm that was set and double-checked failed to wake either Ed or I. Assuming the technology worked there are two theories – we were in such deep sleep that the alarm didn’t wake us and then switched off or alternatively the alarm went off for a while, woke our roommate who switched the alarm off before it could wake us up. I didn’t think I had it in me to miss an international flight but regrettably I can now tell you that I have. When things don’t go to plan like this I find myself missing home. It must induce a craving for familiarity and certainty.
The rest of the day we spent finding a new flight, new accommodation and continuing the demoralising mental sequence of ifs and buts about the morning. The new flight has been booked and was surprisingly good value for two-days prior. We will arrive in Singapore at 00:55 on 02/02/13.
On a positive note we could see Umeda Sky Building’s floating garden that we had previously missed.
Today we went to a theatre as a ‘last hoorah’ attempt to see some Kabuki or Noh. The seemingly random schedule provided no glory so we visited a multi-storey arcade and gambling centre down the road for our final dose of traditional Japanese culture instead.
Signing off until Singapore,
Ben x
Aus
A further point on onsen – Ed mentioned that we braved one bathhouse in Hiroshima that is known for some of its patrons being members of the Yakuza. You may know that the trademarks of these individuals are large tattoos that can be covered by a suit. As a result many onsens will not allow tattooed people to attend them and Spa World is one such place. The moral of the story is if you are ever being pursued by anyone from Collingwood Football Club an onsen is a safe place where you can hide.
Having missed the last train back to Fukushima Station (not where the nuclear reactor is) we took a taxi that was far less comfortable, quick or economical as the train would have been.
By the time I’d packed, ready for our flight the next morning it was 2.30am and I got into bed looking forward to three hours sleep before Ed’s alarm went off, breakfast and Singapore.
The next morning was quite disappointing. We broke the scale we had been using for things going badly wrong – the Tsukuji (as in fish market) Scale. One being things are going really well and ten being missing out on seeing Tsukuji Fish Market in Tokyo because it was closed and then a second time because we slept too long to make it worthwhile. Missing a flight is definitely worse than missing the market was.
It is hard to describe the feeling to you of waking up at 7.45am and having a one hour train ride between you and checking in for a 9.40am flight. It is part confusion, frustration and motivation all at the same time. So we rushed as fast as we could to the train station, had a deeply uncomfortable ride and arrived with about 20 minutes before the plane left. Apparently that is too late for an international flight these days.
We still don’t know exactly how the alarm that was set and double-checked failed to wake either Ed or I. Assuming the technology worked there are two theories – we were in such deep sleep that the alarm didn’t wake us and then switched off or alternatively the alarm went off for a while, woke our roommate who switched the alarm off before it could wake us up. I didn’t think I had it in me to miss an international flight but regrettably I can now tell you that I have. When things don’t go to plan like this I find myself missing home. It must induce a craving for familiarity and certainty.
The rest of the day we spent finding a new flight, new accommodation and continuing the demoralising mental sequence of ifs and buts about the morning. The new flight has been booked and was surprisingly good value for two-days prior. We will arrive in Singapore at 00:55 on 02/02/13.
On a positive note we could see Umeda Sky Building’s floating garden that we had previously missed.
Today we went to a theatre as a ‘last hoorah’ attempt to see some Kabuki or Noh. The seemingly random schedule provided no glory so we visited a multi-storey arcade and gambling centre down the road for our final dose of traditional Japanese culture instead.
Signing off until Singapore,
Ben x
Aus
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