Melaka, Malaysia

As April ends, so too does my time in Melaka. I probably should've pressed on today, but do to yesterday's inertia, I've given myself an extra day. In explaining yesterday, I must backtrack to Friday.

Friday, I woke around 11am, when Laura and Mariana, back from their day in KL, came calling. We three headed to Chinatown, where we wandered the streets, and perused the shops. The girls seemed unable to pass a doorway without exploring its interior. We did not move quickly.

I eventually grew weary and returned to Traveller's Lodge for a nap, before going to the night market in Chinatown. My eyes dropped the moment my head hitthe pillow. Refreshed, I awoke a few hours later and reunited with the girls. We wandered the market, getting dinner as we strolled along. After touring the stalls, twice, I bid the girls farewell as they had a bus to Singapore in the morning. We traded a few books and exchanged some money as they were on their way to OZ, and I've still got some Australian currency.

Returning to Traveller's, I found Tim, Cristy and Michelle (sisters) and the Belgian boys on the balcony, well into their drinks. I joined them, along with my bottle of Jack. After the self described, "old fart," downstairs, yelled at us for a second time, we decided that it was time to venture into the night. We lumbered off to a nearby club called Ant, without one of the Belgians but with the bunny ears. Cristy decided on wearing them out. They went over very well indeed.

At the club, we kept ordering buckets of beer which were supplemented by free drinks served to the girls, it was ladies night, and other buckets of beer bought for us by various Asian guys. No idea why. Before long, we were all dancing like rabbits, the ears being freely passed around. The music finally quit at 3am, and we finished our beers by 3.30. A quick stop at the 7/11 for resupplies and it was back to the balcony, the old fart be damned. Our merriment finally wound down at 7am, when Tim hefted his pack and made off to catch his bus to Tioman. The sisters crashed, desperate for a few hours of sleep till their bus to Singapore. Me, I slept with no thoughts of catching a bus anywhere. I awoke sometime that afternoon rather hungover. It was a lazy day, though I did manage to do some laundry and sewing. Today, I plan to pack and take in some final sights before tomorrow's exodus to Kuala Lumpur. It's been fun here, but I'm ready to move on.

Malaka, Malaysia

Well, a week in Tioman was enough. It's a nice place but I was ready for something new. So, this morning, at 7am (oh god, what an hour, the horror), Laura, Mariana and I caught the ferry back to Mersing. It was a slower boat than the one I'd come out on, but I didn't mind, more room, and the view was nice, chugging our way past small islands. The boat was filled with French, a school group, I think, a girl from Alabama, and another Vandy grad (that was the rumor, anyway). Upon arriving in Mersing, we had to change boats, as the tide was too low for our ferry to come into port. Fun.

We sat about in Mersing for a few hours till our bus to Malaka was ready, mostly watching the cats. But, in due time, our bus was ready, and we climbed aboard.

We were told that it was about 3.5 hours to Malaka, but we think it was closer to 5. However, we made it into Malaka relatively painlessly, only having to change buses once.

The first thing I saw, upon getting in here, was an A&W, strangely enough, at least I thought so. The busride into town (changed to a local bus to take downtown from the bus depot) was then discussing what rootbeer is, and the relative merits of "floats." I don't think the girls were convinced. We stopped at a hostel that Sev, the Swiss guy from Tioman, had recommended. They only had room for two people, but offered me a couch for free. I declined, and then walked across town to find another room.

Found one at Sunny's and proceeded to destroy the bed by sitting down on it with Le Bete still on my back. Oops. Fortunately, the bed was easily fixed, and we headed out for some dinner.

After walking around the block, we settled on the place where we'd started, and proceeded to cover the table with food. Good meal. We ate slowly, and the conversation floated through various subjects as the food was slowly ingested.

And, that brings me up to present. It seems like a really nice city, from what I've seen so far, and I plan to spend a few days here, before heading up to KL. All in all, it was a long day, 13 hours from when I put Le Bete on and left my bungalow in Salang, till when I finally shrugged Le Bete off in my room at Sunny's. Long day.

Salang, Malaysia

Another day on the beach. It's my third day here and I've really been enjoying the relaxed atmosphere here. My bungalow is simple but sufficient, having a mosquito net, a queen-sized bed, toilet and shower. There are a few hammocks spread out on the lawn around the place that I'm staying. Yesterday, we amused ourselves by watching the monkeys carousing around the place and getting into the trash bins. One younger one sat atop one of the bungalows and masturbated for a bit. Interesting. There are a lot of monitor lizards on the island as well, some of which have to at least 5ft in length. Yesterday, I watched one of the locals swinging one lizard around by its tail. Again, interesting.

Yesterday was a calm day. I awoke to find it raining and the power out in the entire village. This meant no toast or OJ for me, because of the power, but apart from that, didn't really affect my day at all. By evening, the power was back on, so I didn't have to shower in the dark. I met up with Sev, the Swiss guy I met in Singapore and traveled here with, Laura and Mariana, two girls staying in the same place as us. We had a few beers till the bar closed and then ambled back to the bungalows, me laden with a super burger which was a beef patty, chicken patty, egg and cheese. Yummy.

Salang, Malaysia

I've fled to the Islands. After 5 days in Singapore following nearly 3 weeks in Melbourne, I needed to get away from cities. I'd heard about Paulau Tioman, an island off the South East coast of Malaysia, elected to head for it. Enter alarm clock. I woke this morning a 7am, and happily played ie punched the snooze button till 7.30 (memories of working in Cambridge come flooding back). I made it to the bus in time to see the Norwegian girls off, as they boarded their bus to Kuala Lumpur. Before long, it was time to board myself. We had to disembark twice as we left town, once to leave Singapore, then again, after crossing the bridge, to enter Malaysia. That done (not without some amusement as to my hair and Le Bete), we settled back for a 3 or 4 hour drive to Merising, where we would catch a ferry to Tioman. I find myself now in Salong, the northernmost village on Tioman. I've got a hut for 20RM, which is somewhat less than 10USD (I'm checking what the conversion rate is as I write). Okay, it's about 5.50USD. I'm sitting at a table right over the beach. It's a pictoresque place, a group of children are frolicking in the water, and down the beach, games of volleyball and soccer are being played in the sand. Next to the cafe, a couple is washing out wetsuits, evidently back from a day's diving.

Life is good. I see myself here for a few days, unwinding from the stress and hardships that come from the hustle and bustle of urban existence. .

My last evening in Singapore was a pleasant one. Brendan, Britt, Silje and I went to the Night Safari Zoo. I'd say it's the nicest zoo that I've seen. You walk through a veritable jungle, twisting paths, suspension bridges, and vines haging down from above. Right out of Jurassic Park. The animals are more active at night, the hippos happily wallowed in the water as we walked past. We stayed till closing and were finally shooed out by the staff. I had to stop on the way out for a Ben & Jerry's icecream, they had Oatmeal Cookie Dough (in cinnamon ice cream), my favorate! I also managed to keep my promise and purchased a Singapore Sling which went down well as we watched the zoo's fire show. It was a good one, every five seconds or so, someone was spitting a plume of fire from their mouth.

There's little more to report at the moment. So far, Malaysia seems lovely, but tropical islands to have that affect.

Singapore

Procrastination: Laziness or a Subtle Art

Boy, did it come down to the wire. I thought that I had buyers for Vacilando all sorted out, and then Tuesday, that fell through. Great. Wednesday was spent going over what options I had left, one was leave Vac for friends to sell, and the other was sell it to a Backpackers' auto dealer at a lousy price. Well, something's better than nothing. However, around 10pm, I got a text from some Irish and Scottish guys whom I'd given up hope on. We talked and they agreed to buy Vac from me the following morning. So, I did get the deal done in plenty of time, about 18 hours before I was due to fly out. No worries.

That done, and my mind at ease, I headed out to St Kilda, and parked on Grey St. one last time. I met up with the Irish lads and company and had a few drinks with them at the Prince of Wales. Coincidentally, that's the name of the hostel which I checked into about thirty minutes ago. I spent the evening consuming what was left in Vacilando, the traveling supplies that I'd packed for the Outback: Absinthe, Whisky, etc.

Thursday morning, I awoke a bit groggy, and proceeded to move out of Vacilando. Around 11am, Paul came by, we took care of the paperwork, and then my van, my home, drove off without me. I helped Ty cut down a few trees, and then it was time to go. Actually, it was past time to go, we were running a bit late. Finding a Post turned out to be more difficult than Ty'd appreciated but we eventually found one, and I put a box on a slow cruise back to the US. It ought to make it there by August.

Then it was to the airport, and out of OZ. Ty dropped me off at the curb, and said his goodbyes there. I heaved Le Bete onto a trolley and headed in to check-in. No problem, except they wouldn't let me check in as I had no proof of onward travel. Okay. No problem, flight leaves in an hour.

I briskly walked over to Flight Centre and quickly bought a full fare ticket from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Full fare is more expensive but refundable. It's an e-ticket, so I'm able to cancel it via email, which is handy. Craig, who worked at the office there, helped me out and got me in and out quickly.

I headed back to the Austrian Airlines check-in and was allowed to check in this time around. I was then told to run for the gate if I wanted to make the flight.

I ran.

And stopped at duty free to use up the change I had from Vacilando. Turns out I had $21 in shrapnel (change). I made it onto the plane before final call even, and didn't have to wait on a long queue which was a plus. The seat next to me was empty and I collapsed into them and got a glass of water. Then it sunk in.... I was leaving OZ. Oh shit, hope I didn't forget anything.

With these thoughts in mind, I half noticed that we were taxing to the runway. I did notice when the engines revved up, and then I was flying, and leaving OZ, after 12 months.

It was a fairly uneventful flight, by which I mean that I lived. I'll give Austrian Airlines credit for having the best bread that I've had on a flight. I think that it was an eight hour flight which passed fairly smoothly.

Upon arriving in Singapore, I found to my irritation that Austrian Airlines was full of shit, and that I was not asked for any proof of onward travel. You can add whatever expletive you feel necessary here, quite a few went through my mind. Customs was equally a breeze, I didn't actually see any, and after getting my bags headed off to the find transport into the city. That part was fairly easy.

Getting into Singapore around midnight turns out not to be the best time to find a bed for the night. Also, it was over 80F, or 27C, either way hot, especially compared to what Melbourne'd been like. Add to this the fact that it'd been a while since I'd lugged Le Bete anywhere. I walked at least 2k before I found a room for the night. By the end, I staggered up to a hotel and left my bags there while searching the rest of the street for a dorm room (the hotel had only a super deluxe room left, I didn't bother asking the price). Luckily, I found a room across the street, checked in, returned for Le Bete and then took a shower. My t-shirt was entirely soaked in sweat at this point, and I felt a shower would be a very, very good idea. It was.

Today, I woke, had some breakfast and then went about looking for a cheaper hostel. The one I'd checked into was $18, which at 12.30am is wonderful, but I'd read that there were cheaper beds to be found. Found one, moved and that brings me up to present.

So begins my Travels through Asia. Today, is going to be very relaxed, I don't plan to do a whole lot more than get used to where I am and explore a bit. But, I'm here safe and sound, lest any of you worry.

Melbourne, OZ

Good bye Australia! I am off, heading to the airport, and Singapore by the day's end. It's been an amazing time here, and not easy to leave. But, I sold Vacilando this morning, Le Bete is packed, and I'm ready to go.

Melbourne, OZ

Final Days

It's Monday, and Friday I'll be in Singapore. I got my flight today, I'm flying out this Thursday afternoon. Still sorting out Vac, I didn't get pass the Road Worthy test today, so I've got to figure out what my options are. The Canadian guys are still interested in buying Vac, but we may have to talk about the price again. At this point, I'm not that fussed, I just need to get it done so I can leave. Well, one way or another, it'll sort itself out.

I've been leading a fairly quiet life the past week now. I haven't really had much interest in going out partying, so I've been having more quiet evenings, either at Ty's place, or Red's.

One person who does have news though, is Ty. Jodie, his girlfriend, is pregnant. That's right, Ty's going to be a Daddy. Scary thought, but I'm adjusting to it.

So, that's it for tonight. My next two days are going to be spent running about, frantically finishing up everything that I need to get done before finally leaving OZ.

Melbourne, OZ

Solo Wanderer Once Again.

As I write this, Eva is winging her way around the Globe, returning to Germany and her friends and family there. We parted ways last Thursday, when Eva caught a flight up to Sydney before flying home. She needed the weekend to sort out one or two odds and ends before heading home today. Once at home her plan is to fall into bed, and wake the following day for a job interview to manage a beer garden (yes, it's where the grow beers, didn't you know that Germany has beer plants?) for the summer.

We travelled together for two months. Eva was, by far, my longest travel companion ever. I've never traveled so long, or so far with any one person before. It was an incredible experience and while I'm sad that it's come to an end, I also take heart in the fact that I will meet Eva again, further down the Road. Our plan, at the moment, is to meet in six months time, when Eva's job finishes for the winter, and she can come meet me whereever I may be. Of course, there's always the possibility that I may head to Germany earlier than planned. Who knows what will happen?

What I do know is that it was an amazing time that we had together. It was simply incredible.

I've been sorting my own things out, getting things finished up here in OZ before I finally move on as well, to Asia and a return to hot weather. I've got about two weeks left, and then, I shall finally be moving on to my fourth country on this Round The World Trip, most likely Singapore.