But here i want to tell you how Cambodia ended;

Well Phnom Penh is a strange city, to be honest i don't know where to start explaining it. This old man like so many pedals the streets with the hope he is going to entice someone to part with a small amount of cash. When he isn't asleep that is! Shortly after i took this picture and while finishing my 'special' pizza a pick up arrived and the personal security firm for the pizza joint arrived. In this city security seems to be an obligatory extra for the many small businesses. The police do exist but they just don't really act they way they should! Reporting crime is a joke unless murder or rape and corruption is prevalent everywhere! The leader of the nation lost the elections, but he is still in power, the senior generals of the army and government officials drive $80,000 cars on a mere $100 a month or so wages! Work that one out. But this is Cambodia and this is the normal.

Anyway apart from the old man sleeping there are lots of children. For those not so up to date on Cambodian history, there was a mass genocide by the Khmer Rouge in relatively recent history. The result is that the population is mainly under the age of 20 and mostly at the younger end of that. The other consequences include lots of orphans and many limbless people from the mines left everywhere. It is still dangerous to walk on large areas of country land and people are still being injured today!

Most of my time in the city has been spent chilling out here at the guesthouse with the lake, sunsets and good company of the passing folk. The rest of the capital is mainly visible by day, night isn't really a recomended time to explore. Kim did take me to a club one night and it was good, although playing dodge the hooker(s) for most of the night did get a bit much. Still we danced loads and it was a good laugh! If you want to read a good book about Phnom Penh and can take a bit of graphic and sometimes surreal reality of former times here then try; Off The Rails In Phnom Penh. Although it was written a few years ago shortly after another power struggle its theme still reflects the brutality and often immoral (to a westerner) living standards experienced by the majority of people here today!

Another harsh encounter with Cambodian history can be experienced here at S21. A former school it was converted by the Khmer Rouge into an interogation and camp of the lowest standard. The practices used were horrifying and the brutality to fellow patriots was incredible. If you had any intelect or were even suspected then this is an example of where you were likely to end. After here it was a short journey out of the city and the killing fields. The same story repeated across the country, so many poeple killed and the evidence to this day can be seen with a short walk through the remaining fields and mass graves. Some have not been excavated, there are shoe laces and bones still protruding from the ground, it is a moving experience.

Sadly and the worst example of the otherwise bearable tide of children begging in Cambodia, there were infants demanding money on top of the graves. I struggle to comprehend the reality of this occurence. A common discussion with fellow travellers revolves around this begging issue. It is also known that the money does not obviously fund the individual alone, it is the remaining question of who it is supporting and what their role is that requires more thought.

I left the city for a few days and went to Kampot. A small place with a ghostly feel, the economy is based around agriculture and small amounts of tourism. This was nice because the previous places had more exposure to toursim. I travelled to Kep one day which was ok but nothing great, then i went inland though and had probably the best day in Cambodia. I rode through the countryside with chants of 'hello!' beckoning everytime i passed another child, bike or hut!

The roads of Cambodia although dangerous are simply an invitation to look into the daily lives and living rooms of the happiest people with the biggest nicest smiles i have seen! These are truly remarkable people with an ability to disregard the political mess they are in and concentrate on living well together! There is a friendliness unparallel to anywhere i have been before and the innovative ways they live, work and play together is inspiring!

And that is how i feel upon leaving such a greeat and developing country.

One last note is about a trip i made for 2 hours along a road built over 60 years ago and destroyed every year since either by the weather, vehicles or war. This is the only way to the top of Bokor Hill, when there you arrive above the clouds and in the midst of a deserted complex of buildings spread widely over the area. A hotel and former casino, a former secret meeting place in war times, a church, a temple, this monk above at the temple and a few other buildings. There is no running water, no electricity and the buildings are long abandoned and in disrepair. But it makes one very weird place to be, sneak a look at the pictures and you will see that in one point near the temple you can look directly out over a vertical drop onto the clouds (as if in a plane! but not!)

In cambodia they also fit as many people into as many types of vehicle as possible.Unfortunately i couldn't capture a photo of the 4 adults and 2 children i saw sharing a moped!!!

A crazy place with fantastic (if a little crazy) people!

CAMBODIA!!!

written by  50watts on February 19, 2006 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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...three australian guys, two germans and an assortment of others coming and going! The street thriving with life and the plastic stools we had placed half way in the moto frenzied road. We were raised our glasses and at 20p for a jug of beer, we raised them many, many times! This place was an evening home for us only leaving when in need of food or going to Allez Boo around the corner for later nights. This is so far my favourite bar of the trip! The old lady and i think her daughter serve an endless flow of jugs to the table and every night they make space (somehwere) for us.

So as you can imagine a few stories were had in Saigon, but first let me introduce you to a few new faces.Ok far right is Jules, we met crossing the border and fending off a number of scams that were tried on us. The other two guys are Mark (far left) and Warick (middle somewhere), Jules's mates that were put on another bus. The others? Well these are the street children, little rascals, and adorable characters that plagued us on our first night in Viet Nam. As you can see they sell everything and are definately not photo shy!

Inside Allez Boo we lost Warwick, we found him on the street learning his numbers with a small crowd. The crowd grew as we joined him and we were promptly offered everything and at every price! As i took a few photos and the others pulled Woz away a little voice ensured a longer stay than we expected! I can only say that her name was pronounced 'ciao' and that she was remarkable. In fact she was the first child to recieve any money from me on my trip! I think to travel so much in Asia, everyone will find one character they are drawn to so much they give in! Ciao told me;

"be careful. lady take pictures. then you have no pictures. be careful. nice pictures lady take all pictures. be careful."

The certainty in her voice was as if predicting that at least one of us will become a victim of the prostitute pick pockets during our stay. And this on your first night! As you will all probably know i love taking photos, Ciao physically showed us how the two mopeds with two prostitutes on each would most definately approach us and our pockets. With this she protected me and the things i value, She was given some loose change and a big thank you by all four of us!

The thing i couldn't understand from the confusion was this; some of the kids are pickpockets themselves so why help us? Now Ciao was younger than most of the others so maybe this factor made her less hardened and more understanding towards us, she also had nothing to sell. But for sure the other kids and the presence of an older very drugged Vietnamese girl indicated that not all book sale money goes to these children! All the same i instructed Ciao that the money was for her ONLY! The best you can do people!

Bad news: without us, one of the German guys was hassled as per usual by these prostitutes, he woke up with no wallet! Lesson taught!

Well Saigon itself is as manic as many of the other Asian cities, except there is much more room to breathe and less tall buildings. Some of the streets are so full of character too its quite a fantastic place. Overall a really good impression then, pleasant and the people mostly friendly outside of a business environment. You see when doing business they seem to add a 'foreigner tax' to everything being sold! It can be quite annoying having to constantly alert the people that the price of the can of coke/ internet/ chips is not as they say! Getting to know the average prices of things is a very good idea here!

I have been eating some great food too. Mostly all cooked in the streets there is some fantastic dishes to be had. The way they cook the pork and grill the chicken is so tasteful and makes excellent late night stop overs on the way home after Bar Hoi. The lady below was just sat there at 4am cooking more meat than there were people on the streets! Thats a point i forgot, the kids earlier are also found out on the streets until the sun rises, you don't get that in the UK!

Of course being in Viet Nam there is common visibility of the past and the war with America. I visited the War Musuem and it similar to the experience at S21 in Cambodia, it was very moving. The pictures and artefacts on display are horrific and amongst the most disturbing visible. I try to understand more by appreciating that this is a Vietnamese museum and that perspective does not therefore explain the reasons for the war beginning or the many crimes committed by themselves. However i can only admit that doubts about American foreign policy are only reiterated on visiting this place and that parellels are everywhere with current conflicts. It's sad stuff, again the new borns and survivors of this tragedy are continuing to suffer today! The use of chemicals and the violence applied on innocent people was unimaginable. Here is a picture made by a young person born with defects due to the chemicals sprayed on the agricultural and life land of these people.

Well we have enjoyed our stay in Saigon but its time to move on. Me and the guys are going to travel together for a while with Seb (german guy) following up the coast. New Bar Hoi's to be found and places to go! At the end of the Vietnam leg i will be going to Laos, i will arrive afew days before to be ready for an enjoyable day on the river in Vieang Vien. Seb was getting ready to do the same dates and funnily we have the same birthday!!! So its a plan to leave Hanoi and head onward together!

We have spent a small while in Muey Ne, with tens of kite surfers and a beautiful beach but due to it being a bit steap price wise and the number of days we have we are now opposite Bar Hoi in Nha Trang! Plan is to stay here a while and all get together again. I will elave you with an old guy and his dog in a typical small shop, Saigon!

written by  50watts on February 22, 2006 from Nha Trang, Vietnam
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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...i also never thought i would see this entry wrote twice and then again! computers!

...i didn't expect to see a mouse do the trapeze in Hue with the phone lines from hotel balcony to hotel balcony!

...and i didn't expect to see a motorbike just up off the street and drive at speed through the nice bar we were sat at in Hoi An.

...i didnt beleive i would see my backpack after it got sent to Laos (a different country!) instead of on my scheduled trip!

...there was also a day of rain! the first day since Japan!

...and finally i thought i would see at least one night out in Nha Trang but too much Beer Hoi put an end to that hope!
balewell!!!!

ok i was going to finish this entry while in Hanoi but things have taken a crazy twist i will do this entry in 5 days or so. because see above entry....

written by  50watts on March 2, 2006 from Hanoi, Vietnam
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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We have been rushing around Hanoi getting a few things sorted and seeing some sights too for 2 days! And now after a few beers with the Aussie guys who i managed to coincidently book into the same guesthouse as, a decision has been made about Northern Vietnam. Thai and Me are going to take his scooter to North Western Vietnam for 5 days and 5 nights. I am looking forward to this extremely because this area is known to be the most beautiful and it is also home to most of the 54 Vietnamese hill tribes.

Thai will be my independent guide translator and driver for this time, taking me to the houses of these people and helping me explore (by probably the best transport means possible) the amazing scenery on offer.

Ok i have to leave now and get the wheels in motion...

bye all.

written by  50watts on March 5, 2006 from Hanoi, Vietnam
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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We left for the mountains the morining after the trip had been confirmed, so from a farewell to the Aussie guys it was an 8am departure and a quick stop to pay the policeman 50,000 dong for jumping a traffic signal!

The first day was strange, because looking back on it not much happened. However on the day it seemed like so much did, it must have been the small things and the fact that together on this bike we were setting off on an adventure. We climbed slowly into the mountains and the temperature dropped along with the visibility as the mist came in. We were treated to a few spectacular views and the first real meeting with people not so used to Western persons. The food became more rural and the buildings more understandable. Either they were rich, built narrowly into the sky and made of brick or they were poor and made of wood, some being little more than a shack. We started to see the appearance of different industry too, with brick making, rock excavation and farming! The means of transport also became more simple, very few cars, lots of trucks, many more mopeds and a few filled buses.

The highlight of the day was by far our final destination though. Staying in a tribal homestay with some friends of Thai Thinh i was treated to an extra special experience and lesson in Vietnamese culture. Basically if i had made it to this place alone i could have stayed in a large room for tourism and guests. Instead i was treated to a different large room where the family would actually be with friends etc. What this meant is that i would be the guest of Hom the owner along with Thai Thinh. We ate incredible food (Toffu especially) cooked by his wife and drank rice wine with every other piece of main dish food.
This experience is best described as being like a buffet but one where you are not allowed rice until you finish drinking rice wine, you are not allowed to do this until the host stops drinking!!! Think you know whats came next, a bit of a drunken time with these tribal villagers playing cards and getting used to the fact you were not just anywhere!!! I taught the young lad to juggle and so impressed with his progression i gave him the juggling balls in return for a small woven basket.
Then it was retirment to the area under my mosquito net and a good night sleep! In the morning i had the first of many of the best coffees i have ever had and enjoyed a somewhat beautiful view over the paddy fields watching the locals start work.



As we enjoyed cruising along on day two it was clear that the weather was starting to clear and the sun starting to shine. We also met the first of the many children finishing school and walking the roads home. Literally every village was connected by the roads we were travelling and the people would walk or cycle miles. The first of many high fives were given and the faces of the people and there dress became more colourful.
The homestay was good but now we were starting to see some really rural people and places. The animals also started to become more plentiful, as usual, dogs, kittens, water buffalo, chickens, geese, pigs and many others sat by or sat in the road as we passed by. The fields were greener and the scenery ever more amazing!






By the road people would sell everything and here you can see how i got on selling cucumbers. This lady was joined by us and then the two ladies either side came to see us and then more and finally a small crowd. Some had never seen pictures of themselves and certainly possessed none either so we took some pictures and had then printed out in the next large town and sent back by local post, another advantage of being with Thai Thinh! I tried my best with no fear selling the cucumbers to passing trucks and mopeds, the looks i got back were memorable from happy waves to completely stunned faces!

That night we settled in a larger town and in a small hotel Thai Thinh knew. We got the pictures sorted and had a meal before i bought two large bottles of Beer Hoi, forgetting Thai Thinh does not drink alcohol. So i invited the lad off reception to join me on the sofa in the foye/garage type reception area watching some local TV favourite! Then a strange thing happened, i noticed a fat Vietnamese man walk in and remembered something Thai Thinh ha said earlier that day "a fat Vietnamese man is a rich Vietnamese person!" , then i returned to watching TV. All of a sudden Thai Thinh came down from the room (it's 11.30pm, late in Viet Nam) and spoke with the fat man. He turned out to be the hotel owner and he was inviting me out for drinks with him to a place only rich locals must frequent. I must go with him and on his moped only as mark of respect and so it was...

At the place we enjoyed a bottle of Vodka, a few things to eat, the best and strongest coffee in Viet Nam apparently and proven to me (number 9) and finally a great conversation. No speak of business which surprised me just as friends. Should i visit next time i must joiun earlier and drink properly with this man i was told, even though i did a good job in the time i had! He welcomed me to revisit before inviting me to join for the best noodle soup on Viet Nam the followng morning! Unable to refuse this hospitality i accepted and went home again on the back of his moped. We said bye and i played Futco (like keepy-up football but witha strange badmington like device) with the lad from reception and others. The drink was taking hold and i was playing one followed by the other and then another and so on... so funny though! Sin Loi! ;)



Bed time and day three began with noodle soup in a cafe joint filled with either policemen in unifrom or rich locals from the town. Our host showed us his other much larger hotel before ordering the special noodle soup from the menu. A somewhat drunken cafe owner then pleaded for my opinion in Vietnamese and Thai Thinh did his best to explain, t was superb and truly it really was! A good starter for the day on the road. The owner then invited me across the road for coffeee in his office where i was lucky enough to be treated to a few karaoke dvd's worth of some American country band! It was so funny but again the coffee was excellent! It was strange to see that his printer would have been a hit in the UK in 1988 but here it was a symbol of position. Surely this man can afford to buy the latest printer, confusion began... Anyway time to say bye and hit the road!



Day three was about the police again, having been pulled over (nearly) again and having seen many locals by the side of the road with an impecably dressed cream officer. I spoke to Thai Thinh about things and it became clear of the gulf and corruption involved between the classes. Basically the houses are different and the jeeps exist because the policeman represent the rich classes. They stop you and if you argue they raise the price of your impending payment. Nobody argues and their houses get bigger! The money doesn't go towards local improvement it merely lines the pockets of the individuals lucky enough to be born into the right family. They even have their own blue or red colour number plate which lets them do more than ordinary people who may be lucky enough to own a car. If you have a red one you can even jump lights and park in the middle of the road!



Worse than this it is well know n you pay to be a policeman and can be a poor but good candidate and get paid out! It really is sad to witness how these people are literally repressed by a ruling class and its true! You can't have a car practically due to the cost of paying off the people to own it. But of course a policeman can...



Anyway i also got to see that dogs really are part of the staple diet in these parts too, look carefully above and you will see a couple of them and some chickens in this picture. Dog meat is very expensive but it is disturbing for me to think of all those rough street dogs along the way and then lunch. Which this time gave me the pleasure of whole small fish much like eating crisps and tasty too! Don't worry no dog on the menu.

written by  50watts on March 9, 2006 from Sa Pa, Vietnam
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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6.15pm.
Having enjoyed the birthday of Thai Thinh's son Lee, i had a last coffee with my friend next to the bus departure point. The toy car present for Lee went down a treat, as did his mum's food again!

6.45pm.
A sad goodbye and then i boarded a small bus to Vientiane with several others joining but with different destinations. I relaxed back for 10 minutes to watch a few reminders of the busy Hanoi lifestyle and prepare for the next place.

7pm.
Everybody moves to a larger bus and i am pleased to see that the business card marked 'bus to vientiane' is sufficient to act as my ticket. Thai Thinh had arranged with a director of the firm my ticket for 16 dollars. I am also informed on asking the man taking the tickets that we would transfer in Hatinh as ther wonly 5 of us going to Vientiane.

2am.
Arrival at a cafe in the middle of nowhere somwhere in Hatinh region though for sure. We all leave the bus and are encouraged to either get some food or strectch our legs and we do need it too! Here i meet the other 4 people heading my way; Mel a 56 year old Aussie, Tatsu a quiet 20 year old Japanese guy, Febe and Ella two English girls on their Gap years. We ask our driver about the change of buses but several times he chooses to ignore us and go to the back of the cafe. Next to us is another bus by the same company heading th opposite way to Hanoi. It becomes clear that 2 girls from their bus were going to Laos too bu they left on another bus 10 mins ago!

2.15am.
We are left in confusion and frustration as not only does our driver continue to ignore us but he also starts to laugh constantly. One woman and one woman only speaks broken English and she says accomapnied by hand gestures from others that we must wait until 7am for another bus. It is also explained that another man has rooms if we wan to stay in hotel. He later turns out to have a trendy mobile phone and also own the cafe. However on many previous requests for a phone to use we are rudely refused. I dont mind being refused but the cafe has its own telephone number pasted on the front sign and we were willing to pay whatever and they knew it! We became a laughing spectacle to many of these people and it wasn't funny! I f went back on the bus we would be going the wrong direction and also who knows what the driver would do next. If we stayed then we had to hope in a group of people so unbelievable it was untrue!

2.30am.
Our bags were unloaded and to the disbelief of those still having to use the bus we were left at the cafe to fend for ourselves. Me just with a business card as my ticket!

4am.
The shutters on the cafe are closed and our existence ignored for everything including an hour sleep on the floor, we stayed in the cafe. The feelings were high, trust deservedly low and the future extremely uncertain.

7am- 7.30am.
No bus and no acknowledgement by anyone at the cafe or nearby. Nobody able to speak any words of english or interpret the drawings or attempts made by us. One young lad waving trucks off the orad for food was able to give us a later time of 2pm though. Great!

8am.
I searched out a nearby phone at a small shop. Our choices were now to listen to the claims of a possible 9am bus with no possible use of our tickets anymore, try and get to nearby Vinh for a bus i had previously heard impossible to catch over the border or contact Thai Thinh wit ha chance he could maybe talk them around. We chose the latter as the abandonement of being where we were and the reality of the other buses was known to be extremely faint. I called and after 30 mins and several calls i was imformed to wait at the cafe and if a bus comes try to get on it, paying if needed! He would talk to the senior manager or director of the travel company.

9am.
A bus arrives and the cafe owner appears from the back, meanwhile three guys get off the bus and a heated discussion continues over the topic; us! Money is counted and i sense that Thai Thinh has managed to help us, the girls rush forward trying to board and other things but i was very clear to them and told them to sit back down. From now on if we wer going to get to Laos then i would probably have to suss some more things out on my own. Waving their tickets they moved back and i gave little contribution to the discussion between the men. Now a few hours ago when really neede i asked this man to pay and use his phone, now he is paying for 5 of us to get on the bus with these guys, work that one out! Finally after negotiation we assured of passsage to Vientiane and we borded an otherwise empty bus (another strange fact!).

1pm.
The border, a deserted place high in the mountains surrounded by clouds and raining heavily. The officals (all two of them!) are at lunch, we wait an hour and a bit. In this time are attention is either watching the bus does not leave or talking to an English/Swedish couple who had managed to find and board the cramped bus from Vinh. They were then in front of our eyes told and physically shown that they would transfer to our bus by one of the main guys from each bus.

2.30pm.
The visas have been stamped wrong as just before we leave we rush back int oto correct the problem, otherwise we would have severe problems explaing a 15 day stay on a 7 day stamp! Issue resolved we board the bus. All except the couple that is, a comotion ensues and as i struggle to stop the drivers it becomes clear that our saviours are as bad as anyone else! To watch in disbelief and unable to help more or risk my own seat (which wa sworked so hard to gain) and to have unable timely support from the other who were sat near the back the bus pulled away leaving the couple at a dangerous border crossing on their own and a long way from the next town. I tried to stop the drivers with claims they would be paid to take them but they really did not care at all. I know how it feels to be left and i promise if i could have done more i would but if such a thing happens to you you will understand i am sure! So now try sit back and relax...

5.20pm.
We end the long twisted road from the mountain border at a t-junction where we know we have to turn right. We turn left but shortly pull over and have a stoppage. Efforts are made to try and discuss lightly a few matters but the impression is given that we are going to turn around and head the right way along the main road to Vientiane. Some people also feel as though we are waiting for something and i recall watching the guy count some cash before stopping.

5.40pm.
A bus going the other way is topped, i see the driver give some money and the old couple who obviously run this local transport debate the effort of fitting 5 westerners complete with large packs onto a bus already to full fit another person through the door. We are urged on and squeezed in but not without them trying to charge us first. At which point and while others started counting money out i bluntly told the man i had seen him pay them something already and that we would pay nothing. There was silence and we baorded for free, sold just like the animals kept in the hold below! Scooters on the roof, rice bags littering the isle way, 3 people to every seat, luggage everywhere and not one cm more of room we set off for Vientiane on at least a 5 hour journey!

10.10pm.
The feeling of arrival in Vientiane was ecstatic but subdued. Standing for 2 hours, sitting on the floor of the isle for a further 2 and lukily lying there for one was made better by the trust we had in actually knowing we would arrive. Reflection on the experiences and people we had encountered though was worrying and but for the phone call and a very trusted friend we would still havea 5 hour wait to chance our luck with the next bus on the following night. This almost certainly would have cost us and staying at the cafe would have been destroying. Febe, much like one of those people ruching to get off the plane but inevitably heading for the same exit as everybody else decided to act quite immature and make stupid comment! Thank you for a little gratitude young lady and im sure your hurry will pay dividends!

10.45pm.
Me, Mel and Tatsu all caught a lift into the centre , found some accomodation and went for a nextremely well deserved beer! There who should walk in but my German friends Sebastian and Thomas who had also left Hanoi on the 12th March and also claimed to have ahad a really bad journey! We enjoyed a few Beer Lao and some food and made plans for the next few days and some rest. We have our birthdays to prepare for!

written by  50watts on March 14, 2006 from Vientiane, Laos
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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Remember Sebastian from the south of Viet Nam and our conincidental travel/ birthday plans, well we kept to the plan and met in Vientiane. They (Thomas included) had a bad journey too over the border but at least arrived on the same bus. Anyway we are not in Vientiane like this blog says, we are in fact in Vang Vieng about 3 hours north by the river.

16th March- Brian (23)/Sebastian (25) 's Birthday celebrations...

The best part is that pretty much everybody on the river at that time of day joined up as a large group. While relaxing at one fo the big swings Sebastian and me had the crazy idea of a joint birthday swing, so here is the picture of us enjoying our birthday! At the top of the swing we also met 2 Danish guys, as they said Happy Birthday before the jump we shook hands. One was number 23 and the other 25, conincidence???? :) We swapped numbers at the bottom but we had to wear our change in marker pen on our backs for the rest of the day and today by the looks!

Anyway back here a few days and its happened again, except now i have one on each foot and no Daz. I am currently on a diet of pain killers and dermovate cream to remove most of the pain. It hurts a lot and walking is not top of my wish list at the moment either as you can imagine. Takes my mind of the back injury from tubing though i suppose!

Well still nobody knows what the animal is so im asking those reading, any ideas?

Thoughts?

Hopefully i will make it to Malaysia very soon in one piece. So speak then!

ps. Bangkok doesn't change even with mass rallies!

written by  50watts on March 27, 2006 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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Next door is Aziela Cafe, another family run this but everyone is good friends. Gigi and family made me feel really welcome and on my first night i sat for BBQ dinner with Yolanda for the first time. It was during this meal that we both appreciated how lucky we were to be here at the right time, in the right place and most certainly with the right people! We both admitted that we could stay longer for sure! And over the coming week we discussed many times the reality of stopping over on little stop over island or Pulau Perhentian Kecil as it is named in Malay.

Meantime we became accustomed to the plentiful animals hanging out and around our new houses. I moved to a front facing jungalow with a superb view and Yolanda moved into mine. So far we regularly see Big Spiders, Snakes, Lizards (from tiny to huge), Bats, Mantis, Scorpions (one was in bed) and a few other unknown creatures. By far the most annoying are the ants though as every night you are guaranteed to stand on one and it will fight back.
Last week while walking up the almost impossible path up to the jungalows another person in front of me stopped and yelled after a few seconds to realise they had stood on many ants. As they screamed i realised that indeed i had now stood on the line of ants and with my torch i saw hundreds by my feet trying to carry some larger insect or animal, it was painful!!! Thankfully the spiders have been no trouble.

I mentioned the lizards but however much i promise it will not matter until i get some pictures. Genuinely though, there are monitor lizards on this island the size of fully grown men and more like crocodiles. They are massive and a bit of a shock when brushing your teeth out the back! The smallest lizards are hilarious because they play dead when you get to close, you can throw them at other people and they just stay dead, then you turn your head and they are up and off faster than you can see. So yeah living in the Rock Garden is an experience just like the island.



Above; my place. Rock Garden is the oldest accomodation on the island and is simply 30 huts or so with no electricity and no hot water. Just a bed in a shack with a balcony and a toilet block that is more natural than mother nature herself! But after a fw days we love it and ther eis now a group of 6 or so people who are staying permenently. Most are diving instructors or girlfriends/ friends of them but then there is also me and Yolanda. Yolanda herself has completed some advanced diving courses and soon will be doing her divemaster so that she can join the staff at one of the few dive schools on the island. Every night for three weeks we catch up either on the beach or back on my balcony in the hammock. We look out over the water through the palm trees and onto the lights of the fishing boats sitting in the distance. The stars are everywhere and we think back to the meal we had and the whole decision to stay. We smile widely!

So what am i doing? well simply Eddy offered me in a no words spoken way to help out at the shop in return for internet time and soft drinks/ chocolate bars and a fwe other essential things. People always come by because it is the main shop on the beach and he has been there for years. So when people come in and ask questions i talk to them. Sometimes they become good friends and often we go on boat trips to swim and snorkel with the sharks and turtles all around the waters nearby. With one group we even spent the whole day on a deserted beach, just some takeaway food and an ice box with cold beers and water. It was a fantastic day with fantastic people! So the shop is rewarding for both parties and it is not hard work as literally i help as is appropriate.
On the other side of things, Gigi offered to take me under his wing, he even offered me to live with his family behind their restaurant. However they all live in a ver y closed space and the conditions although normal to these people are very different to what i could see being my home and private space for a long time. I declined but i did accept something else. In return for bringing people where possible to eat and talking highly (not that it ever needs it) of the place i could eat freely and at will as one of the family. You can't really get a nicer offer than that and ever since i have become very close to the Family including Ila, Sling, Braeme, Boron, Anna, Wannie, Lynnie and Yasmine. Yasmine is the youngest and as seen here the baby of the family, she is such a happy cheerful baby too!!! I am uncle brahim and my Malay name is popular with the locals. I am also learning a lot of Malay with them and we have much fun learning. So i hang out at the two places and gt by each day with my own time to myself too, i meet many people and enjoy a beautiful place.

Well Andy left after a week and i think he was feeling the heat. It is extremely hot here and only the last few days have we had wet weather. This was good though because it made some good surf and therefore i spent 3 days surfing a few hours each day! The temperature reaches forty degrees easily and the fish even use you to hide from the sun. Everyday new people arrive in Rock Garden and complain about not having a fan, i dont blame them but things are really not that developed on the island. Every place runs its electricity limited by generators and agreements with the larger accomodation places. You see how reliant on boat transport and fishing they are. During some recent bad weather ther ewas no fresh fish for the BBQ and thus business was poor. The residents are definately not rich but their dependence is never turned into frustration or anger. They just get on with things happily and are relaxed and thoughtful.



This picture was taken from my hammock one morning, as you can imagine when i woke up after falling asleep the previous night i was quite pleased. As you all probably appreciate from reading the blog i love photography, well im gald to say that hear on the island ther eare plans to most certainly add to the list of images from the trip! Hopefully soon i will make a day of it and post some new pictures!

Staying here on the island for 3 weeks as felt like ages but i hope to seek out some work opportunity in Kuala Lumpur, this is another reason for me staying on the island. Obviously there are benefits in doing so and if needed i can visit KL to see and meet people. I really consider this opportunity as one of the best i have had and can not explain enough the fortune i have in the arrangements on Long Beach. It's just a beach on a tiny island with a population of a few hundred and ther is no pushy tourism or anything, its awesome!

Well thats what i have been doing and so much more. I haven't mentioned about the trips out to collect the fresh fish, the proposed fishing trips, learning to cook Malay style, more about island friends and the random things that happen here. Last night my guest at dinner and my place with frineds was a favourite actor of mine, he starred in Irvine Welsh; The Acid House and Gangs Of New York. It gets crazier and crazier but cooler and cooler! Well i hope to enter another post soon but as it has been a long time i thought the world may like to know what i am doing and where! However the internet is unimaginably expensive on the island and today i can actually write because i am on mainland for the day (it feels so strange!!!)



As ever if you are travelling and nearby drop me a line and i would more than welcome your company on Perhentian. If you are back home then i hope all is well and i promise i won't extend my stay any longer than now planned!

Jumpo Lagee!!!!

written by  50watts on April 20, 2006 from Jertih, Malaysia
from the travel blog: Ending 2005 and Starting 2006
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