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hey hey
people are so bloody impatient (mum - "good job becky's doing hers") :op
ive just got so many better things to be doing than updating this every day!!!!
but here goes - your getting this in installments as i get bored blogging now after 9 months of it.
7th June
after packing and checking out we went for our posh breakfast (still in Christchurch NZ here) only the place was shut so we went to a cheaper place and had bacon and eggs instead. caught shuttle to the airport and checked in our bags.... to London!!! thank god i noticed or id have cried, the flight continued to London when we got off!
$25 to leave the country huh not sure i wanted to leave but suppose had better pay it!!
once on board our non stop to singapore flight from sydney we had so much film choices we didnt know where to start. food and drink just didnt stop either both of us were just eating away cos we were so bored. there was a fair bit of turbulence too which was a bit scary, not quite as scary as new york where i thought i would die, but still scary.
got to singapore and hailed a taxi. hmmm what happened next was funny looking back but so so frustrating at the time. so the convo goes a bit like this:-
me: how much to Perak Hotel, in Little india
taxi man : Orchaaaaad roaaaad???
Me: no, Perak Hotel, Perak Road
Taxi man: Orchaaad Roaaaad??
Bec: PER- AK HO-TEL LI- TTLE IN-D-IA
TAxi man: Little india aaaaarrrh
Bec: YESSSSS
little did we know he still didnt have a clue. so we got in and all was good, we were reconising landmarks etc then we got to little india and then it was obious he had no idea where we were headed. we drove the whole length of the area at snail pace and back again and then down a really dark alley with lots of men in it so we locked the doors haha. then he got out and asked .... 3 times, then rang the hotel, and we were drivign round a bit longer. bec finally spotted the street and even then we were shouting STOP, TURN LEFT, BIT FURTHER, STOP. if it hadnt been for the fact we didnt know where we were either id have got out and found another taxi or walked but anyway we got there in one piece. but we were so angry a 15 min jounrney took us 50 mins. And if to top it all off nicely when we refused to pay 27 instead of the 15 it was meant to be, since he got lost, he wouldnt open the boot. then he said something totally ridiculous and i laughed in his face -"but its after midnight the charge goes up". then bec comes back to the door raging and shouts - it wouldnt have been after bloody midnight if youd got us here in the 15 mins it was meant to take, we arent paying more!
i was still sat in the car at this point and was dead frightened he'd drive away with me and our bags so i chucked him 25 dollars and said thats all your getting, now open the boot in my scary angry voice and he did.
grrrrr then we checked in and went to bed.
June 8th
had a hotel free breakfast which was amazing after cornflakes everyday in NZ and went for a walk to orchard road which is a massive big shopping street, with all the shops you could think of including Marks and Spencer and Topshop!! didnt buy anything it was all really expensive and all the Gucci and Prada shops etc are dpwn that way. cant even afford to look in the windows! walked out to china town and made our way towards raffles again 1st time being 7 months ago, and had a wander round the shops. Had lunch in the raffles plaza and then walked via the quay and some big dragony waterfall thing, then to the DHL hot air balloon but it was cancelled as there was apparently a thunder storm on the way...... never actually turned up. got back to the hotel and chilled out for a bit then met the Intrepid group that we had for our tour and chatted about what we were going to be doing next few weeks and then we all went out for tea to a place in little india, then for a few drinks. Packed and went to bed.
9th june up bright and early... too early and had to be down the bus station by half 7. thinking we would be on a shack of a coach with scanky seats and no aircon we were pleasantly surprised when a large executive coach rocked up with armchairs, footrests and lots of leg room. haha even reclined so far your head was on the person behinds lap.
we were only on the bus a while before we all had to get off and go through customs and immigration for leaving singapore, took forever. then all back on board for 800m where we had to get off again with our bags this time and then enter Malaysia. we were all wondering who owned the 800m gap, and wouldnt it be easier for everyone if we just got off the once. anyway after entering malaysia off we went to Melaka our first stop. Our hotel was in China town, newly renovated and we were impressed. free flip flops, towels, shampoos, comfy beds, and actual beds not bunks. wow. simple things please simple minds but after staying in so many hostels a hotel is amazing. we had lunch in the hotel then a walk into town. went to the museum of natural beauty which was bit sick actually. was about all the things people have done to be beautiful, like the rings around some tribeswomens necks, the binding of chinese feet to keep them small, piercings, tatoos, corsets and how they all deform the body. was really interesting but the pictures were graffic at times. then i went to get cash out, a number of times and it appears that barclays have put a ban on my card even after telling them i was going to be travelling, soooo angry. so i had no ringit at all. i changed all the scraps of money i owned - 9 pound of english, 21 dollars from NZ, 7 dollars form Auz haha but i was desperate. bec said i could just borrow but i felt bad asking all the time. i had to though it was that or nothing. imagine if id been on my own with nobody to borrow from and not had my accomodation prebooked - id have been screwed. headed back through chinatown and randomly bumped into 2 of the girls we had been on the magic bus with in NZ. we saw them at the airport too! then the lads from our new trip were sat in a bar so we had a drink with them and got to know them a bit. back to the hotel and next up we had a trishaw tour of the town in a bright yellow thing done up with tinsel and fake flowers it was tacky beyond belief and ours had a booming soundsystem so we got the pleasure of listening to dance music around the town. we stopped off at a random tree, the old town parts, and a temple. the guy also made us eat and smell lots of random things mainly leaves fruits and grasses, which was bit strange. we also saw the hugest goannas even bigger than the ones in the outback and the tour man was throwing rocks at their heads to get them to move for us - we were all just like wooaahh woooah we dont need them to move a pic will do. went to a rice ball restaurant for tea was also bit strange and the chicken had bones and gristle in it which put me right off. had a few drinks back at the hotel and then went to bed. June 10th up and off in a taxi to the bus station, where we had breaky and got the coach to Kuala Lumpor. took 3 hours and we had a 15 min walk to the hotel when we got there in the sweltering heat. hotel was again in china town, not quite so nice but still not bad. shower curtains up at the windows which was a bit wierd and a hosepipe next to the toilet which one presumes is to wash ones derriere with after having taken a number 2! ha had a few hours to get lunch and walk round the markets then we had a tour ... in the rain, stopping off at the batu caves where there is a huge golden budda and a very steep 300+ step climb to the top of a hill where there is a hindu temple hidden inside the cave. there were also greedy monkeys all over so we had to watch our bags. next stop was a pewter factory, cant believe hardly anybody knew what pewter was apart from me, strange. was really interesting actually and we had a go at bashing a beer mug into shape. after that was a chocolate factory and lots of eating. we tried allsorts. disgusting as well as yummy. sesame seed chocolate, durian chocolate ( its a fruit, tastes like cheese and onion but thats days old, it stinks and is banned on all public transport). groooossss. bought a few (nice ones) on the way out but they didnt last long. next stop was meant to be the national mosque but the driver had only 20 mins of his driving time left so refused to take us so anyway we went back to the hotel to freshen up then we got the MRT to a posh korean restaurant for tea. was really quiet and i think we almost had a waiter each! after that we went outside to see the petronas towers all lit up at night was stunning. a few cocktails were next on the 40th floor of a hotel at a very swanky open air bar with a pool in the centre. the views of the city by night were amazing. could only afford one drink each so we headed back down and managed to get 7 in a four seater taxi and went to a reggae bar where we had cheaper drinks. came back to the hotel and we were all sat in the one room talking for ages then bed. June 11th
up at around half 9 and headed out for breakfast - had KFC which was gross but i was outnumbered in the choice! then we headed out to the central mall which was really good, lots of antique places - you'd love it mum! Then we came back to the hotel to dump our purchases and then had a walk over to the national mosque but it was prayer time so they wouldnt let us in. got some lunch then got the MRT over to the Petronus tower again. we then wandered over to the sky tower but couldn't actually be bothered to go up it as we are all skytowered out after auckland and sydney. we then wandered back to the hotel to get showered and changed for tea and a group meeting. had tea at a malay/chinese restaurant. am sick of rice and spicyness already give me a good old sunday roast anyday. we saw the funniest coffin place on the way back " Fook Hing Coffin Shop' haha and all the coffins were lined up lids open ready for someone to get in!! yuk and then we walked back through the night market stopping of for a mcFlurry. went to Reggae bar again for a drink then went to bed!June 12th
arose bright and early so we could get tickets for the Partonas towers, they only let 800 people up a day so we had to get in there quick. got the MRT over there and it was crammed so imagine getting all ten of us on!! ha was fun we pretty much just rammed ourselves on, didnt give a damn about anyone else and didnt need to hold on since we were crammed in and wouldnt have gone anyewhere had the train jerked to a stop.we left jo and emma to get the tickets while the rest of us went up to get breakfast from the foodcourt. came back and after a bit more waiting around we got to go up. had to watch some dodgy 3D film about the towers first, then go through security. bit of a dissapointing anticlimax when we got there, it was a good view though and free so we didnt feel too robbed. went for a coffee then headed back to the hotel on the MRt train.
finished packing and checked out then we had a bit of a hike to the bus station where we boarded a coach to Kuala Kansar ( i think) got a minibus from there to a small village where we were to be picked up for the homestay.
a small boat took us all across to the 11 acre island which we'd call home for the next few days. we were staying with a muslim family in a little wooden hut which had little else than 2 beds in it. thank god we had mosquito nets though as the little bighters were out in force! had no aircon in our room or even a fan so you'd walk from the bed to the door and be sweating buckets. wasnt pleasant. and there was nowhere to escape the heat or humidity at all everywhere was hot! we all had to cover up too since they were religious and so it was made worse by not being able to wear shorts or small vest tops
Had had a really good malaysian dinner but everything was spicy so off my nose was running running running and there was no escaping the sweat was pretty gross. plus i have a cold again. its going backwards and forwards between me and bec - whens it gunna stop!!
urrrrgh got abck to our room at midnight and there was a huge spider probably hand sized on the floor and it was pretty hairy. we got the bin and killed it. actually im saying "we" when i had no part in the murder cos i was too scared. so we had a bit of a check in the beds and round all the roof beams before getting comfy in bed.
awoke at 7 to loudish tapping have no idea what it was, was defo in the hut but didnt really want to know, thought i was reasonably safe in my mossie net. so shut my eyes tight and tried to think of nice things till it was time to get up.
FRIDAY 13th - had such a bad nights sleep last night, couldnt stop coughing and i was too hot. was actually glad when it was morning as it meant the pain of trying to sleep was over. had breakfast which was Roti bread, 2 curries, sweet potato doughnuts and other random stuff that doesnt need to be eaten that early on in the day.
after eating we boarded the boat, across the lake to another village where we got a tour and then set off ona hike up to the waterfalls. was paranoid id get leeches and sods law guess who gets two. first one was mid calf and i just shouted leeeeeeach, held out my leg and shut my eyes, and someone came running. i shut my eyes cos the last thing i wanted was to see blood, faint and get 40 more leeches from lying on the ground. but i was good, i only screamed a bit and it didnt really hurt at all just the lighter that burnt it off burnt my leg a bit. 2nd leech fell into my shoe and it was trying to suck through my sock but then it discoverd my foot and slammed its nashers in. becky got this one off for me since the lighter had ran out!!
it was soooo hot and humid i was dripping buckets, i could feel it running down my back and dripping of my nose. i think i was wetter walking to the waterfall than i was when i got in it. was cold but so so refreshing and really pretty. walking back in wet clothes wasnt so fun, and i decided to make it even more uncomfortable for myslef by slipping into the river up to my waist. arrrgh.
got back to the village and someone had made us some tea and buiscits which were much appreciated, then we got back on the boat to the homestay and had some lunch - spicy stuff and rice again! after eating we had a sarong demo. we had to dress in the muslim national dress for dinner so we were taught how to wear it and then had the afternoon free. i went for a shower and nap since i hadnt slept well the night before and bec went to do a malay cooking course.
tea was what bec and a few others had made and we all had to sit on the floor in our sarongs and eat with our hands. we also werent allowed to stop eating untill everything had gone. so we had to keeep ramming and ramming it in. surprised nobody puked.
all for now. need food xxx
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