Leaving Ko Samui tomorrow to head off to Ko Phangan. I have 3 stories about the random people I have met here, and somehow I feel that the 3rd story is a culmination of the other 2 events.

Three days ago, during breakfast the morning after, a story emerged about how Tim and Troy (two mad guys from Melbourne) took a 2am trip to Burger King down the road. Some form of miscommunication occurred, whereby two of the diners (large black Bosnian men) started some trouble with them -accusing them of racism. After a few unfriendly exchanges, Troy jumped behind the counter and captured the cooking knife, wielding it to the (now frightened) Bosnians. After a few more minutes, the Bosnians left the building, and hovered outside waiting for the Aussies with a few more of their friends. After a 1 hour siege, a 5'6" wiry Thai bouncer in his boxer shorts appears, and calms the whole situation down, granting the Aussies safe passage out of Burger King.

Two days ago, we were out drinking again, and each ended up walking home separately. Graeme got quickly drunk and left with Dawn, Tim was left talking to the bar girl, and Troy disappeared. I started off home alone, and got the usual hassle from all the street urchins (taxis, hookers and ladyboys). You can be as polite as you want, waving them all on, but they still seem to take offence. One actually threw a bottle at me. Finally, after ducking and diving, I arrived home, and could not find Troy. I turned around, and saw him zip by on the back of a scooter being driven by a lady boy. Huh? Disappointing indeed. I went back to the restaurant area and waited by the beach for a while. Troy surfaced after about 20minutes, from the beach. His story was simple but blurry. "I don't know how, but I ended up in the middle of nowhere, and there were 4 Thai guys trying to fight me. Then, I got on the back of a moped taxi, and got back to the bar. No-one was there, so I headed back here, again by taxi. The taxi driver took me nowhere near the hostel, so I refused to pay. Then he and his mates started chasing me, and I had to get on the back of a scooter with a lady boy in order to escape. She/he wouldn't stop driving, and I had to jump off, and then I hid in the bushes, and came out beach, and now i'm here." That's a hell of an adventure.

Last night, Tim and Troy spent a short part of the evening racing up and down the main high street on their scooters, throwing fireworks at the hookers.

This morning, Troy found that all his cash had been stolen from the room (about AU$500 worth).

I'm just glad that I am not of the age to be actually influenced by people anymore.
- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 30, 2004 0 comments

 
Hello from Ko Samui. Ex-paradise island of Thailand that is now inhabited by smelly backpackers like me. That means lots of loud drinking joints, high scooter accident rates, and busy beaches. It could be the Costa Brava. The upside is that I have beach hut for $5 per night, without rats.

The journey here was long. Hitched a ride with Vic up to SP (North of Penang), and stayed overnight. Met his parents. The meeting was interesting - children are such a product of their parents, whether the relationship is passive or rebellious. Then woke up at 6.30am to catch the train up to Hat Yai. The train was late, and got later still as we progressed. I arrived at Hat Yai at 3pm ish, and then began the fight (with the travel agent hawkers) as to how to get to Surat Thani. I started haggling for fares based with an Aussie guy I met in the travel agency. Eventually, after being systematically lied to, we worked out that there was no way of getting to Ko Samui the same evening, and booked a bus to get us to Surat Thani where we intended to get a night ferry to Ko Samui at 11pm. In the meantime, agents were still chasing us and insisting that if we handed over our money to them we would get to Ko Samui the same evening. Not to be trusted.

After a few Changs (local beer), we caught the ferry, and slept on the ferry on the way over here - on the deck. The mad aussie duo that I met up with actually slept on the roof of the boat, until the freezing cold forced them down again from their precarious bed. Finally arrived at the dock at 5.30am and were greeted by a couple of lunatic taxi drivers who charged us approx 10x the rate for a ride to a random beach hut place. Got a room at a place called Charlie's, and got some sleep.

In the next couple of days, we wandered around the island on rented scooters - I managed to fall off a couple of times, and have grazes to prove.
We trekked for 2 hours up some hill yesterday in search of a waterfall. It was 35 degrees. Disappointment is a weak word to describe out feelings when we found that the waterfall didn't really exist, but there was a bit of water running down some rocks. Boo to the Thai Tourist board. At least there was a good view of the city.


No photos to upload yet, until I get back to KL.
- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, April 28, 2004 0 comments

 
The mad taxi driver award goes to the geezer who ducked in front of and underneath a crane on the highway in midday traffic. Both the crane driver and I were overcome with emotion. Undeterred, the taxi driver continued informing me about his trip to Dublin a couple of years ago.

Tomorrow I head out to Penang / Georgetown, and then up the road to Thailand and Ko Samui, where I will beaching it for over a week... Don't expect updates. :-)

Here are some monkeys.


- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 23, 2004 0 comments

 
The Cambodian embassy in KL is actually just some guys house. I drove into suburbia, pulled up to the gates of this house, sauntered in, and took a seat in the conservatory and waited. After a few minutes, some dude spotted me and approached. Far from offering me some homemade lemonade, he demanded to know what I was doing. Luckily he was shorter than me. Collected my visa and ran.

Now I am ready (next month) to enter a country which has the stupendous number of unexploded landmines, has seen civil strife for the best part of the last 50 years, endured one of the most horrific acts of genocide in Asia, the highest HIV rate for any ASEAN country and an extremely stretched infrastructure. I'm told the people aren't friendly either. Right, i'm sure that's scared my Mum.
- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, April 22, 2004 0 comments

 
The morning jog today did not face the usual monkey hazard. I managed to spot a snake on the pavement today, which was, fortunately, dead. However, this didn't stop the initial panic of the Western mind saying "Ah!!! SNAKE, SNAKE SNAKE". All in contrast to a couple of weeks ago, when I had a 8 foot python thrust into my arms, alive and wriggling for freedom (or dinner). Back then, panic was subdued - people were watching.
- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, April 21, 2004 0 comments

 
The exciting news today is that I am in possesion of a Veitnamese visa, and awaiting a Cambodian visa. The dull news is that I have got some photos from the weekend in Singapore.

As the saying goes, "gwailo tak boleh joget". But that doesn't stop James from climbing onto the bar and dancing. God knows why he wasn't thrown out.


And to those of you that don't know James, here's a panorama.

- posted by Daniel @ Tuesday, April 20, 2004 0 comments

 
The grumpiest man in town today is the clerk at the Vietnamese embassy. It is feasible that there is a Monday morning factor involved here, but I feel that the answer lies more with an inferiority complex stemming from the fact that his boss goes by the title ' Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary '. Grand huh? Well, I'm impressed, and I figure that he must be damn good at his job. Having said that, Idi Amin declared himself to be 'Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea'. Which sounds pretty important too.
- posted by Daniel @ Monday, April 19, 2004 0 comments

 
Lee Kuan Yew inherited Singapore in 1965, and brought about one of the greatest social changes seen in the modern world over such a short period. Within twenty years, the people were housed and employed, the streets were clean and businesses began to migrate to this new bastion of hope in otherwise corrupt Asia. Of course, all political enemies - Chia Thye Poh to name but one - were kept out of the picture.

Is Singapore Sterile and Dull? The Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs, George Yeo, said: 'We have to pursue this subject of fun very seriously if we want to stay competitive in the 21st century'. Having said that, the perception of the individual is all that matters. In the searing heat I ran up the 36 flights of stairs today, in an attempt to feel less guilty about all the beer from last night. Within 2 hours, I was drunk again. I don't percieve Singapore to be dull.

Sinagpore, as the taxi driver bitterly referred is a Fine Country. Litter, spit, yadda yadda yadda and you will be fined.
- posted by Daniel @ Saturday, April 17, 2004 0 comments

 
The Zero 7 remix of Roots Manuva - Witness has been thumping through my head for the last 3 days. Did prehistoric man ever have this problem? Did Fred Flinstone's real life number bop about town humming out of tune, loudly to the latest track from his nephew's bongo band?


- posted by Daniel @ Thursday, April 15, 2004 0 comments

 
Walking around in circles for what appeared to hours - but transpired to be minutes - with 5kg of laundry desperately seeking Persil, I eventually located the Dhobi, who relieved me of odorous clothing whilst demanding just over one of the Queen's pounds. Butler wrongly surmised the Dhobi to be a relative of the highly revered Obi Wan.

Google, as always, holds the answer
- posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, April 14, 2004 0 comments

 
A photo from the Forestry Research Institute Malaysia. We took a 1 hour hike up into the depths of the forest, and then a Canopy Walk. Splendid views of the city, and a frightening view of the ground over 50 foot below.


- posted by Daniel @ Monday, April 12, 2004 0 comments

 
Locals refer to it as The Jam – but this is no boogie. Kuala Lumpur experiences levels of traffic that could reduce even a London cabbie to whimpering child. The pugnacious motorcyclist seeks to acquire new routes.

- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 09, 2004 0 comments

 
The British expanded the empire in the name of trade. People within the empire traveled and started markets far from their hometowns. 40% of Malaysia’s population is ethnic Chinese, and the members of this community are fiercely entrepreneurial. China Town is host to Petaling Street – where a Rolex is traded at RM30, the latest Hollywood titles are available on DVD for RM20. Triple the prices if you are a tourist.


- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 09, 2004 0 comments

 
The Malaysian state oil company put their name to the tallest building in the world. But this is no developed country.


- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 09, 2004 0 comments

 
When it rains, the word deluge falls short to describe what must be endured….


- posted by Daniel @ Friday, April 09, 2004 0 comments