South East Asia: 2008

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Kuala Lumpur is much nicer than its reputation. The Twin Towers are just fabulous - one of the most astonishing modern buildings. Different color from rosty to white dependant on the light and time of day.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Krabi: how aweful Thailand is

As there was only the very expensive way to take a boat / car taxi from my island to Krabi Airport where I booked a flight I decided to take the public boat which makes it necessary to stay a night in Krabi, a very touristic place.

Result: very nice journey but the place is just terrible. Get me out of this! Palma the Mallorca is paradise! I think Thailand is in most cases the most stupid location you can choose for holidays! Now it's holiday season in Thailand. Lots of Thais in "my" little island - here only English, Germans, Swiss, Dutch - you named it. No met one interesting girl and her friend from Hawaii. Need an international scuba diving trainer licence and here it's cheaper as in the US. Question to her: but isn't it a terrible place here. Answer: Yes it is, worse than the most touristic place in Hawaii.

The shame is that the beach itself would be very nice!

My little island Kho Hai

Having googled a lot the result was clear: This is the best island in Thailand:

* a couple of years ago only Thais and no touristic infrastructure

* best places for snorkeling around

* nice bamboo houses and very small

The result: This is MY island and I have a new hobby: snorkeling, just fantastic!

A these sunrises - ooo.

Bangkok: Amazing Temples

Bangkok: an awful city but interesting

It's not a city, it's a mass of skyscrapers, huts and in between streets and cars.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Biking Tour Floating Market

A wonderful tour trough coconut and banana fields. Organized by a Scotch guy that loves biking and is married to a Thai.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Tour to the waterfalls

What a wonderful place, these waterfalls in Luang Prabang. The villge itself is unbelievable. Never seen so many individual tourists on such a small place. I ask anybody who on hell told them to go there and get different answers. Was told that last year everything was looking different. This year they had days when all of the (guess) 100 guesthouses were booked out. Odd place indeed! But nice temples and it's a pity that I do not have enough time for a more than 1 day trip.

Me at the hairdresser

What an experience! Got a new hair cut for 4$. Like everywhere in this area i was only allowed to enter the shop barefoot. 1st strange thing: 1st the haircut then the hair wash. latter was a very strange exercise: I had to lay down at a bed. My head was scratched for hours, I got a massage everywhere on my head and I really wondered if my head bone may stand the pressure. At the end it went well and I can think clearer than ever before!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Lluang Prabang

Jut 3 words: it's a shame! Travelling the whole day by bus through wonderful peaceful villages and jungle and now this. This village is worse than Disneyland. All I see is pubs with the English Premier league on TV, everywhere I hear Swiss German and I miss the Americans and Aussies - the coolest tourists. One boutique after the other like St. Moritz. Couldn't find a Rolex shop but I am still looking. Man, I paid almost 1$ for a mango that I could nearly pick by myself at the next tree! I saw a Mercedes SL600 worth 2kEUR. Hopefully tomorrow I find out why this odd place is called a UNESCO world heritage.

Ventianne

This is kind of the cities like "places where there is nothing to see or to do". Nevertheless I meet a lot of backpackers, a French girl cycling through Laos by here own and so on. Getting a bus ticket to the North was challenging as the service at the hotel was a desaster. Maybe Mafia family. No idea how they can effort their BMW and SUV in front of the door.The supposed highlight is this temple but it is (in my mind) just "kitsch".

Flight to Laos

Ever had a plane for yourself and 2 other guests? Here is the prove. (The plane is a French propellar machine from ... very old). We asked the flight attendant to take a picture.

Angkor

This place is just amazing. 10*10km full of temples in the jungle. Renting a bicycle (for 2$ a day:-) and going there before sunset!

And it's nice after the "guesthouse" logging experience to have a stay in the wonderful Le Meridien with swimmingpool and all the other nice facilities.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Saigon City Tour

Well Saigon has not much to offer. The (organized) city tour was a little bit annoying but at least I could buy some stuff for my trip like the unvincible Ho Chi Min sandals or a troop hat.

Wanted to buy some candies at the Chinese Market, too but the saleswoman was sleeping so deep that I didn't dare to wake her up. Did I do a favor to her?

Trip to the Mekong Delta

Being tourist in Vietnam is so f.. easy! Booked a 8$tour in the hotel. Services included:

Pick-up at the hotel
2 hours bus ride to the Mekong Delta
- Boat trip
- Lunch
- Fruit tasting
- English speaking guide
- Transfer back to the hotel.

The Mekong delta is amazing. Just the villages are a little strange to me. Always question marks if the people there are just actors for the sake of tourists or if they really are here for living (or both)? By the way: the visit to the craft work is mandatory, the coconut production center, too.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The problem of planning such a trip.

O what a pity! If I want to stick to my plan and already booked flights I have to leave Saigon in three days. The atmosphere here is just fantastic. All the life is outside, have good fresh food for 3-4$! Get your money changed at any corner. India is for me the benchmark for my Asia trip. Saigon looks very similar to a typical Indian city but:

Compared to India it's clean like a Swiss tourist village.
Compared to India people show unbelievably much discipline. They even turn on the lights of their cars and motorbikes if it's dark!
Compared to India the service is just fantastic. Every big smile is followed by action.

Just a couple of words to my pics from the capital of motor cycles. In reality they don't look that great, colourful and sharp. I love my Nikon ;-)

Vietnam

No problems to get the preregistered visa at the airport. A french guy was not that lucky. The validity of his passport was running out. Finally he tried to offer some additional money to the office man. This worked fine. With a big smile the problem was solved.

Leaving Singapore

Compared to Hong Kong it seems to me that Singapore has not much to offer. A couple of short snapshots in the rain and then back to the airport to head to more interesting places ...