Highlights

The highlights so far of Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Indonesia
My first night alone in Ubud, featuring a room with only cold water, no flushing toilet and no wash basin. My first meal alone, in which I was joined by two backpackers so wasn’t alone after all. Large noisy geckos in/on my ceiling, which I thought was rats. A huge aggressive sounding argument with hitting things (one person) outside my room, which is very unusual in the land of ‘saving face’. Well, I guess it was dark…

Walking around the rice paddies of Ubud

Boat trip to Komodo, with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, snorkeling, tropical islands and the awesome smelly komodo dragons.



And my first bout of ‘traveler’s diarrhea/food poisoning, resulting in have such a fever that I was shaking from the cold, and the addition of vomiting, which only I had, not the other 10 people also sick. A visit during the trip to a rural community nurse only got us paracetamol and vitamins, so after arriving back in Sengiggi and having a bad night where I was event throwing up water, I stumbled to a doctor and got anti-vomit and antibiotics.
I was told I would lose weight while traveling. I realised by this stage that that would not be because I ate less (I’m eating just as much, trying all the new things).

Being at a Hindu temple in Lombok just as they were about to perform a ceremony and chatting to some locals

Spending three days on Gili Air just reading ‘The Cider House Rules’ and occasionally dipping into the swimming pool, part of the fancy hotel I got myself into at a backpacker price.

Having to leave the Gili Air early as I ran out of money and there wasn’t an ATM (yes, I did go to Gili T to get money but took the wrong credit card). Ended up in Senaru where there wasn’t an ATM either and had to make a 5hr round trip just to get money from Sengiggi.

The Hell that was a 2 day trek to the volcano rim on Mt Rinjani, climbing from 600m to 2600m in 9.7km. Yes, I did see lava and steam, and the view was amazing. But the fact that I was nearly crying and nearly gave up on the 9hr trek to the top, and crying on the second half of the 6hr way down thanks to my knees, still makes it hell and I wouldn’t do it again. Well, not without training and walking sticks.

Malaysia

The indian food – curries, roti canai, dosai masala, naan, chicken tandoori…mmm

The jungle canopy walk and bat cave in Taman Negara.

Snorkeling with turtles, reef sharks and nemo at Pulau Perhintian Kecil

4WDing in the back of a landcruiser and seeing the world’s largest flower (Rafflesia) in the jungle near the Cameron Highlands.

Cool nights made warmer by drinking whiskey and playing shithead amongst other things with new friends in the Cameron Highlands.

La Village (hostel) in KL, made KL bearable.

Sharing a double bed with near strangers (once a girl and once a guy I met a few hours earlier) twice, to save money because there’s no dorms or twin beds available.

Vietnam

War Remnants Museum in Saigon. Not fun, but I ‘had’ to go because I didn’t know much about the Vietnam War. Same for the ‘Hanoi Hilton’.

Motorbike tour around Hue with a guide, to buddhist temples etc etc, and hanging out with Emily for a few days

Hiring a bicycle in Hue and later a scooter in Sapa and Cat Ba Island to tour around on my own (or with random people I meet traveling).

Two day trek in the mountains around Sapa (north west Vietnam), meeting hill tribes, chickens, pigs and buffalo along the way, and staying with a Red Dzoa family for the night, drinking rice wine shots (ergh!) with the head of the family, his eldest son and our guide. No other tourists except for my travel partner.

Three day deluxe cruise around Halong Bay, world heritage site. Hospital cave and scootering on Cat Ba Island.

In general

All the awesome people I’ve met while traveling. Some will be friends forever (some mostly facebook friends forever, ha).

And not just other travelers. The owner of a gueshouse in Lombok let me sleep in her bed when everything was full. I thought she had another bed, but she ended up sleeping on the flour next to me (on a matress)!

An indian gentleman in Georgetown was amazed I was traveling alone, gave me his card and said if I got in any trouble while in Penang, to call him.

Food. In general I love food, but I especially like trying new food, so this is one of the major highlights for me. Fortunately I also get sick sometimes (oops, I just swallowed the tap water while brushing my teeth!!), so I haven’t gained too much weight…!