Sunday, 27 March 2011
Bangkok, Thailand
Friday, 25 March 2011
Ubud, Bali
had changed much over the last ten years. He confirmed what I had
thought, that it used to have rice fields, where there are now rows of
endless tourist shops, selling colourful backpacker paraphenalia. And
that with all the tourists, brings large coaches, which clog up the
narrow streets and cause traffic jams.
It felt like we were missing something. Ubud portrays an image of
being a relaxed town, surrounded by rice fields, offering plenty of
cultural experiences - until you get there that is. And while it is a
perfectly pleasant place, there isn't that much to see. The main
streets soon become boring, unless you're here to buy your own hippy
lifestyle. I kept wondering what it was that people were looking for
in Ubud? The nearest rice terrace was a car ride away. The hastle
factor has been higher than anywhere else on the trip.
Yesterday we took a trip out to Ceking, to see the nearest rice
terraces. The view during the entire thirty minute journey was filled
with shops, each specialising in a particular item, ready to export
around the world in bulk. Many of the shops sell prints and paintings,
but there is no meaning in the art, its purely commercial. Once we
arrived in Ceking, we were immediatly ponced upon by hawkers,
continually following us, asking over and over if we wanted to buy a
scalf or chopsticks, barely taking no for an answer. The view of the
rice terraces was nice, but the pictures don't show the view from the
other side of the camera. We managed to escape the hastle, once we had
walked away from the main view point, and had a late lunch in a
deserted restaurant, overlooking the terraces.
We also took a trip out to the Botanical gardens, which were located
on the edge of a rainforest, with some well maintained areas, showing
brightly coloured tropical plants and huge bamboo canes. It was a
great escape from the endless hastle of Ubud, although I was slightly
on edge, after coming face to face with more wild life than I had
intended to see, earlier that morning, having caught my first
sightings of plate sized spiders, hiding amongst some shady plants,
that I photographed. It was a fairly terrifying experience! Maybe the
spiders at home won't bother me as much, after being in Bali!
We also visited some temples, took a day trip out to the beach at
Seminyak, and walked through the monkey forest, during our time in
Bali. I'm glad that we came here, as it has been an interesting
experience, but it's not what I was expecting. Bali has changed -
especially in Ubud. There are plenty of better places to go in Asia.
For trekking in beautiful rice terrace surroundings, go to Sapa in
Vietnam. Perhaps that paradise island feel still exists somewhere on
Bali, but I'm not sure where it can be found.
Tomorrow, we are flying back to Bangkok, so for now I shall go to
sleep to the sound of frogs, crickets and geckos singing the night
chorus.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
KajaNe Yangloni Villa, Ubud
stunning here.
Monday, 21 March 2011
Ubud, Bali
9am, and were at the border a few hours later. We had to wait outside
for about an hour, to pass through Thai immigrations. Thankfully there
was a tarpauline to wait under, but as the queue grew, people who
arrived another twenty minutes later, found themselves waiting under
the scorching midday sun. It felt like a furnace. As we waited, we saw
lorry loads of live pigs being transported into Cambodia, some of them
were red with sun burn. It wasn't nice seeing so many of them crammed
into open topped lorries, for what was probably a few hours.
Eventually the immgration queue moved, and we were back in Thailand.
We decided to get a taxi to Bangkok airport, as we thought it was
preferable to a five hour bus ride. While it was fun on the way out, I
think we have experienced enough locals on busses and all the drama
that this entails. All was going well until a horrendous thumping
noise came from the rear tyre and we had a blow out. The driver was
able to stop, but we were on lane four of a motorway, and I was
petrified that someone would go into the back of us. People drive
really fast and across any lane on Thai motorways. Luckily the driver
was able to limp the car back, across four lanes, to do a quick tyre
change. While we were waiting, we saw someone do an undertake via the
hard shoulder doing at least 90 mph. We were glad to get moving again.
Our flight to Bali was at 6am, so I booked to stay at the airport
Novotel. We decided to get a quick snack at the hotel's very expensive
restaurant, before going into central Bangkok for dinner. Half way
through Robin's soup, he discovered one of the larger pieces of
chicken was raw in the middle. We made a big fuss, as the restaurant
had only four customers, so it wasn't as if they were stressed out.
Also, discovering your meal is raw, just before an early morning
flight, is not ideal. Thankfully Robin was fine - I'd said before the
trip, to check that every piece of chicken is cooked, so luckily he
did. We were annoyed as we had expected better things, from a fairly
squish restaurant. They didn't deal with the situation well either,
firstly trying to bring out another dish, while I had to ask them to
take away the plate of undercooked chicken from our table. This
followed by a hotel manager telling us not to worry, as the particular
dish was meant to be cooked that way. Not great customer service at
the Novotel.
We're now in Bali. We flew with AirAsia, the Ryanair equivallent. It
was fine apart from the passengers. Robin and I were catching some
sleep and had stretched out as we had three seats to ourself. I came
out of a daze to see Robin sat bolt upright, as a Chinese man had
moved Robin's legs out of the way, woken us up, and sat on the third
seat. After a lot of glarring and trying to ask what he was doing, he
was either playing dumb or genuinely had a slate missing, as he sat
there like it was the most normal thing in the world. We were in the
middle of the plane, so it wasn't as if he was sitting on a spair seat
until a toilet was free. Still annoyed at being woken up for no
reason, and the fact that the annoyance was still sat there, I
stretched my legs out, so that my feet were in his face. He then
started taking reading material out of Robin's seat pocket and tried
to put it back, around my feet. It took him far too many minutes to
get the message that he wasn't welcome, before he got up and wandered
to the front of the plane.
The Indonesian visa on arrival process was smooth enough. We exchanged
some travellers cheques, and met our taxi pickup. The journey to Ubud
was about an hour. We were surprised how narrow the roads were. The
journey was interesting, as the streets were lined with temple
entrances and statues of religious icons. Eventually we left Denpasar
behind, and drove along glistening rice fields and towering palm
trees, until our hotel. The Aniraka had good reviews online with some
enticing photos on their website, but when we got there, we were
dissapointed. I went to find a plug socket beside the bed, only to
discover layers of dirt and various tiny insects. I looked under the
wardrobe, to check for spiders, but it was layers deep in cobwebs, so
I couldn't really tell. The room itself, was dark and claustrophobic,
with a half wall between the bedroom and bathroom. We moved to the
kitchen area, only to jump a meter back, as something dark and hand
sized, scuttled up the curtains. Thankfully it was just a gecho. When
we were outside, Robin told me he saw a spider beside the bed. Not
what we were hoping for.
Back in November, I had emailed the KajaNe Mau spa hotel, for a quote.
It was way out of our budget. However, over a few emails, they had
wanted to know why we did not want to stay with them, and what our
budget was. The end result was an offer to stay in their new villa,
for half of the original price. I gave them a call and asked if they
had any availibility. They did. I forwarded the original emails and
they even honoured the price quoted in November. Within half an hour
of explaining to the situation to the Aniraka Hotel staff, and that we
had expected a higher standard of cleanliness from a hundread dollar a
night room (which is a lot in Indonesia), we were on our way to KajaNe
Mua. The spa hotel looked like something straight out of a coffee
table photobook. It's even more luxurious than the hotel in Cambodia,
but in a ultra chic, outdoor style, with infinity pools and lush
gardens with real peace lillies and other gorgeous plants. We love it
here. The bathroom has a fixed pebble floor, with a path of wooden
stepping stones. We are currently staying in one of their mansion
villas, but will move to their new villas tomorrow. Aparently, these
all have a rice terrace view in a peaceful corner of Ubud. Below, is a
quick photo of our room and the view from one of our windows.
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Photos from Angkor, Cambodia
The temples were stunning. I also have a new favourite - Preah Khan. With similarities to Ta Prohm, but larger. Around every corner was another exquisite display of 12th century stone work, against a backdrop of forest green.
Tomorrow we will do the overland journey back to Thailand, so tonight we have been making the most of our hotel, sitting in the tranquil grounds, sipping fruit smoothies as the sun goes down. We will miss this place. I hope our hotel in Bali will be as nice.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Siem Reap, Cambodia
We arrived at the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa Hotel, which was even more luxurious than I had imagined. We were greeted with a glass of pandan juice and a sticky rice cake, before being shown to our room. With lots of dark wood, and a colour scheme of green, gold and the occasional purple orchid, it feels very tranquil. Their spa facilities and pool look tempting, although we are not really here long enough to make use of them.
The restaurant was a little intimidating to start with, as our wardrobe wasn't quite ready for five star dining, but the food was amazing. This morning, they provided the best breakfast buffet that I have ever seen. There was a large choice of tropical fruit, cooking stations with hot food made to order - such as the delicious rice noodle and pak choi soup that I enjoyed, and many hot dished with Western style cooked breakfast items, such as a gormet eggs benedict, to oriental rice based dishes. Tomorrow, I shall definitely be going to breakfast a lot earlier.
We took a tuk tuk out to the temples, and took many photos of intricate carvings, as we explored Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat. We're here out of season, so the temples were a lot quieter than the last time that I was here.
Tomorrow we are going to see some temples a bit further away, including some that I haven't seen, which I'm looking forward to. We also have a new driver, as we told the previous one that we had decided on a spa day, as we weren't happy with him. While we appreciated that he had a family and wanted to make money, he didn't help himself, by telling us that it was too far to go back to Siem Reap for lunch, and that there were 'restaurants' around the temple complex. I told him that we didn't eat at them, using my allergies as an excuse for it being difficult (as opposed to the stalls being known for their food poisoning). Thankfully, I had a few snack bars on me, so I had those and we bought extra cold drinks. Not breaking for lunch, meant that we nearly had some parts of Angkor Wat to ourselves, which was great, as we got to wander along the outer corridors, reading the bas-relief carving. They depicted battle scenes with men, horses, elephants and lions, as well as the occasional god. Afterwards, we got the driver to drop us into town, to look around the old market and I bought a few wooden bracelets. I'm hoping now that my wrists are adorned, the street hawkers will give me some peace, but probably they'll just try to sell us something else.
Bangkok and Ayutthaya, Thailand
The restaurant itself, was nearly hidden, midway down Patapong I, with an extremely dark interior. Somehow we could just about make out the moving wall of insects, and I spent my meal doing what must have looked like, thumping the wall with my umbrella, in an attempt to keep a stray cockroach at bay. However, we were greeted in French, (which felt like we were somewhere civilised), and the food was superb. I enjoyed a great tasting fillet of lamb, before deciding that it was time to leave, before we saw the cockroach again.
The next day, we took a trip to Ayutthaya, and headed for the old town center by tuk tuk, to visit Wat Mahathat. We wandered around the spacious temple complex, looking at the six hundred year old architecture. We stopped off for lunch at an eclectic Thai cafe, for more fried rice, and a break from the heat, even though the thunderstorm and heavy rain on our arrival, made it cooler than my previous visit. We also visited Wat Prah Ram and Wat Yai, before getting the train back to Bangkok. It was good to get away from the traffic noise and pollution of the capital for a while.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
Mumbai, India
We took a taxi from the airport into Mumbai, which involved cars, tuk tuks and the occasional cow taking every spair inch of what should have been a two laned carriageway. All the vehicles tooted and jostled for space. We passed some slums that we recognised from recent documentaries, which were a sharp contrast to the brand new skyscrappers.
Our hotel is great. It does feel as if we have stepped back in time. Everyone is very formal and attentive, but also genuinely warm hearted.
We braved the 35 degree heat and went to explore the city. We wandered around the Fort area and went to see Victoria station. There's some stunning colonial architecture. We took a taxi out to the Gateway of India and watched the crowds gather for the sunset, looking out to sea. We found a French restaurant nearby, and intended just to stop for a drink, but their stunning menu persuaded us to order dinner.
I was dreading trying to convey that I couldn't eat gluten, lactose, nuts or chilli, but I found a suitable steak and vegetable dish. The waiter was so attentive and even took my translation card to the chef to make sure there were no problems. I was so impressed by the willingness of the waiter, to cater to my awkward requirements without any fuss. The steak was delicious, which was equally unexpected as I wasn't sure what the quality of meat would be like. It was a great meal. We wandered around the city a bit more before heading back to the hotel to repack for Thailand.
We've loved our time in Mumbai. It has a great atmosphere and feels like one of the friendliest cities in the world.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
A weekend in Marrakech, Morocco
The following morning, we were woken by the faint sounds of children being sent off to school and people walking in the alley way below. We stayed in Riad Badra, a beautiful homely riad, with friendly staff who immediately made us feel welcome. A breakfast was prepared for us, consisting of various breads, jam, coffee and juice, in a cosy living room of low down seating and mosaic tiled walls. I loved this riad straight away, painted in warm red shades with a gorgeous selection of Moorish furnishings. The atmosphere was relaxed and tranquil, just what we needed to wake up to.
By mid morning, we found ourselves wandering through the maze of souks, to the familiar grounds of the main square, or Jemma el Fna as its known. Our riad was located to the north of the souks, so this area of Marrakesh was new to me. We passed endless stores of spices and colourful skins, stretched over frames, to form decorative lamps. Unusually, we were not approached by sellers and left alone to continue through. I think as soon as they spot your pace slowing and your head turning to look at something that catches your eye, the store holders pounce and begin calling after you. I find the solution is usually to smile and say, non Merci, while continuing to walk forward.
Already, the sun felt quite hot by the time we had made it to Jemma el Fna. So we decided to go for mint tea, at the Princes patisserie on Rue Bab Agnaou. There is always something calming about a glass of mint tea before going out to face the chaos and intensity of Marrakesh, with street hawkers and entertainers on every corner. We decided to do something touristy for a change, and took an open tour bus around the city. It was the perfect amount of distance, letting us observe the city, while being free from the endless interaction from people trying to sell things or just make money from the nearest tourist. We took the romantic route, which led us around the palmeries on the edge of the city. I enjoyed looking out across open views of palm trees with the mountains in the distance, especially after the bustling streets of Marrakesh.
We arrived back in the new town, where we decided to have lunch. We looked at the menu of quite a few cafes until finding one that we liked the look of. We were led inside, but the place stank of smoke, so the waiters found a table for us outside. We both ordered chicken brochette with fries, but the meal was a disappointment as the chicken was pink in the middle. Under cooked meat seems to be a feature of Marrakesh and I recommend going vegetarian (their cheese is best avoided) or only eating meat in expensive restaurants.
We returned back to our riad, to enjoy the late afternoon sun, while relaxing on the roof terrace with a book.
In the evening, we had dinner at Narwama, a previous favourite restaurant of mine, complete with strong cocktails, a water feature that shoots flames into the air and a luxurious decor. They do a Thai and Moroccan themed menu, with far more flavour than the surrounding restaurants. Also, they seem to be one of the few places that consistently served properly cooked meat and a choice of something other than tagine.
The following morning was sunny and I felt very relaxed. Despite it being my fifth visit to Morocco, there were parts of Marrakech that I hadn't explored and wanted to. One of these areas was the grounds of the Koutoubia. I enjoyed wandering though gardens of cacti, on to well kept pathways with orange trees on either side, heavy with fruit and birds chirping away. There were plenty of benches to sit on, looking out across green hedges to the Koutoubia with fountains in the foreground. We headed to Portofino's for a lunch of pasta and a view back to the Koutoubia.
In the afternoon, still intent on trying things that I had never done before, we took a celeche around the old city walls. After a discussion over price, we settled on half an hour for 100dh. We sat in a carriage as our driver shouted and whipped the horses to trot. He had a brief tour around the old city walls and through an exclusive part of town with new hotels and casinos. The experience was fairly forgettable and not something I would recommend, but I wanted to try it in case I was missing something.
Once back in Jemma el Fna, we went into the souks and did some shopping. I bought a bag of harissa for 20dh and mint tea for the same. We also bought some colourful fabric poufs for the living room and made our way back to the riad. We spent the last day light hour exploring the residential area in the north east of the souks, with its beautiful doorways.
Friday, 4 July 2008
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Buldging watermelons were placed under shady parasols, stacked on top of each other in a great mound. I followed the flow of people to a blue tiled dome, expecting to find the main market, but instead, I discovered a collection of spice vendors. I walked around the maze of tables and back into the outdoor stands. The sun was piercing, as it beat down upon the stalls of clothes and toiletries. Expecting to find a section of handicrafts and local fabric, I continued to wander. I was unsuccessful and found the Chorsu Bazaar to be dissapointing, with little of interest to someone with no desire to purchase a broom or a synthetic tshirt. However, the people were quite charasmatic, only noticing that I wasn't local when I brought out a camera. There is an Asian look to the people, with a strong Russian influence.
Compared to other Uzbek cities, begging has become quite noticable in both Samarkand and Tashkent. I wonder how much of this is due to tourism, with small children being taught to ask for money and how many tourists have previously handed them a note, so that now they come to expect it from foreigners. As I walked around the entrance of a mosque, I was followed by a young boy and a girl, who grabbed at my arm and skirt, asking for money. There were no signs of desperation, the girl seemed quite indignant about getting something. I was surprised at the mothers attitude, seemingly completely calm about her children pestering a tourist, as they stood waiting at a bus stop.
Tashkent seems such a vast city, that taxis are an essential mode of transport. It is too hot to walk for any distance. We are staying at the Hotel Grand Orzu, which is perfectly acceptable, but nothing special. The swimming pool was a dissapointment. A tiny plunge pool with cloudy water and a guy trying to skim away the dead flies, in an attempt to entice us in. Considering that the hotel is located on the edge of the city, it seems to lack reasons to stay there, since it is so far from the metro station or any of the old sites.
Last night we all went out for a group meal, as three of us are leaving the tour tomorrow. Our guide recommended the Sim Sim Cafe, a great restaurant with an extensive menu of local dishes. I ordered a vegetable salad, which they did very well, and a green shi soup. I was puzzeled that my soup was infact red and seasoned with paprika, nothing like the parsley flavoured green shi that I had eaten in Samarkand. I gave the soup to Jallel to eat and ordered some fries with ketchup, which arrived with chilli flakes in. The rest of the food in Uzbekistan has been surprisingly chilli and paprika free. A disco began in one of the rooms downstairs while people ate, although the dancing wouldn't begin for many hours. In another room, a cabaret act began to set up.
Tonight, a few of us are going to a Syrian restaurant, known for providing some of the best cuisine in town. I think after eating so much greasy kebab meat, we are all longing for a delicious dinner.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
We are staying at B&B Private Hotel Furkat, which is so bad that I felt compelled to photograph it, as on the first night, a few of us sat around laughing at how terrible it is. The good news is that a lot of building work is going on and there are plans for a restaurant and proper rooms, so perhaps in the future it could be really nice. The staff do try their best and are quite accomodating with the resources that they have. Unfortunately, we have been staying there for the last few nights. Upon arrival, the first room we were given was in line with the afternoon sun, furnace like inside, with no sign of the tired airconditioning unit even switching on. In the last few hotels, we have had the hottest rooms and we were getting a bit fed up of it, particularly at the previous hotel, when I spent the first night sleeping on a table in the court yard because I couldn't bear sweating all night and not feeling any breeze. We were moved to another room on the ground floor, with a toilet so fowl smelling, the stench was visable even when the door was closed. With the thought of being here for three nights, and the smell a permenant result of blocked drains and the road being dug up on the other side of the hotel, I asked if there was another room we could be moved to. I had a tour of the hotel, as I was led into five different rooms, trying to decide the things we could live with, such as a clear glass door to the bathroom, if a room had air conditioning, or the smell of sewage if the electricity worked. In most of the rooms either the bathroom smelt horribly or power lines were not able to run the airconditioning. Eventually the best option was a dark and dingy room, with hideous fifties decor, containing a working air con unit. The bathroom door was unable to close completely and would have looked more inkeeping on an industrial fridge, with a hole in the floor for the shower to drain, yet with a flat floor, taking a shower with a door that wouldn't close ment that the bedroom would be flooded. A quarter of the bathroom was taken up with a ridiculous looking boiler, which was most uneffective. The main door to our room in unable to close also, with no facility to lock at night, so I sleep with my bag of valuables and hope for the best. At least I have a room mate and we are above the ground floor. Our local guide reassures us that the next hotel is a nice one.
