Hello (again),
I just wanted to let you know a few things (weird or not) that I have seen so far.
First: people drive as in UK. No, not a bottle of whisky in the hands, but in the other side of the road!
I still struggle when I need to cross a road because I look to the wrong side!
Secondly: men burp. Yes. I know. It's disgusting. And they do it all day long. I read it in the guide before coming... but it still surprises me every time.
Third: I know I said it before, but there are not many blondes in the streets (except maybe in Singapore). I am being looked all the time and, in Malaysia, men want to talk to me. They want to take pictures with me, they ask me if I'm married, they look very surprised when I tell them that I travel alone (but this one is the same in Switzerland). A guy emptying the trashbins asked me if I had an email or Facebook. I said: Both!
-Both? - Yes. - Give me your Facebook name. - No (with a smile, always with a smile).
Fourth: I have easily a clear view around me: people are smaller than me! I was doing some shopping and found there was something weird: I can see the walls, the clothes... ahhhhhh... people arrive till my neck :) I like!
I will continue telling you my impressions during my trip.
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Singapore - Part I
Hello everyone!
Another post today... I'm being very productive!
So let's start from the beginning: arriving to Singapore.
I was coming by bus from Malaysia. I needed to pass two frontiers: the malaysian and the singaporian one. So you go down of the bus, go through the customs in Malaysia, go back to the bus, go down in Singapore and restart the process. Painful!
And once you're in the Metro station, you're not yet at the hostel! Took me an hour to arrive.
But I finally arrived!
The hostel is clean, with air con, nice toilets (!), locker, near to all facilities.
You can't imagine how happy I am: I can drink tap water and don't need to levitate every time I go to the toilets!!! It's a relief... at least the time I'm here in Singapore.
What can I say about SG? It's more than clean, buildings are very, very high, the weather is very hot, people are smiling. It's like a warmer, nicer Switzerland :) I like it!
I walked through Chinatown, Little India (wow), Colonial District, Business District. It's very easy to walk in Singapore, it reminds me Manhattan, for those how know NYC. Big streets, big buildings, lots of cars.
Some pictures will follow shortly.
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Another post today... I'm being very productive!
So let's start from the beginning: arriving to Singapore.
I was coming by bus from Malaysia. I needed to pass two frontiers: the malaysian and the singaporian one. So you go down of the bus, go through the customs in Malaysia, go back to the bus, go down in Singapore and restart the process. Painful!
And once you're in the Metro station, you're not yet at the hostel! Took me an hour to arrive.
But I finally arrived!
The hostel is clean, with air con, nice toilets (!), locker, near to all facilities.
You can't imagine how happy I am: I can drink tap water and don't need to levitate every time I go to the toilets!!! It's a relief... at least the time I'm here in Singapore.
What can I say about SG? It's more than clean, buildings are very, very high, the weather is very hot, people are smiling. It's like a warmer, nicer Switzerland :) I like it!
I walked through Chinatown, Little India (wow), Colonial District, Business District. It's very easy to walk in Singapore, it reminds me Manhattan, for those how know NYC. Big streets, big buildings, lots of cars.
Some pictures will follow shortly.
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Tioman - Part II
Hello everyone!
In my last post, I talked about Tioman and its beautiful beaches, and the hot weather and everything.
Well... after one day, I was bored. So I decided to do something. Took my French guide (Le Routard) and checked the different activities to be done. Very easy: walk or dive.
As I didn't want to go alone in the jungle, I decided to dive :)
I LOVED it!!! Being under the water was just so natural for me. I thought I was maybe a fish in a previous life, or a mermaid.. or an octopus!!! I have a preference for mermaid, personally.
I had the chance to be alone in my discovery dive course. The instructor, Wei, was very friendly and made me comfortable.
I was wearing a 17kg oxygen cylinder, plus some weights to sink easily. After that, my backpack seemed very light to me!
I'm now looking to do a diving certification in Thailand, where I will have more time to do it.
Few words about the sight under the sea: it's AMAZING! Full of fishes with colors you can't even imagine! Corals, urchins, strange animals I didn't recognize, shoal of fish! I just want to get back asap!
During this diving experience, I was talking to Wei about my trip. I told him my next destination was India.
-There is a guy from India!, he said, Robin!, and he went to look for Robin.
-Robin, this is Rebeca, she is going to India.
-Oh, cool! where?
And it appeared that he knows very well the region I will be visiting!
He gave me lots of information about Cochin, the Backwaters, Kovalam and many other cities. Always useful!
It's funny how sometimes you met the right people at the right time. And meeting Robin couldn't be more right!
Leaving Tioman: there were only two ferries per day. One at 7am and the other at 4.30pm.
I had a ticket for Monday morning, which was more useful to travel then to Singapore. Well... imagine a little bit: you wake up at 6am, you wait your ferry around 7am... and you're still waiting at 9.30 am!!! ARGH! The ferry had an engine problem :(
Hopefully, Robin was there waiting the same ferry. Made the waiting less frustrating. We went for breakfast and had a tasty bread and tea.
Finally, we were lucky enough to have a ferry around 10.30am and were both able to take our respective buses: me to Singapore; Robin to Kuala Lumpur.
I will talk about Singapore in my next post.
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
In my last post, I talked about Tioman and its beautiful beaches, and the hot weather and everything.
Well... after one day, I was bored. So I decided to do something. Took my French guide (Le Routard) and checked the different activities to be done. Very easy: walk or dive.
As I didn't want to go alone in the jungle, I decided to dive :)
I LOVED it!!! Being under the water was just so natural for me. I thought I was maybe a fish in a previous life, or a mermaid.. or an octopus!!! I have a preference for mermaid, personally.
I had the chance to be alone in my discovery dive course. The instructor, Wei, was very friendly and made me comfortable.
I was wearing a 17kg oxygen cylinder, plus some weights to sink easily. After that, my backpack seemed very light to me!
I'm now looking to do a diving certification in Thailand, where I will have more time to do it.
Few words about the sight under the sea: it's AMAZING! Full of fishes with colors you can't even imagine! Corals, urchins, strange animals I didn't recognize, shoal of fish! I just want to get back asap!
During this diving experience, I was talking to Wei about my trip. I told him my next destination was India.
-There is a guy from India!, he said, Robin!, and he went to look for Robin.
-Robin, this is Rebeca, she is going to India.
-Oh, cool! where?
And it appeared that he knows very well the region I will be visiting!
He gave me lots of information about Cochin, the Backwaters, Kovalam and many other cities. Always useful!
It's funny how sometimes you met the right people at the right time. And meeting Robin couldn't be more right!
Leaving Tioman: there were only two ferries per day. One at 7am and the other at 4.30pm.
I had a ticket for Monday morning, which was more useful to travel then to Singapore. Well... imagine a little bit: you wake up at 6am, you wait your ferry around 7am... and you're still waiting at 9.30 am!!! ARGH! The ferry had an engine problem :(
Hopefully, Robin was there waiting the same ferry. Made the waiting less frustrating. We went for breakfast and had a tasty bread and tea.
Finally, we were lucky enough to have a ferry around 10.30am and were both able to take our respective buses: me to Singapore; Robin to Kuala Lumpur.
I will talk about Singapore in my next post.
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Tioman - Part I
Remember when I said I was sad of leaving Cherating? Well... It was before heading to Tioman. This place is unbelievable. I understand why some movies were made here!
The water is translucent, the palm trees are curved like Pisa's Tower, the weather is hot, the sea is full of fishes... Paradise!
The first night I couldn't sleep. There was a continuous noise, I was getting irritated. So I went outside to check out... well, you can say it: I'm really blond! The noise was the sea!!! My bungalow was so close to the beach that I could hear everything!
After laughing about myself, I went to bed and had a good sleep.
Food: I cannot really speak about this one. I made a terrible customer.
There was almost no restaurants! There was only a Chinese restaurant, that I tried the first night (it was delicious) and some burger stands (not bad, actually, but not my preferred food...).
I will then talk about the Chinese restaurant.
First of all, there were only Chinese people at the beginning. One of them was continuously looking at me... Awkward...
The restaurant was served and certainly owned by a very old couple. I supposed the old man was around ~70 years old. I was surprised he speaks English very good. You might guess that not all the people around speaks English very well... or English at all!
I ordered steamed fish with rice... Hmmmm! Still thinking about it. It was delicious!
However, when I was waiting for my order, I suddenly realized that that man was still working at his age!
I realized how lucky we are in Switzerland and Europe in general. I'm almost sure I will not work anymore at 70 y.o.!!! (at least I hope so...)
I had mixed feelings and did think about it for a while. Should we also work if we have the health and the energy to do so? Or was he obliged to do it because that's his only way to live?...
I didn't ask...
That's all for this first part. Hope you will think about it and let some comments :)
Best of luck!
Rebeca
The water is translucent, the palm trees are curved like Pisa's Tower, the weather is hot, the sea is full of fishes... Paradise!
The first night I couldn't sleep. There was a continuous noise, I was getting irritated. So I went outside to check out... well, you can say it: I'm really blond! The noise was the sea!!! My bungalow was so close to the beach that I could hear everything!
After laughing about myself, I went to bed and had a good sleep.
Food: I cannot really speak about this one. I made a terrible customer.
There was almost no restaurants! There was only a Chinese restaurant, that I tried the first night (it was delicious) and some burger stands (not bad, actually, but not my preferred food...).
I will then talk about the Chinese restaurant.
First of all, there were only Chinese people at the beginning. One of them was continuously looking at me... Awkward...
The restaurant was served and certainly owned by a very old couple. I supposed the old man was around ~70 years old. I was surprised he speaks English very good. You might guess that not all the people around speaks English very well... or English at all!
I ordered steamed fish with rice... Hmmmm! Still thinking about it. It was delicious!
However, when I was waiting for my order, I suddenly realized that that man was still working at his age!
I realized how lucky we are in Switzerland and Europe in general. I'm almost sure I will not work anymore at 70 y.o.!!! (at least I hope so...)
I had mixed feelings and did think about it for a while. Should we also work if we have the health and the energy to do so? Or was he obliged to do it because that's his only way to live?...
I didn't ask...
That's all for this first part. Hope you will think about it and let some comments :)
Best of luck!
Rebeca
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Last day in Cherating
Hello everyone!
This will be my last day in Cherating... I'm a bit sad, but the journey continues.
I will go tomorrow to Mersing, and hopefully, I will be able to go the Tioman Islands. During the raining season, there are no ships between Mersing and Tioman. As it did not rain so far in Cherating, I hope it will be OK.
Otherwise, I will continue my travel down to Singapour. I'll see...
Today, I saw a lot of dead jellyfishes in the beach... huge jellyfishes! I took some pictures that I'll post as soon as I have the opportunity.
Hope you are getting prepared for the winter time :)
I could laugh about it, but this morning I wook up saying to myself: Wow! what a night! you really slept well!... it was only 1.40am... :(
I read Sherlock Holmes until 4am... and finally got some rest. Hopefully, I don't need to wake-up for work! :D
Looking forward to keeping you posted on my journey!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
This will be my last day in Cherating... I'm a bit sad, but the journey continues.
I will go tomorrow to Mersing, and hopefully, I will be able to go the Tioman Islands. During the raining season, there are no ships between Mersing and Tioman. As it did not rain so far in Cherating, I hope it will be OK.
Otherwise, I will continue my travel down to Singapour. I'll see...
Today, I saw a lot of dead jellyfishes in the beach... huge jellyfishes! I took some pictures that I'll post as soon as I have the opportunity.
Hope you are getting prepared for the winter time :)
I could laugh about it, but this morning I wook up saying to myself: Wow! what a night! you really slept well!... it was only 1.40am... :(
I read Sherlock Holmes until 4am... and finally got some rest. Hopefully, I don't need to wake-up for work! :D
Looking forward to keeping you posted on my journey!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Cherating II
Hello everyone!
I'm still in Cherating... it got me! It's so quiet and peaceful!
I met a German lady in the B&B. I asked her: "How long have you been in Cherating?"
She answered: "24 years".
WOW!!!
"I came and I liked it", she told me... I can fully understand.
Today, I went to the beach and had a walk. The beach was almost empty.. and the water so hot!
It's ideal to take time for myself without thinking about work, taxes, rent, winter.
I will upload some pictures later.
But, no worries, I will not stay here for ever! I still want to see other villages and cities before heading to ... INDIA!!!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
I'm still in Cherating... it got me! It's so quiet and peaceful!
I met a German lady in the B&B. I asked her: "How long have you been in Cherating?"
She answered: "24 years".
WOW!!!
"I came and I liked it", she told me... I can fully understand.
Today, I went to the beach and had a walk. The beach was almost empty.. and the water so hot!
It's ideal to take time for myself without thinking about work, taxes, rent, winter.
I will upload some pictures later.
But, no worries, I will not stay here for ever! I still want to see other villages and cities before heading to ... INDIA!!!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Cherating
Hello everyone!
I might be a bit disconnected in the coming days. Indeed, I arrived to Cherating... you can Google it. It's more or less in the middle of nowhere, whit no wifi, no TV, but a wonderful beach, a very nice restaurant (merci, Le Routard) and a peaceful, quiet life... except maybe for the insects. Yeah, I finally met mosquitos, frogs, monkeys and a 5cm cockroach! My sleeping instincts came back and I get rid of it. I'm still a bit proud of myself.
I will post (as soon as I can) some pictures of Cherating... at least the beach.
How I ended in Cherating? I met a guy in the plain who told me Cherating was beautiful and I should go there. And all the other Malaysians told me so.
It was maybe a bit too soon for a Swiss like to me to come to Cherating only five days after leaving Geneva.
Yes, it's charming. Yes, the beach is beautiful. But I don't think I was ready to deal with a wood bungalow (no, not that charming), a cockroach in the bathroom and monkeys in the trees. Anyway, the sooner the better. And I'm loving it! :)
By the way, I met a guy in the bus: 6 hours of bus makes a lot of time to know each other. Well... we did not understand each other very well. He accused my french accent... before recognizing he doesn't speak English very well (really?). A few moments that I would like to share with you:
-"Did your brothers and sisters study like you?"
-"They're married".
-"There are a lot of brand new cars in Malaysia?"
-"What?"
-"Cars" (I show a car by the window)
-"Ahh... Ca'a. Proton... is a Malaysian brand"
-"Do you have jungle in Switzerland?"
-"No"
-"You cut to grow buildings"
-"Euh... no"
Believe me: I'm loving this trip!!!
I will come back to you asap with more stories!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
I might be a bit disconnected in the coming days. Indeed, I arrived to Cherating... you can Google it. It's more or less in the middle of nowhere, whit no wifi, no TV, but a wonderful beach, a very nice restaurant (merci, Le Routard) and a peaceful, quiet life... except maybe for the insects. Yeah, I finally met mosquitos, frogs, monkeys and a 5cm cockroach! My sleeping instincts came back and I get rid of it. I'm still a bit proud of myself.
I will post (as soon as I can) some pictures of Cherating... at least the beach.
How I ended in Cherating? I met a guy in the plain who told me Cherating was beautiful and I should go there. And all the other Malaysians told me so.
It was maybe a bit too soon for a Swiss like to me to come to Cherating only five days after leaving Geneva.
Yes, it's charming. Yes, the beach is beautiful. But I don't think I was ready to deal with a wood bungalow (no, not that charming), a cockroach in the bathroom and monkeys in the trees. Anyway, the sooner the better. And I'm loving it! :)
By the way, I met a guy in the bus: 6 hours of bus makes a lot of time to know each other. Well... we did not understand each other very well. He accused my french accent... before recognizing he doesn't speak English very well (really?). A few moments that I would like to share with you:
-"Did your brothers and sisters study like you?"
-"They're married".
-"There are a lot of brand new cars in Malaysia?"
-"What?"
-"Cars" (I show a car by the window)
-"Ahh... Ca'a. Proton... is a Malaysian brand"
-"Do you have jungle in Switzerland?"
-"No"
-"You cut to grow buildings"
-"Euh... no"
Believe me: I'm loving this trip!!!
I will come back to you asap with more stories!
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Food
I will include some pictures of the food I'm having these days. Really tasty!
Chinese noodles with duck. A nice Chinese lady took this picture of me :)
Japanese herbal tea!
Really tasty!
This one looks too regular, right?
Indian food! (getting ready for India)
Shopping day + monsoon
I have to admit it: it did some shopping today. I couln't resist! Half price comparing to Switzerland!
Don't worry, I don't feel guilty :)
And just had the time to get back to the hostel, have a coffee and the monsoon started. I took some pictures, so that you can have a better idea of it! I have included a picture of the sunny sky a few hours before!
Don't worry, I don't feel guilty :)
And just had the time to get back to the hostel, have a coffee and the monsoon started. I took some pictures, so that you can have a better idea of it! I have included a picture of the sunny sky a few hours before!
Friday, October 19, 2012
First impressions
My first destination is Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia.
Let me talk first about the people.
In Malaysia, there are three ethnics: Malays, Chinese and Indian. It's very impressive!
So far, the cliche is true: people are nice and smiling. I cannot complain: it's not always the case where in Europe...
The weather now: ever heard about monsoon? It's quite impressive, even for me, who spent almost 10 years in a tropical region.
You can see the sky getting darker and you hear the thunder. It gives you time to find a roof. And then it starts.
It can last hours. Hours of rain, big rain, wet rain, diagonal rain, non-stop. Of course, I took the opportunity to get intimate with my bed and get a nap! Great choice!
Now, food! You can trust the guides: there is food everywhere! Fruits, juice, rice, ducks, noodles, chicken and, of course, McDonalds.
Today I bought a bag with fresh ananas for 1 Ringa, more or less 0.20 CHF. I'm loving this country!
Then I had noodles, with chicken and salad (yes, salad) for around 2.50 CHF.
Otherwise, I'm sharing my bedroom with a French lady and an Australian girl. We are having dinner together. I will let you know more about the food after that.
In the meantime, best if luck!
Rebeca
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Getting ready
First lesson: Asia is not Schengen!
You will not only need a valid passport (!), but a few visas as well.
Lesson number two: yes, there is a hot weather. But it does not help you knowing what clothes you need to bring! I will go deeper on this one once I'm there (so far, I'm willing to make some shopping instead of carrying lots of t-shirts...)
Lesson number three: there are mosquitos... and insects... and monsoon. These for sure I will develop in the coming weeks as they happen.
To make it short: my backpack is full of medicines, anti-mosquitos, and cleaning-wipes.
I will know in the coming days it the content was appropriate or not :)
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
You will not only need a valid passport (!), but a few visas as well.
Lesson number two: yes, there is a hot weather. But it does not help you knowing what clothes you need to bring! I will go deeper on this one once I'm there (so far, I'm willing to make some shopping instead of carrying lots of t-shirts...)
Lesson number three: there are mosquitos... and insects... and monsoon. These for sure I will develop in the coming weeks as they happen.
To make it short: my backpack is full of medicines, anti-mosquitos, and cleaning-wipes.
I will know in the coming days it the content was appropriate or not :)
In the meantime, best of luck!
Rebeca
Friday, October 5, 2012
Welcome!
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my Blog "Discovering Asia"!
I will be travelling for 3 months in several countries and would like to share with you the great experiences I will live!
Do not hesitate to leave your comments.
Cheers!
Welcome to my Blog "Discovering Asia"!
I will be travelling for 3 months in several countries and would like to share with you the great experiences I will live!
Do not hesitate to leave your comments.
Cheers!
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