Travellog | rossalexander

Chile - Santiago

rossalexander — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:18:02 +0100

I have been here since 30th October. ...

Indonesia - choppy seas on the way to Kadidiri

rossalexander — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:02:42 +0100

Ice returning to ampana in the morning so we say our goodbyes.

3rd
No sign of Hassan who had agreed to take me to Kadidiri in his boat. I take a walk on the pier and watch some children fishing, quite efficient. the bait which is a small fish is ripped to bits with their bare fingers and put on the hook/

I arrange with Papa to give me a ride in his boat to the next island. the sea turns pretty choppy and we take lots of water and at one point we also drop our rudder and papa is in the water rescuing it and attaching it back to the boat, but briefly we have to steer the boat using the paddle instead. it was a hairy experience and an iteresting one too. we do have some lunch which is the usual fish and rice and chili sauce naturall. the drops of rain are heavy and make an interesting picture bouncing off the water, had never notice this in the past but then I have not spent lots of time on a sea either.

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Indonesia - The Togian Islands - Bomba

rossalexander — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:50:49 +0100

30th In the morning the Ojak driver due to pick me up at 9 does not show so I find another and head into town in search of a bank, unsuccessfully. then I buy a saraong to use as a towel and other purposes. On getting to the port it turns out that the boats form Togeans arrive today but dont leave till Saturday, 3 days later. Fulda (tourist info person) gives me a ride to another port and manages to get me on a boat, no seats, full of people, cargo, motorbikes. The floor is wooden and not very comfortable to sit or lie on. Floorboards are numbered and can be easily removed to give access to the hull of the boat and the engine.

It is an awkward walk up and down the plank onto the boat, I pick up a takeaway rice meal from a kiosk in a plastic bag and tuck in as soon as I sit down, this is my breakfast. I stick bits of tissue in my ears for some protection from the very loud engine and sort of sleep about an hour. The locals look bemused and unconcerned about the noise level. I visit the deck to see the offloading routines which is interesting and get chatting to ES (sounds and means same as Ice). As we go past the next island Poia Lisa where I am suppose to be staying I realise the place is very small and decide to stay on Bomba itself but no guest houses here. Luckily Es offers to give me homestay including food which is helpful, 50000 a day. after a chat and some tea I take a mandi and a long walk on the island to the next village of Mogulao where I have some biscuits and drink of water. It is a hot day, it has been a quiet walk with occasional motor bikes. I am in my flipflops and at times walk barefoot to fit in with the locals!! On the way back I accept a ride from a biker into Bomba. I spend a little time chatting and briefly helping couple of guys mending a boat and then sit and watch few good games of Trruac, played by two teams of 3 man using a ball of wooden rush and kicked/headed over a net about the height of a badminton net. These guys tend to be very fit and flexible able to scissor or drop kick the ball over the net.

Dinner of Grilled fish and rice follows accompanied by large winged flies around the lightbulb, some caught by Es in a bowl of water and some by the resident gekkoswho tend to be on the walls or near the lightbulb feeding on the landing insects.

Es is proposing a boat trip and village visits with a friend of his, Hassan, which should be a good day out.

Last few days I have been feeling restless, I am quite happy with the personal/spiritual aspect of what I have been doing but I am getting bored and in need of a change of pace. This could actually have something to do with the meditations and awareness that I have had. One option is to take another bike and tour Indonesia which could be great.

During the night I hear a cupboard door open and some rustling sounds, I investigate with my torch and am looking Mr Mickey Mouse eye to eye inside the wardrobe. all night long I can hear them running overhead, above the nyylon rice-sacks which form the ceiling.

1st July

on the Village visits we also take along meals (the usual fish and rice and a little veg or noodles and chili sauce ofcourse -sambal) this gets pretty monotonous but people eat this everyday, some times more than once.

I mess around on a Table tennis game with some guys occasionally using my umbrella or flipflop as the bat. I decline the offer of singing as I walked through a ceremony. It is so lovely in Asia as lots of kids are playing/practing guitar and karaoke without being self-conscious.

Later I get myself into a mess-around game of football with some younget kids and get some exercise and have a bit of fun.
Ice cream in the villages consists of ice lollies formed inside plastic bags. Plastic bags are used very heavily in Asia for serving food. We have a couple as a way of trying to cool down.

On the way back we stop at a beach were Es is in the process of building 7 bungalows for tourists (when he gets the money). one lad climbs the coconut tree and throws down some which are cut open with a parang (in most of Indonesian suburbs lots of people carry parang/machete for work, some times as bare bladw and sometimes in their wooden sheath and maybe worn like a sword). These are fresh coconuts and the mild or the flesh (jelly consistency, scooped out with a spoon cut out of the coconut shell) are not particularly tasty. Locals dont eat the coconut when it turns hard, it is used for coconut oil or grated for cooking in sauce. the boys move away from under a coconut tree and within a few seconds one comes hurling down from about 8-12 meters high, it is not a good place to rest under a coconut tree.

I have a wonder around and get involved with a fisherman digging for bait. He locates these little holes, scoops out some sand from the surface of the beach and the hole becomes a little large, may be 1 cm across, then sticks a stick down it and if it gets grabbed then he digs out more sand to pull out this white worm which has the stick stuck in it. then the other end of the worm is cut-off with the parang and innards pushed out with the stick.

Feet - these guys have amazing feet, the fishermans feet were practically triangular, with the front of the feet being almost as wide as the lenght of the foot! I wonder if this is evolutionary, lots of stability on the boats, swimming, carrying large loads etc.

lots of people seem to be living in the house and the main living area doubles up as a communal sleeping area too. This was also the dining room for the Friday evening meal with no special floor cover being used for dinner. Lots of men with traditional headgear turned up, ate and left without really spending a lot of time. I think this was provided by Es' father-in-law Papa as I call him.

2nd July
I had planned on having an easy day but when I got up around 10 there was a Canoe with stabilisers waiting for me which I rowed to a beach I had seen the previous day and stayed there for some hours, a little swimming, sleep etc. my coconut hunt was unseccessful as the ones that fall off tend to have gone bad or insect infested by the time they are discovered.
They would also be a bit difficult without the use of parang.

There are lots of small shell-fish wondering around the beach.
Had problems with water currents when returning to Bomba, being carried off course a few times and choppy waters. It would be difficult to get back into these dug-out canoes if you get off so I dont swin in the middle of the lake.

I witness the chicken slaughter, when the chicken is held with its side down it tends to become docile. One guy held the chicken, the other held the head, plucked some feathers from the neck then cut it holding a knife blade as if it was a pencil. then the chicken was dropped into this enclosure to trash about while it bled out.

Es shows me this Guy walking along with two large crabs, coconut-crabs, dark brown and chunky. They are tied around the middle with a piece of rush and the next day I find them hanging on the veranda, cant get a clear explanation as what this is about. Probably to keep them alive until they are to be eaten.

There is Football game late tonight/early morning but I prefer my sleep. It is noisy cross the alleyway.

I am called Mr Bean by the kids as I mess around so much. there seems to be little fun interaction between grown ups and kids here.
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Indonesia - POSO AND AMPANA

rossalexander — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:46:11 +0100

28th June Leaving Tentena I went to the travel office where I had been dropped off. Got a lift from the gardner as I didnt want to have anything to do with Johnnie. The bus is not due till 3 from what I can gather but she does not want to give me a ticket either. I learn some Indonisian on the laptop then go for lunch to the lady who had given me some driniking water on my walk day.

On my return I check again at the shop about the bus and this lady says I should be at the terminal, bus is now due 10 minutes later. I catch a bijak there, remembereing when I get there that I have left my Lonely planet book and headphones at the travel office but cant risk missing the bus. I meet the only tourists for a week, a spanish couple coming south from the Togean islands. As it turns out the bus turns up an hour late and has come through town anyway and picks me up on the way to Poso.

In Poso I go straight to ALuguro guesthouse and check into a very basic, ant infested room. The receptionist in headscarf is less than helpful and the next morning hasnt not changed her attitude despite being out of her scarf when I ask her for some drinking water. Usually most places will fill your water bottle as the tap water is not fit to drink.

After checking in I visit the bank and then to the central market by the same bijak. there seems to be many goats running around feeding on the rubbish, the market is closing as it is around 6 p.m and getting dark. I grab something to eat across the road and the lights go out so we are eating initially in torch light (I had my own) and then in candle light. the man across from me is wearing a white Tshirt "Indonesian Police" and is being helpful making all the condiment dishes available to me, while chumping on little green chillies. I have ordered Nasi-Goreng traditional fried rice comes with a fried egg on top. You smother the whole thing with this thick black sweet sauce and then mix in chilli sauce, I also squeeze some fresh lemons for some protection from illnesses.

The internet shop is powered by its own generator. In the morning I buy a ticket to Ampana which is the jumping off town to Togean Islands good for diving and snorkling. I was expecting a bus but it is a small minibus which goes around the town picking up passangers as we go. This includes a lady with a wheel chair who manages to stand her ground when the driver is trying to talk her out of taking her toilet seat along (wooden chair with a hole in the middle).

29th In Ampana I go to the Family guesthouse which turns out to be fully booked and there are lots of people on a training course for the civil servants in the foyer doing some exercise including singing and running around etc, despite some (the females!) are in head scarf.

I walk to the port to see if there may be a boat today for the Togean islands, there is not. I was told there is one 10 a.m. I catch a Ojak and we go guesthouse hunting eventually end up in Sudarhana. Little sleep at night though due to football and then the morning prayer starts at 4.15, Great. I even went to bed early 9 p.m. to make sure to get some rest.

I had had a long walk and had some fun chatting to various bike shops asking to buy a second hand motor bike. One man I end up naming Toju Juta (7 Million) because everytime I ask him how much a bike is he says 7 million). On my return to Sudarhana we just missed the rain. then I got into my shorts and went and stood in the rain, I love the rain here it cools you down. Then I noticed that two pipes were pouring the rain water onto the street from two roofs of the hotel. I got my shampoo and got washing, it was great probably cleaner than some waters I have used and continuous (usually have to pour water onto my head with a plastic container in a Mandi - bathroom, water is kept in a big tub or built enclosure).

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Indonesia - Tenentano

rossalexander — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:11:27 +0100

The guesthouse Johnnie has suggested turns out to be (surprisingly) good value, well maintained and owned by a well mannered Indonesian guy. He also has a hotel in Surabayo. He has only had this place for one year and reopened it after 4 years. The business is very slow but he is ambitious and imaginative and spending lots of money. The place has loads of potential and lovely scenery too. Last couple of days we have been discussing lots of ideas.

Day 2 I have a walk around town followed by a trek up a hill and into the woods. I meet a guy who has gathered what is presumanly fire food in form of a bubdle of young but long trees that he is dragging downhill. I take a different route on return to the one I went up. I know I am on a track as there is signs of sliding and hooves. The hooves are too small for a buffalo and I meet their owner, a bullock standing in the middle of a widening track at the bottom of the route.

There is an interesting old wooden bridge across the river. The floor is particularly intereSting as there is a 3 plank wide route in the middle of it where bikes travel, except that there is one plank in the middle missing! on the two sides of this driveway there are occasional cross planks which could easily unseat you if you hit them.

Couple of nights ago there was a dance as part of a wedding celebration, people were holding hands and just going through steps over and over again, this can go on all night, I decided not to participate.

Sogiono the guesthouse owner seemed quite nice but he is talking in terms of importing Indonesian graduates into the UK (dont know how) and then teaching them English and charging them while they are in employment!

I am getting hanckerings for a motorbike but have problems finding a second hand one. I also notice the police stopping and checking lots of bikes so have to consider that aspect too, driving licence.

On third day, 26th, I hire a motorbike with Johnnie as driver and visit an amazing water fall, a beach and a Balinese Hindu temple. At the waterfall after we have been there a while lots of kids turn up, I am due to come out anyway as am getting cold. Lots of them walk down large boulders from top of the water fall in running water and jump into the pool which is just over a meter deep.

I have a swim in the lake then sit down to admire the rainbow across the way. I feel nibbles on my feet and eventually manage to see the little fish doing it. They are marketed as foot massage in Cambodia where you sit in a tank of water with hundreds of them eating off the dead skin off your feet. It can feel very ticklish at first. I also feel stung and these little insects only 2 milimeter long are taking bites the size of half their bodies off my arms.

We get caught in the rain on the way back as well as see a black poisenous snake slither off the road.

Dealing with Johnnie has become tiresome, have to be watchful all the time to stop him from somehow changing the prices for the tour or adding things and renegotiating everything. May be it is easier tohave some one who is balatently pushy so you can deal with it directly.

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Indonesia - Pendolo

rossalexander — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:16:34 +0100

Fantastic scenery, probably the best I have

ever seen combined with lots of landslides

on both sides of the road. On the right side

it is the mountain and at times there are

these house-sized boulders which have come

down and have just stopped short of the

road. On the left side massive drops with

bits of the road missing at times and the

wheels only just miss the falls. At one

point the western guy in front of me almost

throws himself into the isle trying to get

away from the edge or may be he thinks he

can balance the bus. I dont think he is used

to the driving here.

at one point there is some stoppage and we

eventually drive past a truck which is

propped up from the off-road side with three

tree trunks to stop it falling completely

over into the verge, dont know how they have

managed to put thesupports there.

At Pendolo our passports are checked for

some reason and then the driving staff are

tieing a motor bike to the back of the bus

on a little carries rack. I realise that

this is my stop and having got my stuff head

in the direction of the Pendolo Cottages. I

am met by Johnnie who shows me this cottage

on stilts just on the beach, two other

cottages alongside are lit up but turn out

to be empty. I am soon in the water for my

first swim and the lake is unbelieveably

still.

3 a.m. noises outside which I cant figure

out, some animal wondering around and

scraping against trees, or is it up in the

roof space, never did find out.

Johnnie has told me about the harvest

festival at Bo-eh a village nearby tomorrow.

I am woken up around 8 being asked what I

want to drink and my breakfast of a fruit

salad and a mug of tea are delivered to my

porch.

some reading, meditation, sleep on the

porch, swim and shower. There is a young

couple (in their teens I think) hanging

around the place, turns out they are petting

and being watched by a group of boys who run

away when they see me coming. On the track

to the road I see a plastic cup full of

small fish, easily more than 10 they cant

move at all, I throw the whole thing into

the nearst pond, I presume the kids must

have other plans for them but got

distracted.

I cant find Johnnie to go to Bo-eh with so I

head out and manage to get motor bike lifts

(2 of them) to the village. there is no

obvious sign of festival and I enquire about

a eatery (Ruman Makan) but I am guided into

this house where food is laid out. I have

one of the best chichen dishes in the last

few monts with rice. This village

celeberates the rice harvest and people are

fed. I see lots of people leaving the

village with lots of bamboo sticks on their

bikes, containing rice cooked in bamboo

leaves which gives it a nice flavour. I some

how have a conversation with the coupe

hosting me, they are from Jakarta, have 6

children and from what I gather have ran a

pension in the past. Later I am offered

coffee and a herb cigarette which somehow

crystalises what I have been reading

recently, awareness of the present.

I walk down the road with a bamboo stick

strapped onto my shoulder, a biscuit can

full of crackers (similar to prawn

crackers). I join in a kick around with a

bunch kids and have a laugh, it is not a

good idea to hit the ball with the bamboo

stick as the rice leaks out!

Then I head for Pendolo, I know I can ask

for a lift but want to have a walk. As is

the usual 90% of passers by (on the motor

bikes naturally) say hello mister! I am in a

very good mood so I shout louder than they

do which catches them by surprise. Most

people here are usually smiling specially

they see a foreigner, I think it is their

nervousness and all want to have some

interaction. Even if some look occasionally

serious as they go by, a little nod, smile

or wave tends to bring them out. As you go

by young girls tend to snigger, little boys

usually shout out and adult vary. I know

that I have found this tiresome at times

because you are shouted at 100s of times a

day but it is in good nature so I decide to

enjoy it today. One bike stops and the

passanger gets off and offers me a place, I

decline first as I thought there is going to

be three of us on the bike. He gave me his

place and got a ride from other friends of

his, I am delivered to the guesthouse, about

2 Km away.

In the evening Johnnie appears and has a few

smokes on my porch, he is separated with his

wife and 10 year old son livind in Tanteno.

He is not very pushy which helps.

I have a swim about 10.20 pm, it is really

nice and floating on my back I watch the

almost full moon with a large bright circle

around it edged with orange light against

the clouds. I wake up 5.30, still pitch

black and hear this unrecogniseable sound as

if a crowd are shouting, took me a while to

realise it was choir of cockerells, probably

hundreds of them crowing over and over

again, sounding almost a continuous stream

of noise.

Couple of swims in the morning, another

visit by the local gay (Rico, who was Maleka

the first night I arrived, and was hanging

around on the sand while I was sitting in

the lake). There seems to be fairly common

gay scene here, similar to Sumatra. I wait

for the bus from 11 till 1.30 to take us

(Johnnie is going too) to Tentena. We are

given free coffees by the shop owner where

we wait and have some of the bamboo rice and

crackers as I am getting hungry. The road to

Tentena is really scenic and the windiest I

have seen, at one point I see the gear stick

of the bus pop out of gear spontaneously and

the driver struggels to find a gear, it is a

very old bus.

...

Indonesia - Tara Tonaja

rossalexander — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:10:31 +0100

From Makassar, all day 9 hur trip to Rantepoa (Tana Toraja) - arrived at Tara Tonaja 5 ish thinking this was the name of the town but had to travel to Rantepoa another 3 hurs, I had not realised.

Went to the reception of the guesthuse to sign-in, pushy hotel guide, hadnt had a chance to shower, get changed or get a drink and he starts selling me a day tour for villages and traditional funeral ceremonies. Next morning another one winges about not having a job and that I have to help him, I hadnt slept so well and not happy at all. I was pretty annoyed and ignored them for the rest of my stay. They are not used to longer stayers, lots of people just visit for a day from Makassar to see a funeral and go back.

7 nights Rantepoa
one trek alone and 2 with Jo and RObbie, long term travelling couple.One of the treks included a nice village with typical rice barns and lots of cave and hanging graves. The bodies are left to rot while hanging in a coffin from the face of the rock. When the coffin rots the whole thing collapses below , they gather and stack up the skeleton pieces in piles, unusual practice I guess. Jo was unhappy with me posing with a skull and a long limb bone! Some times caves or large concrete containers are used by the whole family, for dead bodies ofcourse!

As we arrive I get chatting to a group of bikers visiting from Makassar, they seem well kitted up. I become a celebrity as the foreigner and hundreds of photos with various individuals and groups are taken. I try to swop my sun hat for a leather bandana worn by one biker, unsuccessfully.

Have had some foot problems and had to pad inside the shoes myself, difficult to buy good quality shoes or any kind of insoles here, cheap shoes everywhere. This simple procedure sorts out some pain I have had for days.

I change room once to get away from a dutch couple next door with 3 children including a toddler who cries most of the time. Unfortunately my new neighbours are Inonesian and get up and sit outside their rooms from 6.20 a.m. smoking and chatting till they are off around 8. Luckily they leave the second night. I have a 3/4 lenght bath tub here and I try to repair the plug and manage to take couple of hot baths. the town is quite boring, no street lights and little happening except for the karaoke near the guesthouse in full flow till the early hours.

day of the 8th in the Morning, earliest I have been down for breakfast (other than when I went trekking with Jo and Robbie, usually when I come down there is a single place left laid out for me) as I am leaving to Pendolo. Robbie tells me there is a nice lake there. The bus due to 8 leaves at nine and it is a local bus (means uncomfortable).

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Indonesia - Back in Indonesia

rossalexander — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:20:56 +0100

I am in Makassar, Sulawesi for the last 4 days and have managed to find hosts as part of the couch-surfing community.Busy place, not a lot to see besides a Dutch fort and a beach where you can watch the sunset in good weather. m\

I was hosted by two Muslim families. The first one pretty traditional, the father was praying most of the time. The whole family walked me to the road and saw me off on a bujak (little minibus). The daughter who hosted me had lots of stray kittens which got into everywhere and I think the gritty feeling the bed was their rubbish. Had a little badminton game with some kids outside, good fun, except when the shuttle-cock fell in the open sewers!

The second host was a much larger extended family living together including an elderly grandmother who walked around and I was uncertain if she could see anything. Both families cooked great meals. The brother of my host delivered me to the bus station in rush hour traffic in the morning and was very kind.
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Malaysia - Inonesian visa

rossalexander — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:15:14 +0100

5th June
Spent many hours trying to find accommodation, ranging from 30RM (a box made of wooden boards in the corner of a corridor with ill fitting door) to 200 Rm. I eventually gave up and went for a trek along route 9, which was along a water fall. Unfortunately the water feeding the fall was not clean and therefore the pool and the stream were not terribly inviting. I only met one tourist couple on the trek who were having a snack and later overtook me at some speed. That was ok for me since I could have the place to myself and at times just stood around and felt at some peace with the forest. I also saw some terraced tea plantations which were interesting. I eventually got to the end of the trek which was on a main road and 9 Km from Tana Rata. I had a snack in a cafe and started walking, thinking I would need 2-3 hours to get back and hoping to catch a bus back to KL.

I did however stuck my thumb out as I walked and luckily was offered a lift by a chinese guy to within a 100 yards of the guesthouse. I wondered in, a woman was asleep at the reception. I used the toilet then collected my luggage from the room behind the reception without any response from the woman, I was lucky it was still there. All the other luggages I had seen there in the morning had been collected by then.

I was told that 3.30 bus to KL was full and had to catch another one and change over. I sat on the handle of one of the seats as the bus was full and there were a few people standing up. I glanced back and noticed the guy behhind me was pulling away from me, I stood up, unfair to expose him to my BO!

I got to KL about 11 p.m. and to the LeVillage about midnight. The small room I was offered smelt of urine and I declined and got a double room at the top floor, which if I stayed long enough it would be 25RM.

Most days I got lots of rest, chatted to people and just wondered around. KL offers great range of food compared to Sumatra, Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine as well as people. Three diverse cultures with varying cultural differences and issues live here.

Monday 7th went to Indonesian embassy to get my visa and because I got there about 10.30 I had to wait till 2.30 to hand in my passport. they had a good system to photocopy things for you for free but this also required waiting and queuing. I was asked if they can only offered my one month visa, should they go ahead? I accepted even though it would have been cheaper to just to fly to Indonesia and get one month on arrival for $25 instead of 170 RM ($55).

The next day I managed to stay on the bus 30 longer than the day before (they dont really know where they are going). As I am getting off I jokingly ask the driver for some sunflower seeds. He gives me a full packet!

I am questioned about my attire at the reception (I am wearing a singlet, almost the national uniform of a lot of men in Indonesia, instead of a Tshirt or shirt), I am wondering if they will decline my visa on this basis, and whether I can ask for my money back! I do get my visa for 60 days.

9th while visiting my usual eatery late at night to get self-service food my foot sinks into something soft, thought it was a cat first, it was a rat! they are far more common and better-fed than the cats.

On 10th I did some clothes and shoe shopping which took most of my day but I did ok, getting some light summer shirts, trousers. I leave my Gorilla Tshirt behind at the hostel, well worn-out now, and my old boots.

Heading for Sulawes, Indonesiai tommorrow.

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Malaysia - Cameron Highlands

rossalexander — Mon, 7 Jun 2010 10:54:26 +0100

4/6/10

managed to be up by 10, unusual. looking at flight prices and possible destinations. I can go to melaka but not too interesting, fly to Jakarta for less than 300Rm, pretty good or go to Cameron Highlands which are supposed to be real nice.

some one should have told me about public holidays!

Despite the directions by one of the guesthouse (Le Village, very back-packerish, could have easily stayed much longer, small cheap room, kitchen! and lots of places to mingle) staff I got to the bus station. It turned out to be a terminal where lots of companies operated out of so had to walk around and got a trip for 30 Rm to Tanah Rata.

The road was amazing, superb windy, good quality and superb scenerry, seemingly more so than I have seen for a while. The driving also appears to be fairly good here.

The bus left around 3 despite the 2 p.m schedule, I was listening to stuff on my laptop so not over concerned.

practically everyone got collected by a minibus from Father's guesthouse who promised to bring anyone who didnt like the place back to the station. The place was quite nice but pretty full and I didnt want to take the last dorm bed. On return to town centre I realised problems with accomodation, it is public holiday for 2 weeks from tomorrow and the prices are stupid. I met a big French guy who helped me out visit various guesthouses and eventually gave me his own room and moved into something bigger in Twin Pines. My "room" is wedge shaped, the ceiling slopes down and away from the top of the door as you enter. the only place you can actually stand up is by the door! price 12RM!!! I am sure it will go up tomorrow, that is why the receptionist is being sly and non-commital about availability tomorrow. I was quoted from 80-150 for tonight and 200 for tomorrow ($60) for 2 star places.

As Martin (the French man) is moving his things I catch a glimpse of his fins and something clicks, we both stayed in Lekjon at lake Toba! it is a very small world. we have a wonder round town to get some refreshments and good chat. He has lived in India for 8 years now but has to leave for 2 months after every 6 months in the country due to regulations.

In the morning I hope to do a trek which was the reason for coming here and then if I cant get reasonable accomodation will leave for Ipoh or even back to KL with the intention of flying to Sarawak.

I hope I can change this pattern of staying in boring places for longer than necessary, such as I did in KL.

In my rush this morning I left my flipflops on the guesthouse steps (you take your shoes off before going into common areas, as is the case in most of SE Asia), and dropped and lost my Egyptian shawl on the bus. I bought a Pashmina in the market here for 12 RM, doesnt dry my body too well due to being silk and Pashmina, it is dark blue, grey and black with subtle pattern. ...