Konni and Matt - Perpetual Travellers

08 Feb - 06 Mar 2012 Bangkok

2012-03-06T16:02:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Kingdom of Thailand

Bangkok

Khlong San

58 Soi 1, Sarapee 3
Krungthonburi Road
Aiya Residence & Sport Club +6628621611 info@aiyaresidence.com
Economic double-room studio (no. 508) with kitchenette and air-con for THB 9,000.- or US$ 293.- per month (plus THB 6.85/kWh and THB 21.4/cbm), including free access to a large, 30m-long swimming pool (big enough to do laps) and a heated out-door Jacuzzi.

Homoeopathic and unreliable wifi for THB 550.- or US$ 17.90 per month.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Aiya Residence & Sports Club, which we would recommend, and for directions:

N 13° 43.48' E 100° 29.73'

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Rehearsing and practising our proven Five Rules for Not Becoming a Statistic in Bangkok: (i) leave your passport in the hotel safe, (ii) leave your cash reserve in the hotel safe, (iii) leave your credit card in the hotel safe (Bangkok has a reputation for credit card fraud), (iv) carry only the amount of money that you are going to spend for the day or that you are willing to loose, (v) keep your money for the day in your front pocket (forget the nonsense about money belts, as soon as the right professional has seen your money belt you can bet you won’t have it long).

Doing nothing much to “blog‘n brag” about for four weeks - just catching up with some admin work (answering emails, editing photos, planning our upcoming travels to Sumatra), doing laps in the swimming pool twice a day and enjoying the small pleasures of life in Bangkok: (i) pigging into genuine Thai street food in our non-touristy suburb Khlong San, (ii) watching genuine Thai kick-boxing in front of the MBK Mall (on Wednesdays from 18:00 to 20:30, free entrance) and (iii) relaxing with the help of genuine Thai foot and body massages in the ubiquitous little massage shops in our neighbourhood (one hour foot massage for THB 119.- and one hour body massage for THB 300.-, extras extra).

Learning that AEON Bank in Bangkok is the only bank which does not hit you with a whopping THB 150.- surcharge at their ATMs (since all the other Thai banks rip you off with an absurd THB 150.- or US$ 5.- per international cash withdrawal, the equivalent of five portions of the yummiest Thai seafood salad) and finding these coveted AEON Bank ATMs at (i) MBK Mall, second floor, (ii) Siam Centre +6626851100, second floor, and (iii) C.P. Tower, fourth level.

Reading in The Bangkok Post’s lifestyle supplement about the winners of “Toilets of the Year 2012” Awards which were announced by the Deputy Bangkok Governor at City Hall: (i) best toilet at a religious place: Wat Makutkasatriyaram Ratchaworawihan, (ii) best toilet in a restaurant: Maneeya Restaurant, (iii) best toilet in a shopping centre: CentralWorld, (iv) best toilet at a tourist spot: Safari World, (v) best toilet in a public park: Rama IX Park; holy shit!

Listening to entertaining world music at the Bangkok World Musiq & World Bar-B-Q on CentralWorld Plaza (free entrance, Singha beer for THB 100.- per pint), right in front of Bangkok’s elegant mega malls and ultra-modern high-rise buildings as an impressive stage setting.

Entertaining Konni’s brother Ekki, who came from Berlin to Bangcock for a weeklong visit, taking an in-depth look at the confined soul of a German civil servant and touring together the famous tourist sites of the city: (i) the Grand Palace with the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha (entrance for foreigners: a stiff THB 400.- per person), (ii) the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun (entrance for foreigners: THB 50.- per person), whose tall spires are decorated with millions of bits of smashed white porcelain painted with patterns, and (iii) the maze of tempting fashion boutiques inside CentralWorld.

Buying two Indonesian 60-day temporary residence visas for our upcoming trip to Sumatra (requirements: one copy of the return air ticket and of the passport, two photos each and US$ 45.- in cash per person) from the Indonesian Embassy +6622523135 in Bangkok which issued the visas within two working days - friendly, fast and painless.

Leaving Thailand, touted as the Land of Smiles (where, however, 50 years of western mass tourism have obviously made to the once famous Thai smile more changes than 50 years of military dictatorship have made to the still genuine and warm Burmese smile) and flying with Air Asia Indonesia (“Now Everyone Can Fly”) in an Airbus A 320 from Bangkok’s jazzy Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Medan’s stuffy Polonia International Airport for US$ 81.- per person, one way, all inclusive, without changing our watches from Indochina Time (GMT/UTC + 7:00 hours) to Western Indonesian Time (GMT/UTC + 7:00 hours), and thereafter sharing a clapped-out midnight taxi (IDR 10,000.- or US$ 1.10 per person) with fellow traveller Markus from Finland for the ride from the airport to our hotel, just off Masjid Raya aka Grand Mosque: “Selamat malam, Indonesia.”

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2010-06 Bangkok

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05 Feb - 08 Feb 2012 Yangon

2012-02-08T18:37:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Republic of the Union of Myanmar aka Burma

Yangon

Pabedan

69, Konzaydan Street

White House Hotel +951240780 whitehouse.mm@gmail.com

Overpriced double room (no. 702), with private bathroom, for US$ 25.- per night, including a bottomless, vegetarian buffet brunch for two.

Click below for an interactive road map of the White House Hotel and for directions:

N 16° 46.38' E 096° 09.26'

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Strolling through the Theingyi Zei, Rangoon’s biggest market, which hasn’t changed much since George Orwell’s Burmese Days (“There were vast pomelos hanging on strings like green moons, red bananas, baskets of heliotrope-coloured prawns the size of lobsters, brittle dried fish tied in bundles, crimson chilis, ducks split open and cured like hams, green coco-nuts, the larvae of the rhinoceros beetle, sections of sugar-cane, dahs, lacquered sandals, check silk longyis, aphrodisiacs in the form of large soap-like pills, glazed earthenware jars four feet high, Chinese sweetmeats made of garlic and sugar, green and white cigars, purple brinjals, persimmon-seed necklaces, chickens cheeping in wicker cages, brass Buddhas, heart-shaped betel leaves, bottles of Kruschen salts, switches of false hair, red-clay cooking-pots, steel shoes for bullocks, paper-mâché marionettes, strips of alligator hide with magical properties…”), only extended by tons over tons of cheapish 21st-century consumerist drek from China.

Circumnavigating sprawling Yangon, where about 12% of Myanmar’s 56 million people live, by means of the Yangon Circle Line, a relaxed 3-hour railway trip (US$ 1.- per foreigner) through a suburban litterscape, which departs/arrives at the main railway station (platform 6/7) and stops at 37 stations en-route.

Sharing with fellow travellers Alba and Juan from Spain/Argentina a pre-booked taxi (pre-booked from our hotel for MMK 7,000.- or US$ 8.50, 30 min) to Yangon’s International Airport (Mingaladon), thus leaving a corner of Asia that in many ways has changed little since British colonial times, paying the compulsory passenger service charge of US$ 10.- per person (in crisp, clean and ironed bills), flying uneventfully with Thai Air Asia (“Now Everyone Can Fly”) in an Airbus A 320-200 from Yangon to Bangkok’s futuristic Suvarnabhumi International Airport for US$ 70.- per person, one way, all inclusive, changing our watches from Burma Standard Time (GMT/UTC + 6:30 hours) to Indochina Time (GMT/UTC + 7:00 hours) in mid-air, being issued with a 30-day visit permit for Thailand on arrival (free of charge) and thereafter taking the flashy Airport Rail Link’s City Line to Phaya Thai Station (THB 45.- or US$ 1.50 per person) and eventually the BTS Skytrain straight to our place at Khlong San (THB 40.- or US$ 1.35 per person): “Thwàbaoùnmeh, Burma, and sawatdee-kha/khrap Thailand, you wonderful land of faked smiles and true massages with or without (nonfaked) happy endings…”

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2012-02 Burma I Rangoon

Photos 2012-03 Burma II Bagan

Photos 2012-04 Burma III Inle Lake

Recommended Reading
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28 Jan - 05 Feb 2012 Inle Lake

2012-02-05T18:17:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Republic of the Union of Myanmar aka Burma

Inle Lake

Nyaung Shwe
Yone Gyi Road
Inle Inn +9581209016 inleinnns@gmail.com
Spacious, clean and comfy double room in a wafer-thin bamboo bungalow, including

Myanmar

breakfast for two and the most friendly service, for US$ 20.- per night.

Click below for an enhanced aerial view of the Inle Inn, which we would highly recommend, and for directions:
N 20° 39.64' E 096° 56.19'

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Exploring the busy village of Nyaung Shwe, the base camp for the scenic Inle Lake (22 km long, 11 km wide, 875 m above sea level, densely inhabited by many different tribes) and a highly frequented must-see pit-stop on the beaten tourist track for backpackers (where the Shan and Bamar locals have already started to develop a healthy appetite for tourist money and where they are undergoing the usual development from honest villagers to touts, guides and agents, but still with some traces of friendliness, politeness and decency, as opposed to their much further “developed” and more aggressive colleagues in North Vietnam) with its many Buddhist monasteries (kyaung), stupas (paya), markets (zei), beer stations (our favourite: Thauk Kyar Kyi with ice-cold Myanmar Lager draft for MMK 600.- or US$ 0.75 per pint) and family owned budget guest houses of all shapes and sizes.

Teaming up with Doreen from the UK, an acknowledged expert and researcher about George Orwell (“Burmese Days”, “Animal Farm”, “1984”) and hiring from reliable Thar Nge +959378936 a motorised longboat with driver (MMK 4,700.- or US$ 5.75 per person for the full-day trip from 08:30 - 18:00) thus visiting (i) the picturesque and rather touristy country market at Indein, (ii) the huge array of floating gardens/fields (tomatoes, string beans, cauliflowers, pumpkins, flowers), where marsh, soil and water hyacinths were put together to form fertile solid masses which are staked to the lake bottom with bamboo poles, and (iii) the traditional home industries of (a) lotus-stem and silk weaving on wooden hand looms, (b) knife aka dha making and (c) silver smiths.

Watching the local Intha fishermen propel their flat-bottomed boats by standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar (this peculiar and unique leg-rowing technique enables them to have their hands free for handling their cone-shaped nets stretched tautly over bamboo frames) and visiting them in their stilt villages Ywama and Heya.

Meeting a few friendly Kayin/Karen hill-tribe women aka “longneck women” who worked as silk weavers and as living mannequins, learning about their tradition of elongating their necks by adding around them an increasing number of brass rings/spirals over the years and philosophizing about the huge diversity of beauty concepts on this planet: long necks, holed ear lobes, tattooed limbs, dyed hair, pierced genitals and thousands more of creative options; you name it they do it, since beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

Visiting the young monks-turned-models at their 18th-century CE Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung monastery which features a venerable wooden thein (ordination hall) with unique oval windows and listening to the tinkling of the wind bells from the hti, the decorative metal umbrellas which top the many bell-shaped zedi in the monastery.

Having a very pleasant and stimulating encounter with U Kon Dala, the 72 years old head monk of the 127 years old, wooden Ywa Thit Kyaung monastery, and discussing (i) the semantics of European politics ("... those 'austerity measures' is the wrong word; you better replace it with the concept of 'return to normalcy' ..."), (ii) the subleties of Buddhist philosophy and (iii) the best practice of rice cultivation with this very sharp mind.

Cycling (with bicycles hired from our guest house: MMK 1,200.- or US$ 1.45 per bike per day) along the Inle Lake’s picturesque shoreline and visiting the villages of Paung Pane, Nanthe and Maing Thauk with their tin-roofed Shan monasteries, lively country markets and atmospheric stupa ruins.

Sharing with our French friends Marie & Jean an asthmatic thoun bein (three-wheeler túk-túk) for the bumpy ride from the local pick-up stop in Nyaung Shwe to the express bus stop at Shwen Yaung junction (11 km, ½ hour, MMK 1,000.- or US$ 1.20 per person ), thereafter flagging down the punctual Man Thit Sar overnight express bus (with very comfy recliner seats) to Yangon’s Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal (about 560 km, 12 hours, MMK 15,000.- or US$ 18.30 per foreigner, pre-booked from reliable and professional Win Travel +09581209174 in Nyaung Shwe) and finishing our trip with the help of the bus company’s courtesy pick-up at the Sule Paya pagoda in Yangon’s downtown.

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2012-02 Burma I Rangoon

Photos 2012-03 Burma II Bagan
Photos 2012-04 Burma III Inle Lake

Recommended Reading
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19 Jan - 28 Jan 2012 Nyaung U

2012-01-28T15:39:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Republic of the Union of Myanmar aka Burma

Bagan

Nyaung U

Anawrahta Road

Oasis Guest House +956160923

Adequate a/c twin room with private bathroom for only MMK 10,000.- (US$ 12.-) per night.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Oasis Guest House and for directions:

N 21° 11.64' E 094° 54.30'

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Exploring the touristy town of Nyaung U, the principal gateway for Bagan where the kings (and their forced labourers) built as many as 4,400 temples over a 230-year period on an arid riverside plain until it was overrun by the millions of Mongols of Kublai Khan in 1287 CE, with its gilded Shwezigon Paya, the prototype of virtually all later stupas over Myanmar, which is armed with an incredible number of donation boxes (“Buddhism isn’t merely a religion, it’s a philosophy…”, at least according to all those friendly, soft-selling Buddhist professionals which undyingly chant this tricky mantra from the East and from the West).

Strolling over the lively morning market at Nyaung U, chatting and bargaining with the overweight local market women and learning (i) that plumpness is being perceived as a sign of attractiveness (maybe, the husband pays for the good doctor when his chubby later suffers diabetes, heart problems or degenerative joint diseases) and (ii) that the yellow stuff on the belles’ faces is made from the ground bark of the thanakha tree and serves as a wildly popular combination of sunscreen, perfume and sexy make-up.

Studying the delicious Bamar breakfast cuisine at our favourite teashop, one of many cheap no-name neighbourhood teashops in Nyaung U: (i) spicy tea-leaf salad (la-hpeq dhouq) for MMK 400.- or US$ -.50 per helping, (ii) thick rice-noodle salad (naung-gyi dhouq) for MMK 300.- or US$ 0.35 per helping and (iii) dry yellow-noodle salad (khaut-swe kyaw) for MMK 200.- or US$ 0.25 per helping, always spiced up with a local masala of turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt and onions, plus plenty of peanut oil and flavoured with ngapi, which is a salted paste concocted from dried and fermented shrimp or fish.

Watching a group of young men playing Burmese chinlon aka “cane ball” by forming a circle and keeping the 12-cm diameter rattan ball airborne by kicking it soccer-style from player to player.

Hiring Soe Naing’s no. 132 horse cart for a relaxed 1-hp morning tour (08:30 - 13:00, MMK 8,000.- or US$ 10.- for the two of us) and touring the North Plain of the 42-sq-km “Bagan Archaeological Zone” for an introductory into Bagan’s 3,000-some tall and awesome temples (mingling Hindu styles from India with local-brewed Buddhist images) which are the most wondrous sight in Myanmar; our favourites: (i) the Ananda Pahto, a terraced temple, with a corncob golden hti (the umbrella-like decorated pinnacle atop a stupa) towering 52 m high, and one of the largest, best-preserved and most revered of all Bagan temples, (ii) the Gawdawpalin Pahto, one of the largest temples, 60 m high, and (iii) the white-coloured Thatbyinnyu Pahto, Bagan’s highest temple with a gold-tipped sikhara (the Indian-style, corncob-like temple final), a proud 63 m up.

Studying the Buddha’s stylised body language and noticing amongst the hundreds of Buddha images three distinctive body postures (standing, sitting and reclining) and five distinctive hand gestures: (i) abhaya (both hands extended forward with palms out: protection), (ii) bhumispara (right hand touches the ground: persistence), (iii) dana (one or both hands extended forward with palm up: teaching), (iv) dhyana (both hands rest palm-up on the Buddha’s lap: meditation) and (v) vitarka (thumb and fore- or middle finger form a circle, like PADI’s OK gesture: doctrine).

Hiking repeatedly the Central Plain (from Myinkaba in the west to Nyaung U in the east) of the 42-sq-km “Bagan Archaeological Zone” (in 1975 CE Bagan was shaken by a 6.5-Richter earthquake; many of the temples were badly damaged, but major reconstruction started almost immediately) and recuperating afterwards with excellent Myanmar vegetarian food (MMK 500.- or US$ 0.60 per person, from any of the stalls and cheap local eateries: sour veggie soup, rice with five different vegetables, bottomless Chinese tea) and with ice-cold Dagon Lager Green Label draft (our favourite: Holiday Beer Station, MMK 500.- or US$ 0.60 per pint).

Hiring Soe Lwin’s no. 240 horse cart for another relaxed 1-hp morning tour (08:30 - 13:00, MMK 8,000.- or US$ 10.- for the two of us) and touring the South Plain (famous for its many 13th-century CE murals) of the 42-sq-km “Bagan Archaeological Zone” for a farewell trip of Bagan’s almost innumerable stupas aka zedis (solid, bell-shaped holy shrines), pahtos (hollow, square or rectangular shrines) and kyaungs (Buddhist monasteries); our favourites: (i) the Tayok Pye Paya, a spired temple with great views from its upper reaches, (ii) the Nandamannya Pahto, a small mid-13th century CE temple with the “Temptation of Mara”, a mural with nubile young girls with remarkable boobs who attempt to distract the Buddha from the meditation session that led to his enlightenment, and (iii) the Kyat Kan Kyaung, a working underground monastery dating from the 11th century CE (where apparently a Buddhist monk died during meditation in recent years and was left undisturbed for days; everyone thought he was still meditating…).

Climbing the steep Buledi pagoda stairways to watch the sun dip behind the mountains in the west and the famous Bagan sunset turning all shades of tangerine, lavender and rust, and afterwards sundowning with genuine scotch (Highland Pride, labelled: “Singapore - duty not paid”, for only MMK 2,500.- or only US$ 3.- per 0.7-ltr bottle from any of the rugged bottle stores near the market) and peoplespotting two distinctive tribes of international tourists who looked as if they were coming from a fancy-dress ball: (i) older folks, mostly from the more republican homelands, clad in khaki expedition uniforms “out of Africa”, very expensive and fresh from a mail-order catalogue, and (ii) younger folks, mostly from the more democratic homelands, who tried “to blend in with the locals” by wearing pseudo-native, home-spun stuff (which no Burmese could afford or would ever put on), also very pricey and fresh from the local souvenir shops/boutiques for western tourists.

Taking the bone-shaking, crowded Nyaung-U-Mann bus from Nyaung U to Shwen Yaung (about 290 km, 10 ½ hours, MMK 10,500.- or US$ 12.80 per person) on a very dusty, pot-holed road, where beautiful young Burmese women slaved as manual labourers in the sun and where strong young Burmese men meditated as monks in the shade, and thereafter hiring a túk-túk (11 km, ½ hour, MMK 1,000.- or US$ 1.20 per person; plus, at a roadblock, the compulsory US$ 5.- entrance fee to the Inle Lake zone for foreigners) right to our hotel in Nyaung Shwe, the hyped-up, overrated tourist trap (with prices for street food unbudgingly two/three times higher than in the rest of Myanmar), situated about 3 km N of the Inle Lake and overrun with elderly foreigners (mostly Merdestanis).

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2012-02 Burma I Rangoon

Photos 2012-03 Burma II Bagan
Photos 2012-04 Burma III Inle Lake

Recommended Reading
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12 Jan - 18 Jan 2012 Yangon

2012-01-18T11:56:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Republic of the Union of Myanmar aka Burma

Yangon

Pabedan

69, Konzaydan Street

White House Hotel +951240780 whitehouse.mm@gmail.com

Overpriced double room (no. 702), with private bathroom, for US$ 22.- per night, including a bottomless, vegetarian buffet brunch for two.

Click below for an interactive road map of the White House Hotel and for directions:

N 16° 46.38' E 096° 09.26'

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Exploring Yangon’s decaying downtown (an amalgamation of British, Burmese, Chinese and Indian influences) on foot thus starting our tour at the 2,200-year old Sule Paya, the geographic and commercial heart of the city, where the British-designed grid street pattern is centred, and wandering around this architectural hodge podge where golden, ancient pagodas share the crowded streets with colonial, dishevelled Rangoon, having delightful encounters with friendly and welcoming local men (who still wore their traditional skirtlike longyis) and women (whose faces were still dolloped with tan-coloured thanakha, a make-up/sunblock made from powdered wood) and resuscitating our tattered feet with the help of a professional foot reflexology at the Central Hotel’s 6th-floor massage parlour +951241007 for MMK 6,000.- or US$ 7.50 per hour.

Jumping into Yangon’s spiritual diversity, temple-hopping (i) the auspicious and famous Thayettaw Kyaung Taik, a rotting 19th-century compound of 66 active Buddhist monasteries, (ii) the atmospheric Moseah Yeshua Synagogue with its dilapidated, well-camouflaged exterior but beautifully maintained interior, founded 100 years ago by Sephardic Jews, (iii) the red-and-golden Kheng Hock Keong, Yangon’s largest Chinese (Hokkien) temple, humming with preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Dragon, (iv) the colourful, kitschy Sri Kali Hindu temple near our hotel and (v) the classy Holy Trinity Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral built by the British, and also noticing the mushrooming palmistry and astrology industry all over the city, infallible signs for an approaching and overdue Burmese version of glasnost and perestroika: “Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi/Reine?”

Changing money (i) first on the black market (MMK [“kyat”] 800.- for US$ 1.-) in the vicinity of Sule Paya and studying how the money changers on the street short-change their innocent clients, luckily without us falling prey to it: (a) they whisper to you a rate ways above the market rate (e.g. MMK 900.- for US$ 1.-) which tempts you and lures you into their trap, (b) they even let you seemingly take control of the whole deal, almost to the very end, (c) now, when the deal is almost finished, they distract and irritate you (e.g. they tell you that your money is not good enough, they tell you that your money has the wrong serial numbers, they tell you that the police are coming), (d) and they make you give them your counted stack of already received 1,000-kyat bills back and here they do some very elegant, almost DavidCopperfield-like sleight-of-hand trick (e.g. they quickly scratch the back of their head and some of the bills disappear into their shirt collar), (e) eventually, they finish the deal with you, pretending to compromise or to give in, … and at the end you will have changed your money at a rate of plus/minus MMK 600.- for US$ 1.- which you only realise later in your hotel if/when you recount your kyat); and (ii) afterwards in one of the black ubermarket’s new and shiny private banks, the Myanmar Industrial Development Bank, where the uniformed working bees gave us even MMK 825.- for US$ 1.-, air-conditioned, in brand-new 5,000-kyat bills, no stress and with a home-made receipt, really nice.

Worshipping the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Moon (Konni) and Saturn (Matt) at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda’s day shrines, gawking in awe at the top of the 98-m high, gold-plated stupa, the seven-tiered hti (which is hung with gold bells, silver bells and various items of donated jewellery) and trying to identify the lofty diamond orb (a hollow golden sphere which is studded with 4,351 diamonds totalling 1,800 carats) at the very top of the wind vane tipped with a single 76-carat diamond.

Making friends (I) with the superhuman nat (spirits) at (i) the touristy Chauk Htat Gyi Paya with its monstrous, 66-m long reclining Buddha (length of one of his erotic eyelashes: more than 30 cm) and at (ii) the nearby Nga Gtat Gyi Paya where the greedy monks and trustees of the Ashay Tawya monastery (entrance fee for foreigners: US$ 2.-) keep their huge seated (five storey) Buddha in a tall, metal-roofed shed as if he were King Kong.

Making friends (II) with the superhuman nat (spirits) at (i) the many scruffy “beer stations” in Yangon (Myanmar draft beer: MMK 600.- per pint), (ii) the many efficient, Chineserun supermarkets (640-ml bottles of ice-cold Myanmar Beer for MMK 1,300.- or US$ 1.60, Dagon Lager Green Label for MMK 1,000.- or US$ 1.20 and Mandalay Lager also for 1,000.- or US$ 1.20) and at (iii) the many rugged streetside food stalls where we indulged in the most delicious mohinga (rice noodles with fish soup) for only MMK 300.- (US$ 0.35) per generous helping.

Embarking on the cross-river rust bucket to Dalah (MMK 1,000.- or US$ 1.20 per foreigner) and crossing the murky waters of the Yangon River, thereafter buying two of the 30 (!) crowded “seats” in a crammed pick-up truck from Dalah to Twante (25 km, 1 hour, MMK 500.- or US$ 0.60 per foreigner) and exploring this cluster of dusty roads which is lined with make-shift bamboo huts and ramshackle wooden shops by means of Kyaw Soe’s worn bicycle trishaw (2 hours for MMK 6,000.- or US$ 7.30), which he has to rent from its owner for MMK 1,000.- US$ 1.20 per day: (i) watching a local master potter making water containers of varying shapes and sizes from river clay, (ii) visiting cotton weavers and (iii) exploring the 76-m tall Shwe San Daw Paya, a Mon-made stupa which was built just a few years after the one at Yangon’s Shwe Dagon Paya.

Taking city bus no. 43 from Sule Paya Bus Stand to the Aung Mingalar Bus Station aka Highway Bus Station (15 km, ¾ hour, MMT 300.- or US$ 0.35 per person) and thereafter the ultra-modern, very comfortable Ye Thu Aung overnight express bus (about 550 km, 11 hours, MMK 15,000.- or US$ 18.30 per foreigner, booked one day in advance from our hotel) to Nyaung U, the town which most independent travellers call home while in Bagan, home to the largest area of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world with many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries CE (described by Marco Polo as a "… gilded city alive with tinkling bells and the swishing sounds of monks' robes …").

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures
Photos 2012-02 Burma I Rangoon
Photos 2012-03 Burma II Bagan
Photos 2012-04 Burma III Inle Lake

Recommended Reading
Amazon.de - click below for orders from Germany

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For orders from

Canada

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United Kingdom

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10 Jan - 12 Jan 2012 Kuala Lumpur

2012-01-12T09:50:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Chinatown

135, Jalan Petaling

Bird Nest Guest House +60320311128 birdnest.ghhouse@gmail.com

Adequate and clean double room with shared bathroom and wifi for MYR 35.- (US$ 11.10) per night.

Click below for an interactive road map of Willie's Bird Nest Guest House, which we would recommend, and for directions:

N 03° 08.51' E 101° 41.87'

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Enjoying the preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Dragon (with the ubiquitous lion dance and dragon dance performances, any number of red lanterns and the gods of blessings, prosperity and longevity - Gong Xi Fa Cai!) and discovering a few new excellent vege-/aquatarian choices amongst Kuala Lumpur’s ever-changing restaurant scene: (i) Sakae Sushi’s superbly managed branch at the Berjaya Times Square Mall +60321431163 (many thanks, Cloud, for the excellent service), (ii) the Indian-vegetarian Banana Leaf Curry House near Pasar Seni LRT station and (iii) the up-market Chinese-vegetarian Restoran Wan Fo Yuan +60320780952 with the best mock pork ever (texture: as slippery as genuine pork, flavour: as piggish as genuine pork, looks: as disgusting as genuine pork - absolutely sickening, but supposedly all made from pure and healthy soya-bean curd).

Picking up our 28-day tourist visas (validity: 90 days) at the chaotic visa service of the Embassy of Myanmar in Kuala Lumpur (from Chinatown: LRT from Pasar Seni to Dato’ Keramat for MYR 2.- per person and the Rapid KL feeder bus T 330 for MYR 1.- per person), exactly five working days after our application.

Preparing for our upcoming trip to Burma (Myanmar), a country which is allegedly governed by a particularly evil and corrupt regime (according to the “democratic” media of the western welfare states), and rehearsing once more a few elements of our proven and pragmatic travel moral: (i) stay away from any government thugs (e.g. police, military, government-owned companies/hotels), (ii) avoid the established tourism industry (e.g. book tours only and employ guides only if absolutely necessary or if mandatory, use public transport as much as possible), (iii) buy from small businesses and at local markets (e.g. eat hawker food, sleep in family run places), (iv) treat locals as equals and expect locals to treat you equally (e.g. pay local prices, do as the locals do), (v) distinguish between the map and the territory (e.g. don’t eat the menu in a restaurant, control your expectations, understand that opennesss is a two-way road).

Taking a brand-new yellow Aerobus coach from KL Sentral, the main railway station, to Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport (KLIA-LCCT) at Sepang (70 km, 1 hour, MYR 8.- per person), thereafter flying with Air Asia (“Now Everyone Can Fly”) in a worn Airbus A 320-200 from Kuala Lumpur’s LCC Terminal to Yangon’s International Airport (Mingladon) for the all inclusive air fare of only US$ 46.- per person, one way (including: [i] airport tax and fuel surcharge, [ii] “regular” luggage allowance [up to 15 kg] and [iii] Air Asia’s hated 8-Ringgit “convenience fee” [since we had used our credit card for the on-line booking]), changing our watches from Malaysia Standard Time (GMT/UTC + 8 hours) to Burma Standard Time (GMT/UTC + 6:30 hours) in mid-air and, eventually, after we had landed, flagging down a pick-up truck (lain ka, meaning “line car”) for the bumpy ride from the airport to Yangon’s vibrant downtown (MMK 2,000.- or US$ 2.50 per person): “Mingǎlaba, Burma, you country with probably the highest per-capita consumption of gold metallic paint in this world!”

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07 Jan - 10 Jan 2012 Kuala Tahan

2012-01-10T09:40:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Pahang Darul Makmu

Taman Negara National Park

Kampung Kuala Tahan

Dakili House +60142927069 dakilihouse@gmail.com

Adequate but overpriced double room with shared bathroom and river view for MYR 50.- or US$ 15.90 per night.

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N 04° 22.93' E 102° 23.99'

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Hiking the mostly secondary rainforests of the Taman Negara (touted as “the oldest rainforest in the world” and wildly overrated) around park headquarters, and exploring (i) the easy-to-follow Bukit Indah trail along the Sungai Tembeling, (ii) the Bukit Teresek trail with fine views across the rainforest and (iii) the world’s longest (500-m long and 45-m high) hanging-bridge canopy walkway aka titian silara (entrance: MYR 5.- or US$ 1.65 per person, from the ticket: “… any accident, injury or death will be at your own risk during canopy walkway’s activities …”) thus having close encounters with innumerous sucking leeches, stinging mosquitoes and biting ants but luckily also spotting (a) an oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), (b) an olive-backed woodpecker (Dinopium rafflesii) and (c) a red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) as well as a beautiful sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) at the Tahan hide (Bumbun Tahan).

Noticing once more the negative side-effects of organised tourism on the local people’s attitude at Kuala Tahan where many of the otherwise friendly, generous and sincere Malays have lost their welcoming smile and their monetary honesty under the daily onslaught of the masses of mostly demanding, hectic and insensitive international backpackers (three out of four of the floating restaurants tried to overcharge us, repeatedly; the only honest one was the LBK Restaurant).

Taking the Pahang Lin Siong bus from Kuala Tahan back to Jerantut (70 km, 1 ¼ hours, MYR 7.- or US$ 2.30) and the comfortable Metrobus Ekspres bus +60320311154 along the highway from Jerantut back to Kuala Lumpur’s Pekeliling bus station (180 km, 2 ¾ hours, MYR 16.80 or US$ 5.60), terimah kasih.

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06 Jan - 07 Jan 2012 Jerantut

2012-01-07T09:11:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Pahang Darul Makmur

Jerantut

Lot 1751 Jalan Diwangsa

Hotel Sri Kim Yen +6092662168

Clean and spacious a/c twin room with private bathroom for only MYR 35.- or US$ 11.10 per night.

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N 03° 56.23' E 102° 21.61'

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Preparing for our visit of the very much hyped-up Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia’s greatest (4,343 sqkm) and most visited national park (60,000 plus visitors annually rummage its ground near the main entrance) and reading in a sustainability analysis about the park’s most serious problems: (i) too many visitors, (ii) soil erosion, (iii) litter, (iv) vegetation damage and (v) water pollution.

Booking our transport from Jerantut to scruffy Kuala Tahan (the entrance to the Taman Negara) with reliable NKS Hotel & Travel +6092664499 and paying MYR 41.- or US$ 13.70 per person for the complete package consisting of (i) a smooth 20-min minibus ride from Kuala Tahan to Kuala Tembeling, (ii) a 65-km/3-hr long long-boat ride upriver on the almost bird-free Sungai Tembeling from Kuala Tembeling to Kuala Tahan, a mucky settlement opposite the national park’s headquarters which looks more like a dirty Seffrican squatter camp than a clean Malay kampung, and (iii) the entrance fee for the Taman Negara national park: MYR 1.- or US$ 0.30 per adult.

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04 Jan - 06 Jan 2012 Kuala Lumpur

2012-01-06T08:56:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Chinatown

135, Jalan Petaling

Bird Nest Guest House +60320311128 birdnest.ghhouse@gmail.com

Adequate and clean double room with shared bathroom and wifi for MYR 35.- (US$ 11.10) per night.

Click below for an interactive road map of Willie's Bird Nest Guest House, which we would recommend, and for directions:

N 03° 08.51' E 101° 41.87'

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Applying for two 28-day tourist visas for a trip to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar aka Burma (MYR 80.- per person, 2 photos, copy of passport, return ticket) at the chaotic visa service of the Embassy of Myanmar in Kuala Lumpur (from Chinatown: LRT from Pasar Seni to Dato’ Keramat for MYR 2.- per person and the Rapid KL feeder bus T 330 for MYR 1.- per person) and buying from Jaafar & Feroz +60321411757, our reliable money changer of the past years, a sufficient number of brand-new (with the larger portrait), crisp and clean 50-US$ bills and 100-US$ bills (neither of them being from the generally distrusted 1996 series nor from the AB or CB series which might produce a somewhat lower exchange rate in Myanmar), all bills without any creases down the middle, thus preparing for the black market in Yangon where one US dollar buys you around MMK 800.-, fluctuating with the poppy season, whereas the Burmese government’s official bank rate “floats” around a farcical MMK 6.- for US$ 1.-.

Enjoying Cooler Lumpur’s vibrant city life and relaxing in the spacious landscaped gardens of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre from where the graceful 452-m high Petronas Twin Towers, a 1.9billion US$ symbol of the new Malaysia, surge up into the sky and noticing the twin towers’ (i) unique floor plan which is based on an eight-sided star that echoes the arabesque patterns of Islamic art, (ii) the five tiers which represent the five pillars of Islam and (iii) the crowning 63-m high masts which resemble the minarets of a mosque.

Taking a modern and comfortable Metrobus Ekspres bus +60320311154 from Kuala Lumpur’s Pekeliling bus station to the small town of Jerantut, the gateway to Taman Negara (180 km, 2 ¾ hours, MYR 16.80 per person).

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01 Jan - 04 Jan 2012 Kuah

2012-01-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Kedah Darul Aman

Pulau Langkawi

Kuah

Sri Lagenda Tower +60125914359 jaliza.sri.lagenda@gmail.com

Furnished apartment 9-14 on the 9th floor for MYR 1,000.- (US$ 320.-) per month, incl. swimming pool and stunning bay views over the Malacca Strait and the off-lying islands Pulau Tuba, Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Singa Besar.

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N 06° 19.13' E 099° 51.47'

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Greeting the upcoming New Year 2012 CE, certainly an exciting year with its prophesied cataclysmic and transformative events which will supposedly occur on December 21st, but worrying less about the various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae related to this date than more about the negative side effects of more mundane, nonetheless scary events in 2012 CE which we consider as quite possible (e.g. an increase in the US government’s debt ceiling up to US$ 20 trillion; violent anti-government and anti-austerity riots across the European welfare states; the foundation of a global “public body” which will govern the frequencies used for GPS-enabled RFIDs in humans; the chaotic house-of-cards collapse of the Gandhi regime in India; more theocratic governments with strict sharia law in the Islamic countries of North Africa and the Middle East), and still wishing the very best for our third grandchild which will be born in this year, may you do well, dear grand-son/daughter!

Stocking up with vital and proven supplies for our medicine cabinet: (i) Dettol solution, (ii) Bactroban ointment, (iii) Amoxicillin tablets, (iv) Ibuprofen/Paracetamol tablets (only for travels to the Islamic countries with their notorious shortage of booze) and (v) Tiger Balm; nothing else has ever been necessary in the last ten plus years of perpetual travelling.

Borrowing a rugged and reliable 1.5litre Proton Saga from our Kiwi friends Pam & John for a spontaneous farewell tour over the island (Paul Theroux: “ … tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travellers don’t know where they’re going ... ”) thus getting a last all-round perspective of the rather touristy but still nice Langkawi, the perfect place for doing everything or nothing at all, and bidding goodbye to our good (ex-)yottie friends Deena & Jacob from “Crimson Tide” (a million thanks from us for a million favours from you and for your lasting friendship), Cathy & Jeff from SY “Mirage” (we are looking forward to our next game of jungle ball, maybe in Alaska), Liz & Al from SY “Sunflower” (we are admiring your unconditional friendliness and resourcefulness), Elizabeth & Ian from SY “Ad Astra” (good luck with the ongoing sale of your beautiful SY “Ad Astra”) and Pam & John (hasta la vista, we’ll be back).

Flying with Firefly (“Your Community Airline”) in an ATR 72-500 from Langkawi International Airport to Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at Subang for the all-inclusive fare of MYR 99.- (US$ 31.60) per person, one way, and thereafter taking the local Rapid KL bus U 81 (MYR 2.50 per person) from the airport straight into the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s buzzing and sizzling Chinatown.

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29 Nov - 31 Dec 2011 Kuah

2011-12-31T15:24:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Kedah Darul Aman

Pulau Langkawi

Kuah

Sri Lagenda Tower +60125914359 jaliza.sri.lagenda@gmail.com

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N 06° 19.13' E 099° 51.47'

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Borrowing a rugged and reliable 1.5-litre Proton Saga from our Kiwi friends Pam & John and touring the coast and the interiors of Pulau Langkawi thus visiting its great beaches (the lively Pantai Cenang, the laid-back Pantai Tengah, the deserted Pantai Kok, the rustic Pantai Pasir Hitam and the romantic Pantai Rhu), taking a dip in Langkawi’s most spectacular waterfall, the Seven Wells aka Telaga Tujuh +6049667789, and conquering Langkawi’s most challenging summits: the 708-m high Gunung Mac Chinchang (by cable car: vertical rise 680 m, horizontal distance 2,079 m, longest free span 950 m, MYR 30.- per foreigner +6049594225 info@langkawicablecar.com.my) and Langkawi’s tallest mountain, the 881-m high Gunung Raya (by ordinary car).

Frequenting our favourite (Chinese) seafood restaurants at Kuah, (i) the Wonderland +60124946555, (ii) the Sunrise +60146091340 and (iii) the May Yi +6049661063, and feasting on deliciously prepared fish, squid, (flower)crabs, mantis and clams, mostly served together with our favourite veggies, (a) crispy kangkong (water convolvulus aka river spinach), fried with sambal belacan (dried shrimp paste), (b) baby kai-lan with garlic and oyster soy sauce or (c) bok choy (Chinese cabbage) with cashew nuts and ginger; yummy, yummy!

Discovering at RZ Corner +60124397884 one of the most unique Malay culinary creations, the lip-smacking roti jala (“net bread”), a lacy pancake made from a creamy batter of plain flour, eggs, butter and coconut milk with a dash of turmeric for colour, cooked briefly over a greased hot griddle and served with kuah durian (“durian custard”), and indulging at Kuah's regular Wednesday and Saturday night market in delicious yong tau foo, a dish of Hakka origins which literally means “stuffed bean curd” (stuffed tofu) containing fishballs, crab sticks, veggies, wonton, seafood, mock meat and fish paste, served in clear soup and eaten with noodles or rice; yumyy, yummy!

Bracing ourselves for WWIII, on one of those nice and fair days with blue skies, and witnessing an obscene aerial display of flying killing machines, luckily without being ramsteined, at the LIMA ’11 (The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition), a military commercial which glorifies war, governmental power and corporate excess, and suppressing any indecent ideas on our side about what we otherwise would have interpreted as (i) the ongoing sublimation of repressed sexuality into socially more acceptable actions (e.g. into blind patriotism and national defence) and (ii) the subconscious, almost delusional projection of sexual energy towards phallus-shaped weaponry (e.g. gun barrels) - just stop it, please.

Reliving the good old days of Chagos, where, in 2008 CE, we lived like Robinsons for a few months together with our yottie friends and Langkawi residents Deena & Jacob (ex SY “Crimson Tide”) and Cathy & Jeff (SY “Mirage”).

Celebrating the winter solstice on the shortest day and longest night of the year (when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest) in the local way (Dongzhi Festival) by making and eating of Tangyuan, balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize family reunion, and skyping extensively with our Eurasian grandsons in Canada.

Joining the international Langkawi Beach Hash House Harriers, a drinking club with a running problem, for their 5-km long Christmas Hash (MYR 35.- per person for unlimited food and booze) through the island’s interior and afterwards having, together with our good friends Deena & Jacob and all the other Hares and Hounds, a rowdy Christmas party with the most sumptious seafood steamboat ever (Chinese fondue aka hot pot) at Ah Saw’s Ka Lee Lang Restoran +60124049637; Cheers! Pro(o)st! Gesondheit! L’chaim! Gan Bay!

Bidding farewell to the old year 2011, which has been a very good and rewarding travel year for us (our top destinations in 2011: Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Sulawesi), and welcoming the arrival of the New Year 2012 with the start of a tongue-in-cheek count-down towards the anticipated end of the world on December 21, at least according to the Maya’s Mesoamerican Long Count calender and to a few other, eschatological New Age beliefs, and, to be on the safe side, converting all our supplies of tomato juice (with a not so eschatological expiry date of 2013 CE) with the help of an undisclosed amount of Russian Vodka and American Tabasco into quite a few very, very Bloody Marys; cheers y’all and bottoms up … New Year 2012, here we go!

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27 Nov - 29 Nov 2011 Hat Yai

2011-11-29T12:13:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Kingdom of Thailand

Songkhla Province

Hat Yai

Thanon Niphat Uthit 1

Hok Chin Hin Hotel +6674243258

Adequate double room with private bathroom for THB 200.- (US$ 6.40) per night.

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N 07° 00.29' E 100° 28.16'

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Exploring the vibrant and bustling city centre of Hat Yai which caters for almost all needs of its mostly male (ah beng) Chinese-Malaysian and Singaporean clientele (“sexy shark’s fins and bird’s nests”, “sexy girls and boys”, “sexy underpants and sock suspenders”), tucking into fresh som tam (Thai green papaya salad) and spicy tod mun pla (Thai fish cakes) on the daily night market in the northern part of Thanon Niphat Uthit 3 and relaxing with the help of the best ever foot-reflexology treatment for Matt from May’s Buddy Massage +66807041663 (THB 200.- for 1 ½ hours) and the best ever facial for Konni (THB 250.- for 1 hour).

Visiting (i) the gigantic 35-m long, reclining in-door Buddha at the Wat Hat Yai Nai (but being much more impressed by the worldly fresh-produce market with its friendly hawkers in this Buddha’s vicinity) and (ii) the monstrous 20-m high, sitting out-door Buddha at the Mahapanya Vidayalai College (where overweight young monks were busy reading fluffy Buddhist motherhood statements [“… to cultivate mankind’s wisdom and to lead into the realm of peace and bliss …”] and practised batik but would neither play rugby nor cricket and could not understand/speak basic Inggris, agh shame).

Taking a local bus (“Can, lah?” … “Can, lah!”) from Hat Yai’s decentralised central bus terminal to the Thai side of Padang Besa (45 km, 1 ½ hours, THB 42.- per person), crossing the border here on foot and being issued with another 90-day-visit pass for a “social visit” to Malaysia on arrival, free of charge and with the unique Malay smile as a bonus, forgetting to change our watches from Thailand’s Indochina Time (GMT + 7 hours) back to Malaysia Standard Time (GMT + 8 hours), taking a local Maraliner bus +60326979797 from the Malaysian part of Padang Besar to Kangar (35 km, 1 hour, MYR 4.20 per person) and another Maraliner bus +60326979797 from Kangar to Kuala Perlis (15 km, ½ hour, MYR 2.- per person) where we savoured the famous laksa perlis (a savoury and spicy fish gravy which is generously ladled over rice noodles and topped with boiled egg, cucumber, onion, garlic and herbs) and eventually embarked on the Ferry Line’s a/c “My Ferry 2” for the short ride to Kuah/Langkawi (15 nm, 1 hour, MYR 18.- per person) thus completing this pointless but nevertheless entertaining and interesting visa run.

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26 Nov - 27 Nov 2011 Satun

2011-11-27T11:43:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Kingdom of Thailand

Satun Province

Satun

Thanon Samanta Prasit

Rain Tong Hotel +6674711036

Adequate double room with private bathroom for THB 200.- (US$ 6.40) per night.

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N 06° 36.80' E 100° 03.80'

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Exploring the friendly, small town of Satun where mixed marriages between Thais and Malay Muslims have been common for centuries, with many of Satun town’s folk being samsam (meaning a mixed person), and discovering the town’s architectural highlights: (i) the modern, parachute-domed Bambang Mosque, (ii) the Satun Wat in the northern part of the town with a giant Buddha statue still under construction and (iii) a few old, dilapidated Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Thanon Buriwanit.

Enjoying life’s little pleasures in Thailand and (i) sipping crisp Thai Chang beer in On’s up-market bar and terrace +6674724133 for THB 50.- per small bottle, (ii) devouring colourful, delicately shaped Thai sushi, all of them masterpieces of art for only THB 5.- each, on the lively Saturday night market on Thanon Buriwanit, and (iii) frolicking with the experienced, freeboobing Thai ladies of the house in their no-name massage parlour on Thanon Bureevanich over what they call a full-body massage (THB 300.- for 1 ½ hours).

Taking a local bus from Satun to Hat Yai (95 km, 2 ¼ hours, THB 63.- per person), southern Thailand’s commercial centre, the kingdom’s fourth-largest city and very much a Chinese town at it’s centre, with tons of gold shops, loads of noodle restaurants (for you and mee) and Kantonese/Mandarin/Singlish-speckled conversations, lah!

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24 Oct - 26 Nov 2011 Kuah

2011-11-26T11:07:00.000+08:00

Southeast Asia

Federation of Malaysia

Kedah Darul Aman

Pulau Langkawi

Kuah

Sri Lagenda Tower +60125914359 jaliza.sri.lagenda@gmail.com

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N 06° 19.13' E 099° 51.47'

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Making camp in one of the furnished bayview apartments of the Sri Lagenda Apartment Tower, discovering our new neighborhood with its many excellent and cheap Malay, Indian and Chinese eateries, socialising with our old and new friends/yotties (many thanks for being such relaxed buddies: Deena & Jacob from SY “Crimson Tide”, Cathy & Jeff from SY “Mirage” and Beth & Al from SY “Sunflower”) whose sailing yachts were either at anchor right in front of our apartment building and/or who lived in one of the apartments at Sri Lagenda, and also getting eventually used to both (i) the early morning wake-up calls from the nearby mosque with this muezzin’s especially peculiar bleating, howling and coughing and (ii) the regular equatorial rain squalls in the afternoon; home sweet home, aiyah.

Exploring the town of Kuah (i) with its umpteen duty-free shops where 0.32-litre cans of Carlsberg beer set you back only MYR 1.50 per can (as opposed to the heavily taxed MYR 5.45 per 0.32-litre can on the Malaysian mainland), where 1-litre bottles of genuine Johnny Walker’s Red Label scotch are available for MYR 42.- (US$ 13.40) per bottle and 1-litre bottles of original Gordon’s London Dry Gin cost only MYR 28.- (US$ 8.95) per bottle, (ii) with its mock-Thai Wednesday and Saturday night market selling mostly over-oiled, over-cooked and over-sugared Malay junk food; our favourite vegetarian alternatives or compromises, respectively: (a) laksa kuala kedah, made from rice vermicelli noodles and aromatic fish gravy, garnished with cucumber, onion and herbs and with additional ingredients like eels, spicy shredded coconut and boiled eggs, (b) nasi ulam, a vegetarian’s delight and a healthy combination of cooked rice, fresh herbs and spices, and (c) som tam, the spicy Thai salad which is made from shredded unripened papaya, and last but not least (iii) with its superb Chinese-Buddhist Langkawi Vegetarian Restaurant +6049666405, supported by the Vegetarian Society of Malaysia, where we soon became regulars (no charges here, only a donation box).

Listening to (i) the fluting whistles of the black-naped orioles (Oriolus chinensis), (ii) the loud, far-reaching calls of a pair of Great Hornbills (Buceros bicornis) which cruised slowly above the treetops and (iii) the soft chatter of the hill mynas (Gracula religiosa) below us and enjoying our own bird’s-eye views from the dizzy height of our 9th-floor balcony down onto their flight silhouettes.

Teaming up with a bunch of young Penangite holiday makers, hiring a speedboat from Bagus Travel & Tours +60124820250 (MYR 30.- per person for the half-day trip), enjoying together some extensive island hopping and taking in the breathtaking scenery of Langkawi: (i) chillaxing and exploring the one-time unspoilt and idyllic but now crowded beaches of Pulau Beras Basah, (ii) malnourishing white-bellied sea eagles and brahmini kites at Pulau Singa Besar in an eschatological scenario with chicken offal from the island’s fast-food chains and (iii) visiting the disneyfied Lake of the Pregnant Maiden aka Tasik Dayang Bunting, Langkawi’s largest freshwater lake, situated on Pulau Dayang Bunting and surrounded by craggy limestone cliffs and dense, verdant jungle teeming with flora and fauna.

Ticking off the official tourist sites of Kuah: (i) the rather monstrous concrete-eagle statue (which actually is depicting a brahmini kite) at Eagle Square near the Kuah jetty, (ii) the uninspiring Legends Park aka Taman Lagenda, a “folklore” theme park with grotesque examples of (badly maintained) Islamic kitsch offering a sanitized view of the world in which "… all answers are given in advance and preclude any questions …" (according to Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being), and (iii) the bizarre Galeria Perdana, 12 km N of Kuah proper, where so-called “political gifts”, from friendly and not-so-friendly politicians, given to Dr M (“… to Malaysia, with love …”) when he was already an adult and the prime minister of Malaysia, were on display, e.g. sweet dolls (but not for playing), vintage cars (but not for driving), impressive weapons (but not for fighting).

Buying a DiGi hi-speed USB modem with SIM card for MYR 169.- (US$ 55.-) plus unlimited not-so-broad band for 100 days (MYR 100.- or US$ 32.70), catching up on-line with some admin work (travel blog and photos), enjoying tremendously many Skype video conferences with our breezy Canadian grandsons and being interviewed by Backpacking Asia, one of the leading internet portals for independent travellers, and sharing our experience of ten plus years of perpetual travelling.

Laundering for an economical IMR 3.- per kg (washed and dried) at the clean and efficient Kuah Laundry +6049667932.

Being hired as doitch extras for a German/Malaysian TV drama (“Reunited in Malaysia”, co-produced by FFP New Media and the Malaysian production company Double Vision for ARD/Degeto), having together with our yottie friends Beth & Al and Deena & Jacob a funny and interesting day in the posh Four Seasons Resort +6049508888 and playing successfully the roles of innocent European holiday makers on Langkawi - for the generous fee of MYR 100.- per day for each one of the American, Kiwi and Seffrican mutes.

DM Konni: Scubadiving off Pulau Payar in the murky waters of the Straits of Malacca (and enjoying very beautiful soft corals, whilst at the same time noticing the very low visibility of 2-3 metres in this busy international shipping lane) with ProDive Langkawi +60194499977 prdive@pc.jaring.my, together with two Muslim ladies from Pakistan, who took their first plunge in an introductory dive, burqa and hijab clad with mask, regulator and BCD worn over them, and enjoying tremendously their first dive ever.

Lengthening our lives and celebrating World Meatless Day on 25th of November 2011 with Malay ulam, a raw salad of fresh herbs and vegetables, accompanied by undisclosed quantities of chilled red wine (excellent Californian Cabernet Sauvignon for only MYR 5.- per litre) from our favourite Chinese supplier of tax-free wines and booze, the Soon Huat “Tasty & Healthy” wine shop in Kuah town.

Leaving temporarily “1Malaysia”, a bilingual (Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Inggris) land of plenty, taking the thrice-daily Andaman Ferry Ventures' +6049661125 a/c ferry “Fortune Express 2” (20 nm, 1 ½ hour, MYR 30.- per person, one way) from Langkawi’s Kuah jetty to Tha Tammalang, the jetty for Satun in Thailand, being issued there with a 2-week-visa for Thailand on arrival, free of charge, joining a shared sawngthaew, a covered pick-up truck with two lengthwise rows of seats in the back, to Satun (THB 30.- or US$ 1.- per person for the 7-km long ride) and changing our watches from Malaysian Standard Time (GMT + 7 hours) to Thailand's Indochina Time (GMT + 8 hours).

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2011 Map Konni & Matt

Click below and see more Konni & Matt Pictures

Photos 2011-11 Malaysia II

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