Saved the Best For Last

Apo Island

Well my South East Asia experience is now over. I can’t believe that 4.5 months of travelling have now come and gone. Seems like only yesterday I arrived in Bangkok with no plan, no agenda and really no clue where to go and what to see. Now I have made my way through eight countries since then. I have had a blast and for the last 2 weeks I definitely saved the best for last: The Philippines and Songkran.

The Philippines is such a cool country. It has a little of everything and so much to see. I didn’t even scratch the surface for the two weeks that I was there. The Philippines is less touristy than the other SE Asia countries and that is really nice. It is also harder to get around since country of islands. I flew everywhere expect for taking a few buses. I arrived at Clark Airport which is about two hours outside of Manila and since my flight to Dumaguete on the island of Negros wasn’t until the next

morning, I took a jeepney (an converted American army van used all over the Philippines), a local bus and a tricycle (a motorcylcle with a side car) across Manila to Nino Aquino airport. There is so much traffic in Manila but what surprised me the most was the amount of fast-food restaurants. There are Jollibees (Filipino fast-food chain), McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc on every street if not 

Typical Filipino fast-food

two on the same block. I didn’t spend any time in Manila proper as it is very large city with not the best reputation but I did spent lots of time in the airport. Every place you fly in the Philippines you have to fly through Manila as there are very limited direct flights in between the islands. From Dumaguete, I went to Apo Island which is one of the Philippines’ top 10 dive sites. It definitely is as the coral and sea life is so alive, colourful and abundant. Huge turtles, huge schools fish, large corals shelves, and just so much to see. The island has a population of 800 and everyone including the 30 tourists showed up at the basketball court one night as they held a Disco in honour of naming Miss Apo Lass. It was highly entertaining dancing with Filipinos of all ages and such a great event. It also meant that the power was on till midnight versus going off at 9:30 like it did all the other nights. It was also the end of the school year and in honour of that the resort t roasted a whole pig on a spit. I happened to be walking though the kitchen on my way to my dorm room when the pig was served so was invited to the delicious feast. The best part was the roast pig skin as it was so crunchy and tasty. The whole pig was gone in under 20 minutes. I spent three days on Apo diving and soaking up the sun before flying back to Manila and then taking a night bus to Donsol. Donsol is famous for snorkelling with whale sharks. It was so cool!! The visibility was only about one meter so you never saw the whole shark (they average 5-12 m in length) at one time. They really live up to their name as gentle giants as they swim slowly and smoothly. Swimming by their head was the best as you could see their mouths open eating all the plankton in the water. I swam with about 10 sharks in total over two tours and each time it was a rush. I will never forget my first view of one which was a giant head and mouth swimming right at me. Amazing! From Legazpi, the main city closest to Donsol, I few to the island of Palawan where I met Alix, a French gals who is volunteering at an NGO in Manila, on the plane. We spent a night in Puerto Princessa as it was not possible to go to El Nido in the north of the island till the next morning. El Nido is an incredible place! It has the vibe of a sleepy fishing village and has beautiful beaches and lots to do. It was the touristiest place I went in the Philippines but there was maybe 150 tourists in El Nido at most. Alix and I did two island hopping tours (Tour A and Tour C). Both tours visited

El Nido

beaches, lagoons and islands surrounding El Nido and the scenery was postcard perfect with turquoise water and white side beaches on uninhabited islands. It was a great time!! I didn’t want to leave. Funny thing is that I ran into a guy went to high school with. Such a small world! Unfortunately I had to leave El Nido and spend a night in Puerto Princessa to catch a next day flight to Manila and onwards to Bangkok.

7 Commandoes Beach

I flew in Bangkok and thought that it had rained that night. It wasn’t rain, just water for the day’s water fight. It was Songkran, Thai New Year, which is a giant water fight. Basically every one, Thais and tourists, arm themselves with water guns, water bottles, buckets, and baby powder to have a huge giant fight in the streets. By 1pm Khao San and Rambuttri Roads were slammed full of people and it was a great time. When do you get the chance to act like a kid and soak random strangers with a water gun all day long? In the evening, the streets really kicked off with dance music and partying. For two days I was completely soaking wet and it was well worth it. I did do some shopping though at MBK mall but Khao San’s street vendors were all closed down so didn’t get some of the stuff I can scooped out my last trip through. Oh well, I am bringing back enough stuff as it is. If you ever get the chance to be in Bangkok or Thailand for Songkran I would definitely recommend it.

Now the trip is over and all I can do is reflect on the great time and experience I had. It was amazing and I am so happy I chose to go on this trip. Everything about it was fantastic from the highs to the lows and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Loved it! Thanks you SE Asia for an amazing 4.5 months and I will see you again soon. xoxoox

Culture and the Asian Experience

Culture. What is it?  Dictionary.com defines culture as “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.”, or as “the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.” Over the past 4 months in Asia I have experienced lots of different cultures as each country that I have been too has its own culture along with a standard (stereotype) Asia culture. Thailand has a very strong cultural influence in Southeast Asia, being as it is the country that everyone associates with this part of the world. Thailand’s influence and culture definitely affects is neighbours. Thailand is mainly Buddhists, has great food (the best and cheapest street food too), has wonderful beaches, mountains and scenery, has friendly people who for the most part speak minimal English, and is very touristy (15 million visitors in 2010). Laos is less discovered than Thailand, so tourists have had less influence on it and that makes it fun to travel as you feel you are getting a more authentic experience.  The French colonized Laos so there is French influence in food (tasty baguette sandwiches), architecture and lifestyle. The second language is unofficially French as a good portion of signage is both languages (Laos and French).  Laos’s people are also very friendly but are definitely not as well off as Thais. Outside the city they live in thatched house (with their satellite dish) and live off the land. To the other side of Lao is Vietnam which is a small country with 86 million people and most of those people drive a motorcycle (crossing the street is scary in Hanoi and Saigon).  Vietnam is heavily influenced by the Chinese in all aspect of life. They are very proud people and are still devastated by the years of war that went on in their country.  Further south is Cambodia and it is still trying to find itself after the devastating Khmer Rouge. It operates in US currency (even the ATM’s give you US cash), its food is a combination of Thai and Vietnamese, its people are really nice but also really poor, and it has leased it main tourist attractions (Killing Fields, etc ) to outside sources to run and operate. It does however have Angkor Wat and that is a source of national pride due to the history and the significance of the temple. Malaysia couldn’t be any more different from the other countries. Its people are of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Orang Asli (indigenous people) decent and the country is primarily Muslim. The food is a combination of all the ethnicities and is delicious. The common language is English and the people are exceptionally friendly. The country is well developed as it was on the Indo China trading route so it also has a lot of British influence. Singapore is a highly developed city and country and the cleanest city in Asia. No chewing gum here. Prices in Singapore are similar to prices in Canada for goods and services but you can keep things on the cheap by shopping and eating at the food markets and street stalls in Chinatown and Little India. The country is like Malaysia with a mix of Chinese, Indian and Arab ethnicities with Arabs being the largest population. Indonesia is a character all on its own. Each island has a different ethnicity and religion. The island of Bali is mainly Hindu and while the island of Lombok is mainly Muslim. Lombok’s goal is to build 1,000,000 mosques so mosques are being built everywhere. There are family temples in each family compound and the main food is fired rice, fried noodles or noodle soup. Bali was controlled by the Dutch for awhile and now houses tons of expats living in Ubud and in a around Kuta. Lombok is less developed for tourist compared to Bali but is on its way to being a prime tourist destination as people escape the craziness of Kuta Bali for the relaxed atmosphere of Senggigi and Kuta Lombok. The Philippines is an interesting country as everyone speaks English and they are predominantly Christian. The main form of transport is the jeepney that each driver decorates to his own liking and they are based on old American army jeeps that were modified to have seats in the back. They are as colourful as Filipinos themselves who are so friendly and who talk to you all the time. Crazy, dirty Manila is not a good example of the Philippines and you need to venture off to one of the other cities or islands to get a real feel for the place. The American influence is evident in the main sport of basketball and all the fast-food chains with burgers and fried chicken on every menu. The Spanish influence is noticed in the language that has thousands of Spanish words. Overall, the countries I have mentioned are all unique in their own aspect and in their own culture and as a whole they make up the Asia culture and experience.  

My Southeast Asia experience has been so much fun and such a great time. I have done things and experienced things I have never thought I would and am so glad I went on this trip. This part of the world has so many differences (cultural and experiences) from the West but it is that differences that have made my trip so enjoyable. There are few things that I have wanted to comment on for some time so here is list of the funny/quirky/interesting/cultural/annoying things I have come to experience in Southeast Asia.

1.       Transportation

Legazpi, Philippines

I don’t even know how many kinds of transport I have been on thus far in the trip but it is a lot (tuk tuks, shared taxis on the back of trucks, ferries, local buses, VIP buses, mini-bus, trains, river boats, longboats, scooters, motos, jeepneys, tricycles etc).  Each form of transport is so different and unique and all have good stories with them too. In Indonesia, you will see families of five all sharing the same scooter to get around. Thankfully I have been on them with no more than two people. The VIP buses have toilets and AC which is so cold you need to wear a sweater if not pants too. On one VIP bus, the bathroom was locked and the local Vietnamese man thought it was okay to pee a couple of times on the stairs beside the locked toilet instead of waiting till the bus stopped. It was pretty gross. On my twenty four hour bus to Vientiane, Laos, the bus would stop randomly and everyone would exit for a mass group pee on the side of the road. I was the only tourist on this bus and never seemed to know when these bathroom stops would happen, but the Laotians did. To get from

Scootering around Pai, Thailand

Indonesia to the Manila Airport, I took five forms of transport in one day: taxi, two planes, jeepney, local bus and a tricycle. I should also mention that transport is rarely ever on time and always takes longer than they tell you.  Add at least an hour or two to each of your buses and ferry rides.  It if is on time or early than consider yourself special.  Also, I have had some scary and crazy mini-bus drivers, some extra chatty moto drivers, some taxi cabs whose meters don’t work properly and rip you off, and many other things happen but all of this is all part of the experience though and part of getting around Asia.

2.       Men with moles

I have noticed lots of men that have moles on their faces let the hair grow out of the mole so that the mole ends up with whiskers. The whiskers on some older men are very long and prominent. I am not sure if this is a status things or what the reason behind it is but it is definitely an interest cultural thing.

3. Cat calls

Indonesian t-shirt

“Tuk tuk?”  “You want massage?” “You buy something?” “You buy from me?” “Moto?”  “You want a suit “Transport?” The cat calls in a sing song voice you get asked pretty much every day, if not 50 times a day. I saw someone the other day with a t-shirt that was in English on one side and Thai on the other and it said “No I don’t want a %^&* ing massage, suit or tuk tuk”. There is also an Indonesian version too. Some days I think it would be easier to where such a t-shirt instead of constantly saying “No thanks” to the cat calls. You do get used to them and tune them out but there are some days when it is super irritating.

4. What is your lowest price?

If you love to bargain than Asian markets are for you. It is expected of you to bargain when shopping and it is game between you and stall keeper. The calculator is a handy item in the bargaining game as the stall keeper will type in a price and you type in a price back. I have found that you need to start off with a price well below what you are actually willing to pay and usually you end up at that price or lower. Walking away also works to get the stall keeper to lower the price. Sometimes you end up bargaining over cents which is a bit silly. Also it helps to shop around before you buy anything as what you want will usually be cheaper three stalls down than if you just buy it on impulse.

5. Whitening cream

Amy with the cream we at Boots in Chiang Mai, Thailand

You need to be very careful when you buy body lotion or sunscreen in Asia as most of the products have whitening cream in it. Contrary to the Western culture where we want to get suntanned and bronzed, Asians want to be white. While they naturally have dark skin, they don’t want to become any darker with sun exposure for social status reasons. A person with extra dark skin means that they work outdoors, such as a farmer or construction worker, and therefore have lower social status. By using whitening cream, the Asians try to prevent looking lower class and more upper class and/or Western. On top of this, they cover up head to toe (even if it is 35 degrees and humid out) and use umbrellas for prevent sun rays from touching them.  On a funnier side note, it is not only whitening cream that can make you  more Western looking as you can buy pink nipple cream in the pharmacies over here. 

6. Technology and pop music

Justin Bieber in 3D in Legazpi, Philippines

Absolutely everyone over here has a cell phone. They are cheap and no one has a land lines so cell phones are easy. People are even talking or texting while driving their scooters. They are just on their phones all the time. The ringtones for all these cell phones are usually a pop song. Whether it is an English or a local language pop hit is the question but typically it is a pop song. They love their pop music in Asia! Justin Bieber is a huge hit here and especially in the Philippines. On Apo Island, which is about a 40 minute boat ride from the main island of Negros and has a population 800, I had one kid ask me where I was from and when I said Canada, he said “Where Justin Bieber lives!”  Then he asked me if Justin was my brother. Too funny!  Not only is Justin Bieber a hit here but you have Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and all the other big pop stars blaring at you from shops and even on buses.  On most long distance buses, they have TV screens that show the latest pop videos from around the world but mainly they show that particular country’s biggest pop stars. Those video usually follow the same corny theme of pretty Asian girl falls for sleazy guy, leaving nice boyfriend (the pop star) who in the end tries to win her back and gets hurt or killed. Let me tell you that a six hour bus ride with Asian pop music on repeat is a very long trip. Also, internet cafes are everywhere as well as wifi so you are never without worldly connections.  Though where you least expect to find technology, you find giant satellite dishes attached to thatched bamboo houses in the middle of the jungle and Monks with cell phones. The reason they have satellites dishes in the poorest of town is to pick up the soap opera shows that everyone watches. Each country has their own soap operas and they all look same and seem to follow the same story line to American soap operas but with an Asian twist. I guess no matter where you go in the world technology is available and Western influence is every prominent, even if it is just pop music.   

7. Western men with Asian ladies

It is something that is always mentioned, especially when it come to Thailand, but in all the countries there a good number of western men with Asian ladies. A lot of these western men are middle aged, grey haired, not in the best shape and in a harsh truth, not the most attractive men, and yet the Asian women they are with are gorgeous and for the most party quite young.  It makes you wonder what these pretty ladies see in the men but in reality it is dollar signs, maybe love too but definitely dollar signs.  A Western man offer an Asian lady a lot more prospects with money for her and her family than a local man. Plus in Southeast Asia a foreigner can’t own propriety or a business out right without someone who is from that country being the majority owner. Therefore, the wife owns the business and the house that her Western husband has bought. It works out well for her and her family should there be a divorce or death of the husband. While this may not be the main reason why Asian women go for western men, I believe it is and judging by the number of prostitutes and ladies that I have seen in seedy bars with western men it makes sense to me. I should also add that I have heard that local men don’t necessarily treat their partners very well so that could another part of the reason ladies chose to marry older Westerners.

On another note, while I was in Indonesia a few of the men I talked to really wanted to marry a Western woman so they could have blonde hair and light skinned children. I have seen a few couple where the woman is the Western and than man local and I feel that these relationships are based more on love than money.

8. Lady Boys



Muay Thai fight in Chiang Mai

Oh the lady boy!! Dressing like a lady when you are boy is accepted over here and no one has an issue with it. There are so many proudly walking the streets and good for them. I personally find the ladies boys very entertaining when they are super dressed up and putting on a show, like they do at Muay Thai fights. Also, I think that if it was more socially accepted in the Western world, there probably would be more boys dressing like girls all the time, instead of only in their accepted circles.

9. Smoking, Garbage and Recycling

Everyone smokes over here. Tourists, locals, lady boys, dive instructors, bus drivers, etc. It is just very socially accepted and there doesn’t seem to be anyone trying to stop people from smoking. Singapore is the sole exception as it is illegal to smoke in all public places there. Despite the

Trash on Senggigi Beach, Indonesia

health risks, the other downside is that everyone tosses their cigarette butts on the ground, in the ocean, or just anywhere. There is a lack of public ash trays to go with the lack public garbage bins. Most of the time it is really hard to find garbage bins over here. You end up just leaving your trash with other trash that is in a pile somewhere. There are piles of trash all over the countries and it is quite ugly to look at or to swim in like at Kuta Beach, Bali. There is also a lack of recycling and with tourist and locals having to buy bottled water to drink, water bottles add up. Now it is hard for me to say clean up your trash and recycle to them when Westerners have been and are just as bad, but the trash issue is definitely more noticeable over here.

10. For the love of Hollywood



Leo will take you to "The Beach"

I have seen more of George Clooney in the last three months that I have on the faces of magazines at home. George sponsors suits, barber shops, tours and many more things in Asia. His face and many more other Hollywood star’s faces are everywhere on the ads for stores. Sometimes the faces are superimposed, like Leo DiCaprio’s large face on a tiny body for a boat tour ad going to “The Beach”. It is quite funny to see but doesn’t influence me to take that tour or buy that suit. Maybe being faked endorsed by George or Leo influences some people though. I have seen more of George Clooney in the last three months that I have on the faces of magazines at home. George sponsors suits, barber shops, tours and many more things in Asia. His face and many more other Hollywood star’s faces are everywhere on the ads for stores. Sometimes the faces are superimposed, like Leo DiCaprio’s large face on a tiny body for a boat tour ad going to “The Beach”. It is quite funny to see but doesn’t influence me to take that tour or buy that suit. Maybe being faked endorsed by George or Leo influences some people though.

 

Well, those are my thoughts and comments on my Asian experiences and on Asia culture. Everything I have mentioned has had an influence in making this trip so great and so special, and without all the differences in cultures and all the funny/quirky/interesting/cultural/annoying experiences the trip wouldn’t be the same. So from the beaches to, the temples and wats, to the markets and local food, and everything in between Southeast Asia is a great place to visit and I have loved spending the last 4.5 months here.



7 Commandoes Beach, Philippines



  

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Central Market, Hoi An, Vietnam



White Sand, Black Sand and a Plastic Beach

My three weeks in Indonesia flew by. I had a blast and love that country. Definitely would go back and would be keen to visit some of the other islands like Sumatra, Sulawesi, Flores, etc. I spent my time there in four places: Ubud, Gili Trawangan Island (Gili T), Senggigi, and Kuta Bali. I ended up spending a week in Ubud just hanging out and relaxing. It is very chill place. I did do a bike tour where we were driven to the look out over Mt Batur, one of the many volcanoes on the island, and then biked four hours downhill on local roads, through villages, past Balinese family compounds, high fiving little kids along the way. It was really fun and a great way to see Bali. I also went out one night with Megan, who is a Whistler gal living in Ubud. She showed me the local expat hangouts and shisha bar and we had a great time living it up. As well, we did a short hike on ridge with a nice lookout over the rice fields and tropical valleys.

From Ubud I caught a bus and a fast boat to Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three Gili Islands. They are located just off the coast Bali’s neighbouring island Lombok.  Gili T has a reputation as being a party island but if you want to party you can and if you want to relax, you can avoid the party all together. I chose to relax and do my Advance Open Water Scuba course at Trawangan Dive Center with my awesome instructor Philip. I love love love diving!! I was the only one of my course which was sweet because all the dives lasted however long my air supply lasted. As part of the Advance course, you do a navigational dive, a deep dive to 30 meters and three optional dives that you choose. I chose to do a night dive, an underwater photography dive and a nitrox dive. The night dive was really neat in the fact I saw more shrimp and crabs than I normally do and the whole aspect of being underwater in the dark was cool. I did have a flashlight but when I turned it off it was very dark. My two favourite dives were the deep dive and the nitrox dive. My deep dive was to Shark Point, where I went down to 30 meters for the first time. In process I saw eight turtles, one white tipped reef shark and a stingray. The visibility was so clear and the coral is so alive at the depth. The nitrox dive, also known as an enriched air dive as the percent of oxygen is increased in the tank allowing for a longer time spent a deeper depth, was to Deep Turbo. This site was amazing and we had the best visibility. The coral was so colourful and so large. Giant sea fans all other the bottom with tons of fish to see. We even saw a huge Bumphead Parrot fish which was easily a meter in width. Diving off Gili T was great and I loved every minute of it. Diving wasn’t the only thing that I did on the island though. I did spend some time sun tanning on the white sand beach and I rented a bicycle and bike/walked in the sand around the island. The other thing to do is go the sunset bar and have a cold Bintang as you watch the sun go down over the ocean beside the silhouette of Bali.

White sand of Gili T

I caught a boat over to Lombok Island and spent three days in Senggigi. The Lonely Planet says that Senggigi has white sand beaches but it is definitely anything but white. The beach that I stayed at was black. Senggigi is definitely built up with lots of large resorts but there weren’t any tourists in town. The place was dead. The high season is July and August and I am sure things are crazy than but right now it was just a chill place to hang out.  I spent time most of my time at the beach. I even got a pedicure on the beach where I had one lady on each foot making my toenails look pretty.  The homestay where I was staying had a really nice Indonesian owner and I got him to drive me to Kuta Beach Lombok on the south part of the island, about two hours away on his scooter. Now this is the place that I should have stayed as the beaches here where white sand with great waves for surfing. It is in development and with the new international airport opening this year only 20-30 minutes away Kuta is destined to change and become a big tourist destination. I am glad I got to see it as a sleepy surf town and if I had the choice again I would stay in Kuta Lombok over Senggigi any day.

Jordan and I at Kuta beach. See the pile of garbage behing us?

Indonesian time, like the rest of Asian, is never accurate so after waiting hours for a fast boat back to Kuta Bali, I finally made it an hour and half late to meet up with Jordan. Jordan and I are co-workers and friends from Whistler and it was great to see a familiar face and catch up. Our first night in Kuta was spent shopping, eating and drinking. We went out with Phil, a Quebecer who Jordan met at the airport, to a huge club called 61 Legian that served free food and drinks from 10pm-12am. 61 Legian is actually six clubs in one and we had a great night out without paying a cent for anything.  Jordan and I got some good deals on clothes and items from the street stalls, but couldn’t bring ourselves to seriously shop in any of the real Billabong, Rip Curl, etc shops as we know we can get the same stuff, if not so similar on the street for so cheap. We tried our hand at surfing one day and I’m not very good at it but playing in the waves for the grand total of $3 was really fun. Plus we now can say we surfed in Bali! My only complaint is that Kuta beach is probably the dirtiest beach I have ever been too. There is so much garbage on the beach and when surfing you would come up from falling off you board covered in plastic wrappers. It was gross! Not really sure how it has gotten so dirty but they should invest in cleaning it up properly, considering the beach is the major tourist beach of Bali. 

After three days and with an early morning flight, I said goodbye to Jordan and I continued on my journey around Southeast Asia. I am now in the Philippines, the eighth and final new country of my trip. It should be a fun two weeks ahead of me with diving, beaches and whale sharks on the horizon.  xoxo