I'm off to Panama today!! Yay!!
Follow Little Yap Yap as she embarks on her early mid life crisis. See how she fairs as she gives up her job and comforts to live out of a rucksac, not knowing where she will be from one day to the next, praying that the budget accommodation is cheap in general rather than for a reason, living the unemployed dream!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The end
I am now back in the UK after nearly 5 months of bumming around Asia.
Goodbye Asia, Hello London.
Laters,
Little Yap Yap x
Goodbye Asia, Hello London.
Laters,
Little Yap Yap x
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Kuching - Kuala Lumpur
Little Yap Yap stresses out at the airport
Get to the airport trying to get through security. I get stopped. They tell me my bag is over weight. 7kg max but I have 10 kg. Fair point. So I go into the ladies, put on all my heavy clothes (sweating away) throw away most of my clothes including my favourite $2 dress :-(
Return to security and they still won't let me through. I'm arguing now. Why? Because I have two pieces of hand luggage they inform me. What two pieces? My little suitcase and a hat in a bag. They consider a hat as hand luggage!?! So I start going nuts. I then say so if I take the hat out of the bag and wear it you will let me through? Yes they say. How stupid is that? Mind you my hat is about 2 feet in diameter so I had to wear it through and then put it back in it's bag once through. Have you ever heard of anything so absurd?!?! Perhaps they just wanted me to look stupid, which I am completely fine with!
________________________________________________
After flying in and out of KL airport over 4 times and never leaving, I finally ventured out and made it into the city centre.
I am staying in China Town (not on purpose) where most people seem to speak Cantonese. The food is cheap and oh so good! I am going to miss Asia so much!!
Besides eating there doesn't seem to be much else to do. I visited KL's most famous sight, the Petronas Twin Towers, but to be honest you look at them for about 5 minutes and then there is very little else to do. There is a designer shopping mall under the towers which sells Gucci, Burberry, Chanel. They also have Topshop, Harrods, Mango, Zara, etc. You could easily believe you are in the UK, with just a high % of Asian people.
I'm staying in a cheap youth hostel called Backpackers Travellers Inn and this is the first time I have been eaten alive by bedbugs. Not bad going since I haven't encountered them previously. But boy am I itching!
Petronas Twin Towers
Get to the airport trying to get through security. I get stopped. They tell me my bag is over weight. 7kg max but I have 10 kg. Fair point. So I go into the ladies, put on all my heavy clothes (sweating away) throw away most of my clothes including my favourite $2 dress :-(
Return to security and they still won't let me through. I'm arguing now. Why? Because I have two pieces of hand luggage they inform me. What two pieces? My little suitcase and a hat in a bag. They consider a hat as hand luggage!?! So I start going nuts. I then say so if I take the hat out of the bag and wear it you will let me through? Yes they say. How stupid is that? Mind you my hat is about 2 feet in diameter so I had to wear it through and then put it back in it's bag once through. Have you ever heard of anything so absurd?!?! Perhaps they just wanted me to look stupid, which I am completely fine with!
________________________________________________
After flying in and out of KL airport over 4 times and never leaving, I finally ventured out and made it into the city centre.
I am staying in China Town (not on purpose) where most people seem to speak Cantonese. The food is cheap and oh so good! I am going to miss Asia so much!!
Besides eating there doesn't seem to be much else to do. I visited KL's most famous sight, the Petronas Twin Towers, but to be honest you look at them for about 5 minutes and then there is very little else to do. There is a designer shopping mall under the towers which sells Gucci, Burberry, Chanel. They also have Topshop, Harrods, Mango, Zara, etc. You could easily believe you are in the UK, with just a high % of Asian people.
I'm staying in a cheap youth hostel called Backpackers Travellers Inn and this is the first time I have been eaten alive by bedbugs. Not bad going since I haven't encountered them previously. But boy am I itching!
Petronas Twin Towers
Friday, March 11, 2011
More Kuching photo's
Kuching means 'cat' in Malay
The waterfront at night
Malay guys just hanging around
Roasting chicken
Happy
The waterfront at night
Malay guys just hanging around
Roasting chicken
Happy
Adventures at Bako National Park
mBako National Park is an easy to reach from Kuching nature reserve. With its rainforest abundant wildlife, jungle streams, waterfalls, interesting plant life, secluded beaches and trekking trails, Bako offers visitor an excellent introduction to the rainforest of Borneo. Bako packs so much natural beauty into such a limited area, all its sheer range of attractions and activities have made Bako one of the most popular parks in Sarawak.
I stayed over night in the park and ended up doing two treks.
First trek is on the T. Paku trail, which is a short 800m trek that takes you to a small 'secluded' beach. I spent much of the time collecting beautiful cone shells (only later realising that the creature which lives in these cones sting) and playing with hermit crabs.
Second trek was on the Lintang trail, a 5.7km trek. It was stupidly hot and humid and I just dripped with sweat. I don't think I've sweated so much in my life. I can only liken it to being in a steam room.
On the trek I saw loads of Proboscis monkeys which are a really rare type of monkey only found in Borneo.
DANGER
THEN I ended up doing something really stupid. I think I was so high from seeing the rare monkey's that I lost the trail and end up walking through a mangrove where I noticed water filling the area. I ended up on the beach and the tide was coming in!!! I start to panic cos I couldn't find the path and the tide was coming in really fast. I was knee deep in water with no way out. I was trapped. I saw a boat in the distance and start jumping up and down and flailing my arms. So I'm ashamed to admit it, but I had to be rescued. I'm positive I'm not the first nor will I be the last, but non the less it is a story I won't be sharing too often.
In the evening I hung around some older travellers all in their late 50's/early 60's, including one who is a writer on the Jay Leno Show. (I spent the evening trying to make him make me laugh..he was pretty sharp). They have all travelled lots and I spent the evening listening to their amazing travel tales (I guess once a traveller always a traveller) and their recreational drug use???!! Lots of 'I remember a time when I got so stoned....' stories. All this coming from mothers/fathers. Heck, some were grandparents! Brilliant!
Carnivorous Pitcher Plant
Not so 'Wild Pig'
Hermit Crab
Macaque Monkey feeding its baby
Silver leaf monkey
Bako is also home to approximately 150 rare proboscis monkey, found only in Borneo. The male is an odd looking creature with a huge pendulous nose and a large pot belly weighting in excess of 20 kg. Both male female are covered in reddish-brown fur with grey limbs and a white tail.
Sweating away in the jungle. The end of my trek
Group I hung around with in Bako
I stayed over night in the park and ended up doing two treks.
First trek is on the T. Paku trail, which is a short 800m trek that takes you to a small 'secluded' beach. I spent much of the time collecting beautiful cone shells (only later realising that the creature which lives in these cones sting) and playing with hermit crabs.
Second trek was on the Lintang trail, a 5.7km trek. It was stupidly hot and humid and I just dripped with sweat. I don't think I've sweated so much in my life. I can only liken it to being in a steam room.
On the trek I saw loads of Proboscis monkeys which are a really rare type of monkey only found in Borneo.
DANGER
THEN I ended up doing something really stupid. I think I was so high from seeing the rare monkey's that I lost the trail and end up walking through a mangrove where I noticed water filling the area. I ended up on the beach and the tide was coming in!!! I start to panic cos I couldn't find the path and the tide was coming in really fast. I was knee deep in water with no way out. I was trapped. I saw a boat in the distance and start jumping up and down and flailing my arms. So I'm ashamed to admit it, but I had to be rescued. I'm positive I'm not the first nor will I be the last, but non the less it is a story I won't be sharing too often.
In the evening I hung around some older travellers all in their late 50's/early 60's, including one who is a writer on the Jay Leno Show. (I spent the evening trying to make him make me laugh..he was pretty sharp). They have all travelled lots and I spent the evening listening to their amazing travel tales (I guess once a traveller always a traveller) and their recreational drug use???!! Lots of 'I remember a time when I got so stoned....' stories. All this coming from mothers/fathers. Heck, some were grandparents! Brilliant!
Carnivorous Pitcher Plant
Not so 'Wild Pig'
Hermit Crab
Macaque Monkey feeding its baby
Silver leaf monkey
Bako is also home to approximately 150 rare proboscis monkey, found only in Borneo. The male is an odd looking creature with a huge pendulous nose and a large pot belly weighting in excess of 20 kg. Both male female are covered in reddish-brown fur with grey limbs and a white tail.
Sweating away in the jungle. The end of my trek
Group I hung around with in Bako
Wind Cave and Fairy Cave
Early start to catch the bus 26km southwest of Kuching to a little town called Bau, which is the main access point to two interesting cave systems.
From Bau we took an infrequent bus 3 km south to Wind Cave which is a network of underground streams on the banks of the Batang Kayan. Slippery, unlit boardwalks run through the caves, allowing us to wander the three main passages with chittering bats swooping overhead.
From here we had to wait in the blistering heat to catch yet another infrequent bus 5 km further south to get to Fairy Cave.
The cave is an extraordinary elevated chamber 30m above ground in the side of a cliff. You have to climb up all these steps to get in. Combined with the extreme humidity you get into the cave dripping in your own sweat (nice thought, huh?)
You wander the grotto and the 'fairies' are various anthropomorphic cave formations (I had to Google that) and it is said if you want anything from these spirits you should bring incense, so I got to do me some praying.
Due to the location and the hassle to get to these caves , the two of us basically had the entire cave to ourselves. It was utterly jaw droppingly amazing.
On the way home we hitched a lift from some little Malaysian guys. People are so friendly here and are always willing to give you a ride.
On the bus to the caves
Wind Cave
Fairy Cave
The coolest stalagtite formation ever! Look carefully and it looks like a dinosaur! So much so, that I still actually think it is one!
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From Bau we took an infrequent bus 3 km south to Wind Cave which is a network of underground streams on the banks of the Batang Kayan. Slippery, unlit boardwalks run through the caves, allowing us to wander the three main passages with chittering bats swooping overhead.
From here we had to wait in the blistering heat to catch yet another infrequent bus 5 km further south to get to Fairy Cave.
The cave is an extraordinary elevated chamber 30m above ground in the side of a cliff. You have to climb up all these steps to get in. Combined with the extreme humidity you get into the cave dripping in your own sweat (nice thought, huh?)
You wander the grotto and the 'fairies' are various anthropomorphic cave formations (I had to Google that) and it is said if you want anything from these spirits you should bring incense, so I got to do me some praying.
Due to the location and the hassle to get to these caves , the two of us basically had the entire cave to ourselves. It was utterly jaw droppingly amazing.
On the way home we hitched a lift from some little Malaysian guys. People are so friendly here and are always willing to give you a ride.
On the bus to the caves
Wind Cave
Fairy Cave
The coolest stalagtite formation ever! Look carefully and it looks like a dinosaur! So much so, that I still actually think it is one!
">
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Little Yap Yap meets her Ginger cousins
Not necessarily wild Orangutang's but semi-wild in that they come back for feedings.
Lots of the older orangutan's where brought here for a variety of reasons such as neglect, illegal trade, etc. Over time they were taught how to cope in the wild, but they will never be completely wild so they have to stay in places like this. They have built up small little communities and there is a successful breeding program.
It was cool to see the big furry orange guys had built nests way way way up in the trees and you just make out that they were up there. I got to see 6 of them up close, but not personal. I sure wouldn't want to mess with an adult one of those!
I took this because I thought it was quite funny. Senyap means Quiet - fitting really, isn't it?!? Just call me Jenny Senyap Yap :-)
Lots of the older orangutan's where brought here for a variety of reasons such as neglect, illegal trade, etc. Over time they were taught how to cope in the wild, but they will never be completely wild so they have to stay in places like this. They have built up small little communities and there is a successful breeding program.
It was cool to see the big furry orange guys had built nests way way way up in the trees and you just make out that they were up there. I got to see 6 of them up close, but not personal. I sure wouldn't want to mess with an adult one of those!
I took this because I thought it was quite funny. Senyap means Quiet - fitting really, isn't it?!? Just call me Jenny Senyap Yap :-)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Salamat Datang Ke Kuching - Welcome to Kuching
Kuching is the Capital of Sarawak which is located in Malaysian Borneo. Kuching is Malay for 'Cat' so there are lots of kitch statues of cats around and there's even a museum dedicated to the little feline (I have no intention of going).
Demographically this city is a big cluster of... well everything. It's population is made up of approx:
30% Iban (once revered for being the most formidable head hunters)
30% Chinese (the first settlers were Hakka people, which is what I am)
20% Malay
10% Bidayuh
10% indigenous tribes (Iban, Penan, Kayan, Kenyah) & others
Sarawak is unique in that unlike mainland Malaysia, Indian people here are a minority.
I am here for two reasons:
a) to learn about indigenous tribes and to buy a wicked tribal hat (I collect hats)
b) to see orangutan's
I'm staying in B&B Inn, a cheap but clean, centrally located hostel. I'm in a dorm with an English girl - can't get away from them darn Brits!
But Kuching is hot, hot, hot and humid, humid, humid!!!
Love is in the air.
Town Mosque
Nice cat statues - Meow
Siew San Teng Temple
Just chillin'
Old Chinese style buildings
Kuching Sunday Market
Jungle ferns. Cooked with a bit of oil and garlic - simply devine!
Demographically this city is a big cluster of... well everything. It's population is made up of approx:
30% Iban (once revered for being the most formidable head hunters)
30% Chinese (the first settlers were Hakka people, which is what I am)
20% Malay
10% Bidayuh
10% indigenous tribes (Iban, Penan, Kayan, Kenyah) & others
Sarawak is unique in that unlike mainland Malaysia, Indian people here are a minority.
I am here for two reasons:
a) to learn about indigenous tribes and to buy a wicked tribal hat (I collect hats)
b) to see orangutan's
I'm staying in B&B Inn, a cheap but clean, centrally located hostel. I'm in a dorm with an English girl - can't get away from them darn Brits!
But Kuching is hot, hot, hot and humid, humid, humid!!!
Love is in the air.
Town Mosque
Nice cat statues - Meow
Siew San Teng Temple
Just chillin'
Old Chinese style buildings
Kuching Sunday Market
Jungle ferns. Cooked with a bit of oil and garlic - simply devine!
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