TravelStream™ news feed for member sitwed on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sitwed en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:59:01 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sitwed/1/1247564252/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sitwed/1/1247564252/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sitwed/1/1247564252/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:59:01 -0400 Tweddles Travels

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Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

This could be a bit emotional. The last blog from the trip, and it could well be a short one.

We have been here 6 days now and leave tomorrow at 5 in the eve (10am your time). After that we have 4 hrs to kill in Jakarta Airport before we fly back to the UK at midnight, and finally get into Manchester at 12.30ish on the 16th. And before you all start thinking about it i don't want to arrive at the airport to a crowd of you waving banners. It would be weird.

What have we done? To be brutally honest, we have done next to nothing. Spent most of the days down at the beach tanning and jumping around in the sea. Of and evening we have tended to get some food then go back down the beach with an ice cream. Its a tough life! One of the days we gave surfing a bash. Believe it or not it is a lot tougher than it looks. But managed to get the knack of it just as we got to the end of the lesson. Something i definitely want to give another go, maybe not at home though. The sea might well be a tad colder.

That is us pretty much up to date. The time to chill has been pretty much what we needed. Just nice to relax and do nothing. We have been oh so over worked these past 3 and a bit month.

Might pop another blog up when i get back, depends if we have an eventful flight. So i hope you have all enjoyed reading this blog. If anyone has tuck with it to the end, then congratulations. If you have enjoyed it drop me an email, if not, shut up.

See you all soon. xx


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Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

Quick little update for you all. Just left Yogyakarta and am in Bali
now, where we are going to spend a week before we head back. Just spend
it sunbathing and generally chilling out.



What did we get up to when we were in Yogya. Right, we got there at
about midday after an all night bus. Was supposed to be 12hr, was
nearer 16hr. But these things tend to happen a lot out here. First day
we spent time just walking around the town, the main street is nothing
but a market so we looked around there and at all the tat they sell. I
ended up buying a back/buttscratcher. I can now pretty much itch myself
without moving. We ended up looking around a few art shops, as Yogya is
the cultural capital of Indonesia/Java and has loads of Arty things
going on.



Next day we went to Bodobudur. It is a massive Buddhist monument. The
largest of all Buddhist monuments in fact. And it was amazing. We set off at 5 in the morning to catch the sunset and it was definitely worth it. After we saw all of the stuff there we headed back to the hotle. And it had only just gone 10. So we caught a few more hrs sleep then tried to book some flights from Bali to Jakarta. Got them for 20/25 pound. Better than what ever it costs to travel 30 plus hrs on bus!

Next day we headed down the to Kraton. big palace in the centre of the town. When we got there we were told ot was shut as it was a national holiday due to the election. Insted we went by an art gallery and had a bit of a look at yet more art. Bough a few pieces, were well cheap. After that we got the 16hr bus to Bali, turned out it was nearer 22hours. I did say that these things happen alot out here. And we complain when a bus or atrain is delayed 30 mins. Better than arriving 6hrs late!

So we are in Bali now til the end. So will prob just chill out, catch a bit of sun, try surfing. Generally just relax. That will do for this blog. Catch you laters

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Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

Hello again. Just about to leave Jakarta this evening so i thought that i would let you know what we got up whilst we were here.

To be honest we havent found that there is a great deal to do in Jakart. Seems more like a city for people to live and work, and not much in the way for tourists. I could be wrong though and have missed a cracking city to be in. First day we walked around the freedom square in the middle of the city. Is a huge park area with a massive monument in the middle. Nice walk around it, then we sat on the grass by a lake/fountain which was also pretty cool. After that we walked to the National Museum which the guidebook said was defiently worth a visit. Was alright, typical museum though with samey things to any other one out here. Lots of ceramics and what nots. On the walk back to the hostel we went by the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia, can hold 250,000 people apparently, it looked fairly big so i can well believe the claim.

Next day involved trying to get tickets to head out towards Yogyakarta -our next stop- after that we just chilled out and had a few beers in the eve. That brings me up to today, trying to kill a few hours until our 12 hr minibus to Yogyakarta. So that is you all uptodate with what we have been up to. Wont be to many more blogs now, maybe 2 or 3. 10 days left so see you all soon

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Teladoh, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Hello again.

Spent the last couple of days in Bukit Lawang in Sumatra. It is a small place that is right along side the jungle. It is also the place on the Island where Orangutans can be found. After we got there and checked in, we looked in to going on a Jungle trek to get close up to the Orangutans.

The next day we went on the trek, leaving the hotel at 8. After about an hour and a half to an hour we saw our first Orangutan. Was a big old male that was following a female through the Jungle. Or guide said that he hadn't seen this male for over a year. That could have been fibs, but was still pretty good. After this we found another smaller female orangutan the proceeded to feed it Bananas by hand. Was pretty cool. Once fed we headed off in another direction then found young male, then we fed him bananas. Pretty much an amazing start to the day. We then trekked through the jungle which was an awesome experience and stopped at a river for dinner. Whilst eating dinner we saw a weird looking turtley thing in the river. Was border line ugly! After lunch we headed off again and came across another Orangutan. Which was a pregnant female one. With the low numbers of orangutan, along with the fact that they are the slowest reproducing mammals (8 years between births) it was a pretty good find! All that done we headed back to the hotel got some lunch then sorted out our trip to Lake Toba, where we are now. It was formed when the last super volcano went boom. It left a huge fresh water lake and a massive island in the middle. The island (Samosir) is where we are now. So until next time

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Samosir, Sumatra, Indonesia

Just noticed that the blog has passed a 1000 reads (thanks mum and dad)

So little reminder of what i have been up whilst you lot have been having a wonderful time doing whatever it is you are up to. Spent a few nights on Samosir island in the middle of Lake Toba, the lake was formed when a volcano went boom about 80,000 yrs back, then the island popped up when it went boom 50,000 yrs ago. Apparently it is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia, and one of the worlds deepest. So a pretty good lake. The landscape there was stunning, we got the boat over from the main land and went by a load of hotels before we stopped at ours. The hotel had its own diving board and slide that went into the lake. So was a pretty good first impression. Room had wicked views and all of that for only 2 and a bit pound a night. First night we were there a local music show was put on. Was pretty good, and of course at some point in these things it involves people being plucked from the audience to take part in the festivities. This case it was a dance and guess you was picked!

Next day we spent lounging by the lake and swimming in the lake. It was mega cold, but you kind of got used to it. After we had went swimming we got surrounded by a load of Indonesian kids. Then there teacher came along -turned out that they were english students- and explained that they let the kids loose on the unsuspecting tourists to help them with there english. Then he asked if would mind being in a photo with them for a brochure they were putting together. Once we were all standing round they unfolded a big banner! Once the group photo was taken they wanted little group photos with us was pretty bizarre. And to add to all of that they wanted our signatures/autographs. We were basically treated like celebrities for a few mins.

Next few days we hired bicycles and biked round the island. It was bloody hilly. Went to see a few touristy things like some stone chairs that are apparently hundreds of years old and were used by the old elders of the island to pass laws. I reckon it was a load of old tosh, they looked more recent than the spiel they were giving us. But an interesting thing to see non the less.

So in a nutshell that was our Lake Toba experiance, we had a 5 hour cramped taxi ride back to medan, then caught a flight to Jakarta this morning. And that is where we are at the moment. 2 weeks left, coming to an end so i guess i will see you all soon!



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Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

We have been back in KL for a day and a half to get ready for our trip to Indonesia. Went to see transformers 2. Is awesome, other than that we havent really done a great deal. So next blog will be from Sumatra, not sure if i will be able to keep them as frequent as i have been recently as unsure on web access out there. So until Indonesia. Bye

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Singapore, Singapore

These blogs are coming pretty quick now. Just got back to KL from Singapore for our flight on Thursday morning to Medan in Indonesia.

Got to Singapore in the afternoon, checked into a hostel then set off exploring the city. Went by and in the Raffles hotel, mega posh. Dont know about other people (at least from Carlisle) but when you hear the name raffles all i think of is a hell hole. This raffles is way better, probably what they wanted the Carlisle rafffles to be like. After that we wandered down toward the bay and the main area with loads of Skyscrapers. Turns out our colonial heritage is being continued as right by the city hall and court buildings and in the shadow of all the skyscrapers there was a cricket wicket and a bunch of blokes having a bit of a knock about. When we were walking round i also saw a whole row of metal beams that were suspended off thew ground, took me while to figure what they were as i didn't expect them to still be there. They were the lighting gantries for the F1 race. So spotting all this i managed to figure out the way of the track. Passed a bit of time.

Next day we went to the Changi Prison Museum. It was where all the allied forces were imprisoned by the Japanese when they invaded Singapore back in WW2. Turns out the Japanese we complete knobs. After we had been through the museum we used the ultra-efficient transport system (it is well good, so fast and clean) to get back to the town for more wandering. Went to a place called Fort Canning Park, was once the main hill by which the ships navigated way back when, but is way way away from the sea now due to land reclamation and the building of the skyscrapers. But it was a nice park, it was also home to the allied command during war times and had a bit of a fort on the top. Interesting to see. After that i walked to Raffles place where i was surrounded by the towers of buildings. Was really impressive. After that we headed back to the hostel.

Apparently jay-walking and chewing gum are illegal in Singapore. I jay-walked over most road crossings and turns out i had some chewing gum in my bag. So i smuggled illegal substances across the border with no hassle. So any gum smuggling you want done, then i am your man! The laws of Singapore seem a bit daft to, if you leave Singapore in your car then it must be 3/4 full of fuel. Guess it is so you don't fill up in Malaysia then drive back in, but it still seems a bit severe. The car at home is barely ever half full at home so we would have been bollocksed! Anyway that is it for Singapore. Catch you later on!

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Malacca City, Melaka State, Malaysia

Spent a couple of days in Malacca or Melaka, depending on where you are from depends on its spelling. Sounds the same so all is good. We walked around the town and saw the remnants of the colonial history and what once made it one of the busiest ports in the worlds. The Portuguese had it first then the Dutch and finally we the British went in and sorted it all out like we did to the rest of the world.

From walking around the town you can tell it was an old colonial place due to all the fancy brick buildings knocking about. In the evening we walked through Chinatown (everywhere has one) and since it was the weekend it was full of market stalls selling one type of rubbish touristy tat to stalls selling foods, drinks and some even selling local made handicrafts. All that seen and done we headed off to Singapore, which is where we are now. So my next blog will be on here and what we got up to. Until next time


(Is anyone still reading this???? If so let me know!)

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Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Update on what we did in KL. Right here it goes. We were there for a good few nights and got up to a fair bit. First day we got there we had a bit of a wander round during the afternoon then in the evening we met up with more of daves family. The country is covered with them!!! We went out and got some food and then headed out on the town with his cousins. They took us to club called Zouk that was as good as under the twin towers. A good night was had by all.

Day after we met up with more of daves family and hung around with them for the day, Had a banana leaf curry and the nplayed some barefoot futsal. Good sign was that after all the booze and all the food i have had i still have fitness skills.

Next day we went to the shopping mall under the twin towers, was uber swanky. So many expensive shops, gucci, boss, armani. Needless to say we didnt buy a thing. Saw Terminator thought for less than 2 quid and a massive popcorn and drink was about 1.50. That is the way stuff at the cinema should be!

Day after that we got the hop-on hop-off bus. Which takes you around the town and stops ant certain places and you do as it says. You hop-on or hop-off. Managed to get around to the towers again, the kings palace, independance square (has a cricket wicket and pavillion around it) and also went to the lake gardens, which is a big park in the middle of the city that you can forget that you are in the middle of one of the biggests cities in South east asia. Bought a watch too, 4 pound for a Tag Heuer. Bargain.

Next day we went back to the twin towers early on to get a ticket to go up to the skybridge. We got there just after 9.45 (it opened at 8.30) and our ticket was for 5.15. So we had a day to kill as such. One of the things you will notice about KL and malaysia is that they love shopping malls. So we went to one called times square. I thought that the twin towers one was big. This onewas ridiculously large, it had its own theme park and malaysia's largets indoor rollercoaster. Exactly how many others there are i dont know but i can believe it was the biggest it was huge. Found a bowling alley i there too. Less than 3 pound for 4 games. I was on fire too scored 158 and 169. Highest bowling scores ever for me i think. Normally happy to getone strike in a game. here i was getting annoyed if i didnt get one!! Tiem killed we went back to the towers, i think we saw them everyday and they still dont get old. They are stunning pieces of architecture. The view from the bridge was wicked good, managed to see heaps.

Our last full day there was spent at the Batu caves, a hindu cave about 13km from the centre. Only cost about 15p on the bus! Once we arrrived first thing you saw was huge golden statue of a hindu bloke called Murga. Was the worldest biggest it says. Malaysia has a lot worlds biggests i have noticed. To get to the caves you need to climb up 272 really steep stairs whilst trying to dodge monkeys that have an ability to pickpocket and snatch stuff really well. Once at the top the cave opens out and it is pretty special. The views inside the cave and across the city are wicked good.

Currently in Malacca now and off to Singapore tomorrow so will leave a blog for malacca from there. Then after singapore we head back to KL for our 20 pound flight to Indonesia. Air Asia are soooo cheap. So until next time. Keep well and much love


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Tanah Rata, Pahang, Malaysia

Hello again

Just arrived in KL yesterday from the Cameron Highlands. So i will let you know what we have been up to when we were there.

First day we arrived pretty late so we just walked the town, it isnt very big, then sorted out a tour for the next day. The tour we went on was awesome. It went to a rose garden, which was alright. The we headed to a Tea plantation which was stunning, the views over the hills were breathtaking. From there we headed to the tea factory and were shown the way the leaf is turned into tea as we know it. After we had seen the process we went to the cafe and had a nice cup of tea and a scone. Which was really nice, and the views we had when there were something special. Once we had tea'd out we went to a Bee farm, a little market town. Then a strawberry farm and butterfly farm/insect place. Both of which were pretty good, and finally we finished with a buddist temple. In the evening we sat around a bonfire chatting to folk about this and that then headed to bead to be up for the bus to KL, which is where we are now. So that is it for Cameron Highlands, next blog will be on KL so until then!

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