TravelStream™ news feed for member stephen.j.booth on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/stephen.j.booth en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:10:34 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243815600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243815600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243815600/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:10:34 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Tusayan, Arizona, United States

The views of the south rim are as peaceful as they are dramatic. The canyon is over a mile deep and ten miles across but obviously we only got chance to see a tiny portion. The highlight of our visit was the helicopter ride we took which flew a small distance over the precipice and swooped over the jutted rocks and perilous falls. The pilot narrated that the trees below averaged 200 feet high and this gave an indication of the size and majesty of this wonder of the world.

The journey ended all too soon but remains one of the best experiences of the trip so far. The remainder of the time spent at the park was spent walking along the south rim from our lodge to Yaki Point. Although we had still only touched upon so tiny a portion of the canyon, the wonder of the views gave a fantastic sense of the hidden beauty and danger below. The Grand Canyon has to be seen to be believed (I simply couldn't write anymore without waffling rubbish).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632420/tpod.html Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:11:40 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Vegas is incredibly overwhelming for the first time visitor, no amount of warning could prepare you for what you see on arrival. In Vegas, being overwhelmed is no problem. Suddenly you don't care about the total disregard for the value of money, the gargantuan hotels blighting the landscape, the total lack of respect for the environment, the over-sexing of everything. If you don't like it you can just giddout!

Where to start? The hotels. My favourite is The Venetian. Who could resist a hotel with a canal running inside and out. In truth, they're all impressive in their own way. MGM has a live lion exhibit in the middle of the casino. Mandalay Bay has a shark reef! The hotels impress inside and out. The Belagio has an hourly water fountain show in the 9 acre lake at the front. The Mirage combines fire and water at its Volcano Show. You don't have to spend to be entertained.

If you do however want to spend, you're spoiled for choice as to how you go about it. You could catch a show; Beyonce, Fleetwood Mac and Bette Midler were all in town joining residents such as Cirque du Soleil and Penn and Teller. We saw the V Ultimate Variety show showing world-class magicians, acrobats, comedians and jugglers - very entertaining but probably should have shelled out for a top class show.

Of course there's the gambling, what would Sin City be without it? We won $40 from a $1 bet, that was as good as it got for us. Matt and Laura from our tour witnessed one woman win $17,000 on the slots! The $40 we won paid for Charlotte and I to go up the Stratosphere Tower where I rode the two theme park rides on top of the 350m high tower. The rides deliberately dangle you over the edge but even go a step further. One actually goes as far as to position you toward the edge, lift the track to 45° and watch the terrified customers nearly die with fear as the car plummets toward the ground below, very scary (good fun though).

One of the benefits of being on our tour is the privileges that come with it. We enjoyed free cover charge to the Palms Hotel Playboy Suite. The views from the 55th floor were incredible (the views of the waitresses weren't too bad either). Drinks were incredibly expensive though, a bottle of Bud was $10, no tip on that). We then moved on to the Moon Nightclub and enjoyed stunning views from the super-stylish roof terrace. To finish the night off, Charlotte, Matt, Laura and I headed to Hooters for a nightcap and some 25c wings.

One thing I thought I'd never see was a Vegas wedding but ... We sat in the chapel listening to the receptionist calmly explain the history of the establishment when in strutted Elvis, all singing, all dancing. He was a right laugh, performing a fake ceremony for two people on our tour, "Do you promise to love her tender?" ... "never leave her in Heartbreak Hotel" ... "not step on his blue suede shoes" ... "not treat him like a hound dog". Comedy gold, Uh huh! When he appeared out from the rear door the room went crazy and I got my first taste of the Elvis effect.

Finally we had a trip to Freemont Street . To me, this is how I imagine Vegas, the old style Vegas with the flashing lights in the streets. I consider it to be a less showy, less pretencious version of Vegas, drinks are a hell of a lot cheaper (I suggest the beers served in plastic footballs). BUT... nothing beats the strip, it's awesome. I want to live there! Forever! And then heaven be just like it!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243632360/tpod.html Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:59:12 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Hollywood, California, United States

We only spent one full day in Hollywood and decided to go celebrity spotting. As it turns out we only saw their houses or their names etched onto stars on the pavement. We took the 'Home of the stars tour' located at Gourman's Chinese theatre. Highlights included seeing the original Fresh Prince of Bel Air house, Micheal Jackson's house (christmas decorations still up) and the house where the Osbournes lived when filming the Mtv show.

One fancy pad had ten Ferraris on the driveway, proof that the other half really do live the high life. Other great sights included the Viper Room, an LA club made famous by the number of celebrity catfights that have took place there and seeing where Micheal Jackson went to school (as a student that is). Finally we stopped off to take photos of the world famous HOLLYWOOD sign on the hills.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243200060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243200060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1243200060/tpod.html Mon, 25 May 2009 21:05:00 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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San Francisco, California, United States

Mark Twain once said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. I can beleieve it; it's bloomin' freezing here, real winter coat type weather. Trouble is, we've just flown in from SE Asia and we don't have any warm clothing. Never mind, lets go sight-seeing.

I've never been anywhere with so many suburbs, each so different from the last. There's North beach, home to espresso sipping, beat generation, Jack Kerouac types. On to Chinatown, just what we need after 3 months in Asia. Castro, a haven for queens and closet-queens alike. Fishermans Wharf, for pumped up tourists and home to hundreds of landlubber sealions. Union Square, packed with San Fran yupees and shopping-bag laden tourists. And last but not least, the Mission, for a vision of real-life Grand Theft Auto.

I think the most enjoyable place was the Mission, it's full of harmless undesirables and a few lunatics. Every second person talks to themselves or shouts at passers-by unprovoked. On one corner we saw a woman selling turtles as pets. We made it down there on the day of the Carnivale and caught the back end of the festivities. Funnily enough, I felt a hell of a lot safer in Asia. Although the majority of people here are harmless, a few of them look like they would kill me for stepping on their shoe.

After we'd looked around the greater city we took in the sights of Fishermans Wharf. 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' is classic Americana. Essentially, it's a freakshow museum. What better way to spend an hour than gorping at the disfigured and having your mind blown by interactive magic tricks. Next we set sail for a ride under San Fran's most symbollic structure, The Golden Gate Bridge. The fog was hindering the photos unfortunately but we got the idea, it's some mighty fine bridge building, yes sir. With the cold, cold wind in our hair we continued to Alcatraz, home to some of America's nastiest (and deadest) scumbags. Sadly, it's memorial day weekend and tickets to step foot on the island have been sold out for weeks, so we're observing it from the seas with comedy narration.

Formerly home to Al Capone, the old prison had a reputation for being inpenetrable and unescapable. Even big Al himself had a hard time on the rock. He was bullied like any other man, his power rendered useless within the confines of the island. Eventually he went mad with syphilis. Another famous inmate was George 'Machine Gun' Kelly who supposedly wrote "Nothing could be worth this" on his cell wall. Life on the rock was hard. In fact it was so hard that many attempted escape. Most found out that swimming was useless and ultimately deadly and so the inmates had to think of other ways to find freedom. Hilariously, one inmate patiently collected army uniform over a ten year period (he washed uniforms on the top floor laundry), and calmly walked onto a delivery boat disguised as a soldier. Within minutes of being on dry land he was caught and quietly made to row the boat back to the island.

San Fran's been great. It's a pretty liberal city, home to America's creative elite and equally home to some absolute nutjobs.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242643440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242643440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242643440/tpod.html Fri, 22 May 2009 01:00:52 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Singapore, Singapore

The budget that we'd so carefully stuck to died a sudden death on the 18th of May 2009, the day we arrived in Singapore. Economic conditions and the cruel hand of the retail industry proved too strong in the fight against our weak, unprotected bank account. Tired and defeated, Charlotte and I soldiered on, trying to enjoy the city.

I would advise any backpackers heading to Singapore to stay away from downtown. Other than looking around Raffles or having a walk around the quays area there's not much to entertain; not much that won't break the bank. The trouble is that, the things in themselves aren't actually too dear, but for example, a trip on the Singapore flyer is S$30 (15GBP), our accommodation is S$30 each, what does that leave us with ... nothing. But I moan too much.

The best thing to do is simply resign yourself to the fact that you're going to overspend, that's what we did. And so we headed to Sentosa Island, Singapore's answer to Disneyland. There's lots of cool things to see and do, most cost between S$10 and S$20, packages are available. We chose to go up the Tiger tower which gives great views of the city and the building site on Sentosa (future site of Universal Studios). Then we had a ride on the Luge. At full speed the ride lasts about 2.5 minutes, it's a good laugh, short but sweet. We also chose a walk around the butterfly park. This is pretty impressive, there are about 1500 from 50 different species fluttering by and occasionally landing on your head; this was challenging for me as I hate moths (a butterfly is a posh moth). There are also a few parrots and an iguana shuffling around in there somewhere.

Down at the beach (man-made, imported sand) we had a brief tutorial on Segway riding and were let loose round a winding track. Charlotte took off at speed while I was still circling round the practice area so I was forced to tear off after her, not fully in control but determined not to be shown up again (I lost the Luge race). After that there was about two hours to kill before the start of the Songs of the Sea sound and lights show. Not wanting to spend ANY more money we sat on a wall and played 20 questions (this is how dire the budgeting is going). The show was spectacular, images are beamed onto cascading water and fire balls boom into the air. I personally think this would have been enough but there's a kids story to accompany the show which is lame by six year old standards. "Can you sing boys and girls? can you?" Leave it out, how can something so cool become so juvenile.

The next day we went to the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. The zoo is outstanding thanks to the lack of both cages and depressed looking animals. All the exhibits mimic the specific habitat perfectly and there is space galore for roaming, sniffing and swinging. Perhaps most impressive is the Orangutan enclosure, the zoo is very proud to boast that they are the only free range Orangutans in the world, I think this means there isn't a cage or net. Whatever it means they look happy in their huge enclosure.

The night Safari is also good fun, very well executed. First we took a tram ride through the park and had a gander at nocturnal animals from across Asia, Africa and South America. The design team have cleverly recreated moonlight so not to beam masses of light but still illuminate the exhibits. Having been on a real safari not so long ago I wasn't quite as impressed as the screaming tourists on our tram but I have to say that it really is well executed. Finally we took in the Creatures of the Night show. This is a cheese fest. "We've lost an animal!!!" ...... "Where is it? .... Is it under your chair?" Despite all that the kids were loving it and it's always funny to watch these trained professionals try to force a stubborn raccoon to leave the stage. There is also a recycling weasel, outstanding!

I guess I had a good time in Singapore but was disappointed by its lack of character and soul. I didn't feel anything, whether it be walking around the street or riding the subway (this is not the case in Little India or Chinatown). Usually you feel something, fall in love with one aspect of a city, but here .... not really. It's an old cliche but Singapore really is sterile, clinical. Of course all cities should be litter free and manicured but at times it felt like I would sneeze and Jeeves would jump out from the shrubs and hold a tissue under my nose.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241770200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241770200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241770200/tpod.html Mon, 18 May 2009 06:59:05 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

It's hard to describe how nice Ubud is without sounding smug, but it really is that nice. I guess it's because here you find a spectacular fusion of tradition and modernity in a friendly (and cheap) atmosphere. I can't believe how nice it is to sleep sound in your amazing hotel, eat gorgeous food, see incredible sights and pay so little. I'll start with the hotel. As Charlotte and I are celebrating four years of being together we splashed out on a 15 pound room, this is expensive by Bali standards, yet middle of the road for anywhere else we've been. We're enjoying a huge room, with hot water, veranda, air-con, pool, breakfast and a pet gecko the size of a cat nesting in our room. Anywhere else we've been would be charging double (we're lucky it's low season).

Usually such ritzy places are completely devoid of culture, not here. On our first night we took in a traditional Balinese dance show. Frankly it was pretty weird. The haunting music was accompanied by sinister looking monsters that jerked around using elegant hand gestures and wild leg movements. The show lasted about an hour and was worth every penny (although an English penny here is worth about 0.000000588 Rupiahs).

Our hotel is a short walk to Monkey Forest Road, home of ..... the Monkey Forest. At the gate I bought a bunch of bananas and have never felt so intimidated in my life. The monkeys lurched toward me with wide eyes and suddenly lunged at my shorts, tugging the bottoms. Some even demanded two, cheeky gits. Once i'd hurriedly distributed the death-trap we had a good time, the monkeys were no longer interested. The forest is a really good setting as the old-style bridges and walls make great hang-outs for the monkeys, you feel like an intruder in a lost civilization took over by the little critters.

On the final day we took a trip to the Batur Volcano and lake and stopped at a few temples on the way. It's been a while since we've been to any temples so they feel new and interesting again. Among the many we visited, the Hot Springs Temple was the best; the locals are celebrating full moon and were on a sort of pilgrimage. They all showed up with offerings and empty jugs to be filled with holy water. Amongst the madness and crowds many of them took a bath in the communal pool and said prayer, it resembled a scene on the banks of the Ganges (I would have took a dip but didn't want to offend anyone, it's baking hot, again!) .

When we arrived at the Volcano the rain had set in, big time, making views a little sketchy to say the least. Why does this always happen to us? Table Mountain, Penang Hill, and now here. We had some lunch and the rain subsided a little, the photos aren't great but I guess you had to be there. Finally before heading home we stopped at the impressive rice terraces that make intricate patterns on the landscape, it's a visually beautiful form of farming.

The only down-side to Ubud is the persistent harassment by taxi touts, but i'm more than willing to put up with it.

P.s - I feel I should explain that the photos of me wearing a sarong are nothing to do with a new lifestyle i've chosen, they are simply worn out of respect in the temples (Please believe me!).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242109320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242109320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1242109320/tpod.html Sun, 17 May 2009 05:22:44 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

The route to the Gili islands is long and dangerous. We've read stories on the net of people traveling through the port of Bangsal and being harassed, soaked in seawater, pinched, punched and spat on, probably because of the downturn in Lombok tourism due to the bombs. And so, through gritted teeth we took the slightly more expensive travel option, with Perama tours (they were excellent, highly recommended).

Our first stop was Gili Air, billed as the middle of the road option, not too loud, not too quiet; when we arrived at 6pm it was hard to imagine things getting any quieter. The horse and cart (cidomo) jingled its way toward us and took us to our bungalows, on the ten minute ride we saw about four people. But, this is partly the reason why we came, the islands (except Trawangan) don't really embrace all that comes with tourism, or at least haven't succumbed to the lures of taxis or mopeds. I think it gives them a real charm. While on Gili Air we did some off-shore snorkeling and were rather impressed with the visibility and number of fish, unfortunately much of the coral is dead and it wasn't a patch on the Perhentian Islands.

After two nights we moved on to Gili Trawangan, the "party island". It was quite sad to see this beautiful island trying to be Ko Phi Phi, at times it towed the line between tacky and charming. Reassuringly a one hour walk around the entire island confirms that Trawangan isn't the black sheep of the Gili family. All the area not fronted by bars and dive schools have sandy, secluded (if a little narrow and littered) beaches. Sadly though, there are many signs reading 'Land for Sale', I think it's only a matter of time, I feel lucky to be seeing the islands as they are now. On the walk we also stumbled upon the villages hidden in the forests, these are a good insight into island life before the masses arrived. In fact, most of the people living there today are descended from fisherman who arrived a mere 55 years ago. All in all the parties are good and the islanders do their best to accommodate the tourists whilst getting on with their own religious obligations, whether the tourists like it or not (they begin chanting at 6am).

While we were sat on the over-crowded, poser beach at Trawangan we looked across the water at Gili Meno, we hadn't planned to go as Air was quiet enough, but looking at the pristine, wide, white sand, deserted beaches made us want to be there, so we went. Meno has by far the best atmosphere; a calm, friendly one. Having said that, the accommodation is appalling so it's a good job the locals make up for it. Our bungalow had fresh water (not only is this cold but it's also salt water, really clean!) and frankly, it smelt of poo, writing this is bringing back the memory of the smell so I'll stop here. The beach we chose was, as expected, deserted. I think it gives the beaches at the Perhentians a run for their money. There's also a turtle hatchery nearby ran by a local guy and funded entirely by donations. I guess they know that they have to keep the turtle population healthy as diving is the number one earner on the islands; fishing has been banned close to the shoreline, very strange for an island of inherent fisherman.

In the centre of Meno there's a bird park, but honestly, it's not worth your time. The birds look a bit worse for wear, some look damaged (some look psychotic). Meno though is definitely worth the visit, don't be put off by people saying it's too quiet, it's not. With a permanent population of just 500, I'd say it's just right.

All the islands have a healthy population of stoned workers who constantly forget your order and offer you weed. Trawangan has numerous bars and cafes selling mushrooms but we declined (look mum, I'm being sensible).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241599200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241599200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241599200/tpod.html Sat, 09 May 2009 09:41:08 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Swapping Laos for Indonesia was a master-stroke; Bali is sensational. The beach at Sanur isn't a patch on the Perhentians but the streets and their architecture are a joy to be around. The Balinese people are highly spiritual, going beyond conventional Hinduism. Throughout the day they place palm leaves filled with offerings in the middle of the road, on the pavement, in shops, in cars, even on the beach. The idea is that the gods will take the offerings and look kindly upon the offerer (they also try and bribe the evil gods into being less evil). Trouble is, Bali is home to a huge stray dog population and sometimes the rice or crackers placed in the palm leaves is greedily gobbled up; but apparently the joke is on the dogs as the gods have already exhumed the goodness of the gifts and the dogs are just taking the leftovers. The balinese believe the dogs are the evil ones though, that's why they bark so much (however, being a pooch lover, i'm on the dog's side). In a strange way these offerings really brighten up the streets.

Our stay in Sanur was pretty short and very sweet, apart from the beach we only had time to eat and hit the bars. Balinese food is to die for and incredibly cheap; local dishes for no more than three pound and a steak, for example, for about a fiver. Beer is one pound. The night before we left for Ubud I stayed up 'til 4am and watched the Chelsea/Barca match and had to graciously admit defeat to two of the most smug spaniards i'll ever come across (should have had an early night!).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241264220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241264220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1241264220/tpod.html Mon, 04 May 2009 06:33:10 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia

When we arrived at Taman Negara we thought we had made a massive mistake. Back at the Perhentians hoards and hoards of people, locals and Chinese were coming the other way, heading for the Perhentians. Having been away for so long you lose track of the days, the weeks, you rarely know what bloomin' month it is. Turns out, it's mayday bank holiday. And so, when we arrived at Taman Negara there were scores of coaches and cars lining the long road leading to the park. Not to worry, I thought. We called in at Tourist Info and asked about a few places to stay, the woman behind the desk proceded to tell us that the whole park was fully booked, but she did have a tent. That's all very well and good, but we don't have a sleeping bag and don't fancy sleeping exposed to the threat of mosquitos, fire ants and leaches.

To cut a very long story short, we ended up staying in a 6 person dorm about the size of a garden shed. Our room-mates on the first night were nice enough, friendly and respectful of dorm etiquette. On the second night we were joined by an American chap who brought with him the smell of old vinegar. He'd been staying in the rainforest hide overnight and through sheer exhaustion or through simply being a sociopath he'd neglected to take a shower. That night I fell asleep smelling my own armpit, it was heavenly.

On the first night we did the night safari in a jeep with two lads we met on the bus to the park. This was vastly dissapointing, we saw two birds, a herd of cows, a leopard cat that just looked like a domestic cat to me, two tractors and a bunch of humans.

Like I said, the park was packed with asian tourists on holiday and it really spoilt the first full day. Charlotte and I met up with the two lads from the bus, a group of five girls from various places and a guy they'd met from their dorm (James), we all started the trek toward the jungle canopy walkway. The jungle istelf is mighty impressive, everything about it is huge, the trees, the ants, the whole national park spans 4343 sqkm, it's 130 million years old and was completely unaffected by any of the ice ages.

When we arrived at the sight of the canopy walkway things were looking bad. The surrounding area was filled with people waiting, literally stood bumper-to-bumper. What was more annoying was that the sign in sheet was deceptively short, only on further inspection certain names on the list had written X80 next to their name. Turns out we would be waiting for four hours! Our group slowly dwindled down to just Charlotte, James and I. We sat playing cards and chatting, surrounded by tour groups wearing matching t-shirts and caps.

When the time came we were excited and giddy. The walkway was rickety and only made of ladders bound together by rope, but the views of the forest were awesome, it runs 400 meters and is between 25-40 meters above the ground. To ensure there are no major accidents only four people are allowed on one section at a time and must stand five meters apart. The three of us had a lot of stupid fun posing for photos in the chinese tourist style, making the peace 'V' sign and pouting. Once we were done we began the one hour trek back to our hostel. Along the way we saw the most impressive ant colonies i've ever seen, even on film, there must have been 10,000 or more marching along branches and logs for at least 50 yards, it was incredible. Trekking in the rainforest is the sweatiest work in the world, you come out drenched but it's great fun and a fantastic work-out.

On our second full day the park was calm again, the tourists had cleared off back home in time for work on monday morning, now we could fully appreciate the beauty of the park. The other main activity we tried was the trip down the rapids. The scenery as we floated down the serene section of the Tahan River was incredible, the rainforest rises high above on both sides and the sounds of the animals combined with the flow of the river is so relaxing, an amazing experience. This was the calm before the storm, when we hit the rapids we again got drenched, the little wooden boat didn't look capable of staying afloat, i'm glad I was wrong. Soon enough we stopped at the side of the river and swam in the refreshing waterfalls, we even took a natural jacuzzi in the smaller ones. As there was only Charlotte and I in the boat, our guide had time to give each of us a tattoo made from the different coloured paints he rubbed out of the river rocks.

Next we stopped off at the Orang Asli settlement, a tribe of nomadic people that live off the rainforest land. Here we had a chance to fire a blowpipe at a target, I was pretty rubbish and told I could kill a monkey but not a squirrel. The people had some weird and wonderful traditions, when a member of their tribe dies they simply suspend the corpse high in the trees (closer to heaven) and move on. The tribe reminded me of the Zulus we saw in SA, the people had extremely dark skin and wore african style sheets. All in all, this is the best trip the park has to offer.

On the third day we moved out of the dorm into a private room only to regret it later. At night our room transformed into a safehouse for various bugs including ants, mosquitos and moths, luckily we've got our own mozzy net and up it went. Desperately trying to spend as little time in there a possible Charlotte and I joined James for some dinner and then headed to the only resort in the park that serves beers, plus the footy was on, bonus!

Once all the tourists cleared off the park was beautiful and well worth a visit, my only advice to anyone wanting to go is to avoid mayday bank holiday like you would the tigers. On the morning we left we took a boat down the river to get the bus back to KL.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1240922940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1240922940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stephen.j.booth/1/1240922940/tpod.html Sun, 03 May 2009 00:02:12 -0400 T.I.A man, T.I.A

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Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Terengganu, Malaysia

You join us on our quest for the perfect beach resort and quite frankly, here it is. Thailand offered some brilliant places like Ko Tao but we never found the one.

We stayed on Long Beach which is probably the busiest beach on the two islands but we fancied enjoying a little nightlife as many of the beaches here are still very much underdeveloped. After checking out the rooms at Symphony Guesthouse which had dirty beds, cold water, cracked walls and induced vomiting we settled on Panorama which was a little pricey but did include a free meal. Though we still had cold water and frequent visits from the lizards the room was quite nice and the food was the best we've had in all SE Asia.

The lizards in the room were nothing compared to the Monitor Lizards that stalked the surrounding area. We were sat watching Seinfeld on the Ipod when I caught out of the corner of my eye a 4 foot long beast crawl from under our chalet, this was one of the smaller ones, over the next few days we saw plenty, the biggest of which was at least 8 feet from tip of tail to nose. They crawl around completely oblivious to the tourist crowd, any trouble and they would whip their tail at you, didn't happen to us though (thank god).

So back to the beaches. We booked on a snorkeling trip and found that the quality of marine life combined with the crystal clear water made it so much better than any of the snorkeling on Thailand. The water was completely clear blue, perfect vision even down to 20 feet or so. The coral was all still alive and thus, the range of fish we saw was incredible. Clown fish, trumpet fish, napoleon fish, rays, turtles and even a reef shark. I guess that maybe in ten years or so this may deteriorate due to increasing tourism (we counted ourselves lucky that we're seeing the islands as they are now, it can only get worse).

Our last stop on the snorkeling trip was to a secluded beach that was ................. the one. The clear blue, warm water rippled onto the white sands and with just those few of us there, it felt magic. That night we celebrated the birthday of a guy on the trip with us. We stayed at a reggae bar until the early hours drinking Orangutan Whiskey which tastes like butterscotch, needless to say we spent the following day recovering on the beach.
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