Author Archives: Jodi

Budget-Friendly Itinerary for a Belize Adventure

Planning itinerary is time-consuming and often frustrating.  It’s often easier to just take a tour but they don’t always go where you want to or spend enough time in places that you find interesting.  Expense is always an issue as well.  I like to save money on things that don’t matter to me so I can really enjoy the experiences.  That was our conundrum with Belize.  It’s a tiny country but there’s SO much to see.  So I thought I’d share what we did to help with a bit of your planning.  I’d love to hear YOUR tips!  There’s always more to learn.

Our trip from Toronto started with an overnight layover in Panama City.  That’s a great chance to see a new city.  Try making the stop longer so you can spend some time.

Day 1 – 5   On Caye Caulker we stayed in the Go Slow Guest house for a couple of days then joined the Raggamuffin for a 3 day sailing trip along the Mesoamerican Reef to Dangriga.  Details can be found here: Caye Caulker and a Raggamuffin sailing trip to Dangriga

Ragga Caye Bunkhouse

 

Caye Caulker front street

Caye Caulker and a three day sailing trip with Raggamuffin Tours

Days 5-7
Once in Dangriga we took a shuttle to Hopkins where we spent 2 nights. We really enjoyed the Funky Dodo and highly recommend it.











Day 8-9 Another public bus took us to the Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary. I’m really glad we chose to spend a night there as there are several hikes to do. Mornings are the best time to do them.



Day 9-10 We headed to the Blue Hole National park. To experience that we stayed at Kantara Ku.
Details on this portion can be found here: 


  Hopkins, Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary and the Blue Hole National Park


Straining coconut milk
The reward for doing the Tiger Fern Trail
St Herman’s Cave

Day 11-17 –  A week in San Ignacio was about right.  There’s a lot to see in the area including Xanuntunich and Cahal Peche and other sites very close to the city.  Two of us did tour to the ATM caves while the others saw the Barton Creek Caves.  Another day we toured Caracol and a few water falls.  From her we also did an overnight trip to Tikal.  Details for this portion can be found here:  


San Ignacio, Caracol Tikal, etc


Green iguana
Caracol, Belize

Day 18-19.  The public bus from San Ignacio to Belize zoo is very easy.  We spent a night at the Tropical Education Centre which I recommend.  The night tour of the zoo was really good too.  Details of this part can be found here 


Belize Zoo. Not really a zoo. It’s a sanctuary.


Most jaguars are here because they were killing live stock
Howler monkey
This owl is clutching his dinner like he’s afraid we’re going to take it.
ocelot
Quash

Day 19-21 For our last few days we stayed at the Howler Monkey resort in the Community Baboon Sanctuary.  That’s a unique place you really need to visit.  From there we visited Lamanai as a day trip;  Also a very worthwhile experience.  Details of this portion can be found here: 


 Lamania, Community baboon sanctuary and the Belize Zoo


Lamanai, Belize
Howler monkey
Lamanai, Belize

Our trip was a great experience and we really enjoyed Belize.  If you have any questions feel free to post in the comments!

Belize! The best little zoo in the world, Lamanai and a community baboon sanctuary.

Friday, November 16, 2018 (Previous post on San Ignacio area)

For our last day in San Ignacio we decided a breakfast of treats at the French bakery was in order. It didn’t disappoint. The coffee’s decent too.

We stood at the bus stop and waved down the bus for Belize. It was an express bus but I asked the young man if he’d stop at the zoo. He said “okay, a quick stop” and we got on. He gestured to me when it was time to get off and we hurried to the front. One lady told Barb “This bus doesn’t stop there”. Yeah, it’s not the first time the bus drivers have been exceptionally nice to us.

At the zoo we were given directions to the Tropical Education Centre. He offered to get us a ride but we decided to walk as it was only a mile. I took the grass path which ended up being ankle-deep in water sometimes. The other 3 were smarter and took the road. A nice young man picked them up and drove them part of the way.

We settled into our spacious cabin overlooking the pond then got a ride back to the zoo. The Belize zoo is more of a sanctuary and is home to only species endemic to Belize. We spent more than 2 hours checking it out.

Back at the TEC we changed to prepare for our night hike then went for dinner at the dining hall. I jokingly told Juan Carlos that I didn’t get any cake. He brought us another piece 😉 Nice!

He dropped us off at the zoo and Emmanuel took the 4 of us around and showed us nocturnal animals. We even got to feed and pet some of them! It’s really cool being the only people in the zoo.

Back at the TEC, Juan Carlos found us a couple of tarantulas. Fun!

Puma, a rescued “pet”. The owner fed it until it was ridiculously fat. Hence the hanging skin.

Toucan. Belize’s national bird

Quash or coatimundi

ocelot

Quash

He held that branch aside to check us out

Road hawk. Spotted him on a walk on the trails around the TEC

Funny little bird I saw in the yard at the Tropical Education centre

Most jaguars are here because they were killing live stock

This deer was gelded which caused a hormone imbalance . He doesn’t shed his horns so they’ve become deformed

Tapir.

Hummingbird just hanging around outside the dining room at the Tropical Education Center

Parrots, like most of the animals in the Belize zoo, were often pets

Ocelot

This owl is clutching his dinner like he’s afraid we’re going to take it.

Friday. I was up at 5:30 so did my best to get dressed and sneak out in the dark. The birds were starting to wake as I enjoyed a coffee in the parrot dining room. Juan Carlos came in and we set out for some bird watching. He pointed out lots of birds and identified several calls.

After breakfast we packed up and enjoyed another hike before deciding on how to get to our next destination. Pay for a taxi? $170 BZE or $42.50 each? Or do the adventurous route and take the bus for probably less than $20 each? Bus it was. We got a ride to the bus stop and waited maybe 15 minutes before it came along.

Once at the terminal in Belize City, a fellow who worked there asked where we were going.

Bermudian Landing. Hmmm. No bus from here so he showed us where to catch it a few streets over. That one was an adventure. It was crowded. Barb saw a chicken. People were buying snacks through the windows when it stopped. A man behind me was hollering at people through the window. Seems he had a lot of friends. Total cost $7.50 BZE each. It took a bit longer, about 2.5 hours vs 1 hour in a taxi but it was much more entertaining.

November 17 -20.  2018

Community Baboon Sanctuary

We arrived at the Howler Monkey Sanctuary, settled in and just chatted for a while, trying to decide what to do with our last few days in Belize. Meanwhile we walked around the property and enjoyed the simple trail. Howler monkeys could be heard across the river.

Barb had found a good price on a tour with Lamanai Belize Tours. We’ve found that most agencies are willing to do tours a little cheaper when there’s 4 of us, we’re doing multiple tours and the fact that it’s low season. So if you’re planning a trip, November is a good time to go.

Julian picked us up promptly at 8 am and drove us to Bat’s landing where we boarded a boat operated by Carlos. He pointed out creatures and some fauna along the way and guided us through Lamanai. The forecast was rain but it held off all day and we managed to climb a couple of temples. The high one is not for those who fear heights.

After a tasty lunch and quick visit to the museum we again boarded the boat and sped, (Yes, it was fast!) back to Bat’s landing where Julian was waiting for us. He took us on a quick tour of Orange Walk and introduced us to the infamous Orange Walk taco. They even have a festival for this taco.

Lamanai, Belize

Lamanai, Belize

View from the high temple

Jaguar temple

Back at the Howler Monkey Resort we relaxed for a bit then Sue and I went on a walk about to check out the neighbourhood. There’s not much around.

Mel, Ed and their son Juseph made us breakfast and lunch every day. Each meal was different, home-made and delicious. Juseph served us dishes family style and, although we tried hard to finish it, there were leftovers every time.

Our last day we decided to just relax. We haven’t done much of that this trip. After breakfast we walked over to the community baboon sanctuary. The girl called for a guide and Robert showed up. He explained how unique the sanctuary is then took us on a walk while serenading in song. Even the monkeys enjoyed his singing as they showed up to greet us.

We tried to spend the rest of the day lounging by the pool with our books but after a bit the rain chased us away.

Later we walked to Double Head Cabbage, just because the name of the village intrigued us.

After another amazing dinner of stewed beef, rice with vegetables, sautéed vegetables and a sweet bun for dessert we reflected on the trip. The funny thing was that all of us enjoyed taking public buses. They were often an adventure and a great way to see the real Belize. We enjoyed every place we stayed and thought the time spent at each place was sufficient other than Placencia which deserved more time.

Howler monkey

Vermillion fly catcher

Double Head Cabbage, Belize. I was amused by this 😉

Howler monkey

Exploring Cahal Pech and Xunantunich: A Belize Adventure

Continued from The Blue Hole national park and the Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary

November 11. 2018

Since there’s a kitchen we could use at the Cocopele Inn, we’d picked up breakfast food at the market the day before. Fresh pineapple, home made yogurt and granola, star fruit and bananas….YUM.

Today was spent climbing ruins. First we walked to Cahal Peche, then taxi to Xunatunich and then taxi back to visit the Iguana sanctuary at the Ignacio Resort Hotel. By then it was 3:30 so we picked up snacks and chilled in the room for a while before heading out for dinner to Cenaida’s again. It was good, cheap food so why not? Apparently the town pretty much shuts down on Sundays as Cenaida’s was closed so we went to Burns Avenue (tourist street). Eva’s turned out to be pretty good as you could order off the lunch menu which made the prices very reasonable.

Green iguana

Green iguana

Charlotte?

Belize’s national flower. Black orchid. I know, it’s purple.

Saturday market in San Ignacio

Just struck me as funny

Don’t jump?!

Xunantunich Pronounced ShuNANtunich or tuna sandwich

Monday, November 12

We’d made arrangements with Belize Adventure Trails to visit highlights of the area.  Oscar picked us up bright and early and we headed for Caracol. It’s only about 40 km away but takes a couple hours to get there as the roads are quite primitive. There are two stops along the way to enter the conservation area so they know who goes in and out.

Caracol is impressive and worth the drive. Of course we climbed a few of the ruins as the view is definitely worth it.

Our promised lunch was really impressive. Oscar pulled out a table cloth, plates and warm chicken, rice, salad, salsa and chips along with rum punch. Wow! Much better than the sandwich we were expecting.

Next stop was the Rio pools which is gorgeous and a wonderful, refreshing swim.

Then came the Big Rock Falls. It’s a climb to get down there but again, worth it. It’s aptly named as the water cascades over huge hunks of granite. We swam some more and squeezed the last bit of daylight out of the day before climbing back up. By the time we reached the top we were sweating again.

By the time we got back is was after 6 and none of us very hungry so we picked some cheese and buns up at the Chinese grocery and stayed in.

The road to Caracol. It’s rough but that just limits the tourists

That’s one GIANT fern

Climbing Mayan temples is not for the faint of heart

Caracol, Belize

The pools

The pools

Big Rock Falls, Belize

Big Rock Falls, Belize

Big Rock Falls, Belize

Tuesday.

Anita and Barb left early for the ATM cave and then Eder came to pick Sue and I up for our trip to the Barton Creek cave. Again, it wasn’t far but the rough road made the trip close to an hour. It was a nice relaxing canoe ride through the cave system then walked around for a while enjoying the birds and trails around the area.

Back in town we meandered and went for a late lunch at Ko Ox Hah Ann. The lamb burger was really good!

Anita and Barb returned having really enjoyed a fantastic day in the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (ATM for short)

Entering the cave

Bat. I can’t remember what kind. There’s a bunch in there.

The view at the end of the tunnel

Barton Creek Caves, Belize

Skull on the rock shelf.

On a walk after the cave

Wednesday.

Some of us dropped in at the office of Belize Adventure trails for advice on what to do with a spare morning. He recommended Ajaw chocolates so we wandered up the road to find it. That was a well spent hour or so, learning all about the history of Mayan chocolate and tasting lots of it.

Wilbert picked us up around noon and we headed off to Guatemala. First stop after the boarder was Sarita’s. It’s been 10 years but I still remember how good their ice cream is. The ladies agreed it was pretty darn good!

One in the National Park, we dropped off our bags in our room and joined Wilbert on an evening tour of Tikal. It was raining so there wasn’t much of a sunset and walking back in the dark was interesting. Thankfully our trusty guide remembered lights!

Thursday.

We met Wilbert in the lobby at 4:30 am, this time armed with lights. After climbing Temple #4 we sat and waited.for the sun to come up. The sunrise was nothing spectacular but it was really cool hearing the jungle come alive. A quash climbed up and peaked it’s head over the edge. When it saw people, quickly scooted back down. The birds woke up and the howler monkeys started to roar.

Next we went to explore the main plaza and climb another temple where we could watch the jungle canopy and the antics of parrots and toucans. Then back down to explore more of the ruins. By around 9 am the tour buses started to arrive and the animals began to quiet. That was breakfast time for us.

 

We hit the road around 11 or so and stopped at some shops, one last Sarita’s ice cream and back to Belize.

Wilbert kindly dropped us off at the Chaa Creek Lodge where we visited the butterfly farm. It’s free for guests but definitely worth the price of admission. David provided us with lots of interesting information and we lucked out in seeing a few blue morph butterflies emerge from their pupa.

The staff at Chaa Creek were very kind and offered us a ride on their shuttle to town which saved us $60 BZE on a taxi. So we took the bus with the workers and got off in San Ignacio where we decided on an early dinner at Ko Ox hah Na(Let’s go eat). Wilbert recommended it and turned out he was right. YUM!

Blue Morph butterfly

Blue morph butterfly emerging from it’s cocoon

 

Belize! A couple days in Hopkins and the Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary

Previously on this trip to Belize….  Caye Caulker and a Raggamuffin sailing trip to Dangriga

HOPKINS, November 2018

A man named Furman came with a shuttle boat to pick us all up and take us to Stann Creek, Dangriga. There we negotiated a shuttle to Hopkins where we checked into the Funky Dodo. Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful! Dinner on the beach up the road at a bar that just looked intriguing and the friendly man inviting us in was amusing so why not? It was great! Fresh grouper, shrimp and even a pineapple jerk pork chop. YUM!

Monday, November 5

One of the advantages to staying in hostels is most have a kitchen which helps reduce the cost of meals. This morning we started with yogurt, granola and bagels we’d purchased the night before then went to arrange for a drumming lesson of some sort. Roy at the Funky DoDo recommended Palmetto Grove so we booked it with them for the afternoon.

Then we hit the beach. You can walk forever along the beach. It was windy and rough so the shoreline was weedy and grubby looking. I was hot so went in anyway. Once past the first 10′ the water was beautiful.

Frigates on Hopkins beach

Our search for ice cream was in vain when we found the shop closed so went to the grocery store. Oh well. It was good and cold.

Evan picked us up at the appointed time and drove us to the river where a young man picked us up in a boat. On the other side we were greeted by Amalie who let us choose a Garifuna dress and showed us around and introduced us to the Garifuna culture. Preparing the traditional meal of hudut was a LOT of work, beginning with peeling the coconuts, cracking them open, grinding out the meat and making the milk. It sure was delicious though!

Next we did a drumming lesson. At one point our instructor suggested we sing so I tried a few songs but none worked. Amazing Grace goes with anything so I sang that. It’s pretty ironic to sing it with Garifuna drums as it’s a spiritual thing for their culture. We earned our dessert of casava cake and the best pina colada I’ve ever had.

Back across the river and in town we purchased food for our trip to the Cockscomb basin sanctuary and tried again to get money from the ATM. Nobody was successful so we’re doing lots of high finance.

Making coconut milk

Straining coconut milk

Cooking the fish and Coconut milk soup

Finished meal of hutut. Coconut milk soup, fried barracuda and mashed plantain

Hutut served in shells

Garifuna Cultural tour. Garifuna drumming lesson

Peeling the coconut

November 6 Cockscomb Basin Sanctuary

After breakfast at the Funky DoDo hostel, we packed up, checked out and arrived at the bus stop where we waited and chatted with some of the local folks hanging around. The bus was 40 minutes late. I’m pretty sure times here are just guidelines. The fare to Mayan Centre was $3 BZE (less than $2 CAN). It made a few stops. One was so a lady could run to a stand and buy a few tamales for herself and a friend. The driver stopped to chat with someone who gave him tee shirts promoting an electoral candidate. Again we reminded of how friendly, laid back and helpful Belizeans are when a lady said “You don’t worry. We’ll make sure you get off at the right place”

The ladies at the women’s coop sold us Cockscomb Basin park tickets and called a taxi to drive us to the park. That was amidst normal chatter about where we’re from, etc. One lady asked me about my garmin as her husband’s had stopped working. We could walk the 8 km but it was stinking hot and we had 20 lb bags. As it was it took the taxi almost a half hour to drive it. I understood why the fee of $40 BZE after the drive as the road is hard on cars.

Our room wasn’t ready so we left our bags and did one of the easy hikes. Upon return the ranger explained the map, the park and the facilities and showed us our cute cabin; Mujan Haj (or bird house).

We had some lunch and rented inner tubes for $15 BZE for the day. The 20 minute walk with a life jacket and tube was fun on the mushy, muddy path and the cruise down the chilly river even better. The view was beautiful and the ride a lot of fun. After about 30 minutes we came to the “EXIT”, got out, walked a bit and dropped the tubes, then hiked up to a waterfall where we enjoyed another refreshing swim. Back down, we picked up the tubes and hiked back to do it again. Why not?

By then it was past 4 and the jungle was already getting dark so we hoofed it. The howler monkeys were making all kinds of noise and it was getting kind of creepy in there.

Dinner was a smorgasbord of cheese, crackers, peanuts, pringles and for desert….oreos!

I tried to convince the ladies to go for a night hike with me but nobody was having it. The ranger said it was a good time to see jaguars. I wanted to find sleeping birds and tarantulas. I’m not brave enough to go alone though so an evening of reading would have to do. 22,000 steps today. Not bad!

Retired truck

Tubing down the river

She’s stuck but doesn’t seem to mind

Just a few crazy old ladies playing in a waterfall

Wednesday. I’d strung a clothesline outside but it rained all night. Looks like we’ll be packing wet stuff. We’d coated ourselves in baby oil and bug spray as that’s what we were told works. Bugs can’t bite through the oil. We’re covered in bites anyway. To be fair, nothing works when you’re in and out of the water all the time.

Breakfast was more cheese, crackers and peanut butter. The kitchen is equipped with two lovely propane stoves but no lighter. The park lady took pity on us and gave us a match after I got annoyed that we’d have to purchase a lighter. When I’d booked it, they said there was a fully equipped kitchen. The fridge doesn’t work and you can’t light the stove? So we finally got a coffee 😉

We asked the ranger what the trail would be like considering last night’s rain. It didn’t rain!That was just condensation in the basin from the surrounding mountains. Wow!

The tiger fern trail is not easy. First you climb over a thousand feet for a spectacular view of the Cockscomb basin, then climb down 800 feet to the first water fall .That trail is down right scary in places or as hikers would say “very technical”. Then it continues up and down a bit to the second waterfall where we jumped in and enjoyed the cool, refreshing water.

Then the climb back up which, although much easier than going down, had us sweating by the time we reached the top. There we met a soldier doing reconnaissance for the British army. He joined us on the trek back down.

Tiger fern trail. Definitely a rigorous hike

The reward for doing the Tiger Fern Trail

Tiger fern trail. Worth the climb

You can view the whole basin from here too

The climb up from the waterfall on the Tiger Fern Trail

We packed up our wet clothes and asked for a taxi. He was 20 minutes early. He dropped us on the highway and we found a lady with a taco stand. Her burritos were delcious! The kids were off school because of a teacher’s strike so her 3 little kids entertained us while we waited for the bus. The bus times are very flexible. We were told to be there for 2. That came and went so we asked a lady. “oh it comes at 2:30” At 2:40 she says “oh, maybe it’s 3”.

Eventually we got to Placencia where the kind driver dropped us off pretty much right in front of Lydia’s Guesthouse.

The beach was covered in sargassum weed. They try to keep it cleaned up but it accumulates quickly and stinks as it decays. I managed to find a spot where it wasn’t too bad to get in and enjoy a swim in the luke warm sea.

After finally finding a bank machine that would give us money, we enjoyed a really nice dinner on the beach at the Barefoot bar. My cilantro lime snapper was delicious.

I was so tired I’m pretty sure I was asleep by 9 pm

 

 

Blue Hole National Park

The 6:15 am bus is the only one remotely direct from Placencia but we decided on the 7 am for the “scenic route”. Again, it was entertaining. People getting on and off, good music, and the slower pace as you stop for everything. Teachers must have gone back to work as we even picked up little kids going to school.

The conductor asked me where we were going, so I told him and asked when the next bus for Belmopan would be.

“8.30” he said. Oh crap. It was already 8.40. I said “oh, I guess we missed it”

He pointed down the road and hollered something at the driver. Next thing I know the bus is stopping and the bus speeding towards us is flashing his lights and slowing too! We got off and he grabbed our bags, passed them to the other conductor and the two of them loaded them on the back of the bus while we got on the front! Incredible service. On the Belmopan bus the conductor asked where we were going, told us 2 minutes before the stop and unloaded our bags for us RIGHT in front of the Kantara Ku Jungle Escape. The entire ride, including both buses was $7 BZE (about $5 CAN) It took us about 2.5 hours and would have been just under 2 hours by car and you certainly couldn’t drive for that price!

Bernadine greeted us and when we told her we hadn’t had breakfast, made us an amazing meal of bacon, fry jacks, eggs and watermelon. She showed us around the property and introduced us to the animals, the only other guests here.

We spent the day exploring the property, including the 20 minute hike up to the tower a couple of times to see the view and watch for birds (I saw a couple of toucans) and spent a leisurely afternoon relaxing by the pool.

Dinner by Bernadine was grilled beef, potato salad, rice and beans and pineapple juice. We’re not going hungry.

Our cabin at Kantara Ku

St Herman’s cave

One of many villages

View from the top of the hike at Kantara Ku

St Herman’s Cave

St Herman’s Cave

view from the hike at Kantara Ku

St Herman’s Cave

 

Panama layover. Caye Caulker! Sailing the Meso American Reef.

Panama City, Oct 30, 2018
An extended stopover in Panama city gave us an afternoon to explore the old city of Casco Viejo. A lot of it was under construction. We got totally lost but did manage to see a lot of the back streets and old building fronts. Several times we found ourselves heading into a “dangerous area” but were warned by locals not to go further. Interesting.  The Magnolia Inn was the perfect accommodation for us.
Who wants to use that bathroom?
Beautiful old building in Casco Viejo

Leaving again was a challenge as the boarding pass on my phone wouldn’t work so I had to check in. There the fellow insisted I needed proof of yellow fever immunization to enter Belize. No, I don’t. Not for just a stopover where I didn’t leave the city. Sue and Anita were already through security as their phone boarding passes worked fine. I got a little anxious when there ended up being 3 of them looking up whether I needed the vaccine. Crap! What was I going to do if they wouldn’t let me leave?! Finally they agreed I didn’t need it and, after several more questions and instructions, printed the boarding pass I’d already been issued. Sheesh!

Upon arrival in Belize, we met Barb who’d already arranged a taxi with an amusing driver who pointed out some landmarks and said he is “too blessed to be stressed”

We purchased tickets for the ferry, left our bags with the nice man who SAID he’d put them on the boat (haha) and went down the street to the bar he recommended for a beer while waiting. None of us likes being parted from our luggage (we’re carry on only travelers!). Upon arrival on Caye Caulker we waited, crossing our fingers that our bags would come off. Sure enough, they did and the fellows loaded them on a cart and dragged it down to the end of the jetty. Once on solid ground we loaded up the backpacks and headed down the sand road to find our hostel, being greeted all along the way by friendly people, not all of whom were trying to sell us something.

The Go Slow hostel was basic but clean and comfortable and perfect for us. Anita and I made final arrangements with Raggamuffin and Sue and Barb searched Trip Advisor for dinner recommendations. Around the block Chef Juan was grilling lobsters. YUM! That and the key lime pie were perfect and the price….Wow. $12.50 USD for lobster dinner?!

Our after dinner walk showed me just how much the place had grown in the 10 years since I’d been here last. There are now more than 3 streets, a lot more than 2 general stores, an assortment of accommodations and SO many restaurants and tourist places! It’s still got the relaxed, friendly vibe though.

Caye Caulker front street

Caye Caulker, front street toward the split

Wednesday, October 31
I filtered a bunch of water to save purchasing plastic water bottles. I highly recommend the sawyer mini water filter. It works great and you can drink the water anywhere.   In Canada you can purchase the sawyer filter on Amazon.
Breakfast was at Amor Y Cafe which is still owned by the Dutch lady I met there 10 years ago who got me started eating yogurt, fruit and granola for breakfast. She makes her own yogurt and granola. It’s not cheap but is SO worth it.
Anita and I swam across the Split. I tested the current about half way and it wasn’t bad so we continued. On the other side we met a man who pointed in the direction we should snorkel. Soon we noticed an increase in the current so headed back. That was a tough swim! Oops. After that we stuck close to the jetty where most of the fish were anyway.
Lunch was at a place recommended by some of the locals called Aunties where I enjoyed a chicken leg with rice and beans.
The afternoon was spent walking and exploring. We went all the way down the south island past the airfield and all the fancier hotels and resorts. They’re all quite a hike from town and the beaches are piled with debris that really stinks. So not worth it!
We got caught in the rain a few times but it’s hot so not a big deal. We found the conch wall and later even the sea-horse ranch. The sea horses were hiding so we’ll have to go back.
The pouring rain made more exploring uninviting so we spent a couple of hours lounging, doing internet stuff and reading until it finally let up enough to venture out for dinner. Trick or treaters were out in full force. Some on bikes, some being driven by parents in golf carts but most were walking.
Dinner at the Happy Lobster was a really good chicken quasadilla.

Conch wall on the Southern side of Caye Caulker

Sea horse ranch

November 1
Despite the rainy forecast, the sun was hot and bright today. I took off early to check out the seahorse ranch and was rewarded by seeing one bobbing around, feasting on moss.
I came back to get the others and we went to the viewing dock to watch the tarpon then hit up Errolyn’s for stuffed fry jacks. They were REALLY good and very filling.
We worked that off and lost 10 lbs in sweat on a walk to see the rest of the island, then spent the rest of the day at the Split, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing.
Lunch was a smoothie before our meeting with Raggamuffin to confirm our trip and get the details on the 3 day sailing trip.
Our barbecued lobster later at Dee  and D’s was wonderful, as was the service by Brent and Brent. .The location on the lee side of the island is perfect and we watched the sunset while eating at a picnic table on the beach. Nice!

November 2

We’d sorted out the baggage situation and dropped off the stuff we’re not going to use for the next three days at the boat, then went across the street for breakfast. The yogurt, fruit and granola was good and we got a lot of fruit but more expensive as Amor Y Cafe

There were 14 other passengers besides we four, plus 4 crew that sailed off to explore the Meso American Reef (second largest in the world) for the next 3 days. Someone spotted a turtle. We all enjoyed the dolpins swimming alongside the boat. After 2 snorkel stops we arrived at Rendevous Caye where we set up tents, had an amazing dinner and crashed for the night.

Lobster fishermen

Sting ray

jelly fish

Raggamuffin Sailing, Goff’s Caye

Rendevous caye

Osprey

Early morning snorkeling from Rendezvous Caye

I was up with the sun so packed up my stuff and was in the water shortly after 6 am, snorkeling. After breakfast and another quick snorkel we sailed off again. Folks took turns supervising the fishing rods off the back of the boat. The crew also went spear hunting as we snorkeled so we enjoyed a variety of fish for dinner both nights.

Our accommodations at Ragga Caye exceeded expectations. They said we had a bunk house which I figured meant we’d all sleep together in one big room. Nope. There were 3 rooms with 4 beds each. Two ladies upgraded to a cabana and another couple opted to pitch a tent. There’s even a shower using rainwater collected over time. Luxury!

The fellows again prepared an amazing dinner of barracuda and jackfish caught while sailing and again, we crashed early. Lots of fresh air and early mornings means early bed time!

Raggamuffin Sailing

Trumpet fish

I chased these little guys a lot as I think they’re gorgeous. The spots are luminescent!

Sting ray

Barracuda!!

Barracuda for dinner

parrot fish

Barb caught a jack fish! Yummy dinner tonight

Yellow sting ray. Apparently poisonous

Raggamuffin Sailing

Sunday, November 4
It would have been a great night’s sleep if it weren’t for a barking dog. Even on a tiny island….dog. I went to the bathroom at day light and it lunged at me. It’s a big german shepherd so scared the crap out of me! I probably screamed loud enough to wake the dead.  Oops.  Sorry to those who weren’t awakened by the dog :/

Our first stop was a manatee sanctuary. Some saw one but I wasn’t so lucky. Next was a snorkeling stop near an exclusive caye that was beautiful but it being a windy day, was really rough.

Back on Ragga Caye we enjoyed our last amazing meal courtesy of chef Linton and his helpers, Dane and Marvin.  The Raggamuffin team are a lot of fun and I highly recommend the 3 day sailing trip with them.

A man named Furman came with a shuttle boat to pick us all up and take us to Stann Creek, Dangriga. There we negotiated a shuttle to Hopkins where we checked into the Funky Dodo. Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful!

Ragga Caye

Ragga Caye Bunkhouse

Asia 2018 (Photobook Canada)

Source: Asia 2018 (Photobook Canada)

Singapore. The beginning and the end of a great trip to Asia!

January 22-24, 2018

Arriving in Singapore’s amazing Ciangi airport

After a 14 hour flight to Beijing, 6 hour layover in the freezing cold airport and another 6 hour flight we arrived in Singapore to be greeted by Wendy. We never get greeted at airports so this was a real treat.

Wendy’s apartment is really nice and she spoiled us for the next few days. She gave us MRT cards which we used to visit various areas of the city. Singapore is so clean, well organized and efficient that it makes it easy for even a directionally challenged foreigner to get around.

China Town & Little India

We wandered China town one day and joined a free walking tour of Little India another.  Free walking tours are usually great and this one was no exception.  I find the guide tries harder as they’re paid with tips.

We learned a bit about life in Singapore.  Public housing  is fascinating and seems to work well. Homes are purchased, rather than rented.  You have to be married or over 35 to purchase. There are ethnic quotas as well which is meant to encourage multiculturalism and prevents ethnic groups from living together and creating ghettos. Mortgage discounts are given to those who purchase a home near their parents, which encourages families to look after each other.  80% of residents live in public housing.

Statues outside Bedok bus station and mall

Temple doors

Tan Teng Niah

Pictorial history of Little India

Rooftops in Little India

Singapore’s most colourful building, the House of Tan Teng Niah sits proudly in the centre of Little India. However, unlike the rest of the attractions in this list, the House of Tan Teng Niah isn’t really Indian. As any linguists may have already realised, this building’s routes lie firmly in the Chinese colonialisation of Singapore, and is the only survivor of its type in the neighbourhood. The India community can take credit for the rainbow of colours that the house is so famous for, as well as the buildings renovation and upkeep

A temple in the midst of Little India

Interesting staircases

Botanical Gardens and the iconic Hainanese Chicken

The next day we spent at the Botanical Gardens. That’s a beautiful park and a definite “must see” in Singapore.

Sarah (a friend who’d recently moved to Singapore) met Wendy, Adeline, Sue and I for dinner. It’s always nice to connect strangers, and fellow travellers ALWAYS have something in common. The ladies took us to a restaurant specializing in the local dish of Hainanese chicken and rice which is REALLY tasty. Later we all headed down town in the rain to watch the light show on the parliament buildings.

Botanical Gardens, Singapore

Hainanese Chicken Rice

He made incredibly detailed, little figurines with NO hands!

On to Myanmar!

We said goodbye to Wendy and Adeline and flew to Myanmar to continue our adventure.  Wendy insisted we didn’t have to be at the airport 3 hours ahead and she was right.  Even the airport is incredibly organised so there’s not so much waiting as everywhere else.

April 2-5th

Back from Sri Lanka and on to the Gardens by the Bay

We’d spent the last two weeks touring Sri Lanka. The last 8 days had been with Wendy and Adeline and that adventure can be found here.  Our flight from Colombo, Sri Lanka was uneventful. That’s the best kind of flight. Changi Singapore is easy to navigate, get through security, get your luggage and get out the door. Having learned that Grab had bought out Uber, I’d installed the GRAB ap on my phone and ordered a ride. We managed to find our way to Wendy’s  without a problem.

With the 2.5 hour time difference, we thought maybe we’d sleep in. Nope. So we headed out to explore the Gardens by the bay. We should have written down Wendy’s instructions. All the names of places she’d talked about meant nothing to us as we had no idea what any of it was so it was all a jumble in my head. We took the MRT to Harbour front instead of Bayfront. They may sound similar but they’re VERY different places in Singapore. Oh well. We wandered around the Harbour front for a while and walked about Sentosa. It’s a pretty area as well and the place to go if you like amusement parks. It’s also conveniently near Wendy’s office so we met her in the mall and she guided us to a bus stop where we could get transport to the Marina Bay Sands. There we visited the flower dome, the cloud forest dome, walked the beautiful garden paths among the super trees and along the reservoir. If you only have a day in Singapore, that’s the place to go. It really gives you a good over view of what Singapore strives to be. At night there’s a light show with the super trees that’s just beautiful.

The MRT back to Bedok was much easier. After dinner at the hawker centre we got back to Wendy’s well after dark, exhausted and happy with all we’d accomplished.

art that combines different flowers
Cloud forest dome carnvorous flower
Flower dome beauty
Cloud forest dome carnvorous flower
Bird of paradise
Cloud forest dome carnvorous flower

 

This represents travelers to Singapore
All travelers leave a piece of themselves behind

The traveler comes to Singapore and leaves a piece him/herself behind

 

Japanese section

Japanese garden in the flower dome

 

Waterfall in the cloud forest dome.
They’d won a gymnastics thing
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An otter in the river

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Super trees

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Super trees! 
The man-made mechanical forest consists of 18 super trees that act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. To generate electricity, 11 of the super trees are fitted with solar power  systems that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the conservatories below.

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Super trees at night

Read more about the Gardens by the bay area here.

Free Walking tours are the best!

Tuesday we were out the door shortly after Wendy left for work. After breakfast at the Hawker centre, we took the MRT to Chinatown where we joined a free walking tour. Since you’re supposed to tip according to how much you liked the tour, we find these tours are generally really informative. So, if you really want to get to know a city, find a few walking tours. We sampled popiah, a local pastry that’s really good. There’s a lot to see in China town and a lot of interesting history there. Smith Street is better known as food street as it’s pretty much just restaurants.

Next we boarded the MRT again and got off at Bugis to check out the Arab section or Kampong. It’s completely different again. There’s a street with murals and trendy bars, a street with unique little shops and, of course, lots of restaurants. Even some with Turkish food.

We met Adeline and Wendy for dinner and they suggested ramen noodles for dinner. I pictured the grocery store noodles in a cup but figured the ladies knew what they were talking about so agreed. In Singapore, if you need to queue up for a restaurant, it must be good. Weird. You ‘d think in a city with as many food choices as they have wouldn’t need to wait for food? Line up we did. The restaurant nicely had a barrel of ice cold barley tea you could help yourself to as you waited. Perfect after a hot day of walking the streets. The ladies helped us order as you choose how the noodles are cooked, what sauce, spiciness and toppings. It also comes with unlimited boiled eggs. Another great food experience in Singapore!

Great hiking and Sky Park

Wednesday we took the bus with Wendy. We had breakfast at the harbour front hawker centre. She pointed out where the path starts for the park walks and headed to work for the day. Sue and I walked up the path to the path built high in the trees, then through the Henderson waves, Hort Park and into Ridge park. There we hiked up again to another nature trail in the trees but it was closed. By this time it was 1 pm and we were hot, tired and very sweaty. We found the bus stop and headed back to Wendy’s for a couple hours to relax and cool off for a bit before heading out again. This time we got off at Raffles place and checked out that area before walking to the Merlion and on to the Marina bay sands where we picked up the tickets Wendy had ordered for us to the Sky park. The view from there is amazing! We did as she suggested and arrived just before dark to see it in the light, watch the sunset and see the city lit up. It’s a little expensive but worth it for the magnificent views.

At 8 pm we met the ladies at the waterfront and watched the laser light and water show over the bay. That too is a must see.

Adeline had made reservations at the No Signboard Restaurant. Yes, that’s what it’s called. It says that on it’s sign board. There we enjoyed another traditional dish of chili crab. Ironically they’d run out of the typical Sri Lankan crab so we had Canadian crab. Go figure.

Singapore is a walker’s dream. There are beautiful, often covered walk ways everywhere. It’s even more gorgeous at night when everything is lit up.

Apparently Mall shopping is required.  Bedok Mall

Thursday we decided we needed a more “chill” day so we took our time and enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee before heading to the hawker centre for breakfast. Apparently it’s weird to come to Singapore and NOT go to a mall so we wandered the Bedok mall for a couple hours. We hit McDonald’s for our last Thai milk tea ice cream cone. We’ve become addicted to those things.

BEACH TIME!

After walking back to Wendy’s and changing into our swim suits, we walked to the beach. We practically had the place to ourselves so enjoyed a couple of dips and a nice long walk. Of course there’s a hawker centre there as you can’t go far without finding food in Singapore. I found a Thai stall with green papaya salad. That’s one of my favourites and something I can’t get much at home. At another I got my last fresh pineapple juice.

We walked back to Wendy’s got cleaned up and packed and went to the Bedok hawker centre for dinner where we met Wendy on her way home from work.

You can take transit to the airport too but we splurged and spent the ten dollars on a grab ride as it’s just so much easier with luggage.

It’s been an amazing trip. We’re especially thankful to Adeline for organizing the Sri Lanka trip, her fun companionship and dinners in Singapore. Wendy was an amazingly generous, fun loving and hard working hostess and we were grateful to be able to stay with her. The ladies certainly helped us really enjoy and get to know their beautiful country (city, island) and we felt blessed to see Singapore from a local perspective. Adeline and Wendy’s pride in their country was evident and rightfully so. Singapore is wonderful. Make it more than a stop over. You can definitely spend a week or so there, especially if you like to walk or cycle as you can rent bikes everywhere.

MerLion and Marina bay sands hotel

Marina bay sands hotel at night

Light show

View from the top of the Marina bay sands hotel

The durian buildings

Gardens by the Bay viewed from the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel

Singapore’s national flower is the blue lotus. It’s purple.

Marina bay sands hotel reflected in the lotus pool

MerLion and the Marina Bay sands hotel

In one of the gardens on the trail

Southern ridge hiking trails

Roof top gardens

Henderson Ridge

View from the Southern ridges hiking trail

View of MerLion from the southern ridgels hiking trail

Michelin Star one restaurant. I think it’s the cheapest one in the world!

View of Smith street from above

Smith Street or restaurant avenue

Another amazing trip has come to an end and we begin the long journey home. A 6 hour flight to Beijing, an 8 hour layover, 14 hour flight to Montreal where we’ll over night then take the train home. There are shorter ways but hey, the flight was cheap 😉 No matter how you do it, the long flights in economy are tough but hey, if it were easy, a lot more folks would do it and travel wouldn’t be the challenging, interesting, unique experience it usually is.

Beijing airport. AVOID!

** Note to self: In the future, avoid Beijing as a stop over. Security is ridiculous. They make you take pretty much everything out of your carry on (batteries, cameras, etc). There’s nothing much to do. Shopping is all high end stuff and the airport is FREEZING cold. Staff were all wearing winter coats. Food’s okay but there’s not much choice. To top it off, the wifi is spotty and you can’t use social media at all. So, if you can, just stop elsewhere.

Whale Watching and Cultural Delights in Sri Lanka

After a 7 day cruise of southern Sri Lanka, we took the train from Mirissa to Negombo to meet our Singaporean friends for an 8 day whirlwind land tour.

March 24, 2018

Adeline and Wendy (2 lovely women we’d met on a trip to Africa) had flown in from Singapore in the night and joined us for breakfast. We were all excited about what we’re going to see in the next week.

Adeline had worked on an itinerary with Off 2 Sri Lanka who arranged a driver and all our accommodations for us. Anura picked us up right on time and we headed off. On the way to Habarana we stopped at a garden to see how some local produce is grown and enjoyed a fresh pineapple. After checking in to the Camillia, we piled back in the van to visit Sigriya (Lion Rock) The museum was interesting and educated us on the history of the rock which dates back to 500 AD. The climb wasn’t difficult, but 1,200 steps in 32 degrees with high humidity is a work out. We were one of the last ones out of the park which was nice for some final pictures with no tourists.

Sri Lanka, Sigiriya

Monkeys in a row?

What’s left of the lion

Sue and the monkey having a moment climbing back down

View from the top of Sigiiriya

Monkey at the top of Sigiriya

Falcon at the top of Sigiriya

Making bricks. He’s 70 years old and still working hard!

Red pineapple. Did you know there was more than one kind?

Cashew

A shower was much appreciated and the buffet dinner amazing. Today we earned it!

The next morning the drive started with a mongoose running across the road in front of us. On the way to Anuradhapura we stopped at a roadside stand to try guava which they dust with a chili and salt spice combination that really brings out the flavour.

Anuradhapura was the first capital city of Sri Lanka and boasts ome beautiful ruins. It has 8 sacred places and an bo tree that is supposed to be the oldest tree in the world. They claim it dates back to 245 BC. Grey langur monkeys were very entertaining.

Next we drove to Poḷonnaruwa, the second capitol of Sri Lanka. The ruins there are even more impressive. The water systems alone are amazing and new ruins are still being excavated. There are signs everywhere “Don’t feed the animals” yet STILL people do it. Then they wonder why the monkeys are agressive? If you REALLY love animals, DON’T DO IT! One day, one of those monkeys is going to bite someone and will have to be killed.

By the time we got back to our hotel we were sweaty and tired. I immediately changed and went for a swim as there’s a huge pool on site that I haven’t had time to enjoy. A good brisk swim is perfect after a long day.

Dinner was another amazing buffet.

Monks butt prints

Basically a foot matt

What? Yes, I always sit like this. So?

grey langur, just hanging around

Grey langur monkey, Polonnaruwa. Sri Lanka

Grey langur monkey

Polonnaruwa. Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa.

The biggest pagoda in Polonnaruwa, and the fourth largest in Sri Lanka.

Buddha in the dead position

Kandy

Today we packed up and left Habanara and made a couple of stops on our way to Kandy. First was a spice garden where we learned about the medicinal properties of many spices. We were treated to a cup of tea and a head massage before going to the store. I might have tried a few of the “cures” if they weren’t so expensive. They claimed to cure asthma and excema which I thought might be worth a try for a couple of loved ones who suffer those conditions, but since I highly doubt it works, it wasn’t worth it to me to spend a lot on it.

Next stop was the Dambulla caves which was a real surprise. They’re certainly not what I expected in a cave. There’s 5 caves that the public can view. They’ve been dug out of the rock in the side of a hill and filled with Buddha’s carved out of the rock and beautiful paintings. Some of it dates back to 500 BC. They’re really incredible.

Kandy Sri Lanka

Monkey couple protecting a baby between them. You can just see it’s head

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Cobra protecting Buddha, 5th century

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Blessing pose

Dambulla Cave Temple, Kandy

Anura pointed out monks walking along the road, telling us they’re from Thailand. He could tell by their robes. We asked him to pull over so we could watch. He did and we found out that they’d flown from Thailand and were walking all around Sri Lanka visiting all the religious sights. On some parts of the journey, local people lined the street laying out palm leaves for them to walk on. Most were barefoot and carrying all their possessions. It was an amazing sight. Palm Sunday Buddhist style!

Sri Lanka

Monks from Thailand

Sri Lanka

People laying palm leaves for the Thai Monks to walk upon

Once in Kandy we stopped at the police station where Adeline needed to report some money stolen. That was an interesting story but it’s hers and I’ll let her tell it 😉

After checking into the hotel Thilanka, we went for a quick swim, then walked to the Kandy Dance theatre where we watched them perform Sri Lankan dances in traditional costumes. The finale was the fire dance and walking on hot coals. Wow. The whole show was really good and the finale made us feel like we were whimps when we complained how hot the stones in the temples were when we had to walk barefoot.

Adeline and Wendy decided not to go to the Temple of the Tooth so Sue and I went alone. We should have gone with the girls. The temple was ridiculously crowded and we couldn’t even get CLOSE to seeing the container of the tooth. For us it was a waste of 1500 rupees. Sri Lanka knows how to seriously overcharge foreigners for everything. Most attractions are more than a hundred times the fee locals pay. I don’t mind paying more. I think it shoud be that way but in this country it’s just ridiculous. Then every time you turn around they’re asking for donations. Right. I already paid plenty.

Sri Lanka

Temple of the Tooth

Kanky, Sri Lanka

Traditional dancers

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We left Kandy after checking out the market and stopped at a tea factory. There were a few stops along the way for photo ops as the scenery is gorgeous. Tea “gardens” covered the hills, huge trees, rivers, waterfalls and a beautiful lake made the drive wonderful for us, not so much maybe for Anura who had to navigate the crazy, windy roads.

The village of Dalhousie is nestled under Adam’s Peak and caters very much to trekkers. The others had lunch but I was feeling in desperate need of a good walk so I took off. A tuk tuk driver offered to take me to a waterfall. I asked how far and he said 2.6 km. I figured I could easily walk that far. I passed more beautiful scenery and lots of friendly people but after a half hour, no waterfall. There was practically no traffic on the road so it was very pleasant. I finally asked a man working in a tea garden. He said oh yes, about 2 km. Ok. These are very long kilometres and it looked like rain so I decided to head back. Then it rained. I didn’t mind. My backpack is fairly waterproof so the camera was safe and the rain cooled me off. Kid’s coming home from school had umbrellas and I’m pretty sure they thought I was nuts as I smiled and said “hi” as we passed each other. They all returned my greetings anyway.

Sue and Wendy wanted to walk so we went in the other direction and checked out the village and the start of the trek to Adam’s peak. I wanted an ice cream but the man had no change for a 1,000 rupee bill (less than $10) for 150 rupee ice cream. They never have change. It’s ridiculous. Oh well. I didn’t need it that bad.

After a tasty typical Sri Lankan dinner of rice and an assortment of curries, Wendy and Adeline headed for bed as they were getting up at 2 am to do the trek. Sue and I had decided to pass. We have no need to climb mountains anymore. Been there done that. 😉

Tea plantations

Mora Lake, Dalhousie, Sri Lanka

Tea picking women

Women picking tea work really hard

Infamous Adam’s Peak in the early morning light

Tea grows on hill sides

Beautiful Mora lake

Adam’s peak, Sri Lanka

She said I could take her picture. Really.

The next morning we were eating breakfast when the girls returned, tired and very sweaty in spite of the cold. It had been raining for hours before they left but it nicely stopped for their ascent. They made REALLY good time and we congratulated them on their achievement.

Scenic train ride

The drive out of the mountains was just as nice with more waterfalls and gorgeous scenery. Anura dropped us off at the Nuwara train station. Our assigned seats were in first class with air conditioning so we couldn’t open the windows. I found a seat in second class with an open window which was nice until it started to rain. Adeline and Wendy had been up front with the conductor and said the views were great from there so I went forward. Sure enough, the “gurde” (conductor) was a really nice fellow who would tell me which side of the train was going to have the best view and I went back and forth between doors. When the train stopped, he’d put on his cap, open the appropriate door and blow his whistle or wave the green flag. I spent the rest of the journey with him. He even offered me part of his lunch. He didn’t have much English but I understood he wanted something Canadian when he showed me had a $5 bill. I didn’t have a THING on me so I gave him a pen from a Canadian business. He was happy. Note to self “always carry some pins or something”.

Yala National Park

Anura picked us up in Ella and we carried on to the outskirts of Yala National park, on the look out for elephants. We did see a tortoise on the side of the road but the poor thing had been hit by a car or something.

Just a waterfall along the road

The conductor on the train to Ella

Scenic train to Ella

One of many beautiful scenes from the train

Just before the rain

Thursday March 29th.

At 4 am we met Anura in the parking lot, complete with a boxed breakfast prepared by the hotel. The aim was to be first in line at the Yala National park gate. We succeeded. Anura said he’s never been first before. The office opened at 5:30 am to purchase tickets and the gate at 6 am. Within the first 10 minutes we saw two leopards lazing about on a rock. This is when being first pays off as we had the BEST view and there was a huge line up of jeeps behind us. We spent the next few hours enduring a Sri Lankan massage (park roads are very basic) and watching for animals. It’s no African safari but it was nice.

Spotted deer

Lone bull elephant

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Peacock strutting his stuff

That’s one furry owl

Green parrots everywhere

mongoose

kingfisher

bee eater

painted stork

He only looks like he’s sleeping

The elusive leopard. Gotta get there early to see them.

Back at the hotel I enjoyed a nice swim before packing up to head to Mirissa. Galle Fort was our first stop. We walked the rampart again and it was so hot my shirt was soaked with sweat in no time.

Next we went to the same turtle hatchery we’d done a couple of weeks prior. I didn’t mind as we learned even more about the ancient creatures.

Next we stopped to take photos of the pole fishermen. Anura made a deal with them. They climbed the poles and pretended to fish and we’d pay them 2,000 rupees. I don’t usually pay for photos but these guys likely make more money off tourism these days than fishing. The photos were worth it.

Poor Wendy and Adeline were suffering serious muscle pain from their trek up Adam’s peak and our rooms were on the second floor. No elevator. After checking in we went for dinner. Down two flights of stairs, across the lobby and up two flights of stairs. Two nights of little sleep and they’ve got to be exhausted. This is VACATION?! Haha!

Stilt fishermen in the sunset

Loggerhead turtle baby

This green turtle is heavy!

Galle Fort

Whale watching!

Since we’re on VACATION (HAHAHA) we met Anura at 6 am to walk to the port for our whale watching adventure. By 7 am we headed out with “Rajas and the Whales” on a mission to find great blue whales. The crew gave us a lot of information about the whales and dolphins we hoped to see. En route the gave us each a plateful of assorted fruit and later a choice of eggs. We weren’t expecting that! The whales were elusive. At one point a school of dolphins swim along with us and I saw a few flying fish but no whales. After a couple hours the crew shouted and we were treated to a view of a mother and baby brydes whale. We motored on again and finally one of the crew shouted ‘BLUE WHALE”! We watched the magnificent creature come up 4 times before we headed back to Mirissa port.

Blue whale

Bottle nose dolphins swimming beside the boat

Anura picked us up and we headed back to the Paradise Beach hotel. Adeline and Wendy went for a massage. Sue went for a swim and I walked the beach. We spent the rest of day relaxing and enjoying some down time.

I was awake stupid early again so put on the swim suit and headed for the beach to watch the sunrise. Surfers start early and there were a few people doing yoga on the beach before 6 am as well. After a swim in the pool, then breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning swimming in the ocean and baking on the beach. It’s my last chance for ocean time.

Mirissa beach

Mirissa beach. I love watching waves….and surfers

Sue and I were in the room around 1 pm and I was in the shower when a Paradise hotel staff member came to the door, demanding we get out of the room. Off to Sri Lanka had made arrangements for late checkout. We had till 2 pm but apparently they didn’t get the memo. They were quite rude about it. What did he want me to do? Leave NAKED?! Sheesh. Adeline and Wendy said they called their room every 5 minutes and let themselves IN when they didn’t answer. Nagging doesn’t make you pack faster!!

We’ve had more “attitude” from staff at these fancy hotels then we’ve ever had at our usual guesthouse or hostel. The waiter gave us At the Camillia my bed didn’t have a top sheet. I asked twice and finally just got a blanket. When they tidied the room (we didn’t want them to) they took our towels and didn’t replace them. When Sue asked for towels they came and CHECKED to make sure we didn’t have double. Like we’d steal towels? The Hotel in Kandy, Thilanka we looked ourselves out of our room by pushing the knob button which was apparently a no-no and there was a tiny sign below the knob saying so. When the guy came to unlock it (all he had to do was use another key!) he pointed to the sign and said “Don’t you READ?” Um yeah, sorry. He also asked if the guy who showed us the room told us. I didn’t say no as that would get the poor, underpaid porter in trouble. So. Moral of the story? The more you pay for the accommodation, the snootier the staff can be. Having said that, there were lots of very kind, friendly people especially those paid the least.

Namal picked us up and drove us to Colombo where he showed us highlights of the city. Since it was a holiday for the full moon, traffic was light. Everyone was on the beach. Next we drove to Negombo and enjoyed a nice dinner at Lord’s. After that was the fish massage. That’s a ticklish adventure. 😉 Namal dropped us off at our guesthouse and we said goodbye to Adeline and Wendy.

The morning was spent checking out the local shops. Despite a tuk tuk driver telling us all would be closed for Easter, we found lots of shops open.  It reminded me of the Bangkok tuk tuk scam when they tell you the Grand Palace is closed.  It’s not. They just want to take you elsewhere. 

Note to future travellers. If you want souvenirs, DON’T wait till you get to the airport. Prices are 3 times what they are in town.

Again our luggage was well x-rayed (in fact I wonder how much radiation my stuff can handle?) and we continued our trip to Singapore. Emirates may have spoiled me to all other airlines. :/

Whales of Sri Lanka: An Unforgettable Adventure

Previous post: Flores and Komodo National Park

Sri Lanka

March 13 – April 1

Denpassar airport is really modern and the entrance has some really beautiful, local stone work and decorated with lovely orchid gardens. After wandering around for a bit we sat waiting at our gate. AT the last-minute, they announced a change and we had to book it for the appropriate gate, which of course is at the other end of the airport.

Colombo airport is interesting. Their duty-free shops sell appliances. I don’t mean just toasters and kettles. They had washers, dryers, fridges, stoves….it’s a regular shopping mall!

By the time we reached our guesthouse it was 1 am (4:30 am for us). We were a little concerned as everything was dark. The house was in a dark alley and nothing stirred. Sue rang a buzzer and eventually a woman came and let us in. She showed us room, the bathroom and gave us a bottle of water and we just fell into bed.

After feeding us a nice breakfast, our hostess at the Esanya guesthouse instructed us on how to get to Mirissa and we left in a tuk tuk (100 rupees) The train tickets cost 70 for the two of us (about 60 cents) Several tuk tuk drivers approached us but we weren’t sure whether to trust them so went to the information office at the train. Since the train to Weligama had just left, he suggested we take a tuk tuk to the express bus. Okay. That ride was 1,200 rupees (about $10) as the bus station was waaayyy across town. The bus left within 10 minutes of our arrival and took about 2 hours to get to Matara, the end of the line. 500 rupees. We could have taken a public bus but the luggage dude convinced us to take a tuk tuk instead as school had just let out and the buses would be full. Another 1200 rupees and we finally arrived at our guest house in Medigama. Total cost was about $31 CAN. I’m sure there are easier and cheaper ways to do it but hey, we got there.

After checking in we wandered around, getting to know the area. Many people stopped us to chat “where are you going? Where are you from?” being the most common questions. A couple of policemen were taking a break in the shade (it’s EXTREMELY hot!) so we stopped to chat and asked for dinner recommendations. Another 1.5 km down the road we found the sea food place they suggested.

The next day we walked down the road and found a place to eat breakfast, right on the ocean. Then we went to the road and within seconds had flagged down a tuk tuk and asked him to take us to the Tea Plantation. We learned a lot about very expensive virgin white tea. Hassin (our driver) then suggest a turtle sanctuary. Sure! We love turtles. That too was extremely informative Hassin drove us to Weligama. If I were to come back to this area, I’d stay there. There’s more to do. Medigama is basically just for surfing. We checked out the beautiful beach, stopped for some lunch and checked out the town. By then the sweat was just pouring off us so we decided to call it a day. A public bus sounded like a fun adventure so we found a bus stop and hopped on one going in the right direction. The fare was less than 15 cents. What a ride! He drove like a maniac as most of the buses do. The bus would barely stop and people would jump off. He went so fast we totally missed our stop and got off at the next one. Thankfully people were getting on so it actually STOPPED before we got off. The walk back gave us a chance to stop and get a cold drink and sit for a bit watching the antics of surfers and swimmers.

Green turtle at the turtle sanctuary

Herman Teas in Handunugoda. The choice of samples

STill using original equipment modified with electricity

TEA! It’s all the same leaf. Flavours are created by what they do with it afterward

After checking out of the guesthouse, we again flagged a tuk tuk and got a ride to the Marriot Hotel in Weligama, the meeting point for our 7 day sailing trip. We felt a little out-of-place, arriving in a tuk tuk and carrying back packs to this expensive hotel to be greeted by a porter and welcomed by a drummer. NO, we’re not checking in! The friendly greeter agreed to hold our bags for us until our 4 pm meeting and told us what we could and could not access in the hotel. We decided to “blend in” and see what we could get away with. Most of the pool chairs were unoccupied so after a walk on the beach, we parked ourselves, figuring they could always kick us out. Sure enough, a young man came and asked our room number. I told him we didn’t have one. Sue explained the whole meeting thing and he allowed us to stay. Later he even brought us a towel! I went for a swim in the ocean. Sue tried the pool (also supposed to be off-limits but hey, nobody was IN it!) We had lunch there so figured we paid for the use of the facilities 😉

Our cabin on the Crystal. Luxury for a sail boat for sure!

We met our fellow travellers who included two ladies from Germany in the hotel industry, an Australian working in South Africa managing a travel agency, a British oncologist and an Irish dairy farmer working in Saudi Arabia on a massive dairy farm. We headed off in tuk tuks to board our boat for the week. The Crystal is a large catamaran and a beautiful boat with power supplied mostly by solar panels and fresh water created with a desalinating plant. The 8 of us were assigned cabins and shown how to work the toilet, showers and pumps in the private bathrooms. Luxury! We cruised to Snake Island, our stop for the night and were served a delicious fish dinner.

Our first full day at sea started at 6:30 am when we set off to find the great blue whale. First were the pods of bottle nose and spinner dolphins. The graceful animals jump, spin, swim and circle the boat with curiosity. Whales can be seen way in the distance by the great spout of water so every time one spouts boats go rushing towards them. It’s never crowded as the ocean is huge as are the blue whales. We saw 4 this morning. Pictures can’t describe the majesty of these massive, graceful beautiful animals.

Bottle nose dolphins swimming beside the boat

Great blue whale waving goodbye as it dives

Great blue whale diving

Eventually the crew put up the main and jib and set sail for Galle. Our captain, Anura offered us the chance to pilot the boat so I grabbed my chance. It’s very different from sailing a small boat but takes just as much concentration. I spent the next couple hours learning various aspects of sailing and about Sri Lanka by chatting with Anura.

Lunch was amazing. Indunil made about 6 different curries to go with rice and Tiran taught us to eat Sri Lankan style; with your fingers. You mixed the various curries with the rice with your fingers to blend the flavours. Some are very spicy, some sweet, some tart and the combination is a taste sensation. Every bite is different. Mango, banana, chicken, beet, mushroom curries papadum, as well as a salad made with centella (gota kola, a green plant with medicinal properties) that was absolutely delicious. Dessert was buffalo curd (tastes like thick, mild greek yogurt) and palm honey. YUM!

It was nice to get off the boat and stretch my legs. We jumped off the dingy on the beach and walked the steep hill to meet tuk tuks to take us in to the town of Galle. Sue, Sara and I walked the rampart around the town which took about an hour and gave us a good view of the town. There was a big cricket match playing so we got a bird’s-eye view of the celebrations. We wandered the pretty town for a bit, noting the Portuguese and Dutch influence including a Christian Reformed church with a plaque I couldn’t read other than the name DeJong.

Galle Fort, Sri Lanka

Careful!

Back on the Crystal (our boat’s name) I quickly stripped to my swimsuit and went for a snorkel. Conditions weren’t great as it was near sunset but first thing I almost ran into a lion fish. After getting a photo I slowly backed away as, if cornered, they will sting.

Dinner of home-made pizza, salad and fries. Again there was a tasty cake for dessert. Good thing it’s only 6 days or I may get very fat.

Our cabin in the Crystal. Luxury at sea!

Snorkeling wasn’t very good. Choral bleaching and a tsunami devastated the reef. It’s on it’s way back but will take years.

Lion fish

Since I was awake ridiculously early, I went for a snorkel before breakfast. Nice as I worked up an appetite for more of Indunil’s cooking. After stuffing my face, back in the water for more under the sea entertainment. I spent about 10 minutes watching an eel and crab. The eel hangs out in the hole while the crab digs away. Looks like a great symbiotic relationship. 9:30 am we were underway again.

With the strong headwind we didn’t get as far as intended but stopped in a cove to have another amazing lunch. Snorkeling wasn’t great so a couple of us spent the next hour or so jumping off the boat and just enjoying the water.

The next couple hours I spent on the top deck reading and chatting with others, not daring to come down the stairs as the wind was strong and the sea rough. Erratic waves make it difficult for this inexperienced sailor to walk, never mind navigate a ladder. Even up top we got sprayed with water now and then.

Our overnight stop wasn’t very scenic but at least it was calm. Dinner was a typical Sri Lankan dish of Kuti; chopped roti baked with various toppings. It’s like the Sri Lankan way of dealing with left overs and was REALLY good.

Huge passion fruit! These are my favourite. I think I love them more than mangos and mangosteen.

Dondra lighthouse. Southern most point in Sri Lanka

Again I was up stupid early but today, even being on deck by 6 am, I wasn’t the first. Looks like more of us have the same problem.

We set sail at 8:30 am and the seas were much kinder today. Dolphins were spotted early on and some even saw a turtle. After lunch we headed for a bird sanctuary on the dingy and walked for a couple of hours, sweat dripping. One of the men in the village chopped the tops off coconuts so we could drink the water.

I would have loved to go for a swim but the thunderous surf looked dangerous so a shower back on the boat had to do. After watching the sunset we were treated to an hour or so of continuous lightning. Quite a show! A rousing game of cheat (or bullshit as the Irish call it) is a great way to end the day.

Heading to the beach for a barbecue

Early morning fisherman

 

Another day on the Southern coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean felt like paradise. There wasn’t much wind so we motored to a beach with an unpronounceable name where we anchored for a few hours. Anna and I swam to the beach, walked for a bit and swam back from the other side. I didn’t realize how shallow it was further out and had to concentrate not to get smashed on the rocks by the surfing quality waves. The next couple hours I spent just jumping off the boat and swimming about, trying to work off some of the incredible food they’ve prepared. It’s rude not to eat it all you know.

After motoring out of the bay, Denusha hoisted the sails and Anura cut the motor. I took over the helm and Anura taught me the basics of sailing with a compass and watching for the wind in the sails. It’s a lot harder than aiming for a point on land.

Piloting a big catamaran takes lots of concentration 😉

The next morning we headed back to Mirissa and went whale watching on the way (sort of) We saw 3 blue whales but none of them very close. At one point we were surrounded by blue nose dolphins which was a lot of fun. The highlight of the morning was spotting a school of pilot whales. That’s a rarity so we sure were lucky.

Bottle nose dolphins beside the boat

Pilot whales are quite rare so we were lucky to see them. Funny looking things!!

We anchored in a bay after lunch, jumped off the boat and swam for the beach. Sara kayaked and brought beer for those who wanted it. After swimming back to the boat I spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the warm sea.

The crew set up a beautiful dinner on the beach so we all got cleaned up and were taken over by dingy. Indinil barbecued chicken, shrimp, fish and calamari and he’d prepared various salads so again, we feasted. It was delicious! That young man can COOK. After an impromptu dance party and some entertainment with the massive hermit crabs that come out after dark, we headed back and I fell into bed.

We had a lot of fun together. Strangers who are now friends.

Distributing their catch

Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary

Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary

Preparing a king coconut so we can have a drink

Beach at the Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary

He gave me the Sri Lanksn head wobble when I asked if I could take his picture. I took it as a yes 😉

Learning to make string hoppers

The next morning we said good bye to the crew and other guests after a fabulous week. After checking into the Prestige guesthouse in Weligama, we spent the day exploring the town and jumping in the waves on the beach.

Then came the attempt at making our way back to Negombo. We hailed a tuk tuk who took us to the train station. There we purchased 2nd class tickets to Colombo at 220 lkr each (about $2 CAN) We found forward facing seats and were proud of ourselves until the train got to Galle. There it switched directions so we were now facing backwards. Of course all the seats were full by then.

In Colombo we asked around and found where to buy tickets to Negombo. 120 lkr each. (about a dollar) We ended up walking all over the place trying to find the right train as we got conflicting information. When we finally found the right track we had an hour wait so we chatted with a couple of Dutch men who’d been touring India and Sri Lanka for 3 months. The train to Negombo wasn’t as comfortable and by the time we got there we were hot, sweaty and tired. Our tuk tuk driver didn’t know where the hotel was so he asked others. Not satisfied with the information, he stopped at a store and added phone time so he could call the hotel. He got me to look it up and we were on our way. The whole trip from Weligama to Colombo cost us about $7 each, including tuk tuks. It took 5.5 hours as opposed to the less than 3 hours it would take in a car, but we saw a lot along the way. Also the experience is interesting. Locals are friendly and several were willing to chat. There’s the “entertainment” as well. A blind man and his wife (I think) sang songs and collected donations. People came on to sell pineapples, cold drinks, packaged snacks, donuts, apples, etc.

The Crystal in the sunset from the beach

A Traveler’s Guide to Bali’s Hidden Gems. Flores, sea creatures and dragons!

Previous post: Bali beaches, monkeys and rice terraces

Saturday March 3, 2018

We arrived at Denpassar Airport in plenty of time for our flight and waited for the check in desk to open. At 12:15 pm I handed over my ticket to be told that our 2:10 pm flight had already gone. Huh? Apparently they couldn’t contact me since I don’t have a local number. I booked it online with an email address but, whatever, so she sent us to the ticketing office to get another flight. We left and re-entered the terminal twice more, both times having to go through security and asked several people where it was. They kept sending me to check in.  I finally learned to say “No, I need TICKETING!”. Finally upon speaking to a young man who again explained their inability to reach us, we were issued a new ticket with a different airline and went to check in again. Through security again we got to our gate to find staff trying to clean up a massive septic back up. What an odour! A last minute gate change and we were finally off.

I’d sent a couple of messages to our guesthouse and wondered if they’d be there to pick us up and sure enough, there was a man with a sign. Bonus! After settling in to World BNB, we took the shuttle to town to settle up on our boat trip with Le Pirate and have dinner.

The next few days we spent exploring the area. There were a couple of trips we considered. One was a hike to a waterfall of about an hour and anther involved an overnight trip to a village with a 4 hour trek up hill. We decided it was just too hot! With the humidex it felt like close to 40 degrees. It didn’t take much exertion to make me sweat.

One night we tried the fish market. Stalls start opening around 5 pm when they fire up barbecues (with wood) and set the fish out on ice. We’d been for a walk earlier and saw women bagging water and wondered what it was for. Then we say the fish on the bags of solid ice. Aha! Sue and I chose a snapper and a squid and the man barbecued it for us. It was served with rice, Balinese veggies, some cabbage and cucumber and a glass of water. Delicious!

Online research didn’t help us find any beaches nearby for snorkeling. There are waterfalls and caves to visit but all involve trekking and it’s just too hot for that. I kept asking around thinking there HAS to be a beach ON Flores that doesn’t require a boat. Finally a young man visiting someone at the guest house suggested Waecicu Beach. The driver took us there and dropped us off at Sylvia Hotel where we paid 100,000 rupiah (less that $10) to spend the day. If we spent that much at the restaurant it was free. Bonus! Waecicu is a really nice beach in a small cove and a nice selection of coral right in front. We liked it so much we went back the next day.

They asked me to take their picture. Why not? They’re awfully cute!

Cooking the squid and snapper we’d picked out for dinner. Delicious!

Cooking my dinner at the fish market

These young ladies wanted a selfie with us so I got them to take one for me as well 😉

Komodo festival. Turtle made of old flip flops, scuba fins, etc

March 7-10 Komodo National Park

We set off on Le Pirate’s Explorer 1 with 4 other ladies and 3 crew shortly after 10 am. Perfectly calm seas and wonderful views of the many islands off the coast of Flores were on the agenda today. First stop was Rinca Island, one of two islands inhabited by the prehistoric komodo dragon. It’s the largest monitor lizard in the world and it’s saliva carries lethal bacteria. They’re prey are buffalo, deer and monkeys and sometimes each other.

After the trek we were hot and sweaty so stopped far away from the croc infested island to jump off the boat and cool off.

A couple hours later we landed at Padar island were we jumped off again for a bit of a snorkel before trekking the hill. I have no idea how many steps but it was hot and a good hike UP. Parts of the steps were either not finished, or had broken and the gravel path was slippery. The magnificent views at the top were well worth the hot climb.

By the time we got in the dingy to get back to the boat it was nearing dark and we were treated to a lightning show off in the distance.

Dinner of charlie fish, cabbage with beans and rice was served when we got back to the boat. Then the fire flies came out and the lightning show continued After that, Pharell even set up a movie to watch. We got about half way through Shutter Island when the battery died. Part two tomorrow.

Komodo dragon

A tasty treat for a Komodo dragon

Le Pirate, Explorer 1

No need to go hungry on Le Pirate’s Explorer 1.

Padar Island

Day 2 included a few snorkelling stops. After an amazing breakfast with way too much food, we went snorkelling at the pink beach. The water was cold but the coral was beautiful. While on our way again the rain came. It poured! It’s not cold but gets quite painful when pelting you while moving. We stopped to wait it out at Takamakasa island where I saw what I thought were sharks and pointed them out to Farrell. Mantas!! Cool. We motored further to a better current and the found a lot of mantas thrashing about. The boat left us up current and we pretty much floated down to meet the mantas. They are HUGE and there were way too many to count. Rico picked us up and I asked to go again. Everyone agreed so off we went. I could have swum with the gentle giants all day but apparently it was lunch time. They like to feed us.

We stopped again at Takamakasa island, ate, rested a bit and headed out again. Because I’m a pain in the ass, I asked to see the mantas again. Sue and I were the only ones to go in that time. They missed out as the mantas seemed to be playing with us, circling round and round and flipping wings at us.

Since there were other things on the agenda, we had to stop.

For our sunset walk we trekked up Gilli Lawau. The last bit is really steep and and I made it part way before I sat down and gave up. Dripping with sweat, I decided the view from there was good enough. Climbing up is fine. Going DOWN the loose gravel on a steep grade terrifies me.

Farrell assured me it wasn’t going to rain so I left all the flaps open in our room and slept with a wonderfully refreshing ocean breeze.

trigger fish

This creature doesn’t look friendly

Komodo National Park, Flores Indonesia

Manta rays of Komodo National park

That’s a little intimidating. Good thing I know they only eat jelly fish 😉

No zoom on the camera. I really got that close

Gilli Lawau

Charlie fish. Delicious!

Day 3 dawned with not a cloud in the sky. We visited several snorkeling sights and I’ve given up on remembering the names of all the islands. In the evening we watched as the flying foxes left a mangrove forest en masse. Thousands fly out every night in search of fruit and return before sunrise to sleep in the mangrove trees.

Flying foxes leaving the mangroves

Flying fox clinging to the anchor rope

Flying fox eating a banana

That’s me stranded on a desert island 😉

I think it might be a lobster in there. Sure must be a big one

I found Nemo!!

On Day 4 awakened to an amazing sunrise and a flying fox bat hanging on the line tied to the buoy.  After breakfast, we had to cast off so Farrell gently got the bat to cling to a broom handle and moved him to the side of the boat where it hung for the rest of the day.  He and Rico fed it bananas.  Camille put a towel over him for shade. Apparently the bat had fallen in the water and swum for the first thing it could cling to.  Lucky bat picked a Le Pirate boat so was treated well.

We spent the rest of the day  snorkelling  and lazing about on the boat.  Back in Labuan Bajo, we said goodbye to everyone (including the bat), enjoyed a refreshing glass of ginger tea at the Le Pirate restaurant and headed back to the World BNB.

Urchins are pretty

Sunrise from my bed

I found Nemo!!

Another pretty urchin

The next day we went back to WaeCicu beach and spent a day relaxing and doing some more snorkeling.

If I were to do it again, I’d spend far less time in Labuan Bajo.  I highly recommend Le Pirate and World BNB.  Both were excellent!

There’s really not much to see that doesn’t involve 10 hours of driving somewhere. I’d looked at tours that start in Maumere and wished now I’d done it that way. Yes, it’s a lot of driving as you don’t get anywhere quickly in Indonesia, but you’d REALLY see Flores. You could fly into Maumere and out of the Labuan Bajo for not much more than a return flight to either.

Bali, Beaches, monkeys and Rice Terraces

Sanur, Bali from Penang, Malaysia (previous post)
February 28th to March 3rd
The flights to Denpassar were relatively uneventful as was check in to our hotel. I was a little worried this one wouldn’t be expecting us as I’d booked it with American Advantage points. The Sanur Guest House turned out to be a nice surprise with a super clean pool and our own bathroom. We chatted with a man who was working as a photographer, under water and on land. He showed us some of his amazing work!
Breakfast was served at Grandpa’s restaurant next door, after which we checked on snorkeling tours. They were incredibly expensive so we passed and headed for the beach. I’d read that Sanur beach has the second best diving in Bali. Could be. The snorkeling wasn’t great. They say the reef is 100 metres from shore. It’s more like a kilometre. By the time you get out there, you’re tired and need to come back. We saw a few things and spent almost 4 hours in the water.
The rest of the day was spent walking the board walk and checking out the sights on the beach. It goes on forever!
Dinner on the beach was jack fish, rice and Balinese veggies. That’s green beans, bean sprouts and shredded coconut. Pretty tasty!

 

 

Just a gate to a house or hotel

Lion fish hiding in the anemone.  I wonder if the resident clown fish are annoyed?

Not sure why all the statues have skirts?

Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Something special is going to happen here!

Taxi drivers often honk to see if you want a ride. I generally just shake my head but we’d been talking about visiting Ubud so decided to ask what it would cost. It seemed reasonable so we arranged for Darta to pick us up the next morning.
Ubud turned out to be a huge tourist magnet. The streets are lined with shops for miles, mostly selling hand crafts and souvenirs. The Sacred monkey forest was a lot of fun. There are 5 groups of monkeys with a total of over 700 macaques. They’re not afraid of humans and can be aggressive if they think you have food. A few were very interested in my back pack. There was no food in it but the day before I’d had some fruit in it so perhaps they smelled it. One monkey jumped on my back, opened the zipper and threw my glasses out. He took a chapstick and a small wipe package. I got the chapstick back but he kept the lid to play with. Weird monkey.
Next we visited the Tegalalang Rice Terrace. That was a disappointment. I’m sure they earn more money milking the tourists now than they earn harvesting rice. There’s an entrance fee, which is fine, but if you want to walk, every time you pass someone’s house you have to pay a donation fee. I don’t blame them but if you want to see Rice terraces, there are many other places to go where it’s still authentic and not just a tourist trap.  Check out Sagada, Philippines  or Banaue and Batad, Philippines.
Next we visited a temple, again full of tourists. Darta took us to an orchid garden but the admission was too high so we passed.
It was an interesting day and we saw a bit of Bali, which was our goal. It’s a great place to go if you want to relax and eat. Food is good and you can find lots of cheap options. Otherwise, I found it expensive and crowded. This is still low season and tourism is down due to recent volcanic eruptions. It must be NUTS when there ARE lots of tourists!

 

 

From Sabang to Penang: A Traveler’s Adventure

Previous post: Sabang, Pulau Weh

Sunday February 25th, 2018

Today was interesting. Our Garuda flight was supposed to depart at 12:05. At noon they cancelled it. Fun. Sue went to get the bags and I made a run for customer service. I still ended up behind a group of about 16 people. I figured they’d end up getting the last seats on the 1:30 pm Wings flight but I lucked out. They just got their money back. Bonus! People were talking about taking the ferry across to a small airport….etc. We had a flight from Medan to Penang at 4:15 pm so that wouldn’t work for us. Since it was booked separately, wasn’t a connecting flight, we’d lose it if we didn’t show. While waiting I was searching for alternative flights.

My turn came and I handed the fellow my information on the flight from Medan.

“Oh!” he said “I will check with my manager!” Off he went.

Upon return he purchased tickets for us on the Wings flight now supposedly departing at 2 pm and told me he’d contacted Medan and told them our situation. Nice! They also passed out cookies and water. That was lunch 😉

When that flight was also delayed…again and again, we pretty much assumed we were going to miss the Penang flight. Just as we were about to board at 3:30 (one hour flight) the young man found me and said

“I talked to Medan. Your flight is delayed 80 minutes. You can still make it”

Wow! It was still going to be tight. Upon landing our luggage was the first on the belt. That never happens! Then we raced to customs; no line up! Next we found the Wings counter as we still needed boarding passes. She had them printed and when we asked about our bags she said to take them on the plane. Wow. We breezed through security even without finding the liquids buried in our suitcases and speed walked to the gate. While going through that securtiy a man approached me and said

“Jodi?” That’s a little disconcerting in an airport where you know no one.

I said “yes?’

He said “Sabang?”

I replied “yes, I came from Sabang”.

He grinned, held up boarding passes and said “Penang. Boarding NOW.” Wow again. That flight cost us $40 each. I haven’t had such service for MUCH more expensive flights.

At this point Sue got flagged for her tiny pair of very dull first aid scissors. Oh well. We were last in line and the very back of the plane but we made it.

The taxi to Georgetown was twice the price we were told. Figures. We should just expect that now. We tried several drivers and it was all the same. By the time we checked in to the Just Inn, we were starving. It was 9:30 pm. A nice young man in the hostel told us where to eat and we tried to find it but they were celebrating Chinese New Year (a two week event) and the streets were packed. We ended up just eating cendal, an icy treat with beans, corn, and sweetened ice amongst other things. It was good, better than the halo halo we’d had in the Philippines.

Chew Jetty, George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia is over 15

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Typical sidewalk in front of homes although you can rarely walk along it as they’re full of stuff.

Monday.

Breakfast was a chore. We headed for little India and finally found the restaurant we looked for the night before. They weren’t serving food yet so we walked on. One place looked promising and a woman called us in to sit down. We ordered coffee and food. The coffee came. The man came back and mentioned the food again. Yes, I want fried rice. Yes, Sue wants the soup. We finished our coffees and waited. After about a half hour we gave up, paid for our coffee and left. The next place we actually got food. I tried a roti with chocolate and egg. Sounds weird but it actually tasted really good. Either that or I was just starving by then.

We wandered down to the water, found the Chew markets and various street art. That’s not as easy as you might think as we walked right by several of them before realizing what they are.

By noon it was stinking hot so we stopped for coconut ice cream, then headed back to the hostel for a rest.

Street art Georgetown, Penang

Street art Georgetown, Penang The tipsy tiger

Coconut ice cream and a game of Jenga

Street art Georgetown, Penang, Malaysai

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang

Chew Jetty, Georgetown, Penang

Tuesday. After breakfast of thosia and mango juice we took our time finding the bus to Penang hill and on the way found more street art. It’s like a treasure hunt finding the paintings. A taxi driver approached us as we neared the bus stop and offered to take us there half price. After some finagling, she convinced us. It was worth the $5 (less than $2 for the two of us on the bus) as Suzie was incredibly entertaining. She pointed out interesting things and, wow, could the woman talk.

“On your left you’ll see the temple. No, you can’t see it now. Wait until the bridge. Oh that lady drives like a chicken! Lah! In November it was flooded up to your waist. Parts of it sank. I didn’t drive my taxi that day. Too much water. On our right is the prison. It was pink. They’re painting it brown. Look how tall that lady is! 7 inmates escaped and they were murderers. The police shot them in front of their wives. They won’t escape again. Oh that lady really can’t drive. Look at that! Lah! I had a woman in my taxi who came from Medan to have an abortion. Bad. Throwing away babies. Look there is Penang Hill!……. etc” Yep, she was VERY entertaining and told us exactly how to take the bus back,and thanked us for letting her take us.

We rode the funicular up Penang hill and spent the next few hours checking out many of the hiking trails. We managed to see one of their huge squirrels and several dusky leaf monkeys. By early afternoon we were hot tired and ready for lunch so enjoyed a Nasi Goreng in the cafe. After wandering a bit more we decided we’d had enough and took the funicular back down. We ended up in the front and the train was packed. The giant cracks in the windshield didn’t make me feel any better about the overpacked train going straight down hill so I looked out the side window and thought happy thoughts.

On the way back from the bus stop we found some more street art and visited different parts of the city We stopped in the mall to cool down and get a McDonald’s ice cream cone. They still do chocolate dipped here. My favourite and only 2 MR (about 70 cents)

By that time it was nearing 7 pm and we were pooped. A convenience store dinner of nuts and beer was just what we needed. Back at the hostel a cold shower was much appreciated. We’re just not into night life.

Dusky leaf monkey, Penang Hill

Dusky leaf monkey, Penang Hill

Dusky leaf monkey, Penang Hill

Giant squirrel

View of Georgetown from Penang Hill

 

Dusky leaf monkey, Penang Hill