Keeping it Together in Malaysia

Feeling incredibly ill in KL. We have been sick for ages, the worst of it was during our last days in Laos. But it's still hard to get motivated and nearly impossible to eat. This is a huge shame as Malaysian food is meant to be fantastic.

Our hostel, Anjung II, is very nice though quite basic. Luckily we booked our own room with AC so it's possible to escape when the humidity gets intense. Unfortunately there was a water shortage today and the city shut off all running water. NO showers. MISERABLE.

The only thing we have been up to is visiting the Petronas Towers. We've been there three times in two days. The skybridge walk was good fun. Jessica detailed the scenes of Entrapment that were filmed around the landmark.

Tomorrow we fly to Medan in Sumatra and make our way to Lake Toba.

Menu Items

Eggs with Another Thing's Inside
Prawn Dance
Tiger Cry
Crap Soup
Scrabble Eggs
Mixed vegetables with Oyster Sauce (though still "okay for vegetarian")
Furry Whiskey
(Birdie)

There were lots of reasons to cry while we were in Laos, but I'd prefer to remember all the menu items that made us laugh. Now a brief game of catch-up:

Luang Prabang was a gorgeous city tucked into the surrounding mountains and cut into a peninsula by the rivers that formed its border. The food was good, the people were lovely; we did not realize how good we had it.

Ahead to our exit from Luang Prabang: Vinyl deathtrap-rocket. Sitting in a mobile sauna. Blasting off on the road from Luang Prabang to Vientiene. Spewing bolts and spraying dust. We skidded along the edge of the cliffs, dodging motorbikes and honking enthusiastically at anything with movement.

Vientiene=nightmare. Walked around dreading a night in our stuffy cubicle. Tried to find some restaurants with more to offer our vegetarian than "mixed vegetables with oyster sauce". Found a bar offering "eggs with another thing's inside". Decided against that bewildering option and finally ate Indian for the third night in a row. It was Ross' birthday so I gave him the bone carving necklace I made in Rangitukia, New Zealand. Tears and sad speeches ensued. Next morning Kip and I rose before dawn to venture out to Pha That Luang, a large temple at which a yearly festival is held. 200,000+ monks waiting for alms from about twice as many people. Something to behold. We waited about an hour and a half for the chants and praying to begin then we started to leave as the alms-giving commenced as it was obviously going to become chaotic. I tried to snap some photos, but nothing could possibly capture the scale on which this celebration took place.

As we walked back to our guesthouse I started feeling nauseas which I read as hungry. I rented two double rooms in a posh guesthouse as a present to Ross and an escape for Kip and I from the miseries of the grey, lifeless city. After settling in, we grabbed some lunch at a harmless looking cafe. I felt sick immediately. I spent the whole remainder of the day in bed, sending Ross and Yoko to buy bus tickets to Pakse for 7am the next day. Unfortunately that night, well 4am actually, I passed out in the bathroom. I woke up under the sink, which greatly disturbed me. My lip was bleeding, my nose sore and my head aching. I started to cry loudly. I think it was more to assure myself that I was still alive than to get attention. I tried to sit up and fell backwards blacking out again though still wailing. Kip came in and I managed to sit up and ask her to get Ross. We would have to postpone the departure.

It took another day to recover. We set out for the bus with low expectations. They were not met or exceeded. It was an uncomfortable 11 hour ride, with about 10000000000000 stops for food. It seemed that we would barely pull away from a road side vendor when the brakes would screech us to a halt and we'd be waiting for the masses to purchase more sticky rice, birds-on-sticks, frogs-on-sticks, furry whiskey, egg with chicken fetus inside, on and on. The food stops extended the trip a good 2-3 hours. No exaggeration.

After a night in Pakse we headed off on a bus to Don Khong, the largest island in an archipelago in the Mekong, Southern Laos. It was a quaint, friendly area and we felt great relief to be in a hospitable place. We rented bikes for a leisurely ride one day and took a boat trip to spot the irrawaddy dolphins another. Kip and I managed to see five dolphins dipping in and out of the water. It was a poorly executed boat trip in a vessel loud enough to deafen the earless, but just to see them was exciting. There are only around 100 left in this river because of "explosive fishing" in Cambodia (basically a charge is detonated underwater which kills everything within range) so it felt special to see five. It was Ross' turn to feel ill that day, so he missed that part of the trip unfortunately. Hopefully we will go back there one day when we can see Laos in a more relaxed and optimistic way. Overall I believe the country has a lot to offer, we just happened upon some unfortunate people and occasions. I do want to see more of the north and perhaps return to 4,000 islands for more exploration.

It was so good to cross the border back into Thailand. We were embarrassed, but overjoyed to see a 7-11. Just the thought of all that "safe" food made us giddy. We took an overnight train from Ubon Ratchathani but they only had 3rd class seats which meant sitting up the entire 11 hour journey. Agony! But we survived. Ross went straight to an ATM when we arrived into Bangkok's Hualumphong station and figured out that he had more money than he originally thought, but less than he really needed. He and Yoko opted to stay in Thailand and spend some time in the islands.

Kip and I wasted no time getting to the bus station and hopping on bus for Aranyaprathet. From there we crossed the border into Poipet, Cambodia. This border just gives me the creeps. You feel like something bad could happen at any second. There are massive casinos that loom above you with dangerous distraction, children begging and, if you let them, pocket-pinching, men trying to shout at you, touts trying to bargain with you, dogs trying to infect you. Lonely Planet says simply "it's a hole". I think it's worse than that, but that's a good way to sum up. We rented a Toyota Camry and driver to take us the 3.5 hours to Siem Reap. We are here now, well-fed and grinning. It is lovely to be here. It's a blessing to be healthy. I adore Cambodia and can't wait to tell you all about Angkor Take Two!

`It was the best butter,' the March Hare meekly replied.

This is a time when keeping a food journal would prove most useful. I have become violently ill, most likely due to something I ate. I won't go into the gross details, but last night whilst in the bathroom I fainted and fell under the sink, bloodying my lip and knocking my head. When I awoke I started to wail and passed out again, this time falling backwards into the shower. I asked Kip to go upstairs and get Ross. It was four in the morning and we were meant to be leaving in a few hours to catch a 13 hour bus to Pakse. I told him there was no way I would be able to get on a bus and survive that kind of journey. So we're in Vientiene for another night. There is a lot to catch up on, I just can't do it right now.

Where am I today, I wish that I knew

We are in Chiang Mai and I can not say how glad I am to be out of Bangkok. Our "VIP" bus ride was such a disappointment! It was not even comfortable and the treats were seriously lacking. We had been very badly sunburnt in the kayak and because we were sitting on the bus for so long our feet and ankles swelled up. We had hobbit feet. I kept having panic attacks that my legs would explode. I don't know if travel insurance covers exploding appendages. Have to look that one up.

The three of us took an overnight train to Chiang Mai and it was lovely. Being on the train is so relaxing for me. It was good to lay down fully to ease the swelling. The metrical flow of the tracks always lulls me. The rhythm is steady, like a certain lullaby and slowly, gently I drifted to sleep. A second train glided by like a secret. It rushed up unexpectedly, with seeming urgency, and left whispers on the tracks. Passing trains leave no trace and you feel that you couldn't explain what has happened to anyone who hasn't heard the secret too. When the sun rose I sat in my bunk and watched the northern hills roll by. Ross climbed down from his bunk and we sat together looking out the window into the jungles of Thailand.

Our first night here Kip and I went to the monk chat. We each had several monks to talk to and they were so pleased to sit and answer any mundane question you asked. Both of my monks were from Laos, so I even got travel tips from them! As we stood up to leave a passing monk said, "Why are you leaving? You got a hot date?" !!! Where do they learn this slang? That comment will keep coming up between Kip and I for a long time, I'm sure.

Yesterday we went to Doi Suthep. It is high in the hills with a panoramic view of the valley and a peaceful tiered temple. The bells hanging from the roof jingle when a breeze picks up. There are many open buildings with numerous buddhas whose feet are awash with lotus blossoms and incense. It's a place to comfortably sit for hours and focus your energy on productive thought.

We have moved on from our first guesthouse (Five Star House; just the name not the reputation). We were told we had to leave unless we booked a trek. It wasn't rough leaving as the place was pretty ordinary and they didn't even allow "lady joiners" (what?, indeed). There is a rumour going around town that Tinar, the hostess, is really a man.

It's our third day in Chiang Mai and we have bought too many things already. Our packs are begin to weigh us down like there is a 13 year old in a papoose on our backs. Must find a way to fix this...

now i know how a roasted chicken feels

I've been incredibly sick the past few days. I think it's the flu, which seems to be going around here. I am in Bargara, just south of Airlie Beach trying to recuperate. I was supposed to leave for Hervey Bay today to head out to Fraser Island, but now I think I will skip that all together. My whole body is just aching and I slept for maybe two hours last night. It was horrible. My head was dizzy with one of those fevers that you think "My head is just going to explode. My brain is surely frying." Nightmare.

Other than that... this resort is a beautiful place to rest. I'm staying in my own apartment, which is marvelous. There's even a sauna here. Movie channels and miso soup. A certain cure.

I miss my own pillow and the opportunity of a bath.