On our arrival in the Cameron Highlands, we noticed one thing.
It was cold!
Continue reading Cameron Highlands, Malaysia – Jungle Trails and a Photo Disaster!
Georgetown on the island of Penang, Malaysia. Funky street art, a big hill, and a funny bike!
We arrived from Thailand in the pouring rain, into our hostel in China town in Georgetown, on the island of Penang, just off the North West of Malaysia mainland. After checking into our very cramped hostel, we thought we’d take a little walk around. Then we spotted this little beauty:
Phi Phi Cats, Thailand
Apart from plenty of tourists on Koh Phi Phi, there are also hundreds upon hundreds of other little residents, much to my delight…………
Cats! Oodles of them! A cat snapper’s paradise. So this one’s for you Gerald, I know how much you love the cats!
You quite often see the shopkeepers tipping out bags of food on the ground for the cats, and you’d also see little ‘charity pots’ on counters labelled ‘Money for the cats’ so I guess they help each other out!
I started snapping the cats as I usually do, but there were so many I dedicated an entire afternoon to finding the furry little friends, lazing about steps, preening and washing, meowing and sniffing around for food, and more lazing about.
One particular kitty that struck a chord in my heart was this little kitten, a poor wee mite with a nasty wound on his leg, skinny as anything. He stumbled across my path, and I couldn’t walk on by doing nothing. I had spoken to a girl in a nearby dive shop earlier, and saw she had cats in there, so I took him in there to see if she could do anything. She dressed his wound with iodine to at least try and stop it from getting infected, and I went to the shop and bought and few pouches of food to give him. He wolfed it down, and seemed to settle in the shop for a little bit, until he took to the street again on his own. It broke my heart to leave him standing in the street but it was all I could do. I saw him the next day sitting on the step which made me happy. The girl in the dive shop said he needed a name, so I called him Oreo. After the next day I didn’t see him again. I hope nothing bad came of him 😦
Little Oreo
Curled up on my lap with his poorly leg
Enjoy!
Yes, that is a painted foot you see!
Goodbye…..
Thailand’s Islands of Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta – Parties, Sharks and Lovely Toilets!
21st – 27th October 2014
After a boat to the mainland, a long minibus ride and then another boat ride, I finally arrived on the island Koh Phi Phi. I hadn’t booked any accommodation and so picked a dorm from the accommodation touts that hound you as soon as you get off the boat. It was ok, and each bunk had a curtain around, which was great for privacy, but not so for socialising as you never knew if there was anyone in their little covered bunk! But I needn’t have worried for I was woken from my afternoon nap (this travelling lark can be tiring you know!) to the shouts of ‘Claire, Claire’, and it was Laura! She’d been on Koh Chang while I had headed onto the islands, so now she’d caught up with me and we prepared to wander the Koh Phi Phi lanes and have some fun. That we did!
Thailand’s Islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
11th – 21st October 2014
On arrival in Koh Samui I wandered to the beach which was only about 50 metres from where I stayed. The beautiful clear waters gently lapped at the shore as the sun was nearly setting. The island was fairly quiet due to it being rainy season, but it had been rainy season for most of my travels throughout South East Asia, and although you get a big downpour every other day or so, the only time it has really been annoying was the washout at Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam!
Continue reading Thailand’s Islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
The Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand
4th October 2014
Before coming to Thailand, I’d already decided I would not be riding an elephant. I had heard horrendous stories of how elephants are tortured to enable them to become the ‘tame’ elephants that are able to be ridden. I didn’t want to support such barbaric treatment of these majestic creatures. After a little research on the internet, I found the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. An ethical park, founded by one lady Lek Chailert, who opened up this sanctuary in 1996. Here you can spend the day learning about the elephants, feeding them, walking with them, and washing them in the river. I was so excited to be going here as I have always loved elephants. I always remember going to the zoo as a little girl, and at the end of the day I would always want to go and see the elephants one more time, and my Dad would always take me back to see them again.
Continue reading The Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bangkok – Prostitutes, stinky markets, and Thai Green Curry
29th September 2014
I would have stayed longer in Cambodia but I was due to meet Stewart who was flying out for a ten day holiday.
First of all we stayed in the Sukhumvit area, and hit a few of the Bangkok bars in the local area. The fact that the first one was called ‘Shag Bar’ should have enlightened us as to what kind of bar it was, yes it really was that literal! Several old white guys with young Thai girls clinging onto them, sitting on their laps etc etc! It was amusing anyway. We left this bar and went to another, only to be met with the same ‘staff’ and clientelle, but what the hell, they were playing good music, the drinks were flowing and we were chatting to some people at the bar anyhow. We were in Bangkok after all, what would your trip be if you weren’t sat in a bar full of prostitutes?!! Pretty sure these were all of the female variety though!
Continue reading Bangkok – Prostitutes, stinky markets, and Thai Green Curry
Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples, Cambodia
25th – 28th September 2014
This, unfortunately will not be the post I had hoped it would be. This is the only section of photos that I didn’t get many back from, and probably the one I wanted most. However, I will always have the experience with me, and maybe one day I’ll get to go back there.
I had managed to already back up the Angkor Wat sunrise photos as they were separate from the others. We got up at silly o’clock to watch the sun rise with Angkor Wat as the backdrop. It was absolutely beautiful. And as expected I took hundreds of pics as the sun came up! Continue reading Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples, Cambodia
A short trip to Kampot and Kep, Cambodia
23rd-24th September 2014
As a one night side trip we got the bus down to Kampot. Well, it was one of their ‘minivan’ buses, which basically means the driver will do the trip in as fast a time as possible. I’d say we spent about 80% of the journey on the wrong side of the road!
Once there we hired bikes and rode down to Kep. Here is where I got my Cambodian tattoo…… Continue reading A short trip to Kampot and Kep, Cambodia
Mr.T – The Drunken Tuk Tuk Driver!
After the harrowing day at the killing fields, the day did a much needed u-turn, and turned out to be an authentic day with a group of Cambodians, who are a fantastically friendly bunch.
It was a national holiday in Cambodia, and Mr.T asked us if we wanted to go to his home village for a party, and he’d bring us back later on, so we jumped at the chance! You are always weary when in these kind of situations, but gut instinct goes a long way in keeping you safe. This guy knew everyone in Phnom Penh, he was talking to everyone and seemed a pretty popular guy in the town. On the way to his village, he stopped at a friend’s house where we got to say hello to her and her baby, and it was pretty evident that this was just one friendly normal guy, and not a mad tuk tuk driving kidnapper! Well, maybe he was mad but certainly not in a horrible way! Continue reading Mr.T – The Drunken Tuk Tuk Driver!
ontheroadwithclaire 