The trusty steed took me to Dragon’s Crest out Khao Ngon Nak nature trail which takes you up to a height of about 600m. When you arrive you are encouraged to give a donation of 100 bhat and they will also take you details on a log. Everyone must register and sign in and out which is a good idea.
The trail is rated as hard and I would say that’s true. The trail is easy to follow and looks like a dried up river bed in places. Tree roots and an uneven surface makes it challenging at times. It’s about 3.6km each way but what I noticed today was that you really have no idea how far you are from the end as there are no distance markers and so you must keep plodding on. The other day in Singapore I walked around the reservoir and the distance markers seemed to make it less enjoyable and I also felt more tired, even although the walk was a lot easier than today’s.
I took a few selfies as you do but was not as keen as others that were getting so close to the edge. For me the walk is the challenge and the goal, not to trying to get a picture of me doing a hand stand on the edge of a sheer cliff. I left before I got caught up in a potential disaster.
I rode about 100 km today and I’m feeling pretty knackered. The head wind at times was really strong and so I had to hang on tight, but I made it back to the restaurant where I hired the bike and had a late lunch dinner and now I’m sitting outside enjoying the sunset and cool breeze.
Day one was very lazy, had a wander around the place and then back for a siesta. I set my alarm for one hour but didn’t hear it go off because my Bluetooth headphones were still connected and were in my bag, but I guess I needed the nearly three hours that I was snoozing for.
I did go out for a walk in the evening for an hour and then back to the hotel. Spoke at some length to our Egyptian host.
Today I went to Tiger Cave and temple. The temple is on top of the hill and you have to climb 1237 steps to reach the top. Now it’s still winter here but the temperature is over 30c. I was covered from head to toe because I hired a motorbike to get around for a couple of days, I didn’t want to end up like the many tourists that are wearing virtually nothing catching the sun. Even when they are riding the bikes there is so much skin on show.
You are warned before you climb to be aware of the many monkeys that roam around. They will steal anything they can get there hands on and they are very capable of unscrewing the top from a water bottle or anything else for that matter.
The stairs are very steep, in fact unnaturally steep which makes the going slow and of course the monkeys are lying in wait. When I went up this flight of stairs there would be about ten of them. I wore my backpack on my front and put everything inside it. I stepped over two monkeys and then this one grabbed my trouser leg and then my backpack, I slapped it hard on the shoulder, it’s wee eyes told me it did not expect that… I slapped it again and it let go and I also told it to bugger off. It crawled away with its pride in tatters. From my left I heard a woman saying, “he hit that poor monkey, I like monkeys” seconds later the same voice said “its taken my water”
A small snigger and onwards and upwards trying hard to not look at the number on each of the landings and then before you know it I was at the 1000th step. A quick breather and a slug of water and then the final push to the top.
The view is spectacular but the top was so busy that I made my way down after ten minutes or so.
So many people on the way up looked like they were about to have a heart attack and I wonder how many do, it’s a tough climb.
I headed for fossil beach, apparently there are fossils there. The 200 bhat entrance fee stopped me in my tracks after I went on line to read a few reviews and look at a few pictures. I decided I would rather spend 200 on lunch.
Ao Nang Beach was my next port of call. A beautiful tropical beach, picture perfect. The planet has turned up and so I left. I was imagining lunch at the beach before the long ride home but it was not to be.
I returned to Krabi old town and had lunch and then back to the hotel to where I am at the moment swinging on the chair watching the world go by on Hogmanay. I believe it will be a very quiet evening for me. I’m not sure what Krabi is doing for me year but I won’t be going too far from home.
I checked out of Johor early and headed to Chiangi Airport. It’s an amazing airport and there is a lot of things to keep you amused while you wait for your flight. I haven’t been here for many years and it’s changed quite a lot.
You can go to the Chiangi Jewel, which is where you can spend many hours feeding your face or just wandering around looking at the HSBC glass waterfall or the maze or canopy walk, you can even see a movie.
The flight is short but no matter how short the flight we still have to get on board and it never ceases to amaze me how thick as pig shit many of the passengers are, for example….. let’s try and find my seat. Oh what number does my boarding pass say? 34 that must be near number 1 or 2 shouldn’t it. This must be one of the easiest things to do when flying, I mean you have managed to find the airport, checked in, got to the correct gate and you have also approached the guys at the boarding gate to see if the plane is boarding yet even although there are about two hundred people sitting waiting in the lounge waiting to board the same plane that you are asking about……… Breathe in, breathe out!!!!!
This is course is a consequence of cheaper air travel and will only get worse even although the facilities and services on offer are better. levels of customers will also increase, this is all to do with the natural selection phenomenon of today, the planet is becoming more stupid even although we have got access to more information than at any other time in history. In days gone by they would have never survived to their twenties and we as a species would be better off a result.
There was one Russian family and the macho father wasn’t happy when the young Thai security officer told him that he had to fill out an arrival card. Because of this slight detour he had lost his place in the queue, but that did not stop him from jumping the queue and pushing in…. Can’t lose face in front of your wife and two sons after all.
Even although he was through before me the baggage god gave me my bag first and he was still waiting.
I always feel like the tourists are just lambs to the slaughter when you arrive at a small airport because you have no options and have to run with what’s on offer even although everyone concerned knows that the prices being charged are too much.
Note to self, remember that inflation is part of the problem and don’t get upset when everyone is asking you the same question. Remember that you do know the answers but because you have had very little sleep and you are just a grumpy miserable old bastard due to your travelling companions…. Try to keep clear headed when buying the sim card or the taxi, because due to your stupidity you picked the wrong ones.
The hotel looked good on the Agoda website and the reviews looked favourable but I didn’t really enjoy the hotel. I guess the price was a little too good to be true. The location is not the best for my purposes but that was my fault. There are nightclubs and pubs nearby that party all night long and so I didn’t sleep well for two nights. I asked them to change my room and they did.
The next morning however there was water coming through the bathroom ceiling and I had to change to another room.
I finally ended up on the top floor in an a joining room to a suite. The doors between were locked of course but this did not stop the smells and the noise from filtering through. Mind you I did sleep not too bad and the bed was comfortable.
The hotel is old and tired and I’m sure in its heyday it was the place to go but its four star standing is a bit high.
So now I’m back at the border crossing waiting for the train this time, I managed to buy a ticket online and so I hope that this is an easier process than the bus. I’m heading to the airport for the next leg of my journey where I’ll catch a plane to Thailand. It’s good to be moving on.
A late start to the day before I returned to Singapore. I was going to have a lazy day because I was knackered from the day before, but my two day pass ran out today so I had no choice really.
I thought that staying in Johor Bahru and going to Singapore each day was a good idea because it’s so much cheaper but alas the immigration process is now very painful and so I would say that unless you are prepared to waste a few hours each day crossing the border then give it a miss. I came here 6 years ago and it was never this busy and you were through in about thirty minutes or so. Now many Malaysians travel each day for work and so the process time is easily more than hour each time and yesterday it was close to an hour and a half.
So yesterday I wanted to go for another walk. I had all these ideas in my head of where I would visit, The Gardens by the Bay for example, but I decided that a walk in nature was for me. It’s about 13km around the reservoir and there are many other tracks you can explore. There is a tree walk where you can walk in amongst the canopy. You will see a few animals if you are lucky. Many different birds, wild pigs, gonna, monkeys of course and some small black squirrels.
My legs were not as fresh today as they had been the day before and so it took a bit of time to get into my stride. I was walking very slowly but it didn’t matter I had plenty of time and maybe because of my slow pace I managed to see many animals along the way.
Years ago I’d been told to go to Bugis Street, or as I had been led to believe it was called “Boogie Street” It was an old market but now it’s just full of tacky tourist trinkets and food stalls and so I passed through and walked to Raffles Hotel on the way to the metro so that I could begin the long journey home. Maybe next time I’ll stay here.
The immigration process was painless at this time of night but the traffic is really really bad and it’s pure gridlock. To do this everyday would be soul destroying but there are many that have to do this everyday for work. As I sit here in my room at the moment I can see the causeway that goes between Malaysia and Singapore and it’s looking like a car park.
You take a bus to the border and then get off to get processed leaving that country. You then jump back on a bus to go the next immigration check point and get back off to be processed. Once processed you have to jump back on another bus or the same one if you are lucky and all the time you are in competition with a few thousand people. Once we navigate the bus queue it’s then up to the bus driver to do his part and that isn’t always that easy. It would be quicker to walk but if you do it means walking along the side of the road which is way too dangerous but many risk this option. I have one more crossing to do and that will be tomorrow when I go back to Chiangi Airport.
Up at the crack of dawn, I’m heading to Singapore to see the solar eclipse. The border crossing was terrible, it was rush hour. It took around two hours to get through to the metro station of Woodside in Singapore. I bought a tourist pass and then I headed to the Science Centre to try and buy some Solar glasses. They place was hoachin’ when I arrived and the bad news was that there were no glasses left. Bugger.
But first lunch
I left and walked for the next hour trying the shopping malls nearby but nothing. The eclipse had begun by this time and then I saw a guy wearing the glasses, he offered me a look. I was surprised to find that I could barely make anything out. I thanked him and headed back towards the metro station. I might as well get near to the transport just in case this is a total waste of time.
I saw a McDonald’s and thought I’d stop in for a coffee. As I stood outside I looked up to the sky through the glass awning and to my surprise I could see the sun with the shadow of the moon crossing it as clear as day. With my polarised specs I could see it perfectly. The awning seemed to be filtering out the glare and so you could look at it comfortably without having to squint. The pictures that I have here were taken on my phone but I took a few on my camera but I haven’t got my computer with me so I can’t download them yet.
A crowd soon gathered and before you know it the eclipse was in full swing. It was an amazing thing to see but for some reason I also expected to have total darkness but I’ve since learned that I witnessed an annular eclipse and not a total eclipse which I hope I will be able to see one day.
Later I went for a 10 km walk and then headed back to the hotel. A busy day but a good day.
I got a bum steer about where to catch the bus from the airport to Johor Bahru and because of this I had to wait over an hour in the heat, not happy Jan. The bus when it arrived was being driven by a doughtery old bus driver that seemed well passed his use by date.
The border crossing was bedlam, the whole population of Johor was heading home for Christmas. Two immigration checkpoints had to be navigated and the officers working there were obviously not happy that they could not go home so they just took their time and didn’t care at the mounting queues of humanity waiting to get through.
Once through you have to find your bus again that takes you to the station, easier said than done and even more difficult when one is having to lug around a rather large suitcase.
When I was finally free of the bus I then had to find my hotel. According to Google it was on 30 mins away if I walked. I saw two security guards and asked them where I could get a taxi or was it just as easy to walk? They suggested the walk might be easier than getting a taxi this evening. They pointed me on my way and I checked Google maps once more and all seemed OK.
I headed off and incurred my first obstacle which was how to get out of where I was. Again I was assured go this way and follow the bike lane and then turn right at the lights and all will be hunky dory. Now remember I’m lugging a very large case. After ten mins I’m thinking this ain’t a good idea. I flag down a taxi and he doesn’t stop. I continue to walk along the path until the bike lane merges with the dual carriage way and then I’m fucked, on two fronts literally…… I can’t continue and I’m knackered. I have no choice but to turn around. I retrace my steps and try heading in the opposite direction towards the Shell petrol station but then I discover it’s on the other side of the road which I can’t cross.
I go down a side street because Google tells me I can get back to the bus station, but I can’t. I pass a factory with a gate house and ask the security guard if he can call a Grab taxi for me because I don’t have a sim card for my phone yet. He doesn’t understand and offers to dial the number of the taxi on my phone.
I head off again to where I saw a small food stall because I haven’t eaten in hours and have had no water since the cup of tea that I had on the plane, I’m feeling a little bit desperate and wonder if I’ll ever make it to my hotel this evening. It’s now close to 9pm.
I ask the guy in the food stall if he could order me a taxi and I explain my situation. No one has the app for GRAB. I said it doesn’t matter, any taxi will do. After a few minutes the guy from the bike shop next door comes over to ask what the problem is and then he offered to drop me at my hotel, I couldn’t believe it….. I was finally going to get to my hotel.
My chauffeur Jack told me that he had seen me walk passed earlier and that’s one reason why he offered to take me. He could see that I was a bit stuck and in a bit of trouble.
Ten minutes later I was saying thank you and good bye to my new friend Jack as he dropped me at the front door of my hotel. And so is this me getting paid back by Karma for losing the plot on the plane when I asked the couple next to me to stop sniffing or is it just my own stupidity for not getting a sim card and then I could have just called a taxi like I do when I’m in China.
It took me almost as long to get from Chiangi Airport to me hotel as the flight did from Shanghai to Singapore.
I can’t believe the amount of sniffing and snorting going on around me on the plane coupled with the taste of Pigsty in the air.
Nobody covers their mouth when they sneeze or cough they just share it with everyone, this is one Chinese habit that drives me insane.
I asked them to blow their noses and she got very upset with me but I think it’s because I said “Jesus Christ can you just blow your nose” “Don’t use his name she said, that’s not nice” I told her I was sick of listening to her and her son sniffing for the last five hours and I’ve had enough ” Then it was a bit of tit for tat affair after that but I think that both understood me this time.
I think I see a pig here too
I guess the older I’m getting the less tolerant I am becoming but the Chinese can hasten that process.
I arrived in shanghai last night so that I did not have to worry or struggle about getting to the airport on time because I had an early flight going to Singapore. I’m currently on the plane so so far so good. I arrived at the airport a little after 6 am and it was just waking up. The security check was swift and painless as I entered the terminal. Check in was also smooth apart from one Chinese woman trying to skip the queue but she stopped when she saw my friendly face.
I got a window seat which makes a change and this is great because I’ll be able to rest my weary head. Passport control went smoothly and I also confirmed the last date that I can enter China and when I can stay till. Useful information. The last security check was also swift and smooth and before you know it I was through and then had to find the all important coffee because I hadn’t had a cup since yesterday morning. I’m afraid I had to settle for Starbucks but it was the lesser and cheapest of evils on offer.
I went to the gate and was so glad that I had bought my almond and raisin bread at the 85C Bakery yesterday. I found a comfy seat and settled in for the 90 minute wait till boarding.
Beside me there is a mother and son, the mother is irritating. She is sniffing and won’t blow her nose. Her breath is foul, not sure when the last time those babies saw some Colgate.
Shortly after writing this the son begins to snort as well, the next two hours are not going to be easy.
The flight at the moment is quite rough, the turbulence at times makes it feel more like a roller-coaster, but at least we are getting our money’s worth.
Just before lunch was served I asked the woman next to me if she would like a tissue to blow her nose and she told me that she had an allergy and not too worry because it was not a cold, she obviously doesn’t understand the inference of my question, however the sniffing seems to have eased a little and so maybe I might have made her aware of the racket….. I just need to find a toothbrush and toothpaste now.
It’s at times like this I can understand whole heartedly why buying a Learjet seems such a wonderful idea, if only.
Lunch was so so, pork and rice. A very sweet dessert which I left alone and a bum role and tea, just enough to make it to Singapore and then I can seek out some tasty morsel after I arrive at my hotel which might take a wee bit of time.
I’ll be looking forward to having a shower when I check in, the hotel I stayed at last night wasn’t so good and so I only washed the oxters and face and splashed on some anti pong before checking out. But if I am a bit on the nose then maybe that explains the smelly sniffing wuman beside me.
I went to Tianpingshan this weekend which is the first time for a few weeks and it was good to be out of the city once more. The mountain was looking rather bare in places which allowed me to see it a different way. The paths look different and the lay of the land has new colours. I came across a new path that I had not seen before and only stumbled upon it because I could see through the trees and see a few colourful hikers climbing up a large chunk of smooth rock with a slight resemblance to Bald Rock in Australia. It was certainly challenging in places as it was quite easy to lose traction,which I did a few times and I ended back where I started, but it was good to try a different route.
The mornings are fresh and sometimes there is a light frost but the last few days the temperature has risen and it feels very mild. The sun has been shining and is supposed to until the end of the week and then the rains will arrive or maybe snow if we are lucky, but I won’t be here because the following week I’ll be heading to Singapore for my visa run, where I am hoping to see my first solar eclipse.
In the park in the mornings we have the usual crowd of misfits. There are the dog walker’s that colour coordinate with their dogs coat and some wee dogs even have little boots on. There are many that come and walk slower than a sloth and watch the phone as they perambulate and every so often an arm will twitch or stretch so that they can actually not lie when someone asks them about the morning workout. Many just stand with legs stretched, hooked around a bar at shoulder height and they too will be watching their phone.
One guy leaves his backpack on the park bench and then walks around the park for almost an hour. Leaving a bag unattended in China does not seem to bring with it any concern or worry from the public; they don’t even seem to think it is at all strange. Can you imagine doing this in a western country, the moment you walk off someone would call the police and by the time you had completed one circuit your bag will have been cordoned off and the park would be getting cleared or there would be a robot moving in to dismantle.
Yesterday I went to the bank to buy some currency, which is usually a straight forward process in many countries………but not here. I had gone in a few days earlier to order the money which is ok but then the process seems to take forever. I hand over my passport and my bank card, it’s my local bank and they know me. They fill out the details on the computer and then I enter my password, we do this a second time and a third time and in between all of this my bank card and passport are photographed and scanned multiple times. I was in the bank for nearly 30 minutes just waiting to buy $400 US. This is the maximum amount that I am able to buy in one transaction in China. When I did my visa run to Korea a few months ago I went into the bank there to change some money and it took all of about 5 minutes and they didn’t want to see my passport, so so different. China seems to watch everything that you do in great detail. It seems that things are signed, countersigned and then done in triplicate before being complete. A friend of mine was kind enough to go to the bank and change some cash for me but she said that she too got asked 20 questions as to why she wanted the money.
And so one more week to go of routines and having to put up with Sissi’s mother who is just driving me mad, I’m really looking forward to a break from China and to taste a little bit of freedom and of course having a really tasty Indian curry when I get to Singapore.
