theboonedoggle

Love this place! As a whole, some of the nicest people we've come across on this entire trip; right up there with Malawians. A lot of tourists skip Malaysia, which was great for us. The really amazing spots have not been completely ruined by tourism and it has afforded us a few weeks of general solitude. The other foreigners we come across here tend to be the sort of 'travelers' we like: those who seek out the more remote locations in an attempt to avoid the crowds; those who will eat nothing but bread and ketchup for weeks to save up just enough scratch for a really good dive; those who will wear their underwear inside-out and backwards before they dare waste precious soap on a wash... people like ME. Our first stop in Malaysia was the Perhentian Islands. Amazingly beautiful! Hands down, the clearest water I have ever been in. Tourism exists here, but not much, so the islands and the coral around them are still generally pristine. We spent five days swimming, snorkeling, r...

We gambled against the monsoon for four days on Tonsai Beach. When it wasn't raining, it was pouring; and when it wasn't pouring, it was just beautiful. We saw much more sun than the season called for, and enjoyed all the benefits of low season -namely solitude. Tonsai Beach is not on an island, but one of a quartet of amazing beaches along the Krabi coast, in an area where the thick jungle and steep limestone terrain make access from the mainlaind a non-starter. The only way there is by longtail boat, a ten-minute ride from Ao Nang. The beaches are surrounded by towering limestone karsts, making this something of a mecca for rock climbing enthusiasts. And there is nothing to do here but swim, snorkel, climb, and explore the thick jungle surroundings. So that is what we did for four days. We have posted pictures to my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026421&id=1009299883&l=43a5edb3c4 We stayed in a little bungalow, about two hundred meters off...

I'm back, baby! If you thought the last few postings were getting a bit anemic (and Tatyana back-filled half the last post), you were dead-on... India sucked the wind out of me, and then kicked the crap out of me... and then it stole from me... and I was a bit tuckered out over the last month. If you ever do go to India, go on a full tank. After four months of traveling, I think we were simply in no mood for it... But now I've got a song to sing, and you're going to get more than you'd like. So, having made the best of our side-trip to India, we booked it to Bangkok for a much needed change. Loved it there. Much of our first impressions of Thailand were tempered by our experience in India, so the things we loved so much about it are very much simple contrasts to the subcontinent... Bangkok is quiet. No doubt anyone who has been there will screw up their face and say 'whaaaa?', but let me explain. Bangkok is busy , yes, but loud it is not. Amidst all the ...