Frolicking in the hot springs of Sg Klah

Friday 9 & Saturday 10 October 2009

We saved some time at Sg Sedim because we couldn’t go rafting so some big boss decided to invite us over to Prai in Penang for tea at his café, Bangkok Station. There was wifi at the place!!! Sheesh city folks. Internet and facebook withdrawal. Those who had laptops went straight at it. Makan pun lupa.

We reached Sg Klah Hot Springs late at night, a lovely resort in Perak managed by Felda. I’ve stayed at their villas two years ago and absolutely loved it! Each villa has its own private Jacuzzi filled with water direct from the hot springs. Talk about luxurious pampering the natural way.

The villas were such a stark contrast to our basic kampong house and we made full use of it. A pity it was only for one night though. The hot springs park closes at midnight so we quickly finished our dinner to go down to the main pool. Almost all of us were down there frolicking under the moonlight. The Indonesians brought a guitar and sang some of their songs while the rest of us just splashed around the pool making fun of each other. The Thais got into it too.

Found wifi at the lobby so stayed there till 2am. There are actual policemen who round the place so they temaned me coz they kesianed me, one single pretty girl all alone at night.

Frolicking under the moonlight

Did some shooting the next morning at the hot springs to feature the facilities they have there. There’s an egg boiling area where you can make quarter, half and hard boil eggs. Dipped my feet in the hot springs and walked on the reflexology path too. Nice. Wished the homestays are all like this.

Gorgeous Villas with our own private jacuzzi

Hot Springs facilities

Walking the tree tops of Sg Sedim

Friday 9 October 2009

We left in the morning to travel further north to the Tree Top Canopy Walk in Sg Sedim, Kulim. The canopy walk is said to be the longest canopy walk in the world, spanning 925m with the highest point at 30m. Each team was given a quiz sheet and we had to search for information concerning the place such as the local names of the trees and where certain trees are located.

Another thing that Sg Sedim is famous for is its water activities where adventure junkies from all over the world flock to its raging waters to tackle its many rapids ranging from grade 1 – 4. Unfortunately for us, the weather didn’t permit us to raft the waters as the local guide said that it was too dangerous because heavy rains can cause the river to swell without warning. Such a pity really as we had travelled all the way. The only water activity the guide allowed us to do was to jump into the river from a bridge and allow the current to bring us back to shore. Oh well, something is better than nothing.

Tree Top Canopy Walk

Sg Sedim

Crazy people jumping from the bridge

My first Malay Homestay Experience

Thursday 8 October 2009

Homestays are becoming an ever popular activity in Malaysia both with the local and international guests as many city folks have never experienced life in traditional Malay villages. Realising the increasing demand for these sort of activities, ANCM Creative together with Kembara Travel & Tours and Tourism Malaysia have invited around 70 participants from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand for an IMTGT Homestay FAM Trip to experience local Malaysian life in villages across Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.

The programme aims to encourage interaction with the village folks, promote local tourist attractions as well as sports tourism through the various ‘eco-challenge’ games organised at each homestay. It will be a whole week of traditional malay culture with limited internet access, not a single drop of alcohol or night life in sight. Good detox for me. Wonder if I’ll survive?

Our first homestay required us to travel six hours by bus to Kampung Raga, a small Malay village in the district of Yan, Kedah. We were greeted in full traditional splendour by the sounds of the kompang and serunai, accompanied by village folks carrying ‘Bunga Magga’ and ‘Bunga Telur’. Three young boys performed a silat demonstration as well.

Silat demonstration & lunch at Kg Raga

There are about 20 families involved in the Homestay Programme and we were divided into groups and introduced to our foster families. Each foster family can take up to five guests, depending on the number of rooms in their house.

Besides acting as a journalist and writing an article on the programme, this would be my first time as a TV host as Juliana, videographer from multimedia came along to produce a few mini snippets for Staronline TV. Wonder if I’ll freeze in front of the camera or forget my lines? Should demand 3 salaries from Star – 1 as a journalist, 1 as a photographer and 1 as a TV host. Haha.

For city folks who have never stepped foot into a village, staying in a traditional Malay house can come as quite a shock. Don’t expect the modern amenities and luxuries of city life – village life runs at a much slower pace. It’s going back to basics and living a simple life. Our foster mum, Umi, said that most of her guests are university and exchange students, corporate and team-building groups from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Korea.

Homestay experience at Kg Raga & my foster mum

Lunch was served on mats by the river before returning to our foster family’s house to get ready for the ‘eco-challenge’ games organised by the village folks. There were a total of 11 teams of four and each team had to complete different challenges involving local cultural elements such as weaving jackfruit baskets out of leaves, making local kuih out of flour, playing ‘Tarik Upih’ (pulling a person on a pinang tree leaf), tug-of-war and catching ducks in the muddy paddy field.

I think I did pretty well in front of the camera. You guys judge for yourself. Still have 6 more days to go…

The night ended with a cultural show by the local village folks playing traditional Kedah music and a nasyid performance by the women village folk. We were invited to try the local instruments and play along with the musicians. It was a cultural night indeed.

Playing traditional games at Kg Raga

Took a pic at the nearby Pulau Dayang Bunting before heading off to Perak

Day 21 : Back to London

Sunday 27 September 2009

Today’s a very sad day indeed as it was to be our last ride back to London and then it’s back to KL for me. Most of us threw our tents away but some brought it back.

British immigration was so shitty that they made us miss our 2pm ferry back to England, making us wait 1 ½ hours for the next one at 3.30pm. We headed to the exact place where our journey started, the bar at the first deck of the ferry. This time, the Contiki family was much larger.

Where it all begin - the bar on the ferry

Reached London at 6.30pm. Some checked into the Royal National Hotel, some said their goodbyes while some just loitered around as Scotty said to meet at the London Pub at 8.30pm for our last drink together. Jerry & Amber had to send the bus back to its depot on the other side of the town.

Since I had no where to go, I joined Belinda & Cobus for drinks at the London Pub while waiting for everyone to arrive. Stayed there till I had to catch my train to Stansted Airport. Was so sad to say goodbye but that’s just the way life is.

Looking forward to a few of my Contiki family visiting me in KL.

Gonna miss my Contiki family :(

Day 19 & 20 : Sex & Drugs of Amsterdam, Holland

Friday 25 & Saturday 26 September 2009

Welcome to Amsterdamage. Scotty & Jerry had a surprise for us that night which was an added excursion to a live sex show in the red light district of Amsterdam. It’s full frontal live sex on stage on rotating love seats aka Austin Powers style. Heterosexual couples, lesbians and interactive acts with the audience by female strippers and a black dude in police uniform. There was even an act by a lady who used her pussy to smoke a cigar. Show lasted for an hour and a half but was a pity that no photos were allowed.

Scotty took us for a brief tour along the narrow alleys where prostitutes strutted their wares at the windows enticing customers into their lair. Drawn curtains meant work was in progress. Accompanied Paulie all around the city as he wanted to check out every single girl. We went for a peep show where you enter a private booth, put 2 euros in and the screen comes up for 2 minutes. Customers can peep like perverts at either a girl or a couple on a turn table. We went to a strip bar too after that where the girls stripped down full monty.

We went back to camp early that night as we were scheduled to go biking along the dykes of Edam early the next morning. Sadly, this was our last camp for the tour. Pitched a separate tent for that night as poor Jerry didn’t have a cabin. Scotty slept under the bus.

Red light district in Amsterdam

Edam is a little town in Holland famous for its Edam cheese. Holland is such a lovely country to go biking in. Almost every single person owns a bike and the bikes we used in Edam were granny bikes, not those mountain bikes where you can do stunts in. There are no brakes. Just pedal in reverse if you want to stop. The highlight of the trip was the group photo at Holland’s icon, the windmill.

Biking the dyke in Edam

We were free to roam back in town. There’s this fast food joint called Febo where you buy food from a hole in the wall. Just put some coins in, open the compartment and walla – your lunch is served. Brilliant!

Walked the streets of Amsterdam and ended up at Baba’s, a famous coffee shop. Coffee shops and cafes are different. Coffee shops are where it’s legal to smoke up and take space cakes/muffins/brownies. There are even communal bongs on the table. Cafes serve normal coffee and tea. I had half a space muffin cause I didn’t want to chance it but don’t think it had much effect, just a slight buzz.

Brilliant fast food concept in Amsterdam

Spaced out at Baba's, a local coffee shop

I managed to meet up with Gerald too, one of the Austrian brothers whom I met with Ivan in Vietnam a few years ago. Some of you might remember them as they came to visit us for my Christmas party in 2006.

Met Gerald after so many years!

That night was our last dinner together and we had a traditional Dutch dinner at a nice restaurant. It was really weird as Asian food was served. It’s because of the SEA influence. They colonized us way back then. I wore my new dress that night, my first dress after 20 days in sloppy camping clothes. Was so nice to feel girly and sexy again. My Kiwi certainly approved!

Our last dinner together as a Contiki family

Day 18 & 19 : Heidelberg & St Goar, Rhine Valley, Germany

Thursday 24 & Friday 25 September 2009

Germany has a dark history to this modern country, the Nazis being the biggest contributor. Their party’s agenda started innocently and admirably enough – to create a unified country for all Germadic people until Hitler decided to annihilate individuals he deemed not worthy, especially the Jews.

To get a feel of how the Jews were treated during that time, we were brought to a Nazi concentration camp where the Jews were kept as slaves and worked to death. It was a sobering experience indeed to see their living conditions and walk through the gas chambers where they were duped to ‘shower’ to death.

A 20 minute documentary revealed the scene visually but the impact it had on me wasn’t what I expected. It could have been filmed in a more personal way but the doc focused more on the numbers who perished instead of personal accounts from the victims themselves.

Nazi Concentration Camp in Dachau

How the Jews lived back then

The bus was unusually quiet as we reflected on the atrocities inflicted by men on men. We reached Heidelberg, a quaint riverside town by the river, in the evening to roam around for slightly more than an hour before heading to camp. I went off by myself and did the most unusual thing ever – I went shopping. Yes, rewarded myself with some gorgeously sexy dresses.

Quaint riverside town of Heidelberg

We drove through the Rhine Valley the next morning, an area famed for its medieval castles. Stopped at a small town of St Goar where we visited a beer stein factory and took pictures of the biggest cuckoo clock in the area. Was so tempted to buy a cuckoo clock but the bulk and price stopped me.

Beer steins and cuckoo clock in St Goar

Day 17 : Munich Oktoberfest - a Festival of Beer

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Today we arrive in Munich, home of Oktoberfest!! I didn’t know what to expect about this much awaited festival that is celebrated all over the world (yea even on our shores) so it was extremely exciting to be at the very heart of it all.

Festive goers would usually dress in their traditional best – girls in their gorgeous dresses which pushes up their boobies and guys in their leather pants. They apparently proudly wear their traditional clothes on a daily basis. We went into town to find some get up for us but it was just too expensive for me, even in the second hand shops. Chucky & Paulie spent like 160 Euros on their outfit each.

Don't they look lovely in their outfits?

If you think Oktoberfest is all about hooligans, drunkards and getting wasted, think again. It’s a Festival of Beer, not a beer festival. The festival goes on for 14 days starting at 11am and ending at 11pm each night. Last call is at 10.30pm. No extension what soever. Elderly locals both women and men come to the festival with their kids to partake in the revelry. There are rides, fun fairs, souvenir stalls, food tents, toys, tobacco shop, and of course, the beer halls. No aggresiveness, no fighting. Everyone is there to have good no-nonsense fun. There were about 9 huge beer halls within the grounds, each the size of two futsal courts.

Oktoberfest - Festival of Beer, not a Beer Festival

It’s extremely difficult to find a table, especially since we were in such a big group so we ported outside the Paulaner tent first. Was nice chatting with the locals and it was so easy to make friends there. You will never feel alone.

The atmosphere inside was much nicer as the Omp Pah Pah bands were playing and they break out in their German Prost (cheers) song every 20 minutes or so. It’s customary to look into the eyes of the people you’re 'cheersing' with else it’s 7 years of bad sex and we won’t want that do we?

Scene in the beer hall

5pm was pretty tame but the scene got wilder as the night progressed and the beers kept flowing. Everyone started standing on the benches and dancing to the music. It was simply intense. Electrifying. Rad. Beers are pretty pricey though, 9 euros for a stein (1 litre). I went through 3 which were not that much really but it sure got me happy.

JB got completely wasted and we lost her as we were heading back home. Turned out she got handed over to the police, then the women’s refuge who gave her money to get back to camp. She made it back in the morning with such a tale to tell.

Partying till 11pm