Miss Traveler » postcards 2010 http://misstraveler.com Postcards from a curious soul Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:51:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.22 yellow rubber ducks and white water http://misstraveler.com/postcards/yellow-rubber-duckswhite-water/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/yellow-rubber-duckswhite-water/#comments Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=97 Hello,

it was so good to get out white water rafting today. So many funny moments, like when tree branches pulled one person out of the boat, so we grabbed an ankle each and pulled her back, with her head dragging in the water. The guide tricking us to tip over at the rapids(failed), trying to get the guide into the water (failed), tree branches managing to snag a paddle so we spent 10 minutes chasing it downstream (success). Earlier, we had to split up into 2 boats so the girls in the other boat reported that all the guys in their boat quickly put their paddles up and sat inside when the guide shouted “forward” (paddle) leaving the girls to do all the paddling. After the trip, those guys asked the girls out for a date and .. speechless…hmmm anyway guys who know how to use a paddle are more appealing :p

Such a good day, we had 1 guide instead of 2 so me and Bel got to do a bit more steering and paddling. It was pretty hard to paddle and video, so at one epic rapids I pushed the camera in my jacket… and I don’t know what happened next, but suddenly 4 out of 6 of us were in the water :p It’s in the video. By the way, two of the girls in the boat actually don’t know how to swim :S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvflW-im6p0

Enjoy x
Shi

ps: song is Tom Vek, Green lights.

]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/yellow-rubber-duckswhite-water/feed/ 0 Lombok Travel Journal http://misstraveler.com/postcards/lombok-travel-journal/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/lombok-travel-journal/#comments Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:30:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=96
Lombok Travel Journal
Thurs, 9th Sept 2010
SilkAir Flight brought us from the energetic efficiency of Changi Airport Singapore to the small local airport in Mataram, Lombok where we would begin our adventure to climb Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s 2nd highest mountain at 3,726m or 12,224ft high. After being picked up at the airport, the guide briefed us at the hotel about the plan for the next 3 days.
The Mount Rinjani hiking plan.
Day 1: Drop off at Sembalun.Meet porters and guide. Trek across grassy asavannah to the foot of the mountain. Camp at plateau, start at 2am for the summit sunrise.
Day 2: Back to base camp then to Sagara Anak Lakeside and the hot springs.
Day 3: Descend the mountain for pickup from Senaru to Sengigi for some beach time!
Friday, 10th Sept 2010
We are up nice and early to make the 3 hour drive to Sembalun. It’s the first day of Idul Fitri which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadhan, so many families are on their way to the mosque for prayers. Despite the bouncing of the van, I manage to drift into slumber. I’m awakened when the van stops for our first view of Mount Rinjani that we will soon meet. The guide points out a cloud on the mountain and informs us that there is where base camp is located. To my eyes, that looks very, very, VERY high up. Gulp.
After picking up our porters and guide, we start walking through grassy fields. The small villages and paddy fields slowly melt into vast stretches of grassy savannah. There is a desolate, wild and untouched beauty to the landscape. I’m starting to enjoy the walk and soon after, we make our first stop for lunch. All the food is cooked for us on the spot by our guide/cook. In fact, we only realize how fresh the supplies are when we hear clucking coming from the porters’ bags!
After 2 to 3 hours of walking, we finally arrived at the foot of Mount Rinjani. Alas, the gently sloping hills had to end sometime and so we began the real grunt work of climbing Mount Rinjani. There was a fair bit of heavy breathing, teeth gritting, possibly a tear or two and most certainly a lot of sweating. After several hours of climbing, we turned around to see the most beautiful rainbow over the vally. It was as if our legs had a new strength and we bounded up the last 10 vertical meters to the view from the crater’s plateau overlooking the Sagara Anak Lake, just as the sun dipped below the horizon.
After the sunset, the remaining light started fading quickly and the thick clouds enveloped us as we hurried along the narrow path to the campsite on the plateau. It would be an extremely early start tomorrow at 2am and our legs were screaming for rest and our stomachs growling for a hot meal.
The night passed in a blink of an eye and it was soo time to ascend to the summit. Mount Rinjani is known for its difficult climbing conditions, where the sand on the slopes causes climbers to slide back 2 steps for every 3 steps we take. We are no exceptions and after several hours, it became a battle of willpower and stamina. The sun peeked out behind the mist and bathed the valley and lake in color.
The view was good, but it couldn’t compare to the feeling of accomplishment that we’d made it. In the daylight, I could see how the narrow paths fall away to drops hundreds of meters down. To descend we slid and glided down the sandy slopes as if we were skiing on dry land. A hot cup of tea sure felt good back on flat ground!
Since it was too late for us to continue to the Sagara Anak Lakeside which would have been our next base camp, we stayed where we were and took the opportunity to visit the small fresh water spring which provides the camp’s fresh water, play with the monkeys, build a fire and stargaze until the fire died. Not rushing to the lakeside meant that we could enjoy the view. The next day’s sunrise was spectacular.
Being up on that plateau was a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy eht most amazing natural spectacles including a night sky stuffed with constellations of stars that are never visible in the brightly lit cities and the opportunity to have conversations with friends away from the distractions of mobile phones and mp3 players. But 2 nights were long enough without running water and flushing toilets so with a fair degree of anticipation we packed up and descended the same way we had come.
At the beautiful Santosa Resort at Sengigi Beach, we stayed in the hot showers long enough to turn our fingers and toes into prunes and placed our camping gear into separate bags so that they could release their odours onto any unsuspecting person who opened the bags, such as baggage inspectors and dry cleaners.
Then we set out to sample the famous Indonesian massage and also because we believed that having little Indonesian ladies knead our sore legs and feet into a soft pulp would help us the next day. Either way, a good meal was surely deserved. I didn’t manage to get many food photos as the food didn’t last long on the plate once it was served, but it was very delicious and fresh. Thumbs up for the seared scallops and fresh basil pasta.
Lombok really is the stuff that postcards are made of. I really hope that it stays this way.
Our local guide took us to several of the temples around Lombok. Although a majority of Lombok’s population is Muslim in comparison to the majority Hindu population of neighboring Bali, all religions are openly practiced here. We visited the Pura Batu Bolong on South Sengigi Beach. It location is a god place to watch ships come into Lombok. Further into town is the almost 300 year old Meru Temple devoted to the Hindu Holy Trinity. The jasmine flower is the national flower of Indonesia symbolizing purification and is most commonly used during religious rituals. And it smells really good too!
In one of the small back alleys at Meru temple is a family industry for traditional hand loom cloth weaving We were curious to see what was for lunch and our guide didn’t disappoint. The restaurant serving Lombok food had open air pavilions where you could sit cross legged and elevated above the ground. And then the food! A veritable feast of grilled and barbecued fish and “kampung chicken” – chicken that’s been running around the village and organic in the truest sense of the word. With iced honey and coconut drinks, Teh Botol, sambal and steamed rice all around, we waddled with full bellies and sore legs (yes, still sore) back onto the flight to Singapore.
Lombok, we shall be back!
x
Shi

]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/lombok-travel-journal/feed/ 0 holla from hong kong :D http://misstraveler.com/postcards/holla-from-hong-kong-d/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/holla-from-hong-kong-d/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=95 Went to Hong Kong armed with a list of places to eat, train pass, phone numbers of friends to catch up with and a program by the Hong Kong Tourism and I had one of the best trips EVER. Possibly because of the heat (35 C / 95 F) everything passed in a hot, sweaty blur, but there were a lot of awesome food moments, special mention of Tim Ho Wan, US$10 for a michelin star meal! Try their char siu pau..drool. I went by myself on a weekday lunchtime and only waited 15 minutes :)
Free taichi lesson, cruising on a duk ling (authentic chinese fishing junk ) through HK harbor, martial arts demonstration, Macau trip, chilling at the Peak, wandering through Sneaker Street, Mongkok and Tsim sha tsui, hanging out with friends and food, food, food! Strange combo of ginseng in an energy drink at the 7-11.. I think it worked? Really helps if you can speak and understand cantonese because the locals were sooo friendly and helpful and I was so impressed by their customer service and efficiency. Yeah, super good trip. Enjoy the collage!
x
Shi
]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/holla-from-hong-kong-d/feed/ 0 koh phi phi video http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-video/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-video/#comments Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=94 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89rIBCz_Oqs
song is Alice by Pogo

]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-video/feed/ 0 koh phi phi for the weekend http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-for-the-weekend/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-for-the-weekend/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=93 0:00h
“Oh my god, you are down in Koh phi phi for the weekend?”, says the open-mouthed mancunian (manchester, england). “That is…so.. amazing”. I’m not quite sure if he is still here or if it is the mixture of coke, red bull and local whiskey in a plastic bucket talking. As I paint a lightning bolt over his friend’s eye, it does feel like a lifetime since weekend trips walking on cobblestones.
-30:00h
I am trying to hide the silly grin on my face as I push my stuff into my bag.
-24:00h
Into a plane, off the plane, into a minivan, into a hotel on the main strip of patong phuket, trying to ignore the go-go bars and neon lights on the main strip, stare longingly at hotel pool, get some sleep.
-16:00h
The air on the morning ferry to Koh Phi Phi is charged with happy excitement from travellers who have been fed Leonardo di Caprio’s Beach and like me, are anticipating Adventure. The silly grin on my face is out in the open now.
-15:00h
Agent B turns up, fit as a fiddle after 1 month of climbing in Tonsai.
-14:00h
Agent B is complaining about how Koh Phi Phi is not as good as Tonsai and after much pleading from me, he comes with me on the boat tour to Maya Bay.
-9:00h
Our boat is boarded by a pair of hairy pirates looking for food. I jump off the boat, only to look up and see a monkey jumping off the boat on top of me. I scream like a little girl, it lands next to me in the surf and everyone bursts out laughing. I am fed up of being terrorized by furry thieves and scream at a monkey charging at me. He takes one look at the furious hairless lunatic and backs off.
-8:00h
We are snorkeling, it’s the Spanish girls’ first time and I am happy, darting between coral formations and spying on the fat purple moray eel curled up beneath us.
-7:00h
A happy chinese tourist joins our group jumping photo at Maya Bay. She takes a photo with me before leaving. I’m a celebrity, haha…
-6:00h
We are cruising through a lagoon with crystal clear waters and mountains that float in the ocean and go straight up into the sky.
-3:30h
The pad thai, green curry and nutella banana pancakes are happily sitting at the bottom of my stomach.
-3:00h
Irish Paul and Lu from the boat tour run up to us! Come join us, all of us from the hostel are at the Raggae Bar.
-1:00h
Lu from Holland is telling me about the full moon party on Koh Lawang that they are going to. She is the oldest of the group, she says, she is 26 and she wants to do all of this before she gets old and can’t keep up anymore. We watch the muay thai fighters high kick each other, bodies slamming into the ground while the white boys circle the ring and eye up their chances of making it in a fight. Agent B has disappeared.
-0:30h
Agent B magically reappears while we are eating toasted ham and cheese sandwiches at the 7-11. He got a thai massage and it was great, he says.
+1:00h
The young englishman who was knocked out cold in the Raggae Bar Muay Thai ring confirms that it was a kick to the head and not to the chest. His opponent, a hefty irishman and former boxer had unleashed a flurry of precisely aimed blows before the finish, a kick to the head that sent the boy unconscious to the floor of the ring and the locals frantically taking off his protective headgear and shinguards trying to revive him. A tense 5 minutes passed before he got to his feet and walked off the ring.
+2:00h
Agent B and Mancunian are getting “hello sailor” looks from the many young european ladies flitting around Koh Phi Phi. Hanging out with me (the obligatory female friend) has given them a “certificate of goodness” stamped on their foreheads. Or stamped on their derrieres, judging from the direction of the admiring looks that they are getting.
+11:00h
Feeling the sand and shell between my toes. Water is too choppy to snorkel with the black tip sharks. But it’s good to be out in the sun.
+16:00h
“Maman, je veut une ballon noir de le singe” The ferry is full of people.
+18:00h
One of the local girlfriends of the old farangs is staring at me while I eat my noodles and sit with my earphones on.
+20:00h
I am getting “hello hello” looks from old farangs in the airport terminal. Ergh.
+22:00h
Snoozing in the plane. Good night.
]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/koh-phi-phi-for-the-weekend/feed/ 0 Ultra leisure walk and camp around lombok volcano http://misstraveler.com/postcards/ultra-leisure-walk-lombok-volcano/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/ultra-leisure-walk-lombok-volcano/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:30:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=92
Ok.
I can honestly say that before last weekend I had never camped within viewing distance of a volcano that erupted in the last 6 months. Of course if I had known that 7 university students have died doing the same trek or that french, dutch and australian tourists have fallen to their deaths on different occasions, I would have thought that my “extra packing supplies” of a 5 pack of mars bars (2 more than last time!) and a spare sweater, might be insufficient.
But hey, I’m back safe and sound. And lots of pics and memories.
If you have time, more story and pics here:
Enjoy
x
Shi


]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/ultra-leisure-walk-lombok-volcano/feed/ 0 rainforest zipline http://misstraveler.com/postcards/rainforest-zipline/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/rainforest-zipline/#comments Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=91 heyo,
went walking around on ropes, nets and planks and flying down ziplines in a tropical rainforest. Have been kind of busy lately so was good to do something different. No monkeys, I think that we were a bit weird for them! :)
Stay in touch wherever you are x
Shi
]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/rainforest-zipline/feed/ 0 90 seconds on off and under a boat http://misstraveler.com/postcards/90-seconds-on-off-under-boat/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/90-seconds-on-off-under-boat/#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=90
90 seconds of clear waters and fishes for my dear office cubicle dwelling friends :) Surely you can spare 90 seconds in between checking emails, changing diapers, running/biking/swimming 1000 miles, drafting proposals or making plans to take over the world (insert evil laugh here… muaHAHAhahaha…) :D
Oh heck, I know that you just want a photo collage!
Here you go! Take care, wherever you are.
x
Shi

 

]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/90-seconds-on-off-under-boat/feed/ 0 cake, ling ling no loller coaster http://misstraveler.com/postcards/cake-ling-ling-no-loller-coaster/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/cake-ling-ling-no-loller-coaster/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 15:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=89 Hello,
needed to escape because was feeling old so I went to singapore for the weekend. Had a great time with a great group of people. Good company and a local’s view of Singapore. Seafood buffet, art exhibition, Lee Kuan Yew (1st Prime Minister of Singapore) in a golf buggy, Marina Barrage, Singapore sling @ Raffles Hotel, no tickets left for Universal Studio, so roller coaster became electric bicycles, shopping malls, way too much food and lots lots lots of laughs. Tired now. Old people get tired easily you know. Alternate name for email = “birthday weekend”. Enjoy the pic :)
Big love,
Shi
]]> http://misstraveler.com/postcards/cake-ling-ling-no-loller-coaster/feed/ 0 dance dance kinabalu http://misstraveler.com/postcards/dance-dance-kinabalu/ http://misstraveler.com/postcards/dance-dance-kinabalu/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000 http://misstraveler.com/?p=88
Vid of kinabalu trip. Forward away, but please no posting on facebook.. I think that I just want to keep this channel private and not have random people subscribing etc etc
Enjoy
x
ps: Song Tommy Sparks, she’s got me dancing

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