Big Year Out! Cameron Highlands-Tanah Rata

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 6, 2019
Posted in: Malaysia. Leave a comment

 

We Stayed @ Gerrards Place! pics below with the lovely Jay!

We took a Mossy forest trip- took this trip through Jay at Gerrards place; we had an excellent guide who was informed and

passionate about his environment. He thoroughly enjoyed showing us the usual and unusual plants around us in the mossy forest e.g. Picher plants hanging from trees. It was quite do-able and would have been easier if it had not rained continuously the night before, this made it very slippy and muddy at times when climbing through the trees. We really enjoyed this bit even if we were caked in mud round our shoes afterwards.

After the Mossy forest walk, part of a half day trek we were taken to the BOH tea plantations to see the tea leaf making process. This is now a very customer commercial process and you get the feeling that it is primarily put on for the tourists. We did get to see the factory process from sorting, drying, heating and sorting and so forth until you end up with the small black bits we know as tea leaves! The café area was horribly busy and quite overpriced although like me if you just like a mug o tea it didn’t cost more than 1.50RM. The food did look nice and there was plenty of area to sit, it was just full of coach loads of local tourists.

Our next stop was the Butterfly farm, which we were a bit umming and awing about doing this one, as it was on the itinerary anyway and our excellent guide would not let us stop outside. He was terribly excited about what else we would see whilst in there. We got in and were greeted by some stunning plants, some cacti and or course beautiful Orchids. Past these was some glass aquariums with an assortment of bugs and reptiles, our guide proceeded to take samples out for what I can only describe as a “show & tell”. Rhino horn Beetles, leaf insect, millipede and stick insect, along with some scorpions just for variety and no they didn’t bite, but we did sweat except Angela who loves creepy crawlies. There were also some snake exhibits where they were too many for the display or the glass aquariums were too small. Never mind.

Finally we got to the Butterfly house which was much smaller than the one we visited in KL. The butterflies also seemed much dopier, if that makes sense. This is also where we found out that butterflies love Angela as she managed to have a lovely brown mottled one camouflage himself on her brown and white striped shirt all the way out and even hitch a lift out of the enclosure. We did actually manage to get him back in! It was quite nicely landscaped and there were many of the same variety.

This concluded our half day tour around2.30pm and we were dropped back off in town for lunch on our request. Tanah Rata [Tanah-Rata-travel-guide-1099015], a one street high street with Indian restaurants dominating the main thorough fare and a very small Chinese community of restaurants on the other side of the road. All interspersed with tourist tack shops, massage parlours and banks & Pharmacy, in fact everything you would need for a small town. I liked Tanah Rata, people were friendly and we also found a very cheap laundry dobi..

Brinchang

Another good place we visited during our stay in theCameron Highlands was Brinchang [Brinchang-travel-guide-1336131]. Primarily to visit the Cactus and strawberry farm, not both in the same premises. We took a taxi from Tanah Rata to Brinchang, it cost us 10RM each way. First stop the Cactus Farm, which looked like it was up a rough little side street, I remember thinking as the taxi took us up it “there’s no way it’s up here”. But it was, the Cactus farm/shop is set on a small hill overlooking Brinchang, on terraces with small solid concrete footways, so easy for everyone! You enter through the shop, which was closed due to it still being low season. Consequently we also didn’t have to pay for entrance as it was low season; I think it was around 5RM each person. So this became a bit of a bargain visit. After climbing some stone steps we started to see the full extent of the Cactus Nursery (as I will now call it). Rows and rows of cacti, every conceivable type, size, and colour of cactus. Some very mature specimens and some very large specimens. A real feast if you are a cactus fan. Interestingly there is also a view point you can stop and sit at in the Cactus Nursery, there you can look down on Brinchang and the stunning surrounding jungle and see the hideous building work for a new shopping mall that the Malaysians seem to love so much.

A short walk further up the hill takes you to one of the original and older established Strawberry Farms. Many new so called farms have sprung up, clearing and decimating the beautiful landscape as they go. This one is one of the originals and also grows Hydroponics green salad leaves and organic strawberries. Again this visit was free, at the top of the small hill walk there is a lovely café that does very tasty strawberry everythings to eat! Angela indulged in a very large strawberry Sundae I indulged in a Strawberry lassi, yum!

After looking round the shop next to the café that does everything strawberry tack! We wondered back down to the road in search of some lunch. Now whilst Tanah Rata maybe Indian/Malay Brinchang is very Chinese/Malay, we settled ourselves in a really good locals restaurant and ate very tasty food for not a lot of money. Taxi home and guess what? It rains again, just a note it rained everyday without fail in theCameron Highlands, almost around 12 midday onwards. So bring a Mac or as we did buy a cheap see through poncho type that covers your daypack as well and is lovely and long for just a few ringgits.

Another free activity around the Tanah Rata district are the stunning walks, we were only limited by our laziness and eventual discovery that the reason Angela felt so crap was she had Dengue Fever! We did however manage a small four km walk. All the walks are numbered and once again Jay was a hive of information and could give you maps to help you find your way through all of them, we took walk number four. Which was accessed through the town itself. This runs alongside the very polluted river where there are waterfalls (small) and you cannot swim, just as well as it rained! The walk is semi paved with old bricks which seem to break every now and again to allow for tree roots and natural stone to make way for you. I loved it. We continued the walk round as we thought we were so close to Brinchang we could get a taxi back, Wrong! And everything was shut again, we walked what through paths that could have been anywhere in “leafy Surrey” even the buildings reflected “rural England”.

 

We did manage to get to the Sultan Ahmed Shah golf course. Now I know in England this sort of Golf Course would not let the likes of us riffraff anywhere near the door.

 

This one, not so, we were welcomed in to the café restaurant along with other Western and local tourists. The food was good and we had a lovely table overlooking the entire golf course, fab! Equally the lunch prices were not hideous, and we spent sometime there enjoying the surroundings. Taxi was hitched from the side of the road for another 10RM back to Tanah Rata, Luncheon, tired legs and dengue fever took their toll.

 

We did also spend a couple of days doing absolutely nothing, Gerrards place was the sort of place to stay you could do that, coupled with the fact Angela was really not well at all, next stop KL.

The Big Year Out-Impressions of Iran

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Islamic Republic of Iran. Leave a comment

Iran

What can I say….

The welcome and hospitality of the people is immense. As two women travellers we never felt in danger. People were always greeting you with the ubiquitous three questions; “How are you?” “Where are you from?” and “What do you think of Iran/Iranian people?” Some with better English will ask “where are you going?” and “where is your favourite place in Iran?” In particular the public transport staff were always keen to make sure we were on the right bus /train and that we got off in the right place once we reached our destination (i.e. Terminals). They always made sure we had refreshments and knew when to get off for toilet breaks (buses) and always helped us with our baggage.

A special mention goes to the staff at Tehran [Tehran-travel-guide-857632] who were overwhelmingly helpful when we purchased our bus tickets, even showing us personally to the bus and into our seats. Another highlight was on the bus from Kashan [Kashan-travel-guide-1321057] toEsfahan, where the driver and other staff shared their morning tea with us and asked us to sit in the front seats so we had more space. This helpfulness extended to the train staff as well. The train driver from Kerman [Kerman-travel-guide-1309150] to Yazd came and introduced himself to us (Jafra was his name) at the train station terminal whilst we were waiting, and spoke excellent English, he was so pleased that we had come to visit Iran, and again made sure that we were comfortable in our seats before setting off to drive the train to Yazd! Every time the train stopped, he came to find us and explained the delay and finally when we got toYazd he explained to the local taxi driver where we wanted to go (though the driver still got it wrong, but that’s another story)! Iranians have a healthy curiosity about visitors, but it is never intrusive – what is wrong with that?

Yes some small Shops will hike the price of cold cans of drinks up when they see you, but when you go again they ask the right price, and let’s face it; it is not exactly expensive in the first place.

As western women we found that a reasonable tolerance was given to our dress. We did try at all times to respect the dress code required of women in Iran, we always wore our headscarves at all times, which is a pain, more so when you are trying to go to the toilet, or we found most cumbersome when eating a meal. I bought a further scarf in Shiraz [Shiraz-travel-guide-1309152] which was super thin and lightweight and cost a mere £1.70, and felt like I wasn’t wearing a scarf at all. Even better than wearing our heavier ones we had bought in Turkey. We did get along with wearing long sleeved long shirts/blouses and our long lightweight coats, which we had purchased for this trip, remained for the whole in the bags- to be posted home when we got the chance. Esfahan was very liberal, I think because they get so many more foreign tourists than other towns, and shirts that remained long sleeved but just past the bottom were acceptable.

When we visited the shrine of the King of Light in Shiraz, we did have to wear a chador, which was given to us on arrival. I had to put my Camera in a secure cloakroom, and after removing battery and sd card I duly handed over. We were as two women welcomed into the shrine (we were surprised) and allowed into the holy areas that house stunning mirror interior decoration throughout, along with welcome air con. The women showed us where to put our shoes and where the shrine was and welcomed us. As I commented to my Angela, if you “get with the programme, you get the benefits”. It may not be comfortable and it may challenge you moral values as a woman, but if you want to see Iran as a woman, you will have to comply a bit. The benefits outweigh the discomfort.

On the whole we were treated with the utmost respect as foreign travellers and the Iranian people were so pleased to see us. Did I mention the Iranians are the kings of picnics, well they are! Where they have parks or open plazas Iranians gather with and without their families to have picnics, they bring everything, even the burner stove to heat up their tea! You will see them all carrying large bags and blankets, and cool box with some yummy Iranian foods in, don’t be surprised or afraid if you are asked to join them as you pass for a cup of tea, they just want to be friendly.

Btw my camera was returned safely back to me, as always we have found so far here, crime did not seem a big thing, on the whole Iranian people are pretty honest too. Sometimes again a teahouse would hike an extra 40p onto the bill,(touristy places recommended by LP) but to be honest we did not bother arguing as again experience and impression were more important to us than penny pinching to that degree.

Even in Kerman, when we secured a driver through our fabulous hotel, Akhaven, he treated us like royalty. On both visits to Rayen and Mahan, (in one day) and the Kaluts near Shabad, the following day he always made sure we had ice cold water dispensed from a tap on the back windowsill, and even served us tea and very sweet Iranian biscuits. Carried our pack breakfast out to us at the Kaluts, where we sat and watched the sunrise and bought us ice cream at Mahan! He was an absolute gentleman. He in addition took us to an underground water vault in Shafi Abad, on the way back from the Kaluts, which was stunningly huge and echoey? 52 steps down and 52 steps up, and worth the visit. We did promise ourselves a “treat stay/hotel/experience” every 4-6 weeks depending on where and when we were.Kerman was our splurge off our normal tight but flexible Iranian budget. Bearing in mind we had over budgeted by half again before leaving the UK. Yes we paid a bit more for the hotel, but it was amazingly good value, and yes we paid for two car trips out, but they too when compared to UK were amazing value, approx £19, and £23 respectively. Where can you go in the UK and see such stunning natural stunning scenery and man made architecture for such a cheap price. On the whole most of the mosques and public mausoleum/parks museums and parks, or just plain parks cost us little. From as little as 20p! And worth every penny, even a couple that were under restoration.

We are just over halfway through this trip to Iran, (three weeks) and I have not regretted for one moment coming, and if I can afford to I would come again. We only managed to see a fraction of what we would have liked in four weeks. We could have extended but we have deadlines on Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to follow (not entirely our doing). I have sort of fallen in Love with Iran, its people and its places. I miss that attitude of the Iranians, that everyone is welcome and made to feel welcome, not a threat, something we need to remember and are loosing in the UK.

Vali in Mashad was a great guy, he is so knowledgeable and helpful and his wife Esma does actually cook the best food I have tasted anywhere in Iran! Vali’s was our last port of call in Iran before crossing to Turkmenistan, so we shed some 4 kilos of luggage which we dispatched with Valis help through the local major post office, which are usually on the edge of town, but ths one was very close to Valsi Homestay. We were advised that our parcel would take 1-2.5mths. We took one of Valis excellent tours to Hill side village of Kang.

Herbal tea, was just what we needed after the long climb up the narrow streets of Kang

At all times Vali allowed for our lack or levels of fitness, and ability. He was so patient and informative. At no time did we feel rushed. We walked up the winding and stepped, narrow streets looking at the old style buildings that were still very much lived in. The village still has it’s own Hamam. We also visited by arrangement of Vali, a local lady who served us delicious dried fruit, amazing walnuts, and quenching herbal tea. All of course with an amazing view to boot. Living is Kang is a harsh, they are only just getting gas, and most houses do not have their own sanitation. The was not the usual ringing of mobile phones and inside the houses they were basic, lacking modern amenities. The only exception was the presence of satellite dishes so presumably people do have TV. Having said that, it is a very beautiful village, and a strong reliance on locally produce obtained through the hard work of the locals.

We also had some interesting and lively conversations with Vali, he loves to extend his knowledge of the English Language and many referrals to his voluminous dictionary from English to Iranian were made and we had a great deal of fun with him and his family and other fellow travellers who stayed with him.

 

The Big Year Out-Kashan

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Islamic Republic of Iran. Leave a comment

Kashan

Kashan is much smaller than Tehran; we arrived by bus about 3.00pm. We managed to get a taxi to near enough the Noghli home stay. As with some Iranian taxi drivers, they say they know the way, but are not really sure! Sometimes, they try and ask you for more money than was agreed. Taxis the world over seem to be like this.

Finally we arrive at Noghli, it appears that there are no rooms left, but they do manage to find us one twin for one night, and then we have to swap night two for a single room and one of us sleeps on the floor.

A Traditional home, the owner allows women not to have to wear their scarves all the time, a welcome relief. Local food is served (at extra cost), and very nicely put together in an arch underneath the first floor on a long table, in front of the courtyard.main street. We spent most of the day walking round these, yes we do things slowly

 

Next day we walk to the ancient merchant houses and hammam, all very cheap to get into and easy to find once you’re on the main street. We spent most of the day walking round these, yes we do things slowly

We also visited finn Gardens which are supposed to be the finest examples of Persian gardens. It was a bit like going to wisely on a bank holiday, it was heaving, so perhaps we didn’t enjoy that one as much as we could have.

Basically that was it for Kashan, it really isn’t a big place and actually if you were of the mind you could do it passing through toEsfahan.

The Big Year Out-Turkmenistan Itinerary

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Turkmenistan. Leave a comment

Ahhhh I hear you say, you too can have your own pet viper visit you in camp in Dehkistan, this is his release safely the next morning, when i had better light to picture him with!Such beautiful colours, but very poisonousHere is our 14 day itinerary, we will be posting our thoughts and impressions of Turkmenistan shortly.

Program ref: Tour for Johnson update Period: June, 2012

14 days option:

Day 1 Arrive Howdan – Ashgabat [Ashgabat-travel-guide-1197979]

Arrive at the border. Formalities. Meet at the border last check point and transfer to htl. Free program. O/N. (*Between the Turkmen customs and last border check point 35 km, the state shuttle minibus service is available in this zone, charging around 11 USD per person).

Day 2 Ashgabat

Free program. O/N at htl.

Day 3 Ashgabat

Free program. O/N at htl.

Day 4 Ashgabat – Nissa

Visit the archeological site ‘Old Nisa’. Return in Ashgabat. Free program. O/N at htl.

Day 5 Ashgabat – Turkmenbashy Mosque – Geok Tepe – Kov Ata – Nokhur

Drive to Kopetdag mountains and Nohur valley. Leaving the asphalt road at Archman we ascend in mountains, drive to village Nohur (One of the Turkmen tribes). Enjoy with beauty of the mountains and meet the people. Visits on the way: Turkmenbashy mosque, Geok Tepe mosque, Kov Ata cave lake. Family stay in Nohur village.

Day 6 Nokhur – Parau Bibi

Return on the road and continue to Parau Bibi pilgrimage. Visit Parau Bibi mausoleum. O/N at the place.

Day 7 Parau Bibi – Dekhistan

Drive to Dehistan historical site. Discover the Messerian plain & the remains of cathedral mosque, minarets, madrassah of Dehistan, mausoleum- mosque of Shir Kebir. Camping at site or at local home.

  • to choice: visit mud volcano ‘Boyadag’.

Day 8 Dekhistan – Balkanabat – fly to Ashgabat (FLT available on TUE, WED, FRI)

Return in Balkanabat. Arrive at airport & have flight to Ashgabat. Arrive in Ashgabat. Check in htl. O/N

Day 9 Drive Ashgabat – Mary [Mary-travel-guide-1198122] (as per your itinerary)

Drive to Mary. Visit on the way: Anau fortress and mosque ruins, Abiverd historical site. Arrive at Hanhovuz. Taste fish at chaykhana (from local lake). Continue to Mary, arrive and check in htl. O/N

Day 10 Mary – Merv [Merv-travel-guide-1310692] (as per your itinerary)

Drive to Merv historical site. Visit the remains of cities Alexandria and Antiochia Margiana, Sultan Kala (also named Marv al- Shahijan “city of kings”), Sultan Ahmad Sanjar mausoleum, Yusuf Hamadany shrine, Mohammed ibn Zeid mausoleum, Gyz Kala castles ‘Keshk’). After lunch drive to Talkhatan Baba pilgrimage place, visit XI century Namazga mosque and Ahun Baba madrasah remains. Return in Mary. O/N at htl.

Day 11 Mary- Gonur- Mary

Drive to Gonur (Gonur or Gonur depe site discovered to be the most impressive and called by the head of Russian archeological expedition, Mr. Sarianidi, as the capital or “imperial city” of Bronze Age state (which probably has thousands of sites around in desert, still covered by sands). The people of Gonur had lead sedentary life in oasis richly watered by Murgab river (after many centuries Murgab river changed its course and now can be seen in present day Mary), practicing irrigation farming of wheat and barley. Artifacts of Gonur are sophisticated and ingenious consists of bronze tools, horse training tools, ceramics rich in forms and usage, lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold and silver jewelry, semiprecious stone objects, stone seals – now it can been seen in history museum in Mary and in the National museum of history in Ashgabat). Visit the archeological site. Return in Mary. O/N at htl.

Day 12 Fly Mary to Ashgabat and Drive to Darvaza [Darvaza-travel-guide-1341945] via Erbent

Flight to Ashgabat. Meet at airport and continue drive to Darvaza. Visit ‘Erbent’ village. Arrive at Darvaza, explore the old gas craters. Venture in the desert to see the big, spectacular gas crater ‘on fire’. Camping in the area.

(on THU, SAT, SUN Tolkuchka bazaar visit is available on the way)

Day 13 Drive Darvaza to Konye Urgench via Shasenem, arrive at Dashoguz

Return on the road and drive to Dashoguz. Visit Shasenem fortress in Karakum desert. Arrive at Kunya Urgench UNESCO site (Formerly situated on the Amu-Darya River, Old Urgench was one of the greatest cities on the Silk Road. Its foundation date is uncertain, but the extant ruins of the ‘Kyrk mullah’ fortress have been dated the Achaemenid period. The XII and early XIII centuries were the golden age of the city, as it surpassed in population and fame all other Central Asian cities, barring Bukhara. In 1221, Genghis Khan razed it to the ground in one of the bloodiest massacres in human history. The city was revived after Genghis’s assault, but the sudden change of Amu-Darya’s course to the north and the town’s destruction again in the 1370s, this time by Tamerlane, forced the inhabitants to leave the site forever). Sightseeing& en route to Dashoguz. Check in htl. O/N

Day 14 Dashoguz- Izmukshir and Usma Makhmut and transfer to border Dashoguz

Visit Izmukshir historical site, Usma Makhmut Ata pilgrimage. After lunch, transfer to border. Formalities. End of program

The Big Year Out-Khiva

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Republic of Uzbekistan. Leave a comment

Khiva;
Beautiful restored living citadel town which is so refreshing after seeing so many abandoned ones in Turkmenistan. First thing that struck me about the Uzbeks here is how relaxed and laid back they are. Meros (see review) was a good place to start, even the border guards at the Uzbek border knew about Meros!

In Khiva, it was the first time we had seen bus loads of tourists since Turkey! You can by a two day ticket for all the sites within the citadel, pay in soumme as it works out cheaper than paying in dollars, as the official rate is less than the black-market rate. We found the official rate was just under 1900 to the dollar and the unofficial was 2800(except Samarkand where we got 2700). So you see it pays to pay in Soumme. There were two sites within Khiva which were not included on the ticket, the Kuha Ark; you have to pay extra to go up onto the bastion where you get magnificent views of Khiva. The Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum and all minarets have additional charges (albeit small ones). Another particular site within the citadel we really enjoyed was the Juma mosque which was cool and peaceful and beautiful when we went there.

 

The eateries were more expensive inside the citadel, but the one café we frequented for two or three nights also had a wifi spot, which was very reliable, right next to the unfinished minaret. Food was cheaper outside the citadel walls and we even found more than one great supermarket right opposite The Isfandiyar Palace which is also well worth a visit. The prices at the supermarkets were a fraction of those in the cafes etc.

Water pressure is not great in the Old town, not sure but can’t imagine that its any better outside as Khiva does suffer with this. We managed to get a bumblebee sim card through our hosts at Meros, and is well worth getting for calls and texts around Uzbekistan. ATM can be found at the Outside south Gate, Hotel Asia, which only takes Master Card and Maestro, no visa

The Big Year Out-Moynaq

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Republic of Uzbekistan. Leave a comment

We arranged through the hotel a car driver to take us to Moynaq, the town that used to be a huge fishing port on the Aral Sea. It took us about 2.5-3 hours to drive from Nukus [Nukus-travel-guide-1200956] to Moynaq, this cost $90 for the driver for the day. He was very experienced driver and did not rush us at anytime, the trip also included a side trip to the Mizdakhan, an ancient city of Mausoleums and mosques, but we didn’t feel like we could manage it as Angela was still recovering from her back injury and had already done a great deal of walking in Moynaq. It is quite hilly too and would be better done in the morning.

When we arrived in Moynaq we went to the Museum, which is a must do and great place to get a real idea of how much impact the shrinking of the Aral Sea has had on the people of the town and the surrounding geography of the land. We had a young woman show us round and there is no official entrance fee for the museum, but we paid 5000 for each of us as she was very informative and answered questions about the history of the area. It was a very poignant moment. Especially for me to realise that such a huge catastrophe has happened within my life time and the massive impact it has had on the people.

Our driver then took us down to the edge of the desert which was the edge of the Aral Sea; you really need to see the pictures and photos of before the shrinking to understand how much it has gone! We saw two largish ships from the road, but there is a proper memorial point where there are steps down to a collection of about 9-10 boats. We eagerly made our way down to them, mindful of the fact it was midday-ish and was going to get hotter and hotter. I have to say the excitement of seeing these boats stranded in so much sand overcame my sense of heat and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring all of the boats and taking many photos (a photographer’s dream location). Equally I was mindful of where I was and how sad I also felt at the same time. Actually gutted was closer. Dust/sand tornadoes danced around areas of the now desert and from the view point back at the top of the steps we could see other boats in the distance, looking like toys in a sandy sea.

After this sobering visit we then were taken to the old cannery complex/factory. Like the old factories from oop north in the twenties, this old gated complex is also worth the visit. The huge rusting sliding gate is left slightly ajar and you can still walk round the huge complex, all of which is locked but I managed to get some great pics of inside the factory and all its abandoned machinery through some of the broken windows. It is a very eerie place, and again very sad when you realise 10,000 people lost their jobs when this factory was closed down 1984. It did have a huge impact on the local economy and although there have been efforts to create another lake nearby this is still a dying town, but I loved it.

If you can find the few extra dollars to go there do, you will not regret it; my only regret is that we did not take extra time to drive to the edge of the Aral Sea as is now, and camp. That would have made it complete and I would have felt that I was giving something back to a struggling local economy.

The Big Year Out-Singapore,Singapore,So Good they Named it Twice!

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Singapore Singapore. Leave a comment

Singapore,Singapore so good they named it twice!

We fell in love with Singapore, well its hard not too, friendly people, friendly place, easy to get round, lovely food, stunning Architecture, and so clean….Actually I am still in Love with it!

Our first taste of Singapore was the SMRT (metro) so easy to navigate and very cheap, escalators to anywhere above or below ground floor. It needed to be easy we had had quite a difficult time in China and we needed a break.Singapore was it!

We followed the easy instructions to our Hostel, 5 footway Hostel near the Masjid Sultan Mosque. This was literally ten minutes walk from the metro (reviewed). Welcomed by friendly staff who didn’t argue about price, booking or even taking us in the first

place because we might actually dare to be “tourists”.Such a difference, we had arrived after a late flight (9.00a.m.) we didn’t really feel up to the rigours of sights seeing after a 24hr escape journey from China, so settled down with a drink at the tables and chairs just outside the Hostel. Booking in time is not before 3.00p.m.But we did get into our room at 12, I think they realised how tired we were and very kindly let us rest. We didn’t venture far from our Hostel that evening we had spotted on the way in a steak house with something on the menu we had not seen for 6mths. Jacket Potato, I know silly things you miss from home, but this was one we did not want to pass up. We were ideally situated with so many lovely eateries around us, we could have had local food, Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Western in fact it was a bit like being back in London, anything we liked was in easy reach.

The street next door had a collection of more shops inc. a small (by Singaporean standards) mall. A 7-11(handy for drinks etc) various take aways, hairdressers (where I got a great haircut), foot massages etc. Oh and only ten minutes walk from the metro with a great small eatery that did a great dumpling soup for breakfast, right next door to the KFC, and Subway and just down from the Pizza hut!! Don’t worry didn’t fancy those.

Our first day we took a bit easy (hah!) we made for the shopping mall (this was huge) for the nearest M&S. Now I don’t know if anyone has told you, but after 6mths travelling your clothes start to fall apart, especially Angela’s trousers, and we had both lost a lot of weight so this was going to be serious downsizing! Not sure by how much but it was serious, Angela had lost around 25kilos

and I have lost around 20. I knew Angela would find something but I wasn’t sure about me, sure enough good ‘ol M&S came up with the goods. Angela had dropped two dress sizes and so had I, the first time I had sampled the clothes from M&S since before I had my first daughter (22yrs), Woohoo, what a result. Both feeling better attired (did I mention how nicely dressed everyone is in Singapore) than when we walked into the mall, we stocked up on the daily sundries. We basically spent the day around that and getting our bearings and working out the air conned metro, nice and relaxed with no pressure worrying about how we were going to get around.

I did manage to sample the healthcare system here in Singapore, after a nasty fall on one of their spotless pavements and giving myself a large nasty gash on my right knee, we sought help from a nearby hostel close to where it had happened.

They kindly brought out their first aid kit, flagged down a taxi (much quicker & faster than an Ambulance) to take me to The Raffles Hospital, where I was greeted by a gent with a wheelchair ready to take me straight to A&E. few minutes later I was Triaged and sent for three x rays on my knee to make sure there was no other damage returned to A&E for 14 very very neat stitches. The cost? Not as hideous as you might think £260 saw me with all that plus 10 ten days worth of antibiotics and four changes of dressing at the two day later check for infection (all clear) for a further £45 saw the total bill at a very reasonable cost, I was impressed, and thank goodness for travel Insurance.

Singapore is a wonderful place with one caveat the attractions (brilliant and stunning as they are ) are expensive and your RTW budget can take a hammering, so our focus was on cheap and free things to do.

We had spotted the Changy museum advertised which is actually free, but we paid 8SD for the audio tour which is excellent. This is definitely worth a visit if you are here, thoughtfully laid out and very moving especially when you listen to first hand accounts of peoples experiences at the hands of the Japanese. A box of tissues might be needed for some people. We saw a lot of Australians visiting and people were encouraged to leave their thoughts and comments, a fitting memorial to such a waste of life and all nationalities that were there were represented equally, a sobering experience.

We decided that we wanted something quiet after that so the cities Botanical Gardens was our next destination. We picked up some food supplies from the nearest supermarket (a bit like a small M&S) and settled down in the beginning part of the park.

There were Singaporean Au Pairs with ex pat children having a great time there. The Botanical Gardens are very big and house an Orchid Garden, a Ginger Garden, a Health Garden along with a rainforest and small lake. I was primarily interested in the Orchid Garden as this stopped selling ticket at 6pm and it was getting on for that we hotfooted it to there first. Angela decided to sit this one out and just wanted to look outside and relax. Heaven for me to see such beautiful collection of flowers in their natural climate. My camera had a field day (around 150 shots of differing blooms), so many colours, shapes and variations. The garden is laid out as a garden with a smooth stone path running all the way through it (did I mention how disable friendly Singapore is?) they have a VIP plant centre where they prepare plants for “ fostering international good will” by gifting them to other countries

They also had a green house, without glass but instead with green netting to prevent the plants from scorching to death in the midday sun. They were stunning! I spent around two hours in there and was left to let myself out along with three or four other people. We walked back through the park to the metro, and passed lots of people including single females jogging in the park, unremarkable except that it was now 8.30pm and I don’t know anywhere else a single woman would feel safe doing this. Note the park was well lit.

Our next day we decided that we would take the LP Little India Walk, as LI is not far from our accommodation we decided we would walk it. The main aim of being to see up close the mosques, temples and colonial Architecture.

We started with the Masjid Sultan Mosque which was just round the corner from our accommodation. This modern looking, twin domed mosque with its attached madrasa was impressive. When you enter you walk into a large vestibule. If you are not properly attired they will offer you a blue gown to cover up with. Basically chaps & girls in shorts and strappy tops need to be sensitive. Once up the few stairs you are greeted by a huge prayer hall, non muslin visitors are not allowed into the prayer hall or upstairs but you can walk in the wide corridors by the sides which allow you to see in through the wide wooden doors. Back in the vestibule there is a brilliant display about Islam and the prayer process. It was very informative without being intrusive

We actually got quite a lot out of it, considering we thought we knew quite a lot, how shall I say, it took the mystery out of the praying five times a day and how and what they do during this time.

After passing neatly coloured tower blocks and colonial Architecture of the usual shop front buildings. We stopped by the Kampong Kapo Methodist Church, a sight for sore eyes amongst all the mix of colonial and modern buildings around us. The Manse which sits behind it is now a private dwelling. It is still a functioning church with a thriving congregation so we moved on as there was a mother and baby group meeting inside. Our next viewing was Sri Srinivasa Permul Temple a beautiful temple adorned with many effigies of all beautiful colours along with its own swami, again camera time.

 

Following the LP guide we continued the route to a cluster of three temples one Buddhist and two Taoist. The Buddhist temple was lovely, butted up next door to the first of two Taoist temples. It had a large Buddha in the main hall , with a small reclining buddha in a chamber behind the main one. The guide at the temple was very helpful and explained that there were info cards at the entrance in several different languages inc. English. Yay! After visiting theTemple we of course dropped in next door to theTaoist Templewhich was really more like a shrine with the real deal across the road. This one housed a golden round shaped Buddha as well, almost like they had merged the two together Buddhism and Taoism.

We continued on our LP round Little India walk picking out colonial buildings with my camera.

We were on our way back to our Hostel when I had this fall, the one that I rolled my foot over and landed on one of Singapore’s spotless pavements and ended up in Raffles Hospital and 14 stitches to my left knee later! And the excellent medical facilities and a super Dr., who did some very very neat stitching, bit like Singapore really.

Another place to visit is Santosa Island, joined by Cable car (and road) to the Fake Island of palm trees, sand and as I affectionately call it, “Stromboli Land”, We took the cable car to the Singapore side and then back to the Island, you fee includes entrance to the Island so you might as well explore. There are various packages that include theme park rides and attractions. We didn’t as my knee didn’t allow and actually they didn’t really appeal to me, but great for families.

 

We took the cable car to the Singapore side and you do get stunning views from the mount, the café right on top of the cable car station does do food and drinks(very expensive) and is a lovely viewing place if you cant stand the viewing platform round the outside. It’s just it will cost you. We walked a bit further on after walking the viewing platform and found another nice place to stop and view the City side of the Island. This was a bit more reasonable and the staff were lovely. After tiring ourselves out eating and drinking and relaxing we took the cable car back to Santosa, there for your cable car fee you can see the Merlion, get a free beach bus that drops you off anywhere along the fake beach which is pristine, the cove is carefully buoyed off from all the super tankers that que up to get into what I can only describe as the tidiest and cleanest docks I have seen anywhere in the World! Beach front restaurants are everywhere and in true Singaporean style offer all World foods for a slightly higher price.

 

The Big Year Out-Samarkand

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Republic of Uzbekistan. Leave a comment

This was for me the original driving force for me to come to Central Asia, how little I knew then! Hah! The Architecture of the Rejistan I had dreamed about when researching this trip and in many of my pictorial Architecture books at home, Lived up to all my expectations and more. Stunning, Stunning & Stunning. I was worried after seeing so many stunning Mosques in Iran that I would find the Rejistan an anti climax, nope, not one bit. Along with the Sha h-i-Zinda (the avenue of Mausoleums) which some consider an abomination of restoration, really do not know what they are talking about. Here I would rather see tasteful restoration than crumbled ruins, and overdone lego style fixes. These were stunningly beautiful. (Pictures will follow).

We stayed at Antica B&B (see review) and felt we were well placed for most of the sites and the Bazaar. We did just about all the sites around the Rejistan, and we hit Ulubeks Observatory early enough to miss the crowds and the heat of the day. Fabulous views can be had from here across the city and some of the other major sites (Rejistan, and old city walls). We also visited the “Tomb of Daniel” which was set beautifully next to a small river, and high up and the Afrosiab Museum which houses some stunning frescos inside along with some exhibits charting the eleven layers of civilisation. Pity the current residents are not so civilised! We were hassled all the way round by sellers that were allowed to sell some books and trinkets. They seemed to think that we didn’t know our way round or that when we finally got to the best bit(the frescos) that we couldn’t look at them without having demands for money for Photography(not Necessary, photography is free) and to buy some utter rubbish! We did feel that you have to give if you want to save something from the ravages of time.

 

The Big Year Out-Istaravshan to Penjikent

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Tajikistan. Leave a comment

our 4×4 being loaded with everyones stuff. This one eventually took 9 adults one small child and a cage of budgies x4! Oh and I got the front seat.

Istaravshan

Not really a great place! We got there by first getting a taxi to getting the old bus station in Khojand [Khojand-travel-guide-1358665] and then getting a shared minibus to Istaravshan [Istaravshan-travel-guide-1193313]. The shared minibus cost us 23TJKS each, so much cheaper than private taxi. We then paid another 4TJKS to get from outside the town into the centre (quite common in this area). We got dropped off just outside the Bazaar where we picked up a taxi to try and find somewhere to stay. Yes this time we had not booked anything in advance and decided to “go by wire”. Epic fail! We visited two establishments in the LP which were nothing short of dire! Our taxi driver managed ot find us the only decent place in town, near the 5D complex, you can’t miss it it looks like a fairly new build complex with children’s rides and peddelo pools etc.

We paid $50 a night for two people, it was very clean, and fairly modern. It was easy to pick up shared taxis to the bazaar from outside the road (anywhere along it you like) for just a couple of TJKS (flat rate). We were able to walk to the sogdian fort where Alexander beat them, as this was so close to the Hotel. We then picked up a taxi to the other two small sites, That was it for Istaravshan, nothing remarkable at all. I think I am glad we did visit it, but on the other hand I would say if you do not have the time, then don’t bother! You won’t miss much.

We decided that the next morning we would get up early to get a shared 4×4 to Penjikent [Penjikent-travel-guide-1325512], so back to the bazaar and this time it was very easy to find a car to get onto, negotiations on price done 150 TJKS each got us the 4×4 and decent driver you see in the pics.

We did however have to wait until around11.00a.m.before departure, as what these drivers seem to do is come in from Istaravshan with locals who then go to the bazaar (which is much bigger) do their shopping then get a shared 4×4 back over the mountain. Sweet! So we waited while our driver loaded up the roof rack with our luggage and various other goods (inc. watermelons) and squeezed 9 adults and 1 small child into the car, along with a cage of budgies(pic as proof!).

The climate here was noticeably cooler than we had been experiencing in Khojand and especially cooler thanUzbekistan. As we left the “one horse town” limits we noticed a rather noisy and cold rain storm making its way towards us, or maybe we were making our way towards it! I haven’t actually felt rain on any part of my body for 8 weeks, oh my! So lovely, I nearly asked the driver to stop and let me get out, but I was mindful that we had a minimum 6 hr journey ahead, so enjoyed a brief fling in the rain whilst the driver checked the taup on top of the rack on the luggage again.

 

You didn’t believe me about the budgies did you?Please be aware that no one else in the car spoke English, and neither of us speak Russian or Tajik, although my understanding of Russian is getting better, I guess I am just not confident enough to start the words, as I don’t like getting it to wrong and a. insulting their language and b. getting the wrong response. But jestures and smiles and mime go a long way with a few well placed English words they do understand. The will at least try. So do we, spectacularly badly!

I was a bit interested to see how and if I responded with any altitude sickness as we would be climbing upto the pass on the Mazar-i-sharif, approx. 3600km. The road up was a decent width for mountains and we passed lots of 4×4 and Lorries going both ways and strangely keeping to the rules of the road.

I was also a bit concerned as our driver kept opening and checking the driver’s side of the vehicle as we drove along, the reasons for this will become apparent later.

We were of course treated to spectacular views of the mountain and surround slightly smaller mountains and hills, looking down I could see the road below us winding its way like a ribbon on the side of the mountain, with a couple of toy looking cars as we ascended. The air did seem to become clearer and cleaner as we progressed and I did watch myself for signs of altitude sickness as this was my first ever climb at anything over a few hundred feet. All seemed ok, and other people in the car seemed to take the opportunity to start their lunch, I decided that the bumpy gravel track was not worth it, and I could eat later.

I did however keep up with sips of water. I must say our driver was top gun, he negotiated hairpin bends and snow and mud-sludge roads, carefully and at correct speeds. I guess as I do now, you know when your driver is a good ‘un. We did feel fairly safe with him. There was an elderly tajik couple with us, who were so chuffed that we were travelling with them all to see their beautiful country. He was really impressed to see me taking so many pics of our journey, and delighted in seeing them on my DSLR screen afterwards. I actually felt quite sorry for him; he had the budgie cage stuck between his legs the whole journey and they were not even his! When we did arrive at Penjikent I joked with the recipient of the budgies that they owed the old guy a few hundred TJKS for having gone thro torture with the birds, they did all think that was very funny inc.

the old guy.

As we neared the top of the pass the clouds did get a bit close, and it did get darker, and colder, surprise surprise! Bearing in mind I have never been this high! Hah, so once over the top, it’s all the way down, much steeper at first and a few crashed and mangled vehicles as a sober reminder of what goes on when the weather is bad or too dark or they don’t drive safely. None of them too recent it seemed. But still I noticed everyone in the car went quiet when we passed them.

As we got nearer the bottom of the valley I noticed and photographed works, and various heavy plant. This is apparently where the Chinese are “helping” the Tajiks build a tunnel through the mountain instead of having to maintain the pass at the top. Don’t worry it didn’t look like it was going to fast, but who knows we maybe some of the last few hundred or so people to go over the top, as I suspect it will get more expensive as not so much traffic will be passing that way in the future, which means it will be down to the expensive tour companies to make a killing.

After the plant works we drove about another forty minutes before stopping at the Chaikana stops, of which there were at least four plus much needed squat toilets. Drinks had and refreshed, driver having finally eaten, and rested we were off again. We continued along the Zeravshan river valley we came across some stunningly carved gorges and towns perched on the edge of them with that Mediterranean look of tall cypress trees and houses close together, huddling for warmth. As we climbed gently back above the river valley our driver did one of his “open door” checks, for me the sound was unmistakable, loud hissing of rather a lot of air from the d/s rear tyre could be heard. We had a flat. He pulled over, and everyone out! He was quick and the old guy got some chock shaped rocks and we both stuck them under all four tyres.

As our driver was getting bottle jack out and spare tyre out from underneath the car another 4×4 which we had seen (friends of the driver) at Istaravshan pulled up, and 7 men jumped out! Hah so they thought we needed help and tyre was actually changed in about half an hour. We had lost time, and our driver then drove along at a quicker pace than before trying to keep up with his leader car, I put my seat belt on, having been told I was sitting in the front seat for the whole journey, I did so, but right now at around 70kmh I didn’t fancy it if he lost control, as soon as I did that he did slow down a bit, I think he realised that he was going just a tad fast for us chickens!

We arrived in Penjikent around 5.30p.m.the rule seems to be be that these shared 4×4’s drop you off to your location so we asked to be dropped at Elina GH as per LP, and some blogs seem to suggest might be a good idea.

 

The Big Year Out-Spice Gardens & National Park

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: Malaysia. Leave a comment

Batu Ferringhi-

Spice Garden- We took the 101 bus to the Spice Gardens(about 15mins) which cost 15Rm each for entry you can get a guided tour for 25RM which could make the walk round a little more interesting from what we could see. We elected to take ourselves, possibly on reflection we wished we had gone with the guide. Nicely landscaped, very humid and hot, so start this one as early as you can. There is a lovely cafeteria at the top of the walk overlooking the bay. Where you can buy food and drink (a bit expensive, but a lovely view).

National Park forTurtleSanctuary & MonkeyBeach-We took the 101 bus (again) to the National Park area. The bus dropped us off about 3-4 yards from the main reception station where we were given an excellent intro to what and how to get about, along with your free map n registration of your entry into the park

Although you do not have to book your boat back as well as there as there were plenty of boatmen offering return trips on spec. We clubbed together with 7 other tourists which brought our boat price down to around 17RM each person for return trip. First to the Turtle sanctuary, which were told no swimming allowed? Actually what we found when we got there was that people were swimming, so don’t believe everything you are told. The sanctuary was very quiet with the small tourist groups coming and going, plenty of information to read and a couple of newly hatched turtles to see. We then took the short walk (which felt like a long walk in the heat) to the one of the few small lakes where there is a layer of salt and fresh water that then work their way out to sea.

It was pretty dry when we visited in November but it was still interesting to see. All in we did have about 40minutes here and had a quick chance to paddle in the sea before the boat came to collect us to take us toMonkeyBeach. A short 10minute boat ride away back towards the start of our trip.

Monkey beach, very underdeveloped (great!) and almost idyllic Beach style white sand with beautiful palm trees lining the sand giving you shade even in the water in places. We had two hours there and wasted no time getting settled into the water which was lovely and calm and around 2-3 feet deep for some distance. Be aware that the tide does come in quickly here and almost covers all the beach making it almost disappear after two hours we were at the end of the beach that still had some sand access to it, another hour and that would have been gone too. We left with 5 of our party and left two who had decided they wanted to walk back along the 3.5km walk that takes you back through the interior to the park station. Definitely worth the visit and would have spent longer if we had realised that we could have.

The Big Year Out – Zhangye and Matisi

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: People's Republic of China. Leave a comment

Once deep in the heart of the Chinese state of Gansu , on the outskirts of Zhangye are the Amazing Matisi Cave Temples. Carved out of solid rock face a group of 7 grottos hold holy relics and wonderful wall paintings and beautiful sculptures of the Buddha.

Surrounding the Mati Temple are beautiful hills, peculiar caves, unusual peaks and green waters. Tourists can get the chance to interact with the people of Yhugur Minority tribe, try the authentic stewed lamb and learn more about their cultural characteristics and their unique lifestyle as true nomads.

I will let the images speak for themselves;

 

The Big Year Out- Urumqi Pics

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 5, 2019
Posted in: People's Republic of China. Leave a comment

log to follow- I have to say that these were the best pics I could find, not a lot going on in Urumqi [Urumqi-travel-guide-246977] apart from a KFC that did not turn us away, I wouldn’t bother stopping there again! We got turned away from three hotels that were supposed to be “tourist friendly” and ended up in a brothel (again). I must get some business cards made up next time I am in China!