Day 13 (18/01/2011) Batu Niah

We arrived in the morning after a long and exhausting bus trip at Batu Niah Bus Terminal. The city was around 11km away so we just asked a few locals and it seemed that they all wanted to drive us, one more expensive than the other. We agreed with one of them a deal and were on our way.

On the way to the city the driver explained that most areas around Batu Niah are flooded and some things could not be visited as there was no way through the water, but the caves are still open... We saw a few young lads fishing next to the street which was only slightly flooded. After a few minutes we arrived and checked out the hotels. One of them seemed ok so we checked in for a night. The room reminded me of a WW2 hospital… (from a movie of course).

Quickly changed into some more suitable clothes for the route through the jungle to the Batu Niah caves, which was actually the only real reason why we came to this small place. The other places would have been just a bonus.

The city itself is very small and provides for the most necessary day to day needs. The caves headquarter was only 3km away which we considered near enough to walk.

There is a footpath signed out and we started walking. For the first 15 minutes everything seems nice and normal, the path was a real pavement and easily to walk on. After we turned around the first corner a little shock grasp us as the street was under water. After testing the deepness we decided to go through it anyway. Now with wet feet we continued our walk and past a few more places under water, all still walkable.

Until one point where the water was so deep that it would have reached our waist. We only knew that because some of the local kids were swimming there. If two young lads hadn’t turned up with a boat, we would have walked all the way back and grapped a cab to get there. But luckily they brought us to the other site where we continued.

The scenery was amazing and the trip alone worth that we got here. We gently joked that if something would happen to one of us we would stand there pretty much without any help…not a really nice thought to have, but it occurs if you don’t have a mobile with you and the boat was again at the other side of the small river that crossed the footpath. We continued…

Suddenly around the next corner the only thing we could see was water, water and again water. Marina was brave enough to get into the water first, step by step realising that most of the way the water wasn’t really deep and the path still there. After a few minutes I followed here until suddenly I could not see her anymore as she was already behind the next corner. We talked loud with each other to make sure we didn’t make a wrong step. The water was so brown you just couldn’t see the path ahead of you.

A few minutes later I heard a loud splash and screamed Marinas name who luckily replied, I had not needed to rescue her from the wild ;) Probably some kids playing around and costing me some nerves.

We finally saw land and some huts. We reached not too wet the other side and realised that we finally made it to the Niah Caves headquarter. Excited that we could finally see the caves, the nice lady behind the counter informed us that they are closed because of the flooding. Sadly no one took a picture of two really sad faces.

Some locals offered a cab service to a horrendous price; luckily we met a French couple whom wanted to return to the bus terminal, the village was on the way. So we decided that all four of us share a cab and because the guy spoke a bit Indonesian he got us a good deal at the end.

They explained on the way to the village that the same cab driver took them up there and that he knew already beforehand that the caves were closed. That was a cheeky bastard and the French guy added that he would give him a piece of his mind when they got there. I hope that it worked out for him…

The village was so small that a decision on lunch was made pretty quickly. Now we are sitting in our hotel room, reading books, writing blogs and try to be happy anyway. Tomorrow we are leaving for Miri, which is just over an hour from here and hopefully more of a city. I asked for internet, which I saw on my wireless connections, however the owner seem not to understand what I wanted and didn’t give me a password. So I let it be and decided to get some rest. Hopefully the streets are not totally flooded tomorrow otherwise we get stuck here. Ah and yeah, we thought about leaving already today, but we paid already for the room…

Good night everyone. Oh and before I forget, comments welcome :D

Day 12 (17/01/2011) Kuching

After taking again a malaria table last night t I felt great this morning, so it must have been something I ate. After all the snacks I couldn’t really figure what it might have been, but because I was fine again my tummy gave the ‘hungry loud’…not in a very quiet and mannerly sound.

We checked out and left our backpacks for the day at the hotel storage as we only left the town in the evening.

We spend the day visiting Jalan India, China and Mosque Street where we looked at some very interesting buildings. After that we still had a few hours to kill and decided to go for a river cruise, which was a nice but not really exciting as we had seen already most of the city, but the atmosphere was incredible. At the end of this trip we got little dances presented which showed the welcome dances from different cultures around Sarawak. After that I wasn’t that sad anymore that I missed the show yesterday.

Day 11 (16/01/2011) Kuching

We had to get up again early as the first booked tour started around 9 am. Luckily we got picked up from the hotel with a little minivan just for us and the driver, no one else seemed to have booked for this day. Unfortunately I didn’t really felt well this morning and spare you the details, however I got myself together and really wanted to do the tours (of course we had paid for it all yesterday).

The driver was really nice and told us a few things about the city and the people who lived in and around it. We were on our way to the Cultural Village, a village that was originally build to present and show the many different ethnics groups that call Sarawak their home. Now some people call it their home and are happy to present it to paying customers.

On the way we told the driver a bit of our plan and the next city we were going to stop by. He advised us to cancel two cities and recommended a place called Batu Niah, which was more worth to see then other ones together. We decided to change our plan and booked later a ticket for a 13 hour bus driver tomorrow evening.

We finally arrived at the cultural city and I barely could breathe, so hot and humid. We run through the city faster than planned and I was able to stand up nearly all the way, just sometimes I had to sit down because I started to feel really sick. Such a disappointed when you were excited to see something so original. I did take a few pictures and tried to take everything in, but my concentration wasn’t the best at that point. We started to think that it might have been the malaria tablets….

There was a planned dance ceremony after most of the people had finished the tour through the village. I decided not to attend the show and rather starred down a water pipe near by the park. After an hour or so the driver came back to pick us up for the next tour. At that point I had collected my inner self again and was ready to go for the next round.

Day 10 (15/01/2011) Kuching

Early in the morning we woke up to make sure we catch our flight to Kuching. Packing the last remaining things we called for a cab to get to the Changi Airport. Upon arrival we had a quick breakfast at Subway and slurped our coffee latte while waiting for departure.

Surprisingly the security wasn’t as secure as we thought and therefore we were quicker than planned. Taking off on time and arriving a few minutes earlier at around 1pm we picked up our luggage, just to queue up again for another security check.

After we bought a voucher for a cab (just after leaving the arrival hall) we were fairly quick in the city. The hotel was simple and clean. Unlucky the guest that had the twin bed room decided to stay for one more night, so we got a double room with one king-size bed. As it was only for two nights we didn’t bother that much. We throw off our backpacks and got ourselves on the way to check out the city.

We quickly realized that Kuching was small and every corner could be reached within walking distance. As we had nothing really planned for the time there we first visited a tour agency and explored our options. Unfortunately bookings needed to take place 24 hours before, so we just booked two tours for tomorrow.

The locals are all very friendly and most of them speak a decent level of English, which made the communication much easier. And we felt like celebrities as everyone was greetings us with a hello when passing us. As you might have guessed, for us grumpy Germans this is pretty unusual and made us smile.

Day 8 and 9 (13-14/01/2011) Singapore

We haven’t had much planned for yesterday and only the Chinese Garden on the agenda. As soon as we got outside we realised how hot it actually was that day.

Just a short way of approx. 20 minutes later we arrived at the Garden and were full of joy when we saw all the signs that would bring us directly there without searching the area first.

The Garden is absolute beautiful and definitely worth a visit, especially because it is admission free and very large. In the middle of the Garden a little turtles and tortoise museum can be found and worth the S$5 entry fee.

After the museum we could not really move anymore because it was so humid and hot that the sweat literally was running down our neck. We were sitting for a few minutes before we decided that we had seen enough and that it was time for a little snack in Chinatown. Of course the little rain showers in between were refreshing,

Marina decided that she needs a little compact digital camera as her big professional one wasn’t really suitable for the beaches. After a long discussion with the camera salesman we finally achieved an offer that was worth considering. After paying he was really upset and spoke something in a foreign language, we assumed that he didn’t make the deal of the day with us.

Afterwards we just spend the rest of the day on the pool and relaxed from the past few days.

And before I forget, the MRT trains are freezing cold if you are wet.....

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Today was an exciting day as we went to Sentosa, a little island next to Singapore mainland. We knew it would be an expensive day but enjoyed it as much as possible. And luckily nothing weird happened to us.

Still quite early in the day we started with a cable car trip over to the Sentosa Island. As it was our last day we decided against the cheaper way by bus via the MRT route.

The first thing was to go down to the beach and enjoy the cold water as well as the scenery. It was just brilliant.

The next station to visit was the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom. I was able to make some great shots. In between was as well a little bird park where you were allowed to feed them (of course after we ‘donated’ some money).

The insect section wasn’t really exciting as there were not many, mostly beetles in all sizes and shapes.

After we finished this part we moved on to the underworld and dolphin lagoon, which was nice, but not really worth the money. There are other water worlds more interesting; however we made the best of it and looked in every single corner that had something to offer.

As soon as we came out we realized that it was raining, but not just a little, it was really heavy. With umbrella and fast feet we went to the dolphin lagoon. Because of the heavy rain the show we came to see was delayed. So we waited nearly an hour before it finally started and left with a disappointed feeling five minutes later. This wasn’t as good as we expected.

We were happy that we went to the beach first as it wouldn’t have been that nice with the rain.

After an extra round with the cable car on the way back we quickly stopped at our usual restaurant around the hotel for a quick snack.

Now my backpack is calling again and wants to get packed nice and neatly. Tomorrow we will be on our way to the next destination Kuching/Malaysia and fingers cross that nothing goes wrong.

Read you soon my dear follower.

Day 7 (12/11/2011) Singapore

What a day. One I probably will never forget. I did not expect such adventures when I woke up with bright sunshine this morning.

After a not so yummy breakfast this morning we started our day with a boat trip around the Singapore River. It was very hot in the sun and the breeze on the boat was refreshing.

After we left the boat we continued with a visit to Little India and the nearby Arab street. We went to several temples. I should have known that as a woman you need to wear proper clothes in order to enter the mosques. I didn’t even think about it when I put my top and skirt on this morning…ANWAY I got some nice gowns there and looked fabulous.

We learned very interesting things about the religion and historic background. I might not remember them by tomorrow but at least I now have heard of it.

We even met a nice man working at one of the temples from New Zealand who converted 19.. to the Islam. We expected another lesson about the temple but he started to talk from his son and grandchildren, very interesting, a must tell story for later…

So, until that point everything seems to work out except the heavy rain showers in between. As we still had several hours before bedtime, I came up with the BRILLIANT idea to visit the Kranji War Memorial in the North of Singapore. Just 30 min by train we thought we should be able to get there before closing time. As we didn’t plan it for the day, we had not really an idea where exactly the memorial was and started. Arriving at the train station we could not find a sign or anything else that matters. Looking at the bus plan, the memorial was supposed to be only 1 km away, so we jumped on one of the buses with the right bus number (yes, we did check that before boarding) and kept an eye on the area. After several minutes we got worried as we still didn’t see anything.

Suddenly most people left the bus and we thought this must be somewhere nearby. Marina even made a joke that we would soon leave Singapore if we stay on the bus. Asking the bus driver was another great idea, I nearly gave him a heart attack (at least by the looks of it). He asked us to get out and send us to the entry door of the Woodlands Checkpoint. Before we realized where we actually were, it was already too late as we were not able to get over to the other side anymore to take the bus back. We were at the border to Malaysia without a passport and any other identification.

We were standing in front of the police who just looked at us as if we would be really STUPID tourists (ok, at that point I would have agreed). He told us that they have specific procedures and that the police would escort us to the other site after filling out some forms. He ordered us to another office and just a second later he followed us and told us with a smile that he would let us go without it. So we just run over to the other side and were relieved when the bus finally came and took us back to the station.

Still determined to find the memorial we walked a little bit around the area and asked a few passing pedestrian, but no one seems to know what we were talking about. Suddenly one of the guys came back with his iPhone in his hand and showed us where we should go. Happy about the gesture we thanked him a lot and were on our way with a direction. After a while and a lot of walking we still could not see it so we finally gave up. But I do have to say, that Kranji is such a NICE area; please do not go there without a map….mine unfortunately was too small.

Of course I googled later for this place and we realised that at the end we were not too far away, it was just on the other site behind the very large trees…shit happened.

We decided that this was enough for one day and returned to the city. Leaving the train I realised that something was missing and indeed my tourist pass was gone and with that the ticket for tomorrow and the deposit I paid for the card. Not really bad, but still, not a very nice feeling. So I went to the next office and bought a new one.

After all the unwanted adventures we decided that we absolute deserved a very nice cocktail in the IndoChine Restaurant, also called the Forbidden City in Singapore Riverstreet. As we only have a limited Budget we decided to go to the bars around the hotel next.

Finally I am in my room and hope tomorrow will be a better day with even more fun :)

Good night.

Day 5 and 6 (10-11/01/2011) Bangkok - Singapore

After a few days in Bangkok the next destination Singapore was just hours away. Yesterday morning we decided to have a relaxed day and just went to the Lumpini Park after checking out and a little quick breakfast.

We decided that it would be worth to spend some pence on a little boat trip in a Swan on a lake in the middle of the park. Taking some water and fruits on board, we were happy that we had done the ride as it was really nice to be there.

A little sunburn later we started with our backpacks the way to the airport. Suddenly the cab was much cheaper than the first trip into town…

With just one hour delay we arrived at the Changi Airport in Singapore. A warm and rainy weather welcomed us. As the flight was delayed and we arrived around 10 pm at the hotel, we only took a quick snack around the corner from the hotel and went to bed afterwards. All in all it was a very quiet day.

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The hotel we chose is amazing and directly at the Singapore river with a fantastic river view from our window. I had such a great sleep that I missed the breakfast this morning. So we started our day without it and went first to the Singapore Flyer at Marina Bay.

To make sure we get there we decided to buy a three day travel pass, which was a little adventure as some stations did not sell them, so we went to three different stations before finally getting one for 34S$. The EZ Link card would have been cheaper but the first ticket office did not recommend it….not sure why, but we are only tourist and take what we can get. Give me a shout if you have the answer ;)

With the ticket we started our trip and arrived at the flyer, where we had a fantastic view over the city and were able to take some amazing pictures. The ride only took 25 minutes.

Afterwards we went to the Marina Bay Sand Hotel to see the amazing swimming pool on the roof and enjoy the view. I wish I could have stayed there and go swimming; however I have not yet found the millionaire that wants to marry me and so I could not afford it. Sitting on the roof with a cold and VERY expensive beer was very enjoyable, but I do have to say that this will be a one-off experience.

Slowly we started to get hungry and went to the Lau Pa Sat Market where they had loads of food and we were able to choose from many different cuisines. We finished our yummy meal and got ourselves on the way to Chinatown, but of course not before we stopped at the next Starbucks for a nice Frappuccino.

We arrived at the market and went first to the Sri Marianman Temple for some sightseeing. We were actually not allowed to take pictures but no one said anything when we did it anyway.

We were not sure if the night market was closing or opening as some closed their stall and some opened it…overall it was a nice market but not too exciting, at least it wasn’t as crowded as in Bangkok.

Later on we finished our tour at the Clarke Quay and sat down at one of the bars near the river and enjoyed the view and relaxed atmosphere.

I am not sure why, but I am tired without having done a lot. I probably could write more especially about some funny stories. It might be the weather or just the walking, however I am going now to bed and going to dream from the nice view from the Marina Bay Hotel :) Ah and I found a free internet connection at the hotel :D

Read you soon.