Malaysia baby!!

We are here safe and sound. I'm officially melting!! The thunder storms here are mental but much needed. The thunder sounds like we are under siege, the lightening and thunder striking at the same time and the rain thunders down for a very short period but floods everything (slight exaggeration) that will be the monsoon rains then!

We traveled by bus across the boarder from Singapore to Johor Bahru where we met a beautiful young man, Dan, who tagged along as we got the connecting bus to Melaka, on the west coast of Malaysia, south of Kuala Lumpur.

Sunny's guest house was to be our home for the next couple of days. Zain, our friendly hostel manager, who took a bit of a liking to Angie and I. I think he wanted Angie's babies and when it looked like he was going to shove his tongue down my throat as we were leaving, I had to decline!! Saying this, he was harmless and provided us with much amusement, especially when drunk. He was a kind man, feeding us mango and herbal tea. Our dorm room very rustic, the sheets had lots of stains on that I really don't want to know where from and the fan sounded like a helicopter landing, still we loved staying there. To celebrate our arrival we drank a lot of yummy tiger beer with Dan, Zain and Box (local tour guide). Great evening, not so much fun the next day in the heat! Roti is great for hangovers!

Melaka is a real mix of architecture and areas. It had a really nice vibe to it and everybody was friendly and welcoming. The historical and colonial area are home to the charming red Town Square (Dutch Square, with a red town hall and Parliamentary buildings), the replica sultans palace, made all from wood and no nails! Ruins of the Portuguese Fort, Port de setiago and behind the fort, high on a mound, the ruins of St Paul's Church built in 1521 by the Dutch and with great views overlooking the Straits of Melaka.



I really liked the preserved busy Chinatown district across the river, it held a lot of character and randomness! Strolling through Chinatown in the evening we didn't get chance to go inside the numerous temples, one- the oldest Chinese Temple in Malaysia.




In contrast, Melaka has the more consumer areas with plush shopping malls and eateries. The air con was a welcome break! There is a lot of ongoing development, construction work and more construction work, Sunny's hostel was close to this area! The hostel was tucked away though, sandwiched between so many local cafes and hidden from view of the construction work. I'm loving the locals cafes. Most of the cooking is done outside on huge gas cookers, where people sit chatting and eating. The smells, totally awesome. In true style we also managed to eat our way around Melaka. So many tasty foods, from Malay, to Chinese Malay, Indian Malay and many more. All good for the veggies, although I did find a tiny, tiny fish in my Indian spinach curry!!

There are so many wild cats here which is of constant entertainment to Angie. If possible, they would be coming with us around Malaysia!

Our last day, before heading to the big city, Kuala Lumpur, we spent in the Peoples Museum, Muzium Rakyat, in the Town Square. Lots of cool varied exhibitions looking at the cultural makeup of Melaka- the Malay, Arabic, India, Chinese and mixed marriages, the history of sultans and colonisation of the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Loving the exhibition on fusions of cuisines, yum! A stunning exhibition on kites around the world, the history and their significance from leisure to more spiritual.

The Beauty exhibition explored the meaning of beauty in some cultures. Some of the images were very graphic from lip plates and scarification practices in certain parts of Africa, foot binding in China and Vietnam through to body piercing, tattooing and the women's friend-the corset-clever!

I'm a little behind on the blog as per usual, but the most important thing to update you on-Sarah is here!! It's soooooooo good to have her here, I'm not letting her go home!! I'm sure that she was a pioneer traveler in her previous life, effortless transition into the world of backpacking and of course the most awesome company. I know you'll be missing her back home, but selfishly it's amazing to have her here, exploring the world together.


Bye for now and sending much love xx

Singapore Sling

Loving Singapore!!

Thanks for your messages Cheverchops and Angie. Angie, I know this will not ease the aaaaaaaaaaargh factor of Sarah coming to meet us but I promise we will take really good care of each other, and we'll stay in regular contact. Yes that's right folks my best buddy, my amazingly brave best buddy, has achieved an amazing feat and in less than 6 months has worked her arse off to be able to come and travel for three months, arriving on the 15th, just kidding Sarah, the 16th at 7.40pm!! I'm so excited I could pee myself!!

I'm sorry but I've still not got to the bottom of the photo uploading thing so I can't put any photo's up which is a real bummer cause we have some awesome ones! I'm hoping you will sort this out Sarah!!

So here we are in wonderful SE Asia and we are having so many beautiful and magical experiences. First stop-Singapore.

We were told by a lot of people that we would not like Singapore for its clinical and 'cleansed' feel and would leave straight away. I can see what people were saying and I'm glad that we didn't stay in the City Centre. However this is not the whole truth of Singapore as we experienced it.

There seems so much government control here and they fine everything. You run the risk of the death penalty for being caught with drugs, fined over a $1000 for spitting anywhere (if caught) and fined $1000 for eating or drinking in the metro plus a lot more, the city is often referred to as fine city! It is far more expensive here and the city centre is crazy busy with traffic and major shopping areas and the CBD is full of plush skyscrapers that tower so high it makes you feel dizzy looking up at them! From what was once a hub of trading along the Singapore River from people all over South East Asia is now a very developed part of the city, home to expensive cafes and bars where a lot of the people who work in the city relaxed in after a hard day in the office! The city centre is so clean and shiny. Like so many places the polarization between the poor and wealthy is very visible when exploring Singapore.

We really enjoyed our time in Singapore, mainly because we stayed in the Little India part. My senses on over drive, busy markets, colorful clothing and food stalls, amazing spicy smells, music filling the tiny streets, hustle and bustle of people-it really felt like a tiny slice of India. We've met some awesome locals. The cultural mix is amazing, Singaporean, Chinese, Indian, Malay and Arabic and the different temples reflect the cultural and spiritual diversity.

We are eating our way round Asia, the food is amazing! The Roti is our favourite at the moment!

We've spent most of our time exploring the temples, I think by the end of Asia I'll be living in one! We've been experiencing a real strange series of events since being in Singapore which has made our experience all that much more brilliant and cultural. We met a local Singapore Buddhist, David, in a temple, offered a free lunch with the locals there celebrating Buddha's birthday. David, on his day off, took us to more local temples off the tourist track, walked us around the whole of the city, viewing all the must sees and to a Buddhist Lodge charity in the city centre for some more food, no other tourists in sight!

Boy could David walk, my feet are covered in blisters! He spoke some english and manged us well.......he asked for nothing all day but to show us around his home and kept saying 'lucky, lucky! He walked us back to Little India, near our hostel and waved us goodbye with a huge grin, we love David!

We spent more time in the city spending a day in the Asian Civilization Museum which was awesome. Main exhibitions looking at Singapore's history, the richness of cultures across SE Asia and the influences on Singapore's culture, also the joining of cultures and the influence they have had on one another.

Thanks to David we were introduced to a local Tibetan Buddhist Temple. We went to a meditation session there, guided by Lama Thubten Namdrol Dorje. Angie was ace and came too which was awesome. I was a little nervous but really there was no need. Really informal, mix of monks, nuns and locals to the temple, again we were the only tourists! Angie loved it and this was her first time with the whole meditation thing. They were so lovely and fed us gorgeous veggi food after!

We joined in the Vesak (Buddha's birthday) celebrations at the same Temple on Saturday. Such a humbling and magical experience again. Incense and flowers filling the street, so many people coming to share the experience and give their offerings to Buddha, amazing to watch and be part of. We got to see the unveiling of the largest Thangka in SE Asia, the wish granting Thangka. A beautiful silk embroided hanging of the Lord Buddha, so large it was brought in by a crane and towered taller than the temple.

Angie and I received a blessing from the Lama, he spent most of the time laughing that he got us soaked with the blessed water. I wasn't the most appropriate with the Lama, pointing and laughing back telling him he got me a gooden!! Oooops! We spent the afternoon with the people at the temple and joined in with a Tibetan Buddhist Fire Puja in the evening. Really stunning experience. The Fire Puja brings about powerful cleansing of the mind, body and soul.

Amidst all this excitement we still managed to visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens, stretching for what seemed miles and strolled around the streets of China Town, visiting temples, eating more yummy food and squeezing through the China Town Markets!

There is so much more to tell you about but it really will turn into a novel, so I will finish here.

Sending all my love. I hope you are all happy and well xxxx

The final adventures in New Zealand

I'm actually writing this in Singapore! Before sharing our adventures of SE Asia, firstly our last couple of weeks in New Zealand before we had to say goodbye.

I seem to be having real problems with putting pictures up at the moment. Not helped that I lost my camera lead! Sorry but again use the imagination for this one until I can work out what I'm doing wrong!

After volcanic exploration we spent the next few days in the Coromandel region, east of Auckland, jutting into the pacific. Much of the time we hopped from beach to beach along the east coast. The east and west coast are split by the lush forest of the Coromandle Ranges, again old volcanic terrain. A real mix in areas from the posh cafe/bars and marinas to the more hippy, chilled areas. The west coast is more rustic with its history in gold mining. Maori history is rich here however this has been lost a bit in the coromandel region.

Much of our east coast travel was moving from sandy white beach to another! My favorite , Hot water beach. Really cool beach. There's an area in the middle of the beach, near a rocky patch which at low tide you can dig yourself a hole in the sand and hot, steamy water fills the hole from the hot water springs below. We loved this beach. Sitting in our own beach spa, watching the sun setting and sea come in, perfect!

Next stop along the way, Cathedral cove and New Chums Beach. New Chums, beautiful little beach, hidden away behind a lush forest. Stunning stretch of sand, rugged cliffs on either side and the beach fringed with tree's reaching down to touch the sand.

After a day spent at the head of the peninsula, Fantail Bay and Port Jackson, we found ourselves lost in peaceful world of the Mahamudra Buddhist Centre on the west coast of the Coromadel region. Here we met with Sabina, from Sweden, who we have met three times previously along the way (usually at hot spa's!). It was hard to leave this place, it really was beautifully still and energising. This is probably the only area in the hole of NZ that the possums feel safe. They came to say hello around our tent at night!

Our last two weeks in New Zealand we spent between staying with friends in Auckland who we met while traveling, the lovely Richard and Rachel and spending a few days in the Northlands region. With not much time left we chose just a few places to explore in the Northlands region. First the Kauri coast to see the mahusive native Kauri forest. Some of these bad boys reach as tall as 60m and trunks 5m wide. The father of the forest, Te Matua Ngahere, not so tall but wow did he have a lot of girth. A wopping 16m, deffo the daddy of the forest!!

At the north end of the park stands the almighty Tane Mahuta. A very sacred site. Tane is the Maori Forest God, son of the Earth Mother and Sky Father. The largest Kauri alive, they believe he could be 2,000 years old.

We made it to the North point of the North Island, camping at the furthest north point you can camp at Topotupota Bay campsite. We were befriended by the local conservation warden and helped him with his jobs around the DOC site, mainly cause we got to ride in his 4WD in the bush. We're so easily pleased! There is more to this story but too long winded but it ended up with me in my pants and bra swimming in the river! Not as bad as it sounds!

The highlight of the Northland, Cape Reinga, a very magical and sacred place. Believed to be the final point where the spirits leave the earth plane into the spirit world. It's also where the sea meets ocean and you can actually see this with a frothy white swell and waves being formed as they collide.

Heading back down the Northlands peninsula we visited the massive Te Paki Giant sand dunes. No kidding, these dudes are huge. Once you've climbed over the first you have a 360' view of dunes, it feel like you're standing in a desert, not that I've been in one but you get my drift!

Our 'true Kiwi' experience came when we stayed with a kinda family member of mine near Kaitia, heading towards the east coast of the Northlands. They own a huge farm and insisted that we stay the night. Not only a double bed but we got to watch sheep shearing and ride a quad bike thing around the farm while Lyn and Win drove the tractor, proper cool!

Before returning to Auckland we visited Waitangi, museum and treaty grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed,a must. We spent a brief time in the Bay of Islands but didn't really get much time to explore this area as we had run out of time.

Our final few days was spent in Auckland. Thanks to the gorgeous Richard and Rachel we stayed with them in their house share as we sold Vinnie on to some fresh faced travelers from Canada. The house itself, just on the outskirts of the city was a time capsule from the 40's/50's. Nothing had been changed or removed. The funkiest place ever, old radios the size of a cabinet! We had some very funny times with the dudes and their house mates, Jade, Jamie, George and Flea.

Auckland, not a place I would live, but not as bad as its reputation from other travelers we met. Total random mix of architecture in the city centre and an array of skyscrapers, very cosmopolitan in areas and very muli-cultural which was cool. It is by far the biggest city in New Zealand. We had to do the touristy thing and be taken up the Sky Tower. A bit like being taken up the Spiniker Sarah, just a lot bigger!! Amazing views of the city. At night the city turned into a sea of lights, making the city more inviting. A visit to Mount Eden and her crater, one of the many volcanic cones in the Auckland afforded views of the city, the suburbs surrounding it and lots of other volcanic cones that are a key featutre in Aucklands landscape. We also managed a quick visit to Devonport, to visit an old Maori Pa site (fortified village), again great views over to the city.

That is where out adventures on a Pacific Island finished. We had to say out goodbye and board the plane to start some ventures new!! It's a hard life!

Thank you New Zealand. This is Kitty Kat reporting for the last time from New Zealand, well tecnically from Singapore!

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