End of an Odyssey

Sunday 6^th October was a sad day.  We started off early as we had a 7 hour drive day from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore including a border crossing.  This was officially the last day of our Odyssey Overland journey, so a drive day & border crossing was a telling end to our 6 months of travel.

 

We said our goodbyes to Fiona, Alex, Becks & Louise.  They were not coming with us to Singapore because they had cheap flights from KL compared to Singapore airport for their next destinations.

 

Today - like many days - did not go smoothly.  The coach driver was querying if he was to take us all the way into Singapore – surely he knew.  We were dropped off at the border, but surprise surprise no coach the other side to pick us up.  An hour after sitting on the floor under the “No waiting sign” the same coach & driver reappeared to take us to our hotel in Singapore.  We discovered he did not know the way.  Simon & Teresa did their best reading a Lonely Planet book map & trying to guide him with his broken English.

 

 

Sheila & Bruce had made their own way from Malaysia as they had stopped off at another town rather than KL.  So, the 14 of us who were left ate at McDonalds due to starvation, ran some errands & then got ready for the final Odyssey included activity – Singapore Slings in The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel.

Peanuts as well as gin-fab

Pernille Dave Yvonne

Spike & Phil

James Mahala Mary

Julie & Andy

Simon & Teresa

 

I now have my own shaker from the original place

 

The day was rounded off with a meal at another restaurant.  Raffles was way too expensive & all of us were still on budgets pending more travel.

 

Over the next 3 days people left at various times to the airport.  We all wanted to be back at the hotel to say goodbye, so most of us wandered about the local shops in Singapore buying presents (yes, that really did come from The Silk Road/Tibet/remote Nepal & I’ve been lugging it around ever since just for you-type presents), eating cheap in food courts & getting back to the hotel to say goodbye.  There were many sad goodbyes.

 

Saying goodbye to Simon & Teresa

 

Singapore has a lot to offer & those of us still around on Monday evening went to the Singapore Zoo Night Safari.  It was brilliant.  I totally recommend it.  Due to wanting to give my goodbyes after 6 months of travel, I’ll have to experience Singapore’s other attractions in the future.  They also include swimming at the rooftop pool of The Marina Bay Sands Hotel as I discovered you can only swim if you have a room.  The cheapest room was £409 - I'm not paying that to swim.

No swimming for me it costs too much!

 

Dave & I were the last 2 left on Wed 9th.  Dave had booked himself into a swanky hotel for his last night.  I on the other hand was in a £13.86 per night pod.  But, it’s not what you know, but who you know.  We spent our final afternoon together in the swanky hotel pool.

Cheers everyone

 

 

It had been a fantastic 6 months for me.  I was very sad to say goodbye to my friends.  However, my career break was not over.  I was flying to Jakarta in the morning to do a 2 week Intrepid trip through Java into Bali.  Then back to Thailand.

 

So, my blog is far from over.  Two more months of travel to write about, summing up advice you may find useful if doing this trip in the future, that all important Odyssey feedback & of course my feelings about fellow travellers now I’m not with them.  (Just kidding, I got on really well with everyone & I have got nice things to say).  Keep reading.

Turquoise sea

On my birthday I always try to do something memorable & different to normal days of the year.  On my 38^th birthday I achieved that.  On 29^th September this year I woke up at 6.45am on Koh Samui, Thailand & 13 hours later after a van taxi, ferry, mini bus - including border crossing where the border guards gave me a smile when stamping my passport on my birthday, I arrived in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.  I was so tired I wanted to go straight to bed (I guess that’s what happens when you’re nearly 40).  I was only allowed to after cutting a surprise birthday cake-which I nearly missed if it had not been for Yvonne telling me to get back down the stairs sharpish & not put on my pj’s.  The birthday cake was a great gesture & I thank Teresa for arranging it.  A good 38^th birthday.

 

On Mon 30^th Sept some of us took a wander around the UNESCO world heritage old part of George Town, got a view from the Komtar tower & looked in two massive shopping malls.  The day was rounded off with drinks bought at local shops to enjoy on the roof still celebrating my birthday.

 

Mary Anna Mahala James

Tue 1^st Oct started with a 5am get up for an 8 & a half hour journey onto Pulau Besar, one of the Perhentian Islands.  The coach driver stopped off at a KFC for lunch.  The weird thing was seeing the upstairs set out for a banquet.  As we were eating, about 200 school children came in with their teachers for lunch & were all waited on by the KFC staff.  A bit different to school dinners in the UK.  (Photos were being taken by the teachers so I think it was a special occasion & not the norm).

 

The final part of todays’ journey included a 30 minute speed boat to the actual island.  Fantastic.

 

Water taxi from the speedboat to beach

In no time at all we were out snorkelling from the beach.  During the early evening there was a massive thunderstorm with torrential rain.  The wet season was arriving.  The Perhentian Islands were closing in 2 weeks due to the rain.

 

The next 2 days I spent on speed boat trips snorkelling.  Fantastic.  Just like swimming in a tropical fish tank.  The water was about 30 degrees & crystal clear.  Clean, crisp, dark blue in the deep & turquoise at the beaches with the help of fine white sand.  I saw tropical coral, fish & turtles.

 

 

Fri 4^th Oct we had to leave the island & carry on our journey to Kuala Lumpur which took 11 hours.  The last hour spent trying to get back to our hotel we had just passed.  The one way roads seemed to take us right out of town before we could turn back.

Julie Andy & I at the Petronas towers

Just like the brochure

On Friday 20^th Sept we did an 11 hour coach trip back to Bangkok from Siem Reap.  Bangkok to Bangkok in a month via northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia.  Some of the drive days in Calypso were long.  The 14h Varanasi fiasco we’ll never forget.  Hours looking at the same scenery across western China deserts.  But our longest drive days were in SE Asia.  It was too fast for me.  I was in need of a beach week in this lovely hot climate.  2 full days at Jungle Beach in Vietnam was not long enough.

 

Anyway, second time around in Bangkok.  I ate red snapper again from the same cheap restaurant.  Bought a snorkel & mask from the 2^nd hand stall.  Had a look along the seedy Pat pong night market.  Decided not to see a ping pong show as the young girls were probably forced into this seedy trade due to family poverty.  Instead managed to catch a glimpse of what Bangkok is infamous for by watching a tourist lady boy show.  Funnily enough called the Calypso Lady Boy Show.  It was crap, but the blokes definitely looked female!  They should have done a catwalk show where they get to strut their stuff as they looked really good.  The singing & dancing show just didn’t cut it at all.

 

Blokes

On the way back we learnt why taxi drivers don’t like using the meter in SE Asia.  Flat rate of 200 to 350 Bhat was the going rate taxi drivers were offering to get back to the hotel.  I was adamant we should find a driver willing to use the meter.  We did.  The grand total for 4 of us came to 91 Bhat.  They really do rip-off westerners.

 

Sun 22^nd went to Damnoen Saduak tourist floating market early in the morning.

 

 

 

At about 5.30pm on Sunday 22^nd the Odyssey Overlanders began to dwindle.  We said goodbye to Kelly & Hayden who wanted to fly to Sumatra, Indonesia before getting home to New Zealand after 4 years away.  It was sad to say goodbye in the Erawan House hotel lobby.  It was sad Warren left us in Kolkata on Mon 19^th Aug.  It was a sad occasion again.

 

The rest of us squelched through the heavy rain with all our rucksacks to an overnight coach taking us to beach week.

 

The coach trip was not very comfortable.  I don’t really want to do that again.  There was no chance of any sleep on the half reclining seats.  Mary was dropped off at 1am to get a ferry to the island of Ko Tao.  The rest of us ended up at a truck stop near Surat Thani at 4.30am.  It did not look like the kind of place Virgin Holidays or Thomas Cook would send British holiday makers on their way to a long haul Thai Island holiday!  I guess we got the overlanding experience.  At 7.45am we were put on another coach & ended up at a place called Don Sak pier.  We all got on a ferry in the lovely bright sunshine at 9.45am.

 

Yvonne had booked a room (thanks Yvonne ‘cos I did nothing), at a hotel she had stayed at before in Lamai Beach, Ko Samui.  The ferry docked on Ko Samui at 11.15am.  Those of us staying on this island disembarked & got on a pick-up truck with benches.  The rest stayed on the ferry & headed for Ko Pha-Ngan.  At 12noon we arrived at our hotel.  It had been a long adventurous (good) journey.  The hotel was lovely.  Well done Yvonne.  Best accommodation of the journey so far.  The pool was fab.  The buffet b’fast great.  Power shower.  Dark curtains.  Free Wi-Fi in room.  All costing me £15 per night.  I’d definitely revisit this place.

 

I, Yvonne, Dave, Al, Fi, Becks, Lou & Pernille all stayed in the Lamai Beach resort at different hotels.  It was a good place with a cheap night food market.  Ideal.  I spent the next 5 days sunbathing by the pool & on the beach.  Great.

 

On Wed 25^th Sept Dave, Fi, Al & I did the Samui Island tour.  This involved a boat trip, sea kayaking, hiking, snorkelling, swimming, lunch & jumping off the boat around Angthong national Marine Park.  It looked just like the brochure pictures of Thailand’s beaches.

 

On Thur 26^th Sept I tried Oyster for the 1^st time.  Apparently you are supposed to swallow in one, but these were massive!