Snowing
We rarely get snow here in Cornwall, England, but today he have it. In 5 minutes we went from zero-snow to total coverage. Traffic crawling, schools are closed and people are unsure about what to do.
In the last few years we have had the odd day when it has snowed, but this year we have had several periods of snow, even in Cornwall.
Earlier in the year I was living in 37 degree Celsius weather, today it is -2.
British Pound is Weak
So the British Pound remains weak against just about every currency at present. This is annoying as my money is worth less just about everywhere.
The secret to solving this is to travel to the cheapest countries at this time. The weaker the target currency the less I'll lose now. One should travel to the countries with the stronger currencies when your own currency returns to full strength.
So for now I am thinking of Southeast Asia again. Japan and Korea will have to wait. As does returns to Australia and New Zealand.
When I visited Australia in 1998 I got 2.8 dollars to each pound. Today it is just 1.75.
The Importance of Being at Home
I've been home for about 2 months now, sorry for the lack of updates. My intentions for this blog have wandered many times, and my focus has been lost.
Since I have been back the normal family and friends things have happened, but also something important has happened.
A family member has become unwell. This family member has also just had serious surgery and requires care and help from the family.
I am so glad I am home to help. I am close to this family member, and it has become an important part of my everyday to see them and help them.
Their decline in help was not foreseen, and was not any of the reasons I returned home.
But being back home has become vital for now.
Travel plans continue to swirl in my head, but they do not even reach the draft stage. They are just ideas.
Back Home in Cornwall, England
Well, after another great trip away, 9 month this time, I'm back home.
I am really enjoying being back, despite coming home just as Winter is setting in. I don't like cold weather, and Winter in the UK is a challenge for me. Let's see how it goes.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
He arrive in Kuala Lumpur.
After 2 months in Bali we are pleased by the cleanliness and efficiency of the city, but the pace is frantic and it takes a moment to adjust.
We grab cash and drinks and take the efficient bus to KL Sentral. Then take the monorail to the Tune hotel.
We are in KL for a few days. We are hoping to visit the Petronas Towers, which has eluded us so far, and to get some shopping.
In 1 week will be home in Cornwall, back in the house that I left 9 months ago. We are ready to go home. I am ready to go home. It will be cold and expensive, but it will be civilised, and organised, and cheap if I want it (actually cheaper than here if you're clever), and ultimately it will be home.
I intend to make the most of being home. Going to the gym, makeing nice food, seeing my family and friends, working hard, enjoying quality items at cheap prices.
I love travelling in Asia. I love the cheapness and the variety of life. But it wares me down. I had thought about trying to live here for a time. But now I am worn out my Asia.
Maybe if I went back to live in the house in Thailand I would love it all again.
Dunno
But for now I am going home, and I will enjoy it.
Goodbye Bali
Last night we had goodbyes with our friend Cam. It feels more sad this morning. He is a good friend, has been the source of many good times recently, and we will miss him. I think he will also miss us.
We pack and say goodbye to Hotel Sorga, and to Bali.
I wanted more or something different from my stay in Bali. I can't quite put my finger on it, but nevertheless, I have had a great time here, but it is time to move on.
We take a taxi to the Airport and check in.
Nusa Lembongan
We catch the 10:30am Permana boat from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan.
The swell is big so the boat hugs the Bali coast for some time before turning towards the island. The big boat surfs a couple of the waves, and we make it to the island without any dramas.
The reef around the island is very shallow, so the boat takes some time weaving its way through the rocks and plant life, before stopping at the Permana office.
We leave Caroline at a cafe and trek up the beach looking for a place to stay. We ask at a lot of places, probably 10 or more, and see various levels of accommodation. A lot are overpriced, as are many things with Bali's current over-inflation.
We eventually settle on the Pondok Baruna dive school. They have lovely new villa style rooms around a pool. The rooms are pricier than we'd like (IRP350,000) but it's worth it considering the other places we have looked at.
We have to do a little room juggling over the next few days, but at least we get to stay somewhere clean and (mostly) bug free.
The staff are very helpful.
After unpacking we head out. We walk along the front, and over to the first of the small cove beaches we can see. We swim, before heading home for an amazing sunset.
Kuta, Bali
We catch another Bemo to Kuta. This one turns out to be the slowest one on the island I think!
We take Caroline to Warung Campur Campur, which is perhaps our favourite place to eat in Kuta. After breakfast we head down to the beach.
It's hot today, and there is a little surf. Not enough for a proper surfboard, but Caroline rents a bodyboard.
We all get red in the sun. Once the sun has set it takes us a good while to get a taxi back to Sanur.
Balangan beach & Ulu Watu, Bali
After breakfast we find a taxi driver and negotiate a price for a day out at Balangan beach, and then down to Ulu Watu for the sunset.
The drive to Balangan beach is good. Lots of natural landscapes. The beach is very much empty, with a few people, a couple of shacks and a number of surfers enjoying the rocky point break. The rock makes the water too shallow for swimming.
We chill on the beach for a while with a few drinks.
Caroline makes the rookie mistake of accepting the first price on sun-loungers. £6 for 2! Woopps. Abby has banned Caroline from any further negotiations.
After we head to Ulu Watu. The temple is just as I remember it from last time, although this time there are many more visitors, due to it being the holidays. The monkeys seem more aggressive.
The sunset is great and get some good pics.
The traffic is busy as we head back to Sanur. We talk to our taxi driver a lot. He has good English. He is a hard working man, who sends his children to private school, and occasionally eats at McDonalds. He is obviously doing OK in life.
Travel Tips
Where to buy a guitar in Kuta, Bali
If you're looking to buy a guitar in Kuta, Bali there are a few options.
1. Matahari Department Store
Matahari sell acoustic guitars from around IRP500,000.
They are called Sky Lark and are resonable good. Fine for everyday playing. The strings are reasonably good, not rusty, superlight about 10 gauge.
I also bought a immitation leather carry bag for the guitar for IRP 58,000. It offers fair protection, is easy to carry, and has some pockets.
Matahari also sell classical guitars from about IRP300,000. I didn't try one, but they seemed OK.
2. On Poppies I lane
Near the top of Poppies I lane there is a shop with a few guitars in. They are priced from IRP 600,000. I didn't try them, but they looked OK. I think they are Sky Lark guitars, just like the Matahari store above. So take a walk to save a few quid.
Whilst walking back from buying my guitar at the Matahari a western guy stopped me and asked where I bought it from. So, if ever you want to sell a guitar you should be able to do it easily. Just walk around with a for sale sign on it, or sit on the beach with a for sale sign.
The local guys will definitely buy it from you, but you'll get less from them.
I bought an acoustic guitar in Yogjakarta in 2008 for IRP 175,000. It was ok, and slim, but not very well made. When I changed the strings, they were a heavier gauge, and after a little while the weight of the strings pulled the saddle off the body. I left it with a guy in Vietnam to fix and keep.
The Sky Lark guitar I bought in 2009 in Kuta was much better made. The action is maybe a little high for advanced players, but I play slide guitar so it suited me fine.
If you buy a cheap acoustic guitar, keep the strings superlight gauge.
Have you bought a guitar in Kuta? Let us know in the comments below.
Mobile Internet Access in Bali - 3G, EDGE, GPRS Tips and Information
Bali has a good selection of reasonably priced 3G providers. If you need regular high-speed access from your laptop it's a great option.
There are a few different providers to choose from. Here are my experience of them.
XL 3G
Click the link below for a translated version of XL 3G's service page. It is worth reading, as it contains important information.
XL 3G Coverage
- Kuta - I got good 3G signal around most of Kuta and it's surroundings. Even with 1 of 5 bars of signal I got reasonable data rates.
- Legian - No 3G signal, just GPRS
- Ubud - 3G across most of the town, even on the edges near the rice paddies
- Sanur - Excellent 3G signal
- Nusa Lembongan - 3G signal on the beach at Pondok Baruna (near Permana boat), but only GPRS further inland.
XL List 2 APN settings
XL list 2 APN's. The accelerator version reduces the resolution of images to make them load quicker. HOWEVER, I found the accelerator APN to be slow and congested. I found it better to use the Without Accelerator APN. Speeds were twice as quick, and much better response times. If you want to keep costs down (bandwith) and don't care about speed then go with the With Accelerator APN.
Without Accelerator
APN: www.xlgprs.net
Username: xlgprs
Password: proxl
With Accelerator
APN: www.xlspeed.net
Username: xlspeed
Password: xlspeed
Modem, Dongle, Phone advice
To use the 3G networks you will need a 3G compatible modem, dongle or phone.
Many modern mobile phones have 3G network capabilities. If so, you can use your phone as a modem.
To make life simpler you can also buy a 3G dongle, which is like a flashdrive, just a bit bigger. They cost around IRP 1,000,000 from phone shops in Denpasar. Or get one from home before you leave. Always make sure it is SIM unlocked, so that you can use it anywhere.
I bought a 3G phone whilst in Bali. I bought a Sony Ericsson G502i phone. It was the cheapest 3G phone available, and is actually quite a good handset (MP3 player, 2MB camera, radio, 3G). I paid IRP 1,200,000 from the Electrical City store in the Discovery Mall in Kuta. I also saw the same phone for IRP 1,450,000 in the Carrefour supermarket on Sunset Road in Kuta.
Ultimately a 3G phone is more useful than just a 3G dongle.
iPhone experience in Bali
I have a 2G iPhone, which has EDGE capabilties only, not 3G. This phone is unlocked, so that I can use it with any SIM card. I have happily used this as my modem (using the PDA Net modem software) in many countries. EGDE only runs at around 25KB/s maximum, but this is OK for me. Faster would be nice, but hey...
In Bali (and probably the rest of Indonesia) the phone operators run only 3G technologies, and not 2G. Therefore my iPhone 2G could not use the EDGE networks. This meant I had to buy another phone to use anything other than GPRS speeds. This was fine in the end.
If you have an unlocked 3G iPhone (or 3GS) you should be fine using the 3G networks in Bali, and probably the rest of Indonesia. However, I don't have first hand experience of this.
Other Internet options in Bali
If you only need occasionally internet access 3G is probably overkill for you.
There are loads of internet cafes around. They vary a bit, but all charge around IRP 150 per minute.
If you have your own laptop I think the best options are the mini-marts that line the main roads. Most have seating areas inside and out, and provide free WiFi, as long as you buy something in the shop. You can always just buy a cheap bottle of water and make it last a few hours. They are not going to move you on.
Cafes and restaurants often also offer Wifi. It often doesn't work well, and can be expensive. But it's a good option if you want to eat and check your emails at the same time.
Let us know about your Bali 3G experiences in the comments below
Dealing with Ants in Your House in Thailand
Thailand, like anywhere warm or troipical, has a lot of ants. If you live in a house in Thailand you will almost certainly have a problem with ants at some point. Here are my top tips for dealing with ants, and keeping them away.
Facts
- Ants live in colonies. Some stay in the nest and look after the young, others go looking for food (scout ants).
- Once scout ants have found a food source, they make a scent trail back to the nest, so that the other ants can follow the trail to the food source. These are the lines of ants you see taking the same path. The trail can last for days, even after the food source is gone.
- Ants love food. They will find any crumbs or traces of food you have left in your kitchen. Once they have found them the rest of the colony will turn up to take a share.
- The ant colony lives around the queen ant, the leader of their colony.
How to get rid of ants
- For ants in the kitchen, use a old cloth or tissue paper, spray with surface cleaner, and wipe the ants up. Once you have got all of the ants, thouroughly clean the whole area. You need to remove the traces of food, and any scent trails they have left. Follow the trails up the walls, floors, etc and clean these too.
- If you have big ants elsewhere in the house (e.g. bathroom) you most likely have a queen ant in there somewhere. You MUST find the queen ant and get rid of it. The queen ant is much bigger than the others. The other ants are coming to work for the queen, and they are settling a colony. You do not want it in your house. If you have a wet bathroom, hose all of the ants down the drain. Ensure you get all of the ants, especially the queen.
How to keep ants away
- Keep everything very clean. Ants are only coming for food
- Empty the bin everyday. Keep the waste outside.
- Ants don't like talcum powder. Try sprinkling around areas where ants are coming into the home.
- Ant killer trays are available from shops. These trays contain posined food that the ants take back to their nests. The ants in the nest also die.
- Ant chalk bars are available. Draw chalk anywhere where ants are entering the home. It will turn them back, and kill any who come into contact with it.
Hopefully these tips will help keep ants our of your home. If you know of any other tips, please leave them in the comments below.
Cheap Flip-flops and the Best Flip-flops in Thailand
In Thailand, and many other Southeast Asian countries, you will find many fake products, particularly major brands and labels that visiting tourists are keen to buy.
Flip-flops, being the national footwear of Thailand, are everywhere. Fake copies are very popular. Havanaias are the most popular and the most copied.
I have been through many pairs of flip-flops during my travels in Asia, so I thought I'd give you some tips, so that you can save some money, and get the most comfortable footwear.
Fakes are not worth it
In my opinion, fake copes of major brand flip-flops are not worth buying. Whilst they look nice, they will not last, and they are not the comfiest option.
On Kh San Road in Bangkok, and many other places, you see endless sellers selling very good looking copies. They generally starts from 150 Baht.
I've been through many pairs of these, generally lasting between 1 and 3 months, before the deck wears out, and the thong pulls through, also known as a 'blow out'. On the island of Ko Samui I did buy a pair for 50 Baht. But within a few weeks the deck was squashed flat and they had become too uncomfortable to wear.
Buy real flip-flops
Whilst real Havanias will cost a lot (US$20), good quality Thai flip-flops will cost from 200 Baht. Head to a Thai shoe shop, or sports shop, and you'll find a great choice of high quality, and ultra comfy flip-flops.
These flip-flops (above) cost me 250 Baht from a sports shop at the Big C near Chaweng in Ko Samui. They had so many to choose from, it was a tough choice. These flip-flops are by far the most comfortable I have ever worn, and they will last so much longer than the cheap copies. And they only cost 100 Baht more.
Spending the little bit more, but on the right product, will save you money in the long run, and keep you feet happy.
Visa Extensions at Samui Immigration Office, Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, Ko Tao
It is possible to extend a 60 day tourist visa in Thailand for another 30 days. This is available to almost everyone, unless you have some bad history with Thai immigration. The process is quick and easy, and takes about 1 hour.
The Ko Samui immigration office is an easy place to get this visa extension. The staff are friendly, and the service prompt.
From Ko Phangan or Ko Tao take a ferry to the Nathon ferry terminal on Samui. Make sure it's the Nathon terminal, is it's very close to here. You can walk from the ferry to the immigration office, but it will take 30 minutes, so maybe better to take a pickup.
Types of visa service available
30 day extension to 60 day tourist visa - Costs 1,920 Baht. Takes about 1 hour.
Finding the office
The Ko Samui immigration office is 1 - 2 km south of Nathon, the main town on the Northwest corner of the island. Local pickups and taxis will drop you there, or you can easily find it on a scooter, as it is signposted about 2kms before the office, and again at the actual office.
There is parking for scooters and bigger vehicles.
They sell refreshments at normal shop prices. There is a nice seating area outside the office.
What you need
To extend a visa you will need the following:
- Your passport (with 6 months validity remaining)
- 1,920 Baht fee
- 2 passport sized photos
- 1 x photocopy of your passport photo page
- 1 x photocopy of your visa & entry stamp page (these are almost always on the same page in your passport)
- 1 x photocopy of your TM.6 immigration card (the one they staple into your passport)
- 1 x TM.7 visa extension form (get this at the immigration office. You can download from their website, but better to get it there).
Note: Right outside the immigration office is a small shop that will photocopy your passport. So you can get everything there.
Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
08:30 - 16:30