From KL to London!

Hello from London folks!!

I made it back! and I still can´t believe it! I think I am still hangover from all my experiences in Asia... and it was so intense! Leaving the Cameron Highlands, my home away from home, my friends, and going back to KL... I enjoyed it too because I was in very good company, my friend Martin was going the same way so we spent my last days together, and it was great... the bus journey was quite eventful, it took us the whole day, roadworks, bus breakdown,... everything that could go wrong! but it was interesting... and in KL there was another Reggae Bar! so it felt familiar, somehow... We did a lot of drinking, shopping (Christmas Presents!!!!!!!!!!), and even went to a few heavy metal concerts?? (Malaysian Bands!) that was quite interesting too!

The last night I only slept for 2 hours! before catching my flight!!! so I was literally hangover, in every sense, when I finally made it to London... The flight was quite confortable, no complains, just very sad... and lonely! and in London my sister was waiting for me, so that was good, to see a friendly face among all the dark, grey, coldness of London at this time of the year... what a contrast! it could not have been more striking! It felt so strange, the first day I did not dare go out of the house!! It is hard to remember all my adventures too, I have nobody that can feel identified, it is a lonely feeling...

But it will pass,... it is just the first moments that are the hardest... as dear Jane and deas Angel say, I am ready for my new adventures in Europe, going back home to Madrid, settling down, starting a new life from scratch... that will be exciting too!!! Maybe I am a bit lazy at the moment... but there is also Christmas, and my family waitin for me back home... so that is the next step, let´s not think too far ahead, one step at a time. So today I will buy my flight back to Madrid for next week sometime, and that will be it. Christmas time is here!!! unbelievable! tonight I want to go to see the Christmas Lights in Oxford Street, maybe have a look in Harrods,... just to cheer up a bit. My theory is that Christmas time is all about the lights in the dark winter... I need some light!!!

Anyway, I don´t know if I will keep my blog now that I am back. So maybe this is the end of it too... it was so great writing it! I really enyojed your company in my adventures, you gave me strength and motivation to go on! thank you all for being there. And let me know when your adventures lead you away from home! I would like to hear from you and share them with you! take care my friends!! see you soon, in Edinburgh? or wherever!!!

Langkawi Island

Hello everyone! I have just spent a lovely week in paradise island! Langkawi is just on the border with Thailand and it is a great place to relax, beach and sun, meet people and party! what else can you need? I tell you I could have stayed there... the first day when I arrived it was quite cloudy and a group of us met up to explore the island on a shared taxi... but it was not succesful. As soon as we set off it started raining so heavily and thunder and lightning... so we ended up sitting in a restaurant the whole day, chatting. It was a nice crowd, a girl from Kazakistan, a dutch girl and a boy from England. We had a great time, even though we were soaked! eating drinking and smoking shisha! In the evening we went out and met lovely people in the Little Lylia Chill out Bar on the beach... lots of musicians entertaning us with their guitarss... lots of fun!

Since then we spent most of our time together, in the Lylia, swimming and laying on the beach... it was so good! I really needed some vitamin D! it was relaxing and busy at the same time... My guesthouse was not a very nice place but it was right on the beach, so I don't complain! There was a lot of nice people around, a lot of reggae music, especially in the Reggae Bar! life concerts every night! so after 6 days, I had not explored the island very much, but had a great time all the same... only went on the cable car to see an overview of the island from the highest peak... very, very nice!

What else can I say? I met really special people there, some free spirited musicians leading a bohemian lifestyle.. and my friend Martin, the guy from England, who I have met again in the Cameron Highlands, where I am now! (again). It was really sad too leave Langkawi, and all my friends behind, the easy lifestyle, the nightlife, the pirates and the sharks... and I think it was especially hard because I realised that the countdown has started!!!! I was ready to go back home before, but now... I could do with a few more weeks!!! its always the same I suppose. It is only postponing the goodbyes...

So I took the boat back to Penang Island, where I spent one last night in Banana guesthouse, to say goodbye to all my friends there... and then came to the Highlands for my last stop before KL and my flight back... It is raining here, and cold and miserable... but on the other hand it is a very warm place, with a great atmosphere, Jungle Bar, nightly bonfires, ... so the party is still going! at least for a few days... Oh boy!, its going to be hard to go back! still hoping I might miss the flight.... (just joking!)

I have started thinking about my plans when I goo back to London and I am a bit uncertain... I have the option to go up to dear Edinburgh for a few days to visit all my people... but on the other hand, I feel that I am needed back home quite badly... family situation... so I am afraid I may have to leave Edinburgh for January... I don't know yet!! I am getting stressed!!!! anyway, will try too write again soon, maybe from KL. Love you all!

Malaysia: home sweet home!!!

Hi children! I hope everyboy is fine! I myself cannot complain, since I am back in dear Malaysia! It was quite an experience to be in The Deep Thailand for a couple of weeks but after that I decided I had enough! I mean, the teaching was fantastic! my teenagers were so lovely, they did not want me to leave! I could have stayed if it had been a better situation... but as things were, the best was for me to leave. I mean, the last days of my stay were amazing, I got so much attention! they organized a leaving party for me and all!!! (when everybody seemed to ignore me all the time?!), where I got given soo many presents that I had to send a couple of boxes home!!! full of pillows (they make many pretty pillows in tha area of Thailand) and stuff I could not carry...It was quite surprising for me that everybody was trying to change my mind to stay after all! I mean, it was really not the right moment for this family to take me in (because they had some other things in mind...) but I nearly had to promise them that I would go back next year to stay longer!!! imagine that! I don't know if it is in my schedule...

Anyway, it was quite emotional to leave, I had two adoptive fathers and one adoptive father and a couple of brothers and sisters when I left...!!!! And I keep in touch with the eldest son of my teacher by email... but I really had to go. The most treasured present I took with me from Khamkuenkeaow (I finnally learnt how to write it!!!) was a little Bhudda necklace that I cherish as my lucky charm, always around my neck!

So I went to Bangkok with the night bus on the 10th and stayed in a Youth Hostel for the weekend just to have time to go shopping in the weekend market!!! What a fantastic place it is, that market! it is gianormous! and it has everything you can find in Asia (I think)! Shame I was on a budget... but I enjoyed Bangkok a lot! It was busy, for sure, always on the metro and following the crowds, but what a bliss to be able to move around, to go places, to have a hot shower!!!!! I also treated myself to a "decent" meal, italian food, the closer I could find to spanish! delicious (or as the locals would say: aroy!!) salad, good hearty pasta and bread.... I needed it! And I was even so lucky as to meet a very nice English man, who I could talk to!! (after soo long in isolation!) and we had a very good time, if short, together.

But after a few days Bangkok already lost its charm. Too busy! or something... so I was very happy to take the 24 hours journey down to Butterworth on the train, on the . I also knew I had friends waiting for me there, I would be back home in dear Penang! The journey was quite pleasand too. Not much to eat on the train (because I had not many Baht left) but I knew that Penang is famous for its food, so I would not lack it there! and so I arrived, and here I am now!

They have been a great few days, spent in good company and with only the basic needs to worry about: eating, drinking, sleeping,... and it was my friend's birthday, so we had a party too, and a cake!! now it is time for me to think about moving on, and I don't quite know where I am going next. The idea was to go back to the Cameron Highlands, to work in Daniel's Lodge, but the news are that it is raining a lot there, and I really feel like beach and sun!!! so I think I can still afford to go for a few days to an Island... maybe somewhere I have never been yet? (and I think I have been nearly everywhere in mainland Malaysia!). Anybody has any suggestions? please let me know! or otherwise just write silly comments! I love them! they keep me going! Because if I tell you the truth... I feel like I am ready to go back home now... miss you!

The Deep Thailand!... and memories.

Hello again folks!

here I am, at Chanupatham school, in Khamkuenkaew, and I tell you they have some rituals here. Every morning first thing, they have a meeting they call: "Assembly", where every student and teacher come together in the playground and listen to some talk... first the national Anthem is played and sung, the flag raised, some praying of some sort, and then miscellaneous talk by different people about different things (what do I know, don't understand a word of it!) that takes the whole first hour of class!! and let me tell you something, it is very early that this people wake up! At 6 o'clock everybody is awake and kicking every day! school starts at 7: 30am! I found it very hard to start the day so early, not used to it anymore. But what I found the hardest was shower time in the morning!! not only is the water cold, (that was to be expected) but you have to shower with a bowl, from a water tank, bowl by bowl...!!! soo cold!!! and then breakfast! that is a story too: no coffee, no toast, nothing like that! only rice, "sticky rice" in the morning, and some strange spicy dishes that I never know what they are... fried fish, or pork... it doesn't (in my humble opinion) make a healthy start of the day! But I am getting used to it... what's the choice?!

The best thing in this experience, lets try and be positive, has been the discovery of Eli, the teacher!! I really enjoy going to class, talking to the students, even improvising!! (well, this teacher of mine surely doesn't even know the meaning of planning!). I have been talking a lot about Spain, they are interested, even teaching them some words in Spanish, "Hola", some of them call out when we pass in the corridors... they are lovely teenagers, nothing to do with scottish, or spanish! When we come into the class, they stand up and say all at one: "good morning teacher!" and stuff like that! their English is very poor, I must say, and the teaching is even poorer, I have to add... so it was easy for me to make them interested, and I think they enjoy my lessons! (when the teacher decides to leave me without notice and without a plan...). Last week a girl gave me a sweetie with the message:" I love you" on it! they are really childish, somehow...

Anyway, apart from my dear students, only my memories keep me busy at times... I will tell you more about my trip with dear Angel (and, by the by, if he has something to add or to correct, please let me know, I know you are reading me too!!). We were at Tioman Island, just after our friend Mokhtar drove us through the jungle, and when we finally got to the other side and stood in firm ground, I felt like celebrating! (I don't know, that we were alive, or something!!). And there must have been a mind reader around because just then we heard someone calling: "do you want cold beer?" and we were there in a tick! it was a bar, very friendly guys, many magic tricks (there was a real magician among them!) and we spent the evening... and the night! there, drinking and playing cards and so on... it was fun! but the next morning, hangover as we were, was time to leave...

We went to a very special town called Malacca! the experienced travelers, and the ones that like reading adventure novels about pirates, will know about it! I really enjoyed that little town. We saw no pirates, though, disappointing (maybe they were busy celebrating the Muslim New Year, after the Ramadan, on the 12th of October, if I remember right...). Luckily, we stayed in Chinatown, that was as lively as it can be (no Muslims there!, only Chinese, lots of them!!!), with night markets, food stalls, karaoke contests on the street!!!,... we had a great time, great food, walks, and the mix of cultures and religions was very interesting too: Buddhist temples beside mosques, and Chinese religions, and an old Christian church too! a place with a lot of history, that 's for sure, you could smell it in the air!

After Malacca we went to KL, busy Kuala Lumpur! The capital of Malaysia is a messy place indeed! It tries to imitate tidy Singapore but the result is a very chaotic contrast of skyscrapers and wooden huts together... it is not very special, but I like it because it was my very first stop in Asia, and I was surprised at how well I remembered every corner I passed, everything that we did in that first time. It is a very international city, where you can see clearly the ethnic mixture of Malaysia: Chinese, Hindus and Malays all together but separate (as we would say in Spain:"juntos, pero no revueltos!"). And you can find almost everything there, food wise and otherwise... but we quickly got tired of it, the pollution, the monorail, the chaos,... and decided we wanted some more beach time! at the end of the day, it was a holiday! (at least for Angel!).

We went to Pangkor Island as the summit of our adventure together! That island is a holiday place for the locals more than the westerners! and that gives it a special charm, in my opinion. It was very quiet too, but very relaxing. The downside was, maybe the water was not as clean as I would have wished... they did not seem to mind about the rubbish around them either! and it was sometimes a little bit embarrassing to be the only westerner swimming in the sea, because they all wore clothes, so I felt naked with my little bikini!!! So we opted for the more remote beaches,... and to that purpose we rented a motorbike!!!! how exciting! It was our purpose (in a joke) to do as many things as we could, that we had never done before! For me the most exciting was driving a motorbike!!!! I did it!! (only for a moment, of course, too scary!) for him, swimming in the sea at night... that was scary too, at first, because of the plankton!! (or whatever it is called) that was like loads of little lights in the water shining through!!! I got a fright! but then it was fun! we drove around the whole island and had a great time of it! The nest day did something we had never done before again: we swam to an island! it was an adventure too, took us about half an hour, I think it was about 1 km long, and we managed all right! had lots of fun swimming together didn't we?

I don't want to go on, because we are coming to the end of our trip, and it is too sad... you should have seen me at the airport in Singapore when we said goodbye... I was such a mess!! we were lucky that I found a flight to Bangkok at nearly the same time as his flight to Spain, so we were together till the last minute, (... his flight was on "last call" when he finally boarded!!), even went through customs together and stuff... well, too sad, too soon, ... but good memories....

Malaysia... again! or Thailand?

Hello everybody!!!

I missed you too!!! I don't know what to say! why it's been so long since my last post... I have been a real mess, haven't I? my mind was all over the place...

The Jungle Bar was real fun (I maybe going back soon, if everything goes according to plan) and afterwards I visited Penang again. I like it there, good food, good atmosphere, the real Chinatown... although it was a little bit trying, my situation... I was courted by two men!!! the story of my life! could not relax, could not decide... and so I went to Singapore on the night bus (12 hours). I was happy to leave and was really looking forward to the next part of my travels, the visit of my dear Angel! my Spanish Angel came, at last, after so much expectation and we had a great time together! First a couple of days in Singapore, with lots of treats!!! (like a queen!) good hotel, great food (we even had Spanish tapas!!!), went to the Raffles Hotel, to the Long Bar and had a Singapore Sling and ate a lot of peanuts throwing the rubbish on the floor! (that is the custom, it seems...). We even dressed up for the occasion, just to blend in with the atmosphere! (got new pair of shoes!!!).

But what can I say? I was already missing Malaysia! Singapore is so tidy, so clean, so square,so regulated, so organized! (they have signs saying: "no spitting!", give us a break!! we are in Asia, here everybody spits noisily!!!). So I was happy when we crossed the border, (and I hate that border crossing, with all my heart! I think I have crossed it too many times in too short a time) into dear chaotic Malaysia, where dirt is not a problem and you can smoke nearly everywhere...

Went first to the Island of Tioman! A very nice island, I must say, but of course, compared to my little paradise Kecil Island... it was ok! Angel liked it a lot. What we enjoyed most was our walks in the jungle! the first day we started going for "a walk" and ended up climbing up and down the jungle (with our flip-flops, like the natives!!) throughout the whole day, among monkeys and monitor lizards and sweating our heads of, ... thank goodness we went from beach to beach so we could refresh ourselves every couple of hours!!! and all that to reach the last beach and take a taxi boat back! but it was great fun, after all!

The next day we planned it a bit better, put some shoes on and took some water and stuff... this time we went across the island! very exciting! the jungle was soo big and deep! and the trees sooo high!! some monkeys scared us with strange human-like noises when we where in the deepest part! creepy!!!! it was like an endless going up steps, so many steps had been carved in the jungle... it was steep but we finally got to the end of the slope and then it was downhill!! much better! but very long too! it took us most of the day again to get there and when we finally did we found a deserted beach! it was beautiful, sandy, long, large, with great waves.... but nobody there! we were hoping for a taxi boat to take us back (and I was thinking a beer wouldn't do us any harm either...), but due to the Muslim New Year, everything was shut!!!! and we were lucky to get a land rover through the jungle before it was too late!!! what an adventure that was too!! it was very slippery from the rain and the road was terrible... thank goodness this man, Mokhtar, knew what he was doing and got us safely to the other side! I was real scared at one point, when our car started sliding down the hill...

Ok folks, this is just an "Entree" of the rest... I know I should have started by telling you where I am now and so on, but you know what? it is too boring!!!! ok, I am in Thailand, in Yasothon Province, in a village/suburb called Khamkuenkeaow, if you must know. I came here to work as a voluntary in a rice farm with WWOOF (Willing Workers in Organic Farms) but it seems I have been misled! as soon as I arrived here last week I found out that there is no farm, only this very sly teacher and her off springs... so my task seems to be to help her with the English lessons she gives at the local High school that encompasses around 3.000 students and 190 teachers! all in a oner!!! I know! very scary!!! and on top of it, the woman is doing her thesis of... what do I know, so has no time for me. The first weekend, I was buried in the grandparents' village, Bahnsithan, famous for its triangular pillows, with only the company of a troupe of children who did not speak English at all! I like the place, and the grandparents were kind enough to put up with me and feed me and all... but I did not know where I was, soo lost!

That was last weekend and then the week started and I had to go to school!! I tell you guys, Sunday night I could not sleep out of mere panic!!! but I did it, I went there and introduced myself to the teenagers (about 25, 14 years old teenagers!!) and told them my little story about where I am from and stuff... and during the week I started getting more and more confident and at the end of the week I was teaching whole lessons by myself!!! I could not believe it! I have surprised myself!! and then the weekend came again, and the teacher disappeared again and buried me in the village again, where I have been till today, that I am back to Ka... and ready to go to school tomorrow! so that is what it is, my life here. And since I have time in the following days to update you, rest assure that you will receive further news from me tomorrow, ok? good night then! and bless you all for being there!!!

Bali and back to dear Malaysia

So after two days of temples and children we needed some rest... and we went to Bali!!!! I think it was a crazy idea to go so far just for a few days because it was a new country and indeed we did not rest for one moment! We stayed in Lovina beach, in the north of the island, which is supposed to be quieter and more backpackers oriented. And it was, I suppose! We were among the locals, in a fishing village, you could hear the boats heading out early in the morning... and people were very welcoming and the couple who owned our resort were really nice... she was 9 months pregnant and had her baby while we were there!!! how lucky is that! we even went to the hospital to visit her! a healthy boy! (no name yet).

One morning we went to sea for sunrise to see dolphins!!! I was so excited that I could not even take a single picture! they were swimming around the boats, and when they came up to the surfac every single boat rushed to get a closer look so they disappeared to reappear somewhere else! it seemed that they were enjoying themselves playing with us!

We also met very nice boys who took us around in their motorbikes and I regained my confidence in the two-wheeled vehicles (you remember my accident). It was great fun, went to beautiful waterfalls, hotsprings, and even climbed up an active volcanoe at night to see the sunrise at the top! That was an exciting adventure too, we started the journey at 2 in the morning, 2 hours drive to the bottom and then we took our torches out and climbed up for 2 hours, like a procession of lights! Got to a little hut on the top just on time to watch the sunrise with a cup of tea... and there was hot steam coming out of some gaps in the rock! very exciting indeed!! They were great times in Bali, only too short, as always. And the last time Katie, Helen and I got to spend together. After that they left me in KL to go to New Zealand and I have been tracking my footsteps looking for old acquaintances since then. I am at home now, in Daniel's Lodge, "home away from home", in the Cameron Highlands (were the tea plantations, remember? right at the beginning of my travels!) and helping out my friend Eddie (Uncle Ho for friends) in the Jungle Bar! I am very happy and relaxed, lazing about all day and talking to backpackers until the silly hours...

The Temples of Angkor

Hello people! sorry for the delays, as always! too busy, you know! many things have happened since the last time I wrote. The most important is that my girls left me!!! I am alone now! but I am among friends so I am not scared! I am a brave girl! Let me start from the beginning...



The temples of Angkor seem so far away now... it was wonderful to see them though. You feel a little bit like Indiana Jones discovering ancient civilizations... they still are quite a mistery in some ways. I did not learn much about the history (lazy) but I intend to because they really amazed me. After many hundreds of years abandoned, then rediscovered and then abandoned again and nearly destroyed by the war, they are still standing, and very majestic. The first day we went on ou tuk tuk for sunrise. That makes it even more exciting: arriving there at night time, all still and dark, and little by little the light starts iluminating the stones... and there it was: Angkor Wat! so perfectly underlined by the sunlight. The red stones turned golden... beautiful! you have to be there to appreciate it fully! Eventhough there were many people sharing the moment it was still unique. And we were of the first ones to enter, so everything was silent, you could hear your own footsteps... a sacred place, in every corner an image of the Buddha... the dark and misterious corridors, the carvings in the walls intact.



I am not going to describe every single temple we visited, it would take me too long, there are too many! we only saw about 15 in two days, and many were similar but many were very special. The names escape my mind as well, although I have them all written down... you will excuse my vagueness. The ones that I found most exciting were the ones that had trees growing on them! they had become part of the strucure, sometimes even supporting it, sometimes changing its shape into bizarre forms... it was so cool to see the old stone turned green with moss, nature taking over... enormous trees that have been growing for long time! very powerful! I also had a religious experience, in one of the temples I made an offering to an inisible god, Visnu, that an old man was venerating (although there was no image, anymore, only the bats ruled the small tower!). Some incense sticks and some prayers in a strange language, he also read my fortune in a little scroll made of banana leave... unfortunately, his English was not that good, so all I understood was that it was good fortune! (ok, that is good enough for me!).



The downside of this complex, I have to mention it, is that it is full of children and people selling... as soon as you dismounted from your carriage (moto-tuk tuk), you could hear people shouting at you: "lady!, miss! cold drink! food!, T-shirt, books, ...you name it!" very persistant and very repetitive! and the children were the worst because they had such beautiful big eyes... and they asked you for your name, where are you from... and followed you till the entrance of the temple with the promise:"after you buy from me!" and they waited ther for you!!! "3 for one dollar " was their song, with monotonous voice... after it was:"ok, 4 for 1 dollar" and on and on forever! It was quite trying! they were very sweet but you just could not buy from all of them!!! one day I made the mistake to buy from one and I was suddenly surrounded by 10 angry faces all talking at the same time:" why you not buy from me?" even grabbing my arms... I did not know what to say, just smiled until they asked me:"why you don't say anything?" what could I say! I was overwhelmed!!



So after two days of temples and children we needed some rest... and we went to Bali!!!! But that is a different story, which I will tell you tomorrow... maybe.