Visit Malaysia 2007 - 50 years of Independence

Selamat Datang! After a short and terrifying plane ride (we hit a few air pockets which proceeded to throw everything that wasn't fastened down up into the air... several times.) we arrived in Malaysia at the nation's capital, Kuala Lumpur. From there we made our way into the heart of the Chinatown area and set up camp for the next five nights. This was the longest that we had stayed in one location, and it felt good. Our first mission while in Kuala Lumpur was to get some shopping taken care of. For those of you who don't know, the Laakso's are born to shop!! First, we made our way into the Times Square area where Jono could shop for his favourites, electronics, Aimee could shop for clothes, and Amanda could shop for... well she's not a Laakso by blood, so she just enjoyed the show! After a bit of shopping we headed towards the Petronas Towers, the world's largest twin towers. We were lucky enough to secure a spot (as they only allow 1000 people up the tower a day) and catch a great view from the observation bridge that connects the 2 towers! With shopping out of the way, we were able to so spend a few days catching some of the unique sights that Kuala Lumpur had to offer. We made our way into Medaka Independence Square, an area full of museums, historical buildings and bird parks. We were able to check many of these sights out, including the world's largest covered bird sanctuary, which ended up being a total blast!! Where else can you hand feed giant rhinoceros hornbills?? A highlight of Malaysia for all three of us was the day that we left Kuala Lumpur to go to an elephant relocation centre which was about 2 and a half hours to the North. This centre is set up to help relocate and house elephants that are losing their habitat to farming, and put them back into the rainforest, while providing lifetime habitats from those elephants who can no longer return to the wild (orphaned or injured elephants). When we were at the centre, we were greeted by 8 beautiful elephants. We were able to feed them, take them for a short ride and even bathe them in the river!!! We spent just over 2 hours working with the elephants, and we left with a feeling of awe and disbelief. Being so upclose and personal with those beautiful giants, nothing else has compared (at least not yet!). Our final day in Kuala Lumpur was spent in a celebratory fashion, as we geared up to head out to Sunway Lagoon Waterpark and celebrate Jono's 24th birthday!! We had lots of fun in the sun as we played in the wave pool, sped down waterslides and were even flung into the air and thrown around by the G-Force X! It was a fun way to celebrate the special day! Finally it was time to head out from Kuala Lumpur to the historical city of Melaka. Here we enjoyed sights from this old Malaysian port city. Some of the sights included Christ Church, St. John's Church and an old fortress (Porta di Santiago). It was a fun little place to slowly wander around and enjoy ourselves while getting rested up for our next destination... PS> Check out Amanda's Birthday present to Jono! It was great!

The Prettiest Place on Earth.

After spending a few fun-filled days in Phuket, it was once again time for us to pick up our packs and move on to our next destination. After a two hour ferry ride we arrived at the jaw-dropping isles of Koh Phi Phi (The Phi Phi Islands). We spent our first day on Koh Phi Phi enjoying the sand, surf and sun. However, since we were a little “beached-out” (after about 2 weeks of sun-soaking), we decided to spice things up a little and have a go at ocean kayaking. We spent three hours in our small kayak battling the sea. We were able to make it about half the distance of the north island. At one point we made it into a secluded cove, but thought that we might have to spend the night there because the waves were just too powerful After some careful planning and teamwork our little kayak came through for us and took us back to our beach safe and sound. Our second day on Koh Phi Phi was spent in a unique way. We, along with 6 other travelers, hired a long-tail boat and driver to take us for a 7 ½ boat ride around both Koh Phi Phi Lei and Koh Phi Phi Don (the 2 distinct islands which make up Koh Phi Phi). This may have been our best idea to date! Our driver took us to some of the best snorkeling sites, including Shark Bay, where we were able to jump of the boat and explore the ocean. Some of the fish and coral that we saw were magnificent! Our driver also took us to Monkey Island, where we were greeted by hungry monkeys which appeared in the trees overhead and met us on the sand. We spent some time feeding and playing around with them, they seemed to like us just as much as we liked them! Our last stop on the tour was Maya Bay, the infamous beach from the movie “The Beach”. It was breathtaking! It's easy to see why this place is considered by many to be the prettiest place on earth! Upon returning from our excursion, we spent the night in a little café watching “The Beach” while on “The Beach's” beach (we just couldn't resist). From there we decided to treat our weary bones (it's hard work being a traveler!) to a relaxing Thai massage. Although a little unusual (there was a lot of poking and hitting involved) we left feeling rejuvenated and ready to go to our next destination... Malaysia!

From Flaming Ladyboys to The Royal Family...

Once we had had our fill of Krabi, the three of us boarded the longtail boat back off the secluded peninsula and on to one of Thaliand's National Highways. From there, we squished into a “not so mini-van” (complete with a broken AC system) and rode the road around the bay and finally onto Koh Phuket (although you'd barely realize that it was an island considering its distance from the mainland). After arriving in Phuket Town, we fanangled ourselves a taxi ride to a hotel just off Patong Beach that other Canadian travelers had recommended to us. Once we were settled in we got to enjoy the overall atmosphere of Phuket's most vibrant city. The beaches were filled with sunbathers from all over the globe and the waves that broke onto the shore were enough to sweep you away. We were entertained for hours just getting tossed around by the heavy duty waves which could literally pull your bathing suits right off you (I know from experience)! Patong's night-life however, was a little bit of a culture shock to us (to say the least). The main drag consisted of nearly 100 bars/pubs/nighclubs who had all hired “hawkers” to try and get you to come in. Intermingled throughout the throngs of tourists were the entrepreneurs who were selling photos with one of several wild animals they had turned into a source of revenue (parrots, monkeys, gibbons, iguanas, snakes, etc.) but the most startling in the crowds were the dozens of “Ladyboys” (you can figure it out). The real disorienting part of it was not knowing who was... who. Posing for pictures, creating public spectacles, the Patong strip was an eye-opener to say the least. On one of our evenings we decided to catch a “Muay Thai” (Thai Boxing) match down at the local stadium. The first couple of matches we were set back by the sheer age of the competitors (they mustn't have been more than 10). While these matches were not as brutal as the ones to come, it was a little unsettling for us sheltered Canadians. The Main Event of the evening was when a fighter from Brazil entered the ring. This match was the most energetic and action pact. Despite all of his effort & support from the crowd, his tiny yet ferocious native opponent stole the day. We were lucky enough to hang around after the fight and chat it up with the Brazilians who were very nice to us. While Amanda had to take her first “sick-day”, Aimee & Jono went to the Phuket Zoo. While it may have been one of the most poorly set-up and maintained “Zoos” I've ever been to, there were a couple of “advantages” to the menagerie. For a couple of bucks you could get “up close & personal” with the animal of your choice. Seeing the huge Tiger with a chain around it's neck was naturally the first choice. The unsettling part of this was that the main animal wrangler had only one arm. Aimee cautiously sat herself down beside the tiger and once she felt confident the trainer WHAPPED a wooden stick in front of the beast so that it would “Smile” for the camera. To be honest, I had second thoughts at that moment myself. The Phuket Zoo... It had it's pros & cons, let's leave it at that. The next night we found ourselves wandering around town when we stopped in at a more modern & high-tech looking mall which seemed to be having some sort of celebration. By the looks of it (not entirely finished, yet still lacking any wear or tear) the evening seemed to be a “christening” of sorts. As it would turn out, the Jungceylon complex was receiving a visit from the Royal Family of Thailand. We were lucky enough to catch fleeting glances at both the King & Queen as well as the Royal Princess. Way cool. Patong, Phuket was a whirlwind of the senses and is definitely a must see for anyone visiting Southern Thailand.

From the Sunny Shores of Southern Thailand...

So we boarded the overnight bus departing from Bangkok and made our way down the southern coast of Thailand toward the city of Surat Thani. We were lucky enough to get on a bus that had "Air-Conditioning" as well as an "en route" Western (as in from the Western World as opposed to a cowboy western) movie which unfortunately had been dubbed (as opposed to subtitled) in Thai. As such, our iPods safely rescued us from the built in bus speakers which were blasting throughout the night. From there we arrived at the port of Surat Thani where we boarded a ferry headed to Koh Samui (in other words, Samui Island). We watched the sunrise as we chugged our way to the island and it was just before lunch when we reached Samui's landing port. We stopped for only about an hour before we boarded another ferry headed for our intended destination of Koh Pangnan. We arrived on the south part of the island and haggled our taxi down to an affordable price to take us the 20 minute drive to a fishing village on the north side of the island. Once in the fishing village, our (blind in one eye) long-tail boat captain (Captain Dan) took us by a rickety long-tail boat (the engine of which was a slightly modified car engine with a long propeller attached) to Had Khuad otherwise known as Bottle Beach (only accessible by boat). Once there, we stayed for a few days at the "Smile Bungalows" the set of camp-like cabins with mosquito nets and all. We enjoyed the calm quiet shore with about 40 other visitors and after 4 days we were ready to move on. From there, we backtracked our way back to Surat Thani and took a 3 hour bus trip across the mainland to the West coast of Thailand to the city of Krabi. As the sun rose in Krabi town we quickly realized that the town itself must not be the attraction and within a couple of hours we found ourselves a boat ride away and landing on the shores of the majestic Railay Bay. Mangroves on the east shore, caves, monkeys, limestone cliffs and even a lagoon all within walking distance from our room at the Ya-Ya bungalows. Krabi, as we would soon realize, was a place we wouldn't soon forget. We took the first day to enjoy the blue skies and sandy beaches and soak up the sun. The next day we thought we would try to make our way up the red-mud cliffside to find the hidden lagoon some other travellers told us about. While we "saw" the lagoon, we had to turn back when the combination of vertical cliffsides and a sudden rain interrupted our journey. On our way back however, we encountered a real sleeping beauty that you can take a close look at in our slideshow. Sun, Surf, Sand - Castles... Krabi has it all.

Our First Stop

"Sa-wa-dee Krab" & "Sa-wa-dee Kah" We've arrived at our 2nd official destination, however after spending more than a year in Korea it feels like the first. We've only just landed a couple of days ago but we've seen enough in Bangkok alone to last us a lifetime. We were lucky enough to start the trip off from our home city of Chuncheon to the Incheon Airport just outside Seoul with our friends, the newlyweds (Oobie & Soon-Young), who were also on their way to the airport to begin their honeymoon (you just never know what will happen). It was only a 5 hour puddle-jump over the China Sea and we were in Thailand! Bangkok's sweltering heat greeted us just outside the airport and it was a big climate change from "cool Korea". We spent the remainder of the day just getting down to the heart of the city (Banglamphu) where we found a decent hotel to "ease" our way into the hot climate. The next day was spent shopping in and around Bangkok with a quick stop off at the mysterious Jim Thompson's house (ex-CIA agent turned entrepreneur who revived the silk industry) and then we crashed a couple of day markets & ending the night off at the "Pat-pong" night market. We found some amazing deals but we didn't stop in for the "Ping-Pong" show or the "Ding-Dong" show either (use your imagination). However, we were able to see a fist/kick fight between a couple of vendors (one of which we believed to be a transvestite). There's never a dull moment here in Thailand. The next day we spent hanging out with "Gib" & "Fai" who had stayed at our house back in Canada on an exchange about 3 years ago. They took us around and showed us some of the most famous and stunning temples in Bangkok, many of which were too ornate to discribe and we capped the day off with one of the best stage shows we've ever seen called "Siam Niramit". We would highly reccommend the show if you're ever in the city (it's worth every Baht! 30B = $1.00 Can). Then on our last "rainy" afternoon in Bangkok, our Thai friends took us to Ocean World (Asia's largest Aquarium - or so we're told). After that, it was off to the Bus Station! Well, that's it for now! Enjoy our Bangkok photos and we'll be posting more Thailand photos soon! See Ya!

The Adventure Begins...

How time flies... Amazingly, our year of teaching in Korea has come to an end. Over the past week we have been joined by Jono's sister (Aimee). Together, the three of us have been from one end of Korea to the other, and back again. We went to a friend & co-worker's wedding in the southernmost city of Busan. While in Busan we checked out the world famous "Jagalchi Fish Market" and made our way through other parts of the city. From there it was back to Chuncheon for the last day at school. A day later, the three of us travelled to Korea's "Honeymoon Island" called "Jeju-do". There we spent three and a half days exploring the island being sure to take in all the sights and sounds from "Jeju deer" to the countless Grandfather statues scattered throughout the island. We marveled at the island's natural wonders (strange rock formations, volcano craters, etc.) and we were also lucky enough to sample some of the island's famous "eats" such as "MAR-GOGI" (Aka - Horse Meat) as well as "HEUK-DEDJIE" (Black Pig Pork) wash it all down with some cactus juice... mmm... Tomorrow will be our last full day in Korea and we will be sharing in the wedding celebration of our good friends "Oobie & Soon-Young". Thus ends our Korean Adventure... Let the next chapter begin...