Bon Voyage to my daughter.

shack

Obviously it has been quite sometime since I have posted about my daughters travels. I thought a bit of an update was in order. There will be more…it just takes time.

When last I posted, she was by herself, visiting Ao Nang, Ko Phi Phi and Phuket. After a couple of weeks she met back up with her friend and they headed off to the island of Ko Tao, Thailand. Ko Tao is one of the more popular tourist places and is known for its scuba diving….but when they arrived it was practically empty and they found a little bungalow with a hammock and a view...and it was quite cheap.



SUNSET OVER THE BAY



Their time there was spent relaxing, scuba diving, reading, and exploring the island. The nights were taken up by movies on the beach and the several trips to the Queen’s Cabaret. In her words:

The other great activity on the island is a little bit of a kept secret that most do not know about. It was Laura who first discovered the little gem of the Queen’s Cabaret. How to describe it? Think drag queens meet Vegas show girl performance. It was great!! All of these beautiful “women” dancing and singing to anything from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion to Whitney Houston and Brittney Spears. We ended up being repeat customers and sat in the front row every night. The best part - totally free. We even were able to get our picture taken with them.

THE GIRLS...WITH THE "GIRLS" OF THE QUEEN'S CABERET

Lauren has had her scuba diving license for a little over a year. She took a quick refresher course and then plunged into the clear blue depths of some of the most beautiful and diverse coral reefs in the world. She saw a family of Nemo fish, a sea turtle, many blue spotted manta rays, an eel, hundreds of brightly colored fish and a sea snake. She did four dives while she was there.



AT THE DIVE SHOP

Since her friend did not scuba, they decided to do a day snorkeling trip. It all started with a map, a snorkel, and not nearly enough time or water. They were told that some of the best snorkeling was in a bay on the other side of the island. So one afternoon after having glanced at a map which showed a small winding road through the valley, they set off for what they thought was a leisurely walk to the other side of Ko Tao. It turned out to be the hardest day of their entire trip. First the map was just a bit off, instead of going around the mountain the path went to the highest peak on the island. It was a slow steady climb to the top but it ended up being a spectacular view. To go snorkeling they had to go all the way back down to sea level. The descent was not a gradual slope with switch backs. The trail went down…straight down.

They had used most of their water and energy but their plan was after snorkeling they would simply catch a boat taxi back to the other side. Much to their dismay, since everything in the bay was closed for renovations there were no boat taxis.

They thought about borrowing a workers cell phone and call someone to come get them….but alas…no cell service.

They couldn’t walk around the coast because it was sheer jagged rock the whole way.

By this time it was 4:30 in the afternoon with only about an hour and a half of daylight left. They had half a bottle of water each, and they had to go back over the mountain that rises 1200 ft. in less than a half mile. They didn’t even get in the water to snorkel. So they started climbing, dragging their butts back up the mountain. It was around 96 degrees and about the same humidity. They finally arrived back at the top looking like drowned rats. The walk down was much easier and gave them some time to reflect on the day. The thought that stood our was “And to think we wanted to climb Mt. Everest” and they laughed the whole way down.



THE TOP OF THE ISLAND

Then it was time to leave Ko Tao. The next destination was Indonesia, with a couple of days layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur was a big bustling city with lots of nightlife, but very expensive, so they did not spend much time there. Next it was off to Bali, Indonesia. It was quite the adventure getting there, taking about 72 hours. It started with a ferry then a truck then a taxi then a train then a bus then another bus then a plane then a taxi and finally two bemos (a share taxi). Throw in a couple of sketchy hostels, greedy drivers trying to rip them off, a million jumbo rats and she said it was the longest 72 hours of her life.

The original plan was to land in Bali and catch a bus and ferry over to Java to see some volcanoes. Upon arriving at the bus station their taxi driver negotiated a pretty fair price for the 14 hour journey to Java that was to leave in thirty minutes. For some reason my daughter had an odd feeling. The conductor seemed sleazy, the bus was cramped (but not unusual) and the locals seemed agitated. Thirty minutes went by and then another sixty and they still they had not pulled out. She had a bad feeling and something inside was yelling at her to get off the bus. Oddly her friend Laura had the same feeling. The number one rule of travel is ALWAYS trust your instincts. So they got off knowing they were probably going to lose their money. While “negotiations” took place between them and the conductor, Lauren stood in front of the bus so it could not leave and Laura scrambled to get the luggage off. Finally after another bus company came over and scolded the conductor for cheating them, they received half of the fare back. They stayed on Bali. Incidentally, they were headed to the area near Mount Merapi, which is loosely translated as “Mountain of Fire”. While the major eruption happened after they left Indonesia there were several minor flare ups that would have taken place while they would have been in the area. Also the trip would have entailed a ferry crossing. Very rough seas not far from where they would have crossed caused a ferry sinking, killing quite a few people. Probably not one they would have been on…but scary none-the-less. Their instincts were evidently well founded.

Bali is a lush tropic island. They started their time on Bali in the town of Ubud. It is an area known for its local artist, brightly colored hand woven fabrics and beautiful flora. They stayed in one of the nicest hotels of their trip and spent a couple of days exploring the town and the rice fields surrounding it.



THE HOTEL IN UBED



THE RICE FIELDS



A LOCAL WOMAN WORKING IN THE RICE FIELDS

The smell of incense hung all around and brightly colored flowers and fabrics were found everywhere from the temples to the streets. It was a beautiful place to relax and rejuvenate.



THE FABRICS



THE FLORA




They felt Ubud deserved its description as a small piece heaven and paradise. Not even breaking out in a miserable itching rash that took a trip to the clinic and 4 prescriptions to get rid of took away from her time there. It was the beginning of a visit to one of the most beautiful areas in SE Asia.

Other adventures on the island of Bali would follow…but that is for another post.

schwarcw

WOW! What a story and an adventure. Beautiful scenery! Interesting characters at the "Queen's Cabaret".

I am glad she had such a wonderful time!

Fireman32

Thanks for the update. Awesome pictures and a great story.

cnh

Nice photos. Very similar to Southcentral China. My friend and colleague works in Thailand, I've never been there. But with Rousseau I would suggest that Travelling is/should be part of any real Education! And I think your daughter would agree! Looks like the time of her life. Ah to be 'young' again!

Thanks for sharing!

cnh

Ricardo

Thanks for the update Steve.

Tour2ma

First thing you know they're all grown up up... and then they go and grow up some more. What a story. Gotta be one proud shackdaddy posting this.

Some very HQ pics there as well.

disneyjoe7

Great update, glad to see your daughter is having an awesome traveling time.

cfrizz

Thanks for the update Shack.

shack

A couple of folks have commented about the quality of the pictures my daughter took and asked about the camera. Before she left we thought long and hard about what she should take. DSLR or basic P&S or a P&S with some manual controls? I did a lot of research based on what she wanted. She has done some really good work with a DSLR but really did not want the bulk of that type of camera since when backpacking...weight and size are an issue. I asked how much control she really needed and she said not much as most shots would be "on the fly" so to speak. I ended up getting her a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 pictured here:







We chose this camera for a variety of reasons.

#1 Construction - It is a metal body camera that felt really solid. That came into play when she was in the mountains of Vietnam during rainy season. They were walking on a muddy trail and she slipped. She had the camera in her hand. It survived the fall but ended up being caked in mud. We talked and I advised her to wipe off what mud she could with a "damp" rag, being very careful of thy lens and LCD screen. Then let the mud dry completely and then use a combination of small toothbrush and air to clean the mud from the crevices. Once she did that the camera worked flawlessly. Here is that "event"...



#2 Focal range - This camera has a 12X OPTICAL zoom...(the digital zoom function on P&S cameras is crap IMO). 12X by itself doesn't mean much..but on this camera it is the 35mm equivalent of 25mm on the wide end to 300mm on the telephoto end via the lens alone, which is a great range. Plus it is a 12 megapixel camera which means you can crop a photo quite a bit and still get decent resolution.

#3 Fully automatic - The only adjustment is exposure compensation and white balance. I would normally not consider this a good feature, since even with a P&S I want some manual control of shutter speed, aperture or ISO settings. But she needed something she could just shoot with and not worry about settings. Of course it had the "scene" settings which helped when applicable (ie: sunset, indoors, evening, etc).

#4 HD Video - This camera uses AVCHD Lite*2 vs conventional Motion JPEG format...simple reason...it's better. Also has HDMI out capabilities.

#5 Electronics - It has a very good processor along with good focusing electronics and image stabilization.

I am a hardcore Canon DSLR shooter and like their high end P&S cameras as well. Canon's P&S have as good (maybe better) electronics and image quality than the Lumix...but the body construction and the range of the optical lens is superior.

This camera is no longer made. Its successors are the Lumix DMC-ZS5 and DMC-ZS7. The ZS5 actually has manual controls. I have considered buying one just to keep in my pocket when I don't have my DSLR handy. I think it is that good.

Ricardo

I bought my daughter a Lumix; I can't remember the model now but it cost me $130. Specs are definitely not as impressive as that one, but the pictures are absolutely amazing. I never thought a P&S (and at that price) could be so good.

shack

One other thing she took which was invaluable was a mini Joby GorillaPod. It acts as a tripod or stabilizer and can wrap around a post or tree branch to hold the camera still. Small and lightweight and works pretty good for a P&S camera. It is well worth $20.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Tour2ma

Creepy looking....

For whatever reason I just flashed back to the original Outer Limits episode, called "The Zanti Misfits", with the ant-like like aliens sent to earth to be executed...

greyford1979

Wow amazing pics...looks like she was having a great time and quite the adventure. Just saw the pic with the impaired judegment sign with the kissing the fish, had me cracking up

cnh

Love the tripod...I'm sure that was great for her on the trip! Lumix are really nice cameras, I almost picked up one when I was abroad. Now that I see these pics...I'll probably kick myself for not getting one.



cnh

Ron-P

Simply amazing Shack, thanks for the posts and the pics.

shack

I had kinda forgotten about this thread. Here is a video of my daughter's last night in SE Asia.

Halloween in Bangkok....


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She left the next day for Moscow (actually was in the airport that was bombed by the rebels a few weeks after she was there), then traveled on to Madrid Spain for a few days then down to Barcelona, where she met my wife for a cruise to Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples/Pompeii, Monte Carlo and Palma de Mallorca, before heading home.

They are thinking about another trip next year...to who knows where.....

schwarcw

Hmmmmmm! Bugs!

chumlie

Thats one brave kid. You gotta be a proud father..

BeefJerky

I hadn't seen this thread the first time it was around. I went through it tonight, and it was a great read with great pictures! However, you promised to continue their story of their adventures in Bali back in January, and still no updates. I admit that I am a bit disappointed. :cheesygrin:

cfrizz

Kudos to her & you Shack!

mrbigbluelight

And that is as life should be. Awesome. Thanks for posting.

Sherardp

I've been to alot of those places myself. Awesome pics bro and great story to match. Excellent post and thanks for sharing.

shack

BeefJerky wrote:

However, you promised to continue their story of their adventures in Bali back in January, and still no updates. I admit that I am a bit disappointed. :cheesygrin:

Ok...since I promised. This should fill in the gap between when they arrived in Ubud, Bali and their return to Bangkok...and a Halloween night on the town (I think she said she had about an hour and a half sleep before having to leave for the airport and her flight to Moscow).

Before leaving Ubud they took a ferry to the island of Nusa Lembongen. It was as close to paradise as one could get. They had a villa with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean that cost them just a few dollars a night. Lauren did a 2 tank dive and was amazed at the coral and sealife. She stated it was the best dive of anyplace she has ever been.








After Ubud it was time for a road trip. After checking out the transportation available to tour the island, based on cost and convenience, they decided it would be best to rent a car...or truck...or whatever it is. It was called a Jimmy there...and it had seen a few miles. Plus...they drive on the wrong side of the road. Lauren had to do all the driving as Laura was not able to drive a straight shift. It worked out well...in the beginning...but more about that later.





They started a tour of the Island. It was one of the most beautiful places in SE Asia. Beautiful lush plants and scenery, beautiful mountains, beautiful beaches. They headed off to Pemuteran...and of course got lost as the maps and road signs were a bit lacking. A young man on a motorcycle offered to help and actually let them follow him as he was headed their way. If they got behind, he would wait until they could catch up. They offered him some money...but he would not take it. People can be nice all over the world. On their way they saw Gunung Agung (Mt. Agung), which is the largest active volcano in Bali. They reached the north end of the island in time to do lots of snorkeling around Menjangan Island and it was quite beautiful.








Three days in a beach house on the black sand beaches of Pemuteran and it was time to hit the road again...off to the east coast and Amed to stay in a village called Lipah. They literally had the beach all to themselves for 3 solid days and just ate, relaxed, swam, snorkeled, etc.





This is when the "issues" started. Laura got a terrible stomach bug and was sick for two days. She had planned on running a 5K race on the island for charity and had already paid her fee to do so. It was scratched and Lauren worked to nurse her back to health the last couple of days while heading back inland to Sanur for their last leg before leaving Bali. Laura also got some sort of insect bite on her leg which caused a huge lump and had to be lanced when they got to Malaysia. Things were not going quite so well.

Then it sorta got worse.

On the very last day of very heavy traffic they neared Kuta and finally felt the traffic ease up. And then there was a cop on a motorbike telling them to pull over. Oh crap.

They pulled over, fully aware that they did not have an International Driver's License, which is required in Bali. While the officer was speaking to Lauren and she was trying to convince him that a Tennessee Driver's License was valid world wide, there was a cop at the passenger window and at the back of the vehicle. Not good. Not good at all. They had at least done enough research to know that the cops could likely be bribed and usually for not too much money. Unfortunately that day, they just weren't having it. They continued to demand large amounts of money, and they settled on 400,000 rupiah (about $45 USD). He tucked the money in a wad of other cash, which they probably had made off of other foreigners. There was more discussion, a threat to take the car registration, and finally they were free to go. They were still on edge even when they got back to Sanur because there were more cops out (and another foreigner pulled over). At last their time in Bali was over and they were off to Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia was relatively uneventful and they spent a couple of days in the highlands visiting tea plantations in the cool mountain air. It was totally different from the island setting they had just left...still beautiful...but in a different way.





Their last adventure before heading back to Bangkok was a visit to a "snake temple". What you see are live poisonous vipers and they were everywhere...and there was a lot of them. They were told that the incense burning in the temple would keep them safe and they could get close to the vipers if they wanted to...which they did not.





Finally it was time to head to Bangkok and the end of their journey...sort of. Lauren flew to Moscow, then Madrid and on to Barcelona where she met my wife to go to Italy on a cruise ship. Laura flew to Germany to visit friends for a few days and then flew to Barcelona to meet Lauren and my wife for a couple of days after the cruise. Then they all took separate flights back to the US and THE END of their journey. AT LEAST FOR NOW....

BeefJerky

Thanks for the update Shack! Sorry to hear about their troubles in Bali, but it sounds like it was just a very small part of an otherwise wonderful vacation. For the record, I wouldn't have gone near those snakes either.