Dec 2009

Day trip to the city of Love and Stonehenge--miles travelled ... 426 there and back.
Sara and I survived our twelve hour marathon flight back to Old London Town. Dead tired we took the Hotel Hoppa to the Premier Inn. They have not disappointed us yet: the bed was beautiful, hot water, and great British hospitality. We went to bed early so that we would be fresh for our short trip into Wales to take Poppy to his puppy sitter, Kirsty’s brother, Stuart.
We left early to meet Neal at Amersham station on the Metropolitan line. It turns out our travel time was more than expected. We took a bus and five trains and nearly two and a half hours to get there. While Neal and Kirsty attended Madeline’s school play, Sara and I relaxed in Great Missenden. We had a fantastic snack and relaxing time with the friendly folks at the Cross Keys pub. I made a speech there toasting the friendliness and overall good quality of the British people which was met with enthusiasm and good wishes by those present.
The next morning we were headed to the City of Love thanks to OON (aka: double zero N- licensed to kill, Neal Thathapudi’s) international intrigue planning.

Beautiful St. Pancras --London

Our store?!?!

Before starting our trip, we gave the girl’s Thai purses and some fabulous Thai “tea”. Which, we were lucky to get across the border with – barely got in! The girls sported their purses around Paris proudly and letting mom know that the purse ALWAYS has “to show!” (don’t hide it under the coat, mum!)
The countryside on the way to the chunnel was stunningly green despite the time of year, and on the French side the trend continued. We saw several beautiful small towns interspersed among the green fields of northern France.

ISABELLA!

Sara and mike on EUROSTAR!

Comfy family on Eurostar!

Eurorail was great to us...!

Paris Streets first stop!

Eglise St. Germain

We arrived at Gare du Nord to begin our adventures by taking the Metro. We exited at St. Germain de Pres and began the quest for my new shoes since I only had flip flops in the 35 degree weather. My toes began to get a little numb, but there were no good shoes to be found. The streets of Paris and Eglise St. Germain were stunningly beautiful.

Paris streets

Michael the Archangel fountain

After I got us lost we finally took the metro again to meet up at Notre Dame with Neal and family. The size of the Cathedral is difficult to grasp from a distance. Its towers and the details of its decoration only become apparent as you draw near to it and see the small people in front of it lining up to enter.

Notre Dame cathedral front view

ND Main entrance

ND side view

Notre Dame Rear view

My foot was cold and hurting when we encountered our friends again at the entrance to the church. So, we decided to take a rest at a nearby café. Madeline and Isabella were chipper and in good spirits as we had our first snack in Paris: mulled wine and hot chocolates! Yummy!

MULLED WINE!!

Cafe snack time

Afterwards, Madeline had the first two of many tumbles off the curbs of Paris. She’s tough though and just got up and kept going!
After a circuit of the cathedral to appreciate the flying buttresses we moved on to visit the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel view 2

sara and the girls

The couple who shall remain nameless

Once again, Paris did not disappoint. The buildings and park around the tower accentuated its height and stunning metal architecture.

Government complex behind Eiffel

Eiffel Isabella

Mystical Eiffel

Sara and I struck a pose before we moved on hand in hand with our friends to Montmarte and the Sacre Coer.

Eiffel dip

Sacre Coer night 2

Mike and Isabella

Sacre Coer night view

Motley Crew

Finally, we found a size of shoe big enough and marched off with shoes to the train station.
We dutiful queued up at the passport inspection station to board the Eurostar, pre-blizzard shut down, thank goodness. The immigration officer was a serious looking blonde woman. As we moved to the front of the line she began to try to break us with her steely glare. “How long will you be in the U.K.? When are you going back to the U.S.? Where will you stay on your return? How much do you have in Savings? Does the person you will be staying with in the U.S. know that you are going to stay with them? When does the contract on your rental of your house end? Where are the tickets for all of your flights between now and then!!???”
Luckily she had to stop asking questions because she ran out of breath!!! What is your profession?” In triumph, she said that she had caught us committing fraud because we were not working and had entered “Social Worker” for our profession. It didn’t matter that it was our profession and that it had been accepted in about 13 countries before we met her!! She then dutifully told us that no matter the time out of the country we must carry all our documentation and all of our tickets with us at all times! Of course we did not have this for our day trip, we just had a purse and our passports, after all we were only out of the country for eight hours!! She said that she could detain us at the train station, but that she wouldn’t …Thanks to double zero N’s connections to the queen.

Princess double zero N

PRINCESS Madeleine

Cameron Highlands- Malayasia Miles Traveled 120
Viewing site of the world’s largest flower.
We had our second bus breakdown of our trip. About an hour outside of Kl the bus threw its fan belt. This is not good for a bus going up into the mountains, and so we had to wait for two hours for the mechanic to arrive to replace the belt. The final 3 ½ hours of the trip passed without incident other than the bus driver successfully completing 75 hairpin turns on the final climb into Tana Rata.
A nice local man helped us find our hostel. The air was cool and misty, hiding the stars from view. We longed for the promised bonfire of the Twin Pines, but it never materialized. Sara signed us up for the full day “jungle adventure” which would begin the next day at 8:30am. We snuggled under the blankets using body heat for warmth as the temperature dropped through the night.
We rose and had a simple and enjoyable breakfast at Mini’s café before heading out on the tour with our guide Rojan.

Flowers in our hostel

Flowers in our hostel 2

Flowers in our hostel 3

Flowers in hostel 4

Flowers in hostel 5

Flowers in hostel 6

Sara and I’s private tour was joined by a nice Brit of Pakistani descent named “Jim.” Jim was a very friendly fellow and we hit it off immediately. The day began beautifully with cool air and blue skies as we toured our first couple of sights. We wandered among the emerald fields of the BOH tea plantation.

tea view in the mist

Tea hill side

Tea close up

Tea fields

Tea plantation

Tea conveyer

trays of tea

We learned of the traditions of tea and toured their processing plant. Tea grows approximately a foot in 21 days and only the new shoots are harvested for drinking.
We visited a massive flower and vegetable greenhouse next.

Greenhouse view

Much of the agriculture of the highlands occurs in lit roofed greenhouses in raised drip irrigated growth systems.

Green house flower 1

Greenhouse flower 2

Green house flower 3

Flower 4, 5, 6!

Greenhouse flower 7, 8... well you get the picture

A few final flowers

Massive tracts of rain forest are disappearing in this land intensive effort. It is the second wave of destruction; the first was timber pirates who logged the old growth rain forest over the previous hundred years. We took photos of the myriad of flowers and sampled the local fresh strawberry with ice-cream--- DEE LISH!

Fresh strawberry ice cream

After this we, headed out for the jungle. Our guide warning us early and often of the possibility of sudden rain and the need for food, water, and rain protection. We stopped to lay in additional supplies and purchase rain slickers. Finally, we stood at the verge of the rain forest with a layer of questionable clouds hovering just overhead. Our guide whipped out boots for Sara and Jim, but none of them were big enough for me. I was to go with my poor sneakers which had survived all the way from Panama. We began our hike following an old logging road which was now used by “soil pirates.”

the mud is not too deep if you have boots!

bamboo forest 2

More bamboo forest

Our whole crew

They took massive trucks into the forest to steal the soil for their use in the new artificial fields. It was nice to have a road, but the road was not nice. In most areas the mud was over three inches deep.

This is just the beginning.

The logging road in!

P1030175

Massive bamboo

Flower of ginger species

Creek falls jungle

Stream crossing jungle trek.

The bad areas could be near 8 inches deep with two inches of standing water. We leapt over rain washed out gullies stepping precariously on rocks and made progress as best we could following Rojan.
In many spots bamboo and grass provided the only chance to make it over the soggy mud. Finally, the logging road ended and we crossed a hand-made bamboo bridge and continued on a foot track. I had already filled my hat completely with sweat and my shirt was 80% filled with sweat. I wondered how the trek could all be uphill. Jim was struggling too, but Sara forged onward right behind Rojan. She was soon dubbed “the little engine that could.”

Jim and Mike struggle on

The final hour of the trek was made clinging to trees on steep muddy hillsides and fording jungle creeks on massive logs notched to provide a small amount of traction. Finally, deep within the jungle we neared a massive red object shaded by the jungle canopy. As we approached it, we saw purplish cabbage looking vegetables nearly a foot and a half across. Rojan pointed and told us that these were “buds” of the mighty flower.

Buds of the monster flower

THE FLOWER!!

Monster flower with perspective adding fool!

close up of the innards

Flower 2

Finally, we saw it….INCREDIBLE! More than a meter across, it resembled a cross between a beach ball, a pumpkin, and a tulip. We relaxed there enjoying its smell which is like that of decaying flesh. It is pollinated by the carrion fly which is attracted when it blooms for the first time in the night.
All of us were exhausted. On the hour and a half all downhill return trip we slid and wobbled as best we could to make it back to the van. My ankle was very sore by this point. I tried to move quickly because it seemed easier to keep my balance. Sara warned me repeatedly, “Slow down, or you’ll fall.” Knowing the wisdom of my wife I slowed down. The rain had managed to hold off and the mud was a bit drier, but often even more slippery. At one point at the crown of the path, I did the semi-splits one foot moving in each direction down the hill before stopping my feet from sliding apart.
Mere moments later, while standing at a dead stop trying to decide which way to head through the mud I sensed my feet begin to slip. I tried to adjust, but it was too late. My feet picked up speed before going skyward and my whole body plunged into the mud. Now, with nothing to lose, I continued making my muddy way down the mountain.

wild banana

Malaysian death spider

the descent from the jungle

Cameron view

Finally, dead tired and completely drenched with sweat Rojan drove us the 40km back to Tana Rata. After showering and resting up we joined Jim for a “STEAMBOAT.” A fantastic Cameron tradition where you make your own soup with about a dozen ingredients with a gas fired grill at your table. We stuffed ourselves and then decided we needed massages!!

Our steamboat restaurant

The burner

All this went in!

Steamboat helper

Steamboat all in!

Jim!

Our Steamboat

The meal

STEAMBOAT FEAST!

It was about 11PM when we began our massages and they were greatly needed.

The beauty of Massage

All the tension and stress floated out of our bodies and we slept the sleep of the dead!

Penang, Malaysia – Unesco Heritage site and slippery side walks
Miles traveled 236.12
We were very excited to pick up my brother Tim at the airport with our friend Spencer on November 28th. We hung out in Putrajaya visiting government landmarks and their enormous mall (and having a sweet drink at Shangri-La before Sara and I blazed the trail to the big island of Penang.

National Mosque

Government building

Tim and Mike at Shangra La

Mike and Sara in Shangra La Hotel

Mike, Sara, Tim

The flight was only one hour long, and when we got off the plane we were greeted by a wave of delicious food smells. This was only fitting because Penang is known as one of the meccas for food in Malaysia. As our taxi driver told us, “I am sure, if you try the restaurant I recommend you will tell me tomorrow, “It was good. For sure you will say good.”
We did not have enough meals to try all of the recommended restaurants, but we hit the lunch time food market as well as the night dinner market, The Red Dragon. The variety of food was incredible and the taste did not disappoint even though for non-seafood fans it took a little more work to find foods to try. On our first night we saw the chef, scooping giant 7in shrimp out of their tank for someone’s meal. They were jetting around at lightning speed which may amaze those who have not seen them with a reason to move quickly.
Our main lodging was at the Oriental Hotel.

View from Oriental hotel

Streets of Penang

We had an amazing view from our room on the 9th floor and the staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. The room was nice and the ac was totally bumpin. We finally met up with Tim and Spencer after they arrived the next morning at the end of the Chinatown walking tour. The sun was brutal, humidity high, and temperatures soaring. Spencer and Tim were red and very sweaty while we had just arrived via pedal taxi fresh as daisies!!

City Hall

Love Lane

Eastern Oriental Hotel

all of us

We walked a portion of the Colonial walking tour together before grabbing a few beers at the Soho public house and spending some time catching up.

Tower o beer

After that, we went our own ways to relax and get freshened up before dinner. We tried to hit some “hawker stalls”, but it turns out the New World Market is only Hawker style for lunch. We walked back to the strip on Penang street and ate at a nice Indian place across the street. YUMMY!
The next day Tim and Spencer were off to see Penang Hill and arranged to meet at lunch at the lunch hawker hot spot. Sara and I did a good stretch of the Chinatown walk with the aid of Tim’s guide information. The clan houses, Mosques, and temples were a testament to the different cultures that have found their home in this part of the world.

dragon1

dragon2

sign

Clan house

College graduates

After that, Sara and I hot footed it over to meet up for lunch at the New World Market.

Penang's world famous food

Empty plates from Lunch at Hawkers

We were not disappointed. Satay, beehan noodle soup, dumpling, seafood assortment, special ABC desert(coconut shaved ice, ice cream, corn, sweet red beans, tapioca ball, and sweet pea noodles), and about seven other dishes. We also had a few tiger beers. We headed over to the sweet “G” Hotel with Tim and Spencer to hit the pool.

Mike floating over edge of pool

Tim and Spencer Jacuzzi

The pool was very nice with sculpture and a nice cliff effect. After that, I went to work on my book while we waited for happy hour to arrive.

Mike working hard

At Happy Hour I got very happy, being overexcited about seeing my bro, and well, let’s just say, got a bit rambunctious. We proceeded after happy hour to the nearby night hawker hot spot for continued sampling of all foods Penang style.

Hawkers 2

Hawkers

Mike munching on squid

At the end of the night, I managed to twist my ankle, which immediately swelled to the size of a golf ball.
The next morning Spencer and Tim headed to Thailand while Sara helped me nurse my sprained ankle with ice and ibuprofen from circle K. Later that day after a heavy rain had passed, Sara slipped down three massive steps incurring bruises of her own while going to purchase a beautiful dress. NOTE TO ALL TRAVELLERS: tile sidewalks are very slippery after rain!
After that Sara and I headed back to KL to wait for the return of my brother for our last round of “hanging with the Bro!” We took the train for about a six hour ride through the jungle.

Train Coming!

View from train

Inside train

mike on train