Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category
One More Down
Friday, September 18th, 2009
Diving is a drug and I’m a proud pusher. I praise and idolize sucking on the tank and dropping down into an unreal world for one bizarre and wonderful trip.
It’s scary, but only at first, and most are hooked after the first hit. Away from the world on top, calm and moving with the flow, they lazily explore or eagerly search for something new knowing that anything imaginable and everything unimaginable can suddenly appear and change all that one once knew about life on earth and in its depths (which, btw, is nothing much at all).
Come with me, take a giant stride, roll back, or simply dive under – It’s so uncomfortable on land with those big flat pieces of plastic strapped onto your legs. Under here it’s calm and you can fly and be almost weightless. Like good drug dealers we gave her the first hit for free. And she flew. Awkward at first, but then taking control, body, equipment, all in sync, flying towards that perfect high that today seemed to take the shape of a turtle.
on her first dive ever. Perhentian Island, Malaysia.
Perhentian Island Diving Gallery
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Bats and the Huntress
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
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Back to Nature
Monday, September 14th, 2009
What a better way to get back to nature than to hike for days into the rainforest and then to throw aside all human possessions and veils, like clothes and camping gear, (but not the camera! the camera is a part of me…) and run wild through the rain, through the leaves and the river until… Until a group of locals walks through that seemingly secluded spot we’ve chosen, sending us scrambling for our raincoats, pulling them over our naked wet bodies, huddling next to the fire and mumbling something in Russian in answer to: “So… Can we join you?”
Taman Negara – the very inventively named National Par, (Taman meaning “Park” and Negara meaning “National”) was the first of our two stops in Malaysia. We really just dropped in for a few days because our Indonesian visa was expiring and we had leave and re-enter Indonesia to get another month long visa. Malaysia turned out to be a very developed and clean country where even truck drivers in remote places speak English, and hitchhiking in dirty trousers is simply embarrassing. Taman Negara didn’t make my trousers any cleaner, especially after crawling on all four in a bat cave at the end of a four day hike.
This wasn’t an easy hike. The path we took was along one of the two big river streams. Smaller brooks kept snaking through the path, looking to join the main flow, sending us rolling down and climbing up every few steps. I was pleasantly surprised of the perseverance of my travel mates. For this leg we’ve reunited with , and were also joined by her friend , and dreidrenator’s boyfriend. Long legs or short, plenty of hiking experience or not – everybody kept up, never gave up, and never made themselves a burden to the others never mind the sweat, blood, or the bruises. In fact, the only ones who gave up were my fancy-shmancy Teva hiking sandals who ate some mud, got scared, and dropped their soles on the first day of the hike. I went on in my flip-flops and socks which was especially charming as I also managed to burn through the socks that evening while trying to dry them by the campfire. If this wasn’t fun enough, hungry leaches bit into our legs and feet, spat out the 100% DEET we’ve been counting on for protection, and bit again leaving behind itchy wounds that wouldn’t stop bleeding until the anticoagulant the buggers left behind wore off.
us in the rain and campfire smoke
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Komodo Dragons
Friday, September 11th, 2009
We came, we saw, we left unimpressed. The endemic, deadly, and last of their kind – Komodo dragons – were sunbathing right next to the staff kitchen and couldn’t care less about what was happening around them. “You are so lucky to see them, he-he” said our mandatory guide wielding a big stick. “Don’t they always hang around here?” I asked knowing very well (from several online reports) they most certainly do. “Yes. You are very lucky. Maybe they not here today, he-he,” replied the guide.
mating season
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Stasya in Wunderwaterland
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Am I late?! I checked my watch – no, it’s seven in the morning – the perfect time to fall down the rabbit’s hole. “One. Two. Three. Go!” At the last moment I catch a glimpse of the rabbit – it bares a strange resemblance to a pair of fins crossed over each other. Boom! Pshshsh… Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles… I’m falling slowly, letting this far from imaginary world float by me. I want to grab some jelly from the shelf but it has a “don’t touch!” tag on it. That’s just as well – it’s poisonous anyway.
This world taught me how to fly, or more accurately – I had to learn if I wanted to see it, be part of it, and not destroy or even disturb it in the process. Now, if only I left behind a trail of fading sparks, and had a set of dragonfly wings where I now have the scuba tank, and I’d fit into this magical world much better. On second thought, actually, scratch the wings and get me some green tights and a hat with a feather instead.
I stroll though the garden not touching the ground. Sometimes, passing current whisks me away, and I have to hold onto a rock with two fingers letting the flow pummel me. My body flaps like a rag doll, and I finally let go letting the water carry me away.
Wondrous creatures with wandering eyes follow me curious and cautious. They hide in crimson, maroon, carroty, and seemingly greenish but really pink trees. There is no sitting on the grass, no picking flowers – everything here is alive, be it rose or a vase, and will make its objection painfully clear to those who might like a souvenir. It’s easy to find here a sea cucumber blowing bubbles while sitting on a mushroom coral. His advice will be subtle and ambiguous. I will lose myself in his countless bumps and creases enough to just politely nod my head when he is done explaining and proceed in the direction he is pointing at.
Manta drift dive next to Batu Bolong
Batu Bolong
Sebayor Kecil
Mini Wall – Night Dive
Tatawa Kecil
Siaba Kecil
Tatawa Besar
Gili Lawa Darat – Night Dive
Castle Rock
The Cauldron
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Coming to Komodo
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
The man sleeping on the bar awoke, stretched, then picked up two kittens that hungrily scoured the restaurant’s floor, and began kissing them. When he was finally done, and his sleepy gaze fell upon us, his eyes flew wide open and beamed not with question but with understanding. The ferry arrived to Labuan Bajo at three in the morning, and we spent the rest of the night like so many people before us on the spacious benches of the outdoor restaurant “The Lounge” in the dark and quiet of the small town. Perhaps the big sign “Free WiFi” is their guiding light for midnight visitors – I know it was ours.
Earlier in the week we’ve tested the theory that island hopping from Bali to Flores by hitchhiking on big cargo tucks is cheaper (because it’s free) and more comfortable then any bus full of children trying to out-scream the squawking of the chickens, chain-smoking men, and rotting fruit. Not only you save the bus on the bus fare, you don’t have to pay for the ferries either: once the truck driver pays for his car to go on the ferry, nobody (including the truck driver) cares who and how many are in the cab, so by catching a truck our budget also caught a little break.
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