Day 144 - Kathmandu to Sharjah to Istanbul

After 4.5 months in Asia, I'm headed to a new continent finally! (...well I'll still be on the "Asian" side of Turkey, but I'll consider it Europe)

but I created an inconvenient situation for myself right before I left Nepal...on the very last day, I happened to lose my cell phone! (or have it stolen? I never really know)... so I'll have to find a cheap phone to buy when I get to Turkey.

The airport in Kathmandu was small, but pretty efficient to get through, maybe because there weren't really that many people there in the first place. I took an Air Arabia flight headed to Sharjah, U.A.E. It would be my first time in the Middle East, and I didn't know what to expect. I mean, the media has taught me to fear such places...and I can say it probably persuaded me not to even think about staying for a visit in any of these countries, but after landing there and seeing the possibilities and things to see, I wish I stayed...even for just a couple days just to get a small dose of the beautiful deserts and Arab culture.

Upon arrival in Sharjah, I noticed that the air looked hazy, probably due to the high level of dust and sand in the air. The airport was nice, and it was interesting to see some of the Arab men in their traditional attire, with the long robes (kaftan), head covering (ghoutra), and head circlets (igaal). There was a large presence of overseas Filipino workers at the airport, working for the airlines as well as the restaurants. I was excited to say "salamat" as thank you to them. I asked a McDonalds worker (yes I had a Big Mac) how often she was able to go home to the Philippines. She said she was able to go once, every two years, for two months. I think it's very brave of some of these young workers who travel to other countries to work in an unknown environment to help their families back home. I would think it would be stressful and lonely if things don't work out, but they do it to make things back home better for their families...

After a 4 hour layover, we finally headed to Istanbul. I went on another Air Arabia flight, and for the first time, I heard a Muslim Prayer before the plane took off on flight. I wonder if it was one of the 5 prayers that Muslims perform each day, or if it was just a prayer for a safe flight. Either way, it was quite interesting to see religion play a part in a commercial airline, much like other businesses who inconspicuously do so with their own owners' religions.

I landed in Istanbul just past midnight, took a bus and taxi to my CS Hosts' place, where he was also hosting another guy from Germany, and knocked out. The ride from the airport to the home brought me memories of my city in California. Maybe it was just because I was in a Western country, compared to all my travels in Asia, but it was nice to see clean highways, hotels, shopping centers, toll roads, etc...

Flight to Sharjah

Day 111 - Hostage on a Houseboat

I should have done research in my Lonely Planet, and heeded the advice of friends I'd met so far on my travels...in the end I think I got what I deserved when I booked a houseboat room on the Dal River in Srinagar in the Kashmir area. The travel books clearly stated that I should NOT book a room in these houseboats while in Delhi, and that I should arrive here and inspect the rooms myself. I guess I was so desperate to get out of Delhi that I just followed the advice of the travel agency I stumbled on when I explored yesterday.

The morning was sketchy as I had an early 5:30am flight out of Delhi to the northwest of India in Srinagar. I checked out, and tried to negotiate a lower price on my bookings because 1)I was given a shitty room without a private bathroom in a shitty hotel (Hotel Hindustan) due probably to overbookings in my hotel of choice with private bathrooms (Kuldeep Guest House) 2)I was relocated after my first day to their other hotel, still never getting a room in my hotel of choice. The second hotel was decent, but I felt I should still get some sort of discount for the trouble. I ended up accepting a 50 rupee discount ($1), even though I wanted a better deal.

Because everyone is trying to make a buck here, I was told by the travel agency not to tell my hotel that I booked the flight through them, to avoid them having to pay some sort of commission. They told me to wait outside the hotel after I checked out for a taxi to the airport, so I stood in the darkness of a narrow and dirty alleyway spilled with trash and stray cats and dogs. I stood there for about 15 minutes, feeling completely uncomfortable, until finally the driver came.

The airport process was painless, although there was continued heightened security due to the recent bombing. The flight on Go Airlines was maybe 60% full, and it took about 1.25 hours to get there.

I researched last night about potential conflicts in the region due to the political instability between Pakistan and India in the predominantly Muslim area. There had been riots at the end of the prior year, but flights had increased in the summer this year and things were relatively safe. I did read though about a 2-day employee strike (curfew) that ended a couple days ago. They were protesting the release of jailed youths who were being detained for no transparent reason, but probably due to their involvement in rallies against the government. I read stories about protesters pelting stones at the military at different demonstrations and it was advised that I stay away from these areas at all costs.

Upon arrival at the airport, all foreigners were required to fill out notification forms. I felt a little more at ease by having something filled out that showed where I was going to stay. I met my driver, who immediately asked me what I told the airport officials. I told him that I let them know where I was staying, and he was a little disturbed by that, saying that I shouldn't have said anything because the government was corrupt and they would also want to ask for some sort of commission. WTF? Who am I supposed to trust?

It was nice to see the river and all the houseboats fixed throughout. These English-style boats were built when England controlled India, and they were not allowed to purchase land in the area, so they built their own houses on water. The houseboats remain in the area, owned by different people who rent them out in the summer to Indian tourists, who call this area the summer capital due to its pleasant weather.

I arrived at my houseboat on the Dal River after taking a shikara (gondola style boat) to get there. After a shitty breakfast of Kashmir tea, toast, and two hard-boiled eggs, I took a long nap to catch up on lost sleep. Waking up after the long nap was when I felt somewhat like a prisoner or hostage in my own houseboat.

The whole idea for the houseboat company was probably to sell me a trekking tour in the Himalaya mountains at prices that I didn't want to pay and probably couldn't afford given the fact that I still had a couple months left to travel. I sat in the houseboat for a while with one of the employees who sort of interviewed me in a friendly manner, asking me how long I was staying, what my other plans were, what my occupation was. I tried to be curt in my responses and give the idea that I was only going to stay in the area for 3 days and I couldn't afford a trek since I was just a “student.”

He told me that his manager would come after the Friday's lunchtime Muslim prayers were over. It seems like everyone says something will arrive in “5 minutes” but it can really mean anywhere from 20-30 minutes, so I waited for about 30 minutes before he came and tried to sell me his spiel about how amazing the treks in the Himalayas would be. I thought hard about doing it since I might never get another chance to do this, but I also felt that I trekked other areas and will be going to Kathmandu so I would get to experience different environments that were equally special, and cheaper. He quoted around $350 for a 4 day, 3 night trek, which I declined. After a little more negotiation, he lowered it to $300, which I also declined. After he realized that I probably wouldn't budge, he shook my hand and said thank you, wanting to leave as quickly as possibly. This is one of the things I really hate. It's all “brotherhood” and “friendship” when they try to initiate business with you, but when business is off the table, they couldn't care less about who you are. There is no compassion or care for the tourist or foreigner at all unless you bring some money on the table – NONE WHATSOEVER.

After he left, I felt stranded again, since I didn't really know if I should wait for another employee to take me on the shikara back to the city, or just hail my own. I waited for another 20 minutes before another employee came and asked me what price I could offer. I HATE THAT TOO! If I don't want to do a damn trek, then no deal will persuade me to do one. It was already decided on my part that I didn't want to do it, so I don't want to negotiate again. Once that failed, one last employee came and offered me another trekking deal for just one day, instead of four. Again, I declined, and said I wanted to visit some of the Mughal gardens instead. He quoted me a ridiculous price on a taxi to the area, and again, I declined, saying I would book it myself when I get back to the city. At this point, we get into an argument and he insinuates that I am accusing him of being a “cheat” because I didn't want to book with him. He was right, but I didn't want to tell him that. And I'm sure all these Indian salespeople are “cheats” and they know so too, or else they wouldn't assume that tourists think that about them. Everyone has been so confrontational and argumentative when I decline an offer for business. And everyone has fibbed about what is included in everything purchased. It seems they say whatever they can to seal the deal, whether it is the truth or not, from hotel lodgings, to food offered, to services included in prices, to distances that treks are, etc...

We arrive back on land where he pressures me to take his taxi ride to the gardens, and I tell him that I'll think about doing it tomorrow since it is already 4pm and the sun would set in a couple hours. Instead, I tell him I want to use the internet, and he ends up staying with me for 2 hours while I book my flight out of India and to Kathmandu... It was frustrating that he was with me the whole day. I wanted to explore the city myself, look for another houseboat to stay at, or at least another hotel on land. Not once all day had I been left alone, except in the houseboat with no means of communication to the outside world. I figure I would get out of the country by plane since no one would be willing to help me book trains through the country without first booking some other tours with them. I'd travel Nepal first, and decide whether or not I would come back to India to finish my tour here, after getting some advice from other travellers.

That is another thing...there weren't many foreign tourists here, which is something I value in certain situations, but I feel that in India, it is best to be with someone, anyone you trust. I couldn't get any advice from other tourists on how much to pay, where to go, how to book trains, etc. Never have I been so distrustful of people on this entire trip, and it has taken a toll mentally and emotionally on me in these past couple of days.

The night was spent on the houseboat again, where I got into another argument with the employee who called me “un-American” for not booking anything with him, even after I explained that I was on a budget and couldn't afford it. I was left to eat dinner on the houseboat, who knows how the food was prepared, and stayed there all night, drinking shitty beer called Hayward 5000, which I was overcharged for after one employee purchased it for me, and I asked another employee how much he gets the beer for. I was quoted 175 rupees when it should have been around 70. One of the employees told me the others were crazy, but I think all he wanted was to hint at me giving him a tip for all his “good service” as a cook.

Hopefully I lose these people tomorrow when I get off the boat and back on land, and hopefully they don't follow me, trying to “help” me find another hotel...

Day 97 – KLCC Park and Changkat

Turns out I wouldn't be taking the “hop on hop off” bus afterall. I
looked at the map and noted that I saw a good 50% of the attractions
that were listed on the map, so I wondered if I actually really wanted
to spend the money to go to the other destinations. I waiting for
about 45 minutes at one of the stops, and no bus came, which made it
easier for me to decide to skip it. No one else was waiting with me,
which made me think that business was slow in this season, and there
weren't many buses running. There would probably be long waits at
every stop I take.

I roamed around KLCC Park, which is a large business park completely
surrounded by skyscrapers in every direction. There was a running
track for midday jogging, and a mosque nearby. I walked around on a
Friday at 1:30pm and saw many Muslims walking towards the mosque. It
was probably time for one of their daily prayers. It was incredible
just how many of them were in the small mosque, with hundreds of shoes
lined up outside.

Afterwards, I headed to the cinema to watch an Arab movie called
Captain Abu Raed. Not a very popular movie amongst the locals, I had
the entire theatre to myself like it was my own living room.

At the end of the night, I headed out with some new friends to the
Changkat area in Bukit Bintang to have drinks and party on my last
night in KL. The area is a major expat area, with many European pubs
lined up on the street. The clubs don't close until around 3-4 here,
and we stayed until very close to the end, settling for some drunken
Malaysian food afterwards to soothe the drunkenness.

KL Tower to the Left, Petronas Tower in the Middle, and Mosque on the Right

Ramadan Performance at KLCC Suria Mall

Friday Prayers at the Mosque - Look at all the shoes!

Day 93 - Petaling Street, Chinatown

I spent the majority of the day wandering around Petaling Street where Chinatown is located and tried to find some of the tourist sights in the vicinity.

I had some delicious Hainan Chicken at one of the busy restaurants in Chinatown before heading to Central Market, an old building full of vendor kiosks and small boutiques selling many different Malaysian souvenirs. The building is over a hundred years old, having opened first in 1888.

The rains decidedly came at around 1PM, when the sunny clear skies quickly transformed to a bleak and murky environment. I was stuck at the LRT train station for about 45 minutes, waiting for the rains to stop before heading back out into the city to check out some more sights – including a train station, a textile museum, the Petronas Tower (again), and others that I would have known the names of had I had a guidebook with me.

For dinner, I met up with my host at a restaurant near the KLCC Mall. Other Muslims were also seated and ready to have their first meal after dusk. Everyone ordered their meals when they arrived, but only received their dinners at around 7:20pm. It was interesting to observe everyone waiting until the moment when it was deemed acceptable to begin eating. My host called his mom to ask if it was time yet, and she confirmed it. Since we were at a mall, we weren't able to hear the mosques outside, or listen or watch some type of media that would notify Muslims when it would be OK to eat. Although I cheated by eating and drinking during the day, it was great to be able to pseudo participate in the Muslim culture at dinnertime.

Day 92 - Back to Kuala Lumpur

The flight back to KL took about 2.5 hours, and there were a surprisingly good amount of Myanmar people aboard the flight. I was curious as to how or why they were traveling outside of the country, since their wardrobe made it appear that they were not going on business, but possibly for leisure. It was obvious that for many of them, this would be the first time they flew on an airplane. I sat next to a two Myanmar people and asked them what they were going to do in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, they didn't speak English, so I tried to see if they were going to work there, tour the city, or maybe even fly to Singapore to work since I hear it's popular for Myanmar people to work there. They still didn't understand so I gave up.

Arrived in KL around midnight, and luckily, my couchsurfing host, U-Chop, was awake to have me over this early in the day, or else I would have had to sleep at the airport. I arrived at his place, and it immediately reminded me of home, with many IKEA furnishings throughout. It felt nice being in a home, instead of a hotel/guest house. We chatted a little when I arrived, and I learned that he, being Muslim, was celebrating Ramadan along with much of the KL population for the entire month, which meant fasting from dawn until dusk. He would later wake up around 6am to eat before the sun rose.

I wondered how the local restaurants would have been affected by such a holiday, but U-Chop said that business wasn't affected too much, as there were a great number of Chinese in the area who would still be customers during the day, and Malay Muslims being customers at night. This was later empirically resolved by my observation at a couple of the malls in the city, the great number of people who were crowded around all the restaurants including the McDonalds (where I just HAD to satisfy my Big Mac craving).

Spent the rest of the day sightseeing a little of Chinatown (Petaling Street), before the rains came. They usually come in the afternoon/evening, and when it rains here, it pours.

It was nice to come back to a highly developed, and clean city. I very much enjoyed the airconditioning everywhere and just sitting around at a mall, reading a book and people watching.

Malaysian Street Art

Day 46 - Kuala Lumpur and the Petronas Towers

Took a flight to Kuala Lumpur before headed to Laos because Airasia only had flights going from Manila to KL, and then KL to Laos. Since I had this layover, I decided to stay one night in KL to check it out. I at least wanted to check out the Petronas Towers, since they used to be the tallest buildings in the world, but still hold the record for tallest twin towers in the world.

We arrived at LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal), which is separate from the main international airport. All Air Asia flights fly out from this terminal. I had to take a shuttle bus to the train station in order to get to the main station (Sentral Station). The entire city is linked by numerous railways, which makes it a lot easier to navigate and travel through.

I didn't have much knowledge of Malaysia before coming here, and I didn't realize that it was a predominantly Muslim nation. Most of the women covered their heads with scarves. I felt uncomfortable walking around, but only due to the fact that this was something I never really experienced before, and the media has a way of instilling fear in all of us when we think about the Muslim religion. I definitely wish I could have stayed longer than one night, as I would have loved to just learn more about the people here... And there was also a month long festival in KL that I would be missing...

It was already around 5PM when I checked into my hotel, so I took a quick shower and headed out to figure out how to get to the Petronas Towers before it was too late. It was only about 3 stops from the nearest train station (Masjid Jamek). The towers are really something beautiful, especially glowing in the night sky. Just look at the pictures below. They just seem so grand!

Afterwards, I headed back to my hotel, but walked around the local night “bazar” in search of some good street food. I found the food market and looked around for some authentic Malaysian food. Lucky I asked the food vendors, or else I would have eaten Indian food. I settled on a Malaysian buffet dinner and got a bunch of random food that I don't know the names of. Some of the food was pretty spicy.

With a full stomach, I headed back to my hotel, feeling accomplished of the objectives at hand for this one-night trip to Kuala Lumpur.

Petronas Towers

Transit System to Sentral Station

Petronas Towers

My Stop to my Hotel

Head Scarf Shop

Malaysian Buffet

I Saw this Sign inside the 7-Eleven