Musis Respublica Floret
Al's World Tour - Singapore Malaysia Thailand
Reporting now from Krabi, Thailand.....
Survived the miniscule accommodation in Hong Kong. My souvenir of choice was a very dapper Bruce Lee T-Shirt which finally answered one of life's big questions - what exactly does old Brucey say when he's about to deliver a Honky Death Kick? Clearly printed on my T-shirt is the handy phrase "WAATAAAHH!!" (special attention to the number of A's and H's). There you go!
Hong Kong has cool transport. Can you imagine commuting to work each morning via outdoor escalator? How cool is that?! Unfortunately it's also a mega expensive place. Not even the kickoff of the Ozzy/NZ Tri-Nations clash could bring me to the bar in Wanchai Delaneys, as I stood intently watching the clock till happy hour began. Whoopdeedoo - 4 quid for a pint of warm Asian Guinness rather than the usual 5!
Onto Singapore for a few days. Did the Colonial bit with a visit to Raffles. Quickly escorted from the main building due to my "offensive shorts" and found refuge in the Long Bar upstairs. I was disgusted after my treatment to find the floor of the bar crunching with piles of monkey nut shells and duly complained, to be told "the shells are tradition, sir". Bah humbug.
From Raffles to "Kenny Rogers Roasters", a US theme restaurant that hadn't made it to Europe. The place was covered with loads pics of the bearded country n western god, promising "the best darn chicken outa Texas". And I can thoroughly recommend this amusing place!
Onto Kuala Lumpar, and sniffed out another Colonial hideout. Quaffed some Tiger Beer in Somerset Maugham's local, The Coliseum Hotel before adjourning to one of the dodgy nightmarkets. Plenty of hooky gear - Rolex watches, CD's a plenty (complete with hilarious "English" lyric sheets inside - Elton John's "Coondle in The Wand"!), and very sick T- Shirts of the Petronas Towers, proclaiming them "The Planets' only Twin Towers".
Saw Charles Kennedy (Lib. Dem Leader to you Sun Readers) skulking around the bird garden in KL.
Left Kuala Lumpar to hit the Perhentian Islands of northeast Thailand. Idylic little desert islands, complete with backpacker hostels, beachfront cafes and dive shops. I finally signed up for a PADI course, and passed with flying colours! So joining the bronzed, chisled, exotic world of divers I was amused to find that it's a glorified trainspotters club!!! After each dive the divers return and huddle round fish spotting books, carefully writing down in log books what fish they saw, often with little drawings. Don't be fooled by the wavy blonde hair, pecs of steel and far off gazes towards the sea!!! Give Brad on Bondi Beach a book of engine numbers and point him in the direction of Sydney Central and he'll be in his element!
So now in Krabi, about to head over to Koh Phi Phi. The weather is .... challenging, so the ferry crossing tomorrow should be a nice wee ride!
I accidentally had a pretty extreme haircut this afternoon. I popped in to a barbers for a trim, and he began sculpting the traditional Thai mushroom cut. I demanded shorter, had a wee snooze and woke up with nae hair. Should go down well with the ladyboys on Koh Phi Phi.
Till next, laters!
1st August 2002
Alan Mitchell
RHS 1984 - 1990
Wherever Alan goes he always carries a small tin of pilchards
NEXT PAGE --->More Thailand and India
- WAATAAAHH!!
- Backpackers
- The Raffles hotel
- Kenny Rogers Roasters