31.12.2002
After getting the necessary visas to visit Myanmar, we flew to Yangon from Bangkok on a decrepit old Bangladeshi Airlines plane. I mean, parts were falling off (inside the plane) during the flight. Yikes, lol! We first spent a bit of time exploring Yangon. This is a chaotic city with a mixture of colonial-style architecture and Buddhist temples and pagodas. The most famous of which is the Shwedagon Pagoda. Just walking around soaking in the atmosphere of the markets and watching the locals in their colourful, traditional dress was a highlight.
From Yangon we made our way to the city of Mandalay. We hired a taxi driver for a couple of days to show us sites in and around the city. In the city, we saw the Mandalay Palace (constructed with teakwood), the Kuthodaw Pagoda, and the Mahamuni Buddha temple. One thing that we've noticed is that the people in Myanmar are super friendly and welcoming, despite the difficulties they've faced over the years. Everywhere we've been people have been smiling and eager to help.
Shona
26.12.2002
One of our goals for this SE Asia trip was to visit one of Thailand's famous islands. We chose the not very well-known Ko Lipe as a place to spend Christmas. Ko Lipe is an island in the Andaman Sea and is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park. The area is famous for its crystal clear waters, sand like icing sugar, and the amazing diving and snorkelling. We stayed in this super basic little cottage on stilts, with a mattress on the floor and a squat toilet, but it was the most amazing week. We spent some time snorkelling, lots of time enjoying the beach and the water, and just relaxing in general. Our Christmas treat was enjoying some Pringles and rum & cokes while watching a group of people playing soccer on the beach.
Shona
10.12.2002
From Malaysia, we made our way to Indonesia. The island of Sumatra, to be specific. Our first stop was the city of Bukittinggi in West Sumatra. We didn't realize that we had arrived during Ramadan so it was quiet and not that easy to find places to eat during the day, but people were super friendly and it was refreshing to in the highlands after the heat of the cities in Malaysia. There were virtually no tourists so it was nice to wander around and feel like we were really off the beaten path. There's plenty to do but a lot of things are outside the city, such as the famous Pagaruyung Palace, so you might need to hire a local or rent motorbikes to get around. We just mostly wandered around to see things like the fort, clock tower, and the views of Sianok Valley.
Our primary reason for going to Sumatra was to see the Orangutan sanctuary. So, from Bukittinggi we made our way by overnight bus to Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra. It was really cool to see the Orangutans, and it is a sanctuary/rehabilitation centre, but I have to say it was a bit touristy. Still, we enjoyed it and felt it was worth the effort to get there. From there we made our way to Tuktuk on Lake Toba for a bit of a rest. Lake Toba is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to unwind for a few days, especially after a lot of hectic travel. We stayed at a nice hotel run by a friendly German woman and we enjoyed wandering around the little town, eating lots of fried rice with chicken, and enjoying the beauty of the lake. We saw plenty of traditional architecture and even went on a little walking tour with a local, where we saw all sorts of wildlife. We also rented a scooter for a day to explore a little bit of the country side. We're so glad we made the effort to stop there.
Shona
26.11.2002
Our destination after leaving Singapore was the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur. It was quite a different experience but a lot of fun. It's much more noisy and chaotic than Singapore but there's still a great mix of modern and historic sites to visit. The famous Petronas towers which you will have to lie down to really appreciate! There are also plenty of colourful, exotic things to see, such as the National Mosque, Chinatown, Little India, and various temples. Then, of course, the incredible Batu Caves temple, which is hard to describe to be honest. It's so colourful you'll get a sore neck from trying to see everything. You'll have to fight the monkey and hordes of other tourists though, so beware!
We also made it to Malacca, which is considered the unofficial cultural capital of Malaysia. Malacca has a diverse cultural heritage which can be easily seen while wandering around. We saw things like Dutch Square, St Paul's Church and A Famosa Fort, and we wandered around the riverside area which is considered the heart of the city. If you're lucky enough to be there on a weekend, you won't want to miss the Jonker Street Night Market. And there are plenty of other temples and churches to see as well.
Shona
20.11.2002
Well, we made it to Asia for our 6-month backpacking adventure. We flew to Singapore and landed very early in the morning. After walking for quite a while we found a hostel with a mattress on the floor and had the best sleep of our lives, lol!
Singapore is a great introduction to Asia, if you want to ease yourself in to the experience. It's crazy clean, people are polite yet there's still quite a bit to see. There are many old colonial-style buildings, such as the famous Raffles hotel. You can also enjoy some vibrant colours and energy in little India, and find some amazing street art! All in all a very nice way to begin our journey.
Shona
01.09.2002
Finally we had a chance to see the famous Bugaboos. A very long and strenuous hike but it's worth every drop of sweat and every blister, lol.
(From Wiki) The Bugaboos are a mountain range in the Purcell Mountains of eastern British Columbia. The granite spires of the group are a popular mountaineering destination. Originally named the "Nunataks", the Bugaboo spires were first noted by a surveying expedition in the late 1800s. In 1910, an expedition led by Thomas Longstaff and surveyor Arthur Oliver Wheeler entered the area. They were guided by renowned European climber Conrad Kain. Kain would return to the area six years later and pioneer many difficult climbing routes. The Austrian climber described his route up Bugaboo Spire as his most difficult Canadian ascent, more challenging than his celebrated route up Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Along with Albert and Bess McCarthy and others, Kain would pioneer first ascents of North Howser, Marmolata, and Crescent Spires.
Andrzej
20.08.2002
Rock climbing weekend for a change. I did the South Ridge (easy 5th grade) on Mount Edith (2554 m) near Banff. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the rock was nice and dry. Sharp though as you can tell looking at my bloody hands, lol. It was fun.
Andrzej
15.07.2002
Another great weekend hiking in the Rockies. We went to Sentinel Pass (2610 m, around 750 m elevation gain) through the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Amazing views of Moraine Lake and the surrounding mountains: Mount Fay, Mount Allen, Deltaform Mountain and seven more.
The Valley of the Ten Peaks was featured on the reverse side of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.
Andrzej
10.03.2002
Hiking with friends in high school was a lot of fun. We spent as many weekends in the mountains as we could. Hiking, sleeping in small backcountry huts, and of course, partying a lot, lol.
Good old days.
Andrzej
