Ecuadorian market days

December 15 and 16

No rest for the curious, I suppose. Up early once again to head south of Quito on a day trip to the town of Saquisili to take in its weekly market. Ecuador has many weekly markets but the one in Saquisili is supposed to be the “most authentic” of the Andean (indigenous) markets. We hired a guide in Quito (Enrique) to make it easier to navigate our way both to the town and around its 7 separate market areas.

The first market section we visited was for buying and selling animals – pigs, llamas, goats, sheep, and cattle. The animal market starts about 5 AM and as we didn’t arrive until 11 we missed most of the true chaos.

Enrique led us through the maze of streets and squares and through concentrations of potato sellers, fruit and vegetable sellers, and flower sellers. Other areas sold prepared food including roasted guinea pigs (which we declined) and the usual array of live fowl. The artisan section was small, a true indication that this market saw few tourists.

Throughout the whole market men and women were dressed in the traditional styles and colours of their indigenous communities, with unmistakable variations in the skirts, blouses, knee socks, shawls, ponchos, hats and pants. We found the people to be quite shy and always looked away when I smiled. Everyone was incredibly short. (Brodie would tower over most of the population.) There were many young women, looking no older than 16, with babies strapped to their backs.

On our way back to Quito we stopped for lunch at the Hacienda La Cienega. The main house was built in the early 1700’s. It offered quite an insight into the elegance and richness of Spanish colonial life – grand gardens, stables and a private chapel. It is still an operating ranch. The whole region is dominated by the volcano Cotopaxi but only the lower slopes were visible.

The next day we again headed out again with Enrique to the north. A 2.5 hour drive brought us to the town of Otavalo, the site of Ecuador’s most famous indigenous market. The area was obviously far more prosperous than Saquisili with better agricultural lands and more tourism. The market was great - full of colour and more very short people. It began to pour but we did our best to be good tourist shoppers under the plastic tarps.

Photos from the markets...

Ecuador markets

Up in the clouds

December 14 and 15

Less than six hours of sleep and we're off to the west of Quito - up into the cloud forest to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. http://www.bellavistacloudforest.com/english/index.php

We spent wonderful two days (a lot of it in the pouring rain) watching birds and learning about the ecology of the cloud forest. We had a fabulous guide who added so much to our experience. Cozy bamboo hut to sleep in (it was quite cool at night) and great food. Bellavista is known for the variety of hummingbirds that live in the area and we saw a marvelous array. We certainly wished we had stayed longer.

Pictures from Bellavista....

Ecuador cloud forest

On the road again

Just do it.
Life’s too short.
Go big or go home.
It’s only money.
You only live once.
Freedom 55.

....Clichés have their place....

****

We left Vancouver yesterday at 7:45 AM - in the pouring rain. After about 45 minutes on the road, the driver requests the assistance of any passenger who knows the route to the border to please step forward. “I’m lost,” he adds. Nobody moves. Barney says it’s just a joke. Several minutes later the request is reasserted. Barney looks outside and says we’re in Abbotsford. We’ve been travelling east – not south. Two puppyish passengers finally intervene and direct us away from the route to Halifax and along back roads to the nearest border crossing. We arrive in Seattle 2 hours late but still in time to make it to the Picasso exhibit at the Art Museum.


****

This trip began when our friends Fran and Marty (who live in Wisconsin) suggested we meet them and their two university-aged daughters in Panama for three weeks. With no kids at home for Christmas and no pets to look after, we decided there was no reason to stick around Whitehorse for the coldest darkest months. After agreeing to meet up with them, we had a look at the map to see what else might be worth a visit in the area. We were surprised to discover that the distances between Panama City, Quito and the Galapagos form an equidistant triangle. So we are now en route to Quito (via Seattle). We will spend our first few days in and around Quito. Then on Dec 19th we fly out to the Galapagos for a week which includes Christmas. On Dec 28 we fly to Panama City to meet up with Fran and family to begin our adventure there. We're heading into 6 weeks of wildlife wonders, on land and in the ocean, so stay tuned.

Fran would say that our misdirected beginning was a sign. Maybe we should have gone to Ontario for Christmas instead of Ecuador. But I think it was more likely a sign to remind us of how unpredictable travel can be and how even the most straight forward route is not always a sure thing.

That's all for now...

Tomorrow I fly back to Whitehorse. Barney is staying in Vancouver for a few more days.

We're being asked what were the highlights of the last 20 weeks, what place did we like best? I can’t tell you yet. So much of what we saw and did was so great. Every county had its good points (like its food) and its challenges (like the public toilets). Time will tell which memories become the richest and which places call us back.

On August 22, I turn 60. Whew! So I’m going home to celebrate and start thinking about the next trips.

Peking duck

(Aug 8 and 9)

What do you do if you have two days in Beijing in August? Two days of 30+ degree temperatures, high humidity and thick smog?

The first of our days was a Sunday and we decided to head to the Forbidden City. But so did at least a quarter of a million Chinese tourists. We emerged from the subway - which we found very easy and orderly to use - into Tiananmen Square. It’s a BIG place and it was filled with LOTS of people, all taking souvenir pictures of each other. We followed the flow of colourful umbrellas raised against the sun, passing under the benevolent smile of Chairman Mao and through the gates into the Forbidden City. The City which was founded almost 600 years ago consists of 9999 buildings. We went into about 7 of them and walked for hours through the extensive grounds. The smog was outrageous and obscured the view of all but the closest buildings. But overall it was an amazing place to explore.

The second day we began at the Temple of Heaven which was also built almost 600 years ago by the same Emperor as the Forbidden City. The smog and humidity was worse but it didn’t seem to deter the number of Chinese tourists.

For lunch we headed to the Beijing Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant. (Barney decided that as we were in Peking we should be eating some Peking duck.) The restaurant seats over 4000 people and we were directed to the fourth floor where we were able to watch the chefs roast whole ducks in brick ovens. The menu was illustrated with large glossy pictures of the duck dishes on offer. To name just a few, we could choose from...

Mustard duck webs
Spicy duck gizzards
Duck livers cooked in salt water
Spicy duck wing shreds
Duck meat rolls with duck egg yolks
Stewed and seasoned three flavours of duck
Duck treasures in birds’ nests
Braised duck meat with sea cucumbers
Fried duck meat with scorpions (for only $25)
Flame-touched duck hearts in mautai liquor
Braised duck tongue and asparagus
or
Boiled dumplings with duck tongue filling

We settled on a half a roast duck served with wafer thin pancakes. It was excellent!

Later in the afternoon we wandered through several hutongs (the old parts of Beijing) and found some fun shops. We decided that we were glad that we made a short stop in Beijing. There is so much more to see but that will have to wait till we’re next in the neighbourhood.

Photos from Beijing...

Beijing

Northern Mongolia

As we moved further north, it began to get noticeably colder. By the time we reached Lake Khovsgol, near the Russian border, the nights were close to freezing and the days only about 10 or 12 degrees C. We had two nights by the lake which gave us a full day to enjoy the area. We started out in the morning with a boat ride - most of it in the pouring rain and cold wind. By the afternoon the sun was out and several of us went for a fabulous horseback ride along the lake and up into the mountains.

All our meals on the trip were prepared by our cook and her helper. We had a mixture of what they called ‘western’ and Mongolian food, but whatever dish they served up it invariably contained lots of meat (mostly mutton) and was fried. Most of the food supplies were brought with us from UB and supplemented with some fresh stuff as we went along. We didn’t have a meal tent. If the weather was bad we sat in the bus and our juggled plates and bowls. Otherwise we sat outside on silly little camp chairs where we could enjoy the view which was always spectacular. As a group we all got along very well.

Our last major stop on the trip was to see the Amarbatasgalant Monastery which was built between 1727 and 1737. During Stalin’s purge in 1937, only 10 of the 37 temples were destroyed. UNESCO funded an extensive reconstruction between 1975 and 1990 but funds continue to be raised to do more. There are now about 30 monks living here (many of them very young) compared to the over 2000 that were there in 1936.

After 2 days and nights dealing with pouring rain and cool temperatures we all opted to spend the night in a ger camp near the monastery. The warm dry bed and hot showers (the first since leaving UB two weeks before) were quite the treat. But on our last night we were once again camped in the rain and wind. As we wearily tried to set up the tent in a small forest, I noticed that the plants we were stomping on were wild peonies. The wild flowers all over Mongolia were outstanding – many familiar, many completely unknown.

Barney and I had three days back in UB at the end of our tour before flying out to Beijing. We scrubbed ourselves and our clothes, visited several museums and wandered for hours through the large city market. The silk fabrics in the market kept us captivated with their variety of patterns and colours.

Photos from northern Mongolia and back in UB...

Northern Mongolia

Videos...

Milking the yaks...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d4TBwsy1VY

Monks at Amarbatasgalant Monastery...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdBgEoAAKUM

Central Mongolia

After a taste of the Gobi, we turned west and began our trip into Central Mongolia. Travelling through the mountains we saw three ibex perched on a ridge and later an unusually large herd of gazelles. One night we camped high up on a hill where we had to maintain a respectable distance from the site of several ancient graves marked by piles of stones and slanted slabs decorated with petroglyphs.

In Karakorum, the site of Genghis Khan’s capital for a brief 20 years, we visited the Erdene Zuu Monastery. Founded in 1586, it is the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It once consisted of 60 to 100 temples and had up to 1000 monks in residence. Stalin’s purges in 1937 saw all but three temples destroyed and many monks killed or shipped off to Siberia. Only after the collapse of communism and the return of religious freedom was the monastery able to be restored and become active again.

Still heading north and west we drove through miles of rolling steppe widely speckled with gers and herds of livestock – goats, sheep, horses, and yaks. (Baby yaks are irresistible and I took a ridiculous number of photos whenever I got near them. They have bushy tails which the stick straight up when they are alarmed.)
One day we were lucky to drive through a small village where they were holding their Naadam Festival. We arrived in time to see the finish of a horse race. The jockeys were again boys under 10 (as is the tradition and as we had seen at UB’s Naadam) but the horses were only yearlings. As they approached the finish line they began to whinny for their mothers. We also got a chance to see some of the traditional Naadam wrestling.

We spent two nights camped in Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park (Great White Lake in English). As we had been moving everyday for a week, it was a welcome chance to do some washing and some hiking – except that it poured for hours on end. It was a lovely spot, never-the-less, with lots of wild flowers and yaks to photograph. Several members of our group took the initiative to buy a sheep from one of the local families in order to roast it up for dinner. The sheep arrived live on a motorcycle with two men who slaughtered it on site. (I was reading in the tent and missed all the drama.) Two of our group were sheep farmers from New Zealand so they knew a thing or two about preparing mutton on an open fire. The meal was fabulous and included lots and lots of vodka to celebrate the occasion.

Photos from central Mongolia...

Central Mongolia

A short taste of the Gobi

(July 19 - 22)

The first destination on our 17-day road trip was a ger camp in the northern Gobi where we stayed for two nights – the only ones on the trip not scheduled to be spent in tents. The camp situated on the edge of an area of smallish sand dunes – just enough, when combined with the 34 degree heat, to give us a taste of conditions in the Gobi.

Our group consisted of two Norwegian women, a Danish guy, an older couple from New Zealand, a young Scottish (woman who teaches in Bangkok), two young English women, an Australian university student, a couple from Switzerland, as well as an English couple and their 18 year old daughter. Sixteen of us altogether travelling in a small but comfortable bus, plus the guide and driver. We were accompanied by a smaller van that transported the cook, her helper, a second driver/ camp helper and all the supplies/ camping equipment.

Barney and I went for a walk in the dunes but didn’t venture too far because of the heat. I ended the day by going on a sunset camel ride which was peaceful and beautiful. I felt quite secure nestled between the two humps as my camel quietly glided over the sand.

Here are a few pictures...

North Gobi

Real time update - 9

We made it safely back to UB after a great 17 day trip to the north Gobi, as well as central and northern Mongolia. We've been really busy since getting back to town 3 days ago and I've had trouble getting wireless access so I'm not able to post much information right now.

We leave tonight for Beijing where we will stay for 3 nights. Behind the "great firewall of China" I won't have access to the blog or to FB. So silly.

We fly to Vancouver on Aug 10 so stay tuned for the final stories and pictures of our trip.

Real time update - 8

We are heading out of Ulaan Bator tomorrow to start our 19-day camping trip. Internet will be very limited so I can't promise to check in with much regularity. You can follow along by going to this link and clicking on the itinerary tab...
http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/trips/aamw


I have just added some information under the 'Samarkand' and 'Detour' postings as well as some posts about our time in Kyrgyzstan. Enjoy!




.

Wild horses

(July 14 and 15)

We organized a two day trip out of UB to see the wild Prezhwalski horses in Hustai National Park. These are the only herds of wild horses left in the world and I have wanted to see them since I was a horse-crazy little girl.

photos of our trip to Hustai to see the wild horses...

Wild horses

And a video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ql4pcSSFno

Mongolia's Naadam Festival

We arrived in Ulaan Bator late on July 10, exhausted after travelling for 22 hours from Tashkent to Seoul and onward. The annula Naadam Festival started the next day so we had to hit the ground running. The festival celebrates the three 'manly' sports of wresting, horse racing and archery.

I haven't got much time now to describe everything we saw. But here are a few photos to give you a bit of the flavour...

Mongolia's Naadam

And some videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdq5YAdF6jM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wJtqMRllzw

Around Lake Issyk Kul

(July 2 to 7)

Izzyk Kul is the world’s second highest alpine lake after Lake Titicaca. It is slightly salty and never freezes. The lake is fed by 80 streams but it has no outlet. It is 60 km x 170 km and 700 m deep. And it is really beautiful.

We spent 4 nights at different towns as we drove around the lake. Snowy peaks formed the background wherever we looked including Karakol Mountain at 5216 m. In the town of Kochkor we visited a felting workshop and had a demonstration of the technique they are using. We passed many large road-side sculptures of wild sheep, snow leopard, ibex, eagle, and deer, erected during Soviet times to emphasise the protected status of each animal. We celebrated Barney’s birthday with dinner and a current cake at Luba’s guest house in the village of Tamga. During a stop at the animal market in the village of Kyzyl Suu I was asked the question I’m sure many local people have wondered...“why you take pictures of animals?”

We visited the Prezhwalski Museum, investigated Scythian burial mounds dating from 8th century BC, wandered through a field of petroglyphs, and swam in the lake. We also visited the Burana Tower built in the 11th century and roamed a nearby grassland full of standing ‘balbals’ – stone markers erected as battle monuments by the Turkic tribes from the 6th to 10th centuries AD.

We spent our last two nights back in Bishkek before flying back to Tashkent for one night and the end of the tour. We loved Kyrgyzstan – its people, landscape, food and horses. Perhaps a nice long horseback trip next time.

Photos from our travels around Lake Issyk Kul...

Around Lake Issyk Kul

Kyrgyzstan Alpine

Tash Rabat and Lake Song Kul
(June 28 to July 1)

The repeat of our journey was just as slow and tedious as it had been 3 days before with multiple passport checks and appalling road conditions. At the Chinese/ Kyrgyz border we were once again handed over to a new guide, Regina, and driver, Valery. It was a long day of bouncing around the bus but eventually we turned off onto a 15 km road to Tash Rabat. We followed a narrowing valley flanked by steep velvet green corduroy slopes, yurts, and livestock pens until we reached our camp for the next two nights. It was suddenly cold and windy and everyone had to pull out the warm clothes that had been looked upon incredulously during the hot days of Bukhara.

The camp was composed of several yurts and an old Russian trailer that served as the kitchen centre. It was run by Zoya and Yuri who were fabulous hosts.

The origins of the building called Tash Rabat are obscure and debateable. There is evidence that the building was constructed as a Nestorian monastery. It’s not likely that it ever functioned as a major caravanserai being too small and too far off the main route.

Barney and I spent l hours hiking further up and down the valley, watching fat marmots bounce across the pastures as they scrambled to reach the safety of their burrows. We saw horses of every colour – pintos, greys, palominos, appaloosas, roans, duns, and bays – all wandering freely, graciously. The horses from this region were called Heavenly Horses by the ancient Chinese Emperors because of their size and beauty. They were highly desired and became much sought after in the east where the smaller Mongol ponies were all that we available.

Yuri had built a sauna at the camp. Barney and I had a good wash up but Yuri insisted on taking Barney back inside to give him a proper ‘Russian’ sauna. The treatment consisted of super hot steam, flaying birch branches (including the leaves) on Barney’s back to stimulated bodily circulation and a dunk in the cold mountain river. Barney lived to tell the tale and slept very soundly.

Our next stop was for two nights in another yurt camp at Song Kul Lake, 3015 m high. En route we crossed the Syr Darya River which once flowed to the Aral Sea but is now all diverted to irrigate cotton fields in Uzbekistan. To get over the pass to Song Kul we had to manoeuvre around 11 narrow switch backs. All around us were meadows of wild flowers and mountains covered in fresh snow. The valley of Song Kul is much broader than at Tash Rabat with wide vistas of mountain peaks and smooth green pastures dotted with livestock and yurt camps.

We celebrated Canada Day with a hike and a late afternoon ride. At dinner we taped my Canadian flag luggage tag to a stick and stuck it in a wine bottle to grace the table. As we ate our mushroom soup and fresh fish from the lake we had many toasts of wine and vodka, followed by a round of everyone’s national anthem. The Kyrgyz guests sang some additional national songs and we concluded with a round of happy birthday to one of their number named Bucket. The finally entertainment for the evening was a soccer game.

***

The wheel that supports the roof of the yurt is called a tyndyk. This wheel can be seen on the Kyrgyz flag with its 40 spokes that represent the country’s forty tribes. It is these founding tribes that give the country its name- Kyr (forty) gyz (women) stan (place, land).

***

Regina told us the story about what had actually happened at Osh two weeks previously. The family and supporters of the former President (who was kicked out in May) initiated the violence by paying several young men $5000 each to start the shooting. They were given free licence to do whatever they wanted. So they started in the hospital where they shot all the Uzbek women and children. The Uzbeks retaliated. Three days of burning, looting and violence followed. Regina emphasised that it was not a case of ethnic conflict. Kyrgyz and Uzbek have lives as neighbours for centuries. It was all political motivated.
The Kyrgyz referendum on the new constitution was conducted peaceful. The interim government has been official installed and elections are set for the fall.

Photos from Tash Rabat...

Tash Rabat

Video - yak herd at Tash Rabat...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zLrEbUy7SM

Video - livestock herds at Tash Rabat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3tJluDAOw

Photos from Song Kul Lake...

Song Kul

Video of milking the cow...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmrCcajpTI

Kashgar

(June 25 to 27)

We were handed over to a new guide (Abdul) and driver at the top of the Torugart Pass. The landscape was noticeably drier as we descended along the slow dirt road, stopping four times for passport checks.

In the Chinese immigration and customs hall we were met by a huge billboard displaying uniformed border workers (clean, crisp, and saluting) that extolled the new ‘principles’ of the border service – Faster, Sincerer, Stricter – Efficiency, Sincerity, Strictness – Humanity, Professional, Safety. As the sign was in English I assume it was put up to reassure the tourists.

The drive from the pass to Kashgar is 160 km and took us 5 hours. The population of Kashgar is 350,000. The city is over 2000 years old and has always served as an important silk road crossroad – one route heads to the north and west through to Russia via Kyrgyzstan; one west through Uzbekistan and onto Persia and the Mediterranean; one south to India.

Kashgar lies in the western part of Xinjiang Province, the traditional homeland of the Uighur people whose total population is estimated as eight million. The Uighur population was once 90% of the Province; now it is 50% due to mass migration initiatives undertaken by the Chinese government. Xinjiang Province holds one sixth’s of China’s oil reserves.

We stayed at the Chini Bagh Hotel which is on the site of the former British Residency, famous through the era of the “Great Game” - a time when Russia and Great Britain jockeyed for influence in the region through a mixture of spying and diplomacy. The old residency building itself sits in a dismal courtyard, encased by ugly high-rises and constructions sites. Some effort has been made on the inside to restore its late Victorian glory but the results are more Chinese kitsch that British upper class.

The first night in Kashgar we witnessed a dust storm that darkened the sky and bent the trees to a dangerous angle. The next day everything was covered in dust and grit. However, it didn’t take us long to realise that Kashgar is always covered in dust and grit.

Kashgar functions in two time zones – Beijing (the official time) and Kashgar (the local time). Beijing time is two hours ahead of local time. Whenever we made any arrangements with Abdul to meet and go somewhere he would give us two times – one local, one Beijing – just to have all his bases covered and make sure we didn’t show up at the wrong time.

We had two days in Kashgar to explore the sites, including the Id Kah Mosque (built in 1442) with enough space for 20,000 worshipers and the Abakh Hoja Tomb, last resting place of the ‘Fragrant Concubine’. We wandered through the streets and alley ways of the Old Town with its Uighur shops and stalls displaying a variety of goods including dried lizards, musical instruments, plumbing fixtures, hats, spices, luscious mulberries, and tattered Marco Polo sheep horns. We even passed by a sordid looking shop that sold dried bear paws and other assorted wildlife parts. The narrow alley ways are lined with adobe houses, with the size and pattern of paving stones distinguishing the through ways from the dead ends. The old town wall sits 10 m high and over 500 years old. Uighurs are Muslims and we noticed that many of the women covered their faces – even when speeding along on their electric motorcycles.

The main attraction of Kashgar is the Sunday markets – the animal market and the general market. Until recently the two were in the same place but the Chinese government separated them a few years ago, moving the animals to the outskirts of town. We’d read a lot about the impact of recent Chinese policies that have led to the bull-dozing of much of the old city and changed the way the Uighur population lives. We saw massive sprawling construction projects everywhere as the Chinese government strives to modernize the city. We wanted to get to Kashgar before too much change was implemented but in many ways I think we were too late.

Never-the-less, the animal market was fabulous, if reduced in size. Donkeys, goats, fat-tailed sheep, mules, horses, cattle are brought to the market place every Sunday to be sold. There was only one beleaguered camel for sale that already looked like he’d made too many trips to the market. The camels and yaks spend their summers in the high pastures and aren’t brought to market till the fall so we missed out on seeing them. Later in the afternoon we went to the general market. Given is reputation as the biggest market in Central Asia is was a disappointment. Yes, it was big but no more bustling or crazier than many of the other markets we’d been to so far.

Early Monday morning we began to retrace our route back to the Torugart Pass and on to Kyrgyzstan.

Videos from the Kashgar Sunday Animal Market...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY4CmLqpKoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5sDgxOSL6k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5CJh-TH7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxX4iB5OzDg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z32ZSLPK8k

Photos from Kashgar...

Kashgar

Real time update -7

We are just leaving Tashkent tonight - heading for Ulaan Bator (Mongolia) via Seoul. It was really hard to find Wifi in Kyrgyzstan so I'm getting behind. I have just added a few new postings without much text which I will add as soon as I can. Meanwhile enjoy the photos and videos!!!

Detour

(June 23 and 24)

The wake-up call came at 2:30 AM for our flight to Bishkek. With the trouble in Osh the border to Kyrgyzstan was closed and we had to make a detour through to the north and then southeast of the country in order to get to China.

On the runway at the Bishkek airport we taxied passed a line of 14 US KC135 tanker transport planes that are used to aid operations in Afghanistan.

We were met by our new Kyrgyz tour leader, Tatiana who led us to the 15-seater bus that was to take us to the Chinese border. Driving into the city, the contrast of Bishkek to Tashkent was immediately apparent. The streets were busy with every make of car – Mercedes, Toyotas, Hondas, Audis – in contrast to Uzbekistan where all we saw were Uzbek-made trucks, buses and cars. The city was full of students, statues of socialist and Kyrgyz heroes, broad streets and lush green squares with huge elms. Tatiana explained that not one statue of Lenin or Marx was destroyed after the fall of the Soviet Union because the Kyrgyz people had been happy as part of the USSR. We visited the excellent national museum and a beautiful Russian orthodox church. We also drove past several building that had been burnt during the ‘popular’ uprising in April that forced President Bakiyev to leave the country.

We headed out of the city the next morning along one of main roads through Bishkek that translates as ‘silk road way’. It follows the trade route all the way to China. We drove for awhile alongside the border with Kazakhstan through lots of small villages and past the road side yurts selling fermented mares milk. Each town had its war memorial, all dated 1941 to 1945 (1941 being the date when Hitler invaded Russia). The first check point we came to was embellished by a tank parked by the side of the road.

Tatiana explained that there was still a lot of tension in the country after what had just happened in Osh and with the upcoming referendum on changes to the constitution. She made it clear that she believed that life had been much better in Soviet times when government policies forced people to live in ethnically mixed villages.

We saw lots and lots of livestock grazing in open pastures -horses, donkeys, sheep, yaks, and goats. Kyrgyz are outnumbered 2 to 1 by their livestock; two thirds of the population lives in rural areas.

Video of Kyrgyzstan herd...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkHebZ-tjuw

The mountains were sprinkled with fresh snow as we climbed higher on our second day on the road. We passed grave sites dating back to the 5th and 10th centuries and crossed velvety smooth pastures that were painted with wildflowers. We crossed four passes – 3038m; 3100m; 3574m; and finally the Torugart Pass (the border with China) at 3752 m.

Video of a 360 view along the road...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPICdG7tg_Q

Pictures driving through Kyrgyzstan to China...

Detour

Ferghana Valley

(June 21)

After returning to Tashkent, we were supposed to drive east through the Ferghana Valley and into Kyrgyzstan through Osh. As the route was now closed to all traffic our plans had to change. We left Tashkent early in the morning and drove to Kokand. Security on the road was heavy due to the trouble in Osh and we had to stop twice for passport checks. The Ferghana Valley is a more conservative part of the country which becomes apparent when you see the how the women are dressed. After visiting the requisite mosques, museums and palaces in Kokand we headed further east to spend the night in the town of Ferghana.

Next morning we drove to a small town called Margilon to visit a silk ‘factory’. The town has been manufacturing silk products for over 1500 years. We were given a tour through the entire process from the unwinding of the silk from the cocoons (each cocoon is made up of one kilometre of silk!!!), to the dying, spinning and weaving. The factory produces hand-tied silk rugs and hand-made as well as machine-made bolts of multi-coloured silks for scarves and decorative use. The machines used for weaving clanked and clattered like something out of a movie on the industrial revolution.

Silk weaving by hand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v_9p7rj80Q

Silk weaving by machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SXbY4opzs

Our next stop was the town of Rushtin, famous throughout Central Asia for its ceramics. The clay in this area is so pure that no additives -other than water- are needed. We also stopped by the Rushtin market where we became very popular with several people asking to have their photos taken with us.

Photos from the Ferghana Valley...

Fergana Valley

Samarkand

The Golden Road to Samarkand
– James Elroy Flecker (1913)

Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells,
When shadows pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells
Along the Golden Road to Samarkand.

We travel not for trafficking alone;
By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned:
For lust of knowing what should not be known
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.



(June 18 and 19)

Samarkand was probably founded in the 5 century BC. Alexander stopped here in 329 BC and described is as more beautiful than he had ever imagined. As a key Silk Road city, Samarkand prospered as an important trade centre from the 6th to the 13th century when its population was bigger that it is today. Its rulers included the Western Turks, the Persian Samanids, the Karakhanids and others until the city was destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1220.

In 1370 Timur decided to make Samarkand his capital. Over the next 35 years under his leadership the city became the epicentre of Central Asia’s economy and culture. It is filled with mosques, minarets, medressas and mausoleums – but they are all more imposing, more decorative and more structurally complex than anything we’d seen so far (thanks to the substantial reconstruction efforts of the Soviets and the Uzbeks). And we were far more excited about being there than anywhere we had been before.

Video of Registan Square...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9I6vwO19Nc

We also visited some great workshops in Samarkand, including a fashion designer (where we given a fabulous fashion show), a carpet factory, and a paper making workshop.

Video of the water wheel at the paper making workshop - Samarkand...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FqX3WLAbw

Samarkand means ‘Strong Sugar’

***
Our guide Rustam is 47 years old. He is from Khorezm State near Khiva. This is the area where some of the oldest settlements are found in Uzbekistan. When I asked him how long his family had lived there he said he could trace back seven generations but that they had been there longer than that. He also told me that he knows a family that can trace back 122 generations. “They came to Khorezm in the sixth century, from Persia” He laughed and added, “But they are all snobs.”

Toward the end of our tour in Uzbekistan, Rustam was looking a little weary. He said he had been working non-stop since early January – as a translator and actor on a Russian movie, as a teacher, and as a guide. He was really looking forward to going home for a month. “I need to be Uzbek!” he said.

He led us on and off the bus, in and out of museums and mosques, back and forth to our hotels, and up and down streets and alley ways to restaurants for lunch and dinner. Whenever we would arrive at our destination he would say, “We are coming now. Let’s go. Slowly, slowly.”

***
Our first night in Samarkand Rustam left us on our own for dinner. Six of us when off together to a lovely beer garden, surrounded by roses and lush tall trees. It was a bit cooler (about 32) so we were all feeling frisky and so excited about being in Samarkand. We decided to break free from kebabs and headed to an Italian restaurant. The following interesting dishes were listed on the menu...
- Spaghetti with bitter meatwads (spaghetti, onion, tomato juice, soya sauce, meatwads, chillipepper, double cream, cheese)
- “Three Pigs” (their quotation marks) (pork, pine apple, Bulgarian pepper, spices)
- Fri
- Chicken hip filled with mushrooms
- Salad “Woman’s Caprice” (their quotation marks)(ham, servelat, salami, mayo, nuts)
- Salad “for darling ladies” (cabbage, grape, potato, carrot, mackerel, pickle, cucumber, onion, spices, mayo)


Pictures from Samarkand...

Samarkand

A break in the mountains

(June 17)

We escaped from the heat of Bukhara and we drove north into the mountains of the Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve for a wonderful break in a village called Sentab. On the way we stopped to see the remains of a fortress built by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC near the town of Nurata. All that still stands is a thick tawny-coloured sand wall that gives little indication of its history or legacy.

With the help of UN Development Program funding, several families in Sentab have set up ‘home stay’ type accommodation as part of a community-based tourism project. Sentab is home to about 250 families (2500 people). It is spread out along a river valley that has been inhabited for 2500 years.

Our place for the evening was run by a young Tadjik family that were wonderful hosts. Tadjik is one of the country’s four main languages and is of Persian origin. (The other languages -Uzbek, Russian and -are all part of the Turkic language group.) Our meals were served on a low table in a covered area next to the river, a short walk through an orchard from the guest house. We were treated to an evening of Tadjik dancing that Barney took to with all the zest of the local people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AMpxOHJNs

The following morning we went for a hike up the valley and were passed by many nimble donkeys carrying overflowing loads of mountain grasses to feed the livestock below. The air was filled with the scent of apricots. We were lead to a number of petroglyph sites and through the ruins of a smaller village that had been forcibly abandoned during the early Soviet days. The villagers were smiling and friendly, curious and shy.

We left Sentab just before lunch and at last found ourselves on the golden road to Samarkand.

Photos from Sentab...

Sentab

Bukhara

(June 14, 15, 16)

Surrounded by the Kyzyl-Kum desert, Bukhara is a true oasis. The guide books describe it is Central Asia’s holiest city. It is also one of its oldest having recently celebrated its 2500th anniversary. It is full of centuries old mosques, medressas, mausoleums and minarets that have been exquisitely restored to their former brilliance– some by the Russians (during the era of the USSR) and later by the Uzbeks (after independence). The oldest medressa in Central Asia is found in Bukhara. Built by Ulugbek (Tamerlane’s grandson and renowned astronomer) in 1417, it is still waiting its turn for restoration. The current population of the city is a little over a quarter of a million.

Among the many stunning examples of Islamic architecture that we visited was the very large 16th century Kalon mosque. At one end of the courtyard is a small stone structure called the Mausoleum of the Children. When Genghis Khan stormed through the region in the early 13th century, he sacked Bukhara and killed many of its citizens, including children. The remaining town’s people buried all the slaughtered children in one place and built the mausoleum as a memorial. The mosque and its surrounding courtyard is now filled with over 10,000 people during Islam’s two largest festivals.

The nearby Kalon minaret was built in 1127. It stands 42 m high and was so well made that it has only needed minimal cosmetic repairs over its 850 year history. It has 14 distinctly different ornamental bands that include the first glazed blue tiles used in Central Asia. Genghis Khan was so impressed by its beauty that he ordered it spared from destruction.

When not trying to make some sense of the city’s ancient and complex architectural, economic and intellectual history, we wandered around the covered markets and along many narrow laneways, exploring tiny cavernous shops that held everything from carpets to silk scarves to spices. We discovered one of the remaining caravanserai (literally ‘camel route palace’) that is now home to the sellers of plastic toys, plastic flowers and wedding dresses. Enough remains of the original structure to easily imagine it filled with camels and traders who used the space to rest and replenish on their Silk Road journey.

Our two days of wandering about the city were incredibly hot with the thermometer reading 45 C in the shade late in the afternoon. The evenings brought some relief and we were able to enjoy rich dinners of kebabs, four or five different types of salads, apricots, watermelon, green tea and beer. One evening we ate by a pool built in 1640, surrounded by mulberry trees; another on a roof top as we watched the sun set over multiple tiled domes and minarets.

Photos of Bukhara...

Bukhara

Real time update - 6

We are now in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. Tomorrow we head east then south toward the Chinese border. The capital is busy but, according to our guide, is still on edge after the massacre that happened here in April. We feel safe but have been warned not to go out after dark. No worries there as we had to get up at 2:30 AM to catch our 5:30 flight this morning. We had an hour’s rest at our hotel on arrival and then headed out for some sightseeing for the rest of the day. We’ve had dinner in the hotel and are heading to bed soon.

There is going to be a referendum on a new proposed constitution on June 27, the day before we are supposed to re-enter the country from China. Hopefully the results won’t start up a new round of violence. We plan to be far to the east up in the mountains anyway. We have really good support from our tour company and we feel assured that we won’t be allowed to re-enter the county if there is any question about our safety.

Ancient Khorezm

(June 13)

Heading out from Khiva after lunch, we drove northeast into the heart of ancient Khorezm. The Khorezm civilization flourished between the 5th century BC and the 8th century AD as part of the broader Ancient Persian influenced territories. It consisted of many states that covered a huge area stretching from the Khiva region to the Aral Sea. Archaeological investigations have found that the area has been settled since 5000 BC.

We visited the ruins of four Khorezm towns among the 20 that have been identified in one small region. Khorezm was part of many empires including the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid and Afrighid – names that few have heard of in our part of the world. But in the 5th century BC, Herodotus described Khorezm as having greater cities than Egypt. All that remains are the thick sand walls that rise from the plains.

We spent the night at a yurt camp near Ayaz-Qala, a major regional trading centre between the 6th and 7th centuries AD. Dinner was served on long low tables inside the yurt and consisted of salads, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, a yummy meat stew and a bottle of vodka. It was hot inside the yurt and the night was perfectly clear, so Barney and I opted to sleep outside on one of the several concrete platforms that were in place for just that purpose. It was windy and cool (my thermometer read 28 C) and the stars were brilliant. Surrounded by empty desert, we slept well.

Pictures from Ancient Khorezm...

Ayaz Qala

Videos from Khiva

The many variations of a folding wooden book stand...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiWr86GzS9w


Making a silk carpet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg7TYkIzC4o


Panorama of Khiva...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca-pDBC81aA

Khiva

We only spent about 24 hours in Khiva but it was one big brilliant history lesson as we wandering among narrow alleys and in and out of mosques, minarets, palaces, and medressas. Within the medieval walls lies a ‘living museum’ that has been meticulously restored with many stunning examples of 15th to 19th century Islamic architecture. Khiva is an ancient regional capital that has been inhabited for over 2000 years. It’s suffered devastation by Mongols, Sogdians and Bolsheviks (to name only a few) but has been repeatedly rebuilt.

The bazaars and shops were full of locally made weavings, puppets, fur hats, carpets, embroidery, carved book stands, silk scarves, and wool slippers. The restaurants served salads of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with yogurt, and tiny apples and apricots for dessert. The sun was relentless raising the temperature to an exhausting (but very dry) 38 C. We had an air conditioned room in a small family run hotel that was decorated in traditional Uzbek style. Everyone we met was gracious, inquisitive and friendly although only few people spoke a little English. A lot of the exchanges were done with just smiles and laughs.

I took over 300 pictures in Khiva. I got a little carried away trying to capture the lovely tile work, wooden doors and carved pillars. The photos I have included below are just a sample.

Pictures from Khiva...

Khiva

Khiva

Khiva

Get out your maps of Kyrgyzstan

We're back in Tashkent for one night. We've had an outstanding time so far, visiting the towns/ cities of Khiva, Bokhara, and Samarkand as well as two nights out in the countryside. Internet access has been a bit of a problem - especially finding places that offer the wireless connections that I need to upload the photos. Be patient. I'll post our news whenever I can.

All the recent turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has caused us to change our tour route. We were supposed to travel through the Ferghana Valley (Uzbekistan) and enter Kyrgyzstan at Osh - the sight of all the trouble. The plan now is to head to Ferghana (the city) tomorrow for one night and then return to Tashkent. On the 23rd we fly to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is far to the northeast of Osh and remains safe for travel. From Bishkek we drive via Naryn into China over the Torugart Pass and onto to Kashgar. After Kashgar we turn around and retrace our path over the pass and pick up the tour as it was originally planned. The Canadian Foreign Affairs Department says it's OK to travel to the areas we are going.

Overnight train to Khiva

(June 11)

Our first destination was Khiva on the other side of Uzbekistan - far to the west on the border with Turkmenistan. The train journey was to take us 20 hours and passed through a variety of landscapes – deserts, mountains, and lush irrigated fields. For much of the trip the Karakum desert lay to the south and the Kyzylkum desert to the north.

Barney and I had a four-birth room to ourselves with blue satin pillows and bedspreads. There was a lovely blue and white teapot and four cups waiting for us on the small table between the beds. It could be filled for 35 cents with black or green tea.

We boarded at 6 so had a few hours to watch the country side before it got dark. We weren’t far out of Tashkent before we started to see farms. The night was hot but we got some rest. I don’t find rocking trains very soothing.

We woke to scrubby plains a lot like parts of Australia but with clay-coloured dirt not rusty red. In greener areas we saw a gazelle and several Bactrian camels. The camels must have been domesticated but it was still exciting to see their two humps instead of one.

Towards the end of the trip we crossed the Amu Darya – the historical Oxus River – crossed by Alexander the Great, Chinghiz Khan and Tamerlane. Uzbek Armies, Persian armies, Russian armies, and Mongol armies forded this river in waves of conquest and destruction.

The train ride was hot – really hot. Our room got up to 42 C by mid-afternoon. No air conditioning but a few open windows provided some relief.

We got off the train at the end of the line at Urgench where we were met by another huge air conditioned bus and the two drivers who were to be our companions for the next 10 days. A final half hour drive brought us to Khiva, a medieval walled city designated a World Heritage Site.

Pictures from the train trip to Khiva...

Khiva train

Tashkent

(June 8, 9, 10)

Barney and I arrived in Tashkent after the 7.5 hour flight from Kuala Lumpur. There were too many clouds along the way to see much of the Himalayas, but we did get a good view of huge sand dunes that we think were in southern China. It was 34 C when we landed but it felt surprisingly cool because it wasn’t humid.

We were met at the airport and driven to the Hotel Uzbekistan – a four star Soviet-era colossus that was decorated with satin, silk and imitation Louis 14th furniture. Coffee was served in china demi-tasse cups with painted gold rims.

The tour didn’t start until two days after we arrived. We spent a bit of time over those two days walking around the city but I was more interested in getting some rest so we weren’t too ambitious. We discovered that Tashkent (population over two million) is a very green city full of well maintained parks, large spreading trees, and wide stately streets. Eighty percent of Tashkent was flattened in an earthquake in 1966 and the rebuilt city is lovely. I guess I was expecting ugly Soviet blocks of apartments and office buildings but what we found was a charmingly modern city, clean and beautifully laid out.

Crossing the street was something of a challenge. Drivers attack the street with an aggression that is a mix of drag racing and dodge’em cars. And U-turns are a common practice so we could never be sure where a car might be coming from.

Museum of Fine Arts had an absolutely stunning collection of textiles, paintings (older and modern), furniture, carved wooden and gypsum screens, ceramic bird houses, ornate embroidered clothing and musical instruments. Everything was beautiful displayed and had English labels. The museum far outshone the one we’d visited in Kuala Lumpur. I later learned that some of the collection once belonged to the Romanovs. We also passed by the Opera House on our wanderings - quite an imposing building. Tickets to full production operas only cost $2. Unfortunately it’s closed in June and July.

When we visited the Olay bazaar we were a bit intimidated at first by all the grim stern faces as we were used to the ready smiles of the Malaysians. However we soon found if we initiated the smile it was generally returned with a warm smile or a friendly nod. Many people have had their front teeth replaced with gold ones (replaced – not capped!) which adds a sparkle to any wide grin. Very few people spoke any English but we managed to negotiate the purchase of some pistachios, fresh apricots and small apples for our upcoming train trip. Later we also found a ‘department store’ that sold Uzbek silk at $6 per metre.

Uzbek currency is called 'sum'. There are 1500 sum to the dollar. We changed $200 and wound up with a ridiculous pile as the biggest bill is 1000 som (see the picture below. So if you buy something for 50,000 som, you have to count out 50 bills.

We spent our third day in Tashkent with our newly formed group – one New Zealander, 12 Aussies and us two Canadians – visiting some of the city’s mosques and medressas (religious school), the Museum of Uzbek History and the Chorsu Bazaar in a huge air conditioned bus. What a well travelled group we’ve found ourselves in. I think the youngest person is 50 and the oldest in his mid-70s. Our guide’s name is Rustam and he will accompany us on the Uzbekistan portion of our tour.

Pictures from Tashkent

Tashkent

Real time update - 5

We are having a great time in Uzbekistan. However the situation in Krygzstan seems to be worsening which means our trip there will either be cancelled or re-routed to avoid the trouble spots. Stay tuned and don't worry about us.

Kota Kinabalu times four

We stayed in KK four times- using it as a base for all our comings and goings. It's a nice city - larger than Kuching - with lots of friendly people always smiling at us. It felt comfortable and safe but of course it was ridiculously hot and humid. We stayed in a place called Lavender Lodge where the staff greeted us warmly everytime we came back.

During our first stay (after Bario, before Brunei) we found several of those huge seafood / fish restaurants, but in KK all the dinner offerings are kept live in huge tanks. It was actually kind of creepy. But we turned our backs on all the eyes, scratching claws and waving tentacles and had a dinner of abolone and scallops.

KK wound up being the place for us to regroup and reorganize for the next adventure. As a result we didn't explore any of the museums but we did spend some time checking out all the markets. Most of the pictures below are of the wide range of goods you can find - everything from oversized jewelry to 3 foot long cinnamon sticks.

On our return from Mt. Kinabalu we found a "Texas" restaurant that served great steaks and gin and tonics. After a month of excellent Malaysian food, something a little more familiar was a welcomed treat.

Pictures from KK...

KK

Mt. Kinabalu

(June 3 and 4)

We were directed to the long distance taxi stand to find up a ride up to small town of Kundasung in the foothills surrounding Mt. Kinabalu. We wound up sharing a minivan for the two hour drive, most of it climbing continuously on the busy winding road. We’d booked two nights at the Kinabalu Pine Resort that boasted a view of Mt. Kinabalu from every cabin. The mountain is the tallest in Borneo and a popular climb. But our interest was hiking in the forest – at a cool 1500 m.

Our hotel was vaguely colonial with a touch of Muskoka. The views of the mountain were spectacular from our little deck. It was wonderful to be up in the mountains where it was so much cooler. Still tropical but not steamy hot. It was also wonderful to see pine trees. The evenings were cool enough to put on my light fleece. It was funny to see the Malaysians bundle up their kids against the ‘cold’.

We only had one full day to explore the park. We started out by walking into the nearby village of Kundasang and right into the thick of their weekly market day. The fresh vegetables were amazing. We hadn’t seen such diversity in any other market. It is all produced on the local farms. We bought some fruit and ‘donuts’ for a picnic later on.

We went on several hikes in the park including one guided walk. There are 1000 species of orchids in the park and over 350 species of birds. It’s a really beautiful spot to explore. The cool evenings allowed us to sleep soundly both nights without the aid of air conditioning or even a fan. It was a nice break.

Pictures from Mt. Kinabalu...

Mt. Kinabalu

Video - Kundasang market - dried fish stall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSrPO3eB00U

Real time update - 4

Hard to believe that we're half way through our trip. Malaysia and Australia are behind us; Uzbekistan, China, Kyrgzstan and Mongolia are ahead.

We're spending tonight in a hotel at the airport in Kuala Lumpur. Our Borneo adventures are over for now but it's sure a place we'd like to explore some more.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Tashkent. Our 30-day Central Asia tour starts on Thursday. http://www.peregrineadventures.com/central-asia-north-asia/uzbekistan/secrets-central-asia-2009

Meanwhile we can spend a few days relaxing in our Soviet-era hotel. I think we're in for some culture shock. Stay tuned.

So many turtles we lost count

(May 29 – June 2)

We spent one night back in Kota Kinabalu and then flew down to the other side of Sabah to a town called Tawau. As soon as we arrived we got a taxi to take us to Semporna on the SE coast. A further 50 minute boat ride and we arrived at our homestay on Mabul Island. (A homestay differs from a hotel or hostel in that they are usually quite small, the price includes three meals a day, and you get to hang out with some local people as opposed to a bunch of tourists.) Our homestay on Mabul was called Spheredivers. http://www.spheredivers.com/ It was a great place built on stilts over the water. It looked out over the Celebes Sea and we could watch a variety of marine life on the small reef off the dining area. Our hosts were Stanley (a certified scuba instructor) and Azhar (a dive master). We were also ‘assigned’ a snorkelling buddy whose name was Ali.

This part of Borneo is world famous for its diving sites – the most famous being Sipidan which is rated as one of the top five dive sites in the world. Diving on the reef is by permit only - a conservation measure introduced 6 years ago when the government made all the hotel operators move off the island. With the help of Azhar we were able to get a permit to go snorkelling on the third day after our arrival.

Meanwhile we were able to spend some time snorkelled at the reefs closer to Mabul, with Ali along to point out some interesting species of fish and coral. We began at an island called Kapalai. The second I put my face down into the water I was stunned. I have never seen such an abundance of fish in such clear clear water. The tide was out so we were in fairly shallow water – maybe 3 to 4 feet. For an hour and a half we swam around repeatedly spotting new species of fish, coral, sponges and other invertebrates. Several green sea turtles swam nearby as well as a white-tip shark. Barney and Ali were ‘attacked’ by an aggressively territorial trigger fish. They have large nasty teeth for a fish that’s only about 30 cm long that they used to bit off chunks of coral. All the superlatives I can think of sound trite and don’t do justice to our experience. Whew!

Back at Spheredivers, we watched some of the local fishermen bring their catch to the fish buyer next door. These fishermen usually go out to sea in their relatively small boats for three days at a time. They do all of their fishing with hand lines. The catches included yellow-fin tuna and marlin. The tuna were huge with round smooth bodies and traces of yellow on their tails and thread-like fins. Surprisingly they were only likely to fetch about $65 each at the fish market in Semporna. Not much for an endangered species!

That night Azhar took lead us along the boardwalk and onto the island to check out a local wedding. It looked like the entire population of the island had turned out for the event. Many of Mabul’s residents are illegal immigrants from the Philippines – only an hour to the north by boat. Azhar told us that the wedding was following Filipino traditions, including the custom of the bride and groom changing their clothes seven times during the festivities.

The next day we took the boat out to the reef off Mabul. We saw many species we hadn’t seen the day before - in the same incredible density and in the same clear clear water. Another snorkelling experience that left us both trilled and in awe. That night we were kept awake for hours by the karaoke croaks from a nearby bar. The evening’s favourites seemed to be “Take Me Home County Road”, “Valarie” and assorted Tom Jones.

We headed out for Sipidan early in the morning of our third day in a boat with five divers. Ali had located an underwater camera for us to rent, like the one we’d rented in Cairns. Sipidan lived up to all the hype and more - the clearest water, 60 genera of coral, a stunning diversity of anemones, tube worms, sponges and other invertebrates. All the fish were oversized and brilliant in colour. There were turtles everywhere – so many that we lost count. I was able to swim along side of one for several minutes, touching its shell and feeling the wake of its forelegs sweeping past me. We got to snorkel at four different sites around the island. All were spectacular. I can’t imagine I will ever see anything better.

We got out snorkelling twice more – once back to Kapalai (with the underwater camera) and later to another reef off Mabul. Ali had another run in with a trigger fish at Kapalai. This time his fin was bitten!

The food at Spheredivers was great. Fresh fish every night. Our last night we got to try out some trigger fish, its nasty teeth fixed in a snarl as we stripped off the blackened skin. Ali thought it was just revenge for the repeated attacks he’d dealt with over the previous few days. The sunset that night provided a fitting good-bye display of pinks and oranges against the Celebes Sea. Quite the place.

Pictures from Mabul, Kapalai and Sipidan

Mabul

Videos from Mabul, Kapali and Sipidan

I got fed-up with the time it was taking to load videos to the blog so I've decided to use a link to YouTube instead. Just click on the links below...

Green turtle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyOG4vY9bsQ

Anenome fish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmuCLPrsi_g

Crocodile fish - well camouflaged....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT6R-qQ-Qyo

Watch these little guys hide in the coral...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjI8k-g2iXA

Schooling fish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPEBavZOYDM

More fish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9EQH2fgDr8

Lots of fish...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvVvFJiH35M

***
Wedding dancer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGE1FOu_NSo

The Borneo Post - Saturday May 29, 2010

Pigeon held in India on suspicion of spying for Pakistan

New Delhi: Indian police are holding a pigeon under armed guard after it was caught on an alleged spying mission for arch rivals and neighbours Pakistan, media reported on Friday.

The white-coloured bird was found by a local resident in India’s Punjab state which borders Pakistan, and taken to a police station 40 kilometres from the capital Amritsar.

The pigeon had a ring around its foot and a Pakistani phone number and address stamped on its body in red ink.

Police officer Ramdas Jagjit Singh Chadal told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency that they suspected the pigeon may have landed on Indian soil from Pakistan with a message, although no trace of a note has been found.

Officials have directed that no-one should b allowed to visit the pigeon, which police say may have been on a “special mission spying”.

The bird had been medically examined and was being kept in an air conditioned room under police guard.

Senior officers have asked to be kept updated on the situation three times a day, PTI said.

Chahal said local pigeon fanciers in the sensitive border area had told police that Pakistani pigeons were easily identifiable as they look different from Indian ones, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

Stamp stamp

May 28

The bus ride between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu passes in and out of Brunei and two Malyasian states. We had to go through immigration entering and exiting each one. It went something like this...

Depart 8 AM. An hour’s drive to the first border crossing then - stamp stamp - exit Brunei. Down the road 500m then - stamp stamp - enter Sarawak (Malaysia).

Drive for another hour then - stamp stamp - exit Sarawak.

A few kilometres down the road and - stamp stamp - enter Brunei.

Another 45 minutes and - stamp stamp - exit Brunei.

Take a ferry across a river no more than 150m wide and -stamp stamp- enter Sarawak (again)

Drive another hour + have a lunch stop, followed by -stamp stamp - exit Sarawak.

And finally - stamp stamp - enter Sabah (Malaysia) and continue on for another four hours until we reached Kota Kinabalu.

Brunei

(May 25, 26, 27)

Our journey to the Sultanate of Brunei began with a four-hour boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, south along the coast to the island of Labuan. Labuan is a duty-free port with lots of shops selling cheap liquor, chocolate and perfume, so I bought a bottle of wine. We hadn’t had any wine since leaving Australia which was a bit ridiculous. After waiting a couple of hours we got on another ferry for the 45 minute ride to Brunei. Off shore we could see some of the oil platforms that serve to extract the country’s vast reserves. It is this oil that makes Brunei one of the riches countries in the world.

On arrival, we had to go through customs whose sole intent seemed to determine if we had any alcohol. Brunei takes its Islamic obligations quite seriously. No alcohol for sale anywhere! As a visitor I was allowed to import my precious bottle of wine but first I had to sign a declaration saying that I am a non-Muslim and would drink it in private. A final short bus ride took us into the main city – Bandar Seri Begawan.

That night we walked a short way toward the river to look for a place to eat. The town was unbelievably quiet. Big wide streets, sparkling black SUVs, and over-sized buildings all exhibiting the country’s wealth. Citizens of Brunei pay no tax, have free schooling including university, free medical and get cheap trips to Mecca. Their purchase of cars and housing is heavily subsidized and gas is only 40 cents a litre. All this under the benevolent rule of the Sultan whose lineage and position date back over 600 years. No democracy here – just a monarchical autocracy. We got our first glimpse of the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, built by and named after the 28th Sultan in 1958, the father of the present Sultan. It’s a huge building – one of Asia’s largest mosques – with brilliant white minarets and a golden dome that glowed under the night lights.

First thing the next morning we headed out on a tour to Ulu Temerong National Park. We began with a 45 minute speedboat ride from Bandar out to the coast and then back inland to the town of Bangar, weaving upstream through mangrove channels. The area that includes the park has never been settled or logged. There are no roads; access is by traditional (motorized) longboat up river to the park headquarters. It was a fun ride ploughing through rapids, surrounded by huge trees and lush jungle. We chose to go to the park because it is the last remaining area of primary lowland rainforest in Borneo. All the rest has been logged. The species diversity is mind-boggling. One scientist identified 400 species of beetle on a single tree. There are more tree species in a single hectare of this rainforest than in all of North America. Walking through the forest was prehistoric with its bigger, dense vegetation.

The big attraction of the park is the 50 metre tall canopy walk, suspended in sections from aluminum towers. To get up there you have to climb up a seemingly endless set of (enclosed) ladders. I was able to outwit my terror of heights by not looking down- a trick I learned climbing Kilimanjaro. The view from the top out over the tree tops to the surrounding hills was well worth the climb. Barney was rewarded by a sighting of a rhinoceros hornbill which I missed by being too busy not looking down. We followed up the very hot and muggy climb with a soak in a forest pool complete with waterfall and tiny fish nibbling at our toes.

Magellan’s voyage took his ship into Brunei in 1521. Across the river from the present Bangar Seri Begawan they found the settlement of Kampong Ayer which at the time was home to over 1000,000 people. The Chinese had been trading here since the 9th century. The community still exists although its population is currently about 30,000. It is a town perched on stilts above the river, stretching 3 km along the banks. We hired a boatman to give us a tour. It is entirely self-sufficient with mosques, schools, shops, clinics, fire stations, police and floating gas stations. The houses are connected to a sewer and water system. Our boat driver repeatedly commented that it was a very good place to live. “No crocodiles, no snakes, no mosquitoes”, followed by a slightly demonic laugh. People were fishing and setting crab and prawn traps off their front porches. Small vegetable gardens thrived in flower boxes.

Our last night we took a taxi to the ‘suburb’ of Gadong where we heard there was a good night market. The place was hopping with a big shopping mall, hotels and shops. This was obviously where the local people spend their evenings – not in the downtown area by the river. The night market was primarily a food market. The air was filled with charcoal smoke and delicious smells. We bought some roasted corn, wandered around and finally settled on a main course. I had stir-fried chicken with noodles in black pepper sauce. It’s not possible to describe how good it was.

Pictures from Brunei...

Brunei

Video - upriver longboat ride



Video - My dinner



Video - canopy walk

Kilabit Highlands

(May 19 to 22)

The flight to Bario is on a Twin Otter out of Miri. Passing over miles of palm plantations we see what we’ve heard so much about – the forest is gone, replaced by neat rows of palms cultivated for palm oil (for cooking) and for biodiesel. I was surprised to learn that there’s such a huge market for the palm oil given it has the highest bad fat content of any oil used in food. The catch is that it tastes so good and all the local food is more delicious because of it.

Henry, in Kuching, had helped us make some arrangements for accommodation in Bario and an overnight hike to a nearby village. As soon as we saw Bario from the air we felt good. Until last year it was a fly-in only community and there’s still plenty of that peace that comes along with the isolation. (The new ‘road’ is over 440 km long and takes 14 torturous hours to drive.) The town’s population is about 900.

Bario is located in the Kilabit Highlands, close to the Indonesian border. The area is the traditional home of the Kilabit people(once notorious head hunters)and the nomadic Penan. The barrier of mountain jungle that separates the highlands from the coast kept Islam and colonial settlement out when both were taking over South East Asia. But the evangelist eventually found their way in and the town is now a bastion of Christianity. At 1000m the climate is cooler and the conditions perfect for rice cultivation. Bario rice is famous throughout Malaysia as the best you can buy.

We were met at the airport by Apoi (pronounced Ap-wee) who was wearing a Molson Canadian ball cap (a present from his brother who lives in Toronto). Apoi took us along to his ‘homestay’, a huge longhouse that is owed by his parents who are currently in Kuching for an extended visit. Apoi returned to Bario a few months ago after living for many years in Kuala Lumpur to help out and run the homestay. He cooked us the most amazing dinner that night. Wild boar, smoked mutton and locally grown veggies. During dinner I asked him what work he had done in KL. He giggled a little and replied that he had been a wine salesman.

The next morning we headed off on our hike to a village called Pa’ Lungan. Our guide was a wonderful man named Lian. He had been an engineer with Shell for many years (they put him though university) until he decided to return home and try out running a tourism business that includes a homestay and guided hikes. Lian is well known for his knowledge of the area’s birds so he and Barney had a wonderful time together. Every time they stopped to look up a bird in one of their bird books, I had the chance to scan the surrounding jungle, discovering orchids, ferns, insects and flowers.

After an hour of following a newly constructed dirt road we reached the village of Pa’ Ukat. Then we entered the jungle proper slowly working our way over log bridges and along the muddy path for the next 5 hours. We’d been warned about the inevitability of leeches finding their way up our legs but in fact we only saw two, neither of which had the chance to become friendly. It was a sweaty workout but not too hard. At one point Lain stopped us to point out a cicada on a tree. We’d been hearing their incredibly loud melodic buzzing for hours but were very surprised to see a 4 inch long black hulk of an insect. (Check out the video below.)

In Pa’ Lugan we spent the night at a homestay run by a lovely woman called Supang. The hospitality of the Kilibat is like nothing I have ever experienced. Supang’s warmth and sincerity in welcoming us into her home was both gracious and genuine. And on top of all that, she prepared the tastiest, most delicate dish I have ever eaten – wild ginger flowers stir fried with forest ferns. She also apologised for the lateness of the meal. She explained that she wanted to serve us fresh wild boar and had to wait till the hunter returned from the jungle. Everything on the table that night was superb including Supang’s homemade rice wine. As we headed out the next day Supang gave us some of her excellent rice to take home with us and a beaded key holder that she made as she thanked us for coming to stay.

Pa’ Lungan has its own “Stonehenge” as the local people call it. Way up in the jungle, miles from their source, stand several huge monoliths capped by another massive block of rock. Oral history says it is a burial place of a great chief but the full story is lost. There are several other monoliths and petrogyphs to be found in the highlands; there are probably many more concealed by the dense jungle vegetation.

The hike back to Bario was very hot, humid and slippery due to the heavy rain the night before. You know you’re in trouble when your guide says it’s too hot. We had a couple of exciting moments. Once was when Barney stopped to look at some sort of marker the side of trail and didn’t notice the yellow pit viper that was far too close. The other was when Lian spotted “killer bees” and made us scurry along the path as fast as possible. Lian was visibly quite unnerved by both incidents.

We had two more nights in Bario on our return. We rested and watched the heavy rain. We had Apoi’s excellent company and cooking to keep us happy. We also had the great company of two British eighteen year olds who had been volunteering as teachers in the community for several months during the year before starting university.

Apoi saw us off at the airport with gifts of 8 inch cinnamon sticks and some of the famous locally produced salt. He also promised to send me some wild ginger flower as soon as he is able to dry some. We only had four days in the Kilabit Highlands but that was plenty to make up hope that we will be able to return.

Pictures from the Kilabit Highlands...

Bario

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Video - Four inch long cicada...