Couchsurfing subscription
12.49gbp (€14.82 / $16.92 / £12.49)
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couchsurfing (16 out of 22)
- Visited Gorukle, the studenty suburb of Bursa.
- Failed to do any yoga.
- Celebrated New Year with new CouchSurfing friends.
- Got sick for a few days from new germs and not sleeping at the right times, probably. Stayed in bed.
- Went on a village and lake adventure with CouchSurfing friends too.
CouchSurfing subscription
14.29gbp (€16.23 / $19.51 / £14.29)
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One night's shelter in Ayvalik (chez Seda)
0try
Two night's shelter in Ayvalik (chez Seda)
0try
Kestane for Seda (Bus station)
12try (€1.80)
Week in review: 30 Dec - 5 Jan
Weekend on Uludag (transport, accommodation, food)
200try (€30.08)
I met some wonderful lovely people at the Bursa English Speaking Club tonight, which I found via Couchsurfing. Lots of locals, but also others from around the world. Being immediately welcomed into this kind of community is all it takes to make a place feel like home.
Pretty sure people I meet at CS meetups think I'm super social and talkative, but actually I've spent the entire week prior in complete isolation in preparation for this one evening.
Anyway I went to the Tri-City CS meetup again and it was cool again, surprise. Just writing this to remind myself to keep going to stuff with people.
Went to the Tri-City Couchsurfing meetup this evening, and met so many wonderful people. Receiving such warmth and hospitality from strangers makes me wanna host again, and offer it to others.
1 night shelter (Krishen)
$0
Langkawi 8: the rest
Photos from the last two days on Tuba.
After a leisurely breakfast yesterday I shared a boat back to Kuah late morning. I waited around the jeti for Lucas, my next CS host. He gave me a ride on the back of his scooter to his place, just outside Kuah. There I met his other guests, P and V from Russia, and GJ from the Netherlands.
Together we headed out, attempting to hitchike as five to Durian Perangin waterfall. It took about 20 minutes for us to be picked up in a car big enough to seat us all comfortably, which took us about 1/4 of the way there. Very soon after we managed to fit five of us in the back of a normal sized car... The three guys took the seats, and us two girls sat on top of them. They took us the rest of the way there (even though it was a diversion from where they were going!). We climbed to the top of the waterfall and swam and relaxed in the sun.
We wandered back, stopping on the way at a black bee farm where I stood in the swarm (they're stingless) but declined to suck honey from a hive with a straw. Then we hitched in the back of a pickup to Kuah town. We wandered through Chopm Park, got a snack from the Jetty, and Lucas, GJ and I went to eat nasi kandar (hitched again, even though it wasn't far) while V and P went to Eagle Square to busk.
We hitched back to Lucas's place, actually picked up by a passing friend of Lucas.
Photos of hitchiking, waterfall, and Kuah.
Later that evening GJ and I wandered through the restaurants of the local area, discussed vegan food, and ate laici kang and rojak. We got a mango salad too, but OF COURSE mango salad is filled with teeny tiny staring anchovy heads. Who didn't know that? We left it in the fridge for Lucas.
This morning I got up early and went for roti canai near Lucas's place. This might have been my favourite roti canai so far. Then GJ and I hitched to the jeti; we were picked up after about two minutes by a couple. I had budgeted a lot for taxis around Langkawi, but only took one on the first day. Bargain!
GJ tried to to get a ticket to Penang on the same ferry as me, but it was already full. So he left to look for bus/train options, and I got iced lime tea from the jeti food court and checked in for the ferry. Now I'm aboard, and waiting for it to leave.
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Langkawi 4: high places
J and I met Ira in Cenang, then we drove to the base of the Cable Car. J had been up before and the cheapest ticket is 55rm, so he went off to do his own thing while Ira and I touristed.
We were there before ten and it was bustling. Though we were able to buy our tickets after queuing for about ten minutes and get into a cable car straight away. This is the steepest cable car in the world, and leads to not the highest point in Langkawi. At the top, you can walk to the SkyBridge down (and up again) steep winding steps for 5rm, or take a small tram for 15. Ira and I walked. The bridge felt pretty full but not packed; I'm glad I didn't go at peak times. We spent about 2 hours up there, ambling around and taking in the views. Looking out across 150 million year old mountain formations lent a moment of perspective.
The tram is called the SkyGlider, the cable car is the SkyCab, and everything else in the vicinity is prefixed with Sky as well. I was disappointed they didn't have a wifi network called SkyFi. Really missing a trick there.
We took the cable cars down again, and stopped for a snack in one of the terrible overpriced cafes in the complex. We didn't realise there's better, slightly cheaper, food as you get further from the ticket counters. When we got back down, the lines for tickets stretched to the carpark and they were giving out times rather than sending people straight to the cable cars. Glad we went early. The ticket (we got the basic package) included a subset of random shit in the complex at the bottom, so we went to check that out as well. The 3D art museum was silly, and I entertained myself as usual by taking pictures of other people posing with the displays from the wrong perspectives. There were many examples of irresponsible parenting.
We saw the SkyDome, which is a screen covering one half of the inside of a sphere which you sit beneath; they played a series of short films, including an underwater scene and a space rollarcoaster. We skipped the SkyRex (I think it's some kind of animatronic dinosaur ride?) and sat with bunnies until J was back to pick us up.
Photos of the SkyBridge and associated nonesense.
We went to Tomato Nasi Kandar in Pantai Cenang for lunch. Lots of veggie options on the buffet, as well as the usual a la carte menu. I just dived into the buffet because I'm more convinced by food immediately in front of me than words on a page. I can understand why lots of people prefer to order from the menu in nasi kandar places. This buffet food had been sitting around in what is basically open air all day. But whatever. I loaded the plate up with tomato rice, cabbage, dahl and tempeh, and drank watermelon juice. I also tried a yam jelly. I don't know exactly how much this cost but Ira and I split the bill for three people between the two of us and it was 26rm in total.
Our next stop was Gunung Raya, the highest point in Langkawi. We drove up, parked, and paid 10rm to climb the tower. Views were good, and at the top of the tower was seating and free cardamom tea. We spent longer than expected at the top as it was very peaceful. We heard and then saw a hornbill.
Next J took us to a craft center. This was a huge complex with everything from batik teextiles to glass blowing. It was an enormous shop with different sections, plus workshop areas where if you go at the right times (we didn't) you can see things being made. I bought a postcard from Gram and a shell turtle for my hair.
Next stop was Tanjung Rhu beach to watch the sunset. This is widely agreed to be the best beach on Langkawi. Nearby are only expensive resorts. It was pretty much deserted while we were there. Its shape is such that you can see both sunrise and sunset from the same place. It's kind of a large spit.
Photos of Gunang Raya, Tanjung Rhu and Air Terjung Temerun waterfall.
We at dinner at a Thai place (I had vegetable fried rice) and went home to crash.
The following morning J took me to the jeti and even bought my roti canai and coffee for breakfast. I'm grateful for generous people in the world with the sharing, caring, couchsurfing spirit. I try to pay it forward wherever I can.
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Langkawi 3: islands and waterfalls
I was picked up just after 9 from the hostel and joined a mixed group of tourists on a boat for an 'island hopping' tour. I had no idea what this involved , and our boat captain was particularly uncommunicative.
We were first dropped for an hour at Beras Basak Island beach. Everyone dived into the same bit of ocean. I went for a wander and a paddle and chatted to some of the other passengers. Next we stopped in a bay between islands to watch eagles soaring and diving to catch fish from the water.
After that we went to Dayang Bunting Marble geoforest park. 6rm entry and a five minute walk down winding steps to the lake of the pregnant maiden, so called because of the shape of the surrounding hills. The lake is packed with people swimming (in a small roped area) or pedal boats. Life jackets are required for swimming and can be rented for 5rm. We had an hour here. I dangled my feet over the edge and enjoyed feeling them being bumped by catfish.
There's an overpriced touristic food court by the entrance, and the return of boats (numbered) are announced over a tannoy. There are groups from dozens of boats, so the place is always busy.
The boat returned us to a jetty different from Pantai Tengah where we departed from; a minibus was there to meet us. The whole thing took about 3.5 hours.
Since it's cheap I'd say it's worth doing to get a feel for the nearby islands, but hundreds of other people are also doing it via dozens of tour operators, and the boats follow the same route at roughly the same times of day; so it's crowded.
I got lunch on my way back to the hostel, then read for a bit in a hammock before heading to Cenang to meet my CS host for the next two nights.
My host, J, picked me and another, Ira, up from the same spot. He drove us to his place in Kampung Yoi and we hung out while he prayed and waited for his wife to get home from work. J and his wife are Malay, and have lived on Langkawi for four years, having moved for work reasons. They like it.
The four of us drove to Seven Wells waterfalls, and swam in the pools at the midpoint. We didn't have time to hike to the very top before dark, but did get in plenty of scrambling over rocks. There were a few people there, but it wasn't super crowded.
Next we went to a lesser known point to watch the sunset, with a lighthouse. Then, the night market. I ate everything I laid eyes one: laici juice, peanut and corn pancakes, vegetables and rice. J dropped Ira back at her hotel in Cenang and we went back to his place.
Photos of Seven Wells and night market.
The power was out from when we got in until just after midnight. Good time to chat. They live in a small, two storey concrete house with two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen/dining room and bathroom downstairs. Kampung Yoi is small and near the center of the island, not far from the airport where J works as an engineer.
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Last night I joined the CouchSurfing Penang meetup at coffeeshop/bar Behind 50 on Love Lane. They're a really lively and enthusiastic bunch, locals and travellers alike. They meet every Friday, and frequently arrange adventures.
After a couple of hours and a group photo, they broke into two groups: beer and food. I joined the food party, and we got curry from a 24 hour place in Little India: a huge plate of cabbage, rice and dahl for 3.50myr (about 64p). Rohan, the main organiser, was kind enough to give me a ride home after that, since it was about midnight by then.
They're going on a motorbike trip to the mainland this weekend, to see a ton of attractions and camp overnight. I'd seen the post about it on their CS group a week or so ago, but it read like it was for people who could ride motorbikes... it didn't occur to me to ask if anyone was going in a car with a spare seat. Turns out a few of them are, but now I have other committments this weekend. But I'll certainly be joining their next adventure!
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Amy added http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/the-victory-of-the-commons to https://rhiaro.co.uk/bookmarks/