Thailand - Satun, Trang, Pak Meng, Ko Muk and Ko Lanta

On 20th August we arrived at Banda Aceh airport and had an unplanned reunion with some of the people that we'd met at Pulau Weh; 3 Brits and a family from Denmark. They were all flying to KL and it was lovely to see them all again. We flew back to Penang (our 3rd time there) and on the flight we read this article in a magazine about a guidebook for Muslims in space. I'd love to know how to locate Mecca in space!

We had 2 more nights in Georgetown and met up with Agata, a Polish girl that we'd also met at Pulau Weh. We looked into the various ways that we could get into Thailand but in the end we opted for the ferry to Langkawi, had one night there, and then we got another ferry to Satun, Thailand.

We cycled about 10km to the town centre and saw this telephone box, well we think that's what it is, although the sign states that it's a public toilet. Perhaps things in Thailand are not always what they seem!



We decided to stay in Satun and we found a really lovely small guesthouse that was very cheap. That night we met a guy from Newcastle that is working here for a year teaching English and it was very interesting chatting with him. At 10pm it started to rain and it did not stop for 24 hours. Due to the rain we ended up staying another night in Satun and then we headed off.

We cycled to La Ngu, only 50 km away and we got totally drenched. We had to keep stopping and taking shelter because it was so heavy but eventually we arrived in La Ngu, had lunch and found a guest house. Despite the rain, the cycling was fun and the locals gave us lots of support and smiles. Unfortunately, our guest house was right next to Karaoke (which means brothel in Thailand) so we had to put up with really loud music until 2 am.

The following day the rain was so bad that we only managed to cycle 25 km to Thung Wa. We took shelter in various places, including a shop, where we drank coffee and watched the children playing in the puddles:

The only hotel in town was next to a karaoke bar (brothel), so once again we had to put up with lots of noise.

The following day we cycled 75 km, mostly in torrential rain. Because it was still Ramadan it was difficult to get food but we saw a place with tables outside and stopped to take a look. It turned out to be a private function but we were beckoned over by a very kind man and we ended up staying there for an hour. First we got led over to a shrine, with a photo of an old lady, and we placed a lit josh stick on the shrine and then we got led over to a table and were served loads of food, plus water and a bottle of spirits. No-one spoke English so we had to use our phrase book and we think the event was a funeral but we can't be sure. We thanked everyone and then set off again in the rain. Here is a very soggy me with our lovely host:



We arrived in Trang and had 3 nights there in order to dry off and decide what to do. We had intended on visiting some of the nearby tropical islands but we didn't really see the point if the weather was going to continue to be this bad. Anyway, during our stay in Trang the sun came out so we decided to cycle about 50km to Pak Meng. We arrived at a very small beach resort on the last day of Ramadan and the place was full of Muslim families having a great time. We were the only white people in town and we were made very welcome. We found a very cheap place to stay and spent 2 night there. Here is a picture of the sunset:



Pak Meng is full of dogs. On the day that we left, 2 puppies came to say hello to us and I was very tempted to take this one with me:


We cycled about 20km on a quiet road with beautiful scenery to a jetty where we could get the ferry over to Ko Muk, a small nearby island. Here is Nic's bike arriving safely:


We cycled over to the other side of the island and found a place to stay. Because it's low season (also know as Green/Monsoon/Rainy) there were only a few places open, the one right on the beach was really expensive (relatively) and so we stayed in a small bungalow a couple of minutes walk from the beach. We stayed for 4 nights and had a great time hanging out with the locals and some other tourists.

Here is a very large gecko that lived behind our mirror:



We had 2 trips out on a boat with Mr Yung to visit some nearby beauty spots. On our first trip we visited Ko Kradan and did some snorkelling and then we visited the Emarald cave at Ko Muk. We swam through a narrow cave, partly by torch light and then we emerged in a opening in the cliffs, which has a small stunning beach with high cliffs that surround you, which are covered in plants and trees. Unfortunately we didn't take photos because we had to swim to get there but it really is a beautiful place.

On the second boat trip we went back to the Emerald cave and we also visited Big cave:



then we went back to Ko Kradan and had another snorkel in the crystal clear water. Here is Nic:





We wanted to get a boat to Ko Lanta, a larger island 3 hours away, and luckily we found 4 others to share the cost of the boat. Mr Yung took us there and here we are loading up the boat with a couple of gorgeous puppies that hung out with us on the island. I still miss those puppies!


So now we've been on Ko Lanta for 4 days and we've been out diving twice. Our first 2 dives were at Ko Haa and we had a wonderful day. We saw our first big Sea Horse (we've only seen pygmy ones before) and he/she was beautiful. During our lunch break we had a snorkel and enjoyed the views:





Yesterday we went diving again at 2 pinnacles in the middle of the ocean, it took us 1 1/2 hours by speed boat to get there and we had amazing visibility. Due to the stormier seas at this time of year they don't often get to dive here so we were very lucky. The marine life was abundant and we saw our first leopard shark. Nic also did his 100th dive and I did my 99th. A very special day.

We're staying in the old town at the moment and we've got a great deal on a very posh room with a sunning view of the bay. Here is a picture of the sunrise from our room:


We've seen so many sea eagles here and they look so majestic when they're hunting. Here's one having a rest near the jetty:

Tomorrow we're going to cycle over to the west coast of the island, where the beaches are. The weather forecast is not so good for the next few days, so we'll stay on Ko Lanta for a few more days and decide what to do next. A lot of the islands here are very beautiful but very developed and full of backpackers, so we're trying to work out a route to steer clear of the masses! I can't imagine how crazy (and expensive) Thailand must be in high season. I'm so glad we're here during the low season, even if we have to live with some heavy rain!!!

Takengon, Pulau Weh (incredible diving) and Banda Aceh

On the 8th August we left the jungle behind and got the bus to Blankejeren (70km / 3hours) where we saw this gorgeous little girL:


Then we got on another bus to take us to Takengon (another 6 hours). The road went over so many mountains that we lost count and parts of the road had been destroyed from land slides. We went up to about 2000 metres at one point and it looked like we were in Canada. The journey was very very slow but the scenery was amazing and we made it to Takengon just before dark.

Here is part of the 'road' and our driver:


We had a day off in Takengon to recover from the journey. Unfortunately, the mosques' noise seemed to go on all night and they even had sirens to tell people when they must start/stop eating etc. due to it being Ramadan.

Takengon was very friendly and it was a fun place to spend the day and hang out with the locals.

Great shop:


Nic having a much-needed shave:


We left Takengon and had our final 8 hour bus journey to Banda Aceh. We had to stop for an hour as one of the brake pads fell off the bus and we had to get it replaced.

We had one night in Banda Aceh and the following day we got the ferry over to Pulau Weh. We stayed for the week in Gapang, a very tiny place consisting of a beach, dive centre, 5 guest houses, a few cafes, some very friendly locals and dogs, and a stunning view of the Indian ocean:




We spent the week, reading, sleeping, eating, socialising with the great people that we met and diving. The diving was exceptional and we had a good mixture of easy dives and crazy dives with lots of mad currents.


I've never seen so many Moray eels in my life:



This is a scorpion fish trying to blend in:



You can just see Nic in the background flying through the ocean - a crazy current dive:

On our last dive we saw a pod of dolphins going to and coming back from the dive site - a nice goodbye.

We left our tropical paradise and went back to Banda Aceh for a few days. Banda Aceh was a victim of the 2004 Tsunami and 61,000 died here. We went to see some of the sights, including the "boat on the house":




and the 2600 tonne power generated vessel that was carried 4km inland by a wave:



There is a park in the centre of Banda Aceh, which is a memorial and a thank you to all the countries that supplied assistance after the disaster. Each country has a plaque like this one:


We also went to see the enormous Mesjid Raya Baitarrahman (mosque) that somehow survived the tsunami intact. We weren't allowed in but we got some photos of the outside:


Our flight back to Penang, Malaysia has been cancelled, so we're having another day in this very pleasant, friendly city. I got my haircut again and I've decided that they don't know what a trim is in Asia!

Soon we'll be back on the bikes and heading to Thailand. Sumatra has been one of the most beautiful and special places that we've visited.

Sumatra - Lake Toba and Ketembe (more trekking and more orangutans)

On the 1st August we left Bukit Lawang and took a 7 hour bus ride to Lake Toba. We spent most of the time relaxing and enjoying the lovely scenery but we also had a few eventful moments! I had my walking boots stolen from outside the room, which I was very upset about, so the following day we moved to a new guest house. Anyway, 2 days later the owner from the first guest house found me and gave me my boots back. I was totally amazed and very very happy. It turned out that one of the local children had stolen them. On our last day there we decided to hire a scooter and explore. Whilst we were enjoying the amazing views a puppy ran out in front of us, so Nic braked hard but because the road was muddy the scooter skidded and we both flew off. Luckily there was a bus behind us with a first aider, so we got patched up and then we drove back. We both had scrapes and bruises and ripped clothes and Nic had a very saw shoulder and I had a sore neck. I think we'll stick to bicycles!

Lake Toba is home to the Batak people, who are Christians, and many of them still live in these wonderful traditional houses:



They also bury their dead in amazing graves that you can see all around the area:



On 5th August we left Lake Toba and had a very long bus trip to Kutacane. We were both a bit sore after the accident and the last bus was a real s*** heap but some of the scenery was mind blowing. We arrived in Kutacane too late to get the bus to Ketambe so we ended up staying in an over-priced depressing room with a man that had his telly on full blast in the middle of the night. The man was fast asleep but eventually he woke up and turned it down. There's always something to keep you awake in Asia!

The following day we made our way to the chaotic market to get the bus to Ketambe and saw a live goat tied to the top of one of the buses (a first for us) and after some painful negotiations we eventually got on a bus and arrived about an hour later at Friendship guest house in Ketambe.




We booked a one-day jungle trek for the following day and whilst we were having lunch we met some lovely school children. An English teacher approached us and asked us if we would meet his pupils, so we said "yes" and about a dozen teenage girls and boys, who were painfully shy came and sat with us for about an hour. After a while they started to ask us some questions and before they left they took lots of photos of us and shook our hands.


The following day we set off on our trek through the jungle. Our guide was called John, he spoke very good English and had been trekking for 15 years. He was amazing at finding birds and animals and we saw/heard Hornbills, gibbons, Thomas leaf-eating monkeys and much more. In the morning we saw our first orangutan but it was a young one that was nervous and he/she stayed quite far away from us.

Here is Nic with John relaxing:



You can just see me at the base of this awesome tree that is hundreds of years old:


Here's Nic having a swing in the jungle (Tarzan!):

We had lunch by the river and then set off again into the jungle. After about 10 minutes John spotted a mother and a baby orangutan and we got to watch them for about an hour. Another mind-blowing experience.

They were so relaxed around us and at one point they were about 6 metres from us. John told us that the mother is unusually relaxed around humans and that we were very lucky to get so close. The baby was so adorable. We watched them eating, swinging through the trees and just being generally fabulous. Here are a few photos:

How cute?:



Here is the baby suckling from it's mum:


I know - how lucky are we? Thanks John for making our trek so memorable.

Sumatra - Bukit Lawang and Bukit Kancur - orangutans

We flew from Penang to Medan and it felt good to be back in crazy Indonesia. We had one night in Medan and then we got the hot, sticky, local bus to Bukit Lawang. We had a few days relaxing in the village and enjoyed the gorgeous jungle views, swam in the river and hung out with the very friendly locals. We stayed at Green Hill and Andrea, the owner and primatologist, gave us some great advice. we decided to do a 3 day/2 night trek in Bukit Kancur, which is a 30 minute motorbike ride from Bukit Lawang. We decided to go there as very few tourists go there and we wanted to try and see a wild orangutan rather than the semi-wild ones that they get in Bukit Lawang. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of our lives.

Just setting off:


Here is me with Baik, our wonderful guide:



Here is Mimpin, our other guide. He is as cool as a cucumber and never seems to sweat. He knows this jungle like the back of his hand:




There are lots of leaches in the jungle and they try to get through your boots. We rubbed wet tobacco on our boots and legs to step them from biting and it really worked:


On the first day we had a wonderful time trekking through the jungle but we didn't see an orangutan. We set up camp next to the river in a spot that is stunningly beautiful. This is the area that we slept on:


First they cleared it and put up a bamboo structure:



and then they put over the waterproof tarps. 5 of us slept in here, the 5th person was Baik's brother Yusuf, who carried all the camping and cooking stuff and generally helped out.




Here's Nic keeping Baik company, while he cooks us our feast:


We spent a lovely evening in out campsite, eating, swapping stories and playing games. The shelter that we slept in was very cosy and waterproof (we had lots of rain) but the mats were a bit thin for us and Baik snored very loudly. However, it was lovely to listen to the frogs and the other jungle noises and wake up in such an amazing place.

The following day we set off on a 5 hour trek hoping to see an orangutan. Here's Nic doing his Ray Mears impression:


First we visited an amazing bat cave:



If you look closely you can see the bats' eyes and some bats flying. It was rather eerie (and smelly) in here:



We saw and heard lots of wonderful things on our trek but no orangutans.



When we got back to the campsite, Yusuf told us that 2 orangutans had passed over our campsite. We were pretty disappointed to say the least. Yusuf decided to go off to see if he could find them and he did find the male not too far away. We heard him shouting so we followed him and then we got to watch a proper wild male orangutan for about an hour. OMG


He was making all sorts of noises and breaking off branches to tell us to go away and we've got some great videos of him. Here are some of our best photos:








I still can't believe how lucky we were. You can keep your semi-wild orangutans, watching wild behaviour is a thousand times better.

We had another great night in our shelter (and more rain) dreaming of orangutans!

On our last day we had a bit of fun and Baik made me the Queen of the Jungle:

We also went swimming in this crystal clear water hole:

We finally left the jungle behind and got back to the village. We felt quite sad but the local kids cheered us up:


I could write so much more but I hope this gives you an idea of how amazing this experience was. Thanks Baik, Mimpin and Yusuf for a truly memorable experience and too Andrea for suggesting it.