“You must not make eye contact with the orangutans as they will see this as an act of aggression. You may get one climb on you and I have even known people stripped naked by an orangutan before.” WHAT?? I am not sure I believed everything Darwis, our guide, said in his briefing on the … More Up close (but not naked) with orangutans and sun bears
It looks exhausting! These poor female turtles hauling their 160kg bodies up the beach to a high spot, digging a 75cm hole, laying up to 150 eggs and then hauling themselves back to the sea before the sun rises. And they do this several times in a season. We are on Selingan Island in the … More “Turtle Time”
“If you disrespect the mountain, nature will disrespect you” warns our worried-looking guide, Felix. The earthquake on Mount Kinabalu that killed 19 people two-years ago, was attributed to the disrespectful actions of hikers two weeks before. Deeply superstitious, the local people blamed the tourists, who stripped naked for photos at the summit. for the subsequent … More Respecting Mount Kinabalu
I turn the corner and a 20-foot young girl in blue pyjamas grins down at me. This is the eighteenth piece of public art that I have found in George Town, Penang, this afternoon. These colourful murals, created by talented painters, capture local people, cheeky children and cute cats. Some are literally as large as … More Art-spotting in George Town
“Get the hell out of the forest when the rain comes because all the snakes, leeches and scorpions come out”, said the cheerful lady in the tourist office. We’d been walking through the dense rainforest on trail 10 for about 45 minutes when we felt the first spots of rain. To carry on or to … More Walking in the Cameron Highlands
You’re going to need a change of clothes as it is going to get sweaty, is the advice on With Locals website in the trek trip notes. I had not heard of With Locals before I started researching hikes around Kuala Lumpur. A website that hooks travellers up with local people for a ‘local’ perspective … More Walking ‘With Locals’
“Aren’t you too old to be doing all this stuff?” was one of the last things my father said to me before I set off on my two-month jaunt. It grated. But if I’m honest, it grated because I was a little nervous. Hostels with shared dorms. How was that going to be? Would the … More Doing the hostel thing
The local parks are full of activity, even at 6:30 in the morning, with people dancing, running, opera singing, playing music and practising tai chi and marshal arts using sticks, swords and ribbons (ribbons look a bit wet next to the sticks and swords). Walking backwards clapping hands is quite popular for some reason. It … More Dancing in the streets
Heads, feet and hands lie in pieces intermixed with horses’ rumps and legs – the broken remains of the Terracotta Army. Thousands have been renovated and stand with military precision in their ranks. But still more are waiting to be unearthed. Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the start of his Terracotta Army in 246BC when … More Ready for battle in the afterlife
“They’re kind of crunchy” said Dave from Manchester as he gnaws on the scorpion tail in Beijing’s busy Night Market. He adds, “I’ve tried the spiders, I wanted to give these a try too.” Hawkers wave skewers of the live creatures, legs still struggling to get away, shouting “delicious, you try”. Steam billows from pots … More Can you be a veggie in China?
