Tioman Island

Tioman Island

So the GF and I went to Tioman Island over the past Obon holidays here in Japan. We booked the Juara Beach Resort which is on Juara Beach/Village (the only village on the East side of the island). The resort itself was ok, the staff is run by Chinese Malaysians with locals doing the menial tasks. In typical Chinese style, they do what their required to do, but no more. When we checked in, the manager gave us our key and pointed in the direction of our sea front room. No directions, information, welcoming, etc. The room was clean and nice enough. But the shower was weak, we had no water for a while on two separate nights and we had to ask to have our rooms refreshed everyday. Also the walls are thin so you can hear your neighbors and since it's popular with Chinese, it can b loud. The beer and food are cheap and quite good in the restaurant. The location is acceptable, but the beach in front of the resort and on the north side of the pier isnt that nice and we found the beach on the south side of the pier (over the rocks) to be nicer and free of any seaweed, rocks, and other debris.

We relaxed two days on our side of the island, there are enough restaurants, shops, and nice beachage to while away time reading, drinking, and just doing nothing. The 3rd day we did a snorkeling tour of coral island and a few other places. It's pretty standard, they all do the same places and it runs about 120ringgit. It was decent, not incredible. Some fish, clear water, and nice coral. A worthwhile endeavor but nothing to get too excited about. The last two days we rented a nice 150cc scooter for 80rinngit a day and took the hairy road up over the middle of the island and to ABC and Tekek. Theres little to nothing in Tekek except some restaurants, cheap accommodation, and duty free shops! The road ends before you hit ABC, so you need to park and hike a few mins to get to ABC. ABC is primarily a budget area with a so so beach, very rocky. However theres more going on there in terms of restaurants, shops, and people in general. We rented snorkel gear and swam out of the beaches in a few different locations. Worthwhile, but again nothing to write home about. Perhaps the best part of ABC is the bar/pizza place that serves cheap pizza and tiger beers happy hour and serves as a good place to sit in the sand while watching the sunset. We also hiked over to Monkey Bay but its a solid 1 hr hike and requires something more significant than sandals. The little beach was nice, very private, and we saw a few monkeys but nothing else. There are no shops, so bring whatever you need. We took the 6am ferry off the island, which of course was delayed but an hour.

Logistics;
We booked the ferry when we arrived in Mersing, 35rinngit one way, and there were 3 ferries the day we arrived so we were able to get on the next one fairly quickly. Check the schedule online, they release it one month in advance. The ferry will stop in a few places, just make sure to get off at the right pier. For Juara you need to get off at Tekek and then take a taxi/4x4 which will run about 35ringgit. There are a lot of places to stay no matter where you go on the island, so unless you arrive in high season you should be able to find something to fit your needs once you make landfall. The island is duty free, so alcohol and ciggies are cheap, much cheaper than mainland Malaysia. The best way to explore the minimal road system is by scooter, cheaper and more convenient than taxis or boat taxis. Otherwise you need to hike a bit to get from ABC to Monkey Bay to Salang. Juara to Tekek is a haul and a waste of time if you only have few days on the island. You can buy almost anything you need on the island and there is an ATM in Tekek in case you run low on cash.

Shanghai-Oh it's loud. Been living here for 5 months. Can't say I love it. Coming from Australia which was quiet and peaceful with terrific weather and natural scenery, one could understand how Shanghai is a slap in the face. It's also different in terms of culture and civilization from Taiwan. The people here are rough, salt of the earth types. Can't blame em tho, they've been poor for a long time, and many of them (even in rich Shanghai) still are. It's loud, dirty, and crowded. The noise is the thing that bothers me the most. It's just a case of noise for the sake of noise. And as everyone in the city has grown up with it they seem more or less impervious to it. People yell in the metro when 'talking' on the phone; buses, cars and scooters honk incessantly even when the road is clear. The sounds in the metro when doors close, announcements made, and directions given, would wake the dead. Schools blast music over loud speakers early in the morning and in the afternoon during lunch. Guys hawking CD's blare them non-stop on street corners. The list goes on.

The people aren't friendly, they're just living. That's not to say they're rude, they just want to transact and be done with you. There are 1 billion more people waiting. That makes travel unpleasant as well.

Anyway, I'm here and its a very social city with lots of foreigners/bars/restaurants. So fun can be had. More to come soon.

Long time...

View from my apartment on a nice day.
The ever cute Asian style, note the crown on O Bomb ah's (Chinese prononuciation) head.
A not so uncommon site while hiking; once we leave Taipei there's no telling what we may encounter.
Traditional market street in a small town.

Well it's been a while but I finally have an opportunity to post and add some pictures. The weather is finally turning, fall means rain and cooler temps, but still around 25C during the day. Not much new in Taiwan, I caught some of the protests a few weeks ago when the envoy from China was here. A lot of shouting and some molotov cocktails; but a very contentious feeling is always in the cards when the two sides meet. Luckily Taiwanese don't drink and fighting is a cultural no-no. The LSAT is arriving in early December, and I should finish most applications by the end of the year. The plan is to return in June and move to wherever I'm going to school. If you're in the "know" and have facebook (who doesn't these days?) you've probably seen some pictures, but if not here you go. Oh and I think there was some kinda election in America, nice to be able to call yourself an American without sheepishly looking down at your feet.

Dawg days

The summer is hot, humid, and sunny-that all means I try to spend as much time out of the concrete jungle as possible. From June I only have to work 9-1 Monday-Thursday. That means I have three day weekends in theory, though I have a private lesson on Sunday afternoon.
One of my recent escapes brought me to another island off the south east coast of Taiwan, an island called Lanyu (Orchid Island), appropriately named as it's overrun with it's namesake. It was an absoultely beautiful island. The weather and clouds were amazing and since it is some eighty miles off the coast of Taiwan there was neither any pollution or crowds. The island is home to a local tribe called the Ami, an amalgam of Chinese/Filipino/Indonesian and Malay cultures. They are residents of Taiwan, but I'm more likely to be mistaken for Taiwanese than they are. Their life is a simple one; they fish in their handcrafted boats (built without nails, screws, or any type of fasteners), grow crops, and the more "civilized" families host tourists. It was a relaxing weekend that allowed for swimming in crystal clear water, snorkeling with spear fishermen, and gazing upon more stars than the eye can handle.
Uncle Bill Maier had a business trip last month that brought him to Formosa. It was great to see him and catch up with family-it's been quite a while since I've seen any relatives. We did the typical sights and were chauffeured by the unfailingly profusely polite Mars Liu. Unfortunately we had only a day, but it was a well-spent day and I was happy to hear of New Jersey and family happenings.
I ran into some misfortune last week in that my camera could handle no more. In retrospect I suppose one too many sandy days at the beach cooking in the afternoon sun probably hastened it's expiration. I decided that I would invest in something a bit better this time around, so I did some research, talked to some friends, and bought a nice Canon point and shoot. It's really so much better than my old camera in every way. It reeks of Japanese ingenuity, and the picture quality is stunning. It has a good optical zoom and I didn't buy into the megapixel charade, a largely useless selling point. I'm still playing around with it, but I love the manual mode, the more I learn the more I am able to appreciate the options.
Speaking of Nippon, I'm leaving in two days for a two week visit. I'm very excited as all my friends have loved it. I bought a rail pass for the bullet train which allows me to reap the benefits of their excellent rail system, and have arranged to sleep on a few couches courtesy of couchsurfing.com. All I hear about Japan are the ludicrous prices for everything from apple juice to t-shirts; though I hosted a couple of guys from Nagoya for a night and they said deals are to be had. I have a rough intenirary planned: Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Mt Fuji-Tokyo-Nikko, but of course nothing beyond my first two days are in pen; I've learned thats the best way to travel.
That's it for now, sorry for delay in posts, when Gma is more recent I know it's time to update! I will post pictures when I return from Japan, but for now check out Lanyu and the Martyrs Shrine in Taipei.


Goats and pigs roamed freely all over the island.

This is 2pac, the infamous rapper, painted on a wall on the islands only road.

Heat cometh

As the title says, the heat has arrived(How about Jersey, Uncle Tom?). Nothing too oppressive, that's what June-August are reserved for, but it has gotten much warmer quickly. No more open windows, time to destroy the environment Mr. Gore and crank up the AC. It's been a while since my last post and again I think I have failed to ascertain much in the way of entertainment for my audience, but such is life.
A few weeks ago friends and I went to Green Island (English translation) and had a good time. It's one of the more virgin scuba and snorkeling areas in the world, due to the Taiwanese fear of water and aquatic activities. It's quite small but has many areas to snorkel and the water is crystal clear. I've become quite a fan of snorkeling; it's a kin to being born again, you're discovering a whole new world every time you enter the water.
This summer is developing into a busy and pivotal season. I am taking time off in late July/early August to travel to Japan for two weeks. In August I'm going to Laos and Vietnam for a short week, but I've heard such rave reviews from friends it's a mandatory jaunt. Beyond that I'm planning on taking the GRE in October and the LSAT again in December. I haven't decided what route to pursue, but I will apply to schools for both paths and discern which is more promising. The GRE is for Political Science, which admittedly I'm more curious and interested in. The plan is to return next spring, depending on how things shake out. I don't want to settle for a lesser school, but besides learning Chinese my time is increasingly not well spent in Taiwan.
My daily routine is quite leisurely and my schedule affords plenty of free time, most of which has been spent playing basketball and football. I feel confident that among the Maiers (yes I know this is an inflammatory comment) that I am the best basketball player. I have the height, experience, and young legs to prove my point. I will be taking on all comers upon my triumphant return to America. I hope everyone is shooting their free throws, and hitting the weights. By the way, a general question that begs to be asked, am I still the tallest grandchild? I know Alex has shot up like bamboo, but does he top 6'4?
Well, that's it for now, any debate or comments are more than welcome.

Our tuktuk driver through the temples. The only road from the border to Siem Reap, and of course, a Cambodian specialty- grilled rats.

Pictures

Varied pictures of some of the temples at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. There are more than twenty different temples (Wat means temple in Khmer) but to be honest they're all quite similar.

新年快樂！Happy New Years!

Well I got back from my trip yesterday (Sunday). It was an interesting trip that defies explanation in some ways. Thailand and Cambodia were both hot and sunny the whole time, a good break from the dreary rain and cold of Taiwan. I landed in Bangkok and spent a few days there, moving from hostel to guesthouse night to night. It was bothersome since I was unaware of the city and moving all my stuff everyday in search of a better and cheaper hostel was uncomfortable in the heat. Bangkok is a fairly good size city with a well deserved reputation as a tourist haven in SE Asia. Everywhere you go there are street stalls and vendors selling everything from pirated DVD's and CD's , to shirts, paintings, wild animals and "massage times" with Thai women. What struck me most was the overwhelming presence of fat, wealthy European men with their little Thai girls tucked under their arms. Entire sections of the city are devoted to go go bars and strip clubs; it's really quite sad and pathetic to be honest. A few temples (more of the same at this point for me) were noteworthy, and Khaoshan Road (backpackers' mecca) were highlights. I decided to head into Cambodia after a few days in Bangkok.
The trip from Bangkok to the border was about 3 hours, and upon arrival at the border with Cambodia you have to find alternate means to Siem Reap, the town in Cambodia with the famous Angkor Wat temples. At the border you are "assisted" by shady characters with your Visa, in hopes of screwing you out of money. Sure enough, myself and other foreigners were charged $30, instead of $20 as it should have been. There are no police, and the customs "officials" are cohorts with all the shady, menacing figures. Thus, if you want entrance into the country you must pay what they demand. After paying and getting through you're met with a dilapidated, dirt road that has been in disrepair since the French pulled out decades ago. This is the main (and only) road from the border to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. I can't overstate the condition of this road, though I think these numbers will help clarify. I shared a cab with an Aussie, an American, and a Frenchman; the journey we undertook in a Camry took 5 hours to cover 120 km. That's about 15mph. Angkor Wat was impressive by all means, but not one of the greatest structures I've seen, Rome was better, and my French travel companion for the day told me the Pyramids in Egypt were also grander. Everything in Cambodia is bought and sold using the USD or the Rieal, which is basically not worth the paper it's printed on. As you would expect everything is as cheap as I've encountered. Beer, food, rooms, and transportation were all next to nothing. The country is a step up from the thatched huts and impoverished villages of rural Africa, the Phillipines is clearly a level higher. Many of the people have been handicapped from landmines and no one goes off the beaten path even today, despite the situation being much better than even five years ago. It's a country of relatively happy, relaxed people. Despite all the children hawkers in Angkor Wat, it wasn't bothersome as most just wanted to talk and explore us as we were doing their scared temples. It's a country I genuinely feel bad for, they were ravaged by war and then a tyrant in Pol Pot, and are only now getting used to any sense of freedom. Even in small dusty villages, newspapers and magazines abound, and all children are taught remedial English in school. The Thai on the other hand are a nice, warm people, but they are lazy and have become completely dependent on tourism for their economy. Luckily, or maybe in spite of it, their country is a bastion for vacation seekers; and they are able to reap the benefits. It is said the Thai are the most illiterate, literate people on earth. I talked to a few English teachers who work in Thailand and they all echoed that the level of education and knowledge in the country is deplorable. One told me that the idea of reading for pleasure is an absurd notion in the culture, and most of her students hadn't read an entire book ever. Anyway, I ran out of time and money so rather than heading south to Phuket I went to the sin bin of Pattaya. Pattaya apparently has the dubious clam of offering more hookers, massage parlors, and go go bars per capita than anywhere on earth. I don't know how true that is, but I don't doubt it. Regardless, the coast and beaches are still very nice, and their is an island off the coast that is relatively deserted, which is nice.
A good trip, though very trying and exhausting at times. Unfortunately in Cambodia I accidently reformated my camera's SD card and erased all my pictures from Bangkok, and after arriving in Pattaya my batteries died and the voltage is different in Thailand, so I wasn't able to re-charge them. Therefore I have pictures from only two days in Cambodia, very disappointing. I've got some pictures.