Onward to Bulgaria-Plovdiv

 

Mom enjoying the fall colors and street art in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Mom and I left Istanbul. It felt like my home after spending a week and a half there. I said my goodbyes to the city and friends I had met. I promised to look them up when I returned in December. Mom was walking better and was confident she was ready for some serious travel. And this was going to be the first test. We booked an overnight bus leaving Istanbul at 11:00 PM and arriving in Plovdiv, Bulgaria at 6:30 AM. As we waited at the bus station, I decided to take that one last bathroom break and encouraged mom to do so also. Her first question was the same as every other trip to the bathroom. "Is it a squat toilet?"  Yes, it was! This was her first opportunity to experience the joy of these porcelain wonders. Not something westerners like but we tolerate them when we have to. So, mom resolved to experience the squat toilet. I waited to hear her story and was disappointed to hear there was nothing unusual or funny to share. She was an expert and was ready for the next one!

I snuggled into my seat like the seasoned traveler I am. I took an herbal sleeping pill, put my Bucky pillow under my head and adjusted my eye mask. I was asleep as the bus rambled out of Istanbul. Mom woke me up at the bathroom break. After a break and stretching our legs, we settled back into our seats. I knew it would be a short nap before they would wake me again at the Turkey-Bulgaria border. I slept soundly until the bus drivers yelled out what I assumed was "Passport control!" I felt the cold air rush into the bus. Time to get out and go through the customs activities. Brrrr! It was freezing! This is going to be a long wait. Mom and I had no problems getting through but the Syrian guy on the bus was separated and questioned. We thought he was taken away but he showed up on the bus at the last minute. After an hour waiting around in the dark and cold night, we were finally on our way to Plovdiv. I fell asleep again and was woke by my mother. She said "Michelle, we are stopping again. Is this our stop?" I looked at my watch. It was 5:30AM, an hour early. The conductor came down the aisle and said "Plovdiv." I asked "Now?" He said yes. We gathered our bags and started on our walk to the hotel. I asked a taxi driver if we were headed in the right direction. He pointed to the corner and said something that I assumed was turn left. I told mom to follow and we were off. It was still dark and the street was poorly lit. Mom was nervous. The buildings had graffiti, the sidewalks were uneven and it was dark. We were the only people walking down the street. I could tell mom was nervous. When she stopped and said "I don't think this is a good neighborhood!" I smiled and got a photo. 

I guess the local sex shop was a sign that this was not Old Town Plovdiv! I laughed more when I showed her the photo and she asked how I photo shopped the sign into the picture. What?!? No, it was there. Mom never saw the sign! I guess she was nervous. I had explained my theory that it is better to walk in the early morning when the bad guys were sleeping. She didn't buy it. Luckily, it was a short walk to the hotel and we were able to check in at 6 AM. We decided to take a short nap and then explore the city. 

Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in Bulgaria with a beautiful Old Town and an amphitheater. We walked the quaint cobblestone streets up to the top of a hill. Mom stopped to rest when she met her new friend Giovanni that had a special odor you could smell 10 feet away.  He chatted to mom as I walked off to take some photos. I knew he wanted something and figured she cod have a nice chat while she rested. He eventually took out a note explaining all of his hard times after he fell off a ladder, was hospitalized for several weeks and needed money to keep his home. I waited to see if she was going to be kind and give to him or not. This was taking a while so I went on to the church. I sat down and enjoyed the beautiful stained glass windows while I waited for mom.

Mom came in and said "thanks for leaving me!" I smiled and asked how much it cost her. Nothing, she told him no and walked away. Then she sat in the church wandering if she should have given him something. We wandered the quaint old town until mom was ready to go back to the hotel. 

In town, I found the town gossip, Milyu.  I went over and whispered a few juicy details in his ear. 

We took an evening walk before dinner and were enthralled with all of the beautiful fountains and the number of casinos. (Yes dad, you could gamble here!) I am not a fan of gambling..to me it is like throwing money on the ground and walking away. I have so many better things to spend my money on! As we walked the main road, this was my favorite fountain, it was fantastically lit in the evening. 

 

As we sat and enjoyed a delicious meal, mom kicks me under the table. "Look, that is Giovanni sitting at the next table! He is a scam artist! Glad I didn't give him any money!" I looked and started laughing. No, that is not the same guy. You are crazy. It brought back memories of when I had taken my mom and Aunt Sue to Iceland in 2000. Back then, Mom insisted a woman at the airport money change had stolen $40 from her. We all laughed two days later on the bus back to the airport when the woman was showing everyone her new pair of shoes. Aunt Sue and I looked at mom and she was convinced she paid for the woman's new shoes. As we ate our dinner, we laughed at the memory of past travels we had taken together and talked about how much we both missed Aunt Sue. She would have loved this trip!

The next morning, mom's back and hip were bothering her and I wanted to walk up to the fortress and around Old Town. Mom decided to stay and rest while I went to explore. Old Town Plovdiv has picturesque cobblestone streets and old homes. I walked up the hill to the fortress. I noticed a woman examining the opposite side and taking photos. I assumed I was missing a great view. I walked over and looked around....oh my! I figured out quickly that she was watching some young adults in an amorous moment. She was taking photos! I looked at her and she started rattling off something in Bulgarian. I decided to leave the young loves in their private moment and go back to town. As I turned to walk down the hill, I almost bumped into 25 Japanese businessmen on their way to interrupting the young couple. I guess it is show time! The red panties made it hard to miss the amorous romp. I giggled as I walked down the hill thinking of the surprise that was awaiting several people in a few seconds! 

 

I walked through the hilly neighborhoods past kashta (traditional homes) to one that is now a museum. I was drawn to the beauty of a window on the wall into the courtyard. 

It was magical, almost like a fairy tale. I went inside the museum. It was small and an interesting overview of life and history of the area. I appreciated the beautiful cylindrical ceiling of carved wood. The main room was beautiful but I was surprised as I found carved ceilings in every room. Homes are not made like this anymore. It was a lost artwork.  

 

As I got lost on the cobblestone lanes of the old town, I came upon mom's friend Giovanni asking for money. I giggled and knew it was not the same man from the restaurant. He had taken up a step outside the school.  He handed me his paper and started to tell his story. I gave it back to him and said "God Bless you" as I walked away.

 

I continued walking and happened upon a fresh fruit and vegetable market.

Yum! I bought 4 bananas and 2 apples for 55 cents! The farmer asked "You, what country?" I told him USA and he proceeded to tell me that Bulgaria is GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) free and has the strictest laws in all of the EU. I was shocked. He started asking me about the USA policies on GMO which led to an interesting conversation. He and his friend were dumbfounded that the USA government subsidizes junk food but not fresh fruits and vegetables. I explained that most things in the USA are profit based rather than health based. This led to more questions over a nice cup of tea. Some people would get angry or worked up over these types of questions. Not me. This trip is a learning experience. I am growing and open to different ideologies and beliefs.  If I was closed to these types of interactions, I would not have the experiences that have enriched my trip. Sometimes I think people take things so personally and don't realize questions are just an inquisitive nature. It is about learning. After a while, I looked at my watch and realized it was getting close to the time I had promised to meet mom for lunch. I said goodbye and thanked them for the tea. I went to meet mom at the city center near the mosque. 

 

It was a beautiful fall day. I enjoyed the warm sunlight, cool breeze and the crunch of the fall leaves as I walked back to town. We met up and had a great lunch and then walked through the city park. We enjoyed the late afternoon sun as we strolled the park. We decided to have a gelato as we watched the men playing chess and cards (gambling).

We took one last photo to remember our beautiful day in the park and then walked back to the hotel.

 

We decided it was time to move on to another town. Our next stop was Blageovgrad, a small town to the west with public transportation connections (bus) to Rila Monastery. The bus ride was a couple hours but we were told we had missed the last bus to the monastery and would need to sleep in Blageovgrad. We decided to get a hotel and go to Rila in the morning. 

The Call of the Wild in Sandakan, Borneo

I arrived in Sandakan after a rainy bus ride across the countryside. I had found out that most of the Sabah region was fully booked or unsafe for tourist travel. Since this was a last minute trip, I had not done any research, just booked an air line ticket and I was off. When I talked to Sharif and a few people in Kota Kinabalu, I found out that there were issues near Sapidan and I was advised not to go to the islands. I assumed that people were over reacting or trying to get me to stay in Kota Kinabalu. I checked the USA State Department and found out there was a warning due to a terrorist activity in Feb 2013 involving the Philippines. Huh! (Also found out they did not recommend US citizens travel overland from Thailand to Malaysia- did that too!) I assumed the US government was over reacting so I checked with Australia and UK governments. All of them advised not to travel to the east coast of Sabah and here I am! Oops! I decided to skip Sapidan rather than risk that area too much. The prices were really high for the islands and I was advised if I went to stay somewhere with good security. Security was high in the Sandakan area, as the bus arrived 30 km outside the city, it was searched by the police. Three police officers entered the bus with machine guns. Two of them stood guard at the front of the bus while the third went down the isle asking everyone to show their passport. I also had to show my visa stamp. It was a very uncomfortable situation but I don't like guns and really did not like that much ammunition so close to me. It made me very uneasy. I was ready to hit the floor of the bus if needed! Luckily, there were no issues. After this incident, I was happy to be staying 5 km outside of town. I had booked Borneo Cove Hotel which was cheap, had a pool and was a teaching school for hospitality. I thought my odds of terrorist activity was better staying with the locals. The staff at the hotel were fantastic and arranged all of the tours I wanted with reasonable prices. I was going to Sepilok first to see the orangutans and Probiscus monkey sanctuaries. The second day to the Kinabatangan Safari and a third day at Turtle Island snorkeling. That left me a few days to relax, explore town and rest before I head to China.   

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center's goal is to return orphaned, injured or displaced orangutans back into the wild. There were currently 200 at the center but we were told that only a few will come into the feeding area because it was fruiting season. The orangutans that can find enough food will stay away and only those that need more food come to the feeding platforms. The center is in the forest and has beautiful walking trails through the jungle. The animals are free to roam in the jungle with no fences separating humans. 

The first wild animal I found was this little lizard. He was sitting below the viewing platform waiting to see the orangutans also!  

After a short wait, a worker arrived with a basket of melons. He shook the ropes and an 8 year old orangutan appeared. He was adorable! I fell in love immediately! The orangutans are the most endangered animal in Borneo. This is due to deforestation for palm trees (palm oil) and poaching. Many of these orangutans were pets which is illegal.

After taking a bite out of each piece of fruit, he decided to give us a little show of his swinging and hanging abilities. He liked hanging around. He decided to leave when the  long tailed macaques came too clean up the food.



One of the volunteers saw the macaques coming down the path and warned everyone to back away...they were mean! She said they bully the little orangutans for food.


When she said they were mean, she meant it! I was glad I did! Check out this angry guy! Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed!! I was standing right where this macaque wanted to take a rest. He came towards us and the volunteer yelled at us to all stand back. I know monkeys can be mean and followed directions.

My next stop was Labuk Bay to see the feeding of the Probiscus monkeys. I saw a few on the Klias River cruise but not up close. The Probiscus monkey is only found in Borneo. The males have a big, long, hanging nose where the females have a smaller pointy nose (like Pinocchio). The male calls are described as deep and nasal, strongly reminiscent of the bass viol. Supposedly, the females like to listen to it. The sanctuary is amongst a palm oil plantation to maintain the wildlife. They supplement food for the monkeys to ensure they continue to thrive in their habitat.


The male was more interested in the tourists and came up to check us out. He is a funny looking guy.



Silver Leaf monkeys are also at the sanctuary. They were very friendly and not afraid of tourists. The babies were playful and loved to entertain the crowd. I liked his mohawk!


When the monkeys were finished eating their bread and asparagus, they went back to the forest. I laughed as they swung through the trees. Several stopped to sit in a tree and watch the tourists.


My last stop of the day was the Rainforest Discovery Center. I walked through the forest on the tree-top canopy walk. It was amazing walking through the tree-tops and looking up to see large trees hovering.
 It was a peaceful and relaxing walk. I had time to search for monkeys and appreciate the calls of the local birds


The next afternoon I left for the Kinabatangun Safari. Our first stop was the Gomantong Cave. I arrived at the cave after a short walk through the jungle. My guide looked at me and told me he was not going into the cave. I asked why. He said it stinks to bad. I could smell the cave as we stood outside talking. It smelled awful...and only got worse! It is famous for the swiftlet birds edible nests which are harvested to make the bird's nest soup. The most valuable nests can sell for very high prices.

It is an amazing natural wonder ....of bird poop, bat poop and cockroaches EVERYWHERE! It was the most disgusting sight I have seen.  The bird, bat and rat poop is everywhere. I was walking very tentatively the whole way trying not to slip on it. The hand rail and walk paths are covered in poop which makes it slippery. I kept telling myself not to fall but I just wanted out. When I looked up I could see birds and bats but I freaked out a little as I saw 2 inch cockroaches on every step. This "wonder" is one I would have preferred to have stuck with as a vicarious experience. ICK!

We continued on to the Kinabatangun River for a safari. We boarded the boat and went searching for the monkeys, birds and pygmy elephants in the late afternoon. I expected to see monkeys but not an orangutan. We had been forewarned that it is rare to find them in the wild. And her was our first animal...a large orangutan in a durian tree.

There were numerous monkeys throughout the jungle.

And the Probiscus monkeys were around every corner. They swung from tree to tree. It was easy to find them if you just listened and watched for leaves moving.

Another successful trip down the river. Unfortunately, the closest I came to seeing the Borneo Pygmy Elephant was tracks next to the river. I was sad but you never know what will happen in the wild. The sun was setting on the river and it was time to drive back to Sandakan.

The next morning I left for Turtle Island, to spend the day relaxing on the beach and snorkeling. I was hoping to swim with a few sea turtles. As we arrived on the island we noticed the turtle tracks in the sand. They looked like tractor tire tracks.

The turtles crawl out of the ocean at night, dig holes and lay their eggs. The eggs are collected and placed in the hatchery. When the turtles hatch, they are released back to the sea in the early morning. I spent the afternoon on the beach reading, napping and snorkeling.

I returned to Sandakan and enjoyed a few days relaxing by the pool. My trip to Borneo was beautiful and filled with adorable monkeys and orangutans. I am happy I got to see this beautiful land.

I returned to Kuala Lumpur for overnight. I am leaving for China in a few hours. I am not certain I will be able to blog while I am in China. I will keep writing and upload everything when I get to Bali. Until then, peace and love to you all! 

Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

It was time to go back to the islands. I left Georgetown and headed east across northern Malaysia to the island of Pulau Perhentian Kecil. No art, museums or fantastic street hawkers here. All of the sights are on the sandy beach or underwater.

The view of Coral Bay from Ombak Resort

I arrived at the island in the late afternoon, only to check into Ombak Resort and realize there was no water in my bathroom. Not a single drop!  I was nice about it the first evening. They gave me a bucket to use to rinse the toilet and wash up. I am understanding and realize there are small issues on an island from time to time. These things happen. I was promised I would have water before morning. Right behind Ombak Resort is Ewan's Bungalows and Restaurant. I went for dinner and met Ewan. He was horrified when I told him what I was paying for no water at Ombak Resort. Ewan loved that I could laugh through it and encouraged my happy spirit to stay positive. He became a good friend over my 4 day stay.

In the morning, I decided to walk through the jungle to the other side of the island to Long Beach. It was a short hike, maybe 10 minutes. I had my eyes out for snakes and was lucky....not a single one! Yay!

Long Beach



Beautiful water at Long Beach

Long Beach was a beautiful white sand beach with crystal clear water. The water is clear, just like a pool. It was beautiful! I spent the day lounging on the beach with some travelers from Ireland. At the end of the day, I was ready for a nice warm shower. I got back to my room to find no water. Now, I was angry and went to complain. For the cost of the room and no water for a second day...it was ridiculous. I was told the government shut down the water to the island and told them I knew it was a lie. Nobody else on the island was having an issue, I had asked around. I asked for my money back and was told no because it was not the resorts fault. I explained my position but was told there were no options because the island was fully booked. I knew they had me because I had checked on available rooms.  I told them I would be writing a negative review of their resort on all travel sites. They told me they didn't care. I refused to let this ruin my trip to the islands! The only thing they did for me was let me use the shower in the dive shop. At least I would be clean! 

The next morning I was going snorkeling. Another thing I had pre-paid at Ombak Resort. I was excited because they advertised the guide brings an underwater camera and takes photos. I was not surprised after waiting for an hour to find out the guide was "sick". Eight of us had waited and were irritated that it took an hour for Ombak to tell us the trip was cancelled. It did not make sense, why couldn't another guide have taken us? (Another example of poor customer service at Ombak Resort.) Five of us decided to go anyway and the other 3 went back to their hotel. We were taken to the Shari-La Resort to hire a boat and guide. We got a great guide and a fun group. There was a father- daughter from Spain and a brother and sister from Korea with me.

Swimming and snorkeling at Fish Bay.

Our first stop on the trip was to Fish Bay. The fish were beautiful colors. we saw many clown fish, tiger fish and barracuda. 

After I looked at the pictures from Fish Bay, I noticed a surprise....see the reef shark in the photo. Our guide was shocked when Antonio (Spanish father) said he saw one. We had a photo to prove it! Our next stop was Shark Bay where we were looking for the docile, vegetarian black-tip reef sharks. We got really lucky and saw five!  It was fantastic! Our guide was patient and made certain we all had the opportunity to see them. Before lunch we stopped at Turtle Bay. The boat pulled up and look what we could see as we prepared to jump in the water. It was a sea turtle waiting for us! Yay!

Sea Turtle munching on the ocean floor

 



We went to Fisherman Village for a delicious lunch and a rest before heading on to the Lighthouse. The Perhentian Islands was the best snorkeling I had experienced to date. The visibility was fantastic and our guide got us to places before all of the other boats arrived. We had 2 underwater cameras and  took photos throughout the day. In the evening, we all got together at Ewan's Place for dinner and to share the photos with one another.

The Perhentian Islands are beautiful. I loved the snorkeling and would have liked to do a second day but I needed to get moving towards China. 

Food and Street Art in Georgetown, Malaysia



I left the beautiful island of Koh Lipe and headed to Georgetown, Penang an island in northwest Malaysia. Ever time you mention Georgetown to a traveler they respond with "Oh, the food is soooo good!" I arrived in Georgetown in the evening and the aromas of the street hawkers food was enticing. I wanted to check into a guesthouse and eat my way through the city! The proprietor of my guesthouse told me the people of Penang love to eat.  And as the saying goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do! I was planning to try it all. The proprietor of my guesthouse marked a map with the hawker stalls I needed to indulge in. His last suggestion was "find a stand with a line of locals and whatever they are serving up will be delicious!" My dinner was delicious....I was going to enjoy a couple of days eating in Georgetown.

The street food encompasses Chinese, Malay and Indian food all served in a matter of minutes! I joined the locals eating by the roadside stalls and coffee shops is an experience second to none. I joined the locals in their favorite past time....food!

Georgetown has everything you would expect from an old colonial city- a fort, grand buildings, stately homes and assembly buildings.

Georgetown has traditional temples and Colonial buildings. 

Fort Cornwallis is the largest standing fort in Malaysia.

But the one thing that makes it stand out from other cities is the street art. I wandered the city, enjoying the art work and lost time exploring the cafes and art galleries for 2 days. Across the city were wirework artwork which told the history of the neighborhoods.

The murals, which I loved the most,  are by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic who brought color to the city as part of a project called "Mirrors George Town"

The street art was spread throughout the city, with some more hidden more than others, it was a great way of seeing the main sights. At times, I stumbled upon parts of city I may not have otherwise visited. On my last night, I stop at an Unique Penang Art Gallery on Love Lane and met Clovis and Jolie. Clovis was standing on the front porch playing a ukulele. Obviously, I had to go in. I was interested in where a he had learned to play the ukulele and to see the artwork. As I entered, he told me they teach art to 160 children. Along one wall was a display of postcards. The children draw the postcards but what I loved was you could write the postcard and they would mail it anytime in the future....2 months, a year or 5 years. The cards were beautiful and I liked that it supported teaching art to children.

Clovis invited me to have tea with him. We talked about travel and life. As we talked, he asked me to join them for dinner. We walked down to a street hawker on Chulia Lane that sold the most delicious Wan Tan Mee. We sat on their porch laughing and singing until 11 pm.

When I left, Jolie gave me a set of chopsticks she had made. She explained they were knotted with a prosperity and she wished me a long and prosperous life.  I thanked her for her kindness and told them goodbye.

I enjoyed exploring the quaint nooks and crannies of Georgetown. I feasted on delicacies from hawker street stalls, shopped at the many quaint night markets and browsed the art galleries. Georgetown was a relaxing, delicious and enjoyable introduction to the tastes and culture of Malaysia.