Sunny Thailand

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Jacklyn

Everyone associates Thailand with paradise, and it’s tough not to when all the guidebooks have the same shot of a long-tailboat docked off the coast of Phi Phi Island. Sadly, it’s likely to lose its charm after another decade of tourism, thanks to the shooting of “The Beach”. You can probably still get a private charter to go out there on low season and have Maya Beach all to yourself, so aim for a trip between end of April and into the start of June.

About a month ago, the country was struck by a series of heavy rain and many small villages suffered from flooding. I almost cancelled because I was worried about the reported mudslides taking place, but a friend reassured me that Phuket was hardly affected and that the weather was likely to change dramatically over the course of 3 weeks… and it did!

I’ve had nothing but sun, since day one. Clear blue skies, hot and humid. There was one night when it rained heavily, but it really just helped to bring down the persistently high temperature. After Phi Phi, I decided to venture Northeast off the coast towards islands of the Andaman Sea. I went to Ta Chai and Surin Islands – the former for its white beach and the latter for snorkeling around the different dive sites. Both were pretty empty and almost completely devoid of tourists when I went. Most of the people I saw on the island were also Thai locals having a vacation.

At Surin Islands, about 7km south of the Burmese border, we met a traditional Mokken sea gypsy village, the same group that currently resides in the Burma Mergui Archipelago. Many of them are still nomadic people and spend most of their lives roaming the sea on small handcrafted wooden boats. We docked near several coral reefs where we saw variations of pipefishes, eels, titan triggerfishes, a black tipped reef shark, and indian sailfin tangs – they were everywhere! I couldn’t believe how clear the water was… it was also shallow enough that you could see the bottom pretty well even when you’re snorkeling. I would’ve loved to stay overnight at the national park, but it probably would’ve cost a small fortune. So we headed off in the late afternoon and I prepped for my cycling tour the next day.

Now I pride myself in being relatively athletic, and generally consider myself as physically fit… but I’m no cyclist. I was told that it would be a long ride crossing Sarasin Bridge and into the Thai Muang region, about 55km (a lot for a beginner), but I wasn’t told about the changing terrains. We were a small group with one guide, but 2 of the participants were professional cyclists, one was an avid surfer that cycled to work everyday, and another was an ex-professional boxer that cycles every weekend. Needless to say, I tended to be at the tail-end of each leg of our tour. We cycled through some beautiful areas though… through pineapple plantations, rubber plantations, a former tin mining village, a sea-side town, a buddhist and a chinese temple, a fish sanctuary, and finished the long ride at a waterfall. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to cycle over grass, sand, gravel, and uneven rocks. And there were so many hills! I am now, officially, a pro at changing bike gears. Next step: buy my own bike.

The day after, I thought about laying low and just relaxing before my flight back to Sydney, but I discovered a SNUBA dive center in Phuket. After my failed SCUBA diving attempt in Kauai, I thought I’d give myself a second chance and take it a little easier this time around. I have to admit, I’m envious of people who are certified SCUBA divers. After seeing all the coral life I spotted from just snorkeling, I could only imagine what it must be like if I were to descend more than 20 meters. With SNUBA, I didn’t have to worry about wearing the tank and there’s no heavy gear… just a snorkeling mask, a few weights to help neutralize my floatation underwater, and a regulator connected to a raft about 10 meters up. Perfect.

It still took a few minutes to get used to it, but once I was comfortable, it was too easy. I had such a great time! If I were staying longer, I would’ve decided on the spot to register for a SCUBA certification course. And our guides were incredibly informative. It was totally the highlight of my trip. They pointed out so many things underwater like batfish, butterfly fish, clownfish, a school of Barracuda (big ones!), sea cucumbers, scorpion fish (deadly!), triggerfish, moray eels, and lots more… they also shared stories about past dives in Honduras and Borneo. Their passion for diving was so contagious… it made me wish I were living in a place like Thailand.

I’ve got tons of underwater photos from Rachai Yai, but still waiting on it to get developed… I’ll post them as soon as I have them!

Perhaps I can pay Thailand another visit next year…

Musings before Tokyo & Hong Kong

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Jacklyn

[quick recap]

Last month, after more than 15 years of being away, I finally visited Manila. It’s sad that it took me more than a year since moving to Sydney to make that decision, and I really owe it to Chris (who convinced me that traveling anywhere in SE Asia is cheap, so I might as well go to the one place I’ve been meaning to visit since I left when I was 10 years old).

I’m really glad I did it. If only, to catch up with family that I haven’t seen for so long, and to briefly reacquaint myself with the city I partly grew up in. We also had a chance to travel out of Manila and fly south to Palawan – it really is a beautiful part of the country, if you’ve never been; and unbelievably affordable (really good) seafood. Good times. Woo hoo!

Now, on to the next things on my itinerary!

This Wednesday, I’m flying out again – on my way to Tokyo. It’ll be a short trip with less than 4 full days. I want to see the Meiji Shrine, Tsukiji Fish Market, watch Kabuki-za Theater, walk around Akihabara Electric Town, wander and people watch around Harajuku, and check out Kabuki-cho (the redlight district); nevermind the number of things I want to eat while I’m there or the countless bars Kat will drag me to. I’m sort of looking forward to the culture shock. In the meantime, I’m desperately trying to memorize “Eigo o Hanasemasuka” and “Eii Wakarimasen”.

Hong Kong should be a little easier because I have a full week, with Saturday as a back up. I’m mostly looking forward to the Yum Cha and Congee. It’s also a huge plus that it’s really a “business trip” so my ‘room & board’ are covered. Because I also know a few people based in HK, it’ll be a lot easier to make my way around the city. I’ve jotted down a few things like the Wong Tai Sin Temple, the Kowloon Waterfront, Mong Kok, and Lan Kwai Fong’s tower of beers… somehow, I sense a theme.

Either way. Should be fun!

Fraser Island

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Jacklyn

The Butchulla tribe named it K’Gari, which means paradise; and you can easily justify its name with Lake Mackenzie, alone. It’s such an unusual place – where else do you find a rainforest that can sustain itself not on fertile soil, but on sand? On Fraser Island, you’ll find a white sandy beach by a fresh water lake, creeks that run with mineral water, seventy-two shades of sand, and a ship wreck that once boasted of 56 first class rooms lined with gold. You’ll also find Satinay trees, which are permanent inhabitants of this island – they draw the silica from the sand blunting anything sharp that’s used to cut them down. Then, of course, there are the unusual parasitic and symbiotic floras, and the Strangler Figs, the Widow Makers, and Kauri Pines. There are also the “real” dingoes of Australia – those that don’t cross-breed with other wild dogs since they’re isolated on an island; a collection of jumping ants, trapdoor spiders, lace monitors, and skinks. They told us stories of wild brumbies that once grazed these shores, but people had to remove them because they couldn’t digest the sand that ultimately was part of the food they consumed – they were slowly killing themselves by eating. The island has both a romantic past and a violent one. It’s full of aboriginal history and legends. And to imagine the scale of the sand mass… it’s hundreds of meters deeper than the Sahara Desert.

I always figure that going on a tour is a bad idea. I don’t like joining one because I feel like it takes away from the experience. I guess there are definitely times when it’s worthwhile having a guide. I went on the 1-day tour with Fraser Explorer – my guide was Jayson (an excellent story teller who often referred to his passengers as “youse guys”). He took us from the west side of Fraser, across Central Station, up to Lake Mackenzie, east to Eurong, past Maheno to the Pinnacles, to Eli Creek, and back. It rained violently half the time we were there, but it was still a damn good time. In fact, the rain perfectly justified having my bikini on all day.

I met some great people on the tour as well: Andrea and “the guys” – there was a Canon SLR involved, so I’ll be waiting for those photos to make its way to Facebook. I’ll upload them to BK Abroad once tagged. I wish I brought my Nikon. As much as I love my Fuji Finepix – these few photos don’t do Fraser very much justice.

[walking through Central Station]

[a strangler fig that's taken over a tree about 4 meters in diameter]

[the Pinnacles]

[75 mile beach - check out the fog - it descended in seconds]

[Maheno Shipwreck]

[Lake Mackenzie - more to follow]

[me and Andrea]

[on our very drizzly, somewhat windy ferry ride to Fraser]

[and a 360 degree view of our approach - what's visible is less than a quarter of the size of the island]

Hervey Bay

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Jacklyn

If you’d like to go north, but not go as far as the Whitsundays – Fraser Island is probably a good stop. To get there, you might consider staying over at one of the towns close by – like Hervey Bay. It’s about a 3-1/2 drive or a 5-hour bus ride out of Brisbane. I took a 6:30am flight out of Sydney on Saturday, landed at 6:55am in Brisbane, caught the 7:45am bus to Cairns at Roma St and was in Hervey Bay by 1:10pm. It’s not a bad trip – you pass a few suburban towns, but it’s mostly green and quiet along the road. We also drove past a few “typhoon-like” weather conditions, which was entertaining in itself.

I’m not sure what I expected of Hervey Bay, but it was reminiscent of every other small beach town I saw along the Great Ocean Road, albeit much less impressive. The water is very calm and more for swimming. The beach along the esplanade took me about an hour and a half to walk, end-to-end. Sadly, there isn’t much to see along the main road that wraps around the bay – I sort of anticipated massive tourist attractions, stores everywhere, and a congestion of too many cafes and crap food. I was surprised to find that there were 3 or 4 spots along the main road that had a store or two, along with a nice coffee shop/restaurant, followed by “for sale” signs and empty lots. The few restaurants I did see, though, seemed very reasonable. On Saturday, I stopped by a Fish & Chip shop called Birney’s Seafood, which was a bargain: battered barramundi with salad and chips for $10.50 – and it was good. The fish was fresh, and my salad had ripe tomatoes, sweet onions, cucumbers, green peppers, and carrots! It was a redeeming factor in my long day of walking around a much too quiet town.

I spoke to some locals and they said that weather around here is often unpredictable, but businesses still determine their opening hours based on this – crazy. There were strong wind warnings, flooding, and thunderstorms all morning yesterday, but by the time I rolled in – the sun came out, it turned hot and humid, but beautiful weather! I can see the appeal.

I walked over to Aquavue Café since they rent out Jet Skis by the hour along Hervey Bay, only to find them closed. I later found out from another business proprietor that this is quite common if the weather in the morning is really bad. I was so sad. I was really looking forward to it – and I walked far to get there. The more I walked towards Urangan’s pier, the less excited I became about what I’d find. I guess I was hoping for something like a Battery Park City or like a harbor-side town in Perth. Hervey Bay just felt empty. I’m probably being unfair – I’ve only spent a day wandering. These are just first impressions.

OH… and the locals here? Are SO nice. The tourists? It’s hit or miss. I’ve met some great backpackers already and a few that aren’t as nice. I’ve also never had so many people stare at me so much since the one time I got lost in East Harlem (and that was years ago). I let it slide that I’m my own walking tourist attraction.

I should say though that when the evening is clear, you can see all the stars in the sky – and it’s absolutely stunning. Will try and update again tomorrow to post pics and give you the low-down on Fraser Island. I need to nap for a few hours before my 1:45am bus ride back down to Brisbane. I get in to the city at about 6:30am. Hopefully, I can just pass out and wake up ready to work once in the city. I should probably also figure out how I’ll be getting to my hotel.

[a few snapshots of Hervey Bay - sorry for the low light... it turned cloudy by the time I remembered I had a camera on me]

Snowboarding in Thredbo!

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Jacklyn

Okay. So I probably didn’t choose the best weekend; there just wasn’t enough snow. I guess it was kind of cool that I did a little snowboarding with just a long sleeve shirt on at one point! Weird, but cool.

I didn’t plan things in great detail, but I was going with a pretty chill crew so I figured – who cares? We organized everything through Oz Snow Adventures – all in, it cost me about $480 including two days of 2-hour group classes (AU$ 10 for both days!). I paid a pretty steep price for a 2-hour private lesson (AU$ 206) but it was SO worth it. Breakfast is covered for both Saturday and Sunday, dinner is covered for Saturday night, and you’re on your own for lunch. The options aren’t very good, but you’ll be so preoccupied with sore muscles, good runs, lessons, and drinking that you hardly notice. There’s also a sweet beer hall just at the bottom of the mountain, next to Friday Flat!

It was such a college-like trip. We left CBD at about 6:30PM, stopped for dinner at McDonald’s at 8:30PM and arrived at our lodging around midnight. Then you line up for ski/board hires, which takes (easily) another hour and a half, so bring your own gear and you can sleep early.

Accommodations were very dorm style (at least, where we stayed). We lucked out with a private room for 4 – 2 bunk beds – the bathroom was shared with another room, but there really wasn’t any issues with sharing. They provided towels, sheets, and blankets, but…… you might want to bring your own. There were also blackouts that sporadically happened because someone was using a hair straightener in one of the rooms – that was the excuse we got from reception. And the heat didn’t stay on all night. But like I said, it was like a trip for a student and you just take it as it goes. I thought it was a pretty good bargain.

I got separated from our main group a few times – last minute bookings are pretty bad. You don’t want to be booked among the last, because they’re very strict about which bus you’re placed in. Ugh… we got placed in a bus full of drunk backpackers, one of which spewed up front and the other about mid-way down the bus. I managed to squeeze myself out of there on Day 2 – no clue how the rest of the passengers managed.

Day 1 was easy (sort of). My first 2-hour group lesson was at 9:15AM and I practiced from 11AM-1PM. I ate for 30 minutes, rested and went straight to my private lesson at 2PM. It was brutal. I don’t think I’ve ever taken that much of a beating…. ever. I must’ve stacked every 10 minutes. I was a train wreck when we finished. BUT I got an okay to go up top on the mountain. I wonder how many newbies decide that it’s a good idea to go up after their first day only to find themselves staring down a blue run and wondering how else to get down without actually riding it. Slow, baby…. I took it REAL slow. And a lot on the heels. After about 30 minutes of that – I started venturing into those turns and carving S’s to relax my legs a little bit… -laughs- you should have seen me crash from one end to the other as I made my way down the Village Trail. Lesson learned?

Day 2. Not really. I practiced (a lot) on Friday Flat. I probably spent about 5 hours on the bunny slope and then ventured up top again. Hmmm… just greens, sticking to greens. Why don’t they warn you when greens merge with a blue or sort of intersects with a black? There was probably a sign. I didn’t see it. More falls. Lots and lots more. And these were the kind of falls that made it obvious we humans definitely have a tail bone.

I’m SHOCKED that my camera survived. I thoroughly love my digital camera. I wish I had action shots though. It’s just tough when everyone’s a newbie and people are too concerned about getting down in one piece (preferably, unharmed). One of the girls did an awesome job taking pictures though…. she and I will probably cross paths again (on and off the slopes).

I seriously need to buy a board. It’s gonna be bad ass. And I want another pair of pants. Maybe orange or yellow next time!

Catching Up

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Jacklyn

Tough to admit it, but truth be told, I have a terrible habit of falling behind sometimes. It was a rough two weeks preceding my week-long trip to San Francisco. So, naturally, my posts went “walkabout” and left things way out of date. But to make things simple and to keep this brief – we’ll just run through the highlights of the past three weeks, yeah?

Tuesday, March 16th – Massive Attack at Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Quite possibly one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended. Super chill, bordering sublime, and they played to the crowd. Heligoland is a pretty awesome album – not exactly on par with their Tricky material, but very reminiscent of Mezzanine. I really wanted them to play “Pray for Rain” and “Paradise Circus”, but not my luck. They did, however, play “Babel”, “Splitting the Atom” (incredible), “Girl I Love You”, “Psyche” (way better live) and “Rush Minute”. Then they just started playing a lot of their old music… really good shit.

Sunday, March 21st – Mackerel Beach
As a last hurrah before the formal changing of the season (although, we’re still sort of waiting for that Fall weather) – I went up to the Northern Beaches and found Mackerel Beach. It took one hour and forty minutes on the bus from Wynyard Station to Palm Beach, and another hour from the Palm Beach Ferry landing to Great Mackerel Beach. It was totally worth it. I got an endless stretch of empty beach and a great view of Pittwater…. we grabbed a pint before heading off to the beach (spotted crazy large jellyfish on the way) and ultimately claimed a great spot a the edge of the beach.

Shortly after my trip to Mackerel, I had to fly down to Melbourne for a business trip and I had an insanely messy calendar for the entire week. But….

On March 30th – I packed my bags and flew out to San Francisco for the long Easter weekend (it was a much-needed R&R). I met Chris at the San Francisco Int’l Airport and seeing him then just about made my year.

I’m not even kidding.

He took most of the photos for the trip – although…… we were way too preoccupied with other things for picture-taking to make the top of our list. Additional photos will eventually make it to facebook =)

Everyone, feel free to comment on Chris’ super cool Nublu shirt and (of course) that gorgeous hair (and scruff!) …. =) because I love it!

And now that we’re properly caught up…. we can move forward with more entries, new adventures, and a half-marathon in my very near future. (I seriously hope I’ll be prepared in time.)

For this weekend – looks like I’m heading to the Surry Hills Festival – I’m looking forward to street food, live music, and a Dog Show!

Remembering 2009

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Jacklyn

Much like everyone else around this time of year, I’m forced to look back at the past 12 months, wondering where the hell it went or what I did with it. I can’t even remember if I had a New Year’s Resolution. Was it read more? Drink less? Fail.

Although, 2009 was probably my most eventful in the 5 years I lived in NY… started it right with Rubulad’s Masquerade Ball.

I helped Chris move out of his much-loved 2nd St/ 2nd Ave apt – it was a nightmare… but we laugh about it now… we packed how many boxes? two trips with a large truck?

Then I spent St. Patty’s Day with Kelly and ate 4 different types of mac n’ cheese and finished the night at Heather’s in the village.

May was all about Kauai with Chris – yay! (such an awesome vacation) … it was so unbelievably relaxed. And we managed to explore the entire island. Maybe we’ll return at some point down the line…. when we’re capable of hiking 22 miles.

For July – I took the 6th as a day off – Chris and I spent it at Sheepshead Bay where we went for all-you-can-eat-crabs, but we settled on lobster, deep fried oreos and twinkies (*laughs*)

Then we finished off Celebrate Brooklyn in August… Buckwheat Zydeco! Los Amigos Invisibles! “Cuchi Cuchi, Baby! Cuchi, Cuchi, Baby!” (god, I love Brooklyn)

The remainder of the year was largely spent planning my move to Sydney and finally going through with it… but you can certainly entertain yourself with what I consider as some of my best days in NY – perhaps a prelude for more awesome things to come???

And now, I find myself in a new home in Bellevue Hill and a 3 minute run to Bondi Beach. I’m surrounded by mansions, tree-lined streets, parks and golf courses.

I am so out of place.

But 2010 is gonna be something. Like one of those years when I find myself lost in a slew of new bands, DJs, bars, festivals, cities, and street food… Etta told me that at 37, she knows she’s still a gypsy at heart. She said maybe I should consider the fact that at 23, I’m already a bit of a wanderer myself.

2 weeks in CBD

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Jacklyn

There’s a ferry across the harbor that departs every twenty minutes. Outside my balcony, I can see the quiet city of Pyrmont, the walkway across Darling Harbour, and a ship in front of the National Maritime Museum. You can spot neon lights across that say “Grand Mercure” and “Star City”.

The harbor sort of surrounds the Central Business District (CBD) and gives it character, much like Chicago’s city by the lake. Everything seems new – the buildings, the parks, the roads and footpaths. You can walk for hours, trying to make sense of the alleys, or struggling to go up and down the long staircases that connect two sides of the same city.

It’s not at all very much like Brooklyn. Though it’s somewhat similar to Manhattan… It’s not necessarily fast-paced, but there’s always work to be done. And when you’re in a client-facing field, you get out of the office almost every day.

(I kind of like that about it.)

Even when you think of isolating yourself from the rest of the city, you get very little chance to do so. People want to hang out, have a good time, drink. And they especially don’t want you to stay at home most nights just because you’re new in town.

I’ve managed to put some structure to my weeknights – dancing on Tuesdays and Thursdays (with the Sydney Dance Company), and Friday drinks at the office. The weekends are a toss-up between laying low and spending a day reading at the beach (sunscreen on hand).

With my pending move to a new home near Bondi, I’ve also managed to schedule a night out with Etta (soon-to-be flatmate) and a Moroccan themed dinner with a co-worker that lives nearby.

This could be nice.

I have another summer to look forward to.

Brooklyn Abroad

9,935 miles later… I find myself in Oz

Tag Archives: Travel