Travel Blog: Thailand

3rd November - Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

Well, due to our flight times and a lot of jet lag I didn't get to update you on Bangkok. To be honest, there's not much to tell! It's as cliche and predictable as you imagine - hellishly humid, crowded and dirty.  The city that never sleeps, every street is a cramped market and they have a million forms of transport to choose from.  There's the sky train, tuk tuks, motorbike taxis and even river buses.  All reasonably priced too.  My highlight was Wat Pho, one of Thailand's most famous temples.  It was so peaceful and calm ( not sure how this is achieved in the middle of the city but it was) with beautiful gardens and courtyards, and definitely the most Buddhas I've ever seen.  We're going bank in a few days so if I have any more feelings on Bangkok I will report them here.

But where we are now is our favourite place so far, in a complete league of its own.  Koh Chang gave me my first 'Wow' moment, as soon as we climbed into the 'taxi' off the ferry.  I write 'taxi' because it was more of a safari jeep, with 10 people squashed in the back and our bags on the roof.  The vehicles have to be like that to navigate the roads....the island is pure jungle, and the roads are so steep and winding to make way through the difficult terrain.  There are mountains full of trees as far as the eye can see, laced with breathtaking beaches.  We have settled in Lonely Beach, which is quite small and secluded and the area has plenty of cool wooden restaurants and bars.  They're so authentic and chilled out, most of them just have cushions on the floor to eat and drink on.  We are staying in a bungalow which is a few seconds walk to the sea, and a 10 minute secret jungle path to the sandy beach.  It really is breathtaking to do a 360 degree look around the spot we are; a beautiful sandy beach overlooked by a lush, hilly rainforest.  Paradise! Part of me wants to just stay here for te rest of our 3 weeks but I know there are plenty more islands to explore.

I write this on our balcony terrace as a tropical rainstorm pounds the leaves surrounding us. Peaceful yet quite surreal.  Another amazing new experience I tried today...Thai massage on a beach! It wasn't exactly relaxing but it was pleasant in a...different way! They certainly make you crack, let's put it that way.  One to tick off the list!  We're going to stay 2 more nights here before we have to say a teary goodbye.  But before we do...we're going elephant trekking tomorrow! Far too excited.  Just hope all this rain doesn't turn it into a Glastonbury-esque mudfest for us.

Well, bye for now, because Rik is making me go and watch the football.  Here we are in paradise, and all he wants to do is find out what's going on back home in the Premier League! Men.

Travel Blog: Dubai

30th November 2012

I want to skip Dubai really because we were only there for about 3/4 of a day and feel I can't write a lot about it.  But I can't make a travel blog and skip bits can I?

My first thoughts of the city are mixed - from the sky, as the plane is landing,the towering buildings like something from a NYC landscape, but then the urban metropolis disintegrates into sand and I am reminded that I am, in fact, in the middle of a desert.  On the ground, the buildings aren't quite as impressive, (except for the Burj Khalifa of course) and we walked around all day without finding The Palm or even a glimpse of the sea. Gutted!  

On the bright side, we did find the aquarium in the centre of the Dubai Mall and that was lots of fun.  The Mall was surely 10 times the size of The Trafford Centre in Manchester, and the food court was 5 times bigger and 100 times cleaner! That's one thing you notice in UAE; it's very clean.  So the Mall was of course full of designer shops, which if you ask me, look very strange with Arabs shopping in them! It just looks like a massive oxymoron, you don't expect those kinds of people to be materialistic but there they are in their hummer with their Versace bags....

Now we are sat in the most amazing airport, on reclining chairs, both of us writing our journals as we managed to be 5 hours early for our flight to Bangkok. So, I'll leave it there for this city but one thing I will say about Dubai is they love a good water feature, and they must be some of the most impressive in the world.  Oh, and I didn't enjoy all the staff we encountered ignoring me and speaking directly to Rik! Sorry, 'Sir Rik.' Errr hello?!! Yes, UAE is a man's world but fool them that the hotel booking was in MY name, and I had all the money to pay for stuff. So ha. Also, here are just a selection of the words Rik used for the currency, which is Dirhams:

• Dunhams
• Dunhelms
• Derkers!

Whoops.
[Funniest thing was, when we arrived in Bangkok he started calling their currency, 
Baht, Dirhams]. 

Travel Blog:

3 days to go….

Stress isn’t even the word. I don’t know what I’m feeling right now, but it definitely isn’t excitement, there are no butterflies in my tummy. WHY?!

I have just finished trying to pack my backpack. (Emphasis on trying).  There’s just no way everything I need is going to fit. I don’t even think it’s the clothes that are the problem, it’s the toiletries. They are never ending. But surely I need them ALL?!  I definitely need sun lotion, after sun, insect repllent, deodorant, baby wipes, bathroom essentials and make up.  And that is my attempt at packing light.  I don’t know how these female travellers do it. I’ve been reading all their blogs, there are even some girls who don’t do checked in baggage at all.  They have a tiny, carry on board rucksack for travelling the world. I take my hat off to them I really do (let’s not mention hats I’m going to have to wear my huge floppy sun hat on every flight as there is no way on earth that is fitting in any backpack).  I honestly thought I was one of those girls who could do this no problem, I’m not exactly high maintenance.  For example, when I tell most of my female friends I’m not taking a suitcase, but a backpack, they nearly have a fit.  Here is a conversation I had with my friend the other day:

“What are you going to do in Australia….I mean, they have no fashion over there!”

To which I replied, “That’s the point.”

I’m sure they do have fashion in Aus, it’s by far a fashionless third world country, but she was trying to say all they wear are shorts and t-shirts 24/7.  (Slightly cliché but hey, neither of us have been before! I’ll let you know).  Well I, for one, can’t wait to get into that lifestyle.  I am so sick of this country and the never ending consumerism that is bound to it.  We’re all the same – we see an item of clothing, we HAVE to have it, then as soon as we’ve bought it we catch a glimpse of the next latest fashion and we buy that too.  It’s an everlasting, depressing cycle and I am so sick of feeling this constant need for more.  I am going to love having to not care about what I look like, what I’m wearing, or if the locals think I’m trendy.  Because none of that is going to matter.  Those everyday thoughts I used to have will seem so insignificant to what I will be seeing and experiencing.

Having said that, I am obviously not parting with my mac make up.  A girl has needs.  So I need to find a way to fit it all in! I am doing quite well with the traveller sacrifices, I’ve surrendered my ghd’s.  Give me some credit please! Au natural hair….not looking forward to that.  No doubt I’ll be posting frequent updates about my Monica frizz, on a scale of 1-10.

My next post will be from Thailand! x

Travel Blog:

TWO WEEKS TO GO!!

So in case you haven’t heard (how could you not know, where have you been?!!) I am embarking on a travel adventure in two weeks’ time.  Welcome to the first post of my new Travel Blog! My boyfriend Rik and I have had the trip planned for a good few months, and I thought it would never arrive.  But all of a sudden, time is rushing past faster than that guy who jumped from space, and before I know it we will be halfway across the world.

It’s not unusual at all these days for people to go travelling for a long period of time.  Especially for graduates, [like me and Rik] who are completely unable to fulfill their potential in this failing country.  To be honest, I graduated a year and a half ago and feel totally de-motivated by the type of work I’ve had to do.  Nothing I was doing in my minimum wage jobs was constructive and I feel like my brain has been placed in a mouldy jar and is slowly rotting.  So, apart from always wanting to see as much of the globe as possible, I feel that travelling the world and understanding other cultures will be far more constructive than what I have been doing recently.  My facebook news feed expands daily with friends’ exotic photographs from all corners of the earth, and I trawl through them with amazement/envy.  I still can’t really believe that now it is my turn.

We’re not exactly doing a whole round the world trip – our main destination is Australia, so we’ve just added some other countries along the way.  We are doing a pit stop tour of Dubai, three weeks in Thailand, 11 days in New Zealand and then on to Aus. The most exciting (or daunting) fact is that we haven’t booked our return flight. We’re being spontaneous, seeing how it goes and coming home when we actually want to.  Now if you know me personally you will know this is extremely out of character for me, but it actually feels nice to know that nothing is certain, anything can happen.  After spending much of my life organising and planning down to every last detail, I feel I really need to take a backseat and enjoy the adventure day by day.

It is also important to explain to those who haven’t known me since primary school the significance of our key destination, Australia.  For some reason, from a small child I have had an obsession with this nation, despite the fact no one in my family has ever been there even for a holiday.  It all started with koalas; they were the chosen subject for all my ‘school projects’, I had hundreds of small grey teddies, and my parents bought my birthday and Christmas presents from an Australian charity’s website that helped the endangered species.  Then, aged eleven I began to write my first novel…..titled ‘Ayers Rock – UNTOLD!’  It is unfinished, but I still have it in my possession and it proves a truly amusing read.  Maybe when I see it in reality I will be inspired to finish it…

I just can’t believe that soon enough I will be living these childhood dreams – watching the sunset behind Uluru, holding a live koala, diving in the Great Barrier Reef.  And this is not even mentioning witnessing the spectacular landscapes of New Zealand, and visiting the Hobbiton LOTR set.  Add to that a few weeks in paradise sleeping in beach bungalows and riding elephants, and it’s fair to say I am a VERY lucky girl.  So I am going to try my best to update this blog as I go along, so please keep reading about my journey!  Even if we don’t get internet connection everywhere, I will write on paper everyday and upload when I can.  And who knows, I may even let Rik write a line or two….OK probably not. But I’ll include the funny shit he says.    

Arty highlights from Berlin!

1. East Side Gallery

Probably the most famous piece of art in the city, this is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall still standing. When it fell on November 9th 1989, this part of the wall was left standing and artists from all over the world travelled to make their mark on it.  Riddled with colourful, industrial, motivational, and political quotes and images, the artists have left Berliners with a beautiful piece of history to lighten those dark years when the city was split.

2. Jewish Memorial

The full name of this sculpture is 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' which could be deemed harsh by some but quite fair and necessary to most that know anything about German history.  Having looked it up before I went to Berlin I wasn't too excited about it, but the truth is photographs do not do it justice at all.  Designer Peter Eisenman has created 2,700 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern at varying heights and widths.  This memorial was not built to look at, and visitors are encouraged to enter it to gain the full experience.  The floor is also varied throughout, taking visitors on a long, confusing tour of concrete, at times towering above one's head which creates the desired effect of anxiety - even though you can clearly see the exits all around you.  The journey is powerful, and for some reason sadness radiates from the coffin-like blocks at the entrance to the towering grey rectangles looming in the centre.

3. Panorama of The Ancient Metropolis at the Pergamon Museum

The Pergamon Museum is one of many on Museum Island, and the only one we had chance to go into. It revolves around two huge artworks - an ancient Greek/Roman altar, excavated and rebuilt completely in the museum, and a panorama painting by Yadegar Asisi.  The latter was by far the most interesting, as the altar was rather underwhelming after witnessing the panorama first.  The huge artwork, sealed together in a giant cylinder shape, paints a scene from the ancient city of Pergamon in 129AD.  On entering you have to climb quite a few floors up to the central viewing gallery, but it is all worth it once you get up there.  Music and clever day-night time lighting turn this almost into a cinematic experience, as it is easy to imagine the characters in the painting going about their daily lives.  This panorama style artwork was truly awe-inspiring, and I doubt I will ever see something similar in my lifetime.  Unfortunately, photography was prohibited, but I do have some snapshots of the altar.

Turn Festival

 3-5 May 2012. Contact Theatre, Manchester

Turn Festival has been hosted by Contact this year, as a Green Room Legacy project.  With a selection of  unknown talent from around the region, Turn has something for everyone, including the chance to perform your first Wedding dance, watch a wrestling match in an office, and witness a young girl give in to her most impulsive thoughts. (Most unforgettably emptying a bowl of noodles all over herself).  Unfortunately I couldn’t attend all three nights, but here are a few of my highlights…

Emma Lansley and Eve Stainton created the perfect opening to Friday’s evening’s performances.  Better Because I wear Vintage offered a light and humorous approach to the current trend of wearing dated clothing and acting kitsch.  A Conversation: Part 1 offered an intelligent response to psychological topics such as sanity and obedience.  Mainly using text to open the duet, the piece then developed into some interesting, fluid movement.  I hope this is a work in progress by Hannah Buckley and Dwayne Antony, as it left me wanting to see more.  Moving on to my absolute favourite – Work Songs by the dangerologists.  On paper, this piece explores ‘masculinity in the office [and the] mindless drudgery and hopeless alienation that is the normal working day.’  In physicality, it is so much more – the two male dancers produce a comical, physically brutal performance, which escalates into a violent conflict.  The performers have amazing acting ability, and deliver truly convincible characters, which most of the audience could probably relate to.  This piece will no doubt inspire many people to leave their monotonous office jobs and start living.

Hofesh Shecter

Hofesh Shecter – Political Mother. 27/4/12 The Lowry, Salford.

The programme states ‘Shecter’s first full length work burst onto the world stage in 2010 and since then has been an unstoppable force, touring the world to great acclaim.’  This is due to the mesmerising ensemble pieces, consisting of raw, committed movement and powerful images.  Exploring themes of power, oppression and conformity – which are a common trend recently – the dancers take the audience on a painful journey to subjection and back again, in which the choreographer allows the dancers’ individuality come to light.

The element that sets Politcal Mother aside from many other contemporary dance pieces is the choice of a live band and the bold style of music.  The musicians are such a part of the staging, and make up almost half of the performers, that Shecter has made a whole performance genre of his own.  The daring, deafening music dramatically increased the atmosphere throughout the piece, and continually created the tension.  It is fair to say that without the rock music/ gig element, the dancing would be rather underwhelming.  Having said that, Political Mother is still an undeniable masterpiece, and I doubt the ‘unstoppable force’ of the piece worldwide is about to slow down.