Interlude: Planning

I spent the entire day planning my trip to Thailand. The accommodation and activities isn't too hard and it's usually something I want to do on the day of (aka wing it). Being a backpacker newbie, I always want to make sure I know where I'm going to sleep and how I'm going to get there. The "how I'm going to get there" has been proven to be a great challenge. Beside flying everywhere, going from point A to point B by land in Thailand is very complicated, mostly because there is no schedule available on the Internet! There could be a ferry/bus/train that leaves in the morning at 830 or 1030 or even in the evening!

I might have to trust lady fate on this one and plan when I arrive there. Hopefully I won't end up sleeping in a ditch with rabbit cats or something.

Sipadan Islands (and its surrounding islands)

As you all know by know, my whole asia trip was planned around diving: I choose the dive spots first, and then decide where/how long I'll stay in that country. The Malaysia trip proved to be the most complicated of the planning. Sipidan Island is one of the best dive spots in the coral triangle but getting there isn't a simple feat. There is no direct international flight that goes to Sempanora (which is the main land jetty to get to the island), which means I had to take a local flight from KL to Tawau. My itinerary was as follow:

- Flight from Yogja to KL
- Overnight stay in KL
- 430am pick up at the hostel to the airport for a 715am flight to Tawau
- 1h van ride to Sempanora
- 1h boat ride to any of the 3 islands (Mabul, Kapalai or the one i'm on, seaventure)

Quite insane isn't it? During the planning, I kept telling to myself "it will be worth the trouble.. it will be worth the trouble".. and worth the trouble it was!!!

For starters, my dive resort isn't your conventional resort a la Cancun or Cuba where there is a nice hotel, garden pool or anything. I was living on a converted oil rig (yes.. that thing that pulls up that black thing that pollutes the earth). It also means that this is a minimalistic resort focused on diving. Although I heard/read several positive reviews, I had to experience this to myself and I was greatly surprised!

The entire operation runs like a well oiled (pun intended) machine! The minute I got off the rig lift (which was used before to carry cargo onto the rig), I was greeted by the smiling staff and a fruit drink. Around me was a bunch of tables, a dive station with heaps of BCDs and oxygen tank. I knew immediatly that I was going have a great time here. After checking in, one of the staff member took my dive equipment and showed my room. As expected, the living quarters were minimal: bed, shower, air conn in a 30 or 40 square feet cabin. The cabin showed a bit of age (a bit of rust here and there in the shower) but it was spotless. After two introductory dives (where one was right under the rig), dinner was served. Being a foodie, I could go on for hours about how great the food is here. A buffet style set catered to every single dietary requirement (beef/chicken (no pork as Malaysia is a muslim country) seperated with the seafood, veggies and fresh fruit), the style of cuisine varied every single day. Ranging from classic chinese food to malay (roti canai, char kwei tiao etc etc), I had to force myself to not eat too much, but that attempt failed when I tried their cake. I was expecting a very dry and flavor less cake but I was pleasently surprise to take a bite into a really moist and rich mocha/chocolate flavored cake. I was convinced I was in heaven. After complimenting the staff about the food (especially the dessert), I've been told that they had their own pastry chef!

The dive sites itself were breathtaking!!! Although we were only going to 3 islands (Sipadan, Kapilai and Mabul), visibility for most site was over 30m and giant sea turtles were plentiful (I will never get tired of diving with them)! Highlights includes: seahorses, cuttlefish and my favorite of them all: a school of jackfish being chased by a reef shark. The dive masters are very experienced and profesional. They were always happy to point out all the big and small things around the corals and were very careful about the planning and explaining the dive plan and what to expect under water.

Sipadan is a protected by the Malaysian government and only permit holders (there is a TOTAL daily limit of 120 permits for every single resort/dive center in the area) are allowed to dive the area. Seaventure resort offers 3 boat dives (and for an extra 250RM, it's possible to have 2 extra dives after lunch, which most people are more than happy to pay). Unfortunately, I only had one day (well half day, because my alarm didn't ring at 430am which made me miss the boat). Good thing the staff was nice enough to put me on another boat to dive the other islands and that the group that went in the morning were more than happy to do the 2 extra dives (which I didn't have to pay. Phew!.

Evening activities includes optional night dive (for free) under the rig (sooo much fun!!), amazing dinner buffet, game room (where pool table and ping pong table was available), but most of the time (except for the last one) I opted with mingling around with the other guests and exchanging diving stories (and show off the pictures we all took during the day).

All in all, for the price that I paid (2,060 malay ringitt plus other expenses like dive permit, rental equipment etc, which is roughly 700 US/CN/AU dollar for 3 days 4 nights), this goes on the top of my recommended dive spots ever. Word of warning, beside diving, there is NOTHING to do on the resort. The wifi is spotty at best (unusable at night when everybody is on their laptop/iPad) and during the day, the whole place is dominated by the staff cleaning up, or fixing equipment. No possiblity to get on the neighboring island for walking nor is there a beach to chill on (although there is a beautiful view of Mabul island from the bar). I would come back here in a heart beat for serious divers.

Next stop, Kota Kinubalu, the capital city of the island of Borneo.

Tips:
- Don't bother staying overnight in KL and catch a 715am flight. The taxi ride (there are NO buses at 430am) to the airport is 1h long. Stay overnight in Tawau (even if there isn't anything to do) and have them pick you up at your hotel/hostel.
- For safety reason (due to nitrogen build up after a dive, which increases the risk of decompression sickness), you are not allowed to dive on the last day if you have a flight. Don't book a flight on the last day. Either stay overnight in Tawau or take a bus to Kota Kinubalu (capital city of Sabah). That way you'll maximize your dive time on the resort (2 dives on the last day).. and you won't be trying to kill time until the transport arrives.
- The boat for Sipadan leaves at 6am with or without you and they do NOT provide wake up call. Make friends with the people on your boat (you can see the names on the manifest) and ask them to wake you up or make sure technology doesn't fail you (which unfortunately happened to me)

Yogyakarta, the city of students

After a rather disappointing trip in Bali, Indonesia redeemed itself with Yogyakarta (aka Yogja/Jogja). After getting off the plane with a 18kg backpack, 5kg dive bag and a massive carry on backpack, I made my way to the local bus for a mere 3000 rupiah (about 30 cents!). The first thing I have noticed is how friendly and helpful everybody is (as opposed to Bali where everybody is out to get some money out of you). Even if some of them speak basic English, they are more than happy than telling me which line to take, tell you that the bus is there, and even tell the staff on the bus the destination where I'm going! The drive through the bus was quite nice too. I noticed that there are less westernized franchises around the city, and it had more of an asian country rather than a tourist infested country.

The city itself is known for the following: massive temple ruins, a really big presidential palace, and a water palace (which is where the sultan brings all of his wives to take a bath). It is so rich in history, and the places are very well preserved (with the exception of Prambanan temples which was greatly devastated by an earthquake in 2006). One important point: when visting the Kraton palace, there are two entrances: the "fake one" which only shows the throne room, and the "real one" which has the rest of the palace. Even if the "fake" entrance only cost 5000 rupiah, it was the principle! :P

And since it's a student city, the food is DIRT CHEAP! Example: in Sanur, I had a nasi goreng (fried rice) and a large bintang beer for about 53,000 rupiah (5ish$). In yogja, I (well my javanese couchsurfing friend) ordered: one very big bowl of congee, 2 drinks, 1 ice cream and 1 bowl of beef balls for the same price!! And that fed 2 person!!

Yogja, you have redeemed yourself! Fine, I have to admit that I had a great time because I met heaps of amazing javanese couchsurfers that showed me all the amazing coffee and hangout spots! They are so nice, helpful and willing to show/drive us around to see things.

Tips:
- Yogja airport has one waiting room, and does NOT have food in it. Purchase your food after checking in and before you cross security
- Even if they have a bus system, there are only 5 or 6 lines that goes through the main streets. The rest can only be accessible by car or moped. Do yourself a favor and rent one (or hail cabs).
- On Malioboro street, there is a "hidden" mall where there is an ENTIRE floor dedicated to buy electronics (cellphones, laptops, digicam). The only way I found it is that I was tired and hungry and saw a Dunkin Donuts (don't ask) and walked in the air con building. I then realized it was a massive mall. I was in heaven.
- Finding food isn't too hard even at 1 am. Walk down any streets and there will be food stalls. There are also several local warung (family owned restaurants) that are opened 24h.

Bali, Indonesia

There is a running balinese joke that goes: BALI = BAnyak LIbur (Indonesian) = Many Holidays. While this island is a holiday paradise, it also seems to be the favorite Australian vacation spot too, mostly the bogans (read: rednecks) and the party animals, which has heavily influenced this island. I have only visited three popular spots in Bali: Sanur, Ubud and Kuta (which is barely 1% of what Bali has to offer), and I was highly disappointed. I was expecting a more traditional experience, but what I have seen is an island riddled with tourist and locals who try to dip their finger in the tourism by constantly harassing and ripping you off for transport or buying things.

Kuta

Words cannot describe how much I hated this city. Getting in and out of the city takes about 20 minutes through the traffic. It is riddled with tourists (mostly Australians) and kids who are here to party and get drunk for quite cheap (Kuta is like the equivalent of Cancun/Varadero for us canucks). Never have I been so annoyed at the locals who are constantly harassing me to grab a taxi or a transport (where the prices are obviously bloated just to get more money off of me). When I asked a "tourism information" booth for a local bus shuttle back to Sanur (which i know exists), he blatantly said "No bus! Only transport. My friend take you". It's also littered with McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Bubba Gump Shrimp and heaps more western restaurants. There is even a massive mall in the middle of town! It's also supposedly known for their beautiful beaches... which i beg to differ. The sand is very rough, and the water looks quite disgusting. Do yourself a favor, unless you want to party with jail bait aussies, don't bother.

Ubud

This city is focused on culture, yoga and nature with beautiful views of the mountain and rice paddies. Contrary to Kuta, it is a bit more quiet and the city has a little more charm. One of the notable tourist activity is to visit the Monkey forest where heaps of macaque monkeys roam free in the forest, in search for bananas that tourist come and feed them. They are incredibly smart creatures and will literally jump on you and go through your bag/pocket for food! Ladies, don't go there wearing a tube top. Why you may ask? Think what happens when a monkey (or two) grabs on to your top to climb on your head. Yes. The rest goes without saying. My favorite of the three cities. It also has a pretty big market where one can practice their haggling skills and come out with Bintang tshirts and other various items for a modest price.

Sanur

What was once a little fishing village, it is now a very busy tourist area, which is mostly occupied by families and older expats. The only reason why I stayed here was for scuba diving (my dive center is located in Sanur). I was highly disappointed with the selection of restaurants and food as it was uniquely catered towards foreigners (there are a few aussie bars with signs saying "Go aussies!") and food that are cheap for aussies but quite expensive for locals (the average meal costs 50,000 rupiah, which is about 5$, but the locals usually spend 1 to 2$ on a meal). The night market offers much more affordable fares (a nasi goreng, aka fried rice goes for 20,000 rupiah, which is 2$ vs 5$ for the main strip). The beach is highly disappointing too as the water is merky and the sand is also very rough.

Diving

Highlight (and reason for travelling to Bali) of my trip. Bali has a few notable dive spots, especially Manta point/bay where, in the right season, one can swim with manta rays! Such majestic creatures. The underwater fauna is quite remarkable and the visibility is just amazing (20 to 30 meters!!!)

Places I didn't get the chance to visit

Due to the lack of time, I didn't get the chance to visit Gili islands, another very popular tourist spots, but supposedly have beautiful white sandy beaches. I read that the western part of Bali is very scenic and offers a variety of activities and it is also possible to hike the active volcano Mount Agung.

All in all, aside from the diving, Bali isn't going to have a very lasting impression. I do have to admit that I've only been here for 6 days (and 2 of them was dedicated to diving). I might come back here, with a travel buddy, and stay a bit longer to explore the northern and western part of Bali.

Next stop: the javanese cultural center, Yogyakarta!

The beginning of the end

It's official. I'm leaving Australia. I won't lie, it sucks, it's painful and I'll miss this place so much. Not only I'm leaving a beautiful country, I'm also leaving amazing friends. Friends that I would trust my life with, even if I've only known them for 8 or 9 months (some even less). Friends that you feel you've known them for years. Friends that are willing to do the extra mile and out of their ways to help me out. Friends that will always be there when you need them.

Having said that, I don't have much choice but to have closure. The past year has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much much about myself and how to go with life. For once in my life, I didn't have a safety net called "the mother", that is there to catch me if I make a mistake. I had to face the responsiblity and consequences of my actions whenever I screw up.

Athough I didn't ultimately reach my goal to get a sponsorship, I still had the time of my life and I can be proud to say I took the risk to drop everything back home and try to make something with barely nothing. And you know what? I did pretty damn well! Within the 3rd week, I scored a job in IT, working with amazing people, learning about Agile and Continuous Integration. I didn't have to resort to live off pasta and ramen. I saved alot of money (come to think about it, I don't think i've ever saved this much back home in 10 months of work, even if the cost of living in Sydney is ridiculous), I lived in an amazing house. I tried things that I've never dreamed of doing before (running for 14km, running in the mud under a hail storm, going into caves). This has been the best experience of my life.

Now I'm finishing off this chapter of my life in style: two months and a half through Asia, exploring, eating and diving my way through alone. Am I scared to travel alone? You betcha! Am I excited? FUCK YA! The world might be huge, but when you think about it, it's as big as a pebble. 10 billion and counting of people here, you're bound to meet a few great ones along the way.

Life is too short for regrets. Enjoy every second of it, like if it were the last.