It's the journey, not the destination

I have had an incredible three weeks of yoga, laughter, tears, anger, sadness, fear, happiness, joy, dance, song, meditation, education, perspiration, sunburb (oops), inspiration and dedication. 

I went into this trip with a large degree of trepidation and a small and contained amount of excitement. My yoga teacher training itself was going to be tough. I knew that. It was a 12-day intensive course, ten hours of education each day with few breaks and a lot to learn and apply in a very short space of time. 

I chose the 12-day intensive in Bali becuase I had time to sort out the things I needed for the course. It gave me an excuse to get out of Melbourne's now coldest winter in like 10 years, to go somewhere new and it also meant I could train with Australia's best (in my humble opinion) yoga school, in a style that has it's foundations in Iyengar, with a focus on safety and in Purna - integrated and complete yoga, which incudes meditation, asana, pranayama and philosophy. 

Oh yeah, we have our own Swami-Ji, for authentic teachings on philosophy from someone who has experience and vast knowledge, plus is a qualified and experienced psychologist. I got to learn all kinds of cool stuff from Swami Pujan, which if I'd gone elsewhere I would not have had this amazing opportunity. I believe I had a truly authentic experience of Purna teachings and Vedic learning. 

What was wigging me out was that I had never been to Indonesia before, let alone Bali, which I have actively avoided since the bombings in 2002. Of course, all the news headlines about drunk, drugged and generally stupid bogan ferals who go there to party and f*ck up their lives, just added fuel to the fire of not wanting to go. I've never wanted anything more in my life than to avoid this kind of crazy. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't like to party. I rarely go out in Melbourne, unless it is to a Disco Yoga class, for dinner occasionally or to the movies about twice a year. 

And then there was the TV show, "What Really Happens in Bali" - which did the place no favours. It should be renamed to "What really happens in Bali if you are stupid, careless, selfish, inconsiderate, too young to travel responsibly, naive, only want to party, have no filters or morals, wish to run around drunk and basically naked, get f*cked up, end up in jail or just carry on like a pork chop". 

I hope the parents of the girl on that show who got totally wasted, stripped off and ran around in Kuta by herself in just her bra and undies, completely out of it, are mortified by what she got up to. It was disgraceful. That is asking for trouble - she was lucky she had a semi-responsible friend looking for her! I hope she doesn't behave like that in Australia and I bet she doesn't, so why would she think that behaving like that in another country would be acceptable?

That is NOT the Bali I know.  

I spent two weeks in Ubud and two days in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. Give me Ubud any day.  It's safe, relatively clean, nice, quiet (except for the motorbikes), peaceful, wholesome, pretty, cultured and free from the stupidity (mostly) of naive yet feral tourists. Yes, there were still some incredibly arrogant, demanding and rude tourists (mostly from Western Europe). But 98% of people there were responsible, mature, well-mannered and well-behaved. My kind of town! 

In Kuta, I spent twenty minutes on Thursday afternoon in a cafe watching Aussie after Aussie schlepp past in their jandals, with a large bottle of Bintang in one hand, a ciggie in the other and a mouth on them that would make their mother blush as they yelled at every other Aussie who went past, who was also wearing a Bintang singlet and boardies (or frequently much less). It was so bad I was proudly telling every Balinese person that I'm a Kiwi and trying to explain that most Aussies don't behave like that. OMG.

Lessons learned - creatures observed in their natural habitats - Kuta visited - Bombing memorial viewed - shocking bogan behaviour witnessed. 

Funny that it has taken four years out of NZ and a trip to Bogantown to work out that it's good to be a Kiwi. That's the journey. 

I will be going back to Ubud - definitely for my Level 2 yoga teacher cert next July - and maybe for Bali Spirit Festival in March/April. Maybe. Not Kuta. Legian maybe. I didn't get my trip around the island (I have explained that in an earlier post) so I have to come back!

Right now I am sitting at KLIA2 Airport typing this post, mulling over my adventures in yoga town, everything I have seen, heard, touched, eaten, smelt and witnessed over the past three weeks. I feel stronger, lighter, more balanced, smarter, more wise and incredibly grateful that I gave myself this opportunity. 

My yoga asana practice has indeed developed, but it is the gift of teaching yoga that I am most appreciative of. 

That is the journey which has no destination.

Friends, flowers, food and fashion

Double post today, because the previous one deserved to be recognised in it's own right.

Today I was finally able to catch up with my friend Jane, a KL/Cheras native. I literally just missed her last time I was here, so it was good to finally have time to just hang out!

We decided to do the lake gardens, Thean Hou and a bit of shopping. The lake gardens were pretty cool and aside from a dead squirrel and a dead outboard motor, the wildlife (including two half-naked  fellow tourists) was a sight indeed. We ate ice cream, checked out the Orchid kiosks where Orchids were on sale for as little as RM6 a plant (that is $2 AUD) and posed in front of fountains and bridges. 

Next stop was a major mall in Cheras, where Jane and I looked at pretty clothes and shoes, checked out Daiso (Japanese $2 style shop) and had all kinds of drinks at a place called Boston. Wetalked about  everything from Religion to travel to politics, then had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant there before cruising towards Thean Hou. The chicken curry was great - spicy and the chicken just fell off the bone!

The traffic was pretty bad and we got to Thean Hou just as it closed, which Jane was very apologetic for - not her fault at all! I can come back another time, no big deal! Jane then dropped me back at the hotel and seemed to like the Kangaroo toy I brought her from Melbourne!

So, here I am at the hotel and in need of a good night's sleep. I will download the photos off my camera and post them up here when I get time and WiFi.

Flying into fear

I had the distinct privilege of flying into KLIA2 this morning - the shiny new budget carrier terminal at KL International Airport. And what an airport it is! Sure, there's some bits that still aren't complete and there is masking tape still stuck atround some window frames, but it is PRETTY so who the heck cares?

The flight over was relatively uneventful. There were a couple of bouncy parts in the usual places (over Indo, as expected), but I slept most of the 8 hours by taking little power naps. I woke up from the last one just in time to hear the captain say we were 200km from KL, coming in quite ahead of schedule and that we were beginning our descent. I barely had time to pack up my travel pillow and duvet (Air Asia calls them Duvets, by the way, not Doonas like we do in Aussie), put my shoes back on and freshen up a bit. 

On arrival, we were greeted with an air bridge(no more tarmac strolls for ten minutes in the pouring rain) and a flash new empty terminal that seemed to go on forever. It's all white and steel and glass, as is the airport fashion of the last decade. The signage seems half-cut (signs on one side of a light box but not the other) in some places and totally lacking in others, but the carry-on luggage trolleys are too cute for words! The skybridge was pretty cool too - it had fancy bins, lots of plants and good views of the piers where the planes are.

We went up what seemed like the world's longest escalator (matches the ones at Parliament station in Melbourne), walked a bit more, went through immigration, then spent over half an hour waiting for my suitcase. Flipping heck - I thought it was bad at the LCCT but seriously, baggage services here overpromise and under deliver in a big way. And it was almost literally the last bag off the carousel, bar one. 

Once I got my bag, it was off to have it scanned by customs before being let out into the arrivals hall. I collected my thoughts, found Old Town White Coffee, had breakfast and then went for a look around the new Gateway@KLIA2 mall that is connected to the KLIA2 terminal.  I bought a pair of sandals andjumped on the express train to KL Sentral via a stop at KLIA. 

With the recent MH17 and MH370 disasters fresh in my mind, I felt the need to confront my grief and sorrow head on. Yes, I had a bit of a cry at JB Sentral when I saw the wall of condolences back in April, but this time I needed to go to the source. 

I stopped at KLIA - the main airport terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and was overcome with sadness. I wandered around the terminal in a trance-like state; viewing the check-in counters where the passengers on board MH370 would have been happy and excited to check in for their flight. I viewed the departure gate where the passengers and crew would have walked through to head for the plane. I visited the arrivals area, where the MH17 families would have been waiting for news of their loved ones. I felt empty, sad and helpless. 

What really upset me was that there was barely any acknowledgement of either flight having ever existed, save for an empty table with banners saying "justice for MH17" and a small scrolling notice on the TV screen in the food court, which said that the MH17 family and friends reception area was at a counter on level 5. Wow. Just wow. 

As a New Zealand Citizen who lives in Australia and travels to Malaysia about twice a year, these two disasters have been a triple whammy. I've grieved for people from three countries, twice. I will say that MAS and Prime Minister Najib have handled MH17 a lot better than MH370, partly because very sadly, MH370 was the road map for how to handle a crisis. Clearly the lessons have been learnt and applied, as the communication has been eleventy billion times better with MH17. 

I know PM Najib cares. I know the Malaysian people care. I know people all over the world care. I know the staff of MAS cares, are deeply saddened and are deeply hurt by these two huge losses. The new transport minister (sorry, I forget his name) is doing a quiet but good job. It does seem as though Malaysia Airports are doing a good job of trying to sweep these two disasters under the rug - this is just my opinion, based on my observations today. 

Tourist numbers are massively down and have been since MH370, but more so since MH17. My own flight over last night was half empty - people seem to be taking their grief and fear out on Malaysia as a destination, which is grossly unfair. The gate lounge of the MAS flight over which left about 40 mins before mine was proof that people are staying away from MAS in droves. There are noticeably less westerners rolling around town. Word on the street is that they don't feel safe travelling here.

Well, all the more Malaysia for me. Malaysia needs us tourists now more than ever. So many people here rely on tourism for an income. Please don't stay away from Malaysia. They need us. 

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia dan Indonesia!

Okay, so I'm not actually in Malaysia or Indonesia. Yet. But I will be in KL tomorrow morning and I know I'm welcome there. 

I am very excited to get back to KL and spend an afternoon tomorrow with my friend Jane Lee, who is a KL resident. We're going touring - Thean Hou temple, maybe Taman Orkid (orchid garden), etc - then we're going to drink Teh Tarik (pulled tea) and hang out. 

First stop on landing thought is to check out the fancy schmancy new KLIA2 airport (technically it's a terminal, but with it's own runways and control tower, I call that an airport). It has a mall attached, with 24/7 food court and shops. Will be good when I'm back from Bali on 15th August at nearly 1am and need food and drink for the airport hotel room I'm staying in for two nights! The plan is to shoot into the city again, or at least to Putrajaya (like Canberra) for the day. 

The new airport connects to the old airport by a brand new rail link and I've decided its time to confront the horror losses of MH370 and MH17 head on by going to KLIA and facing it at the airport that these flights left from and were meant to land at. No more avoidance - a direct link to the airport means a direct link to face these tragedies, so that's what I'm doing. 

On a happier note, Monday and Tuesday are public holidays in Malaysia for the end of Ramadan, so the streets will be deserted and I'll be able to move around the city very easily. I fly to Bali Wednesday arvo so not a lot of point in doing anything much in the morning a so back to the airport mall again to chill in the food court and enjoy the free WiFi!

Meanwhile, it's time to go double-check which counter I'm checking in at, so ciao for now!

Another adventure comes to an end

It's a sad, sad day. It was the last day of this trip and as I type this, I'm sitting at the LCCT airport for the last time, folded into here pieces while trying to type this post under a bench. To cut a long story short, the charging station is chockers and I've had to squeeze myself at foot level under a three foot high bench to get a) a power socket and b) five inches of room!

Today I continued my epic quest to find sandals. I ran around Bukit Bintang a bit more and finally got a pair that look kind of like Birkenstocks, but aren't. And, are probably not going to work for my feet. After another quick lunch of gosh-only-knows-what, it was time to head back to the hotel, grab my bags, taxi it to KL Sentral station and then express train and bus it to the airport.

I can't wait for a direct connection to the new KLIA2 budget carrier airport terminal when I'm back in July. I also can't wait for a new airport terminal in general. Seriously, the LCCT sucks and if it wasn't for the Old Town White Coffee there, I'd have gone totally bonkers here!

It has been an awesome trip again indeed. Highlights definitely include the sailing trip, yoga retreat, mangrove trip, cycling trip and the fact that I'm never coming back to the LCCT ever again!

I've learnt so much about myself and about yoga on this trip. I'm returning home to Melbourne wiser, fitter, stronger, more comfortable in my own skin again and happy with who and where I am in my practice, for now.

The next trip is of course my yoga teacher training level 1 course in July/August, when I'll be back to KL on my way to and from Bali. And, I'll be flying in and out of the new fancy schmancy new KLIA2 and staying at the brand new Tune Hotel there too. Not to mention, I get to go to Ubud and hopefully avoid all the crazy of Kuta - because I just don't like what I've heard. Apparently there's a TV show coming to a small screen near you that will show us all what really happens in Bali. Quite frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn about Kuta, drunks, drinking, partying or the like!

So jumpa lagi, Malaysia, I will see you again soon!

Pyramids, lagoons and sandals

Today I had the displeasure of visiting Sunway Lagoon, a supposedly awesome water park about 30 minutes out of KL. I'd gone on the recommendation of a member at my gym who was here around Christmas. Clearly it was much better then, as I was bitterly disappointed today. 

The mission to get there should have been off-putting enough. I had to take the monorail, then a train, then a bus. I am however familiar with the transport arrangements as I've been to Sunway twice before. It's a long ride and a bit boring. There is however a good supermarket thingy at Kelana Jaya station where I purchased a "1 Malaysia" badge and was going to purchase an umbrella, but decided to do that on the way back - and forgot.

I'd purchased tickets online for Sunway Lagoon and the first hurdle was redeeming them. Major mission completed, the next step was to add credit to a flimsy wristband so that I could purchase food, drink, locker rental and souvenirs inside the park. The park is cashless, which is awesome, but they don't put your wristband on tight enough. I spent the whole visit paranoid that I'd lose it and not be able to get back into my locker (you scan the barcode at the locker kiosk to get into your locker) and then I'd be stuck there forever. LOL.

Finding the locker rental was a major mission all of its own. I was directed down three stories via escalators to lockers by the water park - I later found out when leaving the park that there were lockers by the entrance. When I got there, no signage was present to tell you what to do. The staff were surly and unhelpful, the queues too long and the lockers bloody expensive. 

I got changed and headed for the pools, looking forward to dipping my hives-covered legs in some chlorinated water, as for me, this totally nukes the itching. Signs everywhere directed parents to actually mind their kids but there were few parents in sight and bucket loads of free-range children everywhere, dive-bombing unsuspecting adults trying to enjoy the overpriced day of "fun" we'd paid for (i.e. me). The wave pool was closed. The "fun" activities like the zip line, etc, were way overpriced and half the free rides were closed for maintenance. The pool at the "beach" area was only calf-deep and it seemed like the only thing to do was eat!

Food was abundant but way overpriced and incredibly unhealthy. I had play lunch at Marrybrown before deciding to check out the rest of the park. I wasn't too bothered with the rides in the amusement park area as most of them were closed for maintenance, so I went and visited the animals. The bird aviary was blah, the reptiles were blah (apart from a red iguana) and the poor big black cat looked incredibly stressed out. It may have been a panther; I can't tell you for sure as there were no signs! 

I wandered up the hill, took a few random photos, had an ice cream, wandered back down the three stories of escalators, bought a waterproof phone/camera pouch, got changed and got the hell out. I'm in no hurry to come back - the park was more expensive than the awesome one on Sentosa in Singapore and The Lost World of Tambun. Hopefully the water park at Legoland will be better, when I go back to JB again next year. 

Next stop was Sunway Pyramid mall, which you have to traipse through to get to the Lagoon in the first place. I had a coffee and some cake thing, to cool my frayed nerves after spending ten minutes fighting with the lockers outside the Lagoon. I wanted to stash my wet gear while I looked for a new pair of sandals, but no matter which RM5 note I stuck in the machine, it spat it straight back out again. Grrrr!

I had lunch in the mall for about half the price of the Lagoon. I bought a notebook and pen set, some t-shirts for $3 AUD, a couple of roll up travel vacuum clothing bags at Daiso Japan and a book.  I then decided to head for the AF Club at Puchong. I caught a bus to Subang Jaya and figured I'd just jump a cab to Puchong, but the weather had other ideas. I ended up having to shelter in a mall for over an hour due to a massive thunderstorm. I couldn't find any sandals and was running out of patience. I went to the next mall and same thing - no sandals. 

It wasn't a lack of sandal thing, it was a suitability thing. I can't wear sandals, jandals/thongs or anything else that has a bit that goes between your toes. My toes just don't like it, so I kept leaving stores empty-handed. I also wasn't prepared to pay more than I would in Melbourne, so I left and headed out to the street. The traffic was hell, Obama is in town and his bloody motorcade keeps jamming up the already over-congested roads, so I decided to head for Mid Valley Megamall. 

I'd just hit the Subang Jaya train station when Stormageddon hit - KL's answer to a tropical monsoonal horiztonal thunderstorm. I was stuck under a metal awning (oh what fun!) with the lightning just a few hundred metres away. Fortunately the train rocked up quickly and as the lines have changed or something, I had to go all the way to KL Sentral and change lines to go to Mid Valley.

By this stage it was nearing dinnertime, so after dinner of some chicken thing at some place on the basement level, a fruitless search for sandals and more time spent being stalked by shop assistants, it was time to head for Berjaya Times Square (BTS) Mall.  I caught the train back to KL Sentral, hopped on the Monorail to Imbi and then hit BTS. I was delighted to find my sunglass lady is still here and I stocked up on sunglasses for myself and a friend for $3 AUD per pair. After two hours of wandering aimlessly, I finally found a pair of sandals! They are a bit bling-bling but are very comfy.

After a coffee and a naughty donut, it was very late and my feet hurt, my bags were heavy and I was over it. I jumped in an executive taxi with a meter (a rare treat for me) - who actually used his meter - (a rare treat for all visitors to KL!) and arrived back at the hotel just in time to dodge the English git from last night. Phew.

I've spent the last hour repacking my bags as I'm flying home tomorrow night, so I am now pretty compliant with my luggage. I know I have a spare 2kg in my suitcase if I do see something I like tomorrow, like scarves for the little girl of a member at my gym - she has leukaemia and is mortified about being bald. 

Antihistamine and English Gits.

Today was my last day on Langkawi and after furious packing, ditching and suitcase weighing, I am proud to say that I've hardly bought a thing and my suitcases are still under the extra allowance I bought. Phew!

I had a 2pm flight to KL, so after breakfast at Old Town White Coffee Cenang, I bid the Worst Star Resort farewell, got my RM100 deposit back and headed to the airport in a cab. It's been a fun 12 days here but I'm over this island for now and need some civilisation, even if it's not civilised!

The flight to KL was late. Really late. As soon as we could board, it hosed down and the clouds were looking more ominous out to see, on our flight path. I wasn't worried - I was seated next to an Indian couple from Melbourne (OMG!) and behind us were the three most annoying Chinese people ever. The guy with them kept grabbing our headrests and getting in and out of his seat. Once the plane took off, we'd been up about four minutes when we hit some turbulence and a nice big air pocket. The plane plunged and the Chinese all screamed. I laughed. It was magic!

My roti canai with hot chicken curry and mat kelapa arrived not long after the air pocket and my small lunch was very pleasant, if not a bit spicy! The flight was short and niggly, we landed into the LCCT at KL and I set about finding my suitcases. Half an hour of waiting later, my suitcases arrived, so I stashed the one I'd packed to capacity at the left luggage service and caught the bus to Salak Tinggi station to grab the Ekspress train to the city. 

I'm pleased that this will be my last domestic flight into the LCCT and that after I leave Malaysia on Tuesday, I won't be flying into this glorified aircraft hangar ever again! This airport is a bloody joke and a blot on the horizon. The LCCT is like a cross between Avalon and Palmerston North airports, but with touts, touts and more touts. People are rude and jet lagged, uncooperative and pushy. I can't wait for some order and some facilities at KLIA2.

The new KLIA2 opens later this week and although I'm sad I won't be there on opening day, I'm glad I won't be there on opening day as it will be a three-ring circus! It will be good to fly into KLIA2 later this year on my way to Bali though, as I'll be able to catch the train with none of this sh*ttle bus pandemonium. I'd call them shuttles and not sh*ttles, but I'd be lying! The Ekspress tren to the city will have it's own station and the Tune Hotel will be on the airport itself, along with some fancy backpackers and lots of shops in an actual mall. Strewth! I love airports but I may never leave KLIA2!

A word on the airport trains. To catch the train to KL Sentral from the LCCT, you've had to endure a 20-minute bus ride to Salak Tinggi. Once at Salak Tinggi, it's RM12.50 to KL Sentral. You can of course catch a bus to the city (I stupidly did that last year when I arrived in KL the first time) but it takes at least 1-2 hours and the traffic is crap. I'd been warned that Obama is in town and his motorcade is creating chaos. Air Force 2 was parked just next to the LCCRT when I arrived today, so moving around this already crazy city will be that much worse until he leaves tomorrow night. I'm sticking to trains and the monorail!

Arriving at KL Sentral, I bought my taxi coupon and was happy that the price hasn't gone up. It was RM10 when I came to KL the first time in 2007 and it was still RM13 today, as it was last year. I grabbed a cab with a nice Malay driver and arrived at the Downtown KL Tune Hotel. I wasn't expecting service, but I actually got it today! There was toilet paper in my room and, as a bonus, the staff were all friendly and smiley - not the surly trolls I had last time, that's for sure! I love this hotel because the location is awesome, the beds are comfy, the showers are great and it's cheap. I can now add "and because the staff are friendly". 

After dumping my bags and changing, I headed to Giant supermarket across the road for supplies, then hit the shops in Maju Junction Mall, before heading to the Pharmacy in Sogo down Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR). I found zyrtec, RM10 for 10 tablets - much cheaper than Aussie and they are the 24 hour ones too. I whacked down a tablet with an iced tea from the food court upstairs which took ten minutes to get! Never again.

After a walk back up Jalan TAR, I stopped in at Pizza Hut for dinner and was going to go to Berjaya Times Square but I was just too darn tired. So, I went back to the hotel and did a load of laundry instead. I met a nosey English git while waiting for my clothes to dry, who apparently was an extra in Underbelly Squizzy. When I informed him that I hadn't seen it as I don't watch TV, the git was quite put out - clearly I'd thrown him a bit with this revelation, so he left. Hopefully that's the last I see of this clown. I'd have told him to "sod off", but I was too tired!

So, with clean clothes and a trip to Sunway Lagoon on the cards for tomorrow, I'm off to sleep now.