South East Asian Odyssey

South East Asian Odyssey

Hello all and welcome to Wookiees travels mark 6.

Today marks 6 months out of Australia, just 6 to go.

Firstly I must apologise for a type-o error that has entered the correspondence up to now, apparently the Wookiee prefers to spell his name with two e's rather than one, I discovered this while reading a star wars novel recently, so for this I apologise.

Well what to say of finally leaving India to get to Singapore. It was with some trepidation that I hopped on the plane at Delhi Airport, having established something of a rapport with the sub-continent I was nonetheless keen to start on another path of travel adventure.
Exit India late one night and enter the comparative westernised materialist bombardment of Singapore.

It certainly is a clean town with all that any self-respecting modern city amongst the Asian tigers would hope to offer, but still after the idiosyncrasies and peculiar charms of Indian towns it is something of a sanitary offering and I was lucky to get out of their without offloading a bucket of cash.

Jump on a train to Kuala Lumpur and 7 hours later jump off to the burnt offerings of another Asian tiger stronghold.
Its a well-planned place but I suppose that doesn't say much of its charms, it has the 4th largest tower in the world which is always a huge achievement for mankind.
I went on a fast food binge with not surprisingly, no particular satisfaction registered.
Met 2 separate couples, masquerading as brother and sister who seemed just a bit too interested in the story of a stranger and his connection to Australia, some scam there I reckon.

I was the participant in a bungled attempted robbery, just walking down the road in KL, 2 guys slowed down on a motorbike and one pulled a gun on me, enter a serious rush of adrenalin as he pointed it in my face demanding money, feebly covering his mouth in case I wished to identify him, I felt no fear just a strange calm and then I suddenly felt like I was in a comedy skit as the guy started to get scared, he clicked the trigger, nothing, I grabbed the gun, a plastic replica and then I literally fell on the ground laughing at the absurdity of the situation and the piss-weak attempt of this guy to be aggressive and imposing, even behind the facade of a plastic gun, his accomplice even started laughing and then they were gone. Just like that, it's a funny old world.

Some serious R&R in a 4 star hotel in the old capital, Malacca, courtesy of my aunty. (Thanks Mucas)

A week spent in the Genting Highlands, home of a casino, not much to report but more R&R, watching videos and eating. (Thanks Lisa)
To my position now. I am into my 4th week in Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, I arrived here with no real knowledge of the place other than that there is some good jungle trekking up here, that there certainly is and the funniest thing of all is that I fell through a window of opportunity after just a week here and have since been leading the treks for the lodge I've been staying at in return for B&B.
To date this has been fun but I shall move on soon lest, I get trapped by the relative charm of the Highlands for a long time.
I am following a course up the Malaysian east coast, next stop Penang probably Langkawi Island and then high-tail up to Bangkok and who knows where in the following weeks.
Will leave you with this thought, "The world really is a wonderful place" (Thanks Simon)
Feel free to return communications, all answered with tongue firmly in cheek.

I Love Youse All, The Wookiee

P.S. Look out for the influx into the Olympic wasteland seems many people are heading from here to there in coming months.

The End of This Leg

The End of this Leg

Viva la Email fans.

Alas the time of the Wookiees Travels (the Indian leg) must end but on with the journey, next stop Singapore (and into the temptation zone for rabid conspicuous consumption), if I escape without a burnt pocket it will be a miracle.

Since last we spoke I have ventured into the mountains once more for another speculative search for the Yeti, but what news? no breakthroughs in the case and I fear that to expect to find a snow-dwelling creature with an obvious propensity to hide from the hunters gaze in the temperate zone of SE Asia is to expect a miracle.
"I'll get you next time, next time!"

My attempt at experiencing enlightenment in the land of Buddha, namely Bodhgaya, Bihar (yes, the lawless state, where simply voting out of turn can mean instant death) was thwarted to some extent by a condition of the stomach (something I have christened Calcutta stutter, promise me that next time you are in Calcutta you won't get a rush of bravado and drink the water) and so I was laid low in bed most of the time but this comes with the territory.

To all those contemplating the Sub-continent as there next stopover, do it and do it soon before The Indian government prostitutes everything to the Yanks and/or the line of control in Kashmir sees the South Asian land mass inexplicably cease to exist because of nuclear proliferation that was initiated by an unfavourable result in the cricket for either India or Pakistan.

But seriously (nuclear capabilities are too abstract for me to deal with at this stage), my time in India has provided endless and obviously unexplainable insights into the everyday of a billion people, 3 months has been just the right amount of time for this stint but I will be back no doubt, I still haven't seen the South and I didn't get to the Taj (but after all if I need to see a rock that acts as a tourist attraction I could always head up to Ayres rock for a look).
Till next we meet on the information highway, or at the crossroads of the world.

Keep this thought in mind, time is just a quantity that works in parallel with the course of our lives and as the Indians proudly say "Tomorrow, Tomorrow after, no problems".

Talk to you then.

Love,

The Wookie.