Tuesday February 14, 2012
Photo by Greg Rodgers
My month spent crossing Malaysian Borneo from south to north in 2010 was one of the best travel experiences in memory. This magical place, still slightly off the mass tourism radar, won't last as a "secret" for very much longer; get yourself there!
Camping on island beaches, trekking to waterfalls, seeing wild orangutans and proboscis monkeys, sleeping in national parks, and enjoying the great culture of the former-headhunting Dayak people -- Borneo was everything that I hoped for in a travel adventure.
Malaysian Borneo is the type of place where you can be shopping in a modern mall in the morning, then attempting to open a fallen coconut you picked up on a private beach later that evening.
While the hubs of Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, and Sandakan are nice places to act civilized for a few days, Borneo's real attractions lay in the rainforests which cover most of the island. There is a reason you regularly meet biologists and botanists there: the diversity of life is astounding.
I was lucky enough to see a rare Rafflesia -- the world's heaviest flower, pictured above -- in bloom while trekking in Sarawak's Gunung Gading National Park. One of only a few visitors sleeping in the wooden, longhouse accommodation at the park, I virtually had the trails to myself!
Even the giant, smelly flower was trumped when I first encountered wild orangutans and bizarre proboscis monkeys. The flat-nosed proboscis monkeys are in more danger of extinction than even the orangutans.
Malaysian Borneo is divided into two states: Sarawak and Sabah. While a majority of tourists flock to Sabah -- which is busier, more expensive, and more developed than Sarawak -- I was more at home in Sarawak, where visitors can hike without guides and find cheap accommodation in the national park longhouses.
Extremely cheap flights can be nabbed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to either Kuching, Kota Kinbalu, or Sandakan. I highly recommend adding a little Borneo adventure to your Southeast Asia itinerary!
Saturday February 11, 2012
Martin Puddy / Getty Images
From the moment you get off the plane in Bangkok, you'll encounter both the famous Thai smile as well as the wai -- a prayer-like gesture with palms together.
You can loosely compare the Thai wai to bowing in Japan. A wai works for saying hello in Thai, to show gratitude, and as an apology, depending on the situation. Offering the right wai at the right time can be extremely gratifying, and sets you aside from tourists who otherwise don't take an interest in the local Thai culture.
Compared to the rest of the fairly complex, tonal language, learning how to say hello in Thai is easy. The most basic expression is sawasdee -- which sounds like "sah-wah-dee" -- followed by the correct gender ending. Men say "khrap," while women say "khaa."
Sawasdee is a relatively new expression; the greeting is the derivative of a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by a man named Phraya Upakit Silapasan. The new form of hello was meant to help modernize Thailand; the same professor also created the modern Thai expression for saying "thank you."
Before you land in Bangkok, take a quick moment to learn how to say hello in Thai, some basic greetings, and read a little about etiquette in Thailand. Hitting the ground culturally prepared will significantly enhance your trip to one of Southeast Asia's most amazing countries!
Thursday February 2, 2012
Photo by Flickr user Naomi Ibuki
The fun and bizarre Setsubun festival is getting ready to start up in Japan on February 3rd.
Celebrated on the day before Spring officially begins per the lunar calendar, Setsubun is all about throwing soybeans and shouting -- sometimes the beans are thrown out of the door, and sometimes at someone you love.
The bean projectiles are meant to frighten away unpleasant spirits who have a way of putting a damper on health and good fortune in the new year. People have been throwing beans for good luck in Japan since the 1300s, and the tradition in China dates back to the 8th century! In some parts of Japan, the head of the house is nominated to wear a demon mask while others throw beans at him.
Modern Setsubun is now a televised event where sumo wrestlers and national celebrities help to throw beans, sweets, and money into frenzied crowds. Eating one soybean for each year of your age is meant to ensure good health in the coming year, and a traditional sushi roll is consumed with family in silence while facing the coming year's auspicious direction.
The alternative to throwing soybeans to frighten spirits? You could hang fish heads and holly leaves above your doors to prevent them -- and probably neighbors -- from wanting to come inside.
Learn more about the Setsubun festival in Japan.
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Photo by Flickr user Wyndham
From Thailand's insane, country-wide waterfight known as Songkran, to traveling through Vietnam during monsoon floods in 2010, I learned that you never know when or where you're going to end up drenched.
While getting wet in scorching temperatures isn't always unwelcome, unfortunately laptops and DSLR cameras don't enjoy it quite as much. Waterproof backpacks to the rescue!
Last year while trying to get photos of orangutans in North Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park, I met a smart German traveler who introduced me to Overboard waterproof backpacks. Their backpacks are basically a dry bag with a roll top, such as those used when scuba diving, but with proper straps and the look of a typical daybag.
I instantly fell in love, and now use an Overboard bag for any adventures where water, sand, or mud could threaten to turn expensive electronics into paperweights.
The best part? All of the waterproof backpacks rated Class 3 or higher actually float! Good news when some of the "boats" I take in Indonesia only qualify as boats in the strictest sense because they are floating at the time.
Overboard backpacks are made out of waterproof material, eliminating the need to scramble for your pack cover when the rain turns on without warning; how I could have really used these bags in the past -- particularly during Thailand's record flooding in Bangkok last year.
- If you find yourself in similar travel scenarios, I recommend having a look at my Overboard backpack review and decide if you need one of these bags in your travel kit.
