My home for the week

Pondok Keladi guesthouse
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Pondok Keladi. My home away from home on Langkawi. It's a six bedroom guesthouse, owned by a Eurasian couple, surrounded by palm trees and rice fields. Four dogs and a cat live at the guesthouse, hens, roosters, cows, monkeys, squirrels, and what sounds like crickets and frogs share the area. For my week of doing bugger all but eat, read and explore a bit, this is just perfect.

In about 25 mins I am on the main drag, where all the restos and mini marts are. Loads of seafood and some very nice western salads. It's low season, which probably explains why quite a few places are closed. Still enough tourists tho to keep it lively. Tourists from everywhere. I hear a lot of Russian, German and Australian but also a lot of languages I do not know.

This being a predominantly moslim island, it is the first time I find myself surrounded by tourists in chadors (excluding the Arab invasion of London in summer). Quite a lot of them too. Several resorts list prayer rooms as one of their selling points. At the end of the little road that leads to my guesthouse, a mosque calls for prayer five times a day. Your regular ham and bacon have been substituted by turkey ham and beef bacon everywhere I have been so far. Some of the mini marts sell beer, but I haven't seen wine or anything stronger outside the duty free shop (which is also on the main road). It's a funny thing to see the women in chadors sitting on a beach next to scantily clad Russian women in full make up. But at the same time, it's good to see that with a bit of give and take, this beautiful island can be appreciated by all.

Comfort food at its best

Comfort food at its best
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Hainan chicken rice. I first had it in Singapore in '02. Ever since it is's been one of my favourite comfort foods. When I make it at home, I cheat as I cook it for one or two people only. But here I can eat it like it's meant to be eaten, in one of the many specialised restaurants.

Yesterday shortly after seven I wandered out to a resto I'd spotted earlier to have my fix. To my surprise they'd sold out. Very frustrating as I could smell the ginger and soya sauce and all. Today I went back for lunch. The lady who I'd tried to order with the night before recognised me instantly and said 'chicken!' as she showed me a table. Five minutes later the fragrant stock, chicken, chilli and garlic dips and rice along with lettuce in oyster sauce were brought to my table. Including a fresh apple juice, the bill came to less than £3. There is something about the combination of ginger, chilli and soya sauce with the tender chicken and neutral rice that is to die for. When in Sing this weekend, I will make sure to ask my friend to take me to a hawker place to eat their version as well. Oh Asian food, I worship thee!

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Fish on its way
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

The second destination of my trip. Sabah is the non-independent Malaysian part of Borneo. Famous for its mountain and orangutans. Neither of which I will see. Well, technically I saw two orangutans in the wild park, but the area where you can see them in the wild is too far away. And the famous mountain? Would love to do that another time but I didn't plan enough time here to climb it. Not having done my research, I figured it'd be a day trip rather than an overnighter. So there are two reasons to come back!

Having a brill time still. Malaysia is wonderfully diverse. KK is very different from KL, it's nowhere near as big and not very pretty. However, the street of my hotel is quite nice and the resto's by the shore have a lovely view. The pic in this blog I took at the place where the fishermen's boats dock. Catch of the day was sent to the restaurants it seemed. Next to it, is the most amazing fish market I have ever seen. The fish is so simply but nicely presented and the colours of some of the fish were quite something. Also close by was the night market where the same fish, now grilled, seemed to be on display. I happily snapped along with my camera, after asking permission from all of the fish sellers.

As I did want to see some indigenous wildlife while here, I went to a Wild Life park today. By taxi which seems to be how one gets around here (backpackers who are roughing it excluded). Very few buses and no other public transport. Having lived in the city with the world's most expensive taxis (Amstie), this felt truly weird. Weird but very convenient. The park was very well done. Loads of animals, and loads of space for them. I skillfully avoided the 100 or so school kids most of the time, and had a lovely morning walking around and taking pics. The monkeys and otters kept me entertained for quite some time.

And back in the hotel now after an early dinner. Not quite the Sheraton but at 16 squid a night it's great. Superfriendly staff, a comfy bed and decent shower. Free bottles of water and cups of tea are gratefully accepted. Next door is a supermarket that seems to cater for expats and affluent locals. They even sell King Island , which is an amzing cheese brand from an island near Tassie and not that easy to get even in Australia. Very weird. I embraced my inner Australian by buying Arnott's shapes and a women's magazine but decided to give the cheese a miss. Not very handy when travelling.

Kuala Lumpur!

Couple on busy square
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Travel is not just about the destination, but also about the journey. And a fine journey it was. A two hour stopover at Schiphol allowed me to stock up on Dutch magazines and have a McKroket (not quite the same as Van Dobben but hey....can't have it all). At the gate, two little blond Dutch boys were in awe of the KLM pilot who dutifully posed for them. Very cute. My stewart wasn't as good looking as the pilot (could have been the missing cap) but he made sure I had a good flight. Flying economy comfort was a good choice. Still didn't get much sleep but it sure was the quieter part of the plane and extra recline is a treat on 12 hour flight. My cabbie to the hotel had lived in Amsterdam and London, which was a first for any Asian cabbie I have ever met. Lovely chatty guy. And oh, the joys of checking into a flash hotel. Many people (and I used to be one of them) say it's not wirth the money as you only sleep there on hols. Well, did I prove them wrong. My jetlag kept me awake most of the first night. I went through half a Dutch magazine and half a Janet Evanovich. All between 1am and 5am. Only to fall back asleep around 5am, and not waking up until 11am. So half of my Saturday was gone before it started. Anyway. A nice shower, majestic bed, and good room service are treats I truly appreciate for a couple of nights straight on arrival these days. And what guesthouse would provide a room with massive windows on the 30th floor overlooking the city (albeit not the Petrona towers)?

When I finally was out and about, I headed to Chinatown and Little India. Amazing streetlife. Women with beautiful headscarfs and dressed in najib (or whatever you call the ones that just leave a little bar free for the eyes), the latter something I'll never get used too. Many women in sarongs in Little India, and in the centre too. I visited a chinese, hinduh and buddhist temple, and ate tasty street food. At the hottest part of the day, I stumbled across the Central Markets that had a nice cool coffeeshop with WIFI in it. Two hours later I had uploaded pics, read Facebook and Twitter updates and had some lunch. Most modern coffee shops here have free WIFI, great. And despite it being past 2pm, it was still bloody hot. I walked the pace of an average European 80yo, while drinking my body weight in water.

Dinner the first two nights was a hawker's place in the center. Tourists and locals alike eat Thai, Chinese, or Indian style street food on plastic stools. Cheap as chops and a huge variety. Grilled frogs and frog porridge are particularly popular with the locals, but less so with the tourists it seems. A stall that did deep-fry-your-own-skewers looked very interesting. A local couple offered me to try some of theirs, but I gave that a miss, something I later regretted. Might try some tomorrow. The centre is lively and right by the monorail station breakdancers and living statues entertain the crowds. Many coffee shops are lined along the main drags, and the first thing I saw getting off the monorail was a bloody Debenhams!

In the elevator back to my room, a (gay) American guy started complaining to me that he felt fat. 'I put this suit on today but am so fat I won't be able to take it off anymore'. I thought he was rather fit and good looking, said he didn't look fat (figured I should leave out the fit and good looking), and out he walked with a 'sleep well, love' and a big warm smile. And sleep well was what I did. Or at least between 4am and 9am.

Eight more sleeps!

For the past three weeks I have stopped myself from starting to pack my suitcase. As of tonight, I have given up. Too much excitement. Like a quarter back at the prospect of being in the cheerleaders' dressing room. A priest on his way to a playground (appropriately timed, this comparison, as the pope is almost on his way here). Or the good old kid walking into a candy store. The excitement that comes with the prospect of something big. In my case, a trip to my beloved Asia. Malaysia and Singapore, to be precise. In eight sleeps. With a busy weekend and week ahead (busy in terms of visitors, diners and lunches that is). So I allow myself to start packing. Eight books at the bottom of my back pack. Two books in the carry on luggage. Beauty products. Bikinis. I do tend to get my priorities right. All I need to do next is wack in some underwear, clothes, pack my camera gear and Bob's your uncle. Kuala Lumpur, here I come! Almost!

Ta'if

"The top notes are pink pepper, dates and saffron, the heart is of rose, freesia, orange flower and jasmine, and the base is of broom and amber. Ta'if is a earthy rose scent; the broom, amber and saffron in the blend make an accord that gives me an olfactory impression of the warm earth from the Arabian town of Ta'if where the roses are grown. The rose in the scent is voluptuous and full blown, supported by the warmth and spice of the rest of the blend. This is definitely a warm fragrance, rather than a cooler rose scent." Now I am not able to describe a perfume in this way, but blogger Londonmakeupgirl is. So I 'borrowed' it from her.

For ages I had been planning to visit Ormonde Jayne, a London perfume house. They have a little shop just off Bond Street. When I walked in, the shop girl was helping a middle aged couple find the right scents for them. They were lovely, 'normal' people, as opposed to the many rich folk you find in Bond Street. It seemed their son had given them a voucher each, such a lovely gift. Ormonde Jayne is a tiny shop. They have a handful of fragrances, and that's it. After watching her help the couple, I was quite keen to stick my nose in some of the bottles. When it was my turn, I described what I did and didn't like. Five minutes later, I walked out of the shop with Ta'if on my left wrist, and Sampaquita on my right. Twenty minutes later, when the scent had settled, I returned to buy Ta'if. What a lovely scent it is. And what a nice 'London' thing to have.