transportation Archives - Page 4 of 7

Europe Oslo weekend 2023 United Kingdom

London Layover in Little Venice

A Swift Exit for a Quick Visit

It was Easter weekend and I had decided to go to Oslo from Vancouver for a long weekend. For reasons that I’ll explain in another post, that long weekend trip became much shorter than I had intended; but this post is about London, and one option for how to spend a layover of about 6 hours.

I love London layover. Heathrow is close enough to the city that even with a short layover (provided you’re efficient about getting through the airport) you can go into London and do something lovely. Usually, I won’t do that unless I have about an 8 hour layover, but on this occasion I had six and a half hours, but I was determined to do something. I just little research and discovered that without venturing too far from Paddington station I could visit a neighbourhood that I had previously ignored: Little Venice.

The key to getting through Heathrow successfully for a quick layover into London is being efficient and planning. I always sit as close to the front of the airplane as possible, without sitting in business class, so I can get off the plane quickly. I travel with carry-on luggage, So I don’t have to transfer any luggage through security. In this case, I was travelling with a very small under seat backpack so I didn’t even need to leave it at the left luggage office at the airport; I could just breeze through and get on the train. Once I’m in the airport, I never for any reason; I just power walk my way right through security (having a Canadian passport helps so I can use the machines instead of having to speak to the guards), and I splurge on the London Heathrow Express ticket (I pre-purchase it online), which is just a little bit faster than the regular train. From the time the plane touched down to the time that I arrived at Paddington station was less than an hour.

The Heathrow Express will take you right to Paddington station in about 15 minutes, and from there you can get the Tube from the Paddington underground station to anywhere. But this time, I thought rather than getting on the tube to go somewhere else, I would just explore the area around Paddington.

Little Venice

When I lived in London, I was unaware of the area around Paddington as being anything special, but it is now apparently called Little Venice due to the fact that there are two canals that converge there. It’s a small but pleasant neighbourhood; relatively affluent with the usual shops cafes and pubs to poke around in, but the real treat is wandering along the canals. There are some small statues and clever bridges and newer buildings; but the best thing are the waterways themselves and the boats on them you can rent a boat or go on a boat tour, and spend your afternoon sailing around the canals, (not something that I’d recommend for a very short layover), or you could just admire them as you sit and have coffee on the path alongside the water, or you can have a fabulous lunch at any one of the of the boats or barges that have been converted into charming restaurants including one that is entirely devoted to cheese. On a sunny day it is a perfect place to wander around.

*Little Venice boat and a group of ladies who brunch*

Beyond the canals

I think even had I had a shorter layover it would have been great to have come there and just walked along the canal and had a coffee and a bite to eat, but I ended up with more time than anticipated so I wandered around a little bit more over to Hyde Park and passed some of the beautiful Regency buildings and smaller parks. It was springtime and the flowers were blooming and the sun shining. I poked into a few of the mewses and tried not to annoy the people that lived there as I took a few pictures of their picturesque streets.

Some shots of a lovely spring day in London

Back to Heathrow

And that was that. I spent a couple of hours walking around, had a coffee and a falafel, and then I made my way back to Heathrow for my connecting flight to Oslo. Going back was equally quick and efficient. I could have stayed longer in London but I’m always a little bit anxious about getting back to the airport with more than enough time. After all, I wanted to enjoy some airport lounge time. It all felt very decadent. And from there I was on to Oslo for what would be the shortest international trip of my life.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Japan

Goodbye, 3D Cat: My final day in Tokyo

Good Morning, Goth Girl

I spent my third night in Tokyo (but my first sleeping in my bookstore hostel bunk). I awoke to my third day in Japan realizing that I would leave in the later afternoon. I had done so much in my first two days in Tokyo. I felt satisfied but I also realized it was a place that merited a very long visit to really see the city and to get even a good understanding of it. Months. Maybe years. But I didn’t have that long. I had hours. I showered and scarfed down the complimentary breakfast at the hotel: an ink black dyed bread sandwich with a strawberry and whipped cream filling washed down with a latte dyed black to match the sandwich. I assure you: this is not my customary breakfast, and, despite my appearance, I would not normally pick out a goth-looking breakfast. This is Tokyo, not missing a moment to surprise me.

A cemetery wander

I hadn’t been to a single museum or gallery in Tokyo. Normally I will visit a couple, but I had so little time and I wanted to spend my time walking. (I will have to return just to see museums and galleries.)

I made sort of meandering path over to Yanaka cemetery on foot. It seemed like a nice stroll and who doesn’t love a cemetery walk on a grey day?

I left Shinjuku and made my way. It was pleasant, if not remarkable. I passed some different looking buildings and some small shrines, many with pink blossoms stretching open. I walked down a couple of narrow alley ways and sneaked peeks at wooden buildings and their serene courtyards.

The streets were quiet. It was raining just a little and people must have been at work. It felt peaceful.

The cemetery itself (Yanaka Reien aka Yanaka Bochi) was virtually empty. It started to rain, so I did not linger long, but still enjoyed my walk among the tombstones and shrines.

I wandered back to Shinjuku where I had a final bowl of ramen.

Costs. An aside.

A word about the expense of being in Japan. Ever since I was little, I heard about how expensive Tokyo is. $200 for a lunch. $500 a night for accommodations. That sort of thing. I am not about to tell you that Tokyo is a budget destination…but it isn’t extraordinarily expensive. I’m Canadian, which means my currency buys me far less than US dollars, Euros, or British Pounds, and still I found Tokyo affordable.

My two centrally located, atmospheric hostels were over my usual budget, but were still less than $100/cdn a night (and there are far cheaper places to stay). My meals cost me less in Tokyo than in Vancouver. The food and drink prices were the same or lower and there is no added tax and no need for a tip. (Tax and tips in Vancouver add an extra 33%, assuming a 20% tip.). The subway was cheap and convenient. I spent most of my sightseeing just walking around and gawking at the city, which is free. Again, not cheap; but far from exorbitant. Don’t be afraid of the expense of Japan. (Be afraid of the expense of Switzerland.)

Sayonara, 3D Cat

I went for a final walk about Shinjuku and then checked out of my hotel and walked to the Shinjuku train station.

That train station is a bit tricky with its many entrances, and I knew if I took the wrong one I would never find my hostel, so I always made sure to exit from the same door, which was across the street from 3D cat – a stories-high 3D cat. It meows, sleeps, stretches, and lazily gazes at the people below. Sometimes it wears a little police hat. Why? I don’t know, but it served as my reassuring landmark every time I exited Shinjuku station. I gave the cat a final look and entered the station. (I wish I could say that I gave the cat a final nod as I left, but I didn’t. I am not in the habit of nodding at cats, real or virtual.)

I took the train from Shinjuku station; a very easy and efficient way to get to the airport (Haneda).

Tokyo was amazing. I was happy to have been surprised and, at times, challenged by it. I really want to go back and see more of Japan. I know there are so many things to experience. I’m even thinking about how I could easily fly there for a long weekend, just to eat perfect strawberries, smoke cigars in the coolest bar, and enjoy and the peculiarities.

I flew home by way of Los Angeles and Seattle. And so ended my Asian capital ‘whistle stop tour’ that had started in Manila 11 days prior.

I usually feel a little sad when a trip ends, but this time I had the comfort of knowing that the next month I would be in Oslo.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Japan

Konnichiwa, Tokyo!

Arrival in Tokyo, Japan

Of all the countries I had already been to, I hadn’t been to Japan. I was excited to visit Japan when I was about 12 (never happened; I just wanted to go) and over time my interest waned. I kept hearing about how great it was, but I remained lukewarm. Sure, I love Japanese horror movies and Hello Kitty, and I am fascinated by their weird porn culture, but none of it motivated me to buy a ticket. And then I was hopping around Asian capital cities and the time felt right. And Tokyo astonished me.

The more I travel, the more difficult it is for me to be surprised by a place. Places start to remind me of other places. I get more savvy. Things get easier. But Tokyo surprised me on numerous levels. Sure, it has a lot on common with other big East Asian capitals, but it was also so distinct. The food, the social interactions, the culture – even basic things like using machines to order ramen or flushing some of the very complicated toilets – so much of it really took me out of my element and I loved it. (I will say right now: yes, the toilets are weird and complicated, and I think heated toilet seats are disgusting but some of the other features were pretty nice.)

I arrived in Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur on a flight that got me in just after midnight, so I was unable to take the train to my Shinjuku hostel. Not feeling too disappointed about that, as I was eager to get to my accommodations, I got into a taxi. It was weird right from the start. The taxi looked like an English black cab and the driver was wearing a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, like a casting room castoff from Reservoir Dogs. He wore a chauffeur’s cap and had short but shaggy grey hair that I wasn’t sure was not a wig. I couldn’t tell if the man was 30 or 70. He seemed like a young man playing the part of an old man in community theatre. He spoke a little English, which he used to tell me long winded stories about animals that turned out to be jokes. The whole thing felt weird.

Sleeping Capsule

We pulled up outside my hotel at about 1:30am on a busy, bright street. The Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel. Picking it wasn’t difficult. I knew I wanted to stay in Shinjuku, and I knew I wanted to stay in a capsule hotel. This place was cheap and met my criteria. I thought that staying there might be a penance in exchange for a neat experience, but it was great. I was on the women’s only floor and had a floor level capsule, which I found super cozy. It had a roof-mounted, old-fashioned CRT TV that played whatever was on Japanese TV, wifi, and power outlets. Unexpectedly, it also came with pyjamas, slippers, towels, and pretty much every toiletry you could think of was available in the shower/bathroom.

The only downside, I guess, was the common area room had only vending machines, so you have to go out for coffee (unless you want coffee in a can, which I didn’t but drank anyway). In the common area, with so many men and women wandering around in pyjamas (identical, except that the men wore grey and the women pink), it felt like I had joined a cult. And I was ok with that.

I was so excited about the lively neon washed streets and my cool cult sleeping cubby that I didn’t want to sleep at all. But I did. For a few hours. And then it was time to finally see Tokyo.

But first, coffee

My first stop was the Meiji Jingu Shrine, but first coffee and the subway. I was staying in Shinjuku, which, as far as I could tell, was the epicentre of everything I wanted from Japan: tight vertical neon signs, ramen shops, tiny bars and restaurants, lots of young people in cool street style clothes, and cute things.

I was looking for a café – not something that Japan is known for – but I found an excellent, bright, and modern café where I had a perfect cup of coffee, followed by a French pastry of some sort. I’m not usually a big pastry eater but it was very early, I was starving, and most things were not yet open. I have to say that it was possibly the best pastry I have ever had. I’m not a foodie. I like to eat but food is not an important part of why I travel; that said, sometimes the food in a place is so great or unusual that it becomes a part of the trip (like Myanmar and Georgia). Tokyo was awesome for food. Everything I ate, no matter how cheap, was perfect. Being a vegetarian and being on a budget there made things a little more challenging, but I could always find something delicious to eat. The ramen. The strawberries. This pastry.

After I had my coffee and perfect pastry, I went to the subway station to go to the Meiji Jingu Shrine.

In a Station of the Metro

The Tokyo subway system can be a little bit daunting. There are numerous lines and as far as I could tell it was difficult or impossible to get a ticket that would be good for all of the subway lines all day. When entering the subway station, you’re confronted with banks of machines that sell you tickets, but different ones in different spots, and it wasn’t entirely clear to me whether each machine would sell you tickets for all the lines or not, but I never had any trouble buying a ticket and figuring out where to go. It just took a bit of time of staring at the map and plotting out routes. I know it’s not fashionable to have paper maps anymore, but having a paper map of the Tokyo subway system was super convenient for me. All in all, the subway was amazing. It wasn’t very expensive, it went almost everywhere in the city I wanted to go, and it was a joy to ride.

Sometimes I felt like a big oaf, not knowing where to stand (some trains have different queues for different trains at the same time on the same platform) and being taller than everyone else, and being one of the only people not wearing a mask but no one gave me a look – well, except one time when I accidentally knocked a man over and his CANE fell out of his hand. Yeah, that wasn’t my best moment. I just repeated “I’m so sorry” over and over as I helped him up. Even then though no one really acknowledged me, except the man I toppled. Weirdly though he seemed to apologize to me.

That was one thing that stood out to me about Tokyo. I felt invisible No one looked me in the eye or spoke to me or acknowledged me in any way unless we were engaged in a commercial transaction or unless I specifically spoke to them, and in the latter case they didn’t seem too keen to talk to me. It was bizarre.

Shrine Time

I arrived at the station near the Meiji Jingu shrine (Harajuku Station) and walked to the shrine.

I walked through Yoyogi Park with its tall trees. It was very quiet; it was hard to believe that it was right in the middle of the city. The shrines (dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife and built in 1920) were lovely. Peaceful. There were places where people could write down what I assume were prayers or wishes and tie them to structures around trees. It was lovely. I’m not in any way a spiritual person, but I certainly can appreciate beautiful trees and serenity.

There was one astonishing tree near the middle of the temple complex. It was enormous and so perfectly round that it almost looked like a cartoon tree. It was one of the first of what I can only say are extraordinary trees that I saw in Tokyo. When I hear people talk about Tokyo, I never hear them talk about the trees, but I saw several trees there that were so beautiful that they look like they should have been in paintings. It really stood out to me.

From there I walked over to the Harajuku neighborhood, famous for its youthful wacky fashions and cafes. Admittedly, I was there too early. I should have gone later in the day. A lot of the stores were closed or just opening when I got there. So the street was quiet and didn’t have a lot of what I imagine is the energy that it would have later in the day, but I still enjoyed walking around. It was interesting to see the odd cafes that they had, like an otter café, a micro pig café, cat cafes, dog cafes…it was random.

And cafes for Sanrio characters, and stores selling cute costumes and wigs and so you can dress up like a living doll. It was interesting. What was also interesting was walking around that neighborhood off Takeshita Street where there were some cool cafes (without animals) and clothing stores. I stopped and had coffee and looked at some random art and window displays.

From Harajuku it is just a short walk to the Shibuya crossing; That famous intersection that gets flooded with pedestrians walking in every direction imaginable. The best way to get a view of it is to go to the roof of the building. but that wasn’t open when I was there, so I went upstairs to the Starbucks in a record store and from there I got a view of the intersection. I have to say it wasn’t as dramatic as I expected it to be, but it was a lot of people walking in all directions and it’s a quintessential Tokyo sight, so I had to see it.

Ah, Ramen

I made my way back to Shinjuku, and had a bowl of ramen en route. I’m not usually a ramen fan, but in Tokyo I am. I am ashamed to say that I needed help ordering from the machine the first time. (I don’t know how I was screwing it up; pushing the buttons in the wrong order or something.) It seems that in most ramen joints, you order from a machine before sitting down and then your ramen is wordlessly delivered to you. Excellent. No perky server bothering you to ask, “How are the first few bites tasting!” Just leave me in peace to slurp my soup.

Smoking Cigars in Shinjuku

I went back to my hotel my capsule to get freshened up. I had plans for the evening.

About 20 years ago I worked at a La Casa Del Habano (cigar store) in Vancouver and the manager of the store at the time was a fellow whose family was from Hong Kong. We didn’t stay in touch, and he had since move back to Hong Kong. But on the day that I arrived in Tokyo, he and his wife happened to be arriving in Tokyo from Hong Kong (discovered via Facebook). He messaged me to see if I wanted to get together. I did. This turned out to be one of the best parts about my trip to Tokyo, not only because I got to see my friend from so many years ago, but because he and his wife are very familiar with Tokyo and speak a bit of Japanese and they were able to introduce me to some things that I probably wouldn’t have been able to do on my own. Thing one: finding may be the best place to smoke cigars in Shinjuku.

We went to a bar on the 4th floor of a building in Shinjuku that looked completely unremarkable. If I didn’t know there was a bar on the 4th floor I would have never known to go upstairs, but once upstairs it was one of the most perfect bars I have ever been to. It was tiny (sat about 12 people), it was dark, it had an incredible selection of whiskeys and drinks, it was long and narrow like a train car, it played excellent jazz music. The bartender was dressed almost identically to my taxi driver the night before: black suit, white shirt, black tie. And of course, the best thing, you could smoke cigars inside. I met my friend and his wife up there and we sat and smoked cigars and caught up, reminiscing about old times and catching up on new ones. It was so much fun and felt so civilized to be able to smoke cigars inside.

We left the bar and went over to one of Tokyo’s yokocho (alleyways) that are lined with tiny restaurants. This one: Omoide Yokocho.

More commonly known in English as “piss alley” for reasons that I probably don’t have to explain. It is a tiny little alley near Shinjuku station, lined with teeny tiny little eateries. The eateries are just counters (no tables) and the chefs cook up the food in front of you and serve it on tiny plates. I guess it’s like izakaya, but there seems to be a distinction between izakaya and a yokocho eatery that I don’t understand. Almost everyone sitting at those counters is smoking and drinking beer or tiny thimblefuls of what I assume is saki. It’s so charming and so picturesque that is exactly the sort of place that I would have wanted to go and eat but would have not really been able to eat on my own.

None of the signs are in English, of course, and I speak no Japanese. Even looking at the food that they are serving I couldn’t figure out what it was. Is that tofu or fish or egg? I had no idea. But fortunately, my friend did, so we sat down at a bar in a tiny little eatery next to a man gleefully and drunkenly polishing off a pack of cigarettes with his drinks and snacks. My friend ordered me a tiny little plate of objects that vaguely resembled food. He assured me they were all vegetarian. And they tasted great.

It was a wonderful introduction to an area that I would have not been able to fully enjoy on my own. It was a good reminder of the fact that as much as I think solo traveling is the absolute best, it is excellent to be able to connect with people in local areas and have a different experience.

We parted ways and I went back to my capsule, totally content after one day in Tokyo. Had this been my only day in Tokyo, I would’ve been pretty happy, but I had more time and there was more to see. The next day would bring more sights, more ramen, and a new weirder accommodation.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Malaysia

Batu Caves, Sightseeing, & A Weird Conversation in KL

The Batu Caves

My second day in Kuala Lumpur, I got up early to go to the Batu Caves. Mountain caves reached by rainbow stairs like the ascent into a gay pride heaven? With mischievous monkeys? Sign me up. While it does have picture perfect rainbow stairs and cute monkeys, it is a proper Hindu shrine to Kartikeya, aka Murugan (aka a lot of other things), a Hindu warrior/scholar god (I’m sure that is an oversimplification) and inside the cave, in addition to all of the tourists, are people engaging in prayer and ritual. But whether you are pious or curious (I was the latter) it is a great place to visit.

The Batu Caves are very easily reached from Kuala Lumpur by train. You could take a tour or an uber, but that seems silly when, for a few bucks, you can be whisked there by rail.

I took the train and made two stops. I wasn’t expecting the second one, but the train stopped, and all passengers had to get off. I was only momentarily confused – until I saw the sign pointing me to the platform from which to continue my journey. At the other end, you walk out of the station and it’s just … right there.

There are some smaller temples. Very colourful and thick with depictions of various deities. There is also a huge statute of a monkey god, Hanuman.

In addition to the temples are outdoor cafes and people selling flowers and coconuts and snacks. It all feels lively.

Going in the morning was a good idea. It wasn’t too busy or too hot. The steps look like a lot of effort, but it’s not that far and lots of people are stopping to take pictures, catch their breath or fend off monkey advances.

Inside it is dark and cool and the air has plumes of incense smoke from the temples. There isn’t much else to do there. There are some art displays and birds, but really, you’re there for the temple, which is visited relatively quickly.

I had a cold coconut and trained back to Kuala Lumpur.

An afternoon wander

In the afternoon I wandered around to a lot of the same places I had the day before, had some more laksa, and stopped into a new cigar lounge, also steps from my hostel. Unlike the one the night before in the Petronas Towers, this one felt like an authentic Havana lounge. Very nice and a good selection of cigars, including some rare ones.

I took the train over to the mosque to visit it (it was closed to visitors at the time) and then went to the Museum, which was excellent.

Evening

In the evening, I had dinner with the girl I met at my hostel, the girl from Netherlands who was about the be a lawyer. We had a nice dinner after walking around the city looking for a suitable place to eat. Kuala Lumpur is busy at all hours, and I liked the liveliness. I wouldn’t say I loved Kuala Lumpur, and it didn’t excite me, but I certainly liked it. I could imagine living there for a time.

The final morning…and a weird conversation

The next day I had to leave for the airport at about 11 am, so I went for a final walk around the neighbourhood. A fellow tourist offered to take my photo in front of the Petronas Towers, which was nice, to have a picture of me that is not the usual selfie.

Back at my hostel, I sat out front with a coffee and a cigar until it was time to leave. A fellow at the next table started talking to me, asking questions about my cigar. He joined me at my table. He was in his early 30s and from a smaller city near Kuala Lumpur, but had gotten divorced and moved to the city for work, traveling back often to visit his five kids. I asked him how he liked living in Kuala Lumpur. “I love it,” he said, “there are so many MILFs.” Of all the answers he might have given me, that was not once I could have guessed. He told me he “loves Chinese MILFs” and the ones in Kuala Lumpur were the best. He showed me pictures of some of his lady friends (all attractive Chinese women in their 50s), including one who produced porn movies, he said.

It’s always interesting to talk with strangers; you never know who you will encounter. I don’t know why people feel comfortable telling me about their sexual proclivities (I swear I don’t initiate these conversations), but they do, from the guy in Colombia who told me about his first sexual experiences with a donkey to the guy in Iraq who told me about how he married the woman his parents approved of but how he has been having a years’ long affair with his true love, to the guy in Canada who told me that his sexual fetish is watching ISIS decapitation videos during sex…people just tell me things. I always say that one of the great things about travel is that it reminds me that, fundamentally, people are all the same – including that people everywhere have their sexual secrets.

I ended my conversation with ‘MILF Lover’ and headed to the airport on the train. My next and final stop on this trip would be Tokyo.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Malaysia

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur

From Brunei, I went to the third stop in my trip: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I didn’t have great expectations for it. I don’t know why. I was curious about what it was really like, after hearing some many people’s rants and raves about the place. I was a blank slate. Maybe it was because I expected nothing that I kind of loved it. I don’t mean I loved it like I love some places (the pulse quickening, imagination sparking places). It wasn’t a 10/10, but it was a place I enjoyed and could imagine living.

The airport was easy. Visa free. The next thing I liked was that there was so much public transportation. I mean, it is a major city, so it should have a good network of trains and whatnot, but there are plenty of big cities that don’t. I was happy. It has an MRT, LRT, a commuter train, and a monorail. Excellent. The monorail was my favourite. Riding it is like being in an amusement park, zooming over the city with windows on all sides, leaning to the side around every corner.

I hopped on a train and went right to my hostel from the airport. I was staying in the Kuala Lumpur central area (KLCC). About a five-minute walk from the Petronas Towers. It was the business district. As I got off the train and walked to my hostel, it was about midday and, apart from the humidity and the tropical plants, it felt very familiar. Business people and places for steaks and after work cocktails – even a cigar lounge. I felt quite comfortable, like I was in Manhattan.

I was staying at The Bed KLCC, a hostel located on the upper floors of a shiny high-rise in this businessy district. It didn’t have a hippy or backpacker vibe, but it was one of the most impressive hostels I have stayed at. I had a bed in a female dorm room. Everything was spotless. My bunk was huge and had a near blackout curtain. Inside it had lights and plugs, a makeup mirror and a little shelf that works well as a laptop table if you sat on the bed. The bathrooms were great and had all the amenities you could think of, and more. There was a stylish hangout area that felt like a library and a huge kitchen/eating area. And it was about $17/night. Canadian.

From my hostel I walked over to the Petronas Towers. You can’t really escape them; they are always visible. In photos I didn’t think much of them, but they are impressive in person. Gleaming silver and lit up at night.

I took the train to Pasar Seni and walked around Chinatown. It was lovely. The buildings were low rise and colorful, historic, and often with murals. I am not a foodie but so many places looked like they would be amazing to eat.

I went to a hawker centre and walked up and down the Petaling Street market; clearly geared towards tourists, but it was fun.

I had a tofu drink (and bought a pair of sunglasses I surely did not need) and then meandered over to the Central Market.

*me in Chinatown sporting my new sunglasses*

The Central Market is an indoor market/small mall in a pretty, pale blue art deco building. Inside, I had an amazing bowl of vegetarian laksa from a stall with Elvis cassette tapes on display.

I walked over to the Sri Mahamariamman temple, which looks beautiful, but it was closed for repair, so I took the MRT over to Bukit Bintang to stroll down the colorful mural alley, which lived up to its name.

There is an excellent food street near there with a seemingly endless stretch of restaurants with outdoor seating, but nothing really appealed to me and it was so busy that I worried I would offend someone with my cigar.

*“Special Parts” on food street. I’ve no idea what a “torpedo” is.*

However, what caught my attention was near the entrance to mural alley was a small neighbourhood with lots of middle eastern restaurants. I walked back that way and settled in on the quiet patio of a great little neighbourhood restaurant selling Iraqi street food. (Tarma Iraqi Street Food.) Iraqi falafel is maybe the best falafel in my opinion, so I had to have some. And shisha. And coffee. It was great. A perfect spot that felt away from the other tourists.

I walked back to my hostel. A long walk, but super enjoyable, meandering through the streets.

Back at the hostel I met the girl across the bunk from me: a nice young woman from Amsterdam who had recently finished law school and was on a long solo backpacking trip. We chatted for some time and made plans to do something the next day. (Hostels really are the best for meeting people.) But I wasn’t finished with the day yet.

I had a tip from a friend about a cigar lounge on the 57^th floor of the Petronas Towers (Martini’s on 57), so that is where I decided to finish the day. It only took me 5 minutes to walk there but about 30 to figure out how to get up (there are two towers and numerous doors). Once I headed up, I found myself in a very plush cigar lounge with sumptuous leather chairs, dim lighting, and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city. It was great.

I ordered a martini and asked to buy a cigar. (I had cigars with me, but I wanted to see what they had for sale.) Rather than letting me into the humidor, the man brought me a tray of available cigars to choose from. I selected a Ramon Allones – a good sized Cuban cigar. After making my selection, he instead suggested I have a cigarillo, saying it was popular with “the ladies”. I shot him my coldest of looks and said “Just the Ramon Allones please.” This is a very specific cigar rant, but why he would he think that someone who requests a Ramon Allones by name (and can pronounce it) and who has arrived with their own cigar cutter would want a cigarillo is beyond me. Sexism I suppose. However, the weird, gendered treatment worked in my favour because apparently it was women’s day (?) and that got me a free cocktail. My indignation subsided and I was left to enjoy the impressive views and the gentle smoke.

That cigar cost more than all three of my nights at the hotel combined, but it was worth it.

A lovely end to my first day in Kuala Lumpur. The next morning I would visit the Batu Caves.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Brunei Darussalam

Brunei Darussalam

I flew from Manila to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was one of those places I knew little about but decided to go to because I was in the area, so to speak. I would be there for about 36 hours, which was just right, I think, for a visit to the capital. Since Brunei is a bit lesser known, here are some fast facts…

Fast Facts

Brunei Darussalam (Or just ‘Brunei’, if you’re cool) is a teeny tiny country on the island of Borneo (surrounded by Malaysia) in South East Asia. It is a bit bigger than Luxembourg, but smaller than Rwanda. Most of it is rain forest. About 500,000 people live there. It was controlled by the British until 1984 when it gained true independence. It is a Muslim country. The capital is Bandar Seri Begawan, which is where I was visiting.

I feel like the things that Brunei is most famous for its (1) being wealthy [oil]; and (2) the Sultan. The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien (or Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III for short), is currently the longest serving monarch in the world. He has been on the throne since October 1967. (When he assumed leadership, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a brand new album.) The first time I heard of him was in the 1990s when a lawsuit was filed in the US alleging that he invited beauty pageant winners to Brunei and then kept them as sex slaves. (The lawsuit was dismissed because he’s the Sultan.) Here’s what seems to be verifiable about him: He loves excess and pomp and circumstance (a visit to the museum is a must do – the palanquin alone is worth a glimpse because of its scale). In the 2010s he adopted Sharia law into the penal code. Although he ultimately rolled back things like death by stoning and amputation, it’s still pretty strict. It’s illegal not to attend Friday prayers if you are Muslim and alcohol is banned.

Back to the travel report…

I arrived in Brunei at about midnight. The border crossing was easy and I went to take a taxi to my hotel. The thing that proved problematic was paying for the taxi. There was no public transportation at this time of night so the taxi was my only option. The issue was, I didn’t have any local currency (Brunei Dollars) and all of the currency exchange facilities at the airport were closed. I tried the two ATMs at the airport and neither of them worked with either of my two cards. Fortunately, I had a stash of US dollars on me and so I approached two of the taxi drivers that were hanging around out front of the airport (the only two taxi drivers that I found) and I negotiated a ride to my hotel. It was a little bit frustrating because I didn’t have small enough bills and so I ultimately ended up overpaying I think for the taxi ride. So my advice is when arriving at the Brunei airport late at night, make sure you have cash in small denominations (and in perfect condition – the taxi drivers would not even accept bills with creases).

I arrived at my hotel the Qing Yun Resthouse Bandar, which is perfectly located right across from the waterfront in a very central location and it’s also extremely affordable. It was brand new and spotlessly clean however my room didn’t have any windows, which was less than ideal. Whatever, I would only be there one day.

*windowless room at Qing Yun Resthouse Bandar*

The man working at the hotel (the only person I saw at the hotel) also didn’t speak English. Brunei is one of these places where English is not widely spoken and I had (admittedly) made little to no effort to learn any Malay, so communication sometimes was a challenge, but again I relied on my excellent charades and awkward smiling.

The Terrestrial Sights

My initial impression of the capital was that it was not that impressive. It just looked sort of ordinary. That initial impression was softened as I saw ‘the sights’ and explored a bit more.

On my way in from the airport I had passed a couple of incredible looking mosques by the side of the highway I never did make it back to them. I tried to snap a couple of pictures from the taxi window and failed miserably but even in the blurry captures you can still get a sense of the grandeur of them.

My first stop was the big Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is definitely the most recognizable site from Brunei, and rightly so. It’s spectacular. It looks like something out of a fairy tale; huge, white, golden gleaming, and sitting in the middle of a pond; every angle of it is astonishing. It’s not astonishingly old, however; It was built in the 1950s.

I walked around it and attempted to snap a couple of selfies and then eventually went inside for a look at the interior which was lovely. The men outside who were working on the grounds were very friendly everyone wanted to know where I was from and to chat as best we could.

The thing that was a little bit disappointing about Brunei was that when I arrived it was cloudy and raining, which I figured would spoil my photos. How wrong I was! My favourite photo of the big mosque ended up being the one with the stormiest looking skies. The clouds lifted and the sun came out later and I went back to take more photos, but I didn’t think those had the same atmosphere.

I went to the Royal Regalia Museum. There is more than one museum, but I only went to the one. It’s worth going to learn about the history of Brunei and the Sultan and look at the artifacts and riches of the Sultan and his family.

The Aquatic Sights

Beyond that, and without leaving the general downtown area of the capital, there isn’t much else to do in Brunei itself – on land. There are however some excellent excursions that can be made on the water. From the waterfront there are boats floating around and as I walked along the waterfront several of them would slow down and call out to me to see if I wanted a ride. One man who spoke a little English engaged in conversation with me and I told him I was interested in seeing the floating village and the mangrove forests and he agreed to take me out. I forget the exact price, but it was quite cheap.

We went out for about an hour or so, first through the water village of Kampong Ayer. It’s a small village located on the water (houses on stilts and floating structures) just off the shore from the capital of Brunei. About 10,000 people live here. Apparently, it has been a village for centuries, although at this point the houses all look quite new.

We sailed around the village looking at the different houses. We didn’t stop anywhere to visit anyone, although I understand that is possible.

From there we went into the mangrove forests past thick walls of green trees. Going this way was quite interesting, and it gave us a view of the Sultan’s palace rising above the treetops, shining white.

One of the great things about going into the mangrove forests in Brunei is that if you’re very lucky you’ll see the proboscis monkeys, otherwise known as the ‘big nosed monkeys’. It was pretty extraordinary: we didn’t have to go very far before we saw them up in the trees; maybe about four or five of them. They were sitting and hanging out and sort of jumping from tree branch to tree branch, and I could definitely see their noses which were in fact, well, kind of like penises or potatoes, and very large. I tried to get some photos but they were all useless. This is the best one:

The only other wildlife that we saw on this trip was an alligator who had drowned and was floating belly up in the river and was quite bloated. I’m not going to post that picture because it’s very gross.

The under-looked thing about taking a boat out in Brunei is that if your boat captain is cool (and mine was), you can smoke on the boat. In addition to alcohol being banned in Brunei, smoking is pretty much banned. It’s not illegal to smoke, but the smoking restrictions are so severe that I couldn’t find a place enjoy a cigar. You can’t smoke inside or on sidewalks or on patios or balconies or in parks or on paths… And I was told that you will be found and you will be fined. As far as I understand it, the best place is to get a smoking hotel room, and those do exist; but I didn’t have one of those, so I was delighted to get to smoke on the boat, even if it was just cigarillos and not a full cigar.

Back on Land

After my boat adventure, I had lunch at a little cafe near my hotel which was quite nice, and I chatted with the owner as I was the only person there. We talked for about an hour, and he gave me his feelings about living in Brunei, which seemed to be lukewarm at best.

I spent the next couple of hours just walking around the city.

I visited a picturesque Chinese temple: Teng Yun temple.

It was at this point that I felt like I had really done everything I wanted to do in Bandar Seri Begawan, and I was satisfied that my flight was leaving that night. I had dinner at a local restaurant, Curry and rice that I think cost me about $2.00. It was delicious.

And that was my trip to Brunei. A lot of people had said that it wasn’t worth going to, but I don’t agree. I think every place is interesting and every place is worth visiting – some places for a short time and some for a longer time. I feel like I did Brunei justice. I wouldn’t go back, but I’m glad that I went.

I slept for a short time in my hotel room waking up at an ungodly hour to catch a flight to my next destination: Kuala Lumpur.

Asia Asian capital trip 2023 Philippines

Arriving in Manila

I decided to do a whistle stop trip of a handful of capital cities of closely clustered Asian countries. I was curious about Manila and had long put off a trip to Tokyo. Brunei and Kuala Lumpur fit in nicely. I had 11 days, and I booked my flights meticulously. The first stop was Manila. A 14-hour direct flight from Vancouver.

I know that most people visit the Philippines for the beaches, and the country does look beautiful, however, I was mostly interested in the city; a city that I had heard nothing good about. In fact, the thing the Manila was most famous for, for me anyway, was karaoke. I had read that the patent holder for the karaoke machine was from Manila and that Manila was karaoke crazy; so much so in fact that there had been a series of murders in Manila based around people singing Frank Sinatra songs in karaoke clubs. When the singer sung the song badly—and usually that song was ‘My Way’—people in the audience became enraged and on several occasions this resulted in murders. I haven’t fact checked this, but there is a Wikipedia page and multiple articles about it. As a Sinatra fan and person with a bit a fascination in all things morbid, I was curious.

I’ll tell you right now that I did not do karaoke when I was in Manila. What I was looking for was that club experience. I imagined some sort of dark room full of inebriated locals singing Sinatra songs and torch ballads. I wanted to try my luck; however, when I got there, yes, there were lots of karaoke bars, but they were all the kind with private rooms where you go with coworkers or family members or friends and sit in a sofa and sing to a small TV screen in privacy. That wasn’t the experience that I wanted. I probably should have looked harder. Next time.

Beyond karaoke murders I don’t really know what I expected from Manila. Sometimes I think that’s the best way to approach a place because there’s no chance that you’ll be disappointed.

I checked into my accommodations: the Stay Malate Hostel at which I had booked a small, dingy, but clean and serviceable room with shared bathrooms and I set off to enjoy and explore the city. It was in Malate, which seems to be to be a perfect place to base oneself. Walkable to the sights and surrounded by an authentic, lively and central neighbourhood.

Manilla had a good energy. It was busy and friendly and welcoming and didn’t seem off-putting or dangerous, despite some of the reports that I had read. I think the thing that surprised me most on first appearances was how much it felt like a Latin American country? That assessment may be way off base, but walking around seeing palm trees with coconuts and architecture that wouldn’t have looked out of place in South America, Catholic churches, Spanish sounding names, etc. It just didn’t feel like Southeast Asia.

I was staying in Malate, which is a central area. It was very busy. The streets seemed to have an endless array of what appeared to be strip clubs, karaoke bars, all you can eat meat BBQ joints, and local shops. I devised a sort of a walking tour around that area looked at local monuments and churches and squares; it was all very pleasant, though nothing in particular caught my attention.

The thing that so far was my biggest take away about Manila is the transportation. It was fantastic. There were so many different means of getting around, and all of them excellent. There were buses and taxis, trams and trains, but on top of that there were jeepneys, which as I understand it at one point were modified American World War 2 jeeps that were tricked out to be a form of public transportation. The ones that I saw in the street certainly weren’t that old, but they did still have that look: the front of a Jeep but then a long body and decorated like the chicken buses of Central America with religious pictures and words, art, fringes, velvet lights flashing, and music playing. The back was open with two long benches inside and people just sort of hopped in the back and paid their fare and went on their way. I only rode one once for a short distance. I wasn’t entirely sure what the destination was or how I would know where it was going so one point, I just hopped on one and rode it for a ways down the street in the direction that I was heading and then eventually hopped off. Maybe that’s the way they’re supposed to be used.

There were also two and three wheeled means of public transportation. There were motorcycles that people just rode on the back. There were motorcycles with weird high benches next to them where you sort of sat on an open metal platform next to and higher than the driver of the motorcycle. There were bicycle rickshaws. There were motorcycles with little carts in front that you sat on. And then there was my favorite: the motorcycle sidecar.

I’ve always wanted to ride in a motorcycle sidecar and while this didn’t look exactly like the ones that I had imagined whizzing me around Paris in World War 2, it was pretty outstanding. It was a little rickety motorcycle with sort of a gray semi enclosed seated compartment next to it. Like a little cage. It looked like it might become detached at any moment and I was sitting very low to the ground but it was wonderful to sit inside and have the sights whiz by me and have the air in my face – a little bit like riding in a tuk tuk, but much dodgier.

From the central area I walked up to Rizal Park which was filled with people. It was Sunday and everyone seemed to be out picnicking or playing sports blowing bubbles and eating cotton candy. It wasn’t really my scene, but it was pleasant for a wander. I looked at the fountains and at the public art that was on the edge of the park.

And then I continued on, determined to walk to the central historic area Intramuros . Walking there was a mistake; too far and dull for a walk on the main road. At any point I should have gotten on one of the many methods of public transportation, but I was stubborn and didn’t realize that it was as far away as it was.

Somehow I overshot my destination and ended up at a small slum next to a river. It wasn’t a big encampment, but it was right across the river from one that was fairly large and equally if not more dingy. Families were living in tents cooking with open fires and selling food and snacks and objects to the other residents of the encampment. It didn’t seem dangerous at all; and it was interesting for a wander except for the fact that I did feel desperately out of place it was clear that I wasn’t supposed to be there. I don’t think people appreciated me gawking at them, so I did a loop and went back the way I came, eventually finding my way to Intramuros.

Intramuros was objectively lovely. It looks very Spanish colonial with perfectly maintained buildings in bright colours and ornamentation, cobblestone streets, gorgeous squares with trees and statues, and impressive churches. It was postcard picture perfect; it was not however particularly exciting. I walked around and I had a cigar. I tried an unusual drink made of soft tofu and brown sugar and had lunch at a cafe that had vegan Filipino food (Delicious), which was the only time that I got to try any sort of local food while I was in the city.

Once I was finished exploring that area I walked back in the direction of my hotel towards the park and through the centre, but I did visit the National Museum of Fine Arts. That was excellent. It was free and full of a range of artworks by local and international artists.

Back in Malate, where my hotel was, I walked around and looked for a place to eat. That wasn’t the easiest, vegetarian-wise. There were lots of delicious local fruits but when it came to actually eating a meal in a restaurant there wasn’t a lot to choose from. I ultimately ended up having dinner at my hostel on the rooftop patio, which suited me just fine. The food there was good and cheap it had a view of this busy streets below and there were there was a handful of elder backpackers there with whom I could chat and share mangoes.

I went out after dark and eventually found a place where I could go and sit and have a juice and smoke a cigar. Smoking in Manila wasn’t the easiest of things. Most restaurants and cafes didn’t allow smoking on the patio and the interiors were entirely smoke free, so over the two days and three nights that I was there, the patio at my hostel became something of a haven. The night scene in my neighbourhood was very lively. It was full of super busy restaurants and bars; everyone seemed to be out until all hours of the morning and there was a lot to look at. I enjoyed it even if I wasn’t out partaking.

*Pineapple juice and a Saint Luis Rey robusto.*

It was a pleasant first day. I enjoyed myself. I wasn’t blown away by Manila, but I was glad to have seen it. As far as first days go, it was fine – and I can’t write off the fact that I may have been suffering from serious jet lag after my 14 hour direct our flight from Vancouver. I slept very soundly that night and had plans already for day two, which ended up being much more to my liking than day one.

Africa Sudan Sudan-South Sudan trip 2022

Meroë

Meroë was the main reason I decided to visit Sudan. Pictures of pyramids partly submerged in swirling and otherwise empty desert sands. Not another person in sight. It looked like a dream. And so, on my second day in Khartoum, I made the trip.

My original plan was to take the bus/hitchhike. You can catch a bus from Khartoum that will take you fairly close to the Meroë pyramids and there is a town (Shendi) not far away. You can see the pyramids from the highway on the right hand side and it would not be too far to walk to them if the bus drops you off by the roadside. (Take water!) And there are lots of cars that would likely give you a lift to the nearest town to catch a bus back to Khartoum. Easily do-able as a day trip. That was my plan…until the Sudanese consulate in Ottawa said I needed to have a tour booked to get a tourist visa (and that I could only do this through their one approved tour company) so I booked a driver to take me to Meroë and to get my visa. It wasn’t worth the expense, but it got me there and into the country (and hopefully put a few dollars in a Canadian consulate worker’s pocket) so I can’t complain. Much.

To leave Khartoum, you need special papers authorizing you to travel. This is on top of the visa and the multiple registrations that must be done with the police in Khartoum. My tour company arranged the paperwork, and I arranged the multiple copies of my passport and visa that I would be expected to present at the various roadblocks. On the drive there and back we were stopped multiple times by men in various uniforms (berets, epaulettes askew, medals, brooches, etc) who looked at my passport and paperwork and usually smiled at me. I was extra friendly because I was hoping they wouldn’t notice that the tour company had put the wrong date on the document. They didn’t.

When we got to Meroë I was basically on my own. There is a small fee to enter the site (which you should pay, notwithstanding various unscrupulous travelers noting that you can skip by entering from the back). From there was a walk across the desert to a cluster of pyramids in the dunes.

Sudan has more pyramids than any other country. They are smaller than the ones in Egypt or the Mayan and Aztec ones I have seen, but they are steep, pointy, and plentiful. They are also a bit younger; most being built by the Nubians only about 2500-2000 years ago.

The pyramids were used as burial sites for kings and queens. They have been long since plundered and nothing remains of their contents, but what does remain are excellent carvings – like the sort you would see in Egyptian pyramids.

The thing that is best about the Meroë pyramids though is that you have the place to yourself. I saw one guy on a camel who offered me rides and there were a couple guys at the entrance selling crafts, but at the actual site…it’s all yours. And the setting is spectacular. Rolling dunes of various hues set against a blue sky. The sand is slowly filling up the interior of the pyramids and sweeping up the sides. It’s not hard to imagine them being lost altogether. Conservation is important (which is why you shouldn’t skip out on paying the fee).

It was sometimes a little eerie entering the pyramids and having no one else around. Eerie in a wonderful way. I kept thinking of that old Sesame Street bit where Bert and Ernie are inside an Egyptian pyramid and a mummy comes to life and then does a little dance. I found that eerie too when I was small.

It’s not a large site, so I stayed an hour to two and that was it. We stopped at Shendi for some water and coffee.

There is a lovely looking tented camp nearby (the only proper place to stay the night) and I have no doubt that it is excellent, but it is also very expensive, and so I went back to Khartoum and spent my evening with friends from the Acropole Hotel – followed by a cigar of course.

It was an excellent day.

If I had it to do over, I would have booked a driver to take me on a day trip to Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa, which are not so accessible on one’s own, and I would have gotten myself to Meroë on my own. Instead, I did a second day trip to those sites with a driver on a different day. Day trips in Sudan are not cheap, but the sites are priceless, so it all balances out in the end.

The next day I would visit the camel market and the market in Omdurman.

Asia Central Asia 2022 Kazakhstan

A Bit of Luxury in Almaty

Crossing back into Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan

I had a flight booked from Bishkek back to Almaty. A very short and very inexpensive flight. However, having experienced how quick and easy it is to cross by (shared) taxi and on foot, I decided to skip the airports altogether, ditched the flight and caught a taxi to the Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan border.

I walked across, it was quick and almost without hassle. I say “almost” because the immigration guard for Kazakhstan said insistently that I needed a visa. I just responded “No, I don’t. I get an automatic 30 day visa at the border.” He shrugged and wordlessly stamped my passport.

*the path from one border checkpoint to the next*

Back on Kazakh soil, immediately the women who was in the queue behind me started speaking to me in English. She was from Kyrgyzstan but living in Almaty. She wanted to know if I would share a taxi with her. I said “Absolutely.” She found us a car with two other people waiting and did the haggling (getting us a better price than I could have gotten myself. And in moments we were off. It was a nice drive, with pleasant chats and a stop at a roadside stand for fresh horse milk and balls of qurut. The ride was about $4 CDN and I was in Almaty by 11am.

Back in Almaty and into the lobby of luxury

Back in Almaty at the bus station, I caught a taxi to my hotel for my final night of this trip. I usually stay at hostels or budget accommodation, but sometimes I like to have a bit of a splurge on my final night. To have my own room and not share a bathroom with anyone. That is what I was doing that day and…what a splurge.

I stayed one night at the fabulous Rixos Almaty. Definitely, as far as big hotels go, it is the fanciest place I have ever stayed. Like a Grand Budapest Hotel. Gleaming white in the day and illuminated pink at night. The lobby is a huge atrium with trees and intimidatingly posh-looking cafes – oh, and it has a cigar store and lounge, which was the deciding factor that caused me to book it.

Walking in, I felt like Eddie Murphy in Beverley Hills Cop when he walks into the Beverly Palm Hotel, clearly out of place. I always wear black, and I don’t wear athletic wear, sneakers, or sandals, so I didn’t look super casual, but I had a backpack, and I wasn’t that clean. Everyone else looked very clean and classy. But I had the golden ticket. I had a reservation.

My room was…wow. Huge and with a balcony and a giant bed and the biggest bathtub. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I had just been sharing a single toilet with four men and several cockroaches, so this was a welcome change.

*my room (bubble bath pictures not included)*

I had a bubble bath, got cleaned up, and headed out. First stop was the cigar lounge for a Partagas Series D No.4.

From there I just went out walking. It was a glorious day. I had already done all the sightseeing in Almaty that I wanted to do, so I just walked leisurely. The weather was perfect, and people were out strolling and packing the patios at the sidewalk cafés and restaurants.

*just one of many inviting cafes. I went to this one.*

I stopped and had multiple coffees and some pomegranate iced tea.

more coffee at this side street café with outdoor swing seats

I roamed around and snapped pictures of street art murals. Almaty isn’t super street arty, but there are some nice murals if you look for them.

*murals* *(The middle one reminds me of Weird Al. No idea who it actually is)*

I browsed at an outdoor craft market and just watched the world go by. And then I got to the Opera House; a beautiful and grand yellow structure with fountains. To my luck, there was an opera that night.

The show was “Abai”, a newish (2015) Kazakh opera about the life of poet Abai Qunanbaiuly (a Kazakh poet from the late 19^th century), and it was starting at 6:00pm. I bought a single ticket for the centre orchestra, which cost about $10 CDN.

It was a great treat. I was very happy that it was a Kazakh show, and the production was impressive. Of course, I couldn’t understand a word of it, but I enjoyed the music, staging and costumes. That said, I did leave at the second intermission – not because it wasn’t good – I had seen enough and wanted to enjoy a dinner on my last night in town.

I walked back to what had become my favourite eating/smoking restaurant patio in Almaty and had some Armenian flat breads filled with herbs and I smoked shisha until late into the night.

It was a perfect end to my time in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In the morning I flew home. This trip made me even more curious to visit Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and Afghanistan (the three (of seven) ‘stans I have left to visit. Something to look forward to.

Asia Central Asia 2022 Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan

Almaty to Bishkek

Almaty and Bishkek are close together, making visiting both of them (and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan together on one trip) temptingly easy. Driving is probably the easiest way, but if you don’t have a car or the ability to drive, you can fly (super short flight; you’d spend more time at the airport than you would in the air) or bus/taxi/walking.

In the past, and maybe even now, you could/can take a bus from Almaty to Bishkek right through. From what I hear, it is convenient and comfortable. When I went though they had temporarily stopped that service, so the option was to take a bus to the border, walk across, and then take another bus. That sounded fine. I took a taxi to the huge bus station (Sayran Station) where I discovered that I had just missed the bus and the next was not for about 4 hours. I wasn’t about to spend my time sitting around, so I walked outside to where a ground of men were gathered around cars and hoped that they were taxi drivers and that one of them spoke English. They were, and they didn’t. Through a few words of Russian and a series of pointing, smiling, and nodding gestures, and writing numbers on paper, we set on a price for one of them to drive me to the border at the town of Kordai.

These are shared taxis; you can wait for others to fill up the car and pay for your seat, which is a bargain, but if you’re impatient, you can pay for all of the seats and go. Still not that expensive. That’s what I did. It cost 20,000 Tenge and took about 2.5 hours.

*mural spotted on the way out of Almaty*

The ride was pleasant and took about 2.5 hours. There wasn’t much to see. A few herds of cows and the odd monument to mark the turnoff to some other place.

*No idea what this is for, but doesn’t it look cool?*

Finally we got to the border crossing. A long line of cars and buses waited to cross, but I was walking, so I left my taxi behind, took my backpack and walked across the border, passing the cars and finding myself at the border without having to queue.

The border crossing was a wordless affair as the guard looked at me, looked at my passport, stamped it, and let me go.

*me, walking across the border to Kyrgyzstan with my backpack, a bit bedraggled but happy*

On the other side, I was descended on my predatory taxi drivers, charging too much for their services, but knowing they had me. I did overpay for the ride to my hostel, but it was still a bargain and I was not in the mood to stubbornly wait in the heat.

About 20 minutes later, my driver dropped me off at my hostel: USSR Hostel. In an old Soviet apartment block, now with a row of highly commercial shops at the bottom. USSR Hostel is really more of a shared apartment. The woman who owns it lives upstairs and the 2 bedrooms in this unit are rented out, with guests to share the washroom and kitchen facilities. My room was a cute little pink room with twin beds and a picture of Lenin on the wall. The other room had four guys from Pakistan. They didn’t speak a word of English but seemed nice and invited me to share in their dinner.

I liked this hostel. It was cheap, had a good location, and gave me a look inside one of the style of buildings I am always curious about. It was like staying in a museum or play acting what it was like to live in the USSR. It suited me just fine.

I’ll save my thoughts about Bishkek for the next post, but I’ll just say, if I’m ranking cities (I’m not and no one asked me to), Bishkek came out ahead of Almaty. More for later.

Wandering North

Tag: transportation