Tag: kiwistravelling

House Sitting in Southeast Asia: A Rustic Paradise

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House sitting in Southeast Asia, we just keep coming back!

It was an interesting journey to get here this time, but once on the ground, everything just slotted back into place.

We love Malaysia, and Langkawi is a fabulous island. It is not super busy or highly modern, in fact, some might say it is very rustic. And this is what we love. It is nice to become part of the village, part of the place. Malaysian people are so caring and giving and very accepting of everyone. No matter what your religion or nationality, they never judge or disapprove; beautiful people.

We commence a very pleasant five weeks. We reacquaint ourselves with our favourite foods and reconnect with dear friends we made on the last trip. Lots of walks on the beach, plunging in the pool and duty free beer! We quickly remember the feeling of being in a constant state of sweatiness and mosquito bites! The time flies by, how can these weeks go so fast? It is true what they say – time flies when you are having fun!

We have been to this house sit before, one year ago. So we know the drill, and the dogs, HobNob and BD know us. This is the most magical spot. The house is open so there is a constant breeze coming through. We share the space with all manner of beasties including snakes and the resident Tokay Gecko. The Gecko hangs out upstairs and hides behind the picture frames and talks to us every night. We dont see the snakes but the snake skins are around, which tells us they are there somewhere! We saw centipedes, flying termites and of course mosquitos, we all learn to live together in relative harmony.

There are monkeys in the trees out the back but they don’t try to come in because of the dogs. There is so much bird life here, it is like being in David Attenborough documentary. A pack of Hornbills live on the property, they are always flying around or hopping around the base of the palm trees with their white baggy pants on. A couple of pairs of Greater Racket-tailed Drongs are nesting in the coconut palm, we see them foraging on the tree trunk, eating bugs with their flag-like tail feathers swishing around. It is so amazing, so much nature all around us.

Open air house, perfect spot of yoga – HobNob joining in
Racket-tailed Drongo (Google)
Tokay Gecko (Google)

This time in Langkawi we get to go up the SkyCab gondola to the SkyBridge. Our friend from NZ had called into Langkawi on her way to Thailand so this was the perfect opportunity to play tourist. If you ever get to Langkawi this is a must see!  At 125 metres, the SkyBridge is the longest free span and curved bridge in the world. The bridge deck is 600 metres above sea level and as we are on a small island, that makes it a long way straight up! It is an incredible engineering feat and well worth the visit to see it up close. We had the best day for it too. The bridge is closed if the wind is too high and often the bridge and the mountain peaks around it are shrouded in cloud, so we timed it perfectly.

We are here again in the rainy season, but again, there is not much rain. The rainy season is April to November but it is the worst in September/October. We had forgotten the intensity of the humidity here, consistently being in a “sweaty mess”

We went up to the 7 Wells waterfall and was so surprised at the lack of water, it was a sure tell-tale of how dry the island has been. Drag the arrow to see the difference.

July 23 V May 24
No wonder we are in a constant sweaty mess!
HobNob and BD
The Tiga Pulau – means Three Islands – right in front of our house, that is Thailand at the back!

From Langkawi we make our way by train to Kuala Lumpur. We love travelling by train and it is a nice change. We were not in a hurry to get anywhere so this was the perfect option. Air travel within Southeast Asia is so cheap and you can fly from Langkawi to KL for about the same as the train. It is always so surprising when converting into New Zealand dollars, just how cheap some things are over this part of the world. $42NZD one way flight, KL – LK, crazy!

Our room in the East wing of the Berjaya Times Square

We have 4 nights in KL, really just to fill in time as we cannot enter Thailand until 11 June as we need the full 60 days in Thailand to complete the 2 house sits we have booked there. The Thai government has announced that the tourist visa-on-arrival has changed from 30 days to 60 days, as of 1 June. This is great news as it means we won’t have to get an extension when we get there – but wait one caller!!  On arrival at Bangkok airport, we only get 30 days. We very politely questioned this and were told “oh no, 60 days on arrival is only a concept” OK so we will have to go get an extension.

It is funny how things work out. This is the third year in a row that we have come to Thailand, to this area near Hua Hin. We didn’t actually plan it this way, it just happened! The first 2 years we were here to house sit for Cristina at Paws and Tails. Check out those stories by the links below! 44 dogs is not for the faint hearted! We met some awesome people through Cristina while we were here during those times, and now we are back and sitting for them. We hardly use the housesitting web sites now, we are either doing repeat sits or being requested through word of mouth. So we have two sits ahead, both for friends. In between these sits we will have a few days looking after the dogs at Paws and Tails.

Pantai Kuala Muda

What is it that keep taking us back to Southeast Asia? Malaysia? Thailand, the land of smiles?. Well, it is the food, that’s for sure, the warmth of course and mostly it’s the people! The friendships we make along the way are what it is all about!

Stories of Paws and Tails

The Tale Of Paws And Tails
Another Tale Of Paws And Tails
As the sun sets on Langkawi…… just me and my dog
See you in Thailand, our next adventure has just begun!

Thank you for reading our story

“Time Flies” Metaphore. Time appears to pass more quickly when engaged in something you enjoy

How Did We Get Here?

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The Story Of The Cruise Ship

After a few months in Europe, we start looking at ways to get back down under. We are wanting to go to Vieques, Puerto Rico, on the way home (yes, I know! It is hardly “on the way” haha, but oh well!) to visit friends we have made during the 2 six-month house sits we have done there. Flights from Portugal to San Juan? Amsterdam to Miami? Or should we get to London and then try for Boston or New York, then down to Puerto Rico? It is all very expensive. I mentioned this in my last story that we feel travel has become a lot more expensive since COVID and a lot more troublesome, flight schedule changes etc etc. But we don’t give up and ponder for a few days then come up with this AWESOME plan.

We are both boatie people; we love being on the water – why don’t we go by boat!! So that is how the plan was hatched. On investigation we find there is a Transatlantic cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, leaving Southampton on 13 February, arriving in Miami on 24 February. This is perfect. Cost? Yes, it is a bit more expensive than flying, but you get 11 days accommodation, full board i.e. we WILL get the all-inclusive bar package, and we get from A to B in the process. Perfect! The deal was really good but ending in a few days. We just needed a couple of days to think about it. The deal ended, but the new deal was even better, it dropped another 200 Euro each. No more thinking – BOOKED! We are sailing all the way to the USA from The United Kingdom.

Transatlantic, WOW this is quite a trip. It will take 11 full days at sea, no ports to call into, just plain sailing non-stop. I feel this trip is quite close to my heart and I never thought I would ever do something like this. My Father crossed the Atlantic as part of the trip with his family back in 1960. He was only a teenager at the time and the family were immigrating from Scotland to Australia and New Zealand on the five-pound passage incentive programme. Big deal for them back then and I think the whole trip took 6 weeks. So, I feel I am following a little bit in their footsteps.

Chris has done this crossing before. He was on a refrigerated ship carrying Kiwi fruit for export from New Zealand to Europe. They went through the Panama Canal and then across the Atlantic, in the opposite direction, his trip took 4 weeks, in 2013.

The day comes for us to set sail. We are house sitting in Shoreham-by-Sea so have to get a train to Southampton. There is a lot of industrial action going on with the English rail workers at the moment and our train is now going to be “part bus” But we still make it in plenty of time to make our embarkation slot of 1230. We walk the 1 km from the train station to the port. It is raining and as we round the corner we see her, the Norwegian Joy! She is so big; she will be our home for the next 11 days.

This is brand new for us, neither of us have been on a cruise before so do not know what to expect regarding ……. well, anything!!  We had checked-in online, our bags get tagged and taken away and we join the queue. Passport control is just like an airport and is a very slick operation, they have 1000’s of passengers to process and it goes quickly. Then onto security and same, really easy; hand luggage through the Xray, laptops out and belts off, through the person Xray, done! We are cruising!

Following the corridor to the ship, up, up, up we go, everyone is so welcoming and smiling, there is happy music playing, I am feeling so excited I can hardly contain myself.

We booked a window cabin and found out 2 days before sailing that we had been upgraded to a balcony cabin, we went from level 5 to 13 on this 20-level ship. We are so happy with the cabin; it is a 3 berth which means there is extra room, and the balcony has a table and chairs. Lots of storage space, TV, fridge and a big bathroom, WOW this is awesome!

We find the buffet restaurant and have a late lunch and of course we have a glass of wine with lunch, then go to the main lobby area where a lot of people are gathering. This looks like the place to be and there is a bar. We test our key cards again and ask for bubbly – of course madam/sir – ok cool! We found a couple of very comfy chairs right by the floor to ceiling windows on the starboard side, we can see out over cloudy rainy Southampton, and we sit here and literally pinch ourselves! Is the really happening?? How did we get here? A waiter makes sure we are not without a cocktail and the set-sail party begins. Lots of music, laughter, the atmosphere is awesome, and then we move slowly off the dock, next stop Miami! This is going to be so much fun!!!

Thank you for reading our story!

More coming soon!!!

A Little Bit Of Stress Is Good For You

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Greece to Belgium and two countries in between.

We seem to be encountering more mishaps, or stressful moments as we travel these days. I am not sure whether it is all “Post COVID” fallout, or just that we are getting older, but we are finding that travel is not as easy as it used to be. And it is so much more expensive.

We flew from Brisbane to Zurich via Doha with no problems at all. Leaving Germany to get back to Zurich (train ride) was fraught with stress, but we got there on time and made it to our flight to Athens.

To read that story, click here – https://kiwisdofly.blog/2024/01/10/be-careful-what-you-wish-for/

Getting to Leros Island, in the Dodecanese island group, there are 2 options. A 10 hour ferry ride from Piraeus or a flight on a 30 (or so) seater plane 3 or 4 times a week – depending on the weather. We chose the flight and it was perfect, on time, smooth and spectacular views as we flew into Leros. We could recognise the whole island from above and got pretty excited to be coming back.

Our awesome house owner came to pick us up and we fell instantly in-love with the island all over again. We were here at the end of 2019 for 7 weeks doing this same house sit and we loved it. It is so wonderful to see Michael and all the cats again.

Life on the island has not changed a lot. We felt instantly at home and spent many hours walking the tracks and hills, finding new routes and going over old favourites. The scenery is fabulous and the hospitality is still very Greek – ie so welcoming and generous. Chris did a bit of snorkelling and found more WWII relics including a pistol thingie and many bullets.

Sadly all our house sits have to come to an end at some point. The weather had been really nice, around 16-18 degC most day until the last week. The temperature dropped and the wind came up. 5 days out from our departure, we were studying the weather forecast. We had booked the plane to leave on Saturday, the forecast was not looking good. We had 2 nights accomodation in booked in Athens and a flight to Paris booked for Monday.

What are we going to do if the flight is cancelled? Just to put it into perspective, we have been on the island and experienced 4 departures, 2 were cancelled, so that is 50% chance of being cancelled and the weather was not looking good. We found there was a ferry leaving on Thursday night and Sunday night. If out flight was cancelled then we could get the next flight on Tuesday or the ferry on Sunday, but either way we would lose our accommodation and miss the flight to Paris.

Thursday morning we made the decision to leave the island early. We took the overnight ferry on Thursday night and arrived in Athens a day early, but at lease we got there. We had a fabulous extra day in Athens and on Saturday we watched to see if the flight we were supposed to be on went ……..it did not! We made a good call! But how stressful was that for the last few days on Leros?

Athens is a great city, we loved being there and it turned out to be a bonus that we had an extra day. The Parthenon and the Acropolis were breath-taking. The history and ancientness is almost incomprehensible.

Next stop Paris. Then a very easy trip from Charles De Gaulle through the Metro system to meet a BlaBlaCar in the city centre – I think the Arc de Triomphe was right above us! Our driver took us to Chatellerault. Yes! We are going back to the Chateau!

Read our Fairy tail castle story here – https://kiwisdofly.blog/2019/11/15/our-fairy-tale-in-france/

I cant really describe how wonderful it was to be back. We feel very much part of this family after having 3 months here with them in 2019. They have been super busy the last four years and there are many changes and improvements, and the whole estate is looking amazing! We met the current house sitters and had 3 days of wonderful company, food and lots of laughs.

But, again, it is time to move on. Train, Train, bus – all the way to Amsterdam. When we get to Paris we have 90 minutes to get from Montparnasse to Bercy Seine, google says it is a 30 minute journey. Cool, we can make it. Oh no, here comes our friend “travel stress” The train from Chatellerault, on time. Train to from Poitiers to Paris – delayed 45 minutes. Oh crap, we have a good idea how to get from Montparnasse to Bercy, but it will be 11pm and dark. Sitting at the station, tap tap tapping our feet just praying it all works out. The bus from Paris is an overnight bus, leaving at midnight, if we miss this, then what? Tap tap tap….. 45 minutes late becomes 35 minutes late – yes! And once we were on the train, the driver must have put his foot down because we were only 25 minutes late getting in. phew. we did it!

The Metro system in Paris is so easy. The sign posts and information is so clear, we made it to Bercy Sein Bus station in plenty of time.

The bus ride was great, Blablabus this time, really comfortable seats and we both managed to get a bit of sleep.

Our friends were there at 0630 to pick us up and oh what a fabulous weekend we had. There was still some snow in Holland, which made everything look so beautiful. We did some sight-seeing, saw clogs being made, saw loads of windmills – even went inside one! Saw a frozen lake, watched Mama Mia (well the girls did, the boys went to the brewery!) and ate a lot of wonderful food! So the motto of the weekend was “I am so full – or am I just still full” Again, so wonderful to see friends we have not seen in 4 years.

But yes, it is time to move on again! This time down to Brussels to meet the plane to London. Denis drove us all the way from Holland which was over and above, but we appreciated it so much. A rainy day in Brussels, a few beers and of course frits (French fries) and that is it, our 90 days here in Europe is done and dusted.

Brussels

Fun Fact

French Fries actually originate in Belgium. Yes its a fact! During WWI, American soldiers stationed in Belgium discovered these fried potatos. But because most people in the southern part of Belgium spoke French, they ended up calling these little slices of heaven “French Fries”

Thank you for reading our story!

The Story Of Mr Peanut And Friends

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Sunshine Coast August – October

It has been 3 and a half months since we left Thailand. I remember my Mum saying that time will go faster and faster the older you get, and I am seeing how right she was! Where has this year gone?

My darling Mum, New Zealand

Since Thailand, we’ve been on a roll! We’ve rocked 2 house sits, 1 camping trip and had a blast hanging out with friends and family. No dull moments thats for sure!

I took a week in NZ on the way back to Australia to see family and friends. My youngest daughter Tay, flew back to Australia with me to see her sister. It was so good to have two weeks with her and to have my two beautiful girls together, even for such a short time.

We did a four week house sit in a small village at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast called Pomona. We usually like to stay on the coast and be by the ocean, so this was a change for us being in the hinterland. We thoroughly enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the area. We had 1 dog, 4 cats, 4 geese and 2 chickens to look after. There were kangaroos regularly visiting right into the back yard and the bird life was amazing. King parrots, Cockatoos and Kookaburras to name just a few. The Australian bush is so unique with the smell of the gumtrees and is so full of life. We spent a lot of time walking with Redley around the outskirts of the village through the bush. We did not see any snakes, that would be taking the wildlife a little bit to extremes!

Redley is a beautiful girl, an Australian Kelpie with a gentle nature, we both fell instantly in love. She was such great company and constantly entertaining.

The Geese were a new one for us. We could let them out in the afternoons about 4pm and they would run around in a line, flapping their wings squawking or is it honking?? eating up all the oranges that had fallen to the ground. Redley would round them and the chickens up, it was so funny to watch, around and around the house they would go, bums wabbling, wings flapping. The chickens, John and Jon, laid eggs most days but we had a mystery on our hands. We would find broken eggs in strange places, outside of the coop. There was one wooden egg in the nesting box to encourage laying, that egg ended up in all sorts of weird places too, then it would disappear for a couple of days then turn up again. How is this happening? The coop is fox proof, there were no markings on the dirt of a snake or lizard. Turns out it was a crow! Chris did some temporary crow-proofing and we started getting more eggs for the pan. Those crows are clever though and found a way in, again! The geese started to lay, the crows never picked any of these big beauties up! Very cool to have goose eggs which were made into bacon and egg pies!

Chicken V Goose

Though we loved being out in the country, the time came for us to leave, it was good to be by back on the coast. Chris stayed at his apartment in Marcoola, and I went on to look after my dear friend Shelley’s cat, Mr Peanut, while she went on holiday.

Shelley’s house is out in the hinterland, so I am back in the country. Kookaburras start laughing even before it is light around here! Again, so peaceful and pitch black at night showing up the beautiful stars in the sky.

The health and wellbeing of the pets we care for is always a very big concern for us when house sitting. What is normal behaviour for these pets? and what is out of the ordinary? As we don’t have that “parent intuition” it can sometimes be a bit of a guessing game. We are learning more and more what a huge responsibility this is and how much trust our home/pet owners are putting into us to do the right thing for their beloved pets.

Mr Peanut had an adventure a few years ago where he got lost and did not return for 3.5 years. It is quite a miracle really and a story we will never know fully. If only Mr Peanut could talk! Since then, he has been a bit of a “scardy cat” One day he got such a fright he took off under the house and out the other side toward the paddocks. He stumbled at the fence then ran, hell for leather, down toward the bush. Leigh (my daughter) was there at the time and we tried to find him. We called and called and traipsed up and down the paddocks and even into the bush, no sign. Oh boy! I am hoping it is not going to be another 3.5 years until we see him again!!

Mr Peanut

He didn’t come home that night, Leigh stayed over and we searched again the next day. I made a flyer and got my cousin to print it out to distribute around the neighbourhood the next day if he didn’t turn up. Late that second night he meowed at the door. He was filthy and hungry, my relief was unmeasurable, he was back!! But he was broken! Something very wrong with his face, and he was dribbling and couldn’t eat, but he was purring and he was back! I couldn’t figure out what had happened, I tried to think of all scenarios even thinking he may have had a stroke as the side of his face was droopy.

Leigh and I took him to the vet the next day and were hoping that the vet would be able to solve the puzzle of what could have happened to poor Mr Peanut. He was none the wiser other than the fact that his jaw was dislocated, and as he was examining him it just popped it back in! That looks better already! But an Xray was still needed to check the rest of his face. After consultation with his Mum, Mr Peanut stayed in overnight and had surgery the next day to wire his broken jaw. Poor boy! What a thing to go through.

He came home and was so brave. He hated the big blue collar he had to wear and didn’t much like the runny, soupy food he had to eat, but otherwise all fixed. The wire would come out in 6 weeks. Now he is shaved we think we know what happened. As he ran through the fence, the bottom wire went between his teeth into his mouth and that is why he stumbled, pretty much stopped dead in his tracks, the momentum dislocated and broke his jaw. What a freak accident.

Poor Mr Peanut.

Our last 3 weeks on the Sunshine Coast was filled with lots of friends visiting from NZ and spending as much time as possible with our friends and family who live here. We are heading to Europe and are not entirely sure when we will be returning to Australia. We have been having a very social time thats for sure! who would ever have time to fit work into this very busy schedule!

We did managed to squeeze in a quick 2 night camping trip with Steve and Shelley at Inskip Point. This is a favourite spot and never disappoints. A roast pork in the camp oven, lots of beach time and of course plenty of wine.

I feel so very lucky to have so many beautiful friends and of course my family, who are my best friends of all!

SO it is good bye to Australia for now, see you when we see you!

Thank you for reading our story

Another Tale Of Paws And Tails

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It’s a dogs life – that’s for sure

We returned to Pran Brui Thailand in July for a couple of weeks with no less that 44 dogs. This is a house sit not for the faint hearted, by the time we are finished here we will be ready for another holiday.

Oscar, originally came from Denmark with Cristina

We were here 8 months ago, since then, sadly, 2 dogs have passed, but ten more have joined the team.

We have fallen straight back into the routine we had before, like we have never been away. We are pretty sure most of the dogs remember us and we have broken through some of the barriers we had last time with the stubborn ones.

Fighsty, 18 years old, happy to nap in my arms, such a cutie!

You know it is so interesting watching this pack. There are many different personalities, some leaders, some followers, the shit stirrers and the complacent. The puppies have grown into naughty teenagers, testing the boundaries at every opportunity. The OAP’s are sitting back laughing at the whole circus in front of them. The policeman and the colonel are still ruling but have a bit of opposition from new and younger ones challenging for the “top dog” position. It’s a whole community, a village, with its management and hierarchy very much intact.

  • FlipFlop
  • I can be really naughty when Mum and Dad are away!

Feeding time is a noisy affair. 44 bowls of food of varying sizes, containing a variety of vitamins and boosters. Bone broth for the sick one, Chihuahua food for the chihuahuas, coloured bowls for the poodles. We feed in batches, some are food crazy and need to be separated, others are very polite and wait their turn. We have a great routine and can get them all fed, mostly without incident, twice a day. The dogs can get quite possessive at feeding time and one day a fight broke out, while our backs were turned, under the prep table. It was fascinating to watch as Bob, the policeman, left his bowl and charged in, separating them. He stood growling at them – you could clearly see him saying “stop that you lot! If you are going to fight, take it outside!!!!” and they did! Wow, Go Bob!

  • At times its hard to find a place to put your feet without stepping on a dog

Within the pack, we have blind and infirm, crippled and deformed, but each one has been brought to this beautiful place and loved and cared for by Cristina and her volunteers with unmatched dedication and love. There is about 2 acres of land here for them to run around in. Everyone has a warm and safe bed to sleep in and a loving hand to cuddle and care. It is a paradise for these dogs who otherwise would have a very cruel and painful life.

Most evenings after we have fed the dogs, we go for a walk to the bottom of the garden to hang out for a while as the evening starts to cool a bit. We take Nimbus, the most severely disabled, in the “golden chariot” (old wheelbarrow) down there too. Even though he has little use of his hind legs he can get around really fast. All the different smells are heaven for dogs, they love it. So funny though how they don’t go down that way much unless the humans go there, they are like children, only want to be where you are.

We spent 16 days here on our own. Chris, a volunteer, comes twice a week to help out. We are so grateful for her steady nature and knowledge of the dogs, we couldn’t have done it without her. Pang, a cleaner, comes three times a week to help with all the laundry, cleaning of the dog kitchen and picking up poo. She is a wonderful help and, again, a vital cog in this operation, we were very grateful for all her help.

Volunteer Chris, you are awesome!

When the sun goes down we put the doggies to bed. They all have their place and life goes quiet. Peace…….. Chris and I sit and have a beer and reflect on our day and congratulate each other that we made it through another one!

August in Thailand is supposed to be the rainy season, we had a couple of downpours but not enough rain to do any good. It is very hot and dusty. 34 deg C feels like 41deg C. Watering the garden is becoming a daily affair and jumping into the pool every few hours to cool off. Its not glamourous! Buckets of sweat, mixed with dust and generous amounts of dog slobber from all the loving licks of 44 hot wet tongues.

With having the help of Chris and Pang means we get time out to explore the area. We have a car and motorbike to use along with bikes. The beach is a 35 minute bike ride away so we get down there a couple of times. The water is not perfectly clear and is very shallow, but so nice to get into the ocean.

The food is wonderful – I know I do go on a bit about the food – but it is truly awesome, and so affordable. The markets are fascinating, and we love trying new things – but we do draw the line at the chicken feet and congealed blood. Thai people eat every part of the animal, so glad they do but I can’t bring myself to join in on that tradition, Sorry! The Pork in this part of the world is fantastic! Crispy, pulled, boiled, every style yum yum yum!!

We took a trip down to the Phraya Nakhon Cave. The hike is quite tough but so worth the effort. 110 feet up steep steps to the entrance of the cave then another steep decline into the cave. The cave is huge and there has been a small pavilion built inside. If you get there at the right time, the sun rays flood into the cavern illuminating the golden pavilion, lighting it up like magic. Though we went early enough to see the magical spectacle, it was overcast so we didn’t see it at its best, but still, absolutely amazing! We were the only ones in there and it was very humbling, so very magical.

We had a great time here again. I would so love to take a few dogs home, it would be hard to choose which though, they all have their own personalities and are all great dogs. We Might have a few favourites….cant help but love them!

  • Exactly 44 – all present and accounted for

Thank you Cristina and Paul for bestowing your trust in us to look after your furry kids, we know how much they mean and we are feel privileged to be the caretakers – or perhaps Auntie and Uncle!!

Good Night Team xx

Thank you for reading our story

Almost Forgot George Town

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Chew Jetty, George Town, Penang, Malaysia

I was sitting on a bus in New Zealand, travelling from Tauranga to Auckland writing my story about our trip to Thailand when I realised I had forgotten all about our trip to George Town.

How could I forget George Town?? I reminisce about this beautiful town on the island of Penang, Malaysia as I go through my 1000’s of photos.

We came to Penang from Langkawi to spend a night with Chris’s brother and nephew as they were holidaying here. It was wonderful to see them and share a meal and a few Tigers.

  • Bernard and Ashley

We love Penang, almost as much at Langkawi! And George Town is a very photogenic town, with its famous street art, little surprises around every corner. I love the Chinese shop-houses, the more run down the better! The chipping paint and miss matching shutters are fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 nights there. It was like putting on an old favourite comfy jumper, going to the same old places we have loved, seeing things again with fresh eyes but the same awe and appreciation.

George Town is recognised as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere else in Southeast Asia and contains one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in S.E.A. George Town became a UNESCO world heritage site in 2008 and is the second largest city in Malaysia.

I hope you enjoy this photo journey through George Town and it reminds you of the time you were here, or it inspires you to make the trip to Malaysia.

Penang is definitely worth a trip! If you are in Malaysia, don’t miss it out! And of course the FOOD IS FABULOUS!

And a bonus – We got to watch the All Blacks beat South Africa.

Thank you for reading our very small story

I <3 Langkawi

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I am sitting here with an ice cold drink, upstairs in this wonderful house. My view is of the ocean with Thailand in the distance. I can hear the waves crashing on the shore as I reflect on our time here. I am feeling cool at last with the afternoon breeze coming in and having just got out of the pool. Only an hour ago I had sweat dripping off me, into my eyes, off the end of my nose. I was raking up some leaves and I felt someone’s gaze. I looked around there was a monkey sitting on the driveway watching me. He took off when I came toward him, I said hello to him up the tree as I passed, and he looked right at me and opened his mouth in a big smile. They look so cute, but those teeth look sharp! I had a sudden panic that he might jump at me and bite me – a smiling assassin! So I hightailed it back to the house. A reality check – that’s right, we are in Asia, wow! We really are, sometimes I have to pinch myself.

CHOGM Park

We are almost finished this house sit, 8 weeks have gone so fast. We have had such a great time here in Langkawi, what a little gem. We have always loved Malaysia and we are yet to be disappointed. Langkawi is a very chill island. Nothing really matters, you can be your own person here and no one will judge. “Island Time” is alive and well. The people are so friendly and welcoming and very generous.

Kuah

We were sitting at the café/restaurant next door one rainy night and got talking to the couple at the table beside us. We ended up swapping phone numbers and made a date to meet up the next week. Well, that was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. We have since been to their house for traditional Nasi Lamak, out for a couple of meals, and they have been here for dinner. Just a few days ago, we went to their house for a cooking lesson, Beef Ball Noodle Soup. We cooked outside, on a simple gas cooker right beside the paddy field, surrounded by their beautiful gardens. We often get asked “why?” “why do you like doing this so much?” well this is why; it is the people we meet along the way that enrich our lives so much.

  • Ad and Saj
  • All ready for the pot
  • Great day for cooking ourside
  • Beef Ball Noodle Soup – Delicious

Our neighbour Suzie, has been amazing. She has “Eagleye”, a wonderful little guest house with a bar. We have joined in with her guests and friends as if we are part of the family. She has introduced to Malaysian traditional food and presented me with a bottle of bubbles on my birthday. “My house is your house – you are my neighbour – that’s it” By just being there she has made our stay here extra special.

Suzie

Through Suzie we have met some amazing people. Sabine is from Germany and travels alone, she is a photographer – travelling and taking photos; my dream job! And Shannim, who is from Malaysia, is a spirited pathfinder! She also travels alone to places far and wide, never really knowing where the next wind will take her but embraces every step with bubbling excitement and enthusiasm. Shannim writes all about her adventures too. It has been so exciting to meet both of these inspirational women.

Check out their awesome photos and stories:-

https://instagram.com/flow.photography.sabine?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

https://instagram.com/epicadventuress?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

http://www.epicadventuress.com
  • Shannim (in White) and friends
  • Fire on the beach right with the Eagleye crew
  • Uncle Jonnie playing the Gambler

Shila, our housekeeper brings us treats almost every time she comes, Chicken Curry, Samosa and these little sweet white balls covered in coconut called Ondeh Ondeh. Her daughter makes the best Curry Puffs on the island, we are getting so spoilt!

There is a little round lady in the store at the end of our driveway. She is only open in the afternoons, but she does sell beer, along with hammers and nails, plastic table cloths, chain and bath plugs. We go in fairly regularly and get a couple of Tigers on the way home. She doesn’t speak a stick of English and just laughs every time we speak to her, so we laugh with her and that’s it, we understand each other perfectly! We get the biggest wave and smile every time we go past. She probably thinks we are mad!

There is a craft place down the road, it is a tourist attraction, has all sorts of traditional Malaysian clothing, jewellery, art etc etc. there are also 2 museums on site. We have been a couple of times and I got talking to the batik painting guy and arranged for a day to go in and do some batik painting myself. He designed 3 small frames with the flowers I chose, and he helped me paint the dye onto the fabric. It was so much fun and very relaxing and rewarding. I was very surprised and pleased with the results. He only took equ. $8NZD.

  • Kraft Kompleks Langkawi

We have had so many wonderful interactions with the people here, the Roti shop, the Chinese supermarket, the Night Market stall holders. We even got 10% off the bill when we went to the Tanjung Rhu Resort for all you can eat breakfast. The lady at the “1 o’clock” restaurant; we named it that as she opens at 1 o’clock each day, she makes the best Keow Teow Goreng on the island and whenever we go her son comes out to talk to us and practice his English. It’s a wonderful place.

Fresh coconut

The Island is so beautiful. So green with thick, lush vegetation. If you are not looking at the sea, you are looking at the rugged mountains, so spectacular in their own right. There are mangroves in the estuary’s, caves and picturesque outer islands, rivers, and many waterfalls. We did a boat tour through the mangroves which took us out onto the Andaman Sea, we got to see the island from a different perspective. And, as you know, Donna and Chris are very happy when they are on a boat!

  • The Bat Cave
  • Looking back up the estuary
  • View of Tanjung Rhu with rugged backdrop

Langkawi is sitting at 6 degrees Latitude North, pretty close to the equator and what we notice mostly is there is hardly any dawn or twilight. 0710 is sunrise, according to google, but it is still dark until only about 10 minutes before. Same in the evening, the sun goes down really quickly, if you don’t remember to look, you will miss the sunset!

  • The Seven Wells Waterfall, stunning. 600 steps to climb to get here
  • Crystal clear, cold water – so nice!
  • Telega Tujuh Waterfall, the seven wells are above this fall
Another waterfall within a cycle distance from home, Durian Perangin Waterfall

We have been out on the kayaks twice while being here. The first time our dear, loyal HobNob wanted to follow. We were a couple hundred meters out when we realised that he seriously did want to come with us! He was swimming and swimming. He gave us a bit of a scare, who knows how well this dog can swim! So we went straight back in, close to shore and, yes, he followed – phew! It became a very short paddle along the shoreline with loyal puppy following us along the beach.

HobNob

The next time we went out, we sneaked around the back of the house so he didn’t see us go. We had a great paddle with an encounter with a pod of dolphin. That was the last thing we expected. There were about 6 or 7 including a baby. Most were grey and had blunt dorsal fins which were mottled pink and their faces were blotchy pink, almost looked like they were sunburnt. A variety we have never seen before. They were not in a hurry to get away from us so we just enjoyed their company, thinking how lucky are we! We googled it afterwards and found they were Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin. We were so surprised to see them, it was a great thrill.

It is rainy season now but we haven’t had as much rain as they say we should have had by now. We feel quite lucky! But not so lucky with the mosquitos! They are the size of helicopters here and so quick! The bush mozzies will bite all over, fast as lightening and the bites will itch for about 15 minutes then its all gone. There is another variety around and when they bite, the bite will itch for days and swell up into a red lump. Thankfully it is mostly the bush variety.

  • Nasi Campur in the rain

We are flying to Penang soon, the next chapter is about to begin!

Thank you Langkawi, you have been amazing! See you again soon!

Thank you for reading our story

Tiga Pulau – Three Islands

Published on by kiwisdofly23 Comments

Langkawi, Malaysia

Tiga Pilau, this is the name of the place we are staying here on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. We only found out the other day the significance of the name, we couldn’t work out the reason for the reference to tigers. It turns out that Tiga is Malay for Three and when you look out from the beach right Infront if us there are three islands, it really is quite beautiful. They are three of 99 islands which make up Langkawi. Beyond those three islands, you can see more land, it is a magnificent backdrop and it is actually Thailand that you can see.

Langkawi is approx.. 478km2, 29km long by 16km wide, 99,000 population. Only 4 of the 99 islands are inhabited. Fun fact – Langkawi is an amalgamation of the Malay vocabulary “helang” (eagle) and “kawi” Sanskrit for the bird’s reddish-brown tone.

It is a very easy and cheap flight from Kuala Lumpur, less that $40NZD each. Our lovely home owners were at the airport when we arrived. This is a really popular place for Malaysians to come for vacation as it is only an hour flight from KL and you are transported into another world. A lot slower world. The term “island time” springs to mind.

BD – short for Brown Dog
HobNob

We have 4 days with our owners. Doing the usual familiarisation of the house, pets, and surrounding community. We find that there is everything you could ever need right here in this village. Then it is our turn for a trip to the airport to see them off on their 8 week trip to Europe and Canada.

We have 2 dogs here to look after and a separate little house which is used as an Air BnB, which has guests for the first week. The property is huge with loads of trees and lots of grass to mow. There is a jungle area out the back as well, complete with monkeys! And lets hope – no snakes!

Tiga Pulau

The house is amazing, it has been built to blend into its surroundings. it is completely open throughout the main areas which allows the breeze to come straight through. The pool is right in the middle of the house which has an air-conditioner effect of keeping the place cool.

We have settled into a nice routine with walking the dogs on the beach morning and night, doing a bit of garden maintenance in the mornings, picking up fallen branches, leaf raking, mowing and trimming, then we head off to explore in the afternoons. We are so lucky to have been left a couple of Ebikes, kayaks and a car.

Being right on the beach means we, almost always, have a breeze. It is so hot here. We thought that Vieques, Puerto Rico was our hottest location so far with its high humidity, but we think this tipped the scale. So having the sea right there is a Godsend! It is a sandy beach but from the mid-tide water line there are lot of rocks so it is not the best for swimming, but we only have to go 2-300m down the beach and are able to get in for a dip. We have found that just a 15 minute bike ride from here is Tanjung Rhu beach. What a beautiful spot! Wide white sand beach with water a bit clearer than our beach, lots of shade trees AND a restaurant! We spend a bit of time here, reading our books under a tree and dipping into the water to cool off – the sea temperature is hardy cooling though at 30°C (86°F), it is like a bath and you depend on the breeze after you get out to do the “cooling”. The water generally on this side of Malaysia is not the crystal, gin clear water that we have seen in other places, but still pretty good.

  • Tanjung Rhu Beach
  • Locals will light little fires right there, under the trees, to cook their lunch

Langkawi is a duty-free island! Yes that is a fact! It was awarded duty-free status in 1987, to make tourism more affordable for Malaysian tourists, since then, international tourism has also increased. So the beer and spirits are very cheap. The wine is about what you would pay at home – but it is duty-free, so doesn’t really make sense. A bottle of New Zealand Mud House Sav is 55MYR, but a litre bottle of Stoli Vodka is 34MYR ($11 NZD) and a 24 case of Tiger is 60MYR. But you must admit, there is nothing nicer than an ice-cold beer on a hot day! And at those prices, we are not holding back!

1.80MYR = $0.65NZD

The food here in Malaysia is wonderful and Langkawi is no exception. Here in our little village we have many restaurants and food stalls. You would never go hungry in this place. And everything is so reasonably priced too! There are also dry goods supermarkets, fruit stalls and veg shops. Sweets stands, ice-cream, fried bananas – everything for Breakfast lunch or dinner and everything in between. Thai food, Malay food, western food, fried food, steamed food, noodles, rice, chicken, fish, anything you could ever desire. It is always a bit of a lottery as to what will be open and when. Breakfast goes until about 1pm and lunch is still considered lunch at 4 in the afternoon. I think you just eat when you are hungry and eat whatever you feel like at that time. It is not unusual to have curry for breakfast and it is quite palatable especially if it is at 11am. Nasi Lemak and Roti Canai are usually eaten in the first half of the day.

Roti Canai
Nasi Lemak
  • Nasi Campur – rice with smorgasbord of many dishes
  • one of our regular Nasi Campur restaurants
  • The burger stall

We have the best night market of the island. There is a Night market every single night somewhere on the island. Our Market is on a Friday night and it really is fantastic! There are so many stalls, all the stall holders are so friendly. We just cannot help ourselves and always come home with enough food for two days! Fried Chriken, Koew Teow, sweet corn pancakes, Nasi Goering, Vegitable Baji etc etc etc….   a lot of it is “deep fried goodness” as my gorgeous friend Karen would say – but oh so delicious! Each dish will usually have some sort of sauce in a small plastic bag tied up with a rubber band to go with it, yumm, Friday is our favourite day of the week.

Friday Night Market

Our village is called Ayer Hangat, we are on the North side of the island. With the geography of the island we are actually facing West and we get the most beautiful sunsets. We are a bit away from Pantai Cenang, which is the really touristy part of Langkawi. We are also on the opposite side to the main town of Kuah (which, by-the-way, means “gravy”!) This part of the island is very traditional, not so many tourists over here. It is so funny when you see a car over this side with a big red “M” sticker on the windshield, to get a free drink going through the McDonalds drive-through. It seems so crazy to think that only 20 km away is a McDonalds, KFC, Shell Gas, cappuccino’s and latte’s, when we’re out here in this very traditional village, with food on the street and a cash only society.

We love cycling through the Kampongs, the little villages in behind the main roads. The roads are so narrow, one car width, sometimes gravel, sometimes tarmac. It’s absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. There is a variety of traditional houses and really huge modern homes. There are always kids running around, playing on the streets. They always have a big wave and “Hello”. As you look up you can see the mountains behind, so rugged and lush covered in jungle. Cycling alongside a little stream almost reminds me of the towpaths and Holland except when you look around you see banana trees, coconut palms, the odd little grove of sugar cane, it’s all very green and lush and very much Asia. The water in the stream is pretty milky looking but there are still Lily pads and Lily flowers. Then you come to the rice paddy fields and the roads criss cross the paddy fields. Bright green rice fields, with cows seeming to be roaming free. One of our favourite places to go.

We are loving being part of the community here, we are being recognised by shop and restaurant owners and have made some lovely friends.

Thank you for reading our story!!

There is more to come of this awesome place, see you soon xx

There Is Something About A Saree

Published on by kiwisdofly24 Comments

Chennai, India. We never thought we would go to India, it was never on the “bucket list” so to speak, but here we are and it is almost time to leave.

Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu.  We are based in an apartment right in the thick of everything, Besant Nagar, only 15 minute walk to the beach. We were told this was a good first place to visit in India as it is safe and friendly. A good place to “get the hang of it” before you take the training wheels off.

We haven’t been any further than the city this trip, I would love to get out and see the country side, but that will be the next trip. It has been great to really get to know one place. This is one of the things we love about house sitting, you get right off the tourist route and generally stay longer than just a holiday so you do get to know the local people. It has been harder here to get to know the locals as there is a very definite language barrier, but that doesn’t stop us trying! A lot of Indian people can speak English, but they have such a strong accent, it is hard to believe that we are speaking the same language.

We get a lot of attention here as we look so different. It is the young, probably late teenage girls who stare mostly at me, but when I look at them and smile, wow the smiles that break out on their beautiful faces just melts my heart. They sometimes say hello, or just shyly wave. I am thinking that seeing me, dressed in my ordinary, colour-less western clothing, must be like us in New Zealand seeing someone dressed in a bright coloured Saree walking down our main street. I guess we, also, would take a second look.

This city is a place of extremes. It is so loud and so colourful. I don’t think I have been in a place with so much vibrant colour. The pride in their presentation is palpable. Mens crisp white shirts ironed to within an inch of their life. The small children, immaculately dressed. Girls in beautiful dresses and sparkly jewellery that you would only expect to see on dolls in shop windows in the western world. The little boys with waistcaost and tie, hair slicked down perfectly. And the women, I try not to stare, but they are so beautiful. I cannot tell you how many different colours, shades of colours, colour combinations, depths of colours there are. I don’t think I have seen two Saree the same. Sparkle, silver, gold, flowers, all on their person, it is just stunning. I am guessing when I say 90% of women are wearing traditional Saree, or if not Saree, then other traditional dress like Shalwar and Kameez, and you can tell they wear it with pride and respect. Whether they are selling bangles on the side if the street or at the beach, they are still wearing their Saree – blows my mind!

FUN FACT, the Saree, sometimes spelt Sari, is made from hand woven, uncut cloth and is on average 8.5 metres long. It can be draped over 100 different ways. The first Saree can be traced back to 2800 and 1800BC. The word “Sari” is believed to be derived from a Sanskirt word meaning “strip of cloth”. Traditionally worn alone until the prudish Victorian era, when it was recommended to wear a petticoat and blouse underneath. AND, if you do it right, (the drape) then you don’t need any safety pins! I would so love to try one on! 11 Million people are employed by the saree cloth weaving industry!

Indian people are so business minded, if you don’t have a physical shop, then set one up on the street. There is a guy down the road with a sewing machine on the sidewalk under a tarpaulin. Sometimes you see him cutting cloth on the concrete. What fascinates me most about this one is that behind him are some old wooden shelves filled with books. They look like fabric sample books. This is literally on the street, out in the open, and not very well protected from the weather, this is his office and workroom, just amazing.

Then there is the man fixing suitcases, nothing goes to waste here it seems. The guy fixing bicycles. Mending bikes so old and rusted, they look like they have been around since the first Saree.

The man stuffing fluffy cushions to sell
The shoe selling lady, sandals and jandals all piled up on the footpath ready for you, the customer.
The lady sitting on the concrete, painting terracotta pots to sell.

And then there is the ironing guy. This is the one I like the best. The irons are cast iron and full of hot coals, they look so heavy. There are often two people ironing in the little hut on the street, all day, ironing, ironing. I guess no ironing is done if it is raining.

The bicycle cart which sells fruit and veg and coconuts, the ladies sitting at a table on the street all day, every day, tying flower garlands. The man on a bike with a flask and paper cups selling cups of coffee. The man with the Samosa on a tray on his head, he carries a plastic box too, so when you want to buy, he puts the box down as a temporary stand – he has obviously got this down to a very fine art.

When they do have premises, they can be so small. No bigger than a cupboard with a counter at the front. All their goods hanging all around the opening. Everything from sweets to mobile phones. Fruit, veg, brooms and baskets, you name it! Rice? What kind of rice do you want? There is a counter with about two dozen trays of different rice and grains, there is always a line at this counter. They choose what they want and get a sack of it. So many shops, we often wonder how they all keep a float.

Chennai’s answer to “drive through”

And then there are the shopping malls. No city is complete, anywhere in the world, without a shopping mall with the same high street stores and restaurants. Starbucks, McDonalds and Dominos, they are all here, Marks and Spencer, Sephora, Pandora, Tommy Hilfiger etc etc.

I mentioned extremes, there is great poverty here too. It surprises us sometimes the smallness of the gap between the two. I don’t want to dwell on it, it is a fact of life in every city. But everyone seems happy, I guess it is all perspective. 

Chennai is a sensory overload. The colours, the smells and the sounds, all on steroids, an assault on the senses. But we love it. This adventure was not on the bucket list……….. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge, take the acute angle and give it a go, you might just be surprised at how good it is – because life is far too short not to!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed our story 🙂