Stockholm Nights

After a short visit back home I'm now back to writing and traveling. Sort of. I realized that although Stockholm feels very much like my home town I'm  not really in touch with what others have seen and done in Stockholm. Sure the girls are nice and the city beautiful. There are so many other sides to my Stockholm though. Skipping the first fever ridden day of my home coming I'll share my second fever ridden night instead. Mind you that I'm not talking about some phenomenon like Stockholm feaver but an actual getting sick fever.
After being gone for a while the first thing that popes into ones mind is meeting up with friends and doing something really quaint. So we decided to do something we all had grown up with. Yup that's right a Gibb, a Haxx or a LAN gaming night as it is also called. This is when you chill out together and play computer games. A tradition starting early for me growing up in the suburbs of Stockholm. Growing up we used to haul our old stationary gaming machines of differing caliber over to each others houses or some communal building we had access too. A couple of times I think we even got some locale sponsored by our municipality.
Growing older and as laptops got more powerful an office or a lecture hall where the new spots of gaming and fiddling around with computers. Now although we could most likely scramble a few gaming machines we go old school and visited a gaming cafe to do our gaming. Being a bit older it's nice not to have to deal with the hassle of distributing all the games and such and making sure every machine works and all.

Although the more typical clientele of an internet cafe like inferno online are considerably younger than us we figured we'd have a great time anyway. Besides we'd probably kick ass with these kids anyway. Yup that's right we probably would. We're not your ordinary bunch of old school gamers. Having an previously no1 ladder ranked FFA WC3 player, a old national team captain in dota, ladder ranked no1 in 2v2 at SC2, previous QA lead at DICE, game designers and game development entrepreneurs and with more random remarks within the gaming world our bunch of peeps still managed to keep it civilized and all just for fun. I do guess we are getting older though since people started to drop off around 2am instead of the 8am customary retreat time.  Despite this and a few technical issues we still managed to play a list or recommended games.

• WC3 TFT dota
• Q2
• L4D2
• CS 1.6
• SC1

I guess reading this list does reflect on the fact that we are a bit old school. Still we had a good time and I recommend you to have a go at it while in Stockholm Sweden. After all we do host the largest LAN parties in the world and have a very very strong gaming culture.

Hive of Entertainment Automation

Why the epic price difference in movies. Seeing as digital distribution and digital equipment for showing these movies are available at modern cinemas and heck, even back in my old student dorm. Well back then we just called it downloading HD movies. But still the technology is out there and it's being used. So what then warrants the monstrous price difference in movies across the globe. For example. Here in Malaysia I can watch a movie with student prices for something like 6 Malaysian ringgit, 12 SEK or 2$ US. Back home in Sweden it would cost something like 120 SEK or 13EUR. Since we could (at lest in theory) render almost all personnel redundant it's no longer a matter of wage differences. Still Cinemas back home are struggling economically whine the ones over here are doing just fine. Could it be that the prices are so high and the viewing experience so much worse that we just don't value watching movies in cinemas any more. Well I know it's not the experience. I've watched like 10 movies in a couple days. Given those days where spread out on the times I've dropped by KL but still.. Must have cost me a fortune now that I think about it. something like 100 Malaysian Ringgit in total. That would be something like 200 SEK or 20EUR, roughly.
So when will we see the first totally automated around the clock cinema in Sweden? Well most likely after it becomes a reality in japan. After all they love their vending machines. Why not a cinema vending machine with baby vending machines inside?
An Epic hive of automation!

Getting in a strangers car

There are no great adventures to be had in Malaka in terms of an active lifestyle, as far as I know. So no need to venture into the wilderness and build new fortifications or anything. You know, just in case you got the urge. There is however a range of culinary treats to experience. Oh wait, something did happen. Last night when I was walking home from Geographers Cafe. As they finally suceeded in closing and throwing me out after I finally finished my bottle of South African wine I was honked at for walking in the middle of the road. But instead of being angry the driver goes:
You should not be walking  here you should be drinking more with me. Come lets have dim sum and beer! Examining the car with a quick gaze and sizing up the man I figure that even in my drunk state I'd be fine. This however was probably not true since I had half a bottle of whine + 1 glass + 3 beers. Either way we ended up having dim sum and beer early in the morning at this 24hour Chinese street dim sum place. Throwing around a mix of malay, chinese, english and sign laguage, the company was most enjoyable as was the dim sum. Time eventually cought up to my brain and a strined tiereness crept up on me as the effects of dinner coffee slowly faded away. Crazy funny Chinese guy vanished moments after he mentioned that it was time to move his body to some RnB. Me walking home dreaming about a warm shower and a bed (however mosquito ridden it may be) was the

I'd like to recommend ocean cafe which is located in the colonial parts of china town. A couple of minutes away from the old church and hosting a way more interesting repertory of sensations. I'd mainly recommend the Laksa but remain items on the menu are equally good. Some claim they make the best Laksa in Malaka.

I'm currently resting by bottom at the Geographers Cafe. A way too touristy place for my nature, or so I'd it to appear. In fact it's quite nice here. The music is nice, the interior design is nice and if it wasn't for the throngs or tourists dropping by (specially when there are large Asian tour groups) or the sometimes slow service (in western measurements (excluding places like Spain and other places where waitering is a form of sleepwalking)). The food is good though and their selection of imported beers are usually above the normal standards of Malaya watering holes.

What I really don't appreciate here is the ancient Chinese medicine stores. This because they are a large contributor to the hunting and future extinction of many rare animals. Displaying shark and other fins in their windows just makes me wanna cry.

Spending two or three days in Melaka is enough to get a feeling for the place. I've met a bunch of people the really really like the place and stay in near forever terms. Which is more than a few weeks in my book. I would consider staying here in one of the historical and cultural centers of Malaysia for several weeks only if I had some engaging projects or things to do. That, or maybe if you found a girl here. Since I've walked all over this town by now and the girl I want if definitively on a surf board fending off the kuta cowboys right now it's time to move on.
Until next time, at a destination not yet decided but very plausibly containing good food.

White Beaches for Old Buildings

Getting to Malaka during the morning hours one is quickly offered a myriad of taxi services. Red cab with white parts, white cab with red parts, red cab, broken cab. Dodging the most generous offers of transportation I fled into the supermarket a few feet away. Fleeing might be a strong word as they services offered weren't that much pushed in your face as one might except having traversed places like KL, Jakarta or Bali.
A short stop to hydrate and sodium replenishment after the morning buss from KL and the night buss from Mersing clearly boosted my ability to focus and I could now not only think about how to get to China Town but also divide my mind to also think of where to get my next ice cream. Breathtaking, no?
From Melaka Sentral which is just on the other side of the road from where the buss will drop you off one can get bus 17 which usually leaves from stop 6 or 7 which will take you to china town. The fare should be 1RM.

The majority of hostels, and budget hotels are located in the china town area close to most the old colonial architecture as well as historic places. Seeking out a hostel called Jalan Jalan (which means, walk walk, road road or travel in Malay) I soaked in the energies of Melaka and instantly liked it, a lot. This is a place where I can rest and relax for a while. Forget the world and blend in to the landscape of Chinese shrines, dim sum shops and old colonial style buildings. Although my sack of gold is a rather small one the innkeeper's demands for a budget traveler are.

• Dorm with fan 14RM
• Dorm with AC 18RM

For me the big bonuses here are that there are

• No bed bugs =) yay!
• Cheap
• At a central Location
• Free Wifi
• Hot Water Shower
• Clean toilets
• Nice staff
• Friendly travelers

And the big downers are

• mosquitoes
• the wifi can be a bit bouncy at times

Although beer is more expensive here than my last destination certain objects of decadence are available. In fact yesterday I went out and satisfied my human urges. And a damn good Magnum ice cream it was. It fit perfectly after the Indian food I had at Pak Putra. Locally famous for it's naan and chicken tandoori they also demonstrate a ability to produce grade a dishes in all varieties. I'd recommend some family style street dining here to make sure you get a little bit of everything. However if you time it perfectly for dinner you will be waiting for a while as it's a popular places and orders can be delayed for up to 1-2 hours at rush time.

A local amusement of mine is the rickshaws, fancy decorations and a even fancier audio system is sure to entertain. Pumping out loud music, usually sticking to a theme they differentiate themselves from the rest. So far I've definitively caught Michel Jackson, Dangdut, Heavy Metal and naturally the mainstream Malay pop/love songs. Me I'd go with any rickshaw playing jack Johnson even if I don't need to go anywhere. I'll definitively trade white beaches for old buildings in Malaka most days. 

The Man Who Was a Bird; Backpacking Pulau Tioman

If your version of a paradise island is long white beaches, turquoise waters and rain forest covered mountains with a sprinkle of heavy sunlight, Tioman is the place for you. Offering fair diving and some jungle trekking one could spend several days here. Unless one is me that is. For me it's gets old quite fast and after a few strolls in the jungle and a dives in the ocean it turns mundane. A hard life, I know.

For a short getaway this destination fits like a glove.

Walking along Juara Beach

For budget travelers the ABC or air batang beach and harbour area is the way to go. Salang used to be the place but not caters mainly to Asian families and travelers from Singapore. There are still a bit of young blood here though. Even though the island was fully booked and people had a trouble finding accommodation the beaches felt almost empty so there is definitely room for some solitary time if one wishes. In ABC there aren't too man y places to go after late a clock. Things close early and that includes the bars, all two of the. Well there are a few more but the only ones I'd recommend are sunset bar at the southern end of ABC and the B&J dive bar a couple of minutes north of the pier. Getting to Tioman will cost you 45 or 35 RM depending on if you take the first ferry or not. The early one is 10RM more expensive. But it will give you an advantage over the other backpackers when securing housing.

Guarding the guesthouse

In terms of diving I encountered four dive shops but only looked into two of them. Eco divers and B&J dive center. Eco divers being the cheaper one I'd have normally gone with them since I'm quite self sufficient in the blue. However it turned out that two of my dive buddies from Koh Lanta, Thailand now worked at B&J. Did my diving with these guys and they seemed to run a good shop. At lest first. One day a dive master didn't turn up so we dove with one Dive Master(DM) short. No biggie, but I did have to haul a OW diver back down and hand him almost 4kg of weights for him to stay down. Still there was some nice diving to be done. I'd say it was on par with the perhentians, gili trawangan and koh lanta/phi phi.

My two French musketeers

Accommodation is quite easy to find. Getting of the Pier the cheaper places are to the south and the tad more costly are to the north. There are exceptions though. I'd stay away from Johan's since there are bedbugs there at the moment. I ended up staying at merwas or some place with a similar name for a staggering 30RM per night for my own bungalow with a big bed and a fan. The veranda with my own little ocean sunset view was definitely an added bonus. There was only cold water but in this heat I'm not one to complain, much.

Considering that this is one of the cheapest places to buy alcohol in Malaysia the nightlife is near pathetic. During happy hours (5pm-7pm)at sunset bar you will get 3 tiger beers for 10 RM which is damn good for Malaysia. If one feels frisky enough (I did) to traverse the little hill separating ABC from the neighbouring town to the south one can find a couple of duty free stores selling alcohol much cheaper. I scored 3 Hogarden for 10RM or 5 Jazz beer for 10 RM. There are also crates for sale at discount prices. Vodka, whine and other spirits are also cheap, for Malaysia. 45RM for a big bottle of Absolute Vodka or 120RM for some champagne.

There is only one accessible ATM than I know of and it's located about 20 meters north of the airport. No fees are declared on the machine which refers to fees online, somewhere. Dive centers will charge you 3% for card payment so if you can withdraw money without fees in your previous destination it might be a good choice.

When it comes to the beaches the Juara beach is in my opinion the best one I've tried here. It's long white shores are purely sand but can have hints of organic(seaweed and such) degree at times. The second beach I'll recommend is Salang which have some nice sandy beaches with proper snorkeling not far away. The ABC beach is by far the lesser one is this trio of comparison with plenty of little rocks. It is however very nice for snorkeling and and other water activities like sailing and windsurfing. There is no really strong wind though so don't expect anything mind blowing. After all we are on a rest and relaxation trip.

The Juara Path's stream

Walking around the island is an option for the hardy but is quite rewarding for nature loves and people with ants in their pants (like me). The Juara trek is a 7km mountain forest trek which means a lot of steps and ups and downs. There is a small stream close to the drinking water station which one might play around in. Not sure if this is entirely advised by the local administration though. From ABC it's definitely another 1-1-5k to the beginning of the trail. So walking one way or taking a return trip will be a while. I'd book 2-3hours, one way minimum. There is also a route for 4WD vehicles on which one might stroll. This route is a fair bit longer. I'd guess 4km longer from ABC.
Another green hike is the one to monkey bay. Somewhat shorter than the Juara one but I never got around to walking it. It is however rumored the monkey bay is quite the looker when it comes to beaches. Walking around one should keep those eyes open. There are plenty of snakes and large reptiles around. I only spotted one two meter long black snake but king cobras and boas are known to show up in the area. Did spot a 1.5 meter long lizard swimming around though. In fact it's said that the reason there are so few cats on the island is  because they become reptile food if they stray too far. The native monkeys in the island don't seem to share this problem and there are plenty of them to steal a bit of fruit if left unattended. Another addition to the wildlife is the range of raptors (birds) that roam the islands. The legend goes that once when a British traveler visited the island he pointed at it and asked what it was named. A local responded with "Tio" I am, referring to the black bird. This being pronounced "Tioman" the explorer understood it as the name of the island and so it got it's name.  

The Holy Book

There are certainly a few way to look at the world. One way is to have faith, or trust in something. Quite a few people trust their holy books, which ever it might be. Christians, Jews, Islamist or Backpackers, yes Backpackers. Although this topic would possible invite to a rant about religion and logic it will not. This time I'd like to share my fascination with effects of holy books like the rough guide or lonely planet. Undoubtedly these books are read by almost every mainstream backpacker I see. And mostly they follow it's recommendations blindly, often missing out on exploring hidden gems. It's true however that they mostly end up safe and sound avoiding many of the hazards. But then what is backpacking all about. Traveling cheaply or trying to find that unexplored and to you, unique path?

Maybe it's more about having a good experience that is very similar to other people's and friends' good experiences so they can compare experiences and decide that this is what it's all about. I know for sure that the Swedish backpacking comunity or maybe more the Swedish backpacking experience is incredible similar. After all we are one of the most homogeneous cultures out there, despite what many of us would like to think. It is not just my fellow Swedes though I see the throngs of young budget travelers gather in the same spots every time. The event that got me thinking about it this time was when I visited the old reggae bar in china town, KL. I went there with a friend who suggested it. It did have a good ambiance but not near enough to attract that many travelers on it's own. As I see a couple of people stopping outside one by one, unleashing the power of the loneley planet and reading about just this place before they sit down, it becomes obvious how powerful this book is. In fact in this area I saw more young budget travelers (often displaying bags on their backs in all sizes and colours) in 10 minutes than my previous 15 days or so in Kuala Lumpur. Mind you it's not like I've been looked up inside a hotel room or anything. I've been out and about exploring the city, with the locals.

I'd like to tell people to throw away their holy books and look at the world for themselfs. But I know how hard it can be and how comforting it is to have all the awnsers written down for you. That way you don't have to think so much and struggle so much with the hard questions in life. Like where to sleep, eat and what to see and do. I know the one place I could have used one of these holy books was in China where it was more than a bit troublesome to communicate. My solution was inspiered by something my dad did when we where traveling around europe as kids. He drew a toiletpaper roll. I'm not quite sure why. After all I was quite young but I'd assume it was an atempt to find one. My solution was to draw cartoons persorming the action we wanted to do in addition to drawing pictures of objects. This worked out just fine. We even managed to get an article in the local newspaper about us. And I'm quite sure I'll remember those times a lot more than the ones where I have followed a holy books guides. So just consider not bringing those books and just go with the flow. I know a bunch of you have already discovered this way of exploring and I'd like to recomend the rest of you to try it too.

Binge with a capital M

Those of you being families with Indonesia will know that there are some difficulties going to the movies there currently. When I first arrived I was way excited to go to the movies properly. The island in Thailand where I had spent my previous two months was too small to host a movie theater so I was looking forward to the big screen in Jakarta.  I was up for a surprise though. No big time movies where available. Apparently Hollywood had decided to not ship movies any more. But why!?
Turns out that the Indonesian government, always in need or tax money or bribe money decided to put some extra taxes in for the foreign movies. They claimed it was money that was going to support the domestic movie industry. Which by the way is in horrible condition. Movies made 15 years ago are way better than the crappy horror comedy (comedy part non intentional) movies that air today. They are so bad that parts of Indonesia ban then when they showcase their area in them. It seemed to be much confusion about what taxes or fees had in fact been put on these importers of movies. Eventually people seemed to conclude that if was a extra tax put on all distribution, which makes up of a very large part of movie costs in Indonesia.
I guess that's one way to really encourage pirating DVDs and downloading. I mean if it's the only way to watch movies that's what people will do. Good job Indo government.
Anyway getting out of J-town and flying to Kuala Lumpur, with a brief stop over in Bali, I'm again in a nation which likes movies. And not only are they available here, they are cheap too. There are also a range of different classes of movie theaters. The most interesting one being "gold class". Gold class is a theater class with really big and comfy sofas that serves food and drinks during the cinematic experience. of course the air con is way cold and thus you have blankets to boot.
So far I've seen Transformers 3D, the Green Lantern and X-men. Will definitively have a look at what else is available over here. Movie Binge here we go!