On how Asia reminds me of my childhood: Excitement

Cycling around Asia is a great way to see the real life. You can go on an organized tour or you can go by yourself, most of the places are very safe and people are extremly curious about you.

When you cycle in small towns kids get extremely excited. Here's some of the situations:

• Moms with babies waiving at you, starting to teach the kid to say "Hello"
• Kids so little they don't even know what to do, they just stare at you with their mouth wide open.
• If you look at the front yard of the house, you might see little kids going to get their big brother because they want to go by the road and say hello to you.
• Kids screaming "Hello", "What is your name?", "Wellcome to Malaysia!".
• Kids picking up their old rusty bikes and racing you.
• Shy girls smilling at you and waiving from their bikes.
• Teenagers getting out of school and trying to block your way or do stupid things.
• And the most painfull but also the best, High fives! Yes, high fives are back.

When I was little every summer there was a race going on and they would go through my grandparent's house. We would be waiting for them for hourss, to see the cyclist, to cheer at them and to get the beach balls and other merchandising that they were giving away.

Going through the little villages and hearing the kids with their "hello, hello" made me think of what I looked like when I was little.


The picture that ilustrates this post was taken by somebody I don't remember with Max's camera during our trip from Saigon to Hanoi in Vietnam.

Here's other reasons why Asia reminds me of my childhood:
Everything is under construction and there are lots of flowers
Sun drying food and stone tables 
Poorly paved roads and reusing stuff

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Paradise number 3: Pulau Langkawi

After Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Tioman, the third paradise is Pulau Langkawi in the Adaman sea. Some facts about Langkawi:

• Malays eager for consumism, shops and Duty free items love it.
• We meet a lot of very well travelled people that advised us not to come to Langkawi.
• We stayed in Langwaki for over a month, yes, we don't like to be told what to do or where to go. :-P
• This might be the only paradise with a road in it.
• Underneath the surface of a very tourist island, we found two things:
• An amazing expat community that welcomed us inmediately and made our stay in Langkawi a fantastic, unforgetable time. We are so thankful for that!
• Locals living in their kampung houses, going to school and doing their business like everywhere else, I mean this is still their country. I say this because we were told that there where just a few malays in Langkawi!!!
• The water is not clear like in Perhentian and Tioman but the beaches are fantastic and the lake too. 
• There is jellyfish so it is always an adventure to go swimming!
• But for us Langkawi will always be the place where we meet great people that love boats, the sea and travelling! Thanks!

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Bateaux sur la mer d'Andaman

Naga Pelangi avec la gracieuse permission des propiétaires

Damai Indah Luxury Cruises avec la gracieuse permission de TripAdvisor

Pendant un moins nous sommes sur la mer d'Andaman à l'île de Langkawi où on a l'occasion de voir les plus jolies bateaux à voile. Ici une petite description de trois bateaux:

• Naga Pelangi :  bâti avec le plus beau bois du monde et fini avec perfection, on peut voir plusieurs photos ici. Elle s'appelle aussi The rainbow dragon.
• Damai Indah: nous avons fait une croisière avec Captain Dean et Eva pendant un jour et ça était une journée fantastique.
• Lili Marleen: est trop grande et magnifique.

S'il vous plaît, si vous parlez français aidez-moi à améliorer l'écriture, merci !   

Lili Marleen

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Vacances

Aquests dies estem a Langkawi, una illa al nord de Malàisia que és anunciada a nivell nacional i internacional com al millor lloc a on anar de vacances. Això fa que hi hagi molt turisme però té un efecte positiu fantàstic i que no havíem trobat a cap altre lloc: la gent té moltes ganes de passar-s'ho bé.

Quan viviem en altres llocs a on la gent no anava de vacances sinó que hi havia gent local i backpackers-cobradors-de-prestacions-d'atur la gent estava relaxada, passant els dies amb poc interès i endinsats en el que és la quotidianitat. A Langkawi tinc la sensació de que la gent actua com si el món s'acabes. És la sensació aquella de saber que només tens 1 setmana de vacances a l'any i que t'ho has de passar molt bé. Els diners no són un obstacle perquè res pot arruïnar les teves vacances així que vius a tope. És com viure en una illa a on tothom està eufòric i obert a tot. Això si, si alguna cosa no funciona els turistes s'enfaden molt perquè només tenen 1 setmana, però en general són una companyia molt agradable.

Aquí hi ha pocs turistes blanquets com nosaltres, la majoria de turistes són parelles de Sudan, Emirats Àrabs, Dubai, Pakistan,... en lluna de mel. Ens encanta aquesta versió feliç de Platja d'Aro!

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