• Duration: 5 days 4 nights (19th Dec to 23rd Dec 2011)
• Accommodation: Hotel Madrid, GBP242 per person for 4 nights
• Flight: Easyjet, GBP157 (return flight from Bristol to Rome)
• Season/Temperature: Winter, average 0 to 2 degrees Celsius

Note: click on images to enlarge and click on links for further info.

DK Eyewitness Rome

Prior to coming to Rome, I bought the DK Eyewitness Travel book for Rome (~£12 on Amazon). I used it to plan my trip to maximise our stay there. I highly recommend it. One of its unique features is the “suggested itinerary” which I modified to meet our interest. Our planned itinerary is listed below.

For further details on what we did, please continue reading (this post is separated by days below)

Day 1 – 19 December 2011 (available below)

1. Spanish Steps – evening view
2. Trevi Fountain – evening view

Day 2 – 20 December 2011 (available below)

1. Colosseum
2. Palatine Hill
3. Roman Forum
4. Capitol Hill
5. Pantheon
6. Piazza Navona & Christmas Market

Day 3 – 21 December 2011 (to be published soon)

1. Vatican City
2. St Peter’s Basilica
3. Vatican Musems & Sistine Chapel

Day 4 – 22 December 2011 (to be published soon)

1. Trevi Fountain – day view
2. Spanish Steps – day view
3. Shopping at Via dei Condotti
4. Villa Borghese
5. Circus Maximus
6. Baths of Caracalla
7. Piazza del Popolo – evening view

Day 5 – 23 December 2011 (to be published soon)

1. Mausoleum of Augustus
2. Palace of Justice
3. Hadrian’s Mausoleum
4. Piazza del Popolo – day view
5. Fly back to UK

If you’re interested in seeing the photos I took in Rome, it is available in my Flickr page here.

Day 1 (19 December 2011)

Leonardo Express

We arrived in Rome Fiumicino airport around 4PM. From there, we took the Leonardo Express train to Termini (the central train station in the city). The Leonardo Express was €16 and the trip took us 30 minutes. From Termini, we took the Metro to Spagna, the district where our hotel is located. I was quite shocked to see the sad state of these Metro stations. Although it provides efficient and timely service, in general the Metro stations looks very old and dirty. Wires dangling, trash, vandalisms etc.

When we arrived in Spagna, we exited right next to the Spanish Steps. I was quite pleased to know that our hotel, Hotel Madrid, was very near the Spanish Steps and the famous shopping district, Via dei Condotti. As for the hotel, I find the guy at the counter quite friendly. In terms of facilities, it’s your average Rome hotel. I find the small old lift amusing. The rooms were OK, but the bathroom really surprised us. It’s obvious they had put some effort into upgrading the bathrooms. It was very nice. Our room had a very nice view of the small streets beneath (we were on the 3rd floor).

Hotel Madrid

After settling in, it was around 6PM (sunset is around 5PM). We took out our map and went out exploring the city. We went to the famous Via dei Condotti where all the fancy brands are located. From there, we walked south towards Trevi Fountain. I was surprised to find the distances between locations were quite near (I guess things tend to look far from each other on a map).

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi fountain was absolutely gorgeous. The lightings under the water and around the scultures made everything looked surreal. We sat beside the fountain for a while, admiring the designs. After taking photos, we had dinner at a nice cosy Italian restaurant nearby. After that, we walked back along the small alleys in the city to explore the shops.

Day 2 (20 December 2011)

Breakfast at Hotel Madrid

We woke up early that day. The breakfast offered at the hotel was just average, but what I was really impressed with is the coffee. I am well aware that Italy is famous for their great coffee. However, I have to say that from my stay here, the cappuccino at the hotel I stayed (Hotel Madrid), was definitely one of the best.

After breakfast, we took the Metro from Spagna to Colosseo station (Italian for Colosseum). We arrived around 9:30AM. The moment we exited the Colosseo station, the Colosseum (built: 70AD) was right in front of us. I was in awe to see its massive structure. The citadel of ancient Rome, right in front of my eyes. Amazing. Simply amazing.

Colosseum

One of the best thing about coming to Rome in winter is that the crowd is at its minimum. Since we arrived early in the morning, the crowd was even less. We only queued for 10 minutes to get our tickets. We collected the audio guide after that we were off exploring the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is actually not its original name. Back in ancient Rome it was known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. This is because it was built by emperors of the Flavian dynasty. The word Colosseo was probably derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby at the time.

Inside the Colosseum

I know that Rome was sacked by the Goths and over the years Roman structures were pillaged by people. But what really shocked me was that back in the 1600s, the Pope made the Colosseum as a quarry for Renaissance projects. That essentially stripped all remaining marble from the Colosseum. A big chunk of its marble and stone have been converted to other structures in the Vatican and around Rome. The most evident is the steps in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

Arch of Constantine

From the Colosseum, we went to inspect the Arch of Constantine, (built: 315AD) situated right next to amphitheater.

Ancient Romans

Outside the Colosseum, we saw a number of people dressed as ancient Roman soldiers and officials. They would try to convince you to take photos with them. This is a tourist trap. Rome is full with con-mans. I’ve heard many stories of people being conned into this. The honest ones would say their price and you can negotiate. Some would force you to take photos with them without announcing the price, and suddenly, after the photo shoot, they would ask for something like 30 Euros. Be careful. Make sure to negotiate the price beforehand. (I’ll write about my con-man experience on day 4)

Palatine Hill

After admiring the architecture and history of the Arch of Constantine,, we went on to Palatine Hill, the ancient residence of the Caesars. There were a number of structures still standing, notably the residence of Augustus and emperors from the Flavian dynasty. There were even remains on an aqueduct going into Palatine Hill. I’ve always been amazed at the technology of the aqueduct. It’s the ancient equivalent of modern-day piping.

Some spots from Palatine Hill gave us an amazing view of the city. The emperors had a fantastic view of the city. I would imagine they would be very proud to be surrounded by such marvels, while most parts of the world are still living in the jungle.

Roman Forum

From Palatine Hill, we went to the Roman Forum. The main buildings of the forum are no longer standing. However, some smaller temples survived. We visited the Temple of Romulus (in the Forum) that was built in 4th century and explored the remains of the pillars. One particular Arch that caught my attention was the Arch of Septimus Severus (erected in 203AD).

Arch of Septimus Severus

Capitoline Hill

From there, we went on to Capitoline Hill, one of the citadels of the earliest Romans. We explored the area and admired Michelangelo’s cordonata (wide-ramped stair). After that we had teatime at the Capitoline cafeteria. It was a nice rooftop cafe overlooking the south-west of the city. After feeling rejuvenated from the excellent cappuccino served at the Capitoline, we went to the Pantheon. The walk from Capitoline Hill to the Pantheon took us around 10-15 minutes.

Pantheon

The Pantheon (126AD) is the best preserved Roman temple as it was converted into a church in 609AD. It is interesting to note that the famous painter Raphael is buried in the Pantheon. His tomb is clearly marked in the Pantheon.

Piazza Navona

With little sunlight remaining, we walked to Piazza Navona for teatime and to explore the Christmas market. The distance between Pantheon and Piazza Navona is less than 10 minutes by foot. We had a nice teatime at one of the cafes. After that we explored the market and the 2 famous fountains which are the landmark of Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona is located on the ancient site of Stadium of Domitian (80AD), similar in size to the Circus Maximus but used to held foot-based games (rather than chariot-based games).

It was a full day of exploring ancient Rome. I had finally relieved my teenage dream, to see the wonders of the Roman Empire. The next day is set for exploring Christian Rome, the Vatican!

Note: click on images to enlarge and click on links for further info.

Etihad - Business Class

Image above: The interior of Etihad’s business class

Etihad - Reclining chairs

Apart from being able to recline the chair to become a full bed, it also provides a full back massage (similar to Osim‘s concept). Actually if I really think about it, it might just be an Osim chair built into the seat.

My flight had a 2 hour transit in Abu Dhabi. I was really amazed with the airport. It’s massive, modern, and they have all sorts of shops for shopping and dining. Very impressive.

Heathrow - Cardiff Uni pickup

I arrived in Heathrow around 7AM. There was a massive queue at Immigration, and they had a dedicated queue for first time students coming to the UK. I was stuck in the queue for nearly 30 minutes. Once I was out, the Cardiff  International Office was there to greet me and other international students that arrived that morning.

The bus ride from Heathrow to Cardiff took around 2 hours 30 minutes. They took us straight to a hall next to the business school where our accommodation is being sorted out. Since I took private accommodation, I got to skip the whole thing entirely.

I had chosen Victoria Hall, which is a private college hall. The hall is a mere 5 minutes walk from the Business School. Since I had done all the payments and paperwork online, all I did when the university took us there was sign some papers and collected my keys.

Victoria Hall

It took me a few days to settle in. Shopping for groceries, bedding and other miscellaneous items took a few trips to the city. Adjusting to student life after working for 4 years turns out not to be that easy after all.

In my flat, there are 5 rooms. My other flatmates are 1 Thai and 3 Chinese (mainland). The Thai guy is also doing MBA, so it feels nice to have a coursemate living nearby. The other 3 Chinese guys are undergrads.

I’ll try to post as frequent possible throughout my MBA.

Note: click on images to enlarge and click on links for further info.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Basic facts on Mount Kilimanjaro

• 5,895 meters (19,341 ft)
• Highest mountain in Tanzania
• Highest mountain in Africa
• One of the 7 Summits of the World
• World’s highest free-standing mountain

Mountain Operator
After much research, we decided to go with Team Kilimanjaro, a London based mountain operator. Details of the climb are below:

• Operator: Team Kilimanjaro
• Website: http://www.teamkilimanjaro.com
• Route: TK Rongai 7 days
• Mode: Full Camping
• Cost: USD2016 (per person for a group of 4)

Earlier in our discussion, we were considering Marangu (a route with huts, no camping required) and Machame (a very famous route that offers excellent scenery). However, given that we wanted a route that offers the best acclimatisation and the best summit rates, the mountain operator suggested their own version of Rongai, dubbed “TK Rongai”.

Kilimanjaro route map

TK, which stands for Team Kilimanjaro, has developed their own version of Rongai which is by far one of the most unique on the market due to its excellent acclamatisation and high success rate. This is a full camping route that starts at the north of the mountain (in red in the map above) and ends at the south-east of the mountain (down the Marangu route, marked in light green in the map), hence you get to see both sides of the mountain.

Our decision to go with Team Kilimanjaro and to choose their specially tailored TK Rongai route was the best decision we made that guaranteed us a trouble-free trip and first class service by TK’s team members.

Flight

KL > Doha > Dar Es Salaam > Kilimanjaro

My flight to Tanzania was from Kuala Lumpur. I was quite concerned with baggage loss/delays, hence I flew into Tanzania with Qatar Airways, a highly respectable airline. Our route and transit:

Kuala Lumpur > Doha > Dar Es Salaam > Kilimanjaro

The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Dar Es Salaam was on Qatar Airways. The flight cost was RM4,333 (US$1,443). I bought this ticket directly from Qatar Airways’ website.

Precision Air

The flight from Dar Es Salaam to Kilimanjaro was on Precision Air, a local airline. The flight cost was RM1,008 (US$336). I bought this ticket from Vayama.com.

Total Flight: RM4,333 (US$1,443) + RM1,008 (US$336) = RM5,341 (US$1,779)

For Malaysian travelers, we do not need to obtain Visa into Tanzania. The immigration officer will greet you with a friendly “karibu” at the airport. Most non-African nationalities are requested to obtain visa on arrival.

Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro airport, TK picked us up and transferred us to Arusha, where we would be spending 2 nights before the climb. The journey from Kilimanjaro airport to Arusha took around 45 mins.

Arusha
Refer to my Arusha blog post here: http://imran.kifli.net/2011/07/tanzania-arusha/

Safari
Refer to my Safari blog post here: http://imran.kifli.net/2011/07/tanzania-safari/

Kilimanjaro – Video summary
My Kilimanjaro trip is summarized in the video below. If you do not have time to read the full details, please enjoy the video below:

Expedition summary:

• Day 1: Trek from Rongai Gate (1997m) to Simba Camp (2635m) – 3 hours, 7KM
• Day 2: Trek from Simba Camp to Kikelelwa Camp (3675m) – 9 hours, 12KM
• Day 3: Trek from Kikelelwa Camp to Mawenzi Camp (4302m) – 5 hours, 4KM
• Day 4: Trek from Mawenzi Camp to School Hut (4717m) – 6 hours, 8KM
• Day 5: Trek from School Hut to summit (5895m). From summit trek to Kibo Hut (4714m)
• Day 6: Trek from Kibo Hut (4714m) to Mandara Hut (2723m) – 9 hours, 22KM
• Day 7: Trek from Mandara Hut to Marangu Gate (1905m) – 3 hours, 8KM

The full set of photos from this expedition is available on my Flickr here: Kilimanjaro Album

If you’re interested in the details of our adventure, please continue reading:

Kilimanjaro – Day 1 (3rd July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Rongai Gate (1997m) to Simba Camp (2635m) – 3 hours, 7KM

Team Kilimanjaro picked us up at our hotel, The Outpost Lodge around 8AM. We met Sifuel (Lead Guide) and Tom (Assistant Guide) yesterday when they came over for a short briefing. The rest of the team were there, all 17 of them. Later at the Rongai gate they had to add 1 more porter as our luggage was too heavy (total 18 crew). The breakdown of our team was:

• 4 climbers (me, Aiman, Fazril and Farooq)
• 1 lead guide (Sifuel Moshi)
• 2 assistant guides (Max and Tom)
• 1 temporary guide (Yasin) – to assist us on summit day
• 2 waiters (Nickson and Mark) – they are both porters and waiters
• 1 cook
• 11 porters

Yup, as you can see, it was quite like a small platoon moving up the mountain. Initially the plan was for us to head to Marangu Gate (Kilimanjaro National park’s main gate) for registration, and from there we’ll head to Rongai Gate. The journey from Arusha to Marangu was scheduled to be around 1 hour 30 mins, and from there to Rongai Gate should take an additional 3 hours. On the way, Sifuel sent somebody from the office in Arusha to register for us, that way we saved 1 hour of traveling time. We went straight to Rongai Gate.

Porters at Rongai Gate

At the Rongai Gate, the guides then started to assign all porters with their share of luggage and items to be carried. All items were weighted to ensure equal distribution. We had lunch at a hut at Rongai Gate, and around 2PM, we started our hike.

Starting our hike at Rongai Gate

Rongai gate was at 1997m AMSL. The plan today is that we’ll be hiking from Rongai Gate to Simba Camp (2635m AMSL). Based on many reviews, the first day of the Rongai route was supposedly the “ugliest” in Kilimanjaro.

Passing by farms at Rongai

The slopes upwards passed through pine plantations followed by fields of potato, maize and a number of wooden shacks by the local Chagga tribe.

Hike to Simba Camp

To be honest I wasn’t that concerned nor disturbed with this. The various plantations looked completely fine to me. I enjoyed the various scenery throughout the trip.

Simba Camp

We reached Simba Camp (2635m AMSL) around 5PM. The weather was chilly and there were a number of camps nearby. I inspected the tents they gave us and I was really impressed. The mess tent (blue colour) was huge, and our personal tents (green colour, twin sharing) was of high quality.

Personal Toilet

Notorious Kilimanjaro toilet

I was also relieved to see that our “personal toilet” looks very pleasant and easy to use (it was way better than the notorious Kilimanjaro public toilet provided at the campsite).

Personal washing basins

Nickson and Mark provided us our personal wash basins to wash ourselves. Later we discovered these wash basins would be given to us every morning and every evening. After washing up, we went into the mess tent for tea time. We were shocked to see the well organised eating table and the popcorn served. Throughout our 7 day trip, popcorn is served for teatime along with hot coffee or tea.

Dinner in mess tent

After we were done with teatime, we relaxed a bit in our tent and explored the campsite. Dinner was served at 7PM. Again we were surprised with the high quality food. We were served potatoes and beef stew. It was during dinner that Nickson introduced himself formally as our waiter. He said we could talk to him about anything, from the mountain, to culture, to even Tanzanian politics. Over the next few days, me and Nickson talked about all sorts of topics. He was a great companion over those freezing nights. Discussing on various issues really takes your mind off the fatigue and the difficulty that lies ahead.

Later when the sun set, the weather got colder. We realized that it’s only at 2635m and the evening temperature was around 12 to 15 degrees. Little did we know, over the following next few days, the evening temperature at our camps would reach sub-zero. Throughout this trip, we were prepared to face mountain sickness (read about Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) here), but we were definitely not prepared for the cold.

Kilimanjaro – Day 2 (4th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Simba Camp to Kikelelwa Camp (3675m) – 9 hours, 12KM

We woke up early around 6AM. Nickson and Mark brought coffee and tea to our tents. After our wake-up drink, around 15 mins later, they brought our washing basins. After we washed ourselves in the freezing cold, breakfast was served at the mess tent at 6:30AM.

Breakfast

We were shocked to be served toast and sausages, along with porridge! This is even better than what we get back at home!

After breakfast, we quickly packed up and by 7:30AM we left Simba Camp. Simba Camp, at 2635m AMSL, was at the same level with the clouds. After 1 hour of trekking upwards, we could see the clouldline beneath us. The view was breathtaking.

Lunch at Second Cave

We trekked for about 5 hours and had lunch at Second Cave (3487m). There were 2 sections to the Second Cave site. A section was reserved for folks that will be camping and staying the night there, and the other section was for teams that planned to stay there for lunch. We had our lunch just outside of cave.

Kuku na chipsi

Again, we were shocked with the high quality food that was served. Today we were served our favourite “kuku na chipsi” (Swahili for Chicken and Chips). It’s a popular dish throughout Tanzania. There’s a thing about how they fry their chicken that makes it so tasty.

Kikelelwa Camp (3675m)

After lunch, we had our usual tea and coffee, and continued the journey to Kikelelwa Camp (3675m). The trek after lunch wasn’t as steep as in the morning. It took us an additional 4 hours from lunch to reach the camp. The view of Kikelelwa was stunning.

Aiman sleeping

We had our usual teatime (popcorn), and for dinner we were served hot steamy rice and beef stew. Nothing beats hot rice in the cold weather. The temperature was much colder compared to Simba Camp and we were literally freezing. It was difficult to sleep in such low temperatures. Good thing TK gave us high quality sleeping bags. By the second night (at Kikelelwa), I have figured out how to properly use the sleeping bag. Once you’re tucked in and it’s all zipped up properly, it can be quite warm.

Kilimanjaro – Day 3 (5th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Kikelelwa Camp to Mawenzi Camp (4302m) – 5 hours, 4KM

After yesterdays long and exhausting trek, today’s trek was relatively shorter, but just as streneous. This is because we’re going higher up in the mountain and our body needs time to acclamatize to higher altitude.

The trek to Mawenzi Camp

As we were trekking to Mawenzi, we can see that we were leaving Kilimanjaro on our far right. This is all part of the plan as the Rongai Route is meant to help you acclimatize. The route to Mawenzi is part of the acclimatization process. Later when we arrived at Mawenzi we went for an acclimatization walk up to 4500m.

Big milestone at 4100m!

Along the way, we took a photo at 4100m AMSL, the point where we exceeded Mount Kinabalu (4095m). From then onwards it was a different game altogether as our bodies have never reached these altitudes. All team members (except for Farooq) experienced various mountain sickness symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite, nausea and difficulty in breathing.

Mawenzi Camp (4302m)

Mawenzi Camp was something that look right out from Lord of the Rings. It was situated at the foot of Mawenzi Peak, with a small lake with an underground stream. There was a bit of mobile phone reception at Mawenzi and I quickly tweeted a photo.

Traditional african ugali

Today’s lunch was the famous East African dish Ugali. It is made from maize flour (cornmeal), cooked with water to a porridge- or dough-like consistency. We had that with our usual beef stew. However, despite being hungry, we didn’t have the appetite to eat. After eating half of the ugali, we went back to our tents for a short rest. This is part of the affects of being in high altitude, it lowers your appetite to eat.

Mawenzi - acclimatization walk

Around 4:00PM, Tom and Max took us for an acclimatization walk up to 4500m on Mawenzi. This is one of the features that I like with the TK Rongai route. It gives you ample opportunity to acclimatize as the trek is planned on the “climb high, sleep low” methodology.

Mawenzi Camp - aerial view

The hike up to hill beside Mawenzi took us around 1 hour 30 mins. We had a good view of Mawenzi at the top of the rocky hill. At the top, we stayed there for around 15-20 mins to give our bodies a feel of the altitude at 4500m. After dinner, our guides asked if we needed Diamox and me, Aiman and Fazril took 125mg each. That’s half a pill of the standard dosage (the standard pill is 250mg).

That night we slept around 9:30PM. The surroundings were much more colder than Kikelelwa. You see, it’s not a pleasant experience to leave your comfortable sleeping bag around 2AM to use the toilet. It’s extremely cold (around 2-5 degrees). After day 2, we realized the big difference sunlight made despite the freezing winds. We made it a habit to wait until the sun is fully out around 6AM – 6:15AM before going out of our tents.

Kilimanjaro – Day 4 (6th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Mawenzi Camp to School Hut (4717m) – 6 hours, 8KM

That morning we had our usual breakfast. It was freezing in the morning, but once the sun was out, it became quite bearable. We crossed the small hill that we went for acclimatization yesterday, and from then onwards it was a flat plane with a steady inclination towards Kilimanjaro. Later I was told the flat plane was called The Saddle. We could see Kibo Hut from far. School Hut was not visible as it’s covered by a ridge.

The saddle

Trekking at 4300m to 4700m isn’t easy. The thin air resulted in us getting tired faster. Towards the end of the route, there was some rocky area that despite the guide saying “School Hut is just 30 mins away”, we still couldn’t see it. We reached School Hut (4717m) around 4:00PM. We were dead tired and went straight for lunch.

School Hut (4717m)

Initially there was supposed to be an acclimatization walk after lunch, but looking at how exhausted we were, the guides decided to cancel it.

Tonight is our summit attempt. Sifuel told us that he believes it’s best that we attempt a “day summit”, rather than a “night summit”. A “night summit” attempt would start at midnight, and you are expected to reach Uhuru Peak around sunrise. A “night summit” starts around 4AM, and you are expected to reach Uhuru around 6 hours later, around 10AM. We unanimously agreed that we were not keen on seeing the sunrise as the we needed the sun to be out for our hike.

We had an early dinner, around 6:30PM. During dinner, Sifuel briefed us on our summit attempt. He said that we will have 2 summit attempts. One tonight, and another tomorrow, just in case if everything goes bad. He told us to wear 4 layers for our top, 4 layers for our bottom and 3 layers of socks.

Kilimanjaro – Day 5 (7th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from School Hut to summit (5895m). From summit trek to Kibo Hut (4714m)

We woke up around 2AM. After having breakfast and a last minute briefing, we started our ascent at 3:50AM. Most of us didn’t wear 4 layers of pants. I had my Millet Thermal pants layer as my first layer, and the second layer was my Columbia insulated pants, and the 3rd layer was a waterproof trackpants. Later during the summit attempt I realized there was no need for the waterproof trackpants.

Thermal inner pants

As for my top, I had a similar thermal body suit (only that I didnt buy the Millet one, which I regretted), the second layer is a plain long-sleeve tshirt, third layer is a fleece, and the fourth layer is my baloon-summit jacket. As for socks, I only wore 2 layers.

We tracked in darkness for the first 2 hours. We were guided by our headlights, and a bit of moonlight. The guides that were assigned to me, Aiman and Fazril didn’t even use their headlights. They said they could see just fine with the minor moonlight. Amazing eyes.

Making way to Gilman's Point

It was very cold, around 0-4 degrees, with the windchill factor being much colder. After trekking for nearly 2 hours, sunrise appeared and we felt slightly better. We were really exhausted by the time we got to Hans Meyer point (~5600m), and Tom (our assistant guide) even said “it’s OK even if you get to Gilman’s, it’s considered one of the peaks”. That didn’t really helped.

Farooq had left us way ahead by 5:30AM. He’s a fast trekker and he is used to altitude, so he had no AMS and had the energy to push ahead. He summited within 6 hours of leaving School Hut, us (me, Fazril and Aiman) on the other hand, took 12 hours. Imagine that.

Near Gilman's Point

Anyway, at Hans Meyer point, one of the guides pulled out 2 cans of Red Bull for us to share. I felt slightly better after that, but despite my renewed energy, I continued to trek upwards slowly and steadily. I needed a slow ascent to provide my body with enough acclimatization time to avoid AMS. Along the way, we noticed that our drinking water froze, half of the bottle was ice. Sifuel did warn us about this, and to make it still drinkable, we were advised to put the bottles in our bags upside down. That way, the top part of the bottle will freeze (just like a lake in winter, the top layer of the lake freezes, but the water below is still available), but we’ll still be able to drink the bottom part.

Kilimanjaro - aerial view

The photo above is to help readers understand the path we took from School Hut up to Gilman’s Point, and from there onwards to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak. We trekked along Kilimanjaro’s rim.

Gilman's Point (5681m)

We reached Gilman’s Point at 1PM, nearly 9 hours after leaving School Hut. By the time we arrived at Gilman’s, Farooq was there waiting for us. He was on his way back from Uhuru Peak. At Gilman’s, one of the guides pulled out a pack of Pringles. Pringles was OK, but it wasn’t enough to provide us the energy that we needed. We have overshot the standard estimated schedule (the normal plan is that you should be back down at Kibo Hut by lunchtime), and we were really hungry.

Stella Point (5730m)

After having some other light snacks, we pushed on to Uhuru. We passed by Stella Point, and from there the guides had to push us as we were too slow. I had to trek slowly as I was out of breath if I went any faster. The same goes to Aiman and Fazril. 3 hours after our checkpoint at Gilman’s, after pushing really really hard, we reached Uhuru Peak at 4PM.

Uhuru Peak (5895m)

That’s 12 hours after leaving School Hut, with no energy bars or proper meals. We were really exhausted, but upon seeing the Uhuru sign, we were in high spirits and extremely happy. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say some were almost in tears. Our struggle paid off. We were at the roof of Africa, having an unsurpassed view of our surroundings, unbeatable from anywhere on the same continent.

Glaciers at the peak

We took a number of photos and video clip at Uhuru, and around 20 mins later we were on our way down to Kibo Hut (4714m). We still had sunlight by the time we reached Gilman’s. But by the time we went below Hans Meyer point, it started to get dark. We skied down the volcanic ash after descending from Hans Meyer point, and halfway through it, it was sunset. Skiing down the volcanic ash took around 2 hours and it was quite the experience.

You would think “skiing” down the volcanic ash (which is indistinguishable from small rocks) would be easy, no you’re wrong. By that time we had no energy left, we could barely walk straight, and definitely had no energy to balance ourselves properly while skiing down.

Me and Fazril had to stop a few times on the volcanic ash slope to pace ourselves. At the end of the volcanic ash, we had to trek another 30 mins before arriving at Kibo Hut. Around 500 meters to Kibo, a number of porters from our crew came to our assistance. Mark (the assistant waiter) brought fresh juice to us, a sort of congratulatory drink for our success. It felt good to drink something other than cold water for a change.

However, due to my empty stomach from almost 15 hours of trekking with no food (it was around 7PM+ by the time we reached camp), I threw up at the campsite. I felt much better after having dinner. Aiman and Fazril had a quick meal, after that they retreated to their tents to rest. I had washed myself earlier after reaching camp, so I just relaxed at the mess tent while chatting with Nickson. Somehow I had recovered significantly after dinner and I was able to walk around the freezing campsite to enjoy our last night at 4700m AMSL.

Later around 9:30PM Aiman felt hungry so I helped him prepare an instant noodle (the noodle-in-a-cup type). I have to admit, having hot instant noodle in freezing weather, while sitting comfortably in your sleeping is a nice feeling. After 5 days in the mountain, the sleeping bag feels just as good as your bed at home.

Kilimanjaro – Day 6 (8th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Kibo Hut (4714m) to Mandara Hut (2723m) – 9 hours, 22KM

Kibo Hut

We woke up around 6AM. The weather was cold, but the prospect of descending later made us felt excited. After our usual breakfast, I explored the other huts in Kibo Hut, and took various photos. The huts are reserved for people on the Marangu route. The Marangu route is the only non-camping route on Kilimanjaro. For all 5-6 days of their trip, climbers would have cosy wooden insulated huts to sleep in. We chose the camping route as we wanted Rongai’s acclimatization, and because we wanted the camping experience.

Leaving Kibo Hut

We left Kibo Hut around 8:30AM. There isn’t much vegitation after leaving Kibo Hut as we were still in the rocky area of Kilimanjaro. The plan today is to trek for 22KM, with a lunch stop at Horombo Hut (3720m AMSL).

Horombo Huts

We descended via the Marangu route, which is south-east of the mountain. In comparison, we hiked up via Rongai which is north-east of the mountain. One good thing about the Rongai route is that you get to see 2 sides of the mountain. However, the most scenic route are the ones on the west, which are mainly the Machame and Lemosho routes.

Aiman wasn’t feeling too well today. I guess his fatigue didn’t recover and he wasn’t feeling great. To add on to that, he was developing blisters and toe injury, which is common when you’re descending. The guides recommended that we wear sandals but too bad we didn’t bring any.

We arrived at Mandara Hut (2723m) around 7:20PM, and it was already dark. We walked past the huts. Our camp was situated nicely at a clearing, towards the end of the huts. At this lower altitude, the jungle is thick. There’s a lot of trees around us. It’s a nice change from the alpine desert and moorland vegetation that we’ve been getting for the past few days.

What surprises us the most was how cold it was at this altitude. It felt like it was around 5-10 degrees. After much thinking, we guess the trees and greeneries must be the main cause of this excessive cold. In comparison, we didn’t feel this cold at Simba Camp (our first day camp), which is around the same altitude.

Evening at Mandara Huts

That night me, Farooq and Fazril stayed outside our camps for a bit, in the freezing weather. We wanted to enjoy our last night at camp, and the amazingly clear skies of Kilimanjaro. The stars were so clear and bright that you could possibly make out the constellations (if you know how to read it, that is).

Kilimanjaro – Day 7 (9th July 2011)
Trek Details: Trek from Mandara Hut to Marangu Gate (1905m) – 3 hours, 8KM

Mandara Hut

Today we woke up feeling energetic. It’s our last day of camp. Deep down in my heart I knew that I will be missing this experience. So much has happened over these past 7 days. We have seen things that not many people have seen.

Me and Nickson

While packing up before going for breakfast, I manage to get a picture with Nickson (our porter and waiter). He’s a good man. He is currently working here to get some money to finance his part time studies. Later at the end of the trip we exchange contact details to keep in touch.

Breakfast on last day

Today’s breakfast was surprisingly good. We were served pancakes and fried egg. After that, we quickly packed and by around 8AM we were on our way down to Marangu Gate.

On the way to Marangu Gate

On the way down I had a long chat with Sifuel (lead guide). We asked our feedback, and we also spoke of many things about climbing and Tanzania in general. He is thinking of setting up his own company. I was very happy to hear that he had big plans. Something that I learnt from my trip is that the Chagga people are keen on businesses, and so far, all the Chagga men I met have shown this trait. I respect them for that.

Somewhere along the way we came across people who just started their climb. Their guide smiled at us and announced to his team “these guys are on their last day, and we are on our first day”. I wished them good luck.

Marangu Gate

We reached Marangu Gate just over 3 hours later. The Marangu Gate is the main gate for Kilimanjaro. It has all the administrative offices of the Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) and some other souvenir shops. At the exit gate, we had to sign out. The counter next to us were a bunch of Americans who were just about to start their climb. They were having problems with the registration officer as they didn’t have enough cash to pay for the mountain fees. They had to resort to their credit card, which took awhile to be processed.

Marangu Gate registration office

We didn’t experience any of that bureaucratic problems as Team Kilimanjaro handled it smoothly behind us. For that, I felt grateful for choosing TK.

Me, Aiman and Fazril bought Kilimanjaro t-shirts from a guy near the Marangu Gate. I was kinda hoping that the porters would sing us the Kilimanjaro song and the Jambo Bwana song, but they didn’t. I was slightly disappointed. But then, I didn’t see the other climbing groups doing this. In fact, throughout my 7 day on the mountain, I didn’t see any singing (apart from small 2-3 individuals). This is contrary to what I saw on Youtube where after a successful climb, sometimes at the camp and some at the gate, all the porters would gather and they would sing to the climbers.

After everything was packed, we made our way to Moshi, which is around 45 mins from the Marangu Gate. We had lunch at Chrisburger, a popular restaurant serving western\african food. There, we exchange comments and thank you notes, and Sifuel gave us our certificates.

Receiving certificate from Sifuel

After that, we gave them our tips. After their effort in pushing us to Uhuru, and all their first class services at the campsites, all of us decided to give them USD250 each (USD1,000 in total to be shared for all 18 members of the crew). This amount was given to Sifuel, and he would decide on who gets how much (TK has a fixed ratio system for each role (e.g. 1/10 of tip to assistant guide, 1/15 to waiter etc). I have discussed the tipping approach with Sifuel during our conversation between Mandara and Marangu, and I have decided to give the tip via him as he knows best what his team members did.

Suffice to say Sifuel and team was very happy. I was glad to see their happy faces when Sifuel distributed the tips to his team members.

Later when we arrived at The Outpost Lodge, I exchanged contact details with Nickson and Sifuel. I told them if they need any assistance (Nickson with his part-time diploma studies, Sifuel with setting up his new company),  I would be more than happy to help out.

It felt so good to be finally back in the hotel. I took a shower and after that I went down to the cafe to relax and check out the photos we took. Our flight leaves the day after at 7:30AM to Dar Es Salaam. From there, we had a 9 hour transit before our connecting flight at 6:30PM from Dar Es Salaam to Doha, and finally from Doha back to Kuala Lumpur.

Note: click on images to enlarge and click on links for further info.

I was in Tanzania from 1st July to 10th July 2011. The purpose of this trip was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (refer to main article above) and to experience the Safari. During our trip, we stayed for 3 nights in Arusha (2 nights before the climb and 1 night after).

Street views of Arusha

Arusha, as most bloggers put it, is your average African town. It’s small, with lots of people walking around during the day. Albeit its modest infrastructure, it is able to meet your basic needs. They have a supermarket selling all sorts of local and imported goods, a “cinema” mall, a number of African and other western/asian restaurants, and is reasonably safe for a foreigner to travel around.

The Outpost Lodge

Our Mountain Operator, Team Kilimanjaro (website here), arranged our accommodation to be at The Outpost Lodge (website here). It is located on Serengeti Road, away from the normal noise of traffic and touts. It has it’s own laundry service, room with TVs, internet room (with PCs), lounge, and a small swimming pool to chill by. It even serves good coffee such as cafe latte or cappuccino at the restaurant (around ~US$3).

Outpost Lodge - rooms

Outpost Lodge - swimming pool

We paid US$128 per night (that’s US$32 per person per night as we had 4 people in our group). I highly recommended The Outpost Lodge to travelers with a “medium budget”. If you’re on a “high budget”, you might want to consider The African Tulip Hotel (website: http://www.theafricantulip.com). The African Tulip was quite near to our place.

Upon arriving in Arusha, I contacted a Malaysian friend who was working there. In the evening, he took us around Arusha town for dinner.

Khan's BBQ

He took us to Khan’s BBQ, a very famous BBQ restaurant in Arusha. (Khan’s BBQ website: http://khansbbq.com)

Khans - Food

Khan is (as you might have already guessed) an Indian name. They serve localized Indian food with an African twist. It’s a garage by day, and a BBQ joint by night. It offers you a back-alley Africa-style experience for foreigners. They do mixed grills (tandoori chicken), chips, naan bread and a serve-yourself selection of salads and sauces.

Khan's - salads and sauces

Khan’s is recommended by many travel books and I support their recommendation. However, getting there might be a problem at night. From The Outpost Lodge, it’s not walking distance. I was fortunate to have a friend working there. I would suggest other travelers to ask the hotel or your tour company to arrange for transportation if you were to go out at night.

Cinema Mall

After we got back from Mount Kilimanjaro, our Malaysian friend took us for dinner at what is known as the “cinema” mall. The cinema mall has a mini-cinema, a grocery store selling imported products and a variety of good restaurants (Khan’s also has branch there).

The feast at Cinema Mall

After being on the mountain for 7 days, we were very pleased to be served good tasty food. We ordered pizzas, briyanis, naan (from Khan’s) and lots more. I have to say, the briyani was one of the best I’ve tasted in a while.

In the end, Arusha exceeded my expectations. Prior to coming to Tanzania, I was expecting it to be a small town, being so far from the main city Dar Es Salaam. I had a very pleasant stay, all thanks to the friendly people of Arusha, my Malaysian friend and to the staff of Team Kilimanjaro . TK is highly recommeded. Their staff are honest, friendly and hardworking. For details of how excellent they were during my climb, please refer to the main article (link provided above).

The full set of photos taken in Arusha is available on my Flickr here: Arusha Album

To read about our Kilimanjaro climb, click here: http://imran.kifli.net/2011/08/tanzania-mount-kilimanjaro/

We went for safari with our mountain operator, Team Kilimanjaro (website here), as they offered us a discount since we were climbing with them. We choose Tarangire National Park and it was USD169 per person (for a group of 4).

Initially we thought of going to the nearby Arusha National Park, but a Malaysian friend working in Arusha said that Arusha National Park doesn’t have that much animals, and he recommended either Lake Manyara or Tarangire. I did some additional research and 1 day before we left I emailed our safari operator to inform them that I would like to go to Tarangire instead.

Tarangire map from Arusha

Arusha National Park is a mere 45 mins away from Arusha town, compared to Tarangire which is  a 2 hour drive. But since it offers more wildlife, we didn’t mind the travelling. On the way to Tarangire we saw a number of Masai villages. Check out the video below that shows our key photos and videos from our safari:

We saw the following animals at Tarangire:

1. Warthog (“pumba” from Lion King)
2. Zebras
3. Wildebeests
4. Impalas
5. Waterbucks
6. Elephants
7. Ostricth
8. Lion
9. Giraffe
10. Baboons

All in all I was very pleased with my safari experience. The number of wildlife I saw at Tarangire exceeded my expectations and I am very impressed with the hospitality and friendliness of the Tanzanian people.

I plan to return to Tanzania in the future for a pure safari trip, to visit the Serengeti. They had a 4 days 3 night safari which includes the Serengeti but the price was around USD 1300 and that was too expensive for us as our priority was Kilimanjaro.

Hakuna matata (no worries), I’ll visit this wonderful country again in the future!

To view all our safari photos, check out my Flickr page here.

Nur Kasih The Movie

The whole family went to watch the much anticipated Nur Kasih the movie on 20th May 2011. For those interested, check out the trailer below.

I have separated the review into pros and cons. Read below: [SPOILER ALERT]:

Pros

1. Excellent cinematography. Some scenes, like the one at the cemetery, had a superb angle. We were gobsmacked!
2. Superb acting
3. Location of certain scenes was brilliant, especially the ones shot overseas (the one in Petra, Jordan)
4. Well defined plot with sub-plots that gave the whole movie an enjoyable depth
5. All characters had depth and were colourful characters (I guess that was inherited from the TV series, I am comparing this to the recently released Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa where the characters and plot were too simple)
6. Brilliant Islamic messaging that highlights modern stereotypes.
   • This is the scene where Adam invited an Ustaz to the rehab center that he owns for talk on a certain religious topic. The Ustaz refused to proceed with the talk as he said the audience (the boys and girls in the rehab) were not dressed appropriately and lack manners. Adam said there’s no point if we enforced manners and Islamic dressing if we do not help them with their inner understanding on the religion, rather than focusing on the facade. The Ustaz did not agree and he left.
   • Another is when the boss of a certain firm wanted to engage Nur Amina to design a night club (she’s an architect). Amina refused to accept the job offer as she said it’s against her principles to be involved in something that is not permitted in Islam (haram activities). The boss lashed back at her saying she sounded ridiculous, like somebody from a village, and with this mindset she could never progress in this modern world. He also said she is not being thankful as he said he could have given the job to anybody.

Cons

1. I know it’s a love story, but towards the end, when there was a small fighting scene involving Aidil and some gangsters. I was half hoping that Aidil would have some fighting skills, silat or anything of the sort.
2. Some of the scenes might be a bit overly dramatic, especially about how Adam had dreams of terrorist attacks in the Middle East. A stereotype, perhaps?
3. Towards the ending, where they showed Aidil and Adam growing old by using pictures of their future achievements, it was too short and it doesn’t give the audience a full grasp of how successful they became. Furthermore, the scene of the “old” Adam and Aidil with their kids showed their kampung house unchanged. To show that the timeline is now 30+ years in the future, they should have made the kampung house look older and the surroundings change (perhaps more buildings around it?)

Nur Kasih at Petra

All in all, I have to admit that this is by far the finest Malay (Islamic themed) love story that I’ve seen in the local scene. Good job to the director and the crew. The director, Khabir Bhatia, definitely has his own magical touch when it comes to cinematography. He previously worked on the TV series for Nur Kasih and that was a piece of art as well. I hope to see more brilliant movies from him in the future.

Related posts: Siem Reap Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Today is our 1 day Angkor tour. Soknin (our tour guide) picked us up around 8AM. We headed straight to the Angkor registration counter. There were different counters for different ticket types.

• 1 day pass: USD20
• 3 day pass: USD40
• 7 day pass: USD60

Since we signed up for the 1 day tour, Soknin went to the counter to pay and collect our tickets. We also had to line up to take a photo ID for our 1 day pass. The photo ID is used to enter the various temples that we’ll be going on later.

Angkor registration

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. OK, for those who are not familiar with the Angkor temples, refer to the map below.

Angkor Temple Map

Angkor Wat is only 1 of the many temple complexes in the whole area. The Angkor Wat complex is 1.5KM by 1.5KM. And other complexes are way bigger than that. It was after I visited Angkor Wat that I realized I should have taken either the 3 day or 5 day tour. I’m a big ancient history buff and there were other temples complexes that I wanted to see that are just too far and couldn’t be covered within the 1 day trip.

Angkor Wat Facade & Entrance

It was the moment that I saw Angkor Wat from afar that the reality dawned on me that I am looking at one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world with my own eyes. The sheer massive scale of the complex was impressive, and the attention to detail the ancient Khmers put into their engraving is purely mind-blowing! I couldn’t stop imagining how the Khmers carried the stones from the quarry nearly 75KM away, and their coordination that was done in order to built such a massive complex!

Vishnu

Angkor Wat was built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It was built as a Hindu temple but over the years it was converted into a Buddhist temple. This is clearly seen at the large Vishnu (Hindu god) statue with 8 hands at the entrance of Angkor Wat. Buddhist monks have wrapped an orange cloth around the statue to mark its conversion to Buddhism. Soknin agrees that this is not right as Buddha and Vishnu are 2 different gods, but since 95% of the population is now Buddhists, nobody cares to argue otherwise.

Naga

At the entrance of Angkor Wat, we were greeted with the naga. It is interesting to note that the naga in Khmer and Sanskrit means “sea serpent” and “lord of the underworld”, whereas the world “naga” in Malay means dragon. Since ancient Malays were all Hindus, just like the Khmer empire during the early Angkorian period (later they converted to Buddhism), I believe initially the Malay word “naga” meant the same thing before it was corrupted to mean “dragon”.

Soknin explaining on a "leaf" game

As we strode from the entrance to the main temple, Soknin explained that during the Khmer Rouge, there were skirmishes that took place around Angkor. He pointed out to bullet and grenade marks that resulted in minor damage to the façade of the entrance, but most of it was repaired by conservationists. He also told us about a “leaf-helicopter” game that he used to play when he was small. Due to the shape of the leaf (photo above), if you throw it upwards, the leaf would spin downwards like a helicopter.

Angkor Wat

We made our way into the 2^nd tier and later the 3^rd tier of the complex, which, after peeping down from the window, it’s quite high up for a building that was built in the 12^th century. It has magnificent view of the entrance and the moat surrounding it. I couldn’t help but awe in wonder as I further explore the intricate details of the engravings in the inner temple.

Angkor Thom

After Angkor Wat, we moved on to another complex called Angkor Thom. The complex is situated about 10 minutes (1.7KM) from Angkor Wat. In terms of timeline, it was built after Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom, which means “The Great City”, was the biggest and the last capital of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late 12^th century by king Jayavarman VII (1181CE-1218CE). It covers an area of 3KM x 3KM. King Jayavarman VII was a Buddhist hence the whole complex was a dedication to Buddha. You’ll notice the massive sculptures and engravings of Buddha faces in the complex.

Angkor Thom bas-relief

One of the major features of this complex, which is something that I’m really fond of, is the massive bas-relief depicting the life of the King, his soldiers and most interestingly, his subjects. The ancient Khmer went into great detail to depict their citizens selling items in their shops, carrying goods, trading with the Chinese, fishing, getting a massage (yes, a massage!), Chinese traders trying to woo Khmer women, and bigger events such as battles with Cham and a display of might of the mighty Khmer army.

Bayon

The center of Angkor Thom is King Jayavarman’s state temple, called Bayon. Bayon is easily recognized throughout the Angkor complex due to the many faces of a smiling Buddha on the buildings and towers. According to Soknin, at the height of Angkor Thom, there were 1 million people living inside and around the complex.

Ta Keo

While we were leaving Angkor Thom, we passed by Ta Keo. We didn’t stop as it wasn’t part of the plan but it was interesting to see it from the outside. It was left uncompleted. Legend has it that the King Jayavarman V stopped the construction due to a lighting strike on the site, which is believe to signify bad omen. Other historians believe that it was the first temple to be made from sandstone and the type of sandstone used was too hard hence the Khmers couldn’t complete the engravings.

Ta Phrom

After Angkor Thom, we visited The Terrace of The Elephants. We just passed by as we asked Soknin for a detour. We were more interested to visit Ta Phrom. Ta Phrom was built by the same king that built Angkor Thom hence it has the same “Bayon” Buddhist features. The main reason why we insisted on going to Ta Phrom was due to “originality”. It was left pretty much the same condition in which it was found: massive trees growing out of temple ruins, and secondly, that’s where Tomb Raider was filmed (it was filmed at a few temples in the area but Ta Phrom was one of the main ones).

At that time it was already nearing 5PM hence that was the end of our Angkor tour. There were so much more other temples that I wanted to see (e.g. Banteay Srei, Bakong, Preah Khan etc). I guess I could always plan a longer trip (the 5 day Angkor tour) and bring my siblings along next time. The tour guide dropped us near the town center and we went for teatime at The Blue Pumpkin.

Siem Reap Night Market

In the evening, we visited the Angkor Night Market (a different one from the one yesterday) and got ourselves another round of foot massage. It was just as cheap and just as good as the one yesterday. For dinner, we headed to another Khmer restaurant in the alleys near Pub Street. This is also a “$ sign” shop as the meals are around USD2 – USD3. As we were very tired from walking all night long, we headed back to the hotel around midnight. The next day we’ll be going to Tonle Sap, the largest floating village in the world.

Related posts: Siem Reap Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Related posts: Siem Reap Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

This is my blog entry of our 4 days 3 nights trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We took the Air Asia Go package for RM1139. Below are the details:

• Hotel (Prince D Angkor Hotel) + Flight = RM865
• Transfer from airport to hotel = RM12
• Transfer from hotel to airport = RM12
• Angkor Wat 1 day tour (small circuit) = RM161
• Tonle Sap floating village morning tour = RM89

We arrived in Siem Reap around 7:45AM, just as scheduled. I was impressed with the airport. It was modern, the staffs were friendly and it was of modest size (for a town like Siem Reap).

Siem Reap Airport - baggage collection

Baggage pickup was a breeze as our flight was the only flight that arrived that morning. On our way out some of us converted our US Dollars to the Cambodian Riel. The exchange rate was around USD1 = 4000 Riel. I didn’t change any as I’ve been told the US Dollar is very much in use here (due to the fluctuations of the Cambodian Riel).

Near the exit, I spotted an Axiata Hello mobile service provider shop. Axiata is a big Malaysian mobile brand, hence I walked over to see what packages they were offering. Turns out the prepaid plan (USD 10) had good value for money. I was mainly interested in the data plan as I’m a facebook and twitter on-the-go kinda guy. They have a prepaid Blackberry plan where the daily data plan is USD0.75 for 10MB. I signed up for that one. Activation took around 5-10 minutes and right after that I was able to tweet and facebook immediately.

Siem Reap airport - pickup

We were greeted at the entrance of the airport by a tour guide from Seagull Tourist, Mr Thun Soknin. A very polite and friendly Cambodian. He explained to us basic Cambodian culture, 2 of which I shall point out here:

1. Cambodian women do not shake hands with men, they only do the Sampeah
2. The Sampeah has 4 different “respect levels”, from friends or peers (at chest level), to adults or parents (at mouth level), to Buddhist monks (at forehead level) and finally to god or Buddha (above your head)

It is interesting to note that Malay custom has a similar concept when performing a “sembah” (similar to Sampeah) to royalty. For example, in the Perak royal court, the sembah at mouth level is done to “Raja bergelar”, the one at forehead level is performed to “Raja Muda” and the one above your head is performed for the Sultan.

Prince D'Angkor

Our ride to the hotel took us about 20 minutes. We stayed at the Prince D’Angkor, which later we discovered was conveniently located right in the middle of Siem Riep town. After settling in, we explored the town. We started off on foot. The initial impression that I had was that it was quite similar to a town in south Thailand (e.g. Koh Samui, Phuket etc). Tuk-Tuk (their taxi) was everywhere and it’s reasonably cheap. A single ride within the town costs USD2 for 4 people.

Blue Pumpkin

Since it was quite early in the morning (it was 10 something), we went to a local coffee shop for breakfast. We went to Blue Pumpkin (highly recommended by travel books) near Psar Chas and opposite Pub Street. They serve a wide variety of pastries, savoury and snacks, and, most importantly, they have good coffee.

Psar Chas

After breakfast, we visited Psar Chas. (Psar is the Cambodian word for “market”, which is pronounced the same way as the Malay word “pasar”, which means the same thing). Psar Chas reminded me of Ben Thanh Market in Saigon, except that Psar Chas is slightly smaller than its Vietnamese counterpart. They have all sorts of goodies, from clothing material, shoes, bags, fake CDs, everything that you expect to find a normal asian flea market.

Angkor Museum

After that, we explored the town further. We walked along the Siem Reap river. The weather was sunny, but it’s not as hot as Malaysia. We saw a few in-town temples, and we ended up visiting the Siem Reap Angkor Museum. The entrance fee to the museum was USD12, with an additional USD3 for an “audio guide”. The entrance fee was quite high, but it was worth it. The museum was well designed and coupled with the “audio guide”, it’s just like a modern museum in Singapore or London. I was impressed with it. Good job by the local government in investing in such a state-of-the-art museum.

Khmer Restaurant

After spending nearly 2 hours at the museum, we went to have lunch at a local Khmer restaurant in town. It was one of the shops recommended by my travel book. In terms of price, it was a “$ sign”, meaning it’s quite cheap. On average, all the Khmer restaurants that we went costs USD2 – USD3 per meal, which to me was very cheap indeed. Of course there are restaurants that charge USD3 – USD5 per meal (“$$ sign”), but I find the “$ sign” is just as good if not tastier compared to the pricier restaurants.

Fish Massage

After lunch, we went for a fish massage. The fish massage is a big hit for foreigners, but to us Malaysians is nothing new. However, the fish massage is very cheap here (USD2 for 20 mins), and we just had to give it a shot. After that, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Apsara Dance

Around 7:15PM, we took a tuk-tuk to Koulen 2 restaurant for a dinner and Apsara dance show. There were a number of Apsara dance shows in town, but we were told the one at Koulen was the best. It was a big restaurant with a buffet that costs USD12. The dance lasted around 1 hour with various types of traditional Khmer dances, with the Apsara dance being the highlight of the show. For your information, the ladies of the ancient Khmer empire were topless, meaning the ancient Apsara dancers were topless too. Modern day Apsara dancers would wear a tight top so as to preserve their modesty, at the same time retain the elegance of the dance. After the show, we went up on stage to take a close up photo with the beautiful dancers.

Night Market

Around 9:45PM, we headed to the night market to check out the goodies on sold there. We saw a number of arts and crafts products, and a few massage parlors. In the end, all of us took the leg massage for USD2. It was so cheap that I gave the masseuse a USD1 tip. It was, by far, the best leg massage I’ve ever had in Asia.

The Nest

The market closed around 11PM, and after that we went for supper at a cafe called The Nest which happens to be near our hotel. It was a fancy looking cafe ($$ sign) with comfy looking bed-chairs. My friend told me it’s a similar concept to a cafe in in Bali. We took our time to relax and enjoy the Khmer hospitality, which I have to say rivals the world-famous Thai hospitality.

Related posts: Siem Reap Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

Finally, the long awaited Malaysian movie of the year was released a few days ago. For those who haven’t heard of this movie, check out the trailer below. Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa is based loosely on the actual Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa that written in the 16th Century (historians are still unsure exactly when it was written).

I went to see it with my family a few days ago and this is by far the best action-epic movie that a Malaysian producer has ever made. It was amazing. The cast, the fighting scenes and the special effects.

Anyway, here are my reviews [SPOILER ALERT]:

• Very good action scene. Fast paced, realistic fighting choreography and impressive show of epic battles
• Interesting plot with sub-stories, although they could improve by providing more depth on other characters
• Excellent casting. They got the perfect hero, and the heroin
• Brilliant display of culture and dressing of the time (~2nd Century CE)
• Beautifully written classic Malay language, especially the poems, absolute classic
• Not so brilliant choice of music, they should have created a proper theme song
• The ending was a bit rush, you would agree if you had watched it. They could use a few more scenes to show what happened after the battle. For example, they could use a scene to show Merong’s body brought back to his village and Embok crying over his body, while putting her hand on her tummy (she was pregnant), saying “zuriat-zuriat mu akan berlansung dari kandunganku and jadilah mereka raja-raja yang teragung di tanah ini” (English: your descendants would live on from my womb and they would be great kings of this land). Yes, that was my modest attempt at classic Malay.

All in all, it was a great effort by KRU Studios. I felt really proud watching it. Malaysian production has come a long way, and this movie is definitely gonna make it internationally. They have room for improvement, and I hope from here onwards we’ll be creating even bigger and better epic movies!

Tan Son Nhat International Airport

I didn’t set my expectations very high. Being a socialist country with a deep war history, I figured the development would be about the same as Jakarta, or perhaps less. I was in for a big surprise when I landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (HCMC’s international airport). Their airport is modern, clean, efficient, and they really captured my heart with the “ASEAN” lane. Their airport is miles ahead of Jakarta’s sleazy and dirty airport!

Caravelle Hotel

We checked into Caravelle Hotel, which is right smack in the middle of District 1. We had a nice view of the city. One smart thing that I did in this trip (which I should have done for the Jakarta trip) was that I got myself a travel guide book. I highly recommend getting a travel guide book to everyone as it helps you to plan your trips better and so that you know what are the key attractions of your destination.

HCMC Travel Guide

Halal @ Saigon

As all of us were hungry, we went to explore the nearby areas for restaurants. Mum smsed her friend to see if there are any halal restaurants in the area. Surprisingly, our hotel is quite near to the Muslim quarter in the city. We reached the Muslim area less than 10 minutes. We had lunch at a restaurant called Halal at Saigon. The food was awesome and reasonably priced. I was surprised to find the staff there speaking Malay! Later I found out the owner is a Malaysian lady, so perhaps they learnt from each other?

Ho Chi Minh Mosque

There was a mosque in front of Halal @ Saigon hence we decided to stop-by. The description reads that it was built by Indian Muslim traders in the early of 20th century, but they fled the country during world war 2. We spoke to the local imam and muezzin and I was gobsmacked that they speak Malay as well! I asked them where and why did they learn Malay. The imam said generally the Kampuchean Viets are Muslims, and they learn Malay because it benefits them in business, as well as it makes it easier for them to further Islamic studies in Malaysia and Indonesia. Since Malays is easy to learn, they teach each other informally. I never truely understood the 15th century statement that “the Malay language being the lingua-franca of the region” till I reached Vietnam. Gobsmacked, totally gobsmacked.

Highland Coffee

 After that, we went to a well known coffee shop that happened to have a new branch right in front of our hotel. We went to Highland Coffee. It was suggested by a friend (who frequents HCMC) and by the travel book. All of us ordered something different and I was very pleased with the quality of the drinks. Some were even better than your usual Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I was highly impressed that Vietnam has a thriving cafe culture. Apart from Highland Coffee, I saw a few others in District 1.

Famous Malaysians visiting Hong Anh Boutique

Hong Anh Boutique - Interior

In the evening, I accompanied mom to Hong Anh boutique, well known among Malaysians for their baju kurung and kebaya (in Vietnam, yes, I know, it’s surprising). They had a photo of Tun Siti Hasmah and a previous Queen of Malaysia in the shop. It’s that famous! I was there for about an hour, and I saw a few Malaysian ladies coming into the shop. All of them bought the baju kurung in bulk, from what I observed, each of them would purchase around 15-20 pieces each. These baju kurung and kebayas are around US15-US20 and apparently that’s a cheap price, because, they bring these baju kurungs to Malaysia and they sell it for a whopping RM400 (~USD135)! Damn that’s good business! It’s no surprise that the Vietnamese staff here speak Malay, quite fluently too, looking at the number of Malaysians that shop here throughout the year. Why Hong Anh? I guess it must be the quality and the price.

The location of Hong Anh Boutique is shown in the map below (marked in a red X). Notice how near it is to Ben Thanh Market.

Hong Anh Boutique location

The next day was our city tour day. Our tour guide was quite the character. He introduced himself as Charlie. He said he was part of the Vietnam war, but he was a translator for the Americans in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) (which means he fought against Viet Cong). He also fancied himself as having an American accent, in which, to me, he sounded like any other Vietnamese guy you meet on the street. Not too sure who gave him the idea he has an American accent though.

War Remnants Museum

Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum. Charlie didn’t went in with us. He stayed outside. He said the museum was used by the ruling communist party as a propaganda tool. I only understood what he meant when I went inside and saw the photos (below):

Museum propaganda 1

Check out the description or the caption of the photos above and you’ll agree with Charlie. But I guess as victors of the Vietnam War, the socialist government has every right to display whatever news they want to the world.

After that, we went to check out the central post office, Notre Dame cathedral, the handicap handicraft center, a Chinese pagoda, the Reunification Palace and lastly we ended at Ben Thanh Market.

Ben Thanh Market - entrance

Clothing material shop in Ben Thanh Market

Ben Thanh Market is a massive place. They sell all sorts of goods from raw meat to housing accessories, souvenirs, clothing materials etc. What is shocking to me is that the workers at certain sections in the market, especially the clothing materials section, speak Malay! The reason they give is the same as the workers at Hong Anh Boutique. Most of their customers are from Malaysia, therefore knowing basic Malay is good for business! They even know the length of the material you need for a baju kurung, kebaya, and baju melayu (all these are traditional Malay dresses). I’m impressed!

National History Museum

The next day was our flight back to Malaysia, but I managed to squeeze some time in the morning to visit the National Museum. I enjoyed my visit to the museum as Vietnam has a rich history and they have lots of artifacts to show the world.

All in all, I was very impressed with Ho Chi Minh. Since they opened up their economy in the 90s (after the fall of the Soviet Union), they have been developing rapidly, putting countries like Indonesia to shame. I believe in about 10-20 years, they might be at par with Malaysia, or even Singapore.