Time to save a bit of money!A few days to spare! So we decided to head back to Melaka in Malaysia as we had been there before and really like the place.
Melaka is very multi-cultural and demographics suggests it is made up of the following:
Malays: 57%;
Chinese: 32%
Indians a sizeable minority;
Kristang, people with partial Portuguese ancestry: a small community;
Dutch Eurasians, Eurasians with Dutch ancestry: a minority within the Malacca Eurasian community.
The city center has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008 and is very beautiful!
The cuisine
is a fusion of Chinese (mostly southern Hokkien or Fujian influence),
Portuguese, Dutch, Indian, British and Malay cooking with most dishes
being spicy in nature. It includes dishes like Itik Tim (a soup
containing duck and salted vegetables), Ayam Pong Teh (chicken casserole
with salted brown-bean sauce usually served with potatoes) as well as
the famous Chicken Rice Ball.
While we were here we met up with our old friends Candice and Dan (who we met in Vietnam)! It was really great seeing them and we had lots of fun as usual! Dan and Candice treated us to the cinema (Avengers is a very good film)! Thanks guys for an awesome few days see you back in Essex xxx
THE DEMONSTRATIONS
While we were in Melaka there were peaceful demonstrations regarding the right to fair voting in Malaysia. It appears the demonstrations in KL were not so peaceful. The video (appears to) show a high ranking police officer deliberately hitting protestors. He is then beaten up by unhurt people nearby.The media in Malaysia failed to mention that 1 of the people hit was killed and 5 others injured but did report on the police officers injuries...hmmmm!
Singapore Zoo is a ecological adventure (yeh I know I sound geeky but I seriously couldn't care less!). It has over 3,000 animals inhabiting real, lush tropical rainforest!! It takes up roughly 28 hectares of rainforest and was built at a cost of 9 million Singapore $ (granted by the Government of Singapore). It was opened on 27 June 1973 and is operated by Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
There are about 315 species of animal in the zoo, of which some 16% are
considered threatened species. The zoo attracts about 1.6 million
visitors each year.
From the beginning, Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of
displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits with moats instead of glass between the animals and visitors.Animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures separated from the visitors by either dry or wet moats. The moats are concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision.
The Wildlife Healthcare & Research Center was opened in March
2006 as part of the zoo's efforts in wildlife conservation. The center
further underscores Singapore Zoo's commitment to
conservation research, providing the infrastructure for the parks and
overseas zoological partners to better execute their research
programmes. For example Singapore Zoo is the first zoo in the world to breed a polar bear in the tropics. Inuka was conceived on 26 December 1990.
The zoo also embarked on various rescue and conservation efforts to protect wildlife. Steve Irwin admired the Singapore Zoo greatly, adopting it as the 'sister zoo' to the Australia Zoo. He was at the Singapore Zoo in 2006 to officiate the opening of the Australian Outback exhibit. Anyway that's enough background information!
TREETOPS TRAIL
So basically you walk over suspended bridges and can see lots of
birds.....at first I think well I like birds as much as the next person
but I had more interesting animals in mind! Then I looked down and I saw
these Monsters!
FOREST LODGE
So as I walked through Forest Lodge the first animal I saw was the Tapir. I couldn't believe how big the enclosure was for one animal and how healthy he looked! So much better than Beijing Zoo so far!
Next I came to the Pygmy Hippo enclosure. This was really cool. A tank filled with fish....I could even see the Hippo but as I was walking away I saw all the fish dart to one side and watched as one of the Hippo's walked along the bottom of the water...pretty cool!!
Next the White Tiger! The enclosure was amazing! It had a natural river.....rocks and lots of trees for the tigers to shade in! The tigers are separated by a moat below eye level full of vegetation and I'm assuming some other pro cautions but it feels like your hardly separated at all! It was amazing to be that close to them and see how massive they really are.What was even better was that the animals didn't look caged!
AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK
I walked through an exhibition on the bone structure of a kangaroo through some wooden doors and along a dirt track which turned a corner to come face to face with this(no zoom on camera used people):
I won't like I jumped a little! I had no idea how big Kangaroo's were....they pretty awesome animals! And having them jump all around you is a pretty surreal experience. But yet again Singapore Zoo has shown that you don't have to keep animals locked up behind glass in small enclosures...as long as you left them alone the Kangaroos were more than happy to hop around you!
PRIMATE KINGDOM
Singapore Zoo holds the world's first free ranging monkey habitat!!Well I was majorly impressed!And on a number of occasions I was being followed around by some nosey monkeys!
ELEPHANTS OF ASIA
Again the Elephants have huge enclosures with lots of access to water and vegetation. They looked in really good condition too!I stayed to watch the 'Elephant Bath Time' which was amazing and even though your about 20meters away you still end up getting soaked.
RAINFOREST FIGHTS BACK SHOW
You are introduced to a spectrum of animals, close to 15
species comprising both mammals and birds, as they ‘fight’ back to
restore their rainforest home to its full splendour when its serenity is
disturbed by a man dressed in a hard hat holding a chain saw.The rainforest comes alive right from the moment you set foot in the
newly renovated 1600-seat Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre, which overlooks
the scenic Upper Seletar Reservoir and includes a cascading waterfall. Monkeys climb above your head collecting fruit, birds fly around you and otters dive in and out of the water! It's really cool!
The photos don't explain it well so here's a you tube clip from someone else!
CAT COUNTRY
Next I went to see the Lion enclosure with my fingers crossed that it was as good as the Tiger enclosure.If anything it was better...they had a bit more space but the set up was the same.You are separated by a moat and some vegetation below eye level! I even saw them being fed,Watching them jump up with those massive claws to catch the meat and then let out a massive raw when they are finished was immense. The Meerkat's next door looked a bit scared though lol!
WILD AFRICA
This is the area where I was running around...on my own looking most like a loon! Everywhere you looked was animals!Giraffe's, Rhino's, Zebra's, Warthogs, Hunting Dogs and Eland's. It was really cool. The Giraffe's come over really close to you and are really interested in trying to eat your camera.Also you could spot the hunting dogs attempting to creep up on the Warthog's....shame there is a massive moat in between hey guys!Lol! Again the enclosures were open, vast and full of vegetation! So impressive!
The most amazing Zoo!! I can't imagine another ever beating it! I would highly, highly recommend people to visit it...the more money it gets the better because it is clear that profits get used in a positive way here!
There was in fact a travelator ( I describe it as a horizontal escalator) across to Sentosa Island. When we arrived we went to 711 to buy cigarettes for 13 Singapore dollars (6.50 GBP). Charlie described it as being 'torn a new Ar**hole'!
The we queued to get in.....people were getting really excited about the characters walking around like Kung Fu
Panda and Frankenstein. The parents were more excited than the
children!When we got in everyone started running....Charlie decided to
make fun of them and copy....hm mm i reckon he just didn't want to be too far back in the Transformers queue.
Running to get to the front!
Sci -Fi City
Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle:
We walked straight through (although this still took 5 mins because the length the queue can be is soooo long).We collected our 3D glasses and were put into a car with 10 other people. The idea of the ride is that you are working with Optimus Prime and the Autobots to protect the Allspark from the Deceptecons. IT WAS IMMENSE!!!!When things explode you can feel the heat on your face,water hits you,you see shards of glass flying towards you and you think they will hit you so you protect your face. At one point Megatron grabs the car and you feel it being pushed down and spun through the air into a building at which point Charlie shouts 'NOOO not the building'!!LOL! The ride last 4 minutes but it flies by and when its finished you can still feel your heart racing! AMAZING!!
Charlie is a very excited man!
Battlestar Galactica: Cylon
Blue Track
It's a suspended roller coaster (basically your legs dangle) which shoots you up,around and upside down with and intense corkscrew and cobra role! The harness holding you in is really bendy so you seriously feel like your going to fall out!
Battlestar Galactica: Human
Red Track
Human reaches speeds of 83km/hr and propels you over 14 storey's into the air!
The roller coasters run at the same time so it feels like your going to crash!Its the worlds tallest duelling roller coaster!!!We were on Cylon when Human broke down and I was so scared that we were going to get stuck upside down.We didn't LOL!
What both roller coasters look like!
Ancient Egypt
Revenge of The Mummy
Your plunged into total darkness on an indoor roller coaster where you come face to face with warrior mummies and scarab beetles.The roller coaster itself is pretty average but the set is really creepy! A little boy in front of us left the ride in tears- I don't blame him it was pretty scary!
The Lost World
Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
It's a dated river rapids ride with mechanical dinosaurs. It starts as a boat trip but as you go along your told that there has been a fault in the park and the dinosaurs are loose. Then the ride gets slightly bumpier and you get a bit wet.The best bit was at the end when your put in a lift shaft and raised up then dropped into the water.It was ok-but a bit old fashioned!
Canopy Flyer
'A Prehistoric birds eye view as you soar over Jurassic Park'. It was also ok- bit slow and tame though! The lost world was probably my least favourite area.
WaterWorld
The set of WaterWorld!
Live water show (same storyline as
the film really). The warm up was guys squirting people in the audience.
There were stunts on jet ski's and boats and at the end an exploding
sea plane flies in and lands on the water.It was very, very good!
Far Far Away
Shrek 4D Adventure
Lord Farquaad's Castle!
You join Shrek as he tries to rescue Princess Fiona from the ghost of Lord Farquaad.At one point in the movie Donkey sneezes and you feel it hit your face (water of course) and spiders drop all around you (Shrek cuts the web) and you can feel them hit your feet! It was really good and my first experience of a 4D Movie.
Charlie having a boogie to the songs in Far Far Away!
Madagascar
A Crate Adventure
It's obviously for little kids- but i had a go on it (you've got to really)! It reminded me of 'It's a small world" at Disney.But the set was really good. My favourite part was when the monkeys shout 'If you have poo...throw it now!' and you get hit by water!
New York
Lights, Camera, Action!
This is hosted by a video from Steven Speilberg! You enter a sound stage which then becomes the setting for a grade 5 hurricane about to hit New York City! It was cool- really amazing to see how they create these scenes in a film. From the picture you can see above the boat sets on fire...which then spreads across the water, the wind picks up so much it blows the windows off.Things are falling off the walls and the ceiling caves in.Then a big boat crashed through the wall!Cool right!
Gili T is heaven on earth! You cant describe it in words.....you just HAVE to go there! We celebrated Charlie's 30th here and I cant think of a better place to have your birthday! So many things happened that we thought it best to sum all the mental moments up using the Gili T Dictionary! Thanks to Rich, Anbelle,Phil and many other people we met for the great 7 days we had!!!
Awkard Balloon: This is when you get stuck in an awkward situation, for example with an arguing couple you pretend to hold the 'awkward balloon'. Thanks Phil for this bit of 'stolen comedy genius'.
Blowjob: When one male friend (Rich) points to another male friend (Charlie) and says 'You look like you've got a good blow job in you'.
Crab: One of the positives of alcohol is the confidence it can give some people. The usually shy one of the group starts 'giving it this and that'!Thanks Annabelle for your comedy ranting!
Dead.......you may sleep now: When you get to the point where you physically can't consume any more alcohol! At least one of us was 'Man Down' at one point!!!
Equador: Apparantly according to Moonface it has an airport where you can land but you cant take off!! Blonde moment followed by many a joke about....'Well where do all the planes go Charlie?'
Fanny: A lovely Swedish Girl we met....however this led to the statement Phil loves Fanny being shouted across the room on a number of occasions!
Going tomorrow honest: The danger of Gili T is that you never want to leave!Ask Rich and Annabelle they attempted to leave...twice!
How old?: Charlie turns 30!!!Happy Birthday Charlie!
I'm f**ked and I don't care: When you know you've drunk too much...and you should stop but you couldn't care less!!Rich...you had us all in stitches with this one!
Joey Essex: (lookalike) claimed he only chats up women who he thinks look fertile!' Maybe from Brighton but could have been a major contender for a role in The Only Way Is Essex!
Keep 'Our Bar' busy: When your friends set up their own bar on the side of the beach and talk random people into buying a beer and joining us! Special offers are.....a free hug with every beer lol!
Let you off: because your on mushrooms!
Mushrooms
Not locking your door: (Specifically PHIL) if you don't look your door we will sneak into your room while your asleep steal all of your clothes then return to shout PHIL in your ear...scaring the crap out of you!
OMG:I really hope she burns her nipples: It is a personal preference that women don't ruin the view of the beach in Gili by getting their tits out....therefore I wish the above statement to happen HAHA!
Phil.... or "PHIL": This is when you tell everyone your friend is coming today but he misses the last boat from Bali so you end up looking like you made him up!
Quiet night: This is a loose term....my quiet night was 6 double vodka's and diet coke!
Rum at Rudy's: A bottle of rum is only 75,000 Rupiah!!!
Snerkling: Also known as snorkeling....Phil became obsessed he got too addicted to seeing tingling fish, turtles and fresh water crocodiles...to you and me that is translated as....shimmering fish, turtles and bullsh**!
Turning photo moment: When you stand in a line facing away from the camera and the photographer counts to three!On three you all jump round.Apparently its impossible not to smile!
Uunbelievable sunsets: I don't think this will ever be beaten!
Victim of trainer theft: R.I.P Charlies Reebok Classics may you have found peace on the feet of another man!
West Ham, Wigan, Wolves: When two males pretend to talk about football teams when they are really rating the attractiveness of women walking past! West Ham apparently means a woman that basically has two heads!
X-ray my organs: I think they are only good for pickling!
Your face: quotes from people on mushrooms such as 'your face looks too big' and 'your face looks like its melting'
Zero tolerance on drugs: Not true on Gili...you can walk down the road and get offered any drug possible....this is especially funny when a friend replies with TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!
So Padangbai is where we get the slow ferry to Gili T so we were here to kill a bit of time! However.....its a really cool little beach town. There was more to keep you occupied here than anywhere else we had been in Bali (not counting Gunung Batur). Charlie decided to walk to the next village and came back half dead!He walked 18 miles in 35 degrees, was dehydrated and gave himself sun stroke....silly Charlie!It was a nice couple of days relaxing and preparing for the partying on Gili T!
