From Senai to JB

If you fly with AirAsia into Senai International airport, Johor Bahru (JB) you can get a free bus ride into JB. Go to the bus kiosk just inside the main terminal exit and enter your flight booking number into the PC on the counter. You will be issued tickets for the short bus ride to JB Sentral station. From here you can catch buses or trains to Singapore, or trains heading north in Malaysia. If you want to catch a bus for another destination in Malaysia, take a local bus from JB Sentral to Larkin bus station where buses leave regularly to many destinations.

While waiting for our free bus, we noted the clothing choice of the locals who were also waiting. Although most of the women were wearing traditional Muslim garb covering their bodies from head to foot - only showing their hands and faces - most had an extra layer, a jacket, coat, or some such. To a man the gents were clad in long sleeves - some with a second layer of a jumper or jacket - trousers or jeans, and even though they were wearing the ubiquitous thongs or sandals, some were also wearing socks.

Standing and waiting for our bus into town we commented on how accustomed to the heat and humidity the locals were, juxtaposed with our comfort level and clothing choice. We were wearing the minimum required for modesty in a nominally secular, but in reality, Muslim country - short sleeved shirt, shorts, and thongs.

Only a few degrees north of the equator the temperature rarely dips below 25C and when the humidity tops out at 100% the air bleeds rain.

Standing in this Southeast Asian sauna the sweat begins to run down your back. It collects and fills the small. Once full, it then cascades happily down the valley of bum to join the other rivulets pouring south. By the time the bus arrived we were how you say - moist!

The relief encountered by the initial blast of frigid air from the bus air-conditioning was quickly tempered as all the previously mentioned body moisture began to rapidly evaporate in the near-arctic 18C ... 18C! Who sets the a/c to 18C in the tropics?

Our bodies attempted to adapt from 35C & 100% humidity to 18C & 20% humidity, but were found lacking. Luckily my travelling companion had a light jumper with a hood or I fear she may have been overcome with hypothermia and gone into shock. It was about now that we realised why the locals were dressed as they were.

Panas & Pedas

When you come across these words in Indonesia or Malaysia, it is worth the effort to understand their difference & meaning.

Both mean hot but with quite distinct and important differences. One means high temperature, the other spicy.

The Indonesian & Malay word for water is air, so if you see a sign for Air Panas you can be sure there is a hot spring nearby.

It could be embarrassing to ask for directions to the spicy spring.

If you are looking at a food item in a store, or reading a menu and see Pedas, rest assured the product or dish will be spicy.

The Indonesians & Malays are known for their use Chilli, so it would behove you to know the difference.

Image: C. D. Solum

Knowledge of the words is useful, but remembering which is which can be difficult. One way to remember is to break down the word into its component parts, or meanings.

Pedas: ped - from the Latin for foot. as - the Greek for bum.

So remember, hot spicy food will give you a kick up the bum later.

Panas: pan - is from the French meaning a cooking implement. as - the Greek for bum.

So remember, if whacked on the bum with a pan the affected area will become hot.

I hope this has been of some use.

MY14 Pre-trip warm up

It is just under a week until Tight Arse Travel is off again, this time for a two-week sojourn in Malaysia. We have stayed a few nights in Kuala Lumpur over the past 3 years; poor flight connections with cheap airlines, and the opportunity for a quick look whetted our appetite. We liked what we saw, and on the recommendation of other travellers decided that the time was ripe for a proper investigation of another of our South-East Asian neighbours. That and an extraordinarily cheap return ticket!

 Image: Man Vs World - http://www.manversusworld.com/for-the-best-view-of-the-petronas-towers/

This time we are upping the ante – Tight Arse goes Light Arse; we are attempting our first trip without checked baggage.

Since the big Bali mountain biking extravaganza of 2013, we have been reading about one-bag travel and think we are ready to attempt a one-bag trip. That said, we two tight arses have paid for one checked bag between us just in case we go crazy buying wooden dolphins or there is run-out sale of Tiger Balm. We will be taking one bag each on the outward leg, but if we need extra capacity, we will buy a cheap bag for the dolphins and Tiger Balm and check it in for the homeward leg.

The aim is to not only keep costs down, but decrease the time and hassle spent checking in and picking up bags from the carousel. Travelling in the tropics makes this proposal easier as there is no need to pack bulky or warm clothes; it may be a tougher gig trying it in a colder clime.

On previous trips we have tried to keep the stuff we pack to a minimum; especially clothes, but invariably we always take things we do not use, prompting us to cut down even more this time. Hopefully we have not forgotten anything, but if we have, we will have fun trying to find it in Malaysia. It feels quite liberating knowing that the only bag you have to worry about, is the one on your back.

We have both purchased Kathmandu Shuttle cargo 40l bags. They are designed to be the maximum size airlines allow as carry-on, and after a test pack, we have both come in around the 5kg mark, well under the 7kg airline limit for carry-on - look out for a bag review later.

Image: Kathmandu - http://www.kathmandu.com.au/packs-and-bags/hybrids/shuttle-cargo-v4-black-1.html

        

The plan so far is to spend the first few days in KL exploring the delights of the capital, then fly to Johor Bahru (JB) and check out the house and street I lived in when my Father was posted to Singapore in the British Navy. We were going to take the Jungle Railway to Tumpat in the far northeast near the Thai border and spend some time beach bumming. KTM, the Malay railways put paid to that idea as they have shut down day-time trips for two years while they work on the line during the day; that journey will have to wait for another trip.

So now the plan is to bus it from JB to Melaka and check out the heritage listed trading port for a few days, then head further north to Pulau Pangkor, a small island about halfway between KL and Penang on the west coast for some coastal relaxing. Pangkor does not have the pulling power of the more well known Penang or Langkawi, but it also lacks the crowds of drunk westerners looking for a good time. We are looking forward to some beach time and hopefully some snorkelling, maybe a jungle trek, and a cycle or scooter around the island.

Then it is back to KL for the last two days for a significant birthday dinner before heading home.

We are looking forward to some warmth after a particularly bitter Southern Australian winter, some tasty food, and maybe a few cold beverages! But most of all we are looking forward to being in a foreign country, interacting with the locals, and enjoying whatever comes our way.

Emirates offers Australian travellers free Dubai stopover

It is not often you get something free from a quality airline, let alone one of the top-ten in the world backed by an oil-rich Gulf State. Emirates are offering Australians travelling to Europe a free stopover in Dubai for a limited time. http://bit.ly/1lHFIEm

As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Government of Dubai, the airline is obviously trying to snare some goodwill from those able to take up this offer. Who, after being lavished with Middle-Eastern hospitality, isn’t going to sing the praises of a stopover in Dubai to friends, family, and business associates?

Photo: Emirates / Australian Business Traveller

China currently has a similar offer – a more generous visa-free 72-hour stopover in certain cities for transiting passengers. Aimed at the business traveller on their way to Europe, China is offering a hassle-free break to your journey. Although China is not offering hotel transfers, a hotel room for one night, and breakfast like Emirates, three days and nights in China is a nice length of time to get out-and-about and familiarise yourself with a new destination. http://bit.ly/1gZgBwa

Tight Arse Travel would not normally fly with a full service airline like Emirates as we detest long-haul flights, and are usually penny pinching on transport costs. That said, the opportunity to break a long journey in a strange and unfamiliar land, and experience a little luxury, might sway us to loosen the purse strings once-in-a while.

Jetstar's new non-stop flights from Melbourne to Tokyo take off

I was intrigued by this piece - http://bit.ly/1iVTC7q - by Robert Upe, The Age's Travel, and Tourism Writer.

Why did he need to fly to Japan? Unlike the 'Flight Tests' in The Saturday Age, he mentions nothing about the aircraft, service, classes, food, and seats. In fact, nothing about the flight at all.

He probably researched the article from his desk, read the press release from Jetstar, and received a free flight to Japan in return for a puff-piece!

Good onya Bob, you win this week's Tight Arse Traveller award - The Golden Pucker.

Photo: Jetstar / The Age

How can I get free travel insurance?

Bankwest Zero Platinum Mastercard

Photo: Bankwest

Here at Tight Arse Travel we are always on the lookout for ways to make our travel dollar go further; why pay more for something when you don’t need to? The further your money goes, the longer you can travel; or with the money saved, you can afford to splurge occasionally. Then there is the thrill of the hunt! That said, we don’t always take the cheapest option if it compromises safety or increases risk.

One of travel’s little necessities is insurance, and even though we have never needed to use it, the peace-of-mind it affords is well worth the price. Imagine having an accident in the U.S. with no medical insurance, you may end up with a debt for life. Alternatively, falling ill in a third-world country with poor medical facilities; not only could your condition deteriorate quickly, without insurance you may not be able to arrange or afford repatriation home.

To that end, travel insurance is worth every cent as long as it covers every eventuality of the trip – read the fine print.

We heard from a friend who has travelled extensively that some credit cards are bundled with a travel insurance component, so like a truffle pig we started grubbing around the Interwebs for the scent of a product that would suit our needs. Now, it is not hard to find a credit card with bundled travel insurance, but there is usually a catch: some only provide insurance if you buy your travel tickets with the card, others have an annual fee; yet others provide only a very rudimentary coverage, forcing you to pay more for the things you really need.

Then, Eureka! Could it be true? Had we found a card with no annual fee and a great insurance policy? Wait a minute, surely there had to be a catch. As we said earlier: read the fine print! After checking everything twice, we have found the perfect product – Bankwest Zero Platinum MasterCard. Although there is a requirement to buy your travel tickets with the card, you have to buy them somehow! By using the card the bank and the insurer have evidence of your purchase and intended journey.

The application process could not have been easier – it can all be done on-line. A good thing too … Bankwest is based in Western Australia with no branch network in the eastern states where we live. Approval took about 2 days, and about a week later our shiny new credit card arrived in the mail.

Now we have a line of credit for emergencies when travelling, the peace-of-mind good travel insurance affords (for free, we might add), and it did not cost us a cent!

Check it out here -> http://bit.ly/1gYgKzJ

Over-development in Bali threatens to kill the Golden Goose

This article - Rubbish tsunami swamps Bali beach front - in The Age on January 25, 2014 prompted this post.

The irony of this situation is the rubbish generated servicing tourists is coming back to bite them, turning their tropical playground into a rubbish dump. Unfortunately, most tourists are blissfully unaware that the rubbish is dumped in waterways in places where they rarely go … or see. The annual monsoon rains flush the waterways into the sea; the tide and wind do the rest, delivering the rubbish back to the very beach where some of it was produced.

This situation highlights the slow pace of much needed infrastructure to keep up with tourist development on the island. Some rapacious land developers gain approval for new hotels and restaurants by greasing the right palms. Planning rules – if they exist – are often flouted, or just plain ignored. This goes to the old hoary chestnut of short-term gain winning over long-term vision. Selfishness beats sagacity.

There are environmental groups pointing out the problems with Bali’s current growth spurt; that unless it is slowed to allow infrastructure to catch up, the problem will continue to grow exponentially to the point where the tourists may stop coming. Tourists may find the next best place to holiday and spend their hard earned – moving on, and leaving the Balinese to wonder how it all went wrong. The green group’s voices struggle to be heard over the deafening clatter of the jackhammer and beep-beep-beep of reversing cement trucks.

Although numbers of tourists arriving continue to grow every year, they are not completely to blame. Bali’s own population is on the rise - climbing by 20% in the last decade. This adds pressure to an ailing electricity grid - which draws all of its power from the neighbouring island of Java - and the water supply network. Ironically, Bali is blessed with abundant rainfall, and has one of the oldest and most sophisticated distribution systems designed to ensure all rice farmers get a fair share of the available water.

Tourists, and especially Australians who make up the vast majority go to Bali for various reasons; sun, surf, sand, and sex is the usual image of Aussie tourists, but many eschew the tourist strip of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak with its knock-off DVD stores and happy-hour sports bars for quieter pleasures. They head inland to savour the arts and crafts, or to unwind at a yoga retreat or spa. Others with a more adventurous bent head to the mountains for trekking, mountain biking, white-water rafting, or canyoning. Yet others head to the coastal towns and villages for snorkelling and SCUBA diving. Whatever they come for, one thing is for sure, they come because it is cheap.

In 2013, the Governor of Bali proposed all foreign tourists “make a US$10 donation which would be used to finance cultural heritage and environmental efforts across the island.” Effectively this is a tax - a good tax. Tight Arse Travel supports this measure, as it would ensure every foreign tourist contributes directly to the cultural and environmental upkeep of the island from which his or her pleasure is derived. We would go further and suggest that arriving travellers are made aware of the effect of tourism. They should also be made aware of how the tax is being used to support and enhance the culture and environment of the island.

Qantas leaves Tasmania to regional service, cutting 35 jobs in Hobart

Apologies dear reader for my lack of correspondence over the holiday season. After blogging so hard in the latter half of 2013, Tight Arse Travel was feeling a little stale and needed a break to freshen up.

This morning there is a story about Qantas downgrading their service into the Apple Isle. I wonder if they would find it as easy to pull the same move on the mainland. 

Qantas states that "This change is about making sure we have the right aircraft on the right routes in support of leisure and business travel opportunities between Tasmania and the mainland."

Although earlier in 2013, Tasmania's economic outlook was a little downbeat, there were positive signs that the economy was on the mend toward the end of the year.

Qantas gets the Tight Arse award for today for sacking 35 ground handling staff in Hobart.

http://bit.ly/1doQjCG

Ngurah Rai International Airport - Bali Indonesia

Visa on Arrival & Departure Tax

Tight Arse Travel was fortunate to travel to Bali for a Mountain Biking tour with Bali Trailblazers.

We'd like to pass on some tips which may make your arrival and departure easier.

Most nationalities can purchase a Visa on Arrival (VoA) at the airport, but it is always worth checking before firming up your travel plans.

When we travelled in July 2013, the 30 day VoA was $25US.

This could be paid in US$, A$ or by credit card.

There is also a departure tax levied by the Indonesian Government on all tourists leaving the country of Rp200,000. This is also payable at the airport.

http://www.ngurahrai-airport.co.id/home/eng/index.php

http://www.baliairport.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngurah_Rai_International_Airport

Bali trailblazers

Tight Arse Travel toured with Bali trailblazers in mid 2013.
If you are looking for a great mountain biking holiday in a tropical paradise, check them out; they put together a great tour for us.

They've also published part of our blog on their web site.

http://www.bali-trailblazers.com/tour-de-bali-pre-tour/

What's the best passport in the world for travellers?

Even though Australia came equal sixth with Greece and Singapore with 167 countries allowing our citizens in without a visa, it is not bad compared with Afghanistan - 28!

That said, you can still probably get into other countries, you just need a visa.

The other good news is that India is reviewing its visa policy, and may soon allow Australians to purchase a visa-on-arrival (VoA).

http://bit.ly/1bYV2ZC

Why don't some airlines enforce their own carry-on baggage limits?

This is something which makes Tight Arse Travel cranky.
http://bit.ly/1apdf5o

QANTAS trials 'all day check-in' for international flights

QANTAS is trialling all-day check-in for international flights out of T1 at Sydney International Airport.

After reading one of the conditions, it begs the question "what rules currently apply to checked-in passengers at other Qantas terminals?"

After checking in at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, there is nothing to stop you going outside the building for some fresh air. While there you may spy the Park Royal Hotel across the road, and wander over for a pre-flight Scotch.

No harm done...

Free voice calls from your mobile

Do you want free voice calls? Try iOS7 FaceTime over WiFi.

http://bit.ly/18osXbt

China Bird Tours Travel tip

Thanks China Bird Tours

Travel tip. If you are wandering on your own, take a few photos of landmarks and street names to help you find your way back.

Google makes QuickOffice free, gives away 10 GB in Drive storage

This could be great for working on docs while travelling - http://bit.ly/157u16J

Air India resumes direct flights to Australia

For those of you with a penchant for the sub-continent, travelling from Australia to India just got a little bit easier, and quicker.

Air India are flying direct to and from Australia again - http://www.airindia.com/announcing-australia.htm

For all the trainspotters out there, check out the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing - http://bit.ly/14s3n2O

and taking off - http://bit.ly/1a7Xc8n
from Sydney International on September 4, 2013.

2013 Tour de Bali - Post tour

Seminyak

Hotel Puri Wisata

With the tour over and four days left before I head home, we base ourselves at the Puri Wisata hotel on the border of Legian and Seminyak.
A quick internet search and access to a reasonable Indonesian dictionary help me understand the meaning of 'Puri Wisata'. Puri means castle, palace or place of worship, and Wisata means journey. So I guess they named the hotel to mean 'A palace at journey's end'. In reality - but keeping in mind you only get what you pay for - in this case Puri means 'Moth-eaten, worn out, run down, and in need of some serious renovations', and Wisata means 'Can I drag your bag to reception!'

But seriously folks, it is in a great location. There is a pub and a Circle K next door, and it is adjacent to a major intersection, so there are always plenty of taxis available; the airport is a lazy 30 minute drive away. Even though the streets are crazy busy, it is a cool, calm oasis from the hot and noisy world outside. Yes, it could do with a good lick and spit to tidy up the rough edges, but with free Wi-Fi and breakfast, a large cool, shaded pool, and friendly staff, $15 a night for a twin-share room is not to be sneezed at.

Although this is not my favourite part of Bali, it does make the last few days of the trip easier in terms of finding a variety of food to eat, access to ATMs, ubiquitous free Wi-Fi, Internet cafes, and the ability to do some last minute shopping.
We are about a 10 minute walk from the beach, which means that the hotel is quite a bit cheaper than those with an ocean front view. Although I like beaches - and there is nothing wrong with this one, it is a very nice beach, world famous in fact - it is not the beach per se to which I am not enamoured. It is what the beach has become - a 24 hour party zone. That, and the fact that you become a sitting target for touts attempting to sell you paintings, watches, sunglasses, wooden elephants, massages and the like which make this a type of living hell for me.
The cheaply provided umbrellas, and access to cool refreshing beverages do afford a level of luxury and comfort, but this is generally not what I look for in a beach.

That said, it has been observed by me and pointed out by others, that this is all highly concentrated in the Kuta-Legian-Seminyak area. Although some people who have not been to Bali - or who have, but have not ventured any further than this tacky tourist strip - may have a vision that this is all there is, or that all of Bali must be the same. 

They are wrong.

The first two weeks in Bali were spent 'On tour', an organised mountain biking trip over 14 days. Eight riding days were broken up with a couple of rest days, one of which was used to access amazing snorkelling. The other non-riding days were filled with a climb up a volcano to watch the sunrise, river rafting, and canyoning. We found this a good way to do it for a number of reasons. There were no more than 2 riding days in a row - giving us a rest from the bikes. We saw a great deal of Bali - parts of which I'm guessing most westerners would not otherwise get the chance to see, and we spent time with two awesome locals - Ketut and Made.

Ketut - our riding guide - is a wiry mountain biking machine. If he can't climb up it, it can't be climbed. If he can't ride down it, it is probably a wall! He always warned us of tricky sections of trail, made an amazing clicking noise with his mouth to warn others of our approach, and was helpful in explaining Indonesian words, phrases, history, culture and geography. He is also a bike nut - he owns 10 bikes - so he is always up for a chat about bikes and parts.

Made was our soigner; he drove the team bus, set up and broke down the bikes for transit, organised lunch and other refreshment breaks, and was always ready to help in any other way. He was always cheerful, and constantly smiling.

These two made the trip. If Isabelle is the brains, these guys are the heart and soul of the operation.

During the tour we only had two days when it rained, and then not enough to spoil our fun. One riding day started with some light rain, but it soon cleared, and left the trails nice and tacky.
We saw cows - Indonesian cows are very short haired, rust coloured, and when young look like fawns - goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, herons, fish, water buffalo, snakes, geckos, lizards, cats and dogs. Most of which we ate at some stage.
We rode through jungle, vegetable fields, fruit orchards, cashew and clove groves, coffee patches, farmer's yards, lava fields, and streams and of course - rice paddies. We rode on or through dirt, rocks, mud, sand, concrete, tarmac, lava, and all the afore-mentioned animals manure (Hello AQIS!)

We had only one mechanical - a flat tyre on day three - and one stack each, neither of which required medical evacuation.

For me, this is one of the best ways to really see, and hopefully start to understand a place. Rather than stand there and look at it, do something in it!

For those playing at home we rode 280k in 27:26, ascending 3590m and descending 9792m

http://app.strava.com/activities/72498714

2013 Tour de Bali - Stage 8

Belimbing to Tibubiyu

From rice paddy to rice paddy

Stage 8; the last stage, the ultimate stage, the one after stage 7, the end of the tour. At the end of this stage we will be delivered to our hotel in Seminyak, where we'll say goodbye to Ketut, Made and the bikes which have served us so well over the past two weeks.

After a few team photos for posterity we start riding amid the beautiful rice paddies of south-central Bali. The first 11 kilometres take over an hour of ride time. We follow Ketut down though rough, almost invisible jungle tracks. I look for the flattened foliage left behind hoping there are no hidden surprises. At the bottom we cross a small boulder filled creek, the first of many. On the other side we push our bikes up a steep slippery, sometimes overgrown and almost indiscernible track. I follow Ketut hoping he has not lost the trail. How he remembers not only this trail, but all the others, some of which he does not ride for a year or more is beyond me.

In between dropping into creeks and hauling our sweaty, muddy arses back out again, we are rewarded with sublime, almost endless views across terraced rice paddies. At lunch we both agree that although the scenery has been fantastic, the reward for effort ratio is definitely in the negative. (I'm not sure if ratios can be negative, but go with me!)

The location Made chose for our lunch break is the best so far. Shaded by small trees, we sit on the side of a small broken tarmac lane. In front of us the ground drops away, and on the other side of a small stream rises in steps carved into the rich, pliable earth, and each one covered in a bountiful rice crop. A few workers ply their trade, planting young rice plants while we soak in the view. Above the paddies the ground is steeper and reverts to dense jungle. This is the archetypal view of rural Bali.

Made has gone above and beyond for today's last lunch. He has obviously noted my comments about how much I like sate, and especially sate kambing (goat), and I was touched by his gesture. Steamed white rice (Nasi putih) and the sate are individually wrapped origami style for take-away. As I slide the gristly, sauce covered meat off the skewers, I have no qualms discarding them into the undergrowth as they will be quickly reclaimed by nature. Unfortunately, many Balinese use this same method with all types of waste. We have seen many vacant blocks, roadsides, and waterways fouled with plastic detritus; the worst was disposable nappies in a creek we had just crossed. I fail to understand why they would choose to do this, and live amid such non-biodegradeble detritus, especially when they are in such a paradise.

Sorry, rant over - back to the tasty lunch with sublime views.

After finishing the meat, I poured the excess sauce onto my rice so as not to miss out on one mouthful of the peanutty spiciness. That was first course; second course is hard to describe. Nestled in a plastic take-away cup is a gelatinous mass of fruit seeds, cubes of jelly, and chunks of fruit, all swimming in a coconut milk slurry. The textures are unusual to the western palate, but the flavours were subdued and well blended. There were also rice cakes, flavoured with palm and coconut.

As usual the post lunch riding started uphill. Too much of my blood supply went to my stomach, employed in digesting the mini Balinese feast. Unfortunately, I am also asking it supply oxygen to my legs to get me over the next crest of the roller-coaster concrete double track. We bust a lung climbing, then recover and cool down bombing along country lanes hemmed by forest and fruit trees. The countryside is dotted with rustic houses and farm buildings. We scatter the ubiquitous mother hen and chicks in our wake, are howled at by grumpy moth-eaten dogs, and are waved to by small children. We pass the deer and fawn like local cattle tied in their stalls, slowly munching the fodder cut and delivered by the farmer. Occasionally we hear the grunts of, and smell the unmistakable odour of pigs. As we leave the forest, we are again surrounded by rice paddies. As we cruise on slightly downhill flowy double concrete tracks, we can see the ocean in the distance indicating we are close to the end; the end of stage 8, and the end of the tour.
As we turn the last corner Made is smiling and waving to us. He and the vehicle are ready to take us away from all this.

For those playing at home we rode 26k in 2:04, ascending 389m and descending 883m.

http://app.strava.com/activities/72498714