Leave your myth in Greece

Στην Αθήνα είμαι, με τα χιόνια. Με έχουν πάρει όλοι στο ψιλό ότι κουβαλάω την κακοκαιρία.Αυτό το χειρότερο χιόνι των τελευταίων πενήντα χρόνων με κυνηγάει ανά την υφήλιο!

Δήλωσα ότι δε βγαίνω από το σπίτι μέχρι την άνοιξη, αλλά το Σάββατο πάω Θεσσαλονίκη για ένα μήνα μέχρι και την ορκομωσία:)

Κατά τα άλλα, το ζεστό μπάνιο και κουζίνα, το φαγητό, το ζεστό νερό για πλύσιμο πιάτων και άλλες τέτοιες πολυτέλειες γλύκαναν την επιστροφή μου!

Πρώτη εικόνα στο Ελ. Βενιζέλος στον έλεγχο διαβατηρίων αστυνομικός να ρωτάει δυνατά και επιδεικτικά σε αλλοδαπό "Πού μένεις; Δεν ξέρεις που μένεις;" Λες και ήταν το σκουλίκι του...Ο πληθυντικός ευγενείας δεν ισχύει για τους αλλοδαπούς, λέει η γραμματική του Τριανταφυλλίδη.Τα παίρνω εγώ, και βιδωμένη περιμένω τη σειρά μου, έτοιμη να τον ρωτήσω για ποιό λόγο μιλάει στον πληθυντικό σε εμένα, και όχι στον κύριο.Ώσπου φωνάζει ένας άλλος αστυνομικός "Έλα παιδιά όλοι οι έλληνες από εδώ!"Κιτς κιτς κιτς τα ζούδια...
Welcome to Greece, live your myth!Ή μάλλον leave your myth behind you, γιατί εδώ δε θα σου χρειαστεί.Μην πληρώνεις τζάμπα υπέρβαρο!

Day #5 & 6: Langkawi island

I cannot really speak about Langkawi island, as a whole because we haven’t been moving around almost at all. The place where we are staying is quite green, with a sandy big beach just 2 minutes far from our room. The beach itself is very nice and with some palm- trees, which give the exotic feeling that they should give. The water is light blue, warm but not very transparent, compared to the greek sea I am used to. But what is the best part is that the beach is huge and there are hardly any people there! I don’t know when it is high season in Malaysia, because the climate is steady every month of the year between 23-32 degrees every day! It is a paradise really…The temperature is exactly as it should be, for a Greek at least!

First day we spent here it was split into two halves for me. Half on the beach and half with my laptop, working. Natasha on the other hand stayed at the beach almost all day and is already tanned. Today we have been island hopping! This means that we were on a small boat that drove us for 4 hours around the island and to a sweet water lake. It has been great to get an idea of how green the island is and see eagles and monkeys so close to us! We also met some people from Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Malaysia and China and it was fun. There is not a lot to say, as things happen and I forget about them after that. Time flies and we will leave this island tomorrow morning to head to KL. We will be travelling more or less all day and I am flying back to Greece at 04.00am.

There are two small things I want to share before I close the Malaysia post session. The first is concerning swimming suit. It has been difficult to find a swimming suit in China, and I thought that it was normal since we were leaving quite far from the beach and experiencing the coldest winter for the last 50 years. So this was my main concern as soon as we landed in Malaysia. I haven’t found anything in Kuala Lumpur, and I thought that it is OK because it was again far from the sea. I was pretty confident that I will find in Langkawi, which is supposed to be extremely popular among Westerners. BUT…there is always a big but in Asia! We are in a country, where around 60% of the population is Muslims. And the shop owners are mostly Muslims….so in the place where we are I only found swimming suit with normal top and little skirt for the lower part. I couldn’t imagine myself wondering around with skirty swimming suit with flowers so I bought some shorts and I am bathing in them and with my T-shirts. Really not wyloozka style, if you know what I mean (wyloozka means cool in Polish, it is an expression we were using there!) And I am sorry, but I just have to say that…They are too conservative to be selling swimming suits for women but they have an incredible variety of condoms and lubricants, as you can see in the picture. I mean both me and Natasha have never seen most of the stuff they are selling here. What can I say about this Muslim Malaysians?!Me with my not-so-stylish swimming suit

The variety I was speaking about....You see only one third of the available products.

The second “thing” I want to share with you is actually literally a thing. It is called Durian and it is by far the most popular fruit in Malaysia, by Malaysians though!!The reason for that is that it smells like hell…Do you know how French cheese smells? Pick up the three smelliest, put them together and you get Durian smell! We, that is to say the Balkan girls, felt brave enough to try it today. We went at the fruit shop and bought one. I have a video of the girl preparing it for us. It is supposed to smell hell but taste heaven. There, we met some cool German guys, who were already experienced with Malaysian fruits and they made us try some, which were great! And one of them also gave us an important info! He said that we shouldn’t drink any alcohol, when eating Durian because we might even die!!!!Imagine that! No one has mentioned anything about that to us! And we wanted to buy a couple of beers for dinner. And here is the difference between Greeks and Croats: Me, I thought “Well, then OK we will not drink tonight”, whereas the addicted Croatian lady said “OK! Then Durian is for breakfast!” The ones who know us both, will know what I mean I suppose. So…more news about Durian next time that I will log in. We even though that the guy was exaggerating and asked a local who was shocked by the question and answered…:”No no no alcohol!” Now seriously, someone should tell the locals in the fruit stores to inform tourists if it indeed is so dangerous. I have to check online to find out more.

The fruit in the front is Durian!

Enjoy the photos and don’t be too jealous! Malaysia is not that far from Europe, there are cheap flights here (around 600 euros, I suppose) and I have spent 160 euros for a week here, including accommodation, buses, ferrys, taxis, food. It is a great country to visit and an incredible feeling to be bathing in exotic beaches during February, while exploring Islamic, Chinese and Indian culture and cuisine at the same time!

Day #4: Travelling

Hello from Langkawi island in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia. Yesterday we have been travelling from 04.00in the morning from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur. We were supposed to leave by bus at 09.00 to come to the north to Langkawi.We had to wait standing for almost 2 hours in a very crowded, noisy and smelly place for our bus to come. We reached our hostel at 22.00 in the night. There are, of course nice stories to tell but I have no time to do it:( Below there is a map of Malaysia, for the ones who dont know where exactly we are. You can see Kuala Lumpur, Melaka a bit more in the south and we are now in the very north and west in the island Langkawi, that is not visible on the map.

I will try to upload some pictures of the beach before we leave this place on Thursday morning. It feels so nice to be at the beach with 30 degrees in February:)

Day #3:Melacca

Hello from Kuala Lumpur again!

I am really short on time because our bus for the Langkawi island in the north leaves in 30 minutes. Melacca was great, we have stayed in the best hostel I could dream off and only with 2,4 euros per person for double room! I will write more, if I find internet during the next days.

Malaysia is just wonderful!

In the central park of Melacca, people practicing Fa Lun Da Fa (not sure...mum?!)

One of the central spots of the city, where tourists and locals choose to move by pedicabs. They are even kitschier than what they look and the funniest is that they have loud music, according to the nationality of the guest!And in the night they have lights all over...neon and Xmas tree type!!

Melacca houses

China is here..and China is there...China is Everywhere!!(singing with the rhythm of the "Tsiwuawua" song).Seriously, this has been the perfect way to go back from China. A big part ofthe population here is Chinese, so every city has a China town and decorations of Chinese new Year!So the change is gradual, which is good!And Chinese food tastes better here. It is also a great advantage that people speak English, so that we can ask if the chicken is boneless or not (which also surprisingly quite often is!!!The ones who have been to China, know what I mean)

Working at the hostel

Kuala Lumpur: day #2

Today has been a big sight-seeing day. We spent last night online, trying to figure out where to go and what to do during a week in Malaysia. As a result, we woke up quite late (both me and Natasha are sleep-lovers and our combination is not the best for mornings). I forgot to mention that the hostel provides no upper sheets or blankets, so when we woke up in the morning I was covered with my jacket and wearing the "batman" (for the ons who know what it is) and Natasha was covered with a yellow big towel!

We hit the road and walked for around 8 hours, exploring the city centre and enjoying a very different city and reality than what we have seen till know. We have seen lots of interesting sy-scrapers, had a tour in a tropical forest inside the city, climbed the TV tower(4th tallest tower in the world)...The most interesting thing I felt today is the multiculturality of this city and country. I was yesterday impressed by the strong muslim element in the city. But today I found even more interesting the fact that the population of the country is Malay, who are usually Muslims but also can follow other religions, Chinese who are a lot and most follow Budhism, Indians and some others. So this is a city where you can find Islam, Budhist moncques(?!dont know how to write that...Miloooooosh:P help!), Chinese traditional lamps and shops everywhere, Indians with their traditional clothes and Western architecture and lifestyle! Really an incredible mix!

The attempt of finding tickets to move in other places has been quite stressy, almost as a cultural shock!We entered the main bus station, where we for quite some time were convinced that we wouldn't be able to leave Kuala Lumpur at all. There were around a hundred little offices, each one selling tickets, lots of people everywhere and everybody telling us that there are no more tickets for the next 3-4 days. With a bit of luck and effort we did manage to figure something out, so we are leaving tomorrow morning for Melaka (also written Malacca, but as a greek decided to use the first version:P), which is 2hours on the south and is supposed to be the cultural center of Malaysia. We will spend one night there and then depart for Lankawi on the very North, which is supposed to have the best beaches.

I am excited but at the same time pressed, because I have to be finding time and energy to work and I am now at the last very critical point of my thesis. Greece is approaching fast, and everything will soon get back to normal. Today I have been working at the lounge of the hostel, which was extremely decadent and hot, with travellers around me coming and going, speaking, watching movies etc. It has been quite soureal(also dont know how to write this....my english is getting worse and worse)!

Kuala Lumpur:day 1

Welcome to Malaysia!

I am writing from the center of Kuala Lumpur. I have been packing all night, basically because I was not psychologically prepared to leave China, so I kept postponing the packing procedure. I finished with the luggage when it was already dawn. Like in previous experiences (and even a bit more this time), it has been an unpleasant moment to leave everything, that we so intensively lived for the last 4 months, behind like that. One would say that I would start getting used to it and being less emotional reacting, but no....I am exactly as immature and unprepared for the "goodbye" moment, as the first time!

Well anyway, Chapter China has closed. Flight was great, Air Asia was unexpectedly very comfortable. As soon as we stepped off the airplane we felt a humid heat surrounding us, exactly like a sauna!We have been laughing and enjoying the new reality. I will certainly not miss waking up in the morning and trying to convince myself to enter the frozen bathroom!We have taken the bus to the city center and the first impression was the size of space left between the seats!I mean in China everything is so small!And this one was even bigger than European!It is funny that we are now constantly making all the comparisons twice. Once with our countries and once with China. Finally we have "Chinesfied" a bit!

The hostel sucks!The room is as small as it can get, there is no window(!) and the bedsheets don't seem so clean. But we will survive for a while here, and dream of the next days when we will be enjoying the seaside. The first impressions from Kuala Lumpur, after a short walk are mixed. We came with no expectations at all (except for the beaches for the next days) and we didn't have time and means to prepare for the journey. It was impossible to find a guide in English in Hangzhou. They said they had to order it from France(!) and this combined with the fact that it was Chinese New Year and heavy winter was....OK...let it be. And me I have been too busy with the thesis, so when I arrived here I didn't know what to expect at all. I hadn't realised that Malaysia has such a strong muslim element and I never knew that there is such a thing as contemporary muslim architecture. The city has a lot of big modern buildings and even sky scrapers that are designed with the muslim aestethics. The people speak English fluently (though with a funny accent) and after China it seems just too easy to wonder around and to communicate for everything. And another thing is that they are for the moment very very helpfull and friendly. In a walk of 2 hours there 2 persons who stopped just to ask if we need help!

Apart from that the city is quite dirty but seems to be small enough for us to walk around from place to place, the food is tastier than Chinese and more user-friendly (Boneless-Chicken), the language spoken seems a bit like Indian to me and being again in a place where alphabet is used, instead of characters like in China feels again too easy!

I have no pictures to upload because I forgot my camera tonight and I am sorry to the greeks for not writing in Greek, I have no greek keyboard at the moment. No big adventures for the moment, and we hope to go on like that and spend some calm days here. The truth is that if I keep on writing this post and not search for some information on what to do and more importantly HOW to do it, I do see some adventures coming.So long then...

Κι έζησαν αυτοί καλά...

Αυτό είναι ίσως το τελευταίο post που γράφω από την Κίνα. Η μικρή μου περιπέτεια φτάνει στο τέλος της. Είχα ακόμα τόσα πολλά να γράψω, τόσες ιστορίες των τελευταίων ημερών αλλά τελικά υπερίσχυσε η επιθυμία να απολαύσω τις τελευταίες μέρες στην Κίνα. Φεύγω την Παρασκευή για Μαλαισία, όπου θα μείνω μια βδομάδα και από εκεί επιστροφή στην Ελλάδα στις 15 Φεβρουαρίου.

Απόψε μπαίνει το κινεζικό νέο έτος. Έχει ήδη σουρουπώσει και έξω από το παραθυρό μου σκάνε συνέχεια πυροτεχνήματα, ήδη από το πρωί. Αύριο πρέπει να κάνω βαλίτσες και δε θέλω. Νομίζω πως φεύγω την καλύτερη στιγμή, παρ΄ όλα αυτά στεναχωριέμαι κυρίως για τους φίλους που έκανα εδώ.

Τα καλά νέα των ημερών είναι πως παίρνω πτυχίο το Μάρτιο, αφού κατάφερα να τελειώσω την διπλωματική όσο ήμουν εδώ. Τέλος καλό, όλα καλά λοιπόν! Είμαι πολύ χαρούμενη..

Όσο για το blog, νομίζω πως θα γράψω κανένα δυο post ακόμα για το Πεκίνο και μάλλον και για το Κινεζικό Νέο Έτος, αφού υποψιάζομαι πως όλο και κάτι απίθανο μας επιφυλλάσουν οι δύο τελευταίες μέρες στην Κίνα. Και τέλος, αν έχω καλό Ιντερνετ στη Μαλαισία, θα γράψω κάτι και από εκεί όχι για να δείτε φωτογραφίες από εξωτικές παραλίες και τροπικά δάση, αλλά για να δείτε εμένα εκεί με μαγιώ να το απολαμβάνω, μετά από 4 μήνες γκρίνιας για τις αντίξοες συνθήκες διαβίωσης στην Κίνα! Σας φιλώ και ευχαριστώ για την παρέα και τα σχόλια:)

This is probably my last post from China, as I am flying back on Friday. Before reaching Greece, I will make a short stop for a week in Malaysia!I am gonna try to upload some photos of me and Natasha in the beach, drinking cocktails! I think we deserve it, after successfully facing the coldest winter in China for the last 50 years.

Tonight is the New Year's Eve for China, the fireworks out of my window don't stop since the morning and I somehow have the feeling that the last two days in Hangzhou will be worth writing another post.

I feel that I am leaving just on the right moment, but feel sad nevertheless. I guess, that's how it always has to be...


PS.I am finally getting my diploma on March!Whooooohooooo.....