The Dreads...

I've been working with an Aussie hippy called Bel for the last two and half weeks and she has some mad ass dreads going on, it reminded me of a time when I really wanted them and even asked my mum if I could get them. The answer was No. Now I'm a few thousand miles away there is no one to ask...

So a couple of days ago another Aussie a feral gypsy called Winter arrived and the dreads began... First she put her own back in and tidied up Bel's then a Canadian, Kyle, turned up and pretty much the first thing that was said to him was 'you would look good with dreads', five hours by the bonfire later and his were sorted and my envy set in.

Problem is I love my pretty blonde hair and I've bought my GHD's with me, don't want to have one hundred and twenty quid worth of uselessness in my bag. So I've gone for the left third of my hair dreaded, pretty blonde hair in tact, plenty to straighten when the mood takes me (once in 11 weeks so far) and I'VE GOT DREADLOCKS BABY!

Oh and I had a great time on my birthday, those who have been told the goss will ppreciate the fun I'm referring to. Lost my stomach lining on some dodgy 'local' vodka, which is rubbing alcohol with vodk flavouring, mmmmm.

Local Piss Head Causes Lump on Head

When people ask me why I'm living in the Cameron Highlands my response is 'I'm from a small town back home so I'm used to places like this'. I didn't realise how much like the O Tanah Rata would turn out!

The hostel I'm working at has a bar attached (The Jungle Bar, check it out if you're in the area!) and it's pretty much the only place to drink that isn't a restaurant in town so a lot of locals go there as well as backpackers. The other night, Wednesday I think but I may be wrong, I was sat in said bar with Bel my hippie Aussie co worker and some travellers trying desperately to avoid the cliche of backpacker banter. There were a few locals in there, bit older than most, drinking a litre of Glenfiddich and they tried to join us around the bonfire but we were leaving, no biggie.

About half an hour or so later me and Bel are in The Highlander, a 24 Jam (Malay for hour, I'm learning!) Indian restaurant when one of the locals from the bar turns up. This man was built, really stocky chest and arms and nothing like your typical Malaysian, and he starts screeaming at one of the staff and throwing stuff off the shelves. He then picks up a plastic chair a few feet from me and launches it, ricocheting off the floor and onto my head before smashing all the plates and glass on the table.

If this wasn't scary enough (I hope my mum doesn't read this!) he keeps on with his shouting and aggression as we back up to the back corner of the restaurant and then points at me and really angrily shouts 'You, English', gives Bel the same look as if he was going to jump over the table and kick our heads in! I was so scared, we ended up asking some big German dudes we bumped into to walk us home. Anyone who knows me knows I have no fear of walking home late and in the dark no matter what state I'm in but because I didn't have a clue who he was or why he was so angry I was so paranoid.

So yeah, Tanah Rata and Ormskirk... Same, same but different! Time to get pissed in KL...

'Where you stay?'... 'Hotel?'... 'Hotel-ah?'... 'Yes hotel-ah'

Ok so the title needs some explaining and although I'm giggling to myself over it it probably sounds a hell of a lot better speaking but this really makes me smile! Over here you have to get your pronuciation spot on for them to understand you and this usually means talking in a pretty generic Asian accent. When I was in KL (Kuala Lumpur for the uninitiated) I was looking for the Petronas Towers and said pet-ron-AS, getting a blank look in return a few times. After a little confusion is said pet-ron-AAHHH-s and straight away they understood me! Dom an Aussie I met was trying to get a taxi to Chinatown and the driver didn't undetstand him at all, his friend then said it relly quickly and with a it of anger in his voice and the driver was right on it! And in the hotel the other day a Japanese man came in and we need to know people's hotel when they book a tour, refer to the title for this conversation!

Another very Asian thing as most people know is karaoke so when in Rome... Two nights in one week we've been now, gathering a group of mainly native English speakers which is harder than it seems (see below if I remember to get into this) and going nuts and pissing off the locals! the first time we went a few people were leaving so we went to party and as soon as 10 Westerners arrived a load of local teenagers arrived! I can see it on Facebook now 'Westerners at karaoke, everyone to karaoke!', they didn't turn up last night but a local left shaking his head in digust as Bel my 'colleague' and Jack did Welcome to the Jungle! Apparently I rocked 'Without Me' by Eminem but I'm not so sure...

I've only been in the Highlands a week and feels so much longer, I know my way around town, the good cheap places to eat, the 24hr restaurant that sells beer, where to get a motorbike, the usual tourist stuff, it is pretty small here so it's not too hard! And living in a dorm I've met loads of people, special mentions for Marcus who raised the bar of intellectual discussion which has monumentally slipped since he left, Gemma and Kevin some sound English people who fell out with Kelvin the bar man and Jack, the legend of the Jungle Bar.


Native English speakers are rather hard to come by, this plce is full of Germans! Now I like Germany, I've been there twice this year and met some great locals but OH MY GOD the oe here can't give it a rest! Questions, questions, questions! 'What percentage of the tour will be in the car', 'can I was my shoes in the washing machine', 'what temperature will the water be', 'where can I buy a phone cad from', 'will it fit in my phone', 'how much will it cost to call home'???????????? I don't fucking know leave me alone and go plan some more! I don't want to hate them I really don't but they make it so damn hard!

Anyways off for some Chicken Rice for breakfast or something else suitably Asian...

Back to Civilsation goes I...

So I am now a PADI qualified Open Water Diver! Thanks to the guys at Angel Divers on Coral bay Perhentian Islands! My instructor was so lovely, Anouk, and didn't get mad when I kept freaking out which was often.

After six days on an island where the only power is by generator, there are no cars, no cash machine and everything has to be brought over by boat, it's nice to be back on solid ground with no sand! The Perhentians are lovely though, the water is so clear and the fish are amazing, I saw a Nemo on my first proper dive (False Clown Fish) and loads of other really cool fish including this massive one which has another fish specifically to clean it's gills and get the waste food out! I was completely amazed and really looking forward to doing more diving and getting my PADI card.

So now I've accepted a job in Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands, which has a temperature roughly similar to home and some of the best tandoori chicken I have ever had (apart from maybe Penang). I'm going to be a receptionist at a really chilled out guest house which will be good for a few months, and they've agreed that I can have my birthday off, just need to decide where to go... Langkawi, KL, back to Perhentians, Tioman - Malaysia is my oyster!

Cigarette at 6,666ft

Thought of this blog title up there, nothing interesting to do with the cigarette to report. Cameron Highlands in Malaysia at the moment, rather colonial as the name may suggest! Went jungle trekking through the Mossy Forrest today, shit myself. Well not literally but I looked like I had after I finished! Every seventh step on average I annouced my intention/belief that I would die up there and nearly slipped down a rather large hill whilst climbing up some tree roots. No more jungles for Jo!

I've realised I've not really gone in to too much detail about who I've met so far along the way, and I think people make your travels so here goes...

Eve obviously deserves a mention, she looked after me when I arrived rather unepectedly due to stupid Thai rules and what I thought would be a week considering my options turned into a month of chilling, good food, a few beers and a stalker.

This leads me to Gill, who I met on the minibus to the pier to go to Koh Tao, hence she's in my phone as Gill Koh Tao! She was a solo traveller like me and we got on really well, sharing a liking for taking the piss out of people who really deserve to have the piss taken! One girl we called Sleeping Beauty because she kept falling asleep at a dudstep club, I'm guilty of similar but twas funny... She also accompanied me to the Full Moon Party and had as many near heart attacks as me at the burning skipping rope. That is not a typo, people skip on a massive rope soaked in kerosene and set alight.

Tom and Fidelma - met them in Penang and kept bumping into them in KL. They saw me havin a beer on my own outside my hostel and invited me over to join them which was sound. These guys were great, shaving guns at customs, dodgy rum on the rooftop, tandoori at 3am, it was all good times.

Sammie and Ross I only met for one night in the rooftop bar in KL but they were well fun. Sammie and Lizzie (see below) had a thing for freestyle rap that made me feel like Cheddar Bod from 8 Mile. The type of people I could go on the lash with many a time...

Lizzie was a baaaaaaaadddddd influence, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Hadn't been that smashed on my travels until we got together! The sharing of messd up stories, the indecisiveness in the malls, the robbing of flip flops, pricking about in the Mosque... Good times with this girl.

There have been a few others I've met but these guys are the ones who stick in the memory at the moment. Thought I'd commit them to cyber space before the memories were lost.