You have all heard about it, and it was time to experience this legendary place and see for my self what all the fuzz is about. And I wasn't disappointed, not at all! Take a look, and if you have a change some time, you have to experience this!!!!
http://castofullmoon.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Up to Thailand and the Phi Phi Islands (the Beach film)
It was time to leave the wonderful country of Malaysia and head up to Thailand. First stop is the famous, up upper class Phi Phi Islands, the place they filmed the Beach and some scenes in James Bond and the man with the golden gun. Lets get cinematic!
http://casandphiphi.blogspot.com/
http://casandphiphi.blogspot.com/
Sunday, March 11, 2007
And then we head of to the Perhentian, on the boarder to Thailand
Yes guys, this is it, the island that everybody have been talking about. I can’t tell how many times I have heard that this is the most wonderful place people have been to, so I had to take a look. Its time to head for paradise!!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tioman
After Kuala Lumpur I went on with my travel to one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Island Tiomar. Go here to read more and see pictures from this fantastic place!
http://castioman.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!!
http://castioman.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!!
Friday, February 9, 2007
Kuala Lumpur
Welcome to my blog about my little trip to Asia. I will stay over here for about 5-7 months, depends on how long the green buck stays in my bank account and when school starts. The trip will start in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia (jepp, I am here all ready), then to Thailand for about one month, then Bali for two beautiful months doing yoga and nothing else, Japan for 2 weeks, and finally, China for one month. After that, either home, or going over to the US and San Francisco/New York/Boston+++ and then to Paris, and that’s the end of this big escape-from-school trip.
I have taken a well deserved (by my own understanding that is) vacation from school and from Oslo, to see the world and eat cheap! And get away from the snow (picture from Oslo when I left).
After the summer is over and the grownup life starts again, I (sadly) will get back to Norway and continue on my last semester before finishing my Master in Industrial design (+++) at Oslo School of Architecture and Design. So enjoy my small stories about the wild, urban life of Asian cities and the strange things I will force down just to get a taste of the food and try to blend in with the locals. And here we go…
Day one, Party and no Sleep!
I got to Kuala Lumpur airport 4 o’clock in the morning, which is said to be the best airport in the world; I can’t say anything else, a very compiling experience in getting from A to B. To this moment I had been awake for about 40 hours, after having a big party in my student house in Norway (see picture), staying up the whole night, leaving 6 in the morning, and not sleeping on the 14 hour flight (which was just what I was counting on, to get some sleep in the sky). So then I am standing in an unknown street in the middle of Kuala Lumpur after the taxi have put me of, in front of something that looks like my hostel, but that gives the impression of being closed down and abounded for long time ago. It’s dark and from the look of it, I am not standing in the safest street in the world. So I get over to a hotel (which doesn’t let backpackers in the lobby so I have to stand outside) and stand there in 4 hours together with 10 willingly prostitutes (boys or girls, it is really hard to tell down here) to around 9, before I go back and the hostel is magically open and brought to life. And that is my first night in this new town. Picture from the lock on the fence of the hostel, and from the party back home the night I left Norway.
Day two, Sleepy Monday!
I wake up around 14, hearing two older people talking, the only two people in my dorm, and what do you give me, Norwegians! So we talk a little about travel and tips, and then I fall a sleep, and that is Monday (well, not quite, did get a quick trip to the down town area and had a look at the twin towers (pictures of glossy building), but was so groggy that the whole experience was too blurry to talk about). Combine 40 hours with no sleep, jetlag and from -10 Celsius to +30 and you try to see how well you cope with that. I was mashed potato!
Day three, My Big Fat Family Reunion
Have you ever experience waking up, feeling that there is something moving around on your body, looked down and sow 20 small, yellow bugs having a family reunion on your stomach? Well, guess what, I hadn’t either, before this particularly morning. There were moving yellow creatures on arms, leg and head. But I guess since I still was in groggy country, I reacted more comely then what I would have back home. I just went up, found a new t-shirt in my bag and jumped, while brushing of the bugs I could find, in the shower. Nature – Cas = 0 - 1
After flooding the family reunion and really destroying the whole day for aunt Sallybug, I realized that this is just part of the trip and not the last time my body would be the location for different bug celebrations, so I came to the only logically solution on staying fairly clean, cut my hear. And of it went!
With no hair and 20 ponds lighter (hair and bug summarized weight hehe), I hit the street and start walking to the twin towers. It’s not often that I stop to look at architecture and gasp, but the twin towers in Kuala Lumpur is an exception! It has this wonderful way to stand out of the rest of the skyline, but in the most gently and subtle manner. The rest of the day was spent walking and looking, and of course eating (strange enough I didn’t lose my appetite after the bug attack earlier). The prices for a full meal range from 1$/1€ and up, and the price for living is about 4$/3€ a bed. So for all of you that know me too well, this is a dream place for Mr. Cas! And for you that haven’t had the pleasure to discover my most alluring trait, I love free things, second best is really cheap prices!
Day 4 Backpacker party
Got up early, alone in my room, went down for some breakfast, cornflakes and Soya milk, standard. The rest of the day was spent laying in the park around the twin towers and looking up on the blue sky, while burning away skin cells. Vacation!!!! Got home in the evening after being in the city for 10 hours, and finally had the energy (and the balls) to start on my portfolio. Yes, haven’t said that yet, but I have this idea to finalize all my work and arrange a visit to some Japanese and Chinese design studios for work applying after I will be finished with my Master in the end of the year. Will load up my work when it is all presentable and done.
In the evening I hooked up with some guys from New York, London and Sidney, and went for some old school backpacker party in reggae joint. Talked and cheered, and that was that. Picture from the backpacker bar.
Day 5, Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
City walking, talking with people that come up to me and say “Haiiii, you America?? I have family in America, you and I talk?” or something like that. I got warned by the hostel manager about people that are following foreigners and try to become friends, invite them home and then take out a knife, bringing you to the nearest ATM to lighten you weighty money bag a little bit. Don’t think my moneybag would approve, too little there all ready so I try to steer clear of these situations. And yes, you have all heard of persons in some Asian countries that come up to you and want to take a picture with you for reason beyond my understanding, well I hereby confirm, this is not an urban legend. Sitting in the park, some guys of local origin (I am guessing) comes to the spot where I am laying, and asks for a picture where each and one of them are sitting beside me, holding there arm around me and smiling like crazy. And this has happened some times now. Picture from the Chines market.
Day 6, Welcome to the High-tech mal
Some places you have districts that are known for selling specific items, like shoe district, suits and so one. Well, down here you have a whole (yes, not Norway style size, but BIG) shopping mall for PC and mobiles. And only that! The rest of the day went to writing this blogg (YES, it takes time and I could have been out instead having the time of my life, but I have decided to use my time to inform my fellow citizens of this planet what is happening in Kuala Lumpur) and talking with all the people that comes down to the hostel lobby.
Day 7, Saturday and Shopping
Ok, I didn’t give you the whole story about the hair cutting operation, you all probably thought I had the brain (and money, which I hate spending) to go to a professional to cut my hair… Well, yes, and no, sadly enough in the wrong order. I thought to my self, if I do this with the razor I brought from back home, I save money (which equals being happy) and the time I have to waste on finding a decent barbershop! So I sat down in the half indoor, half outdoor bathroom on the hostel and started cutting. When most of the top was more or less gone, my razor made a strange sound, started to smoke and that was that. So I am sitting with a non working razor in one hand, a mirror in the other, and a half shaved haircut…hmmm, where do did I leave that cap I had. I slipped into my room, nobody there, luck, found my cap in a hurry and got to the main street, first to find a ATM since I just had realized I had no money, and after that (about 20 min of walking), I had to get to a barbershop, not the first and best, but the first. After a total of nearly one hour running around the neighborhood with a cap and half the hair gone, I found the barbershop. And after the whole shop finally stopped laughing after I had reveal my little secret, the haircut accident was straighten out, finally!
Today I have being shopping in what the people down here calls a mega mall, and it was big, but not the American size, thank good! So you have all the brands, a lot of people (a hassle to get from a to b, people everywhere) and a nice mall, sounds like an OK situation for doing some cheap shopping? Well, it is, until you get to the stage where you want to try something on, you know, before you buy it. 30 – 45 minutes of waiting, and this was a standard. There where a queue from the fitting room and across the whole store. So I ended up with some brown pants from one of the few shops with just 10 min. queue. And that sums up my first Saturday in Asia.
Day 8, Doing nothing day (or as I call it, living life)
Wow, one week have pasted, that was fast!
I have being sitting in the sunny, hostel garden the whole day and planning my future trip in Malaysia and up to Thailand with some of the other guest here. Have identified two islands that are rated to have some of the 10 best beaches in the world, Tioman Island and Perhentian Island. Every time you see a glossy picture of white sand, blue clear water and palms waving in the background, you are probably looking at a picture from one of these islands. Sound like my kind of place. In the evening a German girl came down and we ended out talking the whole night about life, work and future. That’s life guys!
Day 9
Day 10
This is just a quick note, I will leave Kuala Lumpur today, and hit the bus to a small island for some days, and there are noe internet there, so I will not be able to read your mails the coming 5 days or so. Sun and white beach, here I come!!!!
I have taken a well deserved (by my own understanding that is) vacation from school and from Oslo, to see the world and eat cheap! And get away from the snow (picture from Oslo when I left).
After the summer is over and the grownup life starts again, I (sadly) will get back to Norway and continue on my last semester before finishing my Master in Industrial design (+++) at Oslo School of Architecture and Design. So enjoy my small stories about the wild, urban life of Asian cities and the strange things I will force down just to get a taste of the food and try to blend in with the locals. And here we go…
Day one, Party and no Sleep!
I got to Kuala Lumpur airport 4 o’clock in the morning, which is said to be the best airport in the world; I can’t say anything else, a very compiling experience in getting from A to B. To this moment I had been awake for about 40 hours, after having a big party in my student house in Norway (see picture), staying up the whole night, leaving 6 in the morning, and not sleeping on the 14 hour flight (which was just what I was counting on, to get some sleep in the sky). So then I am standing in an unknown street in the middle of Kuala Lumpur after the taxi have put me of, in front of something that looks like my hostel, but that gives the impression of being closed down and abounded for long time ago. It’s dark and from the look of it, I am not standing in the safest street in the world. So I get over to a hotel (which doesn’t let backpackers in the lobby so I have to stand outside) and stand there in 4 hours together with 10 willingly prostitutes (boys or girls, it is really hard to tell down here) to around 9, before I go back and the hostel is magically open and brought to life. And that is my first night in this new town. Picture from the lock on the fence of the hostel, and from the party back home the night I left Norway.
Day two, Sleepy Monday!
I wake up around 14, hearing two older people talking, the only two people in my dorm, and what do you give me, Norwegians! So we talk a little about travel and tips, and then I fall a sleep, and that is Monday (well, not quite, did get a quick trip to the down town area and had a look at the twin towers (pictures of glossy building), but was so groggy that the whole experience was too blurry to talk about). Combine 40 hours with no sleep, jetlag and from -10 Celsius to +30 and you try to see how well you cope with that. I was mashed potato!
Day three, My Big Fat Family Reunion
Have you ever experience waking up, feeling that there is something moving around on your body, looked down and sow 20 small, yellow bugs having a family reunion on your stomach? Well, guess what, I hadn’t either, before this particularly morning. There were moving yellow creatures on arms, leg and head. But I guess since I still was in groggy country, I reacted more comely then what I would have back home. I just went up, found a new t-shirt in my bag and jumped, while brushing of the bugs I could find, in the shower. Nature – Cas = 0 - 1
After flooding the family reunion and really destroying the whole day for aunt Sallybug, I realized that this is just part of the trip and not the last time my body would be the location for different bug celebrations, so I came to the only logically solution on staying fairly clean, cut my hear. And of it went!
With no hair and 20 ponds lighter (hair and bug summarized weight hehe), I hit the street and start walking to the twin towers. It’s not often that I stop to look at architecture and gasp, but the twin towers in Kuala Lumpur is an exception! It has this wonderful way to stand out of the rest of the skyline, but in the most gently and subtle manner. The rest of the day was spent walking and looking, and of course eating (strange enough I didn’t lose my appetite after the bug attack earlier). The prices for a full meal range from 1$/1€ and up, and the price for living is about 4$/3€ a bed. So for all of you that know me too well, this is a dream place for Mr. Cas! And for you that haven’t had the pleasure to discover my most alluring trait, I love free things, second best is really cheap prices!
Day 4 Backpacker party
Got up early, alone in my room, went down for some breakfast, cornflakes and Soya milk, standard. The rest of the day was spent laying in the park around the twin towers and looking up on the blue sky, while burning away skin cells. Vacation!!!! Got home in the evening after being in the city for 10 hours, and finally had the energy (and the balls) to start on my portfolio. Yes, haven’t said that yet, but I have this idea to finalize all my work and arrange a visit to some Japanese and Chinese design studios for work applying after I will be finished with my Master in the end of the year. Will load up my work when it is all presentable and done.
In the evening I hooked up with some guys from New York, London and Sidney, and went for some old school backpacker party in reggae joint. Talked and cheered, and that was that. Picture from the backpacker bar.
Day 5, Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
City walking, talking with people that come up to me and say “Haiiii, you America?? I have family in America, you and I talk?” or something like that. I got warned by the hostel manager about people that are following foreigners and try to become friends, invite them home and then take out a knife, bringing you to the nearest ATM to lighten you weighty money bag a little bit. Don’t think my moneybag would approve, too little there all ready so I try to steer clear of these situations. And yes, you have all heard of persons in some Asian countries that come up to you and want to take a picture with you for reason beyond my understanding, well I hereby confirm, this is not an urban legend. Sitting in the park, some guys of local origin (I am guessing) comes to the spot where I am laying, and asks for a picture where each and one of them are sitting beside me, holding there arm around me and smiling like crazy. And this has happened some times now. Picture from the Chines market.
Day 6, Welcome to the High-tech mal
Some places you have districts that are known for selling specific items, like shoe district, suits and so one. Well, down here you have a whole (yes, not Norway style size, but BIG) shopping mall for PC and mobiles. And only that! The rest of the day went to writing this blogg (YES, it takes time and I could have been out instead having the time of my life, but I have decided to use my time to inform my fellow citizens of this planet what is happening in Kuala Lumpur) and talking with all the people that comes down to the hostel lobby.
Day 7, Saturday and Shopping
Ok, I didn’t give you the whole story about the hair cutting operation, you all probably thought I had the brain (and money, which I hate spending) to go to a professional to cut my hair… Well, yes, and no, sadly enough in the wrong order. I thought to my self, if I do this with the razor I brought from back home, I save money (which equals being happy) and the time I have to waste on finding a decent barbershop! So I sat down in the half indoor, half outdoor bathroom on the hostel and started cutting. When most of the top was more or less gone, my razor made a strange sound, started to smoke and that was that. So I am sitting with a non working razor in one hand, a mirror in the other, and a half shaved haircut…hmmm, where do did I leave that cap I had. I slipped into my room, nobody there, luck, found my cap in a hurry and got to the main street, first to find a ATM since I just had realized I had no money, and after that (about 20 min of walking), I had to get to a barbershop, not the first and best, but the first. After a total of nearly one hour running around the neighborhood with a cap and half the hair gone, I found the barbershop. And after the whole shop finally stopped laughing after I had reveal my little secret, the haircut accident was straighten out, finally!
Today I have being shopping in what the people down here calls a mega mall, and it was big, but not the American size, thank good! So you have all the brands, a lot of people (a hassle to get from a to b, people everywhere) and a nice mall, sounds like an OK situation for doing some cheap shopping? Well, it is, until you get to the stage where you want to try something on, you know, before you buy it. 30 – 45 minutes of waiting, and this was a standard. There where a queue from the fitting room and across the whole store. So I ended up with some brown pants from one of the few shops with just 10 min. queue. And that sums up my first Saturday in Asia.
Day 8, Doing nothing day (or as I call it, living life)
Wow, one week have pasted, that was fast!
I have being sitting in the sunny, hostel garden the whole day and planning my future trip in Malaysia and up to Thailand with some of the other guest here. Have identified two islands that are rated to have some of the 10 best beaches in the world, Tioman Island and Perhentian Island. Every time you see a glossy picture of white sand, blue clear water and palms waving in the background, you are probably looking at a picture from one of these islands. Sound like my kind of place. In the evening a German girl came down and we ended out talking the whole night about life, work and future. That’s life guys!
Day 9
Day 10
This is just a quick note, I will leave Kuala Lumpur today, and hit the bus to a small island for some days, and there are noe internet there, so I will not be able to read your mails the coming 5 days or so. Sun and white beach, here I come!!!!
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