Since I've been back, I get asked... What was your favorite spot? Where would you return? A difficult question to answer; each time I consider anew. One place that I can say without a doubt is New Orleans, Louisiana. I have a massive crush on the Crescent City, and it has only grown over the years. My first trip to the Big Easy was in 2008 after the passing of a favorite Uncle. He organized trips every other year to the New Orleans Jazz Fest for the Penrose Ferry Men's Association, a social club he helped found. My cousins suggested we go in his memory, and a great group of women came together to make it happen. We had an amazing trip, and I promised to try my best to return every year to that special place. Six years later I have been six times, missing only 1 year. Needless to say, when I made the decision to come back to the US my timing was dependent upon 3 main events: my cousin's wedding, my college roommate's wedding, and Jazz Fest. Lucky for me, the timing couldn't have been better. I could fly LAX to Boston for wedding #1, Boston to New Orleans for the 2nd weekend of Jazz Fest, and still get back to Philadelphia in time for wedding #2. My travels were far from over! For those of you who haven't been to New Orleans, I urge you - GO! Those music lovers who haven't been? Go during Jazz Fest! You can enjoy music nearly 24 hours a day during Jazz Fest and many international acts are in town. I tend to spend a great deal of time hanging out on Frenchman Street as well, home to many of the city's live music venues and where you can usually find a brass band performing on the street. This was my first year traveling solo to Jazz Fest, but I was excited to have the freedom to wander a bit. I flew in and took the public bus down to the Convention Center, where I switched buses and headed towards my AirBNB. I got off bus #2 around dusk and headed up the street with my pack when a tall, intimidating man stops me and says "What are you doing around here? You shouldn't be here - it's a dangerous neighborhood!" Not the start I was hoping for! I make my way up the street and find the key waiting for me, as promised. I enter the home of my host and no one is there. I was a bit shaken by the man, and did not get the best of vibes in my newest home. It was a messy shotgun house, and the bed was in the middle room with no privacy. My gut said - leave! I called a friend in Baton Rouge to ask his advice, and within a few minutes he hooked me up with 2 of his friends that were willing to host me for the week. I hopped in a taxi and headed to the Chart Room in the French Quarter to meet them. A smiling New Orleanian #1 greeted me and handed me an Abita, and New Orleanian #2 introduced me to everyone at his table. Life had gotten exponentially better! They both lived Uptown in great places. Over that week I was shown the best hospitality and welcomed into their lives with open arms. I will be forever grateful! Wednesday night there was music on the square, this year featuring Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormans. I ran into some of the Baltimore music crew here, and then headed off to a private party to hear Trombone Shorty. My night continued with Honey Island Swamp Band, Cris Jacobs Band, and DJ Williams Projekt at the Little Gem Saloon - what a night. I met R#2, someone I would be lucky to reconnect with throughout the week, and hung out with a big crew of music friends. I ended the night at One Eyed Jacks, but Checkpoint Charlies is also a good option :) A great start to a music-filled weekend! The 2nd weekend of Jazz Fest is 4 days of music that can last from 11am until 6am (if you have the stamina!). Perma-grin starts as soon as you walk through the gates - there is nothing that compares to that Jazz Fest vibe! Each day was full of great music. Thursday I rode bikes to the Fairgrounds with my new friends - a gorgeous day. We heard Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Wailers, String Cheese Incident, and wonderful sounds just walking around the track. I ran into R#2, and met his three other wonderful friends who welcomed me into their JF camp with open arms. Festival day was followed by the 10th Anniversary party for Krewe De Blender - a fun group of fest goers that carry a disco blender flag. Costumes were encouraged, and my new group of friends did not disappoint! Friday New Oreleanians #1 & #3 and I biked over to Fiya Fest - music festival / crawfish boil / benefit for the Roots of Music. We feasted on crawfish & local beer by the river and heard great music. Marco Benevento, Mike Dillon Band, DJ Logic, a local marching band, and even more. Part 2 was a riverboat cruise with even more music. This City doesn't stop!! Saturday was a day at the Fairgrounds (did I mention you need stamina for this?!). I headed over with my friend (and recent savior) from Baton Rouge. We began the day in the Gospel tent, and it just got better from there. Fais Do Do, Head and the Heart, and a long set from Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band with a visit from John Fogarty- a definite highlight of my Jazz Fest. I was once again welcomed in by R#1, R#2 and crew, where I was spoiled with plenty of dancing room most of the day. Very important with those guys! R#1 also took me to the First Aid tent to tend to my busted big toe, and held my hand while the doctors "operated". So nice, and it turned out to be a great move before dancing in all of that dust!! I cannot wait to see this group again next year. An early night ensured a little stamina for the rest of my stay! Baton Rouge and I started our Sunday early, and had time to enjoy a bloody mary at Liuzza's. YUM! Once inside we began with the Gospel Tent, a lemonade, and crawfish ettouffe. The food at the Fairgrounds is amazing, and I suggest trying it all - especially if the word 'crawfish' is involved! We followed that with Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes (featuring John Gros on french horn?!), George Porter, Jr., Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Arcade Fire, & John Fogarty - of course with some parades, snacks, and sounds sprinkled in. I filled my soul with music nearly 24/7, and it was magic. That night I ended up at DBA for Stanton Moore, where I ran into more old friends and also met Alabama #1 - another musical soul I have a feeling I'll see next year at the Fest! Be forewarned - 6 days in Nola feels like a month, and you likely trade a year of your life, but it is totally worth it and you will return home with a smile in your heart! I cannot wait to go back, and hope to be able to return all of the love and hospitality I was shown by new friends and old. I love you New Orleans :)
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After 28 hours - mostly in the air - I land at LAX, retrieve my mobile home, and make it through customs. I am greeted by my younger sister, and it is one of the best hugs I've had in a long time. It is utter confusion as we pull out into LA traffic - I keep thinking she's on the wrong side of the road, there is a ton of traffic, and I'm in a time warp delirium and barely able to communicate. Culture shock, jet lag, and 8 months out of the US could explain some of it! Add to that a phone call from a parental unit inquiring about where I'm going to live and I'm ready to turn in! The next day we head back to LAX from Burbank to pick up my older sister - we are reunited and it feels so good! It's off to Santa Monica to meet up with an old friend from high school and we head out to cure one of my largest cravings of the trip - margaritas and guacamole! Great day catching up and enjoying delicious things - the weather is perfect & the company can't be beat. The next day we drove up to Santa Barbara for Easter dinner with my LA sister's friends. It is a beautiful house overlooking Santa Barbara Bay and we are given a very warm welcome and a reallllly comfortable bed. We decide to explore SB on bikes, and it is excruciating with all of the hills and my travel-atrophied muscles! It is a great little town, and we came across some natural areas, a craft market, and nice people. We make it back in time for a delicious Easter dinner, however! It's tough to leave, but we head back to LA on our way to San Diego - a sister cottage in Ocean Beach is waiting! I love OB, and we were able to relax on the beach for a few days. The water was freezing, but in I went :) Had to wake up those cells! Great sister time with dinner at our cottage, tapas at The Joint, taco Tuesday at a local... I even went to my first movie of the year - Captain America at one of those fancy theatres where you can sit in a comfy recliner! I had a feeling it would take a while to readjust to being home, but it was a great five days spent with sisters, and a perfect welcome back to the US. We ended with sunset drinks back in LA at the harbor - pelicans included! Next it was off to Plymouth, Massachusetts for a wedding... East coast here I come! The Great Ocean Road has been a must-see for me for a while, and that is where we headed when the skies cleared. What a gorgeous, wild coast down to the 12 Apostles! We spent the night at Surfside Backpackers in Apollo Bay. It was so homey I felt like I was visiting my grandmother. Clean, cozy, dated... Perfect. They even had a resident (wild) koala. We got down to the Apostles in plenty of time to enjoy their magnificence, along with a few other awesome coastal overlooks. After a tour of the coast it was back to Melbourne for an Australian Rules Footy match at MCG. Richmond Tigers vs. Collingswood Magpies - It was 96 to 67 (or something), but really I was interested in the uniforms, watching Aussie fans, and tasting the Carlton draught. Successful night at MCG :) We were staying with an Ambo friend in Geelong so we decided to head down to Torquay for some surfing & live music - the 2014 Rip Curl Pro was in town! Great crew of people and the singer had a beautiful voice. On our way back we stopped in downtown Geelong with some new friends and went to play a few games of pool. After just 2 games, we decided to call it a night and returned to the car to find the surfboard and all of our fishing rods gone. Talk about a bummer... Bugger that! Our last day on the road was spent flying kites in Bells Beach, watching the pros, and checking out the surf outlets - our losses of the previous night forgotten. Our plans to camp on the way back to Sydney were rained out, so we drove the entire 850km straight through over about 11 hours. I don't recommend this - there are kangaroos out there and they will jump in your path! Plus, the temptation of Magnum ice cream bars and grapefruit soda is very high after the first 8 hours, and the resulting sugar high could make you crazy! We did make it back physically unscathed, but our mental states were questionable! I spent my final day in Australia checking out downtown Sydney - and it just so happened Will & Kate were also in town. Yes, it was very crowded by the Opera House. I got to reunite with an old friend from my time at University of Queensland, and after saying goodbye to Aussie #1 he took me out to show me his Sydney. Fun town, but the 28 hour trip home was weighing on my mind a bit, so it was a short tour! I was headed back to the US after all this time, and I was going to have plenty of time on airplanes for some reflection. It was a grueling 11 hours to Seoul, Korea followed by a 4 hour layover, and another 11 hours to LAX... And I got back in the same day!? At the end of the rainbow my sisters were waiting, so US here I come! The flight to Sydney was what you'd expect - looong. Even coming from Kuala Lumpur it feels like you are truly going 'down under'. But it was all worth it when I walked out to the lobby and a smiling Aussie #1 was waiting! Nothing like getting picked up at the airport by a friend! It's great to reunite, and I was immediately ushered off to an "Ambo" bar in Penrith to get my first dose Aussie culture. Wow - what a place! It was a theme for my time in Oz - Aussie #1 is a paramedic (Ambo), and knows them all over the country. That weekend I was also invited to an Ambo engagement party in Magras Hill. I got to dress up for the first time in a while, and it was great to feel like a lady! Aussie #1 has time off, so we decided to the coast and camp all the way to the Great Ocean Road. The weather wasn't looking promising, but we packed the car with tents, toys, and plenty of food and hoped for the best. Our first night was spent camping at Brou Lake and fishing in the Tasman Sea. The rains came, and we stuck it out but caught nothing. I woke up freezing to a soggy campsite - I would have to invest in some pants and a few more layers! Aussie #1 had friends in Moruya, so we headed that direction for lunch and my first western food in a while! We even bought cheese from Bodalla (mmmm), a local dairy. That night we camped in Cape Conrad, where there was more fishing (and the “big one” seaweed scare) and sightings of possum, potoroo, wallaby, kookubura, magpie, seal, and PELICAN! More rain, however, and the forecast was not favorable for the coming week. Day 3 we made it to Melbourne, and it was still raining. So much for this camping road trip! We sucked it up and stayed in the largest backpackers I've ever seen. I felt like a sock in a drawer, but it was at least a warm drawer! Aussie #1 and I toured the city in the rain, had awesome burritos (yay!), and went on a live music hunt. Melbourne is a great city - lots of people, multicultural, tons going on. There was a slice of sun in the forecast, however, so we cut our time in the city a bit short. It was time to head to the Great Ocean Road for the 12 Apostles! It's a late arrival back to KL, but I manage to catch a bus to Chinatown, picking up 2 wayward Russians in my path. At 3am we arrive to a sleeping Chinatown and are forced to wake up the proprietor of the Birdnest Guesthouse. Lucky for the Russians he has some beds. I was up early to find the Gleneagle Hospital. It's on the bus line, so I head east. The place was humming and I waited a while despite having an appointment. I saw the doctor and they sent me away with a prescription for the Rabies shot. I walked next door, waited to buy the shot, and headed back to the other waiting room. I'm back with the nurse, and the injection is quick (but not painless!). Finally my rabies adventure is finished. Malaysia health care is a bit pricier, and this time the visit costs $235. One expensive monkey! It was a rainy day, so I hit the Central Market, and my favorite food stalls in Chinatown for curry laksa and coffee. There were a bunch of Aussies at the Bird's Nest that helped me prepare for my next 2 weeks... an adventure in Oz! Friend: "I love the term rucksack. Sounds very primitive and pioneering." Me: "That's pretty much how I feel at 11pm walking down a street full of tourists, neon, ladyboys, pole dancers, ping pong show pushers, and drunk Australians. Primitive and pioneering." We moved onto Patong from Phrang Nga via two buses and some wandering with our rucksacks through Patong's hot, crowded streets. The city is built up and full of tourists. I am already missing the peaceful beach of yesterday and that delicious papaya salad. We settle into our guest house, which is a bit off of the a main drag, and head out into the madness. Had dinner with some friends of Czech #1 and finally had a little Pad Thai. Just okay, but the watermelon shake was delicious. We attempted some shopping and I had some major negotiation fails so I went away empty handed - probably for the best! The walk down Bangla Road (main party drag) left me ready to hit the Family Mart and run back to the room. The next day we rented a motorbike and escaped to the end of the peninsula. We found Na Harn beach and enjoyed our last meal watching some boats come and go in the harbor. Unless you are into the total party scene, I would recommend moving a bit south of Patong - much better vibes. Back in Phuket for my bus to the airport - a warm goodbye with Czech #1 and I was headed back to KL for injection number 4 - oh the excitement! The breeze on the longtail boat was a welcome change to the stifling heat of our guest room. Tonsai was behind me, and I was feeling better. Czech #1 and I were headed to Phrang Nga to see Ao Phang Nga National Park. After a much longer bus ride than we imagined, we arrived to the tiny town of Phrang Nga. We had a nice guest house - complete with electricity and windows! Our first step was to find some wheels. We rented a motorbike from a local, and went off to find some nature. It felt great to be back on two wheels. We found a nice hike nearby, and enjoyed caves and waterfalls. On our way back we came across the Heaven and Hell temple. It was dusk, the temple was deserted, and it was unbelievably creepy. We climbed up to a crazy view from the top, dodging bats all the way up. There was a fire breathing dragon, morbid statues staring at us, and very large animals everywhere. We made it out alive and perhaps a bit more enlightened about our daily struggles with heaven and hell... on earth. A memorable first temple experience! Back in in Phrang Nga we found a nice local restaurant and enjoyed red curry soup, mango sticky rice, and great conversation. It was wonderful to reunite with a beautiful friend. The next day we motorbiked it out to the Dan Pier to find ourselves a longtail boat. We booked through the National Park office, and Lim picked us up for our own personal tour. We rode by James Bond Island, but didn't stop since it looked a bit like a tourist trap. Instead Lim stopped off for swimming on a small island, took us through a cave, and stopped by a Muslim fishing village/island that was touristy, busy, and a bit stinky. That afternoon we took a motorbike ride to Natyai beach. Halfway there there was a rainstorm, but we were lucky to be driving by a coffee shop! We had lunch by the sea on a beautiful, quiet beach and witnessed a ceremony. There was a nice sunset on the ride back to Phrang Nga town, but the ride was a bit terrifying since it was getting dark. After a few close calls with very large trucks and buses we arrived safely back, and I vowed never again to motorbike in the dark! The next day we were off to Patong Bay - exciting but all I could do that night was lie in bed and think about my pending flight back to the US 2 weeks later... so soon! The resulting insomnia attack was not to be my last... It was still dark when I dragged myself into Malaysia minibus numero tres in 2 days... I had 3 fellow travelers that happened to be all Malaysians living near George Town and leaving the country for the first time. They were pretty excited to get a Thailand stamp. Unfortunately for them, the Thai border crossing was very simple and they didn't even get a stamp on their pristine passports. I was pretty stoked, so I treated to snacks instead :) It was a long day on the road, and from Hat Yai I jumped on bus #4 to Krabi Town. My final destination was Railay Bay to meet a friend. After a few more hours, I found myself in lovely Krabi Town. There was an open air bus/taxi to Ao Nang, so I jumped on. The driver brought me to a longtail boat stop, which I needed to hire to take me out to Railay. Quite a journey! But overall, uneventful and straightforward... although I was thankful for my direct flight booking back from Phuket later that week! I boarded the longtail and we waited about 20 minutes while they jump started the motor... When it kicks into gear there is a collective sigh of relief. Off I go to meet Czech #1 and her family! What a gorgeous place! We pull up to Railay Bay and it is stunning with the limestone cliffs and turquoise water. My friend and her family are staying at Railay Bay Resort, which is amazing and a wonderful place to call home for a night. It's a beautiful reunion with Czech #1, and we enjoy the view, the pool, and familiar company. Our luxury was short lived, but enjoyed and extremely appreciated. The next day Czech #1's parents were off, and we headed to Tonsai to begin our adventure. Just a longtail boatride away and we were in the climbers haven of Tonsai. A much different vibe than neighboring Railay – here there were many backpackers, a more laid back vibe, and the slight smell of sewage around the guest houses. There was a restaurant with beach seating, so we ate there and called it an early night. The next day I planned a dive to check out the underwater scene, and Czech #1 was going to scale the limestone cliffs. The grand plan changed for me around 1am when Montezuma came upon me for some revenge... I spent the next 24 hours in what we some of us might like to call hell... Most of my night was spent hailing the porcelain king.... During the day there was no electricity in our room, so it was like having a fever under a wool blanket in a concrete tomb. I will spare you greater detail... and while I was grateful for the help of Czech #1, I was also relieved when she headed out to go climbing! By the next morning I was weakened but ready to get out of there – long bus ride and longtail boat look out! We were headed to Phrang Nga and I was excited to get out and enjoy some of Phuket's natural beauty. Moving on :) I hopped on the minibus to Penang, and it was only me for the 3 hour journey to the coast. Lucky gal. Easy ride, despite the hairpin turns and focused driver attention. He even brought along on a few personal errands and 'let' me use the toilets at his sister's house, where he had to stop to drop off some strawberries... not your typical minibus ride that's for sure! (or is it?) We arrived after dark but the city was bustling. Georgetown was much bigger than I had imagined, and I had the driver drop me on Love Lane. After about 20 minutes of touring around checking out my options, I settled on a single room at Guest Inn Muntri, right off of Love Lane. Clean, cheap, quiet, and close to the main drag. I had dinner with new traveler friend from Italy – we shared two of the mystery street dishes from the nearby night market. I was up early for breakfast and hit the street art tour around town. It was a scorcher, but what a great city! While I was hunting street art I saw Fort Cornwallis, met a female artist teaching traditional batik, and toured the clan jetties. Fort Cornwallis was built by the British East India Company in the late 1700s. It is a star shaped fort and is the largest standing in Malaysia - likely because it never engaged in any battle! There are six clan communities in a row along Weld Quay and together they are known as the Clan Jetties. The Chew Clan is by far the largest among the Weld Quay family of clans. The jetties were initially rows of plank supported by stilts constructed as platform for passengers embarking and disembarking from the boats to the shores and vice versa. Later on, these platforms were joined together to become a jetty. These clusters of wooden houses were built by the Chinese poor immigrants who work near the port during the nineteen century. These immigrants migrated from the south-eastern coast of China, known as the Fujian Province over here due to the hardship they face in their homeland during that era. Later they brought their families over and made this waterfront their home. The Chew Jetty is still home to hundreds of people living in this area today but many have changed their social and economic lifestyle. It was quiet when I was there, and there is a great panoramic view of the city from the end. There are fun murals around town, in addition to wire sculptures that tell a bit about the history and neighborhood in which they are found. These sculptures started out as a project to celebrate Georgetown as a UNESCO heritage site. These welded iron wall caricatures featuring the work of Penang cartoonists such as Baba Chuah are erected around the alleyways of the area. The designs are all drawn by artists who grew up in Penang, so they encompass some local flavor which adds an intimate connection between the art and the location. I found the local people very welcoming and friendly. Many people spoke English and it was easy to find my way around (they had a good map!). Georgetown had a hip, young vibe to it as well that was a welcome change. A map of the art can be found here. I headed back to the guest house to beat the heat, but I was in for a surprise... American #2 was on his way to Georgetown. Serendipitous encounter, that's for sure. He happened to be staying 1 block away and we hadn't seen each other since December in South Africa. What are the odds? We swapped stories over drinks, found some dinner, and enjoyed more street art. But alas, once again we went our separate ways, and I prepared for my 5am bus to Hat Yai – I was headed to Thailand! After all of the Bali excitement it was time to head back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After the short flight I took the train to Chinatown where I received a warm welcome at the Bird's Nest. Air Malaysia flight MH370 was still missing and there were many families in KL waiting on word of the plane. It was a hot topic at the Guest House, filled with speculations, theories, and sentiments for those aboard and their families. It was nice to be back on familiar ground, and this visit I found Taps Beer Bar, a great place to enjoy a couple craft beers with the German who happened to still be in KL. It was my first IPA in a while and was quite strong compared to the Bintang! While in Chinatown I also made sure to grab some curry laksa and coffee! Two days later I was on a minibus to the Cameron Highlands. It was a winding road through the palm plantations that stretched as far as the eye could see. Malaysia is the worlds second largest producer of palm oil and its economy relies on the industry, but cultivation has been criticized for environmental impacts including deforestation, loss of natural habitats of endangered species, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the hills in the Highlands are also covered with prefabricated greenhouses, which really detracted from an otherwise beautiful natural area. The minibus dropped me in town and I found a room at Eight Mentigi Guest House. It was my first dorm bed in a while, but I met 2 new Dutch friends that invited me to dinner - one bonus of communal sleeping I guess! Rafflesia hunting was the order of the day, and I got up early to start the 5 hour adventure. The Rafflesia is a rare flower with the world's largest single bloom. The flower begins blooming at night and start to decompose only two to three days later. The time from bud emergence to flowering is six to nine months. Male and female flowers must be open simultaneously for pollination to occur, so successful pollination and fruit production are quite rare. In addition to habitat loss, these reproductive limitations are contributing factors to why many species are endangered. It was a trek through the jungle to find the cartoon-like flower, and there was no guarantee that we would find one in bloom. After 2 hours, one injury, and words of doom and gloom from the crabby English lady, we came to our first flower - it was 5 days old and on its way out. About 3 feet across, it was a fading dark red and emitted a strong smell. We were happy, but hoped to find a new bloom and decided to hike a bit further into the jungle. Our reward was a day old Rafflesia, not even full open. The red was robust and it was gorgeous. It was a successful hunt and great hike, and a highlight of my time in Malaysia. The guide dropped me off just in time to catch my 2pm minibus - off to Georgetown in Penang! |
ABOUTCombining a passion for travel, the desire to make a difference & a love of maps, MaggieMaps was born. PRESSUnless otherwise noted, all prose, poetry, maps and photography posted on this blog are Copyright 2013 Maggie Maps
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