McSilly's Adventures

The end of the trip is actually the beginning

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Well well, you might have thought (and me with you) that the lack of news on this blog meant less adventures for McSilly. You might have thought (and I kind of did at times too) that the Big Trip was over.

Well it is not.

The travel bug was never really cured, plus things in Budapest didn't really go as expected. That calls for some big change. I still don't know what I'm going to be doing, or where, but it won't be long before a decision is taken.

Meanwhile, I shared my thoughts and doubts on this blog post.

Maybe I don't Want to Be a Digital Nomad

Should I stay or Should I go?

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Mustafa Center Singapore, the video

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:31:00 +0000

Amongst the many things I miss about Singapore (food, weather, public services, multicultural environment, etc) there is surely Mustafa Shopping Center in Little India.

I'm not normally a huge fan of shopping centers, but Mustafa is indeed different. It's a crazy place open 24/7, selling basically everything you could imagine. At 2am the place is still busy, and it offers a great chance to observe the normal and odd products offered, and the normal and odd shoppers browsing around.

Being difficult to explain how huge and odd the place is, I created a little video that will hopefully give you an idea of this mad, contradictory place.

Check out more about Mustafa Shopping Center in Singapore...

To Berlin by train

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:06:00 +0000

Since in my previous post I was mentioning how easy, comfortable and cheap is to travel within Central Europe by train, fate compensated me by offering me the chance for another train ride: Budapest to Berlin. For the journey you need some luxury that nowadays not many people have: time. It takes 12 hours from city to city, but in the right state of mind they can be 12 very enjoyable hours.

If you want to avoid queuing and waiting at check-in and security in airports, and have some work to do (or movie to watch) on your laptop, train can be a pleasant choice. Some trains even have electrical plugs so you can charge your laptop, dvd player or game console. If you want to have the pleasure of some food you can actually choose at the restaurant wagon (rather than chicken or beef, sir?), of a glass or two of wine, or of stepping out of the train when possible for a quick ciggie, then train can be a rather pleasant choice.

From your window you can enjoy the landscapes of 4 different countries: from Hungary the train goes through Slovakia, then Czech Republic, before entering Germany. Especially in February you can enjoy white landscapes and observe the countryside almost asleep in the long winter. From city to city you can admire woods, mountains, little villages, and the odd castle on top of a rock.

The many cities touched by the journey are Bratislava, Břeclav, Brno, Prague, Dresden. That means also that you have another great past-time: people watching. It's interesting to hear the languages of people getting on and off the train change from station to station or to have the odd chat with a fellow traveller.

In this time where everything has to be done as soon as possible it can be a relaxing change to do something, even travelling, simply taking your time. I'm sure the guys at Slow Travel would agree.

My related articles:

Vienna, Brno, Bratislava by train

Is Flashpacking Fast Travel or Slow Travel?

Vienna, Brno, Bratislava by train

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:00:00 +0000

The good news is that these three cities are extremely well connected by train, so you can effortlessly experience three cities, three different countries and cultures; by train moving from one place to another it will only cost you a tenner and an hour and a half of your time.

You can check trains timetables and prices from one city to the other at the 3 official national railways websites (providing English pages here): ÖBB, CD and ŽSR.

Vienna is a splendid city. I won't really add much to the abundant literature about Viennese culture, festival, music, and museums, but simply describe how much I enjoyed Viennese cafes.

They are really an institution, and as soon as you enter you feel the contrast with the busy and cold (if like me you visit in winter) streets outside. Always very quiet, very often smoky, cafes are the place where locals would spend hours reading the omnipresent newspapers or a book; often having just one or two coffees.

Everybody should feel at ease and not pressured to consume more or leave for another place. Like Irish pubs every cafe has a story, different decorations or themes, and often a good few legends of the famous character who used to go there. You really haven't been in Vienna if you haven't spent some time in one of those magic places.

Brno, in Czech Republic, is a quite attractive and interesting city, despite not being a main tourist destination (apart during the moto GP that takes place here).

Actually that is probably one of Brno's biggest advantages: contrary to Prague most of what you see here, including bars and restaurants, is for the local residents and not for tourists.

The city center is full of historical buildings and churches, and from both the Spilberk Castle or Petrov Cathedral you can enjoy a great view of the city.

Bratislava, our third train stop, is a charming little (450K inhabitants) city, and of course the capital of Slovakia. What really impressed me about the city is the old part of the town center.

Quite forgotten years ago, people are now rediscovering the beauty and quality of life of the old town, and as a consequence the whole area is under renovation at the moment.

At every corner you see the contrast between the old, ruined houses and the freshly renovated ones.

The contrast is even more enhanced by the bright colors used for the new coats of paint.

Considering how close these three cities are, and how cheap is to move between them by train, it would really be a pity to spend some amount of time in just one of them without visiting the others. Happy train ride!

Living in Budapest

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:55:00 +0000

After 14 months on the road, with my luggage being my home and all I possessed, I have a place that I can call home and I am now officially residing in a country again. At least for the next months my country will be Hungary and my city Budapest. Work wise I've joined Belanski, a young start up company which deals with sales of independent movies (mainly East European ones) to various channels, with the priority being Internet Video on Demand platforms.

Budapest welcomed me at the beginning of January with temperatures down to -12C. To be honest it was very dry and didn't feel like dying frozen down the street (which was what I would have expected after being used to the climate in Indonesia and Singapore). The good news is that now that is around 0C it feels almost warm.

My first impressions of the city were of a romantic, a bit old-fashioned but pretty interesting city. You fight the winter cold spending most of the time in cozy cafes (kávézo) and pubs (söröző), having soups, hearty food and excellent Hungarian wine. Public transportation works perfectly, it's not difficult to get anywhere, and overall it feels pretty safe. Underpasses and underground entrances can be a bit intimidating due to the very high amount of homeless people (quite a big problem in Budapest I hear), but you never feel threatened.

For the first couple of weeks I was staying in the VII district, which used to be the old Jewish ghetto. The area is characterized by old buildings, some of them totally empty, with decaying facades and some even with bullet-holes from previous wars. Although it can look quite run-down, the area has got plenty of character; you can really smell the history and the battles, and if the decaying buildings can somehow bring Cuba into mind, the winter chill is quick to remind you of your location.

Budapest (left) like Cuba (right)?

I now moved in the area near Margaret Bridge, which is supposed to be quite nice, full of tiny little shops and cozy cafes and restaurants. Give me some days to explore my new neighborhood and I'll tell you more.

I've just arrived in Budapest, but the first weekend was already away in the countryside, to be precise north of the lovely village of Szentendre. The semi-frozen Danube gave me the chance to take some nice pictures, and crossing it on the little boat you see here was really something different for me. The sound of the ice colliding on the sides of the boat was definitely something new.

So far so good then, looking forward to explore Hungary a bit more and of course report about it in this blog.

If you thought having a home will mean less travelling and less McSilly's Adventures think again. More travel reports (Vienna, Brno, Bratislava) are on the way; in the next month I'll also travel to Berlin and Prague, plus I would really love to see places like Transilvanya. An idea to keep up with future trips (and why not, meet somewhere) is to follow me on Dopplr.

And to be sure not to miss any story consider subscribing by RSS feeds or by email.

Happy Holidays from McSilly

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:42:00 +0000

Make a Smilebox greeting

Tallinn, Xmas Market and Old Town

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:56:00 +0000

After a quick stop in Italy (home) to change my wardrobe from the light Singapore shorts and t-shirts to heavy jackets for the North and East European winter, and after another stop in Dublin (even more home) to see some friends, I ended up in Tallinn, Estonia. The main reason was to participate (and as I later got to know, present) to Baltic Event, a movie event part of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, as part of my new job with Belanski. Yes, i know, new job, back to real world.. but as long as it's not a 9 to 5 job and it will keep me travelling..

Tallinn then.. The old town is absolutely lovely; a Unesco World Heritage Site in fact. You can see it all on foot (and it's also a pedestrian area) and is very well preserved. During December then the City Hall square is all decorated and hosts a cosy Christmas Market. In the various stalls you can find first of all everything that is possible to have hand made and woolen: gloves, scarves, hats, jumpers, sleepers, etc., all mixed with wax candles, souvenirs and of course the essence itself of a Xmas market: mulled wine.

The atmosphere is also created by the fact that almost every shopkeeper and staff in restaurants dress in medieval fashion; not only you have quite a few traditional medieval restaurants and shops, but here and there you can find some medieval cart selling candies, chestnuts or mulled wine.

One of the highlights of the Old Town is also Toompea, the very heart of the medieval center. There you can find amongst other buildings the Danish castle, the beautiful Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral and the Lutheran Toomkirik Church. But what really makes the uphill walk to Toompea worth is the fantastic view of the city, lovely by day, breathtaking by night.

What I really loved about Tallinn apart from the sights was the fact that everybody was extremely friendly and polite; excellent service anywhere, and on top of that everybody speaks English exceptionally well, which helped a lot as my Estonian is a bit.. well, let's just say rusty.

Where the Hell is McSilly

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:18:00 +0000

That's what I hear you say. Where the Hell is he, and what happened to his adventures?

Yes, it has been a while since the last post from Lombok. The bad news? McSilly is back in Europe and is starting to work again. The good news though: Travels and Adventures will continue, and with them this blog. Since Lombok I've been back to Singapore, then Rome, back home to Pescara, Italy, then Dublin, Tallinn and Vienna.

So quite a few changes, from the absolute freedom of the trip to having to plan a bit, wake up a bit earlier than usual and do some work. But it has been all fun so far.

The biggest change was probably the climate; from the Singapore heat to the 0 degrees in Tallinn, but it was quite softened by the stops in Italy and Ireland.

Quite a change: 0 degrees at Xmas Market in Tallin, Estonia

So keep watching this space, new posts about the Christmassy European atmosphere coming up soon..

Kampung Loco, Project Update: Bemo is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:53:00 +0000

As promised a while ago in previous posts shere's an update on Project Kampung Loco and on how the donations received through this blog were used.

Well I am delighted to report excellent news from Lombok. Thanks to all the people who generously donated, the kids in Kampung Loco have now a bemo, a little minivan that will drastically reduce the cost of going to school.

I'd like to take the chance first of all to thank again on behalf of the Project founders, Joep and Marijke, the members in Lombok and the kids in the village the following people who contributed to such a change in the village life:

Familie Anthonijsz
Markus Baars
Bernhard Plumper
Annette Vorstoffel
Edel Tighe
Michelle Cronin
Stephen Murphy
Caterina Cicoria
Marta Mazzulli
Veronica di Nello
Piero Pavone
Giuliana Ferrari
Roberto Pavone & family
Marino Gualano
Lucilla Marano
Laura D'Anniballe & family
Paolo Pavone, Paolo Budiani & co
Fiorella Rotelli
Claudia Mammarella
Julius Iannitti
Renato Nettuno
Daniela di Luca

A special thanks to Pascalle Meijers and Antonio Addari for being also contact point to collect money in their respective countries.

As you can see the bemo is quite busy and full of kids going to school!!

One of the reasons why I came back to Lombok was to meet Joep and Marijke, and get to know more about the project and see how me and my friends could help.

I was very happy and honoured to participate at the ceremony of the blessing of the bemo, with the folks from the Project, the head of the village and other people from the Kampung. It was a beautiful moment, everybody (well except the 3 Westerner) praying (at some stage in pitch dark due to the usual blackout), then food and chats all around.

It was very interesting to see how the Project work, what's behind the scene. Well I can tell there's quite a lot of work involved, from keeping books of all expenses to buy uniforms and materials for the kids, to looking after medicines and emergencies for everybody in the village. Joep and Marijke came for a holiday, but it looked like work to me most of the times. Being here for just one month a year they have to check books, check which kid is going to which school, update kids name, class and sponsors, not to mention trying to take pictures of more than 80 kids around the village.

They really do a great job, and you can see how everybody in the village, from little kids to old people are very grateful to them.

You can read all details on the Proyek Kampung Loco Website, if you want to donate, sponsor a kid to go to school or simply contribute to expenses like medicines you can do it through the website or simply clicking on the button below.

Thanks again to all past and future sponsors and contributors.

Lombok like Bali? The “Balification” process

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:45:00 +0000

Not all was nice and lovely in Lombok unfortunately.

I have to say that I've found Senggigi quite changed already, in less than a year time. The name I came up with for the change is Balification: things here are starting to get too similar to Bali.

First of all sellers on the beach and on the roads are getting pushier and pushier; the beach was already off limit to tourists because of that (many prefer to spend time in the well protected swimming pools); it's impossible to walk or have a meal anywhere or without having sellers all over you. As a consequence many restaurants and hotels have signs asking customers not to talk or invite sellers in; some posh hotels even have barriers and anti-sellers security men.

Of course this is a vicious circle, as sellers of course need to make some money to eat, and will be even more aggressive in places where they are allowed, but at the same time this doesn't sure help visitors having a relaxed stay.

Consider also that almost every shop owner tends to take advantage of the fact that you're a visitor and not familiar with local prices. The price of a bottle of water at the same shop depends for example on whether you'll be served by the owner or his wife. In many occasions while paying in shops I had to wait and make clear that I wanted my change back. They looked almost surprised, a “visitor” that knows how much something costs! Of course I don't mind leaving the change or a tip, but I want it to be my choice and not being considered a dumb tourist.

Another effect of the Balification process is more “bad” tourist coming over. Many of them are sexual tourist, and the consequence is more and more prostitution. While before sex workers were hanging around in few clubs and discos now you even see them down the road at night. Not a pretty sight.

To add to my frustration for the Balification process internet connection (which was quite decent in February and March) was rarely available, and I've found even the service in many places that I liked much worse.

I thought a lot about all these changes. Is it possible that Senggigi got so much worse in less than 10 months? Is it possible that when I came here the first time I was so excited about my trip beginning, seeing new places and cultures, and coming from a stressful environment didn't mind or even notice all these things? But then just one month ago I was in Langkawi, where like in Lombok the pace of life is very slow, and there's the same lack of Western facilities like decent internet connection, footpaths, cash registers that allow to have your bill in less than 20 minutes.

Still i loved there, while now I don't know if I would recommend Senggigi as a tourist destination to my friends now.

Unless of course you go there for Kampung Loco. That was what really made the trip. Not only my friends, but everyone in the village really considered me one of them, was super nice and polite. Going there you see the real life in Lombok, you forget the pains of tourist life in Senggigi and most important you learn to really appreciate the people and their culture there.

Feel free to contact Lombok Travel Info if you ever wish to visit or stay in the village. My friends there will be more than happy to help you and show you around.

Back to Lombok, Kampung Loco

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:19:00 +0000

Coming back to Lombok is like coming back home. The lads from the village, Kampung Loco, were at the airport waiting for me with three scooters: one to carry me, one for my backpack and one.. just for fun. From the Mataram airport to Senggigi I felt like an escorted ambassador in that line of scooters.

I came back to Lombok for various reasons.

First of all to see my friends and “extended family”. To live again the kampung life, and see how my friends are getting on.

Secondly I knew Joep and Marijke, the founders of Proyek Kampung Loco would be here at this time, so I wanted to meet them after hearing so much about them, discuss with them what else can be done for the village, and see if my familiarity with Internet applications could make life easier for the project.

Thirdly I came to here to close the circle. Lombok was my first destination on this trip around the world, and as I feel it's almost time to go back to old EU I wanted to come back to this island to close the circle, get some conclusions and move on (not simply move back) to my European life.

Already on the second day my friend Baong took me on a hike up the mountains. It was supposed to be from the top of the mountain, the Monkey Forest, all the way down to the village. Somehow it looked to me like the path (when there was one) was always uphill though.

Very tough hike (don't even want to know how many kms were involved, or how Baong can do it all barefoot) but stunning views of the mountains, the little villages, huts and Hindu temples up there, and the odd person coming down with wood or bananas to sell at the market.

But apart from that hike I didn't do any touristic activity. I've seen most of the places of interest in Lombok in my previous visits, plus this time I didn't come to do sightseeing but to see and spent time with my friends. An so I did. Hours and hours chatting and messing in the bruga with the folks, drinking coffee, eating fried bananas, and other unpronounceable but delicious snacks.

And of course there was Bemo shopping. With Marijke and Joep, the founders of the Kampung Loco Proyek, and the lads from the village we went around investigating prices for a bemo (minivan) to bring the kids to school, licenses involved etc. But more on this soon...

Read the Previous Lombok stories...

Singapore, the Old and the New

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:29:00 +0000

Singapore is indeed a city full of contrasts. From the “fine city” legislation to the diversity of cultures, people and religions; from the extreme urbanization to the abundance of green. In what was my sixth visit to the state-city one of the contrasts that struck me most was the one between Old and New. The cement and glass of skyscrapers is often on the background of old temples or small houses. But let's have the pictures do most of the talking for a change.

Buddha Tooth Relic, a Buddhist Temple in Chinatown, and in the background tall skyscrapers. The crane on top of the tall building it's a sign that it might become even taller.

The view from the top of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple says it all: small houses, tall buildings and patches of green here and there.

The pubs and bars on Boat Quays look tiny compared to the financial buildings behind.

Decorations on the roof of a Hindu Temple and financial district skyscrapers.

A traditional looking building contrasts with the new constructions.

Commercialisation of Feng Shui.

The Fountain of Wealth is built on principles based on Feng Shui and Chinese Horoscope. The fountain is located within the commercial complex of Suntec City, where five tall skyscrapers represent the finger of one hand. The fountain (which is also the biggest in the world) stands in the center of the palm. Being round has got all around strategic Feng Shui and Chinese horoscope points. The water is collected on a special night, and can bring you good luck if put in certain Feng Shui point of your house. How very traditional. At night though you have a show with pop music and lasers projecting images on the water. If you happen to be there you can even request a song or a dedication for you or your partner.
Happy and (hopefully lucky!) days!

Read more stories about Singapore...

Mustafa Center in Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:43:00 +0000

If you're in Singapore to shop, then Mustafa Center is the place to go.

Mustafa is located in Little India, and everybody in Singapore knows it, any taxi driver would be able to bring you there, just say: Mustafa please! The center is open 24/7, and has got everything, and I mean, everything. With my buddy Paolo, who came to visit me for two weeks, we created a new game: Will Mustafa have it? Think of an object you can buy. Can you find it? Of course.

From golf clubs to wheelchairs, from toothpaste to laptops, from chinese medicine to porcelain, it's all there. You walk in between corridors of shoes and walls of food blenders. Gold? To trade in kilos or just for a present?

All credit cards accepted, but if you run out of money there's always Mustafa Financial Services and Mustafa Money Changers, they're just between the Mustafa Restaurant and the Mustafa Travel Agency.

Not only you have everything you might think of, but for every item you have all kind of brands. For watches for examples it starts from 2 Singapore dollars ones, and continue all the way up to real Rolex. Now apply that to pens, hoovers, fax machines, electronic Bibles and Qurans.

Another characteristic of Mustafa is the big sizes and packages. Rice? 20kgs pack. Mouthwash? 3 liters. Paolo was looking for dental floss, and instead of the normal 50 meters found a 200 meters one. The joke with him was that when you buy something in Mustafa you buy it once and for the rest of your life! My friends from Lombok asked me for a special fishing rod, and were expecting the classic 150 meters roll. Imagine their faces when they saw a 3075 meters one!

Being super busy during the day we love to go to Mustafa after 3am, even better after a couple of drinks. And even at that time, you'll be surprised by the sight of entire families browsing around, children running, the odd transvestite looking for business. Really a business capital, and one of the symbols of Singapore's controversies and contradictions.

New! Check out Mustafa Center Singapore, The Video. It'll give you a good idea of the place!

Blog Action Day, Poverty: Project Kampung Loco

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:27:00 +0000

Today 15th of October is Blog Action Day. Every year on Blog Action Day thousands of bloggers will write a post to raise awareness and try to help on a certain social topic. This year that topic is poverty.

All posts are in theme with the blog; quoting Blog Action Day guidelines: A Tech Blog might look at pro-poor technologies and projects like 1 Laptop Per Child, or A Personal Blog might document a personal activity of the blogger that is helping the disadvantaged.

I'd like to take this occasion to remind old readers of McSilly's Adventures, and to inform new ones, of a project that helps the people in Kampung Loco, a little village in the island of Lombok, Indonesia, just beside the famous and expensive Bali.

The Project Kampung Loco helps improving the development of the children and the people of the village. It is not an official charity; instead the two founders deliver all funds collected to few trusted people in the village, and make sure the money is properly used and documented. People find it reassuring to donate to someone they know and see how their money has been used rather than donating to a big official charity and then not knowing if how and when the money reached the people that needed it.

There are 4 main projects: Sending kids to School, Providing Medicines, Emergencies like hospitalization, and transportation to schools by Bemo, a little mini-van.

I was in Lombok and by pure coincidence I ended up in Kampung Loco. Immediately I became friends with the folks in the village, and got to know about the Project simply seeing things like a water tank and a laptop for children to study; both provided by the Project. Getting to know the situation a bit more I was almost enraged at how what many people consider a very small amount of money can make a huge difference for the people in the village. You can read all the information on the official website, but just to give you an idea: 25 Euros will send a kid to elementary school for one year!!

I would like to take the Blog Action Day chance to thank again all the people that I reached in my previous posts and in my little Kampung Loco Page (available in Italian as well) and that donated generously. The main goal of buying a Bemo, a little mini-van that will dramatically reduce the costs to send kids to school is almost reached.

And I hope old and new readers will consider donating some amount (nothing is too little) through the Project Bank Account, or simply by Paypal or credit card clicking the button below.

In a week time I will be back in Lombok and I will update you again, hopefully showing pictures of the happy Kampung Loco children waving thanks to you.

Pantai Cenang

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:57:00 +0000

The main attraction in Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, Malaysia, happens every day at late afternoon, and it's free. It's the sunset. Pantai Cenang has one of the most charming beaches I've ever seen. Being low season very few tourists were there: the odd couple, someone parasailing here and there, and few groups of very young Indians and Chinese tourists. You could breath extreme chillout together with the sea breeze!

Every day around 7pm the magic starts to happen. The sky starts getting on fire, meanwhile thanks to the low tide the beach becomes even wider. Small poodles of sea water add to the effect reflecting the sky like a mirror. There's so much space that even if there are quite a lot of people out to capture the spectacular sunset with all kind of cameras and tripods, you can have your 30 to 50 meters stretch of sand all for you.

Because I was Flashpacking in low season (Ramadan) and with the fact that I was looking for an accommodation for 3 weeks, I managed to bargain the price of a very nice hotel, the Langkawi Boutique Resort. Not really a resort, especially after having spent few days in the luxurious Berjaya Resort (see previous Langkawi post about it), but a lovely hotel nonetheless: huge room with balcony, lagoon style swimming pool, breakfast and wireless all day. And all this paying half of what I was paying for rent in Ireland.

The staff was exceptionally sweet. not only they offered me a very good service, but with some of them I became good friend too. When they were cooking something particular they would always send a plate to my room, and when I left they also sent me off with a huge box of end of Ramadan cookies! They also invited me to the cooking ceremony of Pulut, a sweet made of black glutinous rice, coconut milk and palm sugar. It has to cook in a giant pot on a open fire for 5 to 6 hours, and continually stirred.

People take turns, as you also need to stir the thing continuously. They took pictures of me stirring it for their magazine, then I went off and when I returned late at night they were still there stirring it!

So how did I spent those three weeks in Pantai Cenang? Well my typical day was trying to wake up in time for breakfast, looking after my blogs, lunches in little cafes often by the beach, relaxing by the swimming pool, dinner in some delicious Indian restaurant, drinks in places like Debbie's, a tropical Irish bar. It would have been the most tropical Irish Pub I've seen if only I didn't see the Tir Na Nog in Gili Trawangan, Lombok; the only where you have the sea caressing your ankles while sipping your drink.

And of course I've spent a lot of time reading the Books Travelling with me and thinking how I want this trip to end. The whole purpose of the trip was chilling, enjoying, but also find out not what I could do or what I could like to do, but what I would really love to do for a living. 8 months, 7 nations, and many books later I still don't have a conclusion, but I feel I'm really getting close to it, and the trip might end by the end of the year. So to know if and how it ends I'm afraid you'll just have to keep following McSilly's Adventures! And to make sure not to miss any post how about subscribing by RSS?

Langkawi, Some Luxury for the Flashpacker

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:05:00 +0000

I ended up in Langkawi, a little island (or rather on the biggest of an archipelago of 99 little islands) in Malaysia, just at the border with Thailand, following the suggestion of Kathryn, a girl I met on one of those wild nights in Singapore.

When I arrive in a new place, especially if late at night, I like to have already a place to stay. But I always end up booking the accommodation one or two days before. In Langkawi almost every hotel has a very basic website, with no instant confirmation booking form. If you're lucky they have an inquiry form and they promise to get back to you within a day. That was not good for a last minute person like me, searching for a place to stay just a day before going there. So I ended up booking 3 nights at the Berjaya Hotel resort. Very expensive for Malaysian standards, but not crazy for European ones considering what you get. 60 Euros a night for a place that looked spectacular, excellent reviews, free internet. The Flashpacker in me was satisfied.

And the place is spectacular indeed. You get your own little wooden house so far from the hotel lobby that you need to be brought back and forth in one of those golf-like carts. When I checked in the guy told me to make sure to close doors and windows well. Thefts I asked? Monkeys! And in fact my little wooden house was in the very middle of a jungle, and every time I was walking around I always bumped into monkeys, and at night huge geckos and flying squirrel flying in front of my face.

An excellent stay, but at the end I was glad I only spent 3 days there. Being a resort it caters for couples and few groups; I was becoming an attraction as a single traveller. The friendly (and inquisitive) Malay staff just couldn't get the concept of travelling on your own, so after being asked from the 10th different person where my wife was I started telling them that she's at home, cooking and waiting for me while I am on business on this island.

Moreover I discovered in my first expedition outside the resort that the rest of the island has way cheaper prices for basically everything, from postcards to bottled water (so hot here that you have 600ml instead of the classic 500ml) and of course hotel rooms. So nice to have experienced the honeymoon luxury for a bit, but after the 3 days I moved to a little beach village, Pantai Cenang. But more on this on the next chapter.

Elephant Nature Park Chiang Mai

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:26:00 +0000

Probably the highlight of my trip to Thailand.

Elephants have been a very important figure in Thai history, helping in agriculture, work and in general to develop the country. Nowadays they are used mainly for touristic reasons. You can go an see them working with logs of wood, or even painting with their tusk. Or you can ride them on an organised jungle trek. However here are some reason why you should NOT DO these activities.

Working and painting elephants are usually trained in extremely painful ways, since they are babies. The way they are trained is by being poked with stick with nails at the end when they don't follow orders, and being their skin quite tough they get poked where it hurts: eyes and ears. They showed us a video at the Elephant Nature Park and it was painful just to watch it.

Feeding the Elephants "the proper way" at Elephant Nature Park

Riding elephants is not that bad, but the huge saddle they put on their backs to comfortably carry you around is quite heavy and uncomfortable for them, often leading to back problems (like in the case of the elephant Khun Min). On top of that they have to endure never ending shifts to support the tourists demand, and in worse cases they are trained like the “painters” elephants, sometimes drugged to endure long shifts and generally mistreated.

The worse thing you could do as tourist is support the cruel activity of bringing elephants to big cities as a tourist attraction by feeding the elephants on the streets of Bangkok or Chiang Mai. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the center of a huge, noisy and polluted metropolis is not the best environment for a baby elephant. If you look at these small elephants you'll see them rocking forward and backward at all times. A clear sign of stress. So once again don't support the people behind this business by buying overpriced bananas and sugarcanes to have a picture of yourself feeding them.

So what do you then at the Elephant Nature Park then? Well you spend a day simply.. hanging out with the elephants. Looking after them and learning all explained above and a lot more about these great creatures.

I booked online through the official website, saving on agency or hotel commission. They come and pick you up wherever you're staying. First stop then is a the fruit and veg market, where you browse around a bit before helping loading trucks with the elephants lunch. Would you believe they eat 250kgs of fruits and veg a day? I struggle with my 5-a-day!

Then after a bit of a ride you arrive to the Park. The place is basically a sanctuary for mistreated elephants. While there you get to know them (personally), feed them (the proper way) and hear their stories (well, not from them). Some of them have a very rough past, and it's great to see them fully recovered and happy. The Elephant Nature Park acts like a hospital as well, curing the elephants from any injury their past owners gave them. Each day the workers and volunteers (yes you can volunteer and spend a week or two there) have a list of tasks to do, like disinfecting injuries or administrating eye drops.

After a delicious lunch (worth the entrance fee alone) comes the fun part: everybody down to the river to bath the elephants. Inevitably, due to the kids around, the heat and the fun atmosphere, there will be some kind of water fight.

During the day you'll also meet Lek, the founder of the Park. Make sure to get a chance to chat to her. Lek is an extraordinary woman indeed (2005 Time Magazine 'Asian Hero of the year'). She's tiny, but radiates her passion and strong will like an aura around her. Lek also started a project related to the Nature Park. It's called Jumbo Express and consist of rescuing and giving medical care for elephants in remote areas. Part of your admittance fee (which is a bit more expensive than other tourist elephant activities, but indeed worth every penny) goes to the project.

When the time comes to go back to your accommodation (and that is after a second bathing session and watching a documentary about the cruelties elephants still endure in Thailand) you'll be sorry to leave such a oasis where people and nature co-exist so well. And maybe you'll even consider going back to spend a few days there (accommodation available) or even to volunteer there. I did consider it as well, but then forgot that I could only stay 30 days in Thailand with my visa. It was time to go back to Bangkok, and after a few days there fly to Singapore.

Read more about my Adventures in Chiang Mai or Bangkok...

The Road Less Travelled

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:37:00 +0000

The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

What a great title for a book to bring with you while travelling, huh? Especially if you're travelling metaphorically as well as physically.

As usual I will tell you only little about what's in the book (you can find summaries or proper reviews online), but rather what I learned from it, what it had to say to me.

Being this book written in 1973 and highly focusing on psychoanalysis, some concepts might be a bit old. The author, M. Scott Peck tends to give a lot of (probably too much) importance to the parents influence on someone's personality. I would recommend to read just before or after it James Hillman's The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling to balance off this concepts, and discover that you can be whoever you want to be despite the way you were brought up. But apart from that definitely an eye-opener.

Life is difficult is one of the opening concepts. Which is great. Really. Once you accept that life is difficult and that as a consequence you have to work hard to get where you want to go, or be what you want to be, you will no longer complain that things are “not fair”. That's just the way life is. Working on the various issues you might have in your life is what will give you fulfillment. I've found similar concept in Authentic Happiness (on top of a mountain is freezing cold, and the mountaineer is struggling, even risking his life. But do you think he'd rather be on a couch in the warmth of his house? There's no other place the mountaineer would rather be!) and in Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (There's no way to happiness, happiness is the way!).

Discipline, and related techniques like delaying immediate gratification (in view of a bigger gratification at a later stage) are the ways to make sure your efforts are toward growing and developing spiritually.

Love is analysed in great detail: real love is not infatuation or desire, but it's hard work too. A huge amount of efforts is required to make sure we are truly loving (and loved), and that means extending one's ego boundaries to include another, and spiritually nurturing that person.

Moreover in order to reach spiritual health (happiness?) we need to constantly redefine our maps. Our maps are how we see and navigate the world. They are created by us, but need to be always put in discussion and redefined, even if that is, again, hard work. I guess that's what in modern corporate terms is called as the infamous and over used “stretch out of the comfort zone”.

The Road Less Travelled made me realize that maybe I took an easy path deciding to go travelling. I wasn't too happy were I was, I didn't really know what I wanted and I started travelling looking for answers. Maybe the thing to do was to remain were I was and work on the issues that I didn't like. Hard work, efforts and discipline to create a better reality for myself and reach the goal of spiritual health.

I've always been terrible at delaying gratification (always Play first then Work, what if I die meanwhile?) but maybe I've missed greater gratifications. And maybe my travels around the world are a way to run away from discipline and have an immediate gratification.

But then, isn't my travelling a way to deal with issues and finding answers? After all is not really an holiday at all, travelling on my own with my thoughts and my books.

I think I'm getting ready to stop and work on creating my new fulfilling life. After all applying my old philosophy, if this trip was Play, it is time for Work now, isn't it?

Part of Books Travelling with Me Section. Read my personal disclaimer and find out about more books there.

McSilly's Adventures 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:22:00 +0000

I'm sure my friends and returning visitors haven't failed to notice the new look on McSilly's Adventures. It took me quite a bit of effort not being really an expert in web design and CSS, but anyway.. here's the result.

Hope you like it.

The idea is to present a better looking blog, that is at the same time easier to read and to navigate.

That picture up there.. I just took it a couple of days ago, in Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, Malaysia.

I thought that apart from being a beautiful pic (just my usual compact camera and no photo-re-touching apart from cropping, nature at its best!) it gives a good idea of my adventures.

A guy (not me though, I was taking the picture) walking on his own on a spectacular sunset. It summaries the feelings behind my adventures.. you might think: that guy is lucky to be there, or you might think: nice setting, but that guy would appreciate it more if was able to share that experience with someone. And as I am travelling alone.. here's where a blog comes handy. More posts are on the way of course, but meanwhile:

How can you help?
Well for a start you can let me know if you like the new look, and even more important, let me know if it doesn't work in your browser (I have some doubts about Internet Explorer). Plenty of space in the comments section below.

Second if you haven't already done so, make sure not to miss any post by subscribing by RSS (ahem, what's RSS again?) or by Email.

Thirdly if you really like my blog make sure to vote for it on BloggersChoiceAwards. I don't expect to win of course, but it would be nice to have some support there. Bad news is you have to sign up to vote (otherwise everyone will vote hundreds times for themselves), but good news is that after the 3 mins spent signing up you can discover (and vote for) the cream of all blogs around at the moment.

Lastly if you're into social networking you can support my blog by adding/voting on the platform of your choice (DIGG, Technorati, Yahoo Buzz, StumbleUpon, Delicious I'm on all of them!).

Thanks and enjoy McSilly's Adventures 2.0 !!

Chiang Mai: A Guide to Avoid Tourist Hordes

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:16:00 +0000

For many Chiang Mai is the second Thai must see destination after Bangkok; at least if you're on a cultural trip rather than a sun & beaches trip. It sounds intriguing indeed, with less stress, traffic and confusion than Bangkok, and many temples (30 just inside the small old city) to be visited. The countryside, with tribe villages, jungle treks and rivers to explore bamboo rafting are just outside town too. Altogether a real picture of “life in Thailand outside the Bangkok metropolis”.

Well I can say that definitely many people go there. I wasn't really able to fully enjoy the magic of the place, feeling at all time a tourist between the tourists. Many of them were the worse type: huge groups in all-organised tours, or Lonely Planet worshipers. I don't think I've ever seen so many guidebooks in one place and time. Honestly, these people wouldn't step a meter further without consulting their guidebook. They didn't have the guidebook in their bag, opening it at a crossroad or in front of a temple. The guidebook would be always, constantly in front of their face, often covering the real sights.

Many told me how until not too long ago Chiang Mai was not this popular and was a little paradise. I guess the two main culprits are the above mentioned guidebooks and a direct flight from Phuket, bringing the worse kind of tourist in town: the Phuket holiday makers, that now can tell their friends how their holiday was not only laying on a beach, they “saw a lot of Thai culture” too).

My main goal as a consequence became avoiding the masses of white flesh (definition borrowed from this interesting post) and trying to find some nice secluded spots. So here's my:

Guide to avoid tourist hordes in Chiang Mai

Night Market
One of the most popular spots in town. Hundreds of stalls selling basically everything, although mostly t-shirts and souvenirs; don't expect the variety of Bangkok street markets. Be there from 6 to 8, while the masses are having dinner. After 8 Spanish, Italian and French will be the only languages you'll hear, and it will be almost impossible to walk around.

Famous Temples
Yes, while you're there you want to see the most famous ones. Be there early in the morning (you can take beautiful pics of the begging monks going around town too), or choose a rainy day. Go, don't expect to be in an environment to contemplate the beauty of the temples or meditate, try not too have too many random tourists in your pics and leave.

Not Famous at all Temples
My favourite past-time. Start walking, at some stage get off the main road and get lost. Best way to find the odd temple with nobody in there. Nobody, sometime a dog or cat having a nap just outside. Not even the monks inside. All for you. Bless. Admire the Buddha statues, have a look at the paintings. Take your time. Sit down and have a bit of me time. You could even bring a book. And experience a Buddha smile appearing on your face thinking of the people fighting to take a picture of the “recommended” temple.

City Arts & Cultural Center
I would normally avoid museums. As Coelho said talking about travelling in his blog: “if you are in a foreign city, isn’t it far more interesting to seek out the present, than the past?”. This one is abit different. First of all it's an almost tourist free oasis. When I was there we were in all 5-6 visitors, scattered through many floors, baconies and verandas. The museum will give you a good insight on history, culture and significance of Chiang Mai. Plus a couple of very nice shrines.

Tours to typical villages (including Long Neck tribes)
Unfortunately to avoid most of them. Best case it's just a tourist trap. Some "be the first one to visit" villages are just a series of gift shops. Villagers are sometime exploited, like the sad case of the Long Neck Karen tribes; people who've been in the villages described it as a human zoo.

Dining
Loads of pretty girls calling you for food, drinks and company on the main road. They say "welcome" like if you were already in (while it's clear you have no intention to go in) and offer the best burgers and pizzas. No thanks. Find a local with a good menu with lot of things to try out, and no girls calling you. Stick to the place. After a few times you'll become a local, and it's nice to chat to the staff, see how they see the world, and what is it like to live in Chiang Mai. Some old expat might be around too, usually with better English than the residents and the vision of someone who has not simply seen but lived in both East and West of the world. Usually a good chat.

If you're going to Chiang Mai I hope this little guide is helpful. If you're just following my adventures.. well that's how I did it folks!

More Thailand stories coming soon, so come back or even better Subscribe by RSS or by Email...

Books Travelling with Me

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:41:00 +0000

My backpack is quite heavy. Still there are some books that even if I read already I am totally unwilling to let go, so they just.. travel with me. And it's good to have them with me, even if I might open them up again only every couple of months. Quite often when I do it though, I get a new injection of energy and perspective.

As these books are my travel companions I thought they deserve to be mentioned in my travel blog. So you'll find some posts here and there about them.

Personal Disclaimer:
I wouldn't be that pretentious to call these posts book reviews. Rather than reviews these posts explain what the books mean to me, and how they help me in my thoughts and decisions. See these posts as a friend simply talking about the last book he read.

The Road Less Travelled
An excellent travel companion. Eye-opener on Love and Spiritual Growth.

How to be a Complete and Utter Failure
The one that gave me the final kick and made me leave everything and go travelling.

Authentic Happiness
A classic. After all is it not what we are all looking for?

Conscious Business
An unusual book to bring travelling with you. Insightful nonetheless.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Got this one in OZ. Wish I had bumped into it earlier.

More books will be added as I keep picking them up on the way, although only few will be allowed to keep travelling with me.

So make sure to Subscribe by RSS or by Email if you don't want to miss them.

Bangkok Ancient City: Muang Boran

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:18:00 +0000

The Ancient City, or Muang Boran in Thai, is a relatively little known park dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of this country. Located 50 mins driving from the center of Bangkok the best way to get there is by taxi, but of course you have to make sure that the taxi meter is working. In my case only the third taxi “happened” to have the taxi meter working, so the cost was around 300 Bahts; 6 euros one way for a 50 minutes drive, not too expensive really.

The park is a collection of important buildings and historical places from all over Thailand. Even the shape of the park itself resemble the elephant shape of Thailand. There are all kind of temples, stupas, monuments, statues, and many of them on water, just to get that extra beauty effect from your pictures.

The bad news is that everything you see is a replica, and having 109 of them after a while you get used to them, so only the most spectacular ones will catch your attention at the end.
Plenty of good news however: a stroll through the Ancient City will give you first of all a good idea of Thai history and architecture, especially if you don't have time and money to go all over the country. Even better, the park is an incredible quiet and relaxing place; even if you're not into Thai history or architecture is a great chance to get on your bike (provided with the admittance fee) and wander through the 320 acres of the park, stopping whenever you feel like at one one of the many stalls inside for a coffee, drink or lunch.

Almost no cars, (after witnessing a massinve traffic jam in a pedestrian area I wonder if there is a place in Thailand with no cars at all), not many tourist as the place is not well known and away from the city anyway, plus the aforementioned monuments, beautiful lakes, bayan trees, frangipani, and in some areas even deers and strange rugby ball shaped turkeys.

Depending on how long you spend in Bangkok and how much you enjoy noises, traffic, smog and pollution, you might find the Ancient City Park a little slice of paradise.

Read more posts about Bangkok..

More Thailand stories coming soon, so come back or even better Subscribe by RSS or by Email...

Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:16:00 +0000

A good 3 hours by bus from Bangkok is the Kanchanaburi province.
Two of the main attractions there are the Bridge on the river Kwai, famous for sad historical reasons during WWII and the Tiger Temple. The Bridge (and related museum) on its own wouldn't be worth the trip in my opinion, unless you have personal reasons to visit it or you're a big fan of the 1957 famous movie.

The Tiger Temple it's a quite controversial topic. What I knew was that the Buddhist Temple looks after tiger cubs that are orphan or rescued from poachers. The tigers grew up in the temple, and thanks to the monks patience and love they are now accustomed to humans, docile and approachable. You pay a small fee to enter, and a not so small fee if you want (and have the courage to) get very close to them for pictures together. The money however it's all for a good cause, as it will allow the tigers' conservation, and will ultimately provide a Forest Monastery where they can be protected and roam free as they should.

Flicking through an old Lonely Planet guide in my accommodation in Bangkok (I don't use them, actually boycott them, but was curious to see what they said) the Tiger Temple is not only not endorsed there, but readers are discouraged to go there. I took it as an excellent sign. Must definitely be a great place.

So I was quite surprised upon arrival at the Temple to see so many buses and mini-vans parked outside, and so many tourists hanging around. The Temple is now a sanctuary for all kind of animals, so as you enter you see wild pigs, deers, chicken, buffaloes, etc all roaming free together (and with people around) in harmony. Nice, like a Buddhist Garden of Eden.

As you approach the Tiger Canyon, the area where the tigers go in the afternoon to sunbath and take their after lunch nap (and as a consequence the best place and time for visitors to approach them), the first thing that strikes you is a gigantic file of people, all queuing to have a sight and a picture of the tigers. Good news is that if you're willing to pay the extra fee you can skip the queue and have a personal photo shoot with your camera getting very close to the tigers, patting them and even having them on your lap. As you can see from the pics I went for that option, considering that the queue was at least one hour long, and the place was closing in 30 minutes, but mainly keeping in mind that the money is all for a good cause.

That's not the end of the story though. My main inspiration to visit the temple was a website created by two guys who volunteered there. The website explains even better than the official Temple website the philosophy behind the temple, the good causes and the hopes for the tigers' bright future.

Checking back on the website just after few days from my visit to the Temple there was an update. It looks like the Temple by now should have the money for the New Home for Tigers, considering also how popular it got lately. It looks like while before tigers would be left alone if they didnt feel like human company and pictures, now they are forced to perform, a consequence I imagine of the long queue of paying tourist who don't want to be disappointed. It also looks like there cannot be a never ending stream of orphaned cubs, so the Temple must have some other way to get the tigers. And there is also an investigation by Care for the Wild.

Based on the latest news I don't feel like recommending the Tiger Temple anymore. It was great to have tigers on your lap, feel their breath, their muscles, weight (!) and power, but at the same time for the whole length of the visit it felt a bit unnatural, and definitely touristy.

The official proof? Checking on the latest version of Lonely Planet the Temple is now highly recommended!! Avoid.

Related posts:

Bangkok Floating Market : Damnoen Saduak

Bangkok Street Markets and the Art of Bargaining

Bangkok, Attack to Senses

Bangkok Floating Market : Damnoen Saduak

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:20:00 +0000

A visit to the Floating Market is still a must while in Bangkok.

Yes, it's no longer the old traditional market, as now it's more tourist orientated. And it is full of tourists. Still the ratio tourists/local people is not as bad as in some temples or other attractions. You still see a lot of locals buying fruits, vegetables and other stuff from seller on long narrow boats. And although is a less "spontaneous" event now, it is still a great way to see the old style and traditional way of selling and buying on canals.

Located around 80kms away from Bangkok you can get there by car, bus or more easily on one of many mini-van tours, often combining it with the Rose Garden, or the bridge on the River Kwai.

Once there despite the tourists you will really feel like you travelled back in time, and it is a photographer paradise indeed. I have a simple compact digital camera, and still I'm pretty happy with some of the shots I've taken. So let's have the images speak for themselves:

And while you're there make sure to take a long boat to explore the canals away from the market, they go on for miles and miles, no tourist to be seen, but instead real houses, shops and people still living there.

Happy Floating!

Bangkok Street Markets and the Art of Bargaining

noreply@blogger.com (mcsilly) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Whatever you are looking for, you can be sure to find it on the many stalls on the streets of Bangkok.

Yes, you can go to some famous markets to begin with; the night market in Patpong (just if you want to pay more for your item as the place is super touristic) or the 24 hours Pratunam market. Or be spoilt for choices at the Chatuchack weekend market; here with 9000 (some say 15000) booths you can be sure to:
- Find whatever you're looking for;
- Spend way more time (if not money) than planned there, also because you will:
- Get lost (map or no map it'll make no difference).

But in case you don't have much time to spend in those markets no need to worry. Every street of Bangkok is a market in a way (anyway).

Being impossible to mention everything on sale in these stalls I'll just try to mention some categories:
Food: of course, the king of street stalls;
Clothing: from underwear to tailor made suits;
Medical: I've seen some fake teeth for sale that looked kind of second hand (or second mouth); I also got offended by a seller who offered me some Viagra! Jaysus, I'm not that old thank you!
Accessories: not only sales but repairs as well of watches, shoes, etc.;
Weapons: butterfly knives, throwing stars, modern crossbows, rifle scopes;
Fakes: from fake Nike and Puma items for sporty people to fake Gucci, D&G and Rolex for the posh ones;
Entertainment: pirates DVDs, games, consoles, i-Pod “lookalikes”;
Sex: from prostitution, to porn DVDs, to “happy ending” massages (read a hilarious story about them here);
Animals: puppies, birds in cages as big as a Rubik's cube, elephants brought in the very heart of the metropolis so people can buy some sugarcanes to feed them.

The last two categories are quite controversial of course. While I feel there's no need to comment on prostitution, the elephants element is a less obvious one. Now I'm no expert in animal rights, but I guess the very centre of Bangkok is not the most ideal environment for a baby elephant (they tend to bring baby ones as they're smaller and cuter). So it might look cute, but if you're in Bangkok NEVER EVER FEED THE ELEPHANTS or you'll be supporting the cruel market behind it.

And speaking of street markets how can we not mention the main activity that relentlessly activity taking place in these streets every minute:

The Art of Bargaining

Yes, as a expected you're a tourist so the first price they'll shoot to you is highly inflated. We all knew that. The surprise can be how much inflated that price can be. Up to 300% if you really look like a tourist (I'm sure my sweating habit contributed as a first impression to at least an extra 50% on the initial price). Some sellers are quite stubborn, so rather than just giving the item to you for a decent price they can prefer to wait for the next gullible tourist.
So it's really up to your skills.

I learnt a lot from a guy i met and hung around for a couple of days.
Originally from Naples (the place that made an art out of bargaining) he lives mainly in Indonesia doing a bit of this and a bit of that. Met him first time in fact on an internal Indonesian flight before bump casually into him in BKK.

Well, this guy will bargain for a good 40 minutes, bring the price down to a quarter of the initial offer; shop owners meanwhile look upset, angry, offended or even as sad as about to cry, depending on the bargaining stile. The great thing about this guy, apart from how much he was able to cut on the price, was that after bringing down the price to a ridiculous amount (read: I'm not a gullible tourist) he would then give a big tip, ending up paying the price offered 15 mins ago (read: I understand your situation, we're friends now, better price next time huh?).

A lot to learn there, but hey, I'm practicing...