I would normally embed the YouTube versions in this post, however, i find it slightly invasive that readers will automatically start streaming that video without their consent – and in the case of the high resolution version – will use up to 50MB of bandwidth! So, i’ve ventured out and tried Google Video to host them (as well as YouTube) and have embedded the GV versions here:

Low Res Version:

High Res Version:

Firstly i had to set up some kind of copyright status for my photos so that i wouldn’t get ripped off by people copying them and using them (not for the guy who asked as he seems like a nice chap), but because i put lots of pictures online and anyone can download them and use them. Of course, this doesn’t stop that, but it lets people know that they are breaking the copyright act. Callum (new window) put me onto Creative Commons (new window) who provide free licenses for your work – you simply chose the type of license you want…and you’re protected.
I set up a new page (new window) on my site so that people can get some info on what i allow to be done with my photos, and it provides a handy link that i can pass to people who want to publish any of them.

Secondly, it made me marvel at the advancement of the internet and the catchphrase Web 2.0. This is Web 2.0 at its best. Someone setting up a website who wants pictures of Malaysia simply goes onto Flickr and searches for keywords that suit what he is looking for. Suddenly he no longer just has access to what photographers list on their personal sites, he doesn’t have to contact any expensive marketing agents or use intermediaries…in this case he doesn’t even need to pay for the photos! I find it hard to imagine a world where information is not so readily available.

If you haven’t already seen my photos…please check them out here (new window).

Just put some of my photos up on Flickr from my trip in Borneo. However choosing which ones was pretty hard cause i managed to snap away about 2500 in 19 days! Thank goodness for digital cameras! That would have cost me a bomb in film!

Check them out by clicking the pic above…more to come soon…

Amazing place!

Such a nice little town compared to the other places i’ve been. Sadly, most of the towns in Borneo are pretty ugly concrete havens, while Kuching is quite nice. The waterfront, that runs along the river, has a nice promenade with gardens etc, and all the buildings have been left as they were so everyone is slightly different in shape, design, size and colour!

Unfortunately this morning, i missed the 7am bus (was up at 6!!), then managed to miss the 7.45am bus aswell, to the Orang Utan rehabilitation centre…so that’s on the cards for tomorrow.

Everyone around here was wearing red! Check out the shoelaces!

Wasn’t sure what to expect before i got there but was far from dissapointed. Having said that, it is just another large, busy, dirty city. Of course there are some nice aspects too – Chinatown market which is on everyday is really cool, you can get anything from ‘real’ diamond and platinum Rolexs to outdated Roladexes, from limited edition Adidas trainers to special edition Robocock DVDs. And of course the price they tell you is roughly 50000 times more expensive than they would actually sell for – but some people just don’t ask for discount!

On that note, taxis have a bad habit of telling you a trip will cost RM20 when actually if they put the meter on it would be around RM3.40…the old tourist card isn’t so great in those situations.

However, on our last night we found a great hostel with really cool guys running it. ‘Le Village Guest House’ is a great place to stay (not exactly the Hilton but hey) for only RM13 per night for a dorm bed (roughly £2).

I didn’t venture up the famous Petronas towers as you had to queue at 8am to get tickets, and while they are free, they only give out a certain number each day, and you only get to go up to the sky bridge at 147m for 15 minutes. So, instead we went up the Menara Kuala Lumpur tower – the third tallest telecommunications tower in the world – for fantastic views of the city. We waited two hours until sunset while we were up there to get a glimpse of the huge city during daytime and nighttime.

Unfortunately all the fantastic pictures of the tower, sunset, Chinatown, Little India (where i had a great meal – Rice, Beef mince, Nan, 3 Curry dips and 3 glasses of water – for roughly 90p) and all the other interesting things along the way were lost on the last day when we visited the Buddhist International Pagoda. My camera was stolen while i was taken away by the shrine room and hence all my cool pics with it.

I have some pics from the wee camera which i’ve put up (click here to see).

Oh, and somehow i managed to either lose or get stolen about RM350 on the first day we got there….not too good either

Despite this, it was still a great trip…just seeing all those Protons kitted up with chrome wheels, and chrome door handles, and chrome trims, and chrome boots, and chrome bonnets and infact anything you can possibly get in chrome.

Floating around at 18m underwater with fish over a metre long, tiny little nemos swimming around the plants they live in, and possibly every colour of fish under the sun, is absolutely fantasticly marvelous!

Unfortunately i got a little torched on my first day there (click here to see the proof)and had to carry roughly 20kg of gear on my back for the next 3 days – yeah, that part wasn’t so good
However, it was still definately worth it!

Hopefully getting a case so i can take my camera down next time to take some snaps, and will be joining the Uni dive club with my new DIVING LICENCE (‘ooohhhhh’ i hear you cry, with wiggling hands under your chin!)

Just spent an amazing 5 days in the wonderful island of Tioman, off the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia. Apparently voted in the top ten most beautiful islands in the world – after arriving i soon worked out why!

Beautifully clear bluey green water, white sand beaches and more palm trees than you could shake a stick at (why the hell you would shake a stick at anything, but a dog trying to bite your nuts off, i have no idea! – it really is a bit of stupid saying!).

Nice enough room for less than £8 per night for 3 people!! Yes, that’s right – to stay in paradise costs less than £3 of those Scottish pounds per night per person!! For a staggeringly expensive £6 per night pp, you can get a hut on the beach/in the water – depending on tides. Now that is a cracker – waking up to that view every morning!!

Check out the pics to make you drool with envy