ONE YEAR OFSUNSHINE

TRIP ISSUE#12

Dec-Jan ‘09-’10Travel update from Jasper and Marijn

A trip we will never forget, a step in our life we will never regret! Gunung Mulu, December 2009

2 TRIP ISSUE#12

After 365 days of intense joy, we will be arriving at Schiphol Airport on January 16th. Finalizing this great trip feels like the end of a micro age, in which we did not only conquer mountains, but most of all ourselves. Living out of a backpack, with no home or luxury, was a complete new lifestyle with different incentives and experiences every single day. We have witnessed new cultures, different surroundings and met an incredible amount of inspiring people. This trip has brought us so much happiness, that the decision of leaving home was probably one of the best we ever made.Coming home is also a part of travelling, as it is with leaving. After a year, we probably appreciate the serenity and security from home more than ever, as we have experienced how it is to leave the familiar things behind. Home is the start and the finish and without home you do not travel but wander. Home is where we love our four seasons, where tulips, windmills and cheese are still on every postcard and where we live in harmony with 16.8 million people on 300 square kilometres. Life at home is hectic and fast, as it is overloaded with new opportunities for everybody. We are sure that we will be able to settle down, to enjoy the serenity at home and to enjoy the new opportunities, however this time we will be more balanced, due to all the things we have learned within our trip.Welcome home,

Jasper Lensselink

WWW.JASPERLENSSELINK.COM

ONE YEAR OF SUNSHINE

THIS ISSUEWHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT! WE ARE COMING HOME AFTER 365 DAYS! IN

WHICH WE HAVE SEEN THIS PLANET IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. A TRIP WE

WILL NEVER FORGET, A STEP IN OUR LIFE WE WILL NEVER EVER REGRET.

COVER PHOTO: AN ARTIST IMPRESSION OF 'ONE YEAR OF SUNSHINE', MARIJN AND JASPER, WORLD TRIP 2009-2010.

bACk TO THE

Jungle

ISSUE#12 TRIP 3

THE CAVES OF

gunung Mulu

THE LAND OF

TeMples

THE LAST DAYS OF

freedoM

4 TRIP ISSUE#12

bACk TO THE

JungleOnce upon a time, borneo was covered with lush

green rainforest, while orang-utans (man of the for-

est) could swing from one side of borneo to the

other, without touching the ground. Sadly this is

no longer the case, as hunting and oil-palm planta-

tions have taken their toll. It is believed that fewer

than 15,000 specimens now exist in the wild, with

numbers decreasing rapidly. To help out the ones

that are struggling to survive in the wild, the Sepilok

Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre was established in

1964 and is nowadays one of the most popular tour-

istic attractions in Sabah. The centre is supported by

a Uk-based charity, covers 40 square-kilometres and

has handled over 100 orang-utans.

To minimize the contact between humans and

orang-utans, visitors are only allowed to join the

feeding time, where the orang-utans are fed fruit

The man of the forest needs our help to survive!

ISSUE#12 TRIP 5

twice a day from a platform in the forest. Only a few

come back to the platform, as most of them can

survive in the park itself.

Just 10 minutes before the start of the feeding, we

noticed some movement in the trees and suddenly

the friendly face of britt appeared (britt is a female,

brought in the Centre in 1997 and has just given

birth to a daughter). She gently grabbed the rope,

and swung down to the platform. She almost looked

like a celebrity, as 300 paparazzo’s were pointing

down their camera to her. A few minutes later, more

orang-utans popped up from the forest and started

to make their way to the feeding platform. With an

arm span of 2.25 metres, a weight of up to 144 kilo-

grams and only 10 metres distance, our encounter

with these great apes was amazing. by observing

them this close, we started to understand that they

have 97.4% DNA equality to humans.

While enjoying the feeding for as long as possible,

we were the last ones to leave the platform before

lunch. When we arrived at the late afternoon feeding, we noticed two

young orang-utans, enjoying their time at the viewing platform. Ac-

cording to the Sepilok volunteers, these two young guys are the best

friends they have ever seen and always in for some fun. With the feed-

ing almost starting, the young guys moved to the feeding platform, to

enjoy the fresh fruit. Again, we could not say goodbye to the apes and

were the last ones to leave the platform. This time we were escorted

by some volunteers, as a big group of Macaque monkeys had shown

up who were eager to steal everything available. Safely arriving at our

Jungle Resort, we ordered a fruit shake to celebrate this amazing day.

6 TRIP ISSUE#12

Once upon a time, borneo was covered with lush green rainforest, while orang-utans (man of the forest) could swing from one side of borneo to the other, without touching the ground.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 7

To fully enjoy the jungle-feeling, we booked ourselves a two day trip to

Sungai kinabatangan, Sabah’s longest river, measuring 560 kilometres

and often proclaimed as the Amazon of borneo. Logging and clearing

for plantations have devastated the upper reaches of the river, but by

a strange irony the forest near the coast is so hemmed in by oil-palm

plantations, that an astonishing variety of wildlife is crammed into the

small leftovers of rainforest, giving us a far better change of spotting the

big-Five (orang-utan, proboscis monkey, hornbill, elephant and croco-

dile). While cruising down the river that afternoon, our guide (his eyes

seemed to have integrated binoculars) could easily spot all the wildlife

With an arm span of 2.25 metres, a weight of up to 144 kilograms and only 10 metres distance, our encounter with these great apes was amazing. by observing them this close, we started to understand that they have 97.4% DNA equality to humans.

8 TRIP ISSUE#12

for us. The first one down was the rhinoceros hornbill that made its way

to a nearby tree. From our small boat, we were able to have a closer

look at this fascinating bird that has a red coloured horn on top of his

head. Only minutes after spotting the rhinoceros hornbill, our captain

stopped the boat abruptly and pointed to tree tops. At a safe altitude

and distance, hidden between the branches of the forest, we witnessed

a perfect silhouette of a 40 year old hairy orang-utan male surviving

in the ‘jungle’. Apparently he also had an eye on us, as he started to

show off by striking some Tarzan poses. To avoid this alpha man from

coming down, we stayed calm, while whispering to each other, “This is

To fully enjoy the jungle-feeling, we booked ourselves a two day trip to Sungai kinabatangan, Sabah’s longest river, measuring 560 kilometres and often proclaimed as the Amazon of borneo.

one of the best things we have seen so far.” Slowly drifting away due to

the current, we lost vision of Mister Show-off and continued our cruise

along the river. With the orang-utan adrenaline still in our bodies, we

discovered some proboscis monkeys further downstream, which are

well-known for their big nose. With the sun almost setting, and having

seen so many animals, we cruised back to our river-side resort, to enjoy

the all-included dinner.

While staying overnight in the jungle, you sometimes wonder what

animals are strolling around your room and making all these weird

sounds. Although Marijn is suffering from an insect phobia, we pulled

ISSUE#12 TRIP 9

Hidden between the branches of the forest, we witnessed a perfect silhouette of a 40 year old hairy orang-utan male surviving in the ‘jungle’. Apparently he also had an eye on us, as he started to show off by striking some Tarzan poses.

on our leech socks, rubber boots and long sleeves, to join the night

safari and walk through the muddy jungle with a torch in the dark. As

wild elephants had been spotted a few days before, we were guarded

by 4 guides.

Within no-time one of the guides pointed out a small furry bird, that

was sleeping with his eyes opened. The so called Sleeping bird was

approachable to 1 centimetre, and would not wake up as long as we

did not touch the branch it was sitting on. The second discovery was

a sleepy kingfisher, which could also be observed closely. Getting this

close to a kingfisher was really amazing, as the colours of this bird are

stunning. While making our way through the jungle, we suddenly saw a

10 TRIP ISSUE#12

Although Marijn is suffering from an insect phobia, we pulled on our leech socks, rubber boots and long sleeves, to join the night safari and walk through the muddy jungle with a torch in the dark

HELP THE ORANG-UTAN SURVIVE IN THE JUNGLE

the river. Cruising around for 1.5 hours, we did not

see many animals, making us wonder whether they

had already woken up. To compensate for not hav-

ing seen elephants, our captain cruised into a small

narrow channel, navigating us through lush rain-

forest. After this nice extra, we cruised back to the

resort, to enjoy breakfast, before we were brought

back to civilization, to enjoy an 8 hour drive to kota

kinabalu.

pair of big eyes lighting up, reflecting the light from

our torch. It appeared to be the big eyed monkey

named Tarsier, which almost looks like Gizmo from

the kremlins. As with all the other animals, we could

get close as well, making it a really good ending of

this night walk. After a full-body leech check, we

went to bed early that night, as the alarm was set

at 5.45 am, to join the morning cruise.

While stepping aboard the next morning, the sight

was beautiful, as a blanket of fog was hanging over

The Orang-utan Appeal UK is a registered charity based in the south of England, dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of Orang-utans and the conservation of their habi-tat. The Appeal strives to protect remaining wild populations of orang-utans by providing sup-port and funding for projects across Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo; and by raising awareness of the plight of this great ape across the globe. The Appeal is also authorised to work on behalf of the famous Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre!

Your adoption pack will include a certificate, full history profile and photographs of your adopted baby, and the Appeals newsletter. Adult packs will also contain an Appeal jute bag and latest campaign literature, whereas children’s packs include a jigsaw puzzle, badge, mousemat, and activity sheets. Every adoptive parent will be sent an update on their ba-bies progress, plus their latest photographs and the next newsletter in the series after 6 months.

http://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk/

ISSUE#12 TRIP 11

12 TRIP ISSUE#12

THE CAVES OF

gunung MuluWith only limited time left in Asia, we tried to pick-

out the most beautiful spots in borneo, making Gu-

nung Mulu National Park one of the things we had

to see. This Unesco-listed site is widely regarded as

Sarawak’s top attraction, as the park is an unspoilt

wilderness; offering caving, trekking and wildlife-

viewing. Giving ourselves enough time to explore

the park, we booked into the 21-bed dorm for 3

nights. As the park lies deep in Sarawak’s jungle, and

we did not want to spend days on travelling by boat

and bus, we arranged a flight from kota kinabalu to

Mulu airstrip. While almost preparing for landing, we

looked out of the window and found jungle touch-

ing the horizon. Yeha, finally some real rainforest left

instead of those oil-palm plantations.

The trip inside the park started with a visit to the

head office to get our required permits and to col-

The real adventure at the caves in Gunung Mulu National Park.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 13

lect some information about the different caves and

the canopy skywalk.

Our first tour was arranged the next morning, lead-

ing us to the canopy skywalk, a long series of walk-

ways, up to 20 metres above the rainforest floor and

with 480 metres in length the longest skywalk in

the world. While climbing the steps to the starting

point, we started to notice that the construction of

the canopy walk did not look that strong, as it mainly

consisted of ropes. Apparently the construction was

as strong as it looked, as it was only allowed to carry

2 people at the time. While walking, the skywalk

tended to swing from side to side, making this walk

even more interesting. Developing ‘acrophobia’, the

25 metres river cross was quite exciting and made

me hold on to the construction as strong as possible.

As the rain dropped down from the sky, we were not

blessed with any animals, as they all seemed to hide

from the rain. However, the views were fantastic and

the fragile construction of this skywalk made it a real

14 TRIP ISSUE#12

The Gunung Mulu National Park lies deep in the jungle, and is widely regarded as Sarawak’s top attraction, as the park is an unspoilt wilderness; offering caving, trekking and wildlife-viewing

adventure. Having survived the walk, we continued with an afternoon

tour in the Deer and Lang’s Cave, which form the largest cave corridor

in the world, with 2160 metres long and 220 metres deep.

The first entry to Deer Cave was stunning, as it was an amazingly

huge gaping cavern in the mountainside. While trying to take some

good shots, we were already behind the tour before the walk had even

started. Making our way through the cave was amazing, and knowing

that this was only a small part of the cave system made it even more

impressive. Deer Cave is also world famous for the two million free-

tailed bats, that emerge from the entrance between 5pm and 7pm each

night. Apparently, bats do not like rain, as none of them emerged from

the cave that night, while we were waiting for them in the soaking rain.

The next morning, we scheduled a tour to Clearwater and Wind Cave,

mostly reached by a 15-minute long-tail cruise on the Sungai Malinea.

However, there was also a track leading towards the caves, passing

the Moon Milk Cave, but this route was not pointed out on the park

maps. Apparently nobody knew about it, as we were the only ones

that reached the caves by foot. Passing the Moon Milk Cave by our-

selves was an amazing experience, as we had to light the torch to find

our way through this completely dark cave. Walking there on our own

made us feel like real cave explorers, discovering hidden parts of this

world. Arriving at Wind Cave, made us realize we were just two out of a

ISSUE#12 TRIP 15

The canopy skywalk, a long series of walkways, up to 20 metres above the rainforest floor and with 480 metres in length the longest skywalk in the world.

hundred tourists, ready to explore Wind Cave. Wind Cave is part of

the Clearwater Cave system and the starting point for some of the

longest tunnels. The opening of this cave was stunning and just like

Deer Cave one of the biggest we had ever seen. Inside were some

impressive caverns and beautiful limestone formations. Having

walked around in Wind Cave for a while made us ready to explore

Clearwater Cave. This cave is 51 kilometres long (the longest cave

passage in Southeast Asia) and 355 metres deep. As the rain had

dropped down from the sky over the last couple of days, the wa-

ter was not as clear as said in the guides, however the river inside

16 TRIP ISSUE#12

The first entry to Deer Cave was stunning, as it was an amazingly huge gaping cavern in the mountainside. While trying to take some good shots, we were already behind the tour before the walk had even started.

the cave was fantastic. With nice patterns along the wall, it was easy

to see how this river had made its way down in millions of years. Fully

enjoying this moment, while talking about the experience of Tunnel

Creek in Australia, made this cave amazing. Once outside, we jumped

into the natural swimming pool near the entrance, to cool down for

a moment before heading back to the camp by long-tail boat. While

packing our bags for the flight the next morning, we found ourselves

more than ready for another adventure in the jungle, this time a jungle

called bangkok! Thailand, here we come.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 17

Clearwater Cave is 51 kilometres long (the longest cave passage in Southeast Asia) and 355 metres deep. As the rain had dropped down from the sky, the water was not as clear as said in the guides, however the river inside the cave was fantastic.

18 TRIP ISSUE#12

THE LAND OF

TeMplesWith one-sixth of Thailand’s population living in

bangkok, this was certainly a city where we would

never get bored. Although this place was crowded,

polluted and chaotic, it also offered some fabulous

monuments and some of the best shopping in Asia.

While situated in ‘Old bangkok’, near khao San

Road, we could not have wished for a better place to

start this adventure in ‘The City of Temples’. As there

was so much to do in bangkok, we spent the first

days trawling through the many markets and sou-

venir shops, buying ourselves some new clothing

items for back home (Meryl, we have found some

new jeans for 17 AUD each!). One of our shopping

highlights was probably the Chatuchak Weekend

Market, a gigantic market that is often described

as ‘the daddy of all Thai markets’. With thousands

of vendors selling everything from live rabbits, to

Sea gypsies living the perfect life at Sibuan.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 19

souvenirs, shoes and hardware, it was hard to leave

the markets without buying anything. Wander-

ing around for hours, with temperatures reaching

35°Celcius, we were completely exhausted at the

end of the day and took the sky-rail back home.

Waking up the next morning and reading the

bangkok News, made us realize that it was the first

day of Christmas. Ho-ho-ho, time for a big Christmas

show! As if we had not walked enough within the

last couple of days, we decided to visit the Grand

Palace and Wat Phra kaew (Temple of the Emerald

buddha), both situated in the same walled com-

pound south of old bangkok.

Entering the complex, we were both amazed by

its size and the incredible amount of gold inlay. It is

hard to believe that poverty still exists in Thailand

as a king is building a complex like this. However,

with the sun reflecting on the gold around us, we

wandered around this beautiful place, where most

of the structures inside were not accessible for pub-

With one-sixth of Thailand’s population living in bangkok, this was certainly a city where we would never get bored. Although it was crowded, polluted and chaotic, it also offered some fabulous monuments and some of the best shopping.

20 TRIP ISSUE#12

lic. One of the places open to the public was the main chapel, where

the so-called Emerald buddha (Phra kaew) is housed. The buddha dates

back to at least the 15th Century, is made of Jasper quartz, and is stun-

ning to see. While sitting down in front of the buddha, and looking at

all the decorations surrounding him, gave us the cozy Christmas feel-

ing that we honestly had missed a little bit. While singing ‘Jingle bells’,

we left the Grand Palace behind us, to walk down khao San Street,

to absorb some more Christmas incentives, before enjoying our Thai

Christmas meal.

As Christmas ended, we decided to leave the busy city of bangkok

ISSUE#12 TRIP 21

behind us and escape to the tropical island of koh Toa, which is well-

known for its peacefulness and wonderful diving. Arriving at the island

after a 14-hour tour made us feel more than happy, as the island looked

beautiful and incredibly relaxed. While enjoying lunch at the beach, we

booked tickets for a one-day diving trip to Chumphon Pinnacles.

As we had to cruise for two hours to reach Chumphon, we left kho

Tao at 7.30am and enjoyed a nice breakfast on the boat while preparing

ourselves for our first dive in Thailand. While just being dive rookies, we

again had to get used to the underwater breathing a bit, especially as

we immediately entered the famous chimney while descending. The

As there was so much to do in bangkok, we spent the first days trawling through the many markets and souvenir shops, buying ourselves some new clothing items for back home

22 TRIP ISSUE#12

chimney is 10 metres in length, with a diameter of 2.5 metres, and as

my mask started to leak while descending, it was hard to enjoy the

real beauty of the descent. Once exiting the chimney, it was time to

take another deep breath, and to enjoy the wonderful corals and the

many fish that surrounded us. While drifting along the pinnacle, the

amount of fish amazed us, often taking our breath away. As a big

school of barracuda circled around us, things got even better. Going

to 18 metres in depth meant we were low on air after 40 minutes so

we made our way back up through the chimney. This time we took it a

bit slower, making sure that we did enjoy its beauty and the wonderful

One of our shopping highlights was probably the Chatuchak Weekend Market, a gigantic market that is often described as ‘the daddy of all Thai markets’.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 23

coral growing in the chimney. Getting back to the boat, we changed

our bottles of air, enjoyed our coffee, had the required surface time

and went down again through the chimney. Having made two dives

at the Chumphon Pinnacles, we were ready for some more action and

cruised back to the Southwest Pinnacles for our third dive that day.

Enjoying a good lunch on board, we were fully prepared to go in again

after a two-hour cruise. Southwest Pinnacles was really amazing, as

it was a diverse spot, with some wonderful scenery. The highlight of

this dive was probably our encounter with a 1-metre Grouper, which

was amazing to witness up close. Although we did not see any whale-

One of the places open to the public was the main chapel, where the so-called Emerald buddha (Phra kaew) is housed. The buddha dates back to at least the 15th Century, is made of Jasper quartz, and is stunning to see.

sharks, which are occasionally spotted in this area, we fully enjoyed this one-day trip. We ended the day in

style, by enjoying a bbQ-dinner at the beach, watching the sunset.

As if we had not made enough dives already, our diving school organized a reef clean-up on December

31st, making it possible to take part for free, in exchange for some help underwater. This clean-up was or-

ganized by Project Aware, and cleaning all the rubbish from 2009 was something which we would want to

participate in. Armed with a glove and a garbage bag, we made our way to the bottom of the ocean and

analyzed Sairee Reef closely, looking for plastic bottles, fishing nets and all kinds of plastics that did not

belong in the ocean. After a 50-minute dive, the 30-man strong clean-up team had collected 4 garbage

bags full of rubbish, something we were really proud of, and which made us decide to buy a bottle of wine

to celebrate New Years Eve!

24 TRIP ISSUE#12

ISSUE#12 TRIP 25

While walking along the beach that evening, we both agreed that

this was probably the best place for us to celebrate this special New

Years Eve as the beach of kho Tao had transformed into one of the most

fairytale places we had ever seen: music was pounding from several

bars; fire shows were going on at the beach; candles lit the beach; and

fireworks and Chinese balloons lit the skies. At midnight, fireworks

(probably all illegal at home) lit up the skies, with a crowd going wild

on the pounding music. Finding ourselves a quiet spot along the beach,

we sat down in the sand with our bottle of wine and simply enjoyed

the moment by staring at the full moon.

The beach of kho Tao had transformed into one of the most fairytale places we had ever seen: music was pounding from several bars; fire shows were going on at the beach; candles lit the beach; and fireworks and Chinese balloons lit the skies.

26 TRIP ISSUE#12

THE LAST DAYS OF

freedoMDays of this trip have been counting down since

the start, but with only 12 days left, we slowly start-

ed to realize that we will be flying home soon. As a

new ice-age is about to start in Europe, we decided

to finish this trip in style, by visiting kho Phi-Phi, well

known for its white sandy beaches, turquoise waters

, and relaxed vibe.

by booking the night boat, it would only take us 14

hours to kho Phi-Phi, with heaps of rest within the

travel. However, some expectations simply do not

come true when travelling around the world, and

our part of rest was about to reduce significantly, as

we found out that the night boat was 200% over-

booked, making it look like one of those ‘as seen on

television’ refugee boats. With more people starting

to discover that there would be no place to sleep,

war broke out! Small children started to cry, people

An utopia named Maya 'The Beach'.

ISSUE#12 TRIP 27

started to shout, and with a ticket salesman from the

Thai mafia, we decided to call our booking agent

and to try to find our luggage between the other

200 backpacks. With some help, we managed to

retrieve our backpacks from the boat and decided to

take another boat that was purposed by our agent.

Although the new option was also fully booked,

the captain found a special spot for us on the lower

deck on top of the engine! With temperatures ris-

ing to 50°Celcius, we made our way to the upper

deck and tried to squeeze in! Lucky that this cruise

only took 7 hours, as we were completely sore and

broken when entering the harbour of Chumphon.

From here, a minibus took us for a 5-hour drive to

krabi harbour, where a ferry would take us to kho

Phi-Phi. As tired as we were after the cruise from koh

Tao, we slept the complete 5 hours of the drive to

krabi, and after some sweet dreams, we had already

reached the ferry. On board, we met some people

that did not get off the refugee boat, and after hear-

ing their stories of how they had spent the night on the outside deck,

with everybody being upset, we were really happy that we had made

the decision to join the other boat.

After arriving at kho Phi-Phi, we had some problems finding the right

accommodation, as there was a reduced number off facilities on the

island. This is all due to the tsunami of boxing Day 2005, which wiped

out nearly every standing construction on the densely populated bay

of Ao Ton Sai. After 5 years of reconstruction, the scars of this disaster

are still visible, and some places have not yet been rebuilt. As lucky as

we were, we found a room in Sascha’s Guesthouse, a peaceful place in

28 TRIP ISSUE#12

The captain found a special spot for us on the lower deck on top of the engine! With temperatures rising to 50°Celcius, we made our way to the upper deck and tried to squeeze in! Lucky that this cruise only took 7 hours

ISSUE#12 TRIP 29

downtown Ao Ton Sai.

Feeling sore and tired, Marijn visited Sawattchai Yasukim, well-known

as the best barefoot doctor on the island. The therapy started with a

tongue analysis, revealing some stomach problems that Marijn had

been suffering from for a while, which apparently caused the back pain

and headache. While holding on to his bamboo sticks on the ceiling, he

carefully massaged Marijn’s body with his feet, as his wife handed over

some herbal drinks and pills. In total the treatment lasted for over two

hours, and the only thing Marijn could think about after, was laying on

the bed and relaxing. Apparently the treatment had worked out the

Photo top; Feeling sore and tired, Marijn visited Sawattchai Yasukim, well-known as the best barefoot doctor on the island.

After 5 years of reconstruction, the scars of the 2005 Tsunami are still visible.

30 TRIP ISSUE#12

right way, as we were full of energy the next day, and ready to book

ourselves in for 2 fun dives at one of the many dive-schools. With only

8 people on the boat, we left to koh bida May and Canyon Rock for

some ultimate underwater fun.

Everybody Ok – Orientate – Regulators in the mouth– Descending

to 18 metres.

Once down, we gave our dive master the Ok signal and followed

him along the slopes of koh bida May. Within only seconds, we had

spotted a Leopard Shark, the animal we hoped to see within this dive.

Having only travelled a few metres, this encounter was fantastic and a

The highlight of the cruise around the island was Maya bay, which was used as the setting for the filming of ‘The beach’, screening Leonardo Di Caprio in an utopian beach society.

perfect start of the dive. While slowly making our way underwater, we

witnessed 4 other Leopard Sharks, a Grouper, Lionfish and nice corals.

Although our dive master was the least experienced we had had so

far, we reached the water surface safely with a smile from ear to ear.

To fully enjoy our meal, we cruised back to a small bay at kho Phi-Phi

Leh, where turquoise waters and an idyllic white sandy beach made

the setting perfect.

Our next dive was at Canyon Rock, and after arriving at the spot and

diving to a depth of 15 metres, we started to understand why this was

such a fantastic spot. In front of us was the Canyon, with simply the

ISSUE#12 TRIP 31

With only a few days left before returning home, we spent the last days in kuala Lumpur, as we really wanted to visit the Petronas Towers and to soak up the last rays of sun!

most stunning coral structures we had ever seen.

With a length of 20 metres it took us a while to

swim through the canyon, taking extreme care not

to knock any corals, as the canyon was only 2 me-

tres wide. After experiencing the canyon, there was

another surprise when our dive master pointed out

a small cave. Although it was a bit hectic with too

many people going in and out, we also got a chance

of going in and experiencing the ‘real adventure

feeling’. With all those new experiences, time flew by

and while looking at my pressure gauge, I realized

I was almost low on air. With a three-minute safety

stop, we finished the dive after 50 minutes, making

it a memorable ending of the diving within our trip.

Once back on the island, we had some dinner in one

of the many restaurants, before going to bed early,

as we would join a cruise around the island the next

morning.

Waking up the next morning, we realized that our

boat trip would not start on time, as the monsoon

had started and the town had flooded. Luckily, we

could still join the afternoon cruise, however the

boat would be triple the size, making it a bit more

crowded. With the rain slowly making way for some

sunshine, the mood on the boat was excellent. The

highlight of the cruise was Maya bay, which was

used as the setting for the filming of ‘The beach’,

screening Leonardo Di Caprio in an utopian beach

society. before filming of ‘The beach’ took place, this

small bay was an utopia, but once the film was in

cinemas, the bay changed into a tourist attraction,

with thousands of people following in Leonardo’s

footsteps. by booking ourselves in on the cruise

around the island, we did exactly the same as all

the others, and although the utopian beach was

crowded, it was still an amazing place to hang out

for 30 minutes, while day-dreaming about living

in a place like this. With the survivor feeling in our

body, we cruised back to kho Phi-Phi, where we had

to prepare our bags for the flight from

Phuket to kuala Lumpur.

With only a few days left before re-

turning home, we spent the last days

in kuala Lumpur, as we really wanted

to visit the Petronas Towers. Opened

in 1998, the 88-storey twin towers rise up to 451.9

metres. The highest we could get was up to the

41st-floor sky bridge, connecting the two towers at

an altitude of 170 metres. After we scored some of

the 1400 free tickets in the morning, we made our

way up at 11 am. While standing at the sky bridge,

overlooking the world, we held each other’s hand

and started to yell. Yeha, what an incredible year of

travelling we’ve had - the time of our lives!

Having seen it all, we caught a bus to Singapore,

as the plane was waiting for us to bring us back to

Schiphol Airport on Saturday 16th of January at

10:55 am.

The End

While standing at the sky bridge, overlooking the world, we held each other’s hand and started to yell. Yeha, what an incredible year of travelling.

32 TRIP ISSUE#12

THANkS - THANkS - THANkS - THANkSWhile travelling around the globe, we have met so many different people, and all of them have in one way

contributed to this amazing trip. Therefore, we would really like to thank the following people:

Simone and Sjaak - Lolita and Hannes – Stijn - Moose - Heike and Wolfgang – buks - Johan and Amien - Dirk

and his father - Solko and Maaike - Ronald and Margriet – Wendy, bill and Monty – Jeanette – Frits – Carl,

Sarah and Alex – britt and kevin – Sarah - Gunnar and Viola - Mark and Mirjam - Ron and Jackie - Pam and

Terry - The fish inspector - Sander and Joris - Marleen and koen - Russell and kim – Michael – Meagan - The

Conservation Volunteers at Geikie Gorge - Andrew, kim and Hunter – Andy - Anne and bob - Gordon and

Meryl – Helen - Tim and Steffi - Dennis and Linda - Nick, Peter, Paul, Clinton and David – Joy, Will and Grib

- Arne and Monique - Rob, Elza and the kids - Henny and Jan - Jurriën and Wilma - The Heino gang - Dino

and Steve – Malcolm - Mark and Melanie - Mary, Joe, Lee and Shannon - Meindert and Remco - Dwien

and koos - Ron and Tricia - Leo and Annelies - Richard and Dusty- Christa.

THANkS!

Another thanks goes out to our families for all the great help and the supportive chats we had on Skype in

times of need. We would also like to thank YOU, for reading and replying on our travel updates.

The last thanks goes out to Jurriën and Mary, who were always willing to help me out with reviewing TRIP!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PHOTOGRAPHY UPDATE

2010 is going to be challenging, as I have decided to give it a go as a full-time photographer. To keep every-

body updated about my progress, I am planning to generate an update around April 2010.

For those people that would like to receive this ‘UPDATE ‘, I would like to ask whether they could send a re-

spond by mail, so I can subscribe them to the mailing list.

www.JasperLensselink.com

0031-(0)643022777 (Jasper)------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ISSUE#12 TRIP 33

Jasper and Marijn

34 TRIP ISSUE#12