Vietnam through to Bangkok

Well I have to apologise now for the lack of recent blog entries... the internet in Cambodia was so ridiculously slow. But now I'm back in Bangkok and have a few hours spare before heading to the airport for my flight to Sydney so it is the perfect opportunity to catch you all up on my antics... sorry for the mammoth entry!

So I left you all with the promise of talking about renting bikes and scuba diving in Hoi An. Our first full day 5 of us rented 3 bikes and drove all the way up the coast to Marble Mountain. The three guys on the tour had all ridden bikes before so were very safe drivers - it was the Vietnamese drivers that I was worried about! Nobody indicates here, drivers just beep their horn to warn people if they are turning. So while we were cruising up next to the coast in the gorgeous sun, a lady started chatting to Ben who was in front. He was trying to explain that he was concentrating on driving but she seemed perfectly happy to have a chat while driving at 60kmh on a busy road! So we pulled over and she offered to take us to her village. Seeing as we didn't have any other plans we thought we'd go with her... turns out her "village" was actually her shop at Marble Mountain. I can't say I was all that surprised! But her methods worked, Ben and Eliza spent quite a lot of money on some of the little marble statues.

The next day we went scuba diving. I was quite nervous (ok I was terrified) but the others were all so excited that it rubbed off on me too. There were 4 of us who had never dived before. We took a boat out to a small island near to Hoi An. There aren't really any words to describe scuba diving. In a horribly cliched way it is kind of like a dream, all sound except your breathing is drowned out and you just float through the most beautiful coral reef. It did take some getting used to at the beginning, breathing through the regulator seemed the most unnatural thing at the beginning. We had to do some tests when we first went under, at around 5m. Luckily we'd been shown what to do if your regulator came out because as we came down James knocked mine straight out of my mouth. But after a minor panic I remembered what to do, and after that everything seemed a lot less scary. Unfortunately everyone here knows about my wonky left arm, and the diving instructor called me Nemo - at 10m underwater everyone started teasing me by doing an impression of me swimming in circles. Now I don't know if you know, but laughing with a regulator in is NOT a good idea!! We spent the afternoon on a beach on the island, had another delicious seafood lunch, the had a nap in a hammock, had a little swim... it was pretty much idyllic! Except I did get stung by a small jellyfish, then to top it all off, as I was going to get a lime wedge to put on the sting I managed to catch my toe in a hammock and fall face first in the sand!! There is no elegant way to fall over in a bikini!! Obviously the guys, being such gentlemen and all, didn't get up to help me but instead reached straight for their cameras!

After Hoi An we took an internal flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). After the beautiful, laid back lifestyle in Hoi An, Saigon seemed busy and noisy again. Plus our hotel didn't have a swimming pool, and I had started getting used to staying in nice hotels! We did go to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, however, which were very interesting. At the start we were played a video about the Vietnam War, which was very much propaganda but interesting nonetheless. The tunnels were absolutely tiny, we went through about 15m of tunnel and it was small and dark, I was ready to leave after a couple of seconds. I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like to spend months on end in there. I opted not to fire an AK47 while there, the noise alone had me jumping every few minutes! That evening we were planning to have a big night out, but unfortunately Becky's bag was snatched off her by a couple on a motorbike so she had to head out to the police station to file a report. Luckily she didn't have that many valuables in her bag, just her card. It was the shock that was more upsetting I think.

The following day we took a trip down the Mekong Delta. Sitting on a boat as it ambles down the river, through the floating market, is such a nice experience, it is really relaxing. We stopped off a couple of times, then were taken by smaller boats to lunch. Being on a budget, Hannah, Laura and I had dairy lea and crackers which doesn't sound very interesting but is surprisingly satisfying when lying back in a hammock in the shade. And we managed to have our night out that evening without any thefts this time!

The next day we said goodbye to some of the group, and also to Vietnam as we crossed the border to Cambodia by bus. When we arrived in Phnom Penh later that afternoon we had a city tour by cycle rickshaws. It was terrifying - the drivers here are no less scary than in Vietnam! My driver only knew how to say "Cambodia good", "No problem" and "One, two, three" in English which he repeated over and over for the whole hour!!!

Our first full day in Phnom Penh we spent at the S21 security prison and at the Killing Fields. It was the most difficult day of the whole tour, some of the things we were shown were absolutely horrific. Before this day I didn't know much at all about the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot Regime. I spent the whole morning in tears, it was really difficult to see the cells and the torture methods which were used only 30 years ago. At one point I was close to saying I didn't want to see anymore and going home, but I am glad I stuck it out because it was interesting to learn more about it. For anyone that doesn't know much about it, in 1975 the Khmer Rouge came into power in Cambodia. Their aim was to get rid of all educated intellectuals or businessmen, and to have a population made up solely of farmers and workers. In 1970 Cambodia had been the most developed Asian country, but the Khmer Rouge managed to undo it all in just a few years. The Khmer Rouge army was made up of children aged mainly between 14-16 years old, who were considered to be most easily brainwashed. Anyone considered to be a threat to the Regime was taken to one of the security prisons, tortured, kept chained in small cells, and then when more room was needed in the prisons the prisoners would be taken to the Killing Fields and executed and left in a mass grave. Even today there are still pieces of bone and clothing in the ground. Between 1975 and 1979 around 1.7 million people were killed. In 1979 the Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge lost power. It was absolutely shocking and horrific, and we all spent the rest of the afternoon hardly talking and trying to come to terms with what we'd seen.

Our next stop was Siem Reap, a short flight from Phnom Penh and also our last new place to visit on the tour. Our hotel was one of the nicest of the trip, with a beautiful pool and even a small gym (I honestly had every intention of using it until I found out that it wasn't air conditioned!!!)

Siem Reap is where Angkor Wat, and various other temples, are located. It is a beautiful place filled with culture and history. Our first day was spent wandering around Angkor Thom, which was stunning. Only it was the hottest day so far and everyone was suffering from dehydration. At the end of the morning I started to feel really ill and almost fainted from the heat. Luckily for Angkor Wat we went at sunrise so avoided the heat of the day. We met at 5.30am (ouch!) and took a bus over to the grounds outside the temple to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Well the sun did rise... but behind a whole bunch of clouds!!! But in spite of having a slightly disappointing sunrise, the temple did not disappoint. It was absolutely stunning, one of the highlights of the trip for sure. If I'd had longer there I would have loved to have seen either sunrise (minus the clouds) or sunset there, it is such a beautiful place.

So one 8 hour bumpy bus ride later, we arrived back in Bangkok for our last night all together. I'm really sad that the tour is over, I've met some really amazing people and have done some incredible things. I've had 4 days in Bangkok since the tour finished, just relaxing really with Hannah and Laura. I have loved every minute of SE Asia and would love to spend longer here. But at the same time I am very excited about the next part of my trip in Australia!

More vietnam...

Following our trip to Halong Bay we took an overnight train to Hue (pronounced Hu-ay). We were told the trains had cabins, so I immediately pictured the Harry Potter train, with people coming round with trolleys of weird and wonderful sweets. No such luck I'm afraid! The cabins were small with 4 berths, but best of all there were bundles of cockroaches! I'd been planning a quiet night on the train, maybe reading my book and catching up on my diary. But again, no such luck! The others had all been out and bought heaps of alcohol. Sarah had bought some "Happy Champagne" from the platform. She wasn't very happy to find out it was out-of-date... it tasted absolutely foul. So were were back on Bia Ha Noi and Tiger Beer for the evening. We did wheelbarrow races down the corridor, and then Laura and Hannah decided it would be a good time to see if they could both fit into Hannah's trousers at the same time... they could and they did! But we mainly just stayed up chatting and having a few beers, needless to say I was shattered when we went to bed at 4am, but it just meant I didn't mind the cockroaches so much!

When we arrived at Hue our hotel was absolutely beautiful, it even had a swimming pool. If anyone at work is reading this - please let Mike know that even he would stay in some of the hotels we've been staying in! We haven't exactly been doing the "backpacker hostels" yet... Going to get a shock in Australia when I'm not staying in nice hotels anymore!

So we spent the day by the pool relaxing, it was lovely. In fact I didn't really do much for the whole afternoon, and was in bed by 10.30pm! I was exhausted after the last couple of days. The following day we went to see the citadel and had such a funny guide... he kept doing very strange impressions, I think my favourite was his elephant. It was SO hot though, walking around in the heat is very tiring. We went straight from the citadel to the bus to go down to Hoi An, stopping off at Marble Mountain on the way. We didn't have long there, and next time someone makes me pay to climb a whole heap of steps in the blazing heat, I am going to say NO. The views were nice though.

Hoi An is definitely my favourite place so far. There are huge numbers of clothes shops and tailors. There's just no point in me buying a pretty silk dress when I'd have to carry it around with me for the next 4 months! But luckily working on Regent Street has trained me well, I put on my "blinkers" and zoned out all of the beautiful clothes.

Our first night ended up being quite a big one - when you can get a bottle of Biere La Rue for 10,000 dong (1 pound is roughly 25,000 dong) it is easy to get carried away. And face paints in the bar made our night very fun!!!

The following day we rented bikes (I didn't drive) and the next day we went scuba diving. But time pressures again means I'll have to update you all about this later...

Vietnam so far...

After tubing we spent a day in Vientiane, although there wasn't that much to do there, it was mainly just a stopover for getting to the airport. So the following day we had our flight to Hanoi in Vietnam. Lao Airlines is an interesting experience! The plane was quite small, and I looked at the safety card to see that there weren't any lifejackets, and in case of a crash you were supposed to take the cushion out of the seat and hug that for dear life as a flotation aid! Glad it didn't get put to the test!

Hanoi was a shock to the system after the gentle pace of life in Laos. It is a noisy and busy city in Vietnam. Driving is another experience altogether! The cars all drive down the middle of the road and it seems to be a constant game of chicken to see who will pull over first, you or the car driving head first towards you! Crossing the roads is pretty scary too, the technique is to just walk out at a constant pace and let all the motorbikes swerve around you. The moment you stop or do something unpredictable a crash will happen. I almost wanted to close my eyes at some points!

We spent a couple of days in Hanoi, wondered around the night market and went to a water puppet show. Also went to see Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum which I found quite creepy and didn't enjoy very much. Half our group left in Hanoi, and another 7 people joined (with 2 more guys so James was happy he wasn't the only one anymore!) So Saturday night was a night out for dinner and drinks to get to know the new people and to say goodbye to the others. A few of us ended up in a club on a boat (after visiting the irish pub... yes we are making the most of the culture...) which was absolutely rammed with both locals and travellers. Health and safety doesn't seem to be such an issue here...

We left Hanoi the next day to go for a trip on a junk boat around Halong Bay. It was absolutely amazing, definitely another highlight of the holiday. The boat was gorgeous, beautiful dark wood and little rooms with twin beds. With blue skies and clear water it was pretty much idyllic. The perfect way to spend two days. And the food! I've eaten more seafood than I could possibly imagine. Lunch was 8 courses, dinner was 10 courses... all amazing fresh seafood. Fresh crab, prawns, fish... I've never been so full! But we burned it off with a swim in the lagoon. Hannah and I couldn't resist any longer so jumped off the smaller boat in the lagoon and swam back to the main boat. The James, Hannah and I spent ages jumping into the water, swimming back and doing it all over again. The water was stunning. But then there was a shout from one of the boat crew, warning us that a huge jellyfish was swimming our way, I swam so fast out of the water!!! Was less inclined to jump into the water after that!

Four of us (James, Hannah, Laura and I) stayed up with a few beers that night. We then decided it would be a good idea to sleep under the stars at the top of the boat rather than in our nice comfy beds down below. Woke up at 6am to find I was the last person remaining, everyone had realised that it wasn't quite as romantic as we'd first thought!

Had another huge lunch of seafood before heading back to the harbour. I was feeling quite tired and worse for wear after only 3 hours sleep...

We headed back into Hanoi to wait for our overnight train to Hue... I'm not a huge fan of Hanoi, it's much too busy and overwhelming. Our next stop is Hue, then Hoi An, followed by Ho Chi Minh City. I hope the problems in Bangkok calm down over the next couple of weeks...

TUBING!!!

Had the BEST couple of days... Vang Vieng is a small town next to the Mekong River and is best known for tubing - floating down the river on rubber tubes.

On our first night in Vang Vieng Laura, Hannah and I went out for dinner and then to a couple of bars. We had another of the infamous buckets made with whiskey, red bull and coke. It was not surprising that after that we ended up in another bar rather than the "quiet night" we'd originally planned for!

So feeling a bit tired and worse for wear the next morning, 5 of us set off for tubing. We'd been told that you could get tubes down by the river, so all piled into a tuk tuk and set off. This turned out to be a lie... we looked a bit silly at the first bar at 10.30am all tubeless! So Laura and I drew the short straw and decided to venture back to get a couple of tubes (you don't really need one each, and a lot of people just swim down anyway).

Unfortunately our tuk tuk was long gone, so we ended up walking for about 10 minutes in the sun and eventually managed to thumb down a guy in a truck that let us sit in the back and took us back to Vang Vieng. He wouldn't even accept any money when we got there - it was our first (and probably only) hitchiking experience!

So an hour and a half later we returned with the tubes to find James, Becky and Hannah already drinking whiskey and Beer Lao at the first bar. And off we went on our day of tubing...

There are bars along the river, and people throw out ropes so you can pull yourself in. So we spent the day going from bar to bar (didn't manage to have a drink in every place you'll be pleased to know)! Some places had swings or tug of war over mud pools... one place had a huge water slide and pretty much everyone that went down it came off with some sort of injury. One guy even managed to chip his tooth and came back with a mouth full of blood. And James hasn't been able to hear anything out of his right ear since!

Little did we know that after the last bar, there is still about an hour cruise down the river. And since it isn't the rainy season the river was quite shallow at some points, Hannah and I ended up sharing one tube and paddling like mad. We had to get them back by 6pm and only had about an hour to spare!!! It was such a good day, we all spent the whole day laughing. Although I am feeling a bit bruised and aching today!

We're now in Vientiane, got a bus over this morning. We're only spending one night here before flying to Vietnam tomorrow. I'm going to miss Laos, it is such a beautiful country and very laid back and friendly.

Laos

Spent two days ambling down the Mekong River by boat. It was beautiful, there were small villages at the side of the river, and water buffalo bathing. It's amazing how easily I can pass 5 hours here without getting restless! We read, slept and played cards (I taught James how to play dirty dozen so now we have an ongoing competition, happy to say I'm winning!)

We stopped overnight in Pak Beng in a "basic" guest house which only had electricity from 6-10.30pm and 6-8am! The lights went out while we were sitting on the terrace having a couple of Beer Lao... drinking games by torchlight are much more interesting!

We arrived in Luang Prabang two days ago. The first morning I got up at 5.30am to see the monks walk through the streets while people offer them food, it was incredible. Next we met Pon, our local guide, at the Museum, but my favourite part was the waterfalls yesterday. We took tuk tuks for an hour to the falls. It is almost Lao New Year and as part of the celebrations the kids throw water over people. So we were prime targets in our open sided tuk tuks, we were absolutely drenched by the time we arrived!

The waterfalls were absolutely stunning, blue water, sun shining, kind of idyllic! We swam in a little pool further down, the water was lovely.

Last night a few of us decided to go bowling in a small bowling alley a short drive from our guest house. You honestly wouldn't think it was a bowling alley from the outside! But inside there were 8 proper bowling lanes. There were mainly locals there, who obviously have teams because they were SO much better than us. In fact it was only my fifth go before I managed to hit my first pin!!! So I was laughed at quite a lot... oops!

It's raining today so the perfect opportunity to catch up with my blog and my diary entries... might amble down to the night market again tonight... I'm enjoying the laid back lifestyle!

We're off to Vang Vieng tomorrow, then down to Vientiane.

Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong

So we headed north to Chiang Mai on an overnight sleeper train - SO much nicer than the ones in India! We were actually given pillows and blankets, and they had a waiter service (kind of!) It was meant to be 14 hours but was more like 17... after Monday night I was feeling a bit sleepy so managed to fall asleep deeply for most of the journey...

When we arrived we were taken to another really nice hotel. I've somehow managed to get my own room for the trip - jammy i know! We then headed up to the "hot springs" - a BIG disappointment. They smelled of egg... There was a mineral bath so we went for a bit of a swim but just ended up smelling of egg ourselves!

After that we went up to the temple. I had taken my malaria tablet on an empty stomach so ended up throwing up in the temple... well not actually in the temple luckily! The temple was on top of a hill and it had an absolutely stunning view out across Chiang Mai.

After dinner at the food market we hit one of the only clubs... was ok but a bit weird. The cocktails were fairly cheap so we had a few but embarrassingly the three youngest of us were ready to go home first!! Oops!

So then we got on the boat across the border to Laos for a leisurely couple of days down the Mekong River...