It is only now I chastise myself for knocking at least one more grain of rock from these sculptures.
Our final straight in Vietnam had only places left beginning with H – and of the first two to be knocked off one is famous for bargain tailor made clothes and the other for being the site of a major battle during the Vietnam war. Geographic necessity forced us down Vietnam’s famous shopping centre first… just how did we go from planning on buying absolutely nothing to having a $96 shipping bill? What does the Perfume river actually smell of? How does a glass of beer costing just ten English pennies actually taste? Continue reading Gallery: Resisting the urge to shop in Hoi An and Battle History in Hue!…
We’d had a few drinks by this stage….seconds after midnight!
Christmas shenanigans out of the way, we were moving onto Nha Trang where New Year mayhem would occur. Following the festive period with a bit of plant life at the flower festival in chilled out Da Lat, surely we would cover all bases of cultural, social and natural wonder over the next week? Would we find some New Year buddies to party with? Do glowstick flowers or real flowers make better photo material? Would Lynette get on a scooter with Steve…and if she did, would she survive? Continue reading Gallery: New Year’s Eve in Nha Trang and dallying on scooters in Da Lat…
Sitting proud on an American M41 tank, destroyed in landmine in 1970. Also a geocache!
After a fleeting visit and two extremes of Cambodia we were looking forward to a month in the famous lands of Vietnam. Cautiously optimistic about the country our first stop was the capital, Ho Chi Minh, where we would be spending a hopefully merry Christmas and an excursion to the Mekong Delta. We immediately loved the place, but like all countries it still had its moments. Did we find Christmas dinner? Just how big is a Mekong Catfish? Why on earth would we be ecstatic that Vietnam is an ex-French colony?
The barbed walls of S-21 detention centre, or Toul Sleng.
Our sprint through Cambodia continued with our second and final stop, Phnom Penh. The praises of this country have been sung to us by many travellers but the main attractions of the country’s capital are rather more sombre and concern the genocidal years of the Khmer Rouge regime when almost a quarter of the country’s population was killed. To better understand the atrocities that occurred, we were to visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, better known as S21, and Choeung Ek – the famous Killing Fields. How did this sinister regime come to power? Why did the world’s leading nations allow it to continue, and even hold a seat on the UN for a further ten years after it was deposed? This particular post is not very cheerful, but it was an education for us and hopefully of interest to you.
Lynette and I in front of the famous towers of the Bayon Temple.
We’d arrived back in Roof View Place, Bangkok, after our whistle stop tour of North Thailand to happily find our Vietnam and China visas nestled inside our waiting Passports, the ink still slightly damp. Excitingly, our next stop was the ruins of Angkor; more than one thousand temples spread over 3,000 square kilometres including the largest religious temple in the world, Angkor Wat itself. Interestingly, we’d decided to devote just a day to these magnificent ruins, and that to make life extra difficult we’d cycle the entire thing. Was this an exercise in sheer madness? Would the ancient ruins live up to their impossible fame? Would we even be allowed to cross the border? Continue reading Gallery: What? A Wat? In Angkor! Angkor Wat?!…
We were rewarded four our efforts with a final soaking before drying off!
Our last stop in Thailand is Pai, a bohemian town with allegedly lots to offer including copious amounts of live music, jungle trekking, fishing, massages and a generally chilled out stay. Except for the one week we were there. Would we find a hostel during the King’s Birthday? Would we see a ‘hilltribe village’? Would we stay on the elephants? Are all Finns called Antti? Continue reading Gallery: Playing about in Pai!…
A friendly chap who spoke excellent English, not sure what his favourite colour was.
Our continuing route North (saving the sun and beaches for our return in a few months time) took us through Ayutthaya for a bit of ruined Wat exploration by bicycle, before a pit pause in the inevitable city stop of Chiang Mai, a place where experiencing almost any element of Thailand is possible. Back in the stride of things, and ready for our traditional first night bus of the country, we set off for the next two stops. Could we spend another day among ruins without falling asleep at the wheel? Would a Thai cookery course unlock great mysteries in the art of making a green curry? And where in Thailand can you find the best fish and chips around? Continue reading Gallery: Cycling Wat Ruins in Ayutthaya and Bashing in Chiang Mai!…
The expiditionary crew for the day, wearing trendy leech protectors.
On 18th September 1962, Khao Yai became the first national park of Thailand, and at only four hours from Bangkok one of the most popular. We’d been in cities for a while again now, and with a thirst for wildlife decided for a brief stop here on the way back from Surin. No three day hikes, just a day and a half tour, we hopped off our bus at 14:45 immediately meeting a lady on her first few days of selling tours. After a quick bit of bargaining, we managed to arrange our tour with Bobby’s Accommodation and were on our half day starting trek by 15:00 with bags in rooms. Not bad going, but was the trip itself going to be any good? Would we see the fabled Gibbon monkey? What does bat pee smell like? Continue reading Gallery: Trekking in Khao Yai and the Bridge over River Kwai festival!…
On our way out we were kidnapped by school kids interviewing farangs for their school project. A friendly bunch, we were even given a present to say thanks for participating!
Our arrival in Thailand conveniently (and completely unintentionally) coincided with the annual Surin Elephant Roundup, a huge event for the area apparently. A chance to see some local excitement and our first elephants outside of a zoo sucked us across to East Thailand to Surin in our first Thai train, armed with nothing more than our guidebook and a smile. On our way we met a documentary crew hoping to scratch the festival’s surface, discovered why Wikipedia describes Surin as having a ‘substantial population of expatriate westerners married to local women’, and saw an elephant commit a blatant ‘trunk-ball’ without even receiving a yellow card. Continue reading Gallery: The Tourist marvel that is the Surin Elephant Roundup!…
Lynette and I in front of Chakri Maha Prasat Hall.
After the rib tickling gut punch from India and a growing rose tinted fondness for South America, we were looking immensely forward to Thailand. It heralded the start of our South East Asia journey, and we arrived with high hopes propped up by more recommendations that any other to date. Plus, we had timed our arrival to overlap with Dave and Emma’s departure, so with a bit of knowledge transfer, and beer, our arrival in Bangkok had the potential to be quite wonderful. Was the capital of Thailand just another big stinky city? Would the locals be pleased to see us? Just what do cockroaches taste like?
Steve under a topiary canopy. They love topiary here
Steve under a topiary canopy. They love topiary here
Random Travelling Notes
In South America, the sewage system is not up to the task of carrying paper waste through the toilet so you have to put it in bins. Pray they are changed regularly!
How long travelling!
We started our journey... 8 months, 2 weeks, 4 days ago
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