Lynette and I in front of the Dragon’s Backbone Terraces.
Packs on backs, we’ve arrived in China with a slight chill in the air and lots of rain in our socks. Our destination for the next week is the tourist hotspot of Yangshuo, characterised by huge limestone peaks spearing out of the ground, followed by the Dragon’s Backbone Terrace - a crazy network of valleys and hills swamped in ‘silver ribbons’ of paddy fields. Our timing was terrible, the weather was grey and drizzly, but we didn’t care - we’d arrived in China! Did the rain ever stop? Were the Chinese as unfriendly as we’d been led to believe? Had we said goodbye to our last mosquito? Continue reading Gallery: The beautiful limestone karsts of Yangshuo and the Dragon’s Backbone Terrace!…
Entering one of the fishing villages of Ha Long Bay, evidently I’m trying to flap away somewhere…
Having meandered our way slowly North we finally arrived in its capital, Hanoi, our last stop in Vietnam. From here we planned to take a trip to Top Gear’s finishing line, the beautiful limestone peaks of Ha Long Bay. We also didn’t have long on our Visa… and didn’t plan on finding out what happened to those who were never allowed to leave… who is the famous dead body in Vietnam? Would we make it on the final leg into China? Continue reading Gallery: Hanging in Hanoi and boating in Ha Long Bay!…
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…
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?!…
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!…
Posted by Steve on September 4, 2009, at 1:29 am | Category: Peru, Photos | One comment
We were also offered this emotionallly unstable chappy, sadly without eye protection.
Imaginatively located on the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca, we’d been told the Floating Islands of Uros are a tourist trap and the only thing to see in Puno. Right on both counts, but a tourist trap for a reason; they’re really quite interesting! Over five hundred years ago, the original inhabitants fled from the shores of the lake to avoid the impending Incan invasion. Now, they avoid property tax. But they also offer an insight into one of the strangest ways of living in the world, and it was a great way to break up the 18hr bus journey from Cusco, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia.
We arrived in San Gil after our first decent length bus ride from Bogota. Famous for its Extreme Sports, we were worried what options would actually be available to us with a cripple on board. Even horse riding was a concern, with knee gripping a fairly crucial part. However, we managed to find one of the best towns in Colombia to date, at 1,277m altitude it is in eternal springtime with a low crime rate and a friendly population. We only had a few days, but we had a great time and would love to return.
The boat from Angra to Ilha Grande, 30mins faster than the ferry and only slightly more expensive. R$7pp, or about £2.20.
I think we’ve just found heaven… Ilha Grande is an island south of Rio, a mountain ridge jutting out of the sea that is where the Brazilians themselves normally spend their holiday. It has amazing beaches, no roads, no cars, and crabs wandering the streets. The best bit is we didn’t even plan to go there until it was recommended so highly by other travellers we’d met at El Misti!
Here the vegetation changed from the occasional bit of thorn to bushes and shrubs.
Here the vegetation changed from the occasional bit of thorn to bushes and shrubs.
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!
![[Facebook]](http://mace.me.uk/mrandmrs/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[MySpace]](http://mace.me.uk/mrandmrs/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://mace.me.uk/mrandmrs/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Email]](http://mace.me.uk/mrandmrs/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Recent Comments