We spent a couple weeks diving and relaxing in the South of Thailand but we decided to move on to Malaysia a little earlier than originally planned. Diving was fabulous but we felt the South Islands were entirely different from the Central and Northern areas of Thailand. Inauthentic food, masses of tourists, a few scams and littered beaches meant we were quick to move on... We cant love every place unfortunately!
Our journey through Malaysia would be one packed with ups and downs, excitement and turmoil, as well as some seriously good food!
First stop Langkawi, an island on the Northwest coast. The first two days were great, we hired a moped and explored the island inside out. This is by far the cheapest and easiest way to explore the island as filling up the bike cost around 70p. We went for an Indian meal on our second night, with the idea of trying something new. We ordered a curry with a 'roti tisu'; what we thought was a type of naan turned out to be a flatbread covered in sickly sweet condensed milk... That was put aside for pudding and a plain naan was swiftly ordered!
Unluckily our time in Langkawi took an abrupt turn for the worse. On our third morning we awoke at 4:30 am when our wardrobe fell over resulting in both of us being splashed by cold water. We both jumped out of bed into almost waist height water, turned on the light and found that the room had flooded with what looked like brown river water. We both went straight into action mode, save our stuff! This meant frantically searching for what ever we could pick up, passports and valuables being of the main concern. We then waded out of our room in search of the highest point possible, dump what we'd managed to save so far, regroup and attempt to salvage the rest of our belongings.
The rain didn't cease until gone 11 am, which meant that water levels in the room and around the hostel continued to rise. By the time it actually stopped, the water level was 1.5 meters in places and around 1 meter in our room.
Nevertheless, we survived and can tell the tale of the flood in Langkawi. A scary start to Malaysia, but don't worry guys it gets much better! The rest of Langkawi was good fun, we spent most of our time eating local food, drinking beer and relaxing. We also helped the owners of our flooded guesthouse clear up and recuperate. It was satisfying watching it come back to life eventually.
Six days later we left on a direct ferry to Penang where we would be staying in Georgetown. Along with us came Esme, a fellow flood survivor and therefore our Malaysian kin. We stayed in a hostel called Red Heritage Inn, which was fantastic. Clean, large beds and showers that had jets in the walls, luxury!
To call the food in Penang great is an understatement! We had our first experience of a Mamak shop on the night of our arrival. The food was incredible, tandoori chicken, naans, curry sauces and a claypot vegetable byriani for a pittance. Just writing about it now makes our mouths water and we think you could travel to Malaysia for these speciality restaurants alone. They will be sorely missed on our departure from this country. For us, a lot of the great moments in Malaysia involved its food, especially the street food which generally surpassed the quality of the average restaurant (Mamak shops not included!!!).
The most memorable day we had in Penang would have to be the short trek we made through the national park to turtle beach. The walk was an ideal morning getaway from the city of Georgetown. We hopped on the local bus and within an hour we were at the entrance to the park. After a quick bit of negotiating with the water taxi to pick us up, we had set off on a leisurely stroll into the jungle. We arranged for the water taxi to pick us up from the other side of the peninsula, which turned out to be a great idea as four other people jumped on the band wagon when we got to the beach.
The next stop three days later, was a four hour bus ride to the Cameron Highlands, a region full of fruit farms, including numerous strawberry and tomato farms, as well as huge tea plantations. We three flood amigos decided to do the Mossy Forrest tour, which included a guide who spoke impeccable English, a ride in an old Landrover Defender, a short trek through a forest that was truly 'mossy' and a visit to the Boh tea plantation.
We started the tour above one of Boh's tea plantations; standing in the sun, we looked over the vast mountainous landscape, where peaks were intertwined with plantations and pickers shanty towns for as far as the eye could see. Our guide then explained the rich history that Malaysia has with tea, that they drink the same black tea as the Brits and that it's become the national drink. He talked about the process from picking to the point where you drink it and the different grades of tea you get dependent on what part of the plant you pick. All interesting stuff!
Next we took a ride up the mountain, straight to the highest peak and close to where we would start our Mossy Forrest trek. Sadly on the journey up the clouds seemed to come from nowhere and cover the peak in a thick blanket of cold and wetness. Although we did see the funny side and climbed up the tower to see tremendous view that went for about fifty meters. We even took a photograph!
The trek was great, we learnt about the importance of the mossy ecosystem, the use of different plants and even got a bit of a viewpoint in as well (we had descended enough to be below the clouds!). The smell of being in a dense green and wet forest was a nice reminder of home. After our tour we went down to the Boh tea factory for a bit of lunch and some warm black tea. Even though it was full to the brim, it was a welcome relief from the colder air higher up the mountain.
After a beautiful change of scenery in Cameron highlands for two days we headed down towards the south to Melacca, which meant saying farewell to our flood buddy Esme. It's been an adventure, we've had a great time even though what brought us together wasn't ideal to say the least. Adios Esme, keep on enjoying yourself. For us, bring on the South of Malaysia!
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Saturday 3 August 2013
The final chapter of Burma
The ancient city of Bagan is truly a marvel that one could sit and admire no matter who you are or where your beliefs lie. Over two thousand Pagodas scatter the flat landscape around the Aye Yarwaddy River creating a truly epic sense of awe.
We stayed in a town called Nyang-U which is part of the Bagan region but is the newest town and where the main infrastructure can be found. It was full of great restaurants and market places; it even had a Weatherspoons, that did about the best burger you can find anywhere in Southeast Asia! A taste of home! The owner had lived in Bristol and had taken the recipe from a local pub near to a student house Lot's had lived in! Small world or what!
Our best day in Bagan was our second, which we spent touring the temples by horse and cart. Our lively horse was called "Rambo", who lived up to his name! The day started off with the guide taking us to a few of the less known Pagodas. These are looked after by people called "key holders", often ex-monks, who devote themselves to keeping up small Pagodas. They freely explain the rich history surrounding them which adds a more personal touch to the experience. They supplement this by selling small souvenirs, although travelling with backpacks makes it difficult to buy any!
After a tour of some of the smaller temples, we decided to grab some lunch. We found a vegetarian restaurant, which Nat was a bit sceptical about to begin with, although this was dumbfounded as it turned out to be an incredibly tasty meal. Unlike the Shan state, Bagan has similar inhabitants to the people of Yangon. There is less wealth per capita and traditionally eat more vegetarian food than meat. We ate a pumpkin curry and a spicy chickpea chapatti..scrumptious!
In the afternoon we visited some of the larger temples including the mighty Dhammayangyi temple just outside of Old Bagan. Even though they have not been preserved as well and you cannot go to the top of them due to structure instability, collectively they almost seem more impressive than the temples of Angkor Wat. The risk of a snake falling on your shoulder at any moment, the pigeons flying above your head and the monks praying silently gave the temples a rustic charm about them. More often than not, we were the only ones wandering around these magnificent structures. Seeing these temples with no other tourists around really allows you to appreciate the unique history surrounding the region of Bagan.
As we climbed the last temple of the day, the surrounding landscape started to open up before our eyes. From the top your view spread over miles and miles of flat land, and hundreds of temples next to one another. A perfect way to end the day and see the magnitude of beauty yet to be discovered by the outside world.
That night we had our first taste of Mongolian and Nepalese cuisine. Unlimited chapatti's and rice, along with flavoursome curries and pita breads filled with spicy vegetables made for an excellent end to our time in Bagan. Last stop, one day in Mandalay before we fly back to Thailand. We will miss Myanmar, and more so, it's people. The friendliest and most helpful we have met on our trip so far. We urge anybody who is coming to South East Asia to visit this country now, before the world fully discovers it!
We stayed in a town called Nyang-U which is part of the Bagan region but is the newest town and where the main infrastructure can be found. It was full of great restaurants and market places; it even had a Weatherspoons, that did about the best burger you can find anywhere in Southeast Asia! A taste of home! The owner had lived in Bristol and had taken the recipe from a local pub near to a student house Lot's had lived in! Small world or what!
Our best day in Bagan was our second, which we spent touring the temples by horse and cart. Our lively horse was called "Rambo", who lived up to his name! The day started off with the guide taking us to a few of the less known Pagodas. These are looked after by people called "key holders", often ex-monks, who devote themselves to keeping up small Pagodas. They freely explain the rich history surrounding them which adds a more personal touch to the experience. They supplement this by selling small souvenirs, although travelling with backpacks makes it difficult to buy any!
After a tour of some of the smaller temples, we decided to grab some lunch. We found a vegetarian restaurant, which Nat was a bit sceptical about to begin with, although this was dumbfounded as it turned out to be an incredibly tasty meal. Unlike the Shan state, Bagan has similar inhabitants to the people of Yangon. There is less wealth per capita and traditionally eat more vegetarian food than meat. We ate a pumpkin curry and a spicy chickpea chapatti..scrumptious!
In the afternoon we visited some of the larger temples including the mighty Dhammayangyi temple just outside of Old Bagan. Even though they have not been preserved as well and you cannot go to the top of them due to structure instability, collectively they almost seem more impressive than the temples of Angkor Wat. The risk of a snake falling on your shoulder at any moment, the pigeons flying above your head and the monks praying silently gave the temples a rustic charm about them. More often than not, we were the only ones wandering around these magnificent structures. Seeing these temples with no other tourists around really allows you to appreciate the unique history surrounding the region of Bagan.
As we climbed the last temple of the day, the surrounding landscape started to open up before our eyes. From the top your view spread over miles and miles of flat land, and hundreds of temples next to one another. A perfect way to end the day and see the magnitude of beauty yet to be discovered by the outside world.
That night we had our first taste of Mongolian and Nepalese cuisine. Unlimited chapatti's and rice, along with flavoursome curries and pita breads filled with spicy vegetables made for an excellent end to our time in Bagan. Last stop, one day in Mandalay before we fly back to Thailand. We will miss Myanmar, and more so, it's people. The friendliest and most helpful we have met on our trip so far. We urge anybody who is coming to South East Asia to visit this country now, before the world fully discovers it!
Saturday 13 July 2013
Inle Lake
Our second of four stops in Burma was Inle Lake, which can be found in the Shan District, Eastern Burma. We arrived around 4 am on a night bus in Nyaungshwe the main town just above the lake and found ourselves wandering the quiet streets for our guesthouse. We found our way to their locked front gate after about half an hour and had to wake the poor guys up! Unluckily the room wasn't ready until about 10 o'clock, which meant we slept outside in the chairs before eating an absolute triumph of a breakfast. Fresh coffee, fruit plates, an amaretto biscuit to rival any other, eggs on toast and pancakes which helped make up the wait for the room!
After the room was finally ours, we left Aquarius Guesthouse, hired a push bike each and hit the road. We ended up at a monastery just outside town, where we grabbed some street food of samosas, a chapati and a couple of local style doughnuts. The doughnuts are made with sweetened sticky rice, deep fried until crispy and golden brown on the outside and then to top it off, covered in sugar. Not the healthiest of snacks, but not half tasty! We enjoyed our feast leaning up against a tree, where we could gaze out across the rice-paddy fields with the surrounding mountains as a backdrop.
We met up with our friends around lunchtime and decided to go on an adventure, attempting to cycle as far around the lake as possible. When we say it was hot, at one point we must have started to melt! The start of the ride was fairly easy going, nice and flat, but the views were still phenomenal. Our plan was to reach the hot springs and use that as our first goal, unluckily we got completely lost! We cycled past a group of about ten monks, asked for directions and then misinterpreted what they said. This ended up with us cycling up a dirt track into a small village, where we had our first casualty of the day. Kerry was attempting to cycle up a small hill with a small ledge on a bike that was stuck on its highest gear. When her legs could no longer propel her up the slope, she fell sideways over the ledge, it was impossible for her to put her legs down. Luckily she wasn't hurt and could laugh it off as it looked like something from a sitcom.
After hours and hours and kilometre after kilometre of cycling in the gruelling heat we finally had to say no more. We rode into a local village on the lake that was beautiful. The houses were on stilts and where intertwined with small canals. The only mode of transport there was by boat and we quickly snapped up the services of a local and his long tail boat. With five people and four bikes, we set off, through the maze of man-made canals, flying past huge floating vegetable plots and shops. In this moment we knew that the trip to Myanmar was worth every penny and would be remembered for the rest of our lives.
The next day we arranged a tour of the lake on another long tail boat, we were told this was a must do and it didn't disappoint. We left fairly early and had an hour or so zipping along the water towards the morning market. This was a real Burmese local market and was packed to brim with everything you could imagine... Souvenirs, jewellery, clothes, suspicious looking medicine and food. We tried samosas and banana doughnuts which were delicious.
After a walk around the maze of stalls we jumped back into our boat and headed to a floating weaving factory. Here they made traditional longyis, scarves and various other garments. The employees here were mainly ageing women who had clearly been working the looms for decades and could work intricate patterns into the cloth without blinking. By this point, four days into our adventure through Myanmar, Lots was itching to get herself a longyi. With the help of the lady in the shop, she chose a green silk, floor length longyi with ties to hold it secure. Locals don't wear longyis with ties, instead they knot the fabric at the front, something which Lots couldn't quite get hold of, so to spare her the embarrassment of a longyi disaster we opted for the easy option.
Happy with our purchase we jumped back into the boat and made our way to the opposite side of the lake to the floating monastery. The monastery looks quite worn from the outside but inside the carvings, buddha statues and paintings depicting the origin of Buddhism made for a beautiful site. The monastery was also home to several newborn kittens owned by the monks which of course occupied all the girls attention. By this time, it was late afternoon and we decided to head back to the town. It had been a fabulous day exploring every nook and cranny of the lake and we are glad we got to share this experience with our friends Kerry and Ronan.
That evening we met our friend Louise who had arrived from Yangon that day. We found a BBQ restaurant where all the raw meat was displayed in a giant refrigerated cabinet. We were each given a small plastic basket and asked to go and pick the meat we wanted cooked. Once we had chosen we put our selection into the basket and handed it to the man behind the BBQ who returned the basket full of cooked meat a little later... A genius idea we think!
Tomorrow we make the 7 hour journey to Bagan by ourselves whilst our friends enjoy a couple of extra days at Inle Lale, slightly jealous but time in Myanmar is not on our side and we need to move swiftly. Bye!
After the room was finally ours, we left Aquarius Guesthouse, hired a push bike each and hit the road. We ended up at a monastery just outside town, where we grabbed some street food of samosas, a chapati and a couple of local style doughnuts. The doughnuts are made with sweetened sticky rice, deep fried until crispy and golden brown on the outside and then to top it off, covered in sugar. Not the healthiest of snacks, but not half tasty! We enjoyed our feast leaning up against a tree, where we could gaze out across the rice-paddy fields with the surrounding mountains as a backdrop.
We met up with our friends around lunchtime and decided to go on an adventure, attempting to cycle as far around the lake as possible. When we say it was hot, at one point we must have started to melt! The start of the ride was fairly easy going, nice and flat, but the views were still phenomenal. Our plan was to reach the hot springs and use that as our first goal, unluckily we got completely lost! We cycled past a group of about ten monks, asked for directions and then misinterpreted what they said. This ended up with us cycling up a dirt track into a small village, where we had our first casualty of the day. Kerry was attempting to cycle up a small hill with a small ledge on a bike that was stuck on its highest gear. When her legs could no longer propel her up the slope, she fell sideways over the ledge, it was impossible for her to put her legs down. Luckily she wasn't hurt and could laugh it off as it looked like something from a sitcom.
After hours and hours and kilometre after kilometre of cycling in the gruelling heat we finally had to say no more. We rode into a local village on the lake that was beautiful. The houses were on stilts and where intertwined with small canals. The only mode of transport there was by boat and we quickly snapped up the services of a local and his long tail boat. With five people and four bikes, we set off, through the maze of man-made canals, flying past huge floating vegetable plots and shops. In this moment we knew that the trip to Myanmar was worth every penny and would be remembered for the rest of our lives.
The next day we arranged a tour of the lake on another long tail boat, we were told this was a must do and it didn't disappoint. We left fairly early and had an hour or so zipping along the water towards the morning market. This was a real Burmese local market and was packed to brim with everything you could imagine... Souvenirs, jewellery, clothes, suspicious looking medicine and food. We tried samosas and banana doughnuts which were delicious.
After a walk around the maze of stalls we jumped back into our boat and headed to a floating weaving factory. Here they made traditional longyis, scarves and various other garments. The employees here were mainly ageing women who had clearly been working the looms for decades and could work intricate patterns into the cloth without blinking. By this point, four days into our adventure through Myanmar, Lots was itching to get herself a longyi. With the help of the lady in the shop, she chose a green silk, floor length longyi with ties to hold it secure. Locals don't wear longyis with ties, instead they knot the fabric at the front, something which Lots couldn't quite get hold of, so to spare her the embarrassment of a longyi disaster we opted for the easy option.
Happy with our purchase we jumped back into the boat and made our way to the opposite side of the lake to the floating monastery. The monastery looks quite worn from the outside but inside the carvings, buddha statues and paintings depicting the origin of Buddhism made for a beautiful site. The monastery was also home to several newborn kittens owned by the monks which of course occupied all the girls attention. By this time, it was late afternoon and we decided to head back to the town. It had been a fabulous day exploring every nook and cranny of the lake and we are glad we got to share this experience with our friends Kerry and Ronan.
That evening we met our friend Louise who had arrived from Yangon that day. We found a BBQ restaurant where all the raw meat was displayed in a giant refrigerated cabinet. We were each given a small plastic basket and asked to go and pick the meat we wanted cooked. Once we had chosen we put our selection into the basket and handed it to the man behind the BBQ who returned the basket full of cooked meat a little later... A genius idea we think!
Tomorrow we make the 7 hour journey to Bagan by ourselves whilst our friends enjoy a couple of extra days at Inle Lale, slightly jealous but time in Myanmar is not on our side and we need to move swiftly. Bye!
Monday 1 July 2013
Mingala Ba Burma
After a cheap and easygoing Air Asia flight, we landed in Yangon in the afternoon. You can tell as soon as you land that Myanmar hasn't been influenced by the western world quite like the more modern Thailand and other Indochina countries. The first thing you notice is that all the men are wearing longyi. These are traditional skirts worn by both sexes and are more common place than shorts or trousers. The women also wear what looks like yellow face paint, but is actually whitening cream not rubbed in to their skin, but instead smeared on in a warpaint fashion... Something that took a lot of getting used to!
This is an exciting time, the government have just started letting tourists back into the country and are slowly opening their doors to more capitalist ideals. While we were in Yangon there was a Southeast Asian economic summit that included the likes of Tony Blair. The consensus from the people is that the country is moving forwards, away from civil unrest towards an influx of foreign investment and tourism. Lets just hope the money is shared amongst the people and not just stuffed into the governments pockets!
The Burmese people are diverse in culture and origin. Each state has its indigenous people and their way of life differs from the food they eat, to the religions they believe in and the languages they speak. We met a young hotel worker who explained that he was from the southern Taninthary division who lived in a fishing village. He moved to Yangon two years ago not being able to speak Myanmar (Yangon's dialect) and couldn't read or write. He spoke fairly good English, but his education consisted of a small amount of schooling and then rice farming with his father.
On the first day we decided to do a walking tour of the city with our new English friends (Ronan and Kerry), starting at Sule Paya (Paya is the Burmese word for temple), located at the centre of the city which the British built the road structure around. We quickly had to buy some umbrellas as the downpour was torrential! Whilst sheltering from the rain in the temple, a monk came and introduced himself and offered to show us around. He explained the two different forms of Buddhism, the history of the temple and about his Buddhist beliefs. He then helped us partake in a ritual where you poor water over a Buddhas head, the amount of times you poor it over the head all depends on your age. The Buddhists believe that there are eight days in their religious week. Each of those has a different animal that represents the corresponding day. Wednesday (the most religious day) is split up into two days, morning and afternoon, an elephant with tusks represents the morning and an elephant without tusks is the afternoon. We found out that we are both born on a Tuesday which is the day of the lion. If you are going to be an animal then the lion is not a bad one to end up with, especially when one day is represented by a rat! Each animal (day of the week) has a different shrine and depending on which day you were born on means you perform the water pouring ritual on your relevant shrine.
We then proceeded to a tea house, we've heard it was a must to do in Yangon and it meant some respite from the monsoon. The first one we came across was completely packed full of locals, which was a pity as it was recomended in the Lonely Planet guide as the best. Nevertheless we pursued our quest to find some good tea and a bite to eat. We ended up in the muslim district in a tea house called Golden Tea. The four of us sat down and had some very sweet tea, not to mine or Lots taste, but the samosas, potato and onion bhajis and the semolina cakes were delicious. We had all this for $2.50, what a bargain!
The tea shops in Yangon are famed for being the places that general day to day business is made. As Burma is only open and running during day time hours, the tea houses act as an English pub would for the locals. Additionally, if you believe the rumours, the government supposedly plant spies in the tea shops to make sure the Burmese populace are behaving and keeping in line with the military run governments directives.
We spent that evening at the famed golden temple, Shwedagon Paya. This for us is the religious jewel of Southeast asia and comes to life at night, when the gilded surface of the Paya is gleaming from the surrounding floodlights. The sheer size and beauty of this religious monument makes the entire place feel mystical. When we visited it was also fairly empty and because it was low season there were no tourists, making it even more enjoyable. The majority of people were monks dressed in their maroon coloured robes and Buddhists worshipping the statues of the Lord Buddha; this only improved the aura surounding the temple and made the experience unforgettable. We finished off the evening in the Chinese district looking for some bargain street food. We hit the jackpot and gorged on some local Burmese cuisine as well as some tasty Shan noodles.
The next day being our final in Yangon, we decided to go on a circular train ride around the city before getting on the night bus to Inle Lake. We were shown on the train by a local who took our nationalities and names for record (we think this may have been the government keeping tabs on us but we're not sure!). The whole trip lasted about two and a half hours. It allowed us to steer away from the tourist trail and get a feel for what the 'real' Burma was like, even though we saw many squallers and horribly poor working conditions, we also saw football matches, children playing in lakes and markets on train platforms. The trip was a pretty good way to spend the morning and an especially good way to gain an insight in how people live outside of the city. It was also not uncommon to see people drying their clothes on the railway tracks, using their initiative we say!
Anyway, next stop Inle Lake. This will be the only place we visit in the Shan District and is suppose to rival most places in Asia for sheer beauty!
This is an exciting time, the government have just started letting tourists back into the country and are slowly opening their doors to more capitalist ideals. While we were in Yangon there was a Southeast Asian economic summit that included the likes of Tony Blair. The consensus from the people is that the country is moving forwards, away from civil unrest towards an influx of foreign investment and tourism. Lets just hope the money is shared amongst the people and not just stuffed into the governments pockets!
The Burmese people are diverse in culture and origin. Each state has its indigenous people and their way of life differs from the food they eat, to the religions they believe in and the languages they speak. We met a young hotel worker who explained that he was from the southern Taninthary division who lived in a fishing village. He moved to Yangon two years ago not being able to speak Myanmar (Yangon's dialect) and couldn't read or write. He spoke fairly good English, but his education consisted of a small amount of schooling and then rice farming with his father.
On the first day we decided to do a walking tour of the city with our new English friends (Ronan and Kerry), starting at Sule Paya (Paya is the Burmese word for temple), located at the centre of the city which the British built the road structure around. We quickly had to buy some umbrellas as the downpour was torrential! Whilst sheltering from the rain in the temple, a monk came and introduced himself and offered to show us around. He explained the two different forms of Buddhism, the history of the temple and about his Buddhist beliefs. He then helped us partake in a ritual where you poor water over a Buddhas head, the amount of times you poor it over the head all depends on your age. The Buddhists believe that there are eight days in their religious week. Each of those has a different animal that represents the corresponding day. Wednesday (the most religious day) is split up into two days, morning and afternoon, an elephant with tusks represents the morning and an elephant without tusks is the afternoon. We found out that we are both born on a Tuesday which is the day of the lion. If you are going to be an animal then the lion is not a bad one to end up with, especially when one day is represented by a rat! Each animal (day of the week) has a different shrine and depending on which day you were born on means you perform the water pouring ritual on your relevant shrine.
We then proceeded to a tea house, we've heard it was a must to do in Yangon and it meant some respite from the monsoon. The first one we came across was completely packed full of locals, which was a pity as it was recomended in the Lonely Planet guide as the best. Nevertheless we pursued our quest to find some good tea and a bite to eat. We ended up in the muslim district in a tea house called Golden Tea. The four of us sat down and had some very sweet tea, not to mine or Lots taste, but the samosas, potato and onion bhajis and the semolina cakes were delicious. We had all this for $2.50, what a bargain!
The tea shops in Yangon are famed for being the places that general day to day business is made. As Burma is only open and running during day time hours, the tea houses act as an English pub would for the locals. Additionally, if you believe the rumours, the government supposedly plant spies in the tea shops to make sure the Burmese populace are behaving and keeping in line with the military run governments directives.
We spent that evening at the famed golden temple, Shwedagon Paya. This for us is the religious jewel of Southeast asia and comes to life at night, when the gilded surface of the Paya is gleaming from the surrounding floodlights. The sheer size and beauty of this religious monument makes the entire place feel mystical. When we visited it was also fairly empty and because it was low season there were no tourists, making it even more enjoyable. The majority of people were monks dressed in their maroon coloured robes and Buddhists worshipping the statues of the Lord Buddha; this only improved the aura surounding the temple and made the experience unforgettable. We finished off the evening in the Chinese district looking for some bargain street food. We hit the jackpot and gorged on some local Burmese cuisine as well as some tasty Shan noodles.
The next day being our final in Yangon, we decided to go on a circular train ride around the city before getting on the night bus to Inle Lake. We were shown on the train by a local who took our nationalities and names for record (we think this may have been the government keeping tabs on us but we're not sure!). The whole trip lasted about two and a half hours. It allowed us to steer away from the tourist trail and get a feel for what the 'real' Burma was like, even though we saw many squallers and horribly poor working conditions, we also saw football matches, children playing in lakes and markets on train platforms. The trip was a pretty good way to spend the morning and an especially good way to gain an insight in how people live outside of the city. It was also not uncommon to see people drying their clothes on the railway tracks, using their initiative we say!
Anyway, next stop Inle Lake. This will be the only place we visit in the Shan District and is suppose to rival most places in Asia for sheer beauty!
Sunday 30 June 2013
Diving in the deep blue sea
From the start of the trip we knew we wanted to do our PADI Open Water Certificates in Koh Tao. The first island on the East coast of Thailand from Bangkok is the dive capital of South East Asia. With over 60 dive schools on the island it is a must do.
We chose to do our course with New Way Diving, a dive school with rave reviews on TripAdvisor. We sent them an email the day before we were meant to arrive and received an email back almost straight away. They offered us a deal we couldn't refuse - the 4 day course with 5 nights accommodation on the beach for 20 000 baht (£420) between us!
We arrived on an over-night bus/ferry ride from Bangkok and were greeted by a sign reading NAT before being taken on the back of a pick-up truck to New Way diving HQ. We were still a little dazed from a restless night travelling but completed some medical forms and signed some other necessities before we were taken in a moped sidecar to our home for the next 5 nights.
Safe to say we hit jackpot with this accommodation!! A modern, sparkling clean apartment which was a stones throw away from the beach. We spent the rest of the morning napping, eating and having a dip in the sea before we went for our first theory lesson at New Way.
It was then that we met the rest of the newbies, 6 Quebecens, 3 other Brits and 1 Brazilian. We were then split into smaller groups, Nat and I being grouped with Mathias the Brazilian whom had spent the last year living in Germany. Our instructor was Rafal, a Polish ex-pat who had spent 8 years living in South West England during which he had learnt to dive in Weymouth! We were given a textbook to work from plus a worksheet of questions to answer. After each topic we were given a test to prepare us for the final exam at the end of the week. The first afternoon consisted of watching a two hour video and answering questions on the topics - simple enough!
The next day was an 8 AM start with 3 hours of theory, sizing up for wetsuits, fins etc and a lesson on how to set up your equipment before an 11AM lunch break. After, it was our first time in the water. Some dive schools take you to a shallow swimming pool to practise basic techniques but New Way chuck you in at the deep end (literally) and take you to a shallow beach. The boat ride was a rocky one and Lots filled up on Sturgeon as a precaution! We put on our wetsuits, flippers, BCD (breathing apparatus), weight belts, mask and snorkel, did our safety checks and proceeded to the leap of death.
The leap of death - a big step off the side of the boat sounds easy but with all the equipment on which is extremely heavy outside of water, is much harder than it seems! The boat was not an actual diving boat, but an old fishing boat which means climbing up the side and jumping from a greater height. When it came to Lots turn, she was helped up, put in the right position (left hand on weight belt, right hand covering the mouth regulator and mask) but refused to jump in. After a countdown from Rafal, there was still reluctancy to enter the water so a friendly push from the Thai captain helped quicken proceedings.
The afternoon was spent learning all the basic techniques required to be able to do the first dive such as taking equipment off and back on in the water, emergency breathing, clearing the mask (Lots favourite) and a horizontal version of a controlled emergency ascent.
Once back on solid ground, we were tired from a challenging first day of diving, but it was not too end there! More theory once back at the centre as well as a maths lesson from Rafal (to Lottie's dismay), by 8 we were free.
By luck, this weekend was Koh Tao Festival 2013. An annual celebration on the island, a nearby field was decked with copious amounts of food stalls, games, displays and two performance stages. We enjoyed the local schools hip hop performance (?!) and a DJ set before we made our way back home for a much needed sleep.
The next day was d-day, dives 1 and 2... no going back now! But before, the theory test. The two of us and Mathias all passed (phew) so we were good to go. Another rocky journey to Lighthouse Bay and we were kitted up, safety checking and stepping into the water. We made our first descent down the mooring line. The sensation of being weightless in water with so much equipment on is a unique one but an amazing one too. We reached a depth of 10.7 metres and were down for 39 minutes. This time consisted of practising underwater skills, buoyancy and some exploring. Dive 2 was a short boat ride away to Mango Bay. This time we only went a depth of 6.8 metres but spent the majority of time swimming around and enjoying the marine life on offer. There were plenty of Clownfish (Lots favourite) to keep her happy plus the odd Triggerfish thrown in for fun... a fish that will attack if you get to close in its proximity, it rears a horn on the back of its neck if it is feeling defensive, safe to say we steered well clear from them!
First day of diving complete, back to HQ to fill our log books in and enjoy a beer with Rafal. That night we went back to the festival where Nat proceeded to consume two spicy pork kebabs, one corn on the cob, one beef kebab, one chocolate chip ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake, washed down with a Chang... All this diving makes for a healthy appetite!
Dives 3 and 4 the next day were truly spectacular. Waking up at 5 and being out on the water by 6 meant we were the first dive school out there. It was well worth the early morning as being the only ones in the water is hard to come by on an island housing over 60 dive schools! We rode out about an hour to a bay called Chumpon, close to the mainland. We felt like we could really relax and enjoy the diving whilst taking in the colourful coral and it's surroundings. Visibility was clear and there were no currents to fight with so we swam to a depth of 18 metres for 45 minutes where we mingled with some Yellow Fin Barracuda. The final dive was similar, except Rafal gave us compasses so we could navigate ourselves, something Nat was a genius at due to his practise on ships.
The rest of the day was spent consuming beers, filling in log books, getting our certification and saying our goodbyes. Diving was truly wonderful and we would recommend it to anybody heading to the South Islands. New Way diving and Rafal were welcoming, friendly yet professional and made our first diving experience memorable.
Now for filling our logbooks with 100 more dives!!
We chose to do our course with New Way Diving, a dive school with rave reviews on TripAdvisor. We sent them an email the day before we were meant to arrive and received an email back almost straight away. They offered us a deal we couldn't refuse - the 4 day course with 5 nights accommodation on the beach for 20 000 baht (£420) between us!
We arrived on an over-night bus/ferry ride from Bangkok and were greeted by a sign reading NAT before being taken on the back of a pick-up truck to New Way diving HQ. We were still a little dazed from a restless night travelling but completed some medical forms and signed some other necessities before we were taken in a moped sidecar to our home for the next 5 nights.
Safe to say we hit jackpot with this accommodation!! A modern, sparkling clean apartment which was a stones throw away from the beach. We spent the rest of the morning napping, eating and having a dip in the sea before we went for our first theory lesson at New Way.
It was then that we met the rest of the newbies, 6 Quebecens, 3 other Brits and 1 Brazilian. We were then split into smaller groups, Nat and I being grouped with Mathias the Brazilian whom had spent the last year living in Germany. Our instructor was Rafal, a Polish ex-pat who had spent 8 years living in South West England during which he had learnt to dive in Weymouth! We were given a textbook to work from plus a worksheet of questions to answer. After each topic we were given a test to prepare us for the final exam at the end of the week. The first afternoon consisted of watching a two hour video and answering questions on the topics - simple enough!
The next day was an 8 AM start with 3 hours of theory, sizing up for wetsuits, fins etc and a lesson on how to set up your equipment before an 11AM lunch break. After, it was our first time in the water. Some dive schools take you to a shallow swimming pool to practise basic techniques but New Way chuck you in at the deep end (literally) and take you to a shallow beach. The boat ride was a rocky one and Lots filled up on Sturgeon as a precaution! We put on our wetsuits, flippers, BCD (breathing apparatus), weight belts, mask and snorkel, did our safety checks and proceeded to the leap of death.
The leap of death - a big step off the side of the boat sounds easy but with all the equipment on which is extremely heavy outside of water, is much harder than it seems! The boat was not an actual diving boat, but an old fishing boat which means climbing up the side and jumping from a greater height. When it came to Lots turn, she was helped up, put in the right position (left hand on weight belt, right hand covering the mouth regulator and mask) but refused to jump in. After a countdown from Rafal, there was still reluctancy to enter the water so a friendly push from the Thai captain helped quicken proceedings.
The afternoon was spent learning all the basic techniques required to be able to do the first dive such as taking equipment off and back on in the water, emergency breathing, clearing the mask (Lots favourite) and a horizontal version of a controlled emergency ascent.
Once back on solid ground, we were tired from a challenging first day of diving, but it was not too end there! More theory once back at the centre as well as a maths lesson from Rafal (to Lottie's dismay), by 8 we were free.
By luck, this weekend was Koh Tao Festival 2013. An annual celebration on the island, a nearby field was decked with copious amounts of food stalls, games, displays and two performance stages. We enjoyed the local schools hip hop performance (?!) and a DJ set before we made our way back home for a much needed sleep.
The next day was d-day, dives 1 and 2... no going back now! But before, the theory test. The two of us and Mathias all passed (phew) so we were good to go. Another rocky journey to Lighthouse Bay and we were kitted up, safety checking and stepping into the water. We made our first descent down the mooring line. The sensation of being weightless in water with so much equipment on is a unique one but an amazing one too. We reached a depth of 10.7 metres and were down for 39 minutes. This time consisted of practising underwater skills, buoyancy and some exploring. Dive 2 was a short boat ride away to Mango Bay. This time we only went a depth of 6.8 metres but spent the majority of time swimming around and enjoying the marine life on offer. There were plenty of Clownfish (Lots favourite) to keep her happy plus the odd Triggerfish thrown in for fun... a fish that will attack if you get to close in its proximity, it rears a horn on the back of its neck if it is feeling defensive, safe to say we steered well clear from them!
First day of diving complete, back to HQ to fill our log books in and enjoy a beer with Rafal. That night we went back to the festival where Nat proceeded to consume two spicy pork kebabs, one corn on the cob, one beef kebab, one chocolate chip ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake, washed down with a Chang... All this diving makes for a healthy appetite!
Dives 3 and 4 the next day were truly spectacular. Waking up at 5 and being out on the water by 6 meant we were the first dive school out there. It was well worth the early morning as being the only ones in the water is hard to come by on an island housing over 60 dive schools! We rode out about an hour to a bay called Chumpon, close to the mainland. We felt like we could really relax and enjoy the diving whilst taking in the colourful coral and it's surroundings. Visibility was clear and there were no currents to fight with so we swam to a depth of 18 metres for 45 minutes where we mingled with some Yellow Fin Barracuda. The final dive was similar, except Rafal gave us compasses so we could navigate ourselves, something Nat was a genius at due to his practise on ships.
The rest of the day was spent consuming beers, filling in log books, getting our certification and saying our goodbyes. Diving was truly wonderful and we would recommend it to anybody heading to the South Islands. New Way diving and Rafal were welcoming, friendly yet professional and made our first diving experience memorable.
Now for filling our logbooks with 100 more dives!!
Saturday 15 June 2013
Glowing plankton, one bad belly and a WONDER of the world!
During our stay in Phnom Penh we decided that we couldn't miss out on visiting Myanmar (Burma) so we applied for our visa's at the embasy. The whole process takes around four working days, but as we went on a Thursday we ended up having to wait a day short of a week!
What to do with six spare days in the capital of Cambodia. We headed down to the coast on a relatively short bus journey to Sihanoukville. This is what can only be described as the party town of Cambodia and is full to the rafters with young travellers. We stayed here for one night and decided to quickly move on to what we thought was going to be an idilic island, Koh Rong, but what it actually turned out to be was "So Wrong" (Lots, 2013). Back to basics, limited electricity and beach bungalows, mixed with a huge hippy population. We stayed at a place called Coco Bungalows, otherwise known as "Nono Bungalows" (Lots, 2013).
Koh Rong did have one very cool feature. At night, if you went swimming about fifty meters from the beach, you were then surrounded by bio luminescent plankton. If you thrashed your arms and legs around the water would light up around you. It was one of our favourite experiences.
After a two night stay we decided to head back to the mainland, to a place called Otres Beach and stayed in some bungalows in the shape of Mushrooms. It was a great place, but unluckily lots had food poisoning so we didnt get to make the most of the beautiful beach.
Next it was time to head down to Siem Reap to explore the temples of Angkor Wat, a must see if your visiting Southeast Asia. We enjoyed our time here the most as the town has a great night life, with good food and places to drink, as well as having a wonder of the world on its door step!
We decided to explore the temple sites for three days and hired a tuk tuk driver named Walter. He was great and made the trip a sensational success. We started off the first day visiting the temple that was used to film the first Lara Croft film. Unluckily it was under reconstruction and there was scaffolding in places. The temple directly nextdoor was beautiful, we spent the better part of an hour wondering around and soaking up the atmosphere. For the rest of the day Walter took us around stopping off at interesting sights, including the Eastern entrance to Angkor Thom. This is where you pass over a moat on a bridge covered in statues of dragons and guardians, then you pass through an ancient gateway, theres no gate anymore but it is still a beautiful sight to see.
We finished the day with a walk along the Elephant Terrace, at the heart of Angkor Thom, along past the Palais Royal and the beautiful Baphuon, finally ending up at the jaw dropping Bayon Temple. Seeing the level of detail in the carvings, the shapes of the spires and the sheer magnitude of Bayon Temple makes the visit to Cambodia in itself worth all the effort!
That evening Walter took Nat to play football with the other local tuk tuk drivers. The game was played on a full size pitch where Nat was the striker, netting a top right hand corner finish. Playing in the same team was our Belgian friend Tom, who was the main force in midfield. Standing at a cool 6 ft 5" he was the tallest on the pitch by at least 5 inches.
The next day we got up for sunrise at Angkor Wat. We arose at 4.30 in the morning and were outside Angkor Wat at around 6 am. Sadly it was cloudy which obstructed our view of the sun rising, although it didn't take any of the beauty out of the temple. The sun shone off the clouds and created a deep purple and blue background to see the temple against. Angkor Wat is the seventh wonder of the world and even though it doesn't quite boast the beauty of Bayon or the serenity found at some of the smaller temples, the complexity of the inner and outer buildings, the moat system and the outer walls, mean the temple of Angkor Wat deserves the title Wonder.
Later that morning we went and visited some of the smaller temples to the North of Angkor Thom. Here is where we actually found our favourite temple of our three day visit. Ta Sohm temple was not the most impressive in size or skill of construction and it hadn't been fully renovated, but it felt more rustic and untouched. Coupled with the feeling of serenity and the fact that we were almost the only people there, the experience of walking around this ancient ruin was unforgettable.
That night we stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch the champions league final. Watching it on a big screen in the street along with plenty of German tourists made for a good atmosphere. But we only made it to half time as it all became a bit too much for Nat and fell asleep in his chair!
The final day was spent mainly enroute to our final temple of the trip, Banteay Srey. Its 37 km out of Siem Reap, but decided to make the effort as we heard it was a 'must visit' if you had the three day temple pass. The temple itself is fairly small, but still very pretty and is surrounded by a moat enclosed in a stone wall. Just outside the temple was a small exhibition highlighting the work undertaken over the decades to restore the complex to its former beauty.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Siem Reap. Our next stop is the island of Koh Chang for a short break and then on to Bangkok. From there we fly to Burma to experience something that we hope to be life changing.
What to do with six spare days in the capital of Cambodia. We headed down to the coast on a relatively short bus journey to Sihanoukville. This is what can only be described as the party town of Cambodia and is full to the rafters with young travellers. We stayed here for one night and decided to quickly move on to what we thought was going to be an idilic island, Koh Rong, but what it actually turned out to be was "So Wrong" (Lots, 2013). Back to basics, limited electricity and beach bungalows, mixed with a huge hippy population. We stayed at a place called Coco Bungalows, otherwise known as "Nono Bungalows" (Lots, 2013).
Koh Rong did have one very cool feature. At night, if you went swimming about fifty meters from the beach, you were then surrounded by bio luminescent plankton. If you thrashed your arms and legs around the water would light up around you. It was one of our favourite experiences.
After a two night stay we decided to head back to the mainland, to a place called Otres Beach and stayed in some bungalows in the shape of Mushrooms. It was a great place, but unluckily lots had food poisoning so we didnt get to make the most of the beautiful beach.
Next it was time to head down to Siem Reap to explore the temples of Angkor Wat, a must see if your visiting Southeast Asia. We enjoyed our time here the most as the town has a great night life, with good food and places to drink, as well as having a wonder of the world on its door step!
We decided to explore the temple sites for three days and hired a tuk tuk driver named Walter. He was great and made the trip a sensational success. We started off the first day visiting the temple that was used to film the first Lara Croft film. Unluckily it was under reconstruction and there was scaffolding in places. The temple directly nextdoor was beautiful, we spent the better part of an hour wondering around and soaking up the atmosphere. For the rest of the day Walter took us around stopping off at interesting sights, including the Eastern entrance to Angkor Thom. This is where you pass over a moat on a bridge covered in statues of dragons and guardians, then you pass through an ancient gateway, theres no gate anymore but it is still a beautiful sight to see.
We finished the day with a walk along the Elephant Terrace, at the heart of Angkor Thom, along past the Palais Royal and the beautiful Baphuon, finally ending up at the jaw dropping Bayon Temple. Seeing the level of detail in the carvings, the shapes of the spires and the sheer magnitude of Bayon Temple makes the visit to Cambodia in itself worth all the effort!
That evening Walter took Nat to play football with the other local tuk tuk drivers. The game was played on a full size pitch where Nat was the striker, netting a top right hand corner finish. Playing in the same team was our Belgian friend Tom, who was the main force in midfield. Standing at a cool 6 ft 5" he was the tallest on the pitch by at least 5 inches.
The next day we got up for sunrise at Angkor Wat. We arose at 4.30 in the morning and were outside Angkor Wat at around 6 am. Sadly it was cloudy which obstructed our view of the sun rising, although it didn't take any of the beauty out of the temple. The sun shone off the clouds and created a deep purple and blue background to see the temple against. Angkor Wat is the seventh wonder of the world and even though it doesn't quite boast the beauty of Bayon or the serenity found at some of the smaller temples, the complexity of the inner and outer buildings, the moat system and the outer walls, mean the temple of Angkor Wat deserves the title Wonder.
Later that morning we went and visited some of the smaller temples to the North of Angkor Thom. Here is where we actually found our favourite temple of our three day visit. Ta Sohm temple was not the most impressive in size or skill of construction and it hadn't been fully renovated, but it felt more rustic and untouched. Coupled with the feeling of serenity and the fact that we were almost the only people there, the experience of walking around this ancient ruin was unforgettable.
That night we stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch the champions league final. Watching it on a big screen in the street along with plenty of German tourists made for a good atmosphere. But we only made it to half time as it all became a bit too much for Nat and fell asleep in his chair!
The final day was spent mainly enroute to our final temple of the trip, Banteay Srey. Its 37 km out of Siem Reap, but decided to make the effort as we heard it was a 'must visit' if you had the three day temple pass. The temple itself is fairly small, but still very pretty and is surrounded by a moat enclosed in a stone wall. Just outside the temple was a small exhibition highlighting the work undertaken over the decades to restore the complex to its former beauty.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Siem Reap. Our next stop is the island of Koh Chang for a short break and then on to Bangkok. From there we fly to Burma to experience something that we hope to be life changing.
Thursday 30 May 2013
Phnom Penh
We reached Phnom Penh in the afternoon and it was stifling! We didn't expect the increase in temperature and were glad we had air conditioning at the hostel. The first night we met up with the Belgium's and ended up in a Australian pub with a free bar and some live music. Good start to Phnom Penh.
Our first full day was spent doing the two main tourist attractions, the killing fields and the genocide museum. Though they are dark and morbid, the experience was a real eye opener into the Khmer Rouge regime. They were responsible for mass genocide and killed one in four Khmer people. The regime killed the majority of educated people, anyone against the Khmer Rouge regime and anyone with affiliations to the so called traitors. People that didn't suffer death had to work the fields, farming mostly rice and living off two bowls of rice porridge a day. The Cambodian people had a choice, be part of the regime and work in extreme conditions or be subjected to the killing fields. The regime is so hated that the Cambodian people now pronounce their identities differently. Instead of Khmer they pronounce themselves as "Khmar", but the word is still spelt the same.
The reason for so many deaths was the Khmer Rouge killed all family members of anyone they executed. This was so that they would have no potential enemies in the future. Although the Khmer people have been through such atrocities, the people are incredibly friendly and very warm hearted.
We visited the genocide museum next. Set up in an old prison called S-52. The buildings were converted from a school into a holding area for people who were inevitably going to the killing fields. In a way this was more disturbing than the killing fields, with dark rooms, long corridors and small brick cells, the buildings send shivers down your spine.
The rest of Phnom Penh is pretty nice. It has a good night life, some tasty food and some great backpacker hostels. We stayed at the White Rabbit, which was owned by an American, Kiwi and a Khmer lady; this gave the place a really relaxed feel and was a good base to explore the city from. Not forgetting to mention the hostel cat... Jerry. Permanently asleep, you would find him behind doors, in corners, on the bar (!) and even once on our bed.
Tuk tuk drivers generally don't know where they are going and often you need a detailed map with directions to get anywhere in Cambodia. We found this out when trying finding the Myanmar embassy. Luckily we stumbled upon it in the end! We found that it would take six days to process the visas, so we decided to go to Koh Rong and Otres Beach on the south coast to fill the void of time.
Our first full day was spent doing the two main tourist attractions, the killing fields and the genocide museum. Though they are dark and morbid, the experience was a real eye opener into the Khmer Rouge regime. They were responsible for mass genocide and killed one in four Khmer people. The regime killed the majority of educated people, anyone against the Khmer Rouge regime and anyone with affiliations to the so called traitors. People that didn't suffer death had to work the fields, farming mostly rice and living off two bowls of rice porridge a day. The Cambodian people had a choice, be part of the regime and work in extreme conditions or be subjected to the killing fields. The regime is so hated that the Cambodian people now pronounce their identities differently. Instead of Khmer they pronounce themselves as "Khmar", but the word is still spelt the same.
The reason for so many deaths was the Khmer Rouge killed all family members of anyone they executed. This was so that they would have no potential enemies in the future. Although the Khmer people have been through such atrocities, the people are incredibly friendly and very warm hearted.
We visited the genocide museum next. Set up in an old prison called S-52. The buildings were converted from a school into a holding area for people who were inevitably going to the killing fields. In a way this was more disturbing than the killing fields, with dark rooms, long corridors and small brick cells, the buildings send shivers down your spine.
The rest of Phnom Penh is pretty nice. It has a good night life, some tasty food and some great backpacker hostels. We stayed at the White Rabbit, which was owned by an American, Kiwi and a Khmer lady; this gave the place a really relaxed feel and was a good base to explore the city from. Not forgetting to mention the hostel cat... Jerry. Permanently asleep, you would find him behind doors, in corners, on the bar (!) and even once on our bed.
Tuk tuk drivers generally don't know where they are going and often you need a detailed map with directions to get anywhere in Cambodia. We found this out when trying finding the Myanmar embassy. Luckily we stumbled upon it in the end! We found that it would take six days to process the visas, so we decided to go to Koh Rong and Otres Beach on the south coast to fill the void of time.
Sunday 19 May 2013
Saigon - Sadly it's time to leave Vietnam!
We have both loved our journey from North to South, it's been an adventure and luckily we got to cap it off with the amazing city of Saigon. Also known as Ho Chi Minh, it was named after their victorious leader; he's so revered and loved that he's not only had a city named in his honour, but is encased in glass in the mausoleum found in Hanoi.
We got to Saigon quite late in the afternoon, so only went for a quick wander around district 1. This is the the main backpackers area and is full of shops, restaurants, hostels and has a large market, operating both in the day and at night. Our first night was spent with the Belgians and the soon to leave English girls. We went for a curry at Ganesh, one of the highest rated restaurants in Vietnam and can be found in Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon. On the recommendations of some British army doctors we met in Mui Ne, we then went in search of a hidden bar full of locals and cheap cocktails. We found it fairly quickly by chance. From the outside its very unassuming and looks more like the side alley for a locals house. It has no signs and we think it must be a hidden hotspot for the more affluent locals. When you walk in, the place opens up into a Moroccan themed bar, full of shishas on short legged tables, where people sit around them on cushions.
The next day we did a bit of sight seeing. We started at the war museum. The courtyard in front of the museum has American fighter jets, tanks and helicopters on show, it even has a plane with a rotary engine. These were used by the southern Vietnamese forces to conduct low level bombings; given to them by the Americans as out of date weaponry, the Southern forces used them to aid ground attacks against the more motivated northern troops.
The museum starts with a room paying homage to "uncle Ho" and his love of the Vietnamese children across the nation. The rest of the ground floor was mainly based on propaganda posters slandering the Americans, as well as anecdotes and encounters of the Viet Minh meeting other nations to lobby support. The rest of the museum took a bit of a sour turn, with disturbing images mainly in the genocide and agent orange room. These were enough to make Lots sit outside and take a pass on the other gruesome images.
We then visited the Grand Palace, home of the Southern Vietnamese government prior to and during the war. The palace looked more like a 70's three story concrete flat block as it was demolished during the revolution prior to the war and was rebuilt. Inside it's a bit more glamorous and exhibits the old living quarters for the ex-president and his family, as well as meeting rooms, bunkers and a ball room.
Our last day started with a half day Chu Chi tunnel tour. About two hours out of Saigon, this is where the village of Chu Chi hid and fought against the American Army. They wore no uniform and fought as part of the Vietnam Cong using guerrilla warfare techniques. They used boobie traps made from bamboo and metal spikes designed to maim their enemies. We had a tour around from a guide who called himself "John Wayne"!
Then came the opportunity that made Nats day...shooting an original M1 Carbine from the war. He required ear muffs to deafen the sound plus have an instructor hold him in place due to the recoil and the fact he had to stand on tip toes to reach the gun in the first place!
We then went into the tunnels, or a small part of the tunnel system that ran along a 100m stretch. It was a tunnel on level one (out of three) where we had a go at attempting to get through the dark tight squeeze. You had to go on hands and knees to get through, but luckily you could get out at 20 metre intervals. Lots made it 20 metres feeling the claustrophobia and popped out with an American girl who was having a panic attack! Nat made it the full 100 metres, out first, dripping from the heat, but luckily Lots the saviour was there with a bottle of water which Nat gulped down, only to find Lottie had picked up someone else's bottle by mistake...they were left without!
That evening, we ditched our shorts and t-shirts for dresses and shirts and headed for the SkyBar. Shaped like a sail, it is by far the tallest building in the city and houses a bar on the 52nd floor. We got in an elevator all the way up and were greeted by a chic, modern bar and an outside helipad to top it off! To say the views at night were spectacular would be an understatement. The view stretched for miles and the array of lights were beautiful. We enjoyed a couple of drinks here (all we could afford!) before we headed to the night market for our last taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Something we will both miss.
The next day we head to Cambodia on the bus, our fourth country of the trip so far. We have loved Vietnam from start to finish - a country brimming with culture, history, friendly people, crazy drivers and spectacular beaches. It will be missed!
We got to Saigon quite late in the afternoon, so only went for a quick wander around district 1. This is the the main backpackers area and is full of shops, restaurants, hostels and has a large market, operating both in the day and at night. Our first night was spent with the Belgians and the soon to leave English girls. We went for a curry at Ganesh, one of the highest rated restaurants in Vietnam and can be found in Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon. On the recommendations of some British army doctors we met in Mui Ne, we then went in search of a hidden bar full of locals and cheap cocktails. We found it fairly quickly by chance. From the outside its very unassuming and looks more like the side alley for a locals house. It has no signs and we think it must be a hidden hotspot for the more affluent locals. When you walk in, the place opens up into a Moroccan themed bar, full of shishas on short legged tables, where people sit around them on cushions.
The next day we did a bit of sight seeing. We started at the war museum. The courtyard in front of the museum has American fighter jets, tanks and helicopters on show, it even has a plane with a rotary engine. These were used by the southern Vietnamese forces to conduct low level bombings; given to them by the Americans as out of date weaponry, the Southern forces used them to aid ground attacks against the more motivated northern troops.
The museum starts with a room paying homage to "uncle Ho" and his love of the Vietnamese children across the nation. The rest of the ground floor was mainly based on propaganda posters slandering the Americans, as well as anecdotes and encounters of the Viet Minh meeting other nations to lobby support. The rest of the museum took a bit of a sour turn, with disturbing images mainly in the genocide and agent orange room. These were enough to make Lots sit outside and take a pass on the other gruesome images.
We then visited the Grand Palace, home of the Southern Vietnamese government prior to and during the war. The palace looked more like a 70's three story concrete flat block as it was demolished during the revolution prior to the war and was rebuilt. Inside it's a bit more glamorous and exhibits the old living quarters for the ex-president and his family, as well as meeting rooms, bunkers and a ball room.
Our last day started with a half day Chu Chi tunnel tour. About two hours out of Saigon, this is where the village of Chu Chi hid and fought against the American Army. They wore no uniform and fought as part of the Vietnam Cong using guerrilla warfare techniques. They used boobie traps made from bamboo and metal spikes designed to maim their enemies. We had a tour around from a guide who called himself "John Wayne"!
Then came the opportunity that made Nats day...shooting an original M1 Carbine from the war. He required ear muffs to deafen the sound plus have an instructor hold him in place due to the recoil and the fact he had to stand on tip toes to reach the gun in the first place!
We then went into the tunnels, or a small part of the tunnel system that ran along a 100m stretch. It was a tunnel on level one (out of three) where we had a go at attempting to get through the dark tight squeeze. You had to go on hands and knees to get through, but luckily you could get out at 20 metre intervals. Lots made it 20 metres feeling the claustrophobia and popped out with an American girl who was having a panic attack! Nat made it the full 100 metres, out first, dripping from the heat, but luckily Lots the saviour was there with a bottle of water which Nat gulped down, only to find Lottie had picked up someone else's bottle by mistake...they were left without!
That evening, we ditched our shorts and t-shirts for dresses and shirts and headed for the SkyBar. Shaped like a sail, it is by far the tallest building in the city and houses a bar on the 52nd floor. We got in an elevator all the way up and were greeted by a chic, modern bar and an outside helipad to top it off! To say the views at night were spectacular would be an understatement. The view stretched for miles and the array of lights were beautiful. We enjoyed a couple of drinks here (all we could afford!) before we headed to the night market for our last taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Something we will both miss.
The next day we head to Cambodia on the bus, our fourth country of the trip so far. We have loved Vietnam from start to finish - a country brimming with culture, history, friendly people, crazy drivers and spectacular beaches. It will be missed!
Saturday 11 May 2013
Walking on the beaches, looking at the...coconuts
First stop on our descent to Saigon was Hoi An. Most people we'd met had said this was the place to go. So, off we went, hopping on a relatively short bus journey from Hue and ending up in arguably the most affluent place in Vietnam.
We got there quite late in the afternoon, so we checked in and then went wandering for a meal. The term "hidden gem" is used too often when travelling and reviewing places, but, the Bale Well restaurant definitely lives up to the term! We stumbled upon it by chance, looking down a back alley and seeing a bustling restaurant. We sat down expecting a menu to be brought, but suddenly this poultice of food started appearing bit by bit. Unsure of what was happening, we started to dig in and were quickly halted by a waitress. Finally when the meal was set in front of us we then discovered, under the tutelage of a waitress, how to actually eat it. The idea is that you make a large spring roll wrap with rice paper, encasing barbecue pork/chicken, salad, fried vegetables and a mini spring roll (yes, a spring roll in a spring roll!). You then dipped the messy masterpiece you had just created into a pot of chilli-satay sauce, it was delicious! Topped off by a mini-chocolate pudding and fresh pineapple. All in all, it made for a memorable meal! That night after we got back we bumped into one of Nats school friends and his girlfriend, James and Natalie. We ended up in a bar called Why Not, cheap drinks, good music but there were a few rats. One actually ran up Nats shin!
Hoi An is beautiful at night, lit up by hundreds of lanterns, which are found mostly along the riverbanks and among the adjoining streets. During the day you've got expansive markets to explore, or a short cycle to a huge beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hoi An is famous for its tailors, you can get suits, dresses, shirts and even shoes made from scratch. The services filter from the shops into the markets offering a range of prices, typically between $100 and $200 for a suit, and about $50 for dresses. It was also at Hoi An where Lottie developed a love for coconut juice! When you order one at the beach, they pick it up from the bottom of the tree, hack away one end and stick a straw in, as fresh as that! We had a great time in Hoi An and both agree that we would like to visit again (maybe when it's time for a new wardrobe!).
Next it was down the coast to Nha Trang, where you'll bump into a Russian every few steps (due to there being direct flights from Moscow). We only stayed here for two nights on our way down to Mui Ne, but had a great time! The highlight was the boat trip we took on our second day. It was only $7 each so we thought it would be a bit like a booze cruise full of Westerners (and maybe Russians), but actually it was mostly packed with Vietnamese. We stopped at an aquarium, then went for a swim in some of the most transparent water we've seen; although little did we know that the fun would start later! For the entire morning we were told to expect a Vietnamese boy band at the floating bar (one of our four stops), but we took this as a joke..so after lunch and when we were at anchor, the crew started bringing out a home made drum kit and a few guitars onto a makeshift stage. Another tour boat rafted up next to us to join in the fun too. They performed a few songs and were surprisingly skilful! Then the captain (lead singer) asked everybody on board which countries they were from and made one person get up on stage and represent their country with a performance! There were only 4 Brits on board and it was Nat who took it for the team, getting up and singing Wonderwall, Oasis (luckily a song he knows every single word too!).
Early the next morning we travelled 4 hours down the coast to the little town of Mui Ne. Surrounded by sand dunes, this area lies in a microclimate making it around 10 degrees hotter than the rest of Vietnam! Our hostel was located next to the beach, making it an ideal place to jump in the sea and cool off. That afternoon we spent swimming and exploring. In the evening we joined in a pub quiz with some friends and surprisingly (and annoyingly) came 2nd out of 15 teams! The next day we hired a small sailing boat. Lots on the helm and Nat on the main. We had been looking for a boat for Lots to learn to sail in for some time, it was a bit of a bonus that next door happened to have one! The only mishap that came was when we attempted a jibe, Lots moved across the boat a bit too quickly and ended up sliding off, backwards into the sea.
On our final day in Mui Ne we went on a sand dunes tour. We visited the Fairy Stream (a shallow stream you can walk down that runs adjacent to the dunes), the White Dunes and the Red Dunes. Nat rented a quad bike to explore the dunes, which was a great way to get around quickly without burning your feet in the heat of the day!
Our next port of call is Ho Chi Minh City, swapping the beach life for the city! Wish us luck.
We got there quite late in the afternoon, so we checked in and then went wandering for a meal. The term "hidden gem" is used too often when travelling and reviewing places, but, the Bale Well restaurant definitely lives up to the term! We stumbled upon it by chance, looking down a back alley and seeing a bustling restaurant. We sat down expecting a menu to be brought, but suddenly this poultice of food started appearing bit by bit. Unsure of what was happening, we started to dig in and were quickly halted by a waitress. Finally when the meal was set in front of us we then discovered, under the tutelage of a waitress, how to actually eat it. The idea is that you make a large spring roll wrap with rice paper, encasing barbecue pork/chicken, salad, fried vegetables and a mini spring roll (yes, a spring roll in a spring roll!). You then dipped the messy masterpiece you had just created into a pot of chilli-satay sauce, it was delicious! Topped off by a mini-chocolate pudding and fresh pineapple. All in all, it made for a memorable meal! That night after we got back we bumped into one of Nats school friends and his girlfriend, James and Natalie. We ended up in a bar called Why Not, cheap drinks, good music but there were a few rats. One actually ran up Nats shin!
Hoi An is beautiful at night, lit up by hundreds of lanterns, which are found mostly along the riverbanks and among the adjoining streets. During the day you've got expansive markets to explore, or a short cycle to a huge beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hoi An is famous for its tailors, you can get suits, dresses, shirts and even shoes made from scratch. The services filter from the shops into the markets offering a range of prices, typically between $100 and $200 for a suit, and about $50 for dresses. It was also at Hoi An where Lottie developed a love for coconut juice! When you order one at the beach, they pick it up from the bottom of the tree, hack away one end and stick a straw in, as fresh as that! We had a great time in Hoi An and both agree that we would like to visit again (maybe when it's time for a new wardrobe!).
Next it was down the coast to Nha Trang, where you'll bump into a Russian every few steps (due to there being direct flights from Moscow). We only stayed here for two nights on our way down to Mui Ne, but had a great time! The highlight was the boat trip we took on our second day. It was only $7 each so we thought it would be a bit like a booze cruise full of Westerners (and maybe Russians), but actually it was mostly packed with Vietnamese. We stopped at an aquarium, then went for a swim in some of the most transparent water we've seen; although little did we know that the fun would start later! For the entire morning we were told to expect a Vietnamese boy band at the floating bar (one of our four stops), but we took this as a joke..so after lunch and when we were at anchor, the crew started bringing out a home made drum kit and a few guitars onto a makeshift stage. Another tour boat rafted up next to us to join in the fun too. They performed a few songs and were surprisingly skilful! Then the captain (lead singer) asked everybody on board which countries they were from and made one person get up on stage and represent their country with a performance! There were only 4 Brits on board and it was Nat who took it for the team, getting up and singing Wonderwall, Oasis (luckily a song he knows every single word too!).
Early the next morning we travelled 4 hours down the coast to the little town of Mui Ne. Surrounded by sand dunes, this area lies in a microclimate making it around 10 degrees hotter than the rest of Vietnam! Our hostel was located next to the beach, making it an ideal place to jump in the sea and cool off. That afternoon we spent swimming and exploring. In the evening we joined in a pub quiz with some friends and surprisingly (and annoyingly) came 2nd out of 15 teams! The next day we hired a small sailing boat. Lots on the helm and Nat on the main. We had been looking for a boat for Lots to learn to sail in for some time, it was a bit of a bonus that next door happened to have one! The only mishap that came was when we attempted a jibe, Lots moved across the boat a bit too quickly and ended up sliding off, backwards into the sea.
On our final day in Mui Ne we went on a sand dunes tour. We visited the Fairy Stream (a shallow stream you can walk down that runs adjacent to the dunes), the White Dunes and the Red Dunes. Nat rented a quad bike to explore the dunes, which was a great way to get around quickly without burning your feet in the heat of the day!
Our next port of call is Ho Chi Minh City, swapping the beach life for the city! Wish us luck.
Friday 3 May 2013
From North to Central Vietnam
After Hanoi we decided to travel to Halong Bay and stay at the main island called Cat Ba. Only a four hour journey door to door, including a ferry, the scenery is phenomenal. We decided to stay there instead of taking a two or three day tour from Hanoi itself. The town Cat Ba closely resembles part of the Spanish Costa Del Sol, but if you get a room like we had (4 stories up), the views are breath taking. There surely aren't many places in this world that can compare to scenery on offer around Cat Ba and Halong Bay.
On our first full day, we went for a day long boat trip around the islands. The trip turned out to be great fun; starting with the floating village and then making our way towards what seemed to be a secret cave in a tiny island. The entrance looked like something from Lord of the Rings, and as we entered it grew into an opening and finished at a clearing with a turquoise pool at its centre.
We then had a great lunch with the Belgians and an Ozzy couple on the top deck of the boat. It was a delicious feast with fish, morning glory, spring rolls and steamed rice. Unluckily for the Ozzy couple, who had to remind the tour guides they were veggies and couldn't eat meat, just got given more fish. Although this was bad news for them, it meant more tasty grub for us to tuck into!
The next day on Cat Ba we hired some mopeds and went to explore the island with the Belgians. We started at an old fort that overlooked the main fishing port in Cat Ba town. Our guide was a young Vietnamese women who was really informative and enthusiastic. The fort was built by the French and later took over by the Vietnamese to protect the precious town on Cat Ba. The guide told us that Cat Ba when translated means island of women because the female Vietnamese processed the fish during the war.
We then visited a cave that had been turned into a bunker to protect the islands residents from bombs during the war. Although the cave was interesting, the best part of the visit came at the end as we were leaving and setting up to take a few shots of the steel reinforced exit. It was Lottie that got the first sighting and it took the rest of us a few seconds to realise what was happening. Originally we just saw a frog, it wasn't moving quickly or reacting to our voices; although when you looked at where it had come from you could see a long thin cobra poised to devour its prey. The guide suddenly told us not to move and called his friend who came up with a machete and a thick cloth. Unluckily the snake had gone back into the rocks, presumably because of the commotion so the man hung up the frog and told us to leave. We thought he'd set a trap to rid the tourist attraction of a poisonous resident, but in actual fact it's because they use them in alcoholic drinks to boost fertility in men. You can sell 1 kg of cobra for 200,000 dong, roughly £65. A tidy profit for the snake hunter!
After Cat Ba we decided to travel further down then coast to a place called Hue and stayed at the Google Hotel. We spent two nights here where we went on a demilitarised zone (DMZ) tour and visited the Imperial City. The DMZ tour was really interesting and explained the divide between North and South forces during the war. Our tour guide grew up throughout the war and told us real stories about his personal experiences.
We were then taken to the Vinh Moc tunnels. An extensive tunnel complex used in the war to shelter the villagers of Vinh Moc from the bombing. The tunnels are 30 metres underground, making them dark, damp and encroaching (at 5ft4 Lottie was even crouching)! At the time of the war, approximately 350 villagers lived underground for 6 years - amazingly, sharing just one bathroom between them!
To cap off our stay in Hue, the Google hotel served free local beer between 5pm and midnight. We had met a Mancunian couple that day on the tour and they came over to our hotel to make the most of the free beer. It resulted in a pool match, boys vs. girls with the girls coming out victorious 2-1. We haven't let them live it down quite yet!
This was our last stop in the North before entering Southern Vietnam, we will be reporting from there soon!
On our first full day, we went for a day long boat trip around the islands. The trip turned out to be great fun; starting with the floating village and then making our way towards what seemed to be a secret cave in a tiny island. The entrance looked like something from Lord of the Rings, and as we entered it grew into an opening and finished at a clearing with a turquoise pool at its centre.
We then had a great lunch with the Belgians and an Ozzy couple on the top deck of the boat. It was a delicious feast with fish, morning glory, spring rolls and steamed rice. Unluckily for the Ozzy couple, who had to remind the tour guides they were veggies and couldn't eat meat, just got given more fish. Although this was bad news for them, it meant more tasty grub for us to tuck into!
The next day on Cat Ba we hired some mopeds and went to explore the island with the Belgians. We started at an old fort that overlooked the main fishing port in Cat Ba town. Our guide was a young Vietnamese women who was really informative and enthusiastic. The fort was built by the French and later took over by the Vietnamese to protect the precious town on Cat Ba. The guide told us that Cat Ba when translated means island of women because the female Vietnamese processed the fish during the war.
We then visited a cave that had been turned into a bunker to protect the islands residents from bombs during the war. Although the cave was interesting, the best part of the visit came at the end as we were leaving and setting up to take a few shots of the steel reinforced exit. It was Lottie that got the first sighting and it took the rest of us a few seconds to realise what was happening. Originally we just saw a frog, it wasn't moving quickly or reacting to our voices; although when you looked at where it had come from you could see a long thin cobra poised to devour its prey. The guide suddenly told us not to move and called his friend who came up with a machete and a thick cloth. Unluckily the snake had gone back into the rocks, presumably because of the commotion so the man hung up the frog and told us to leave. We thought he'd set a trap to rid the tourist attraction of a poisonous resident, but in actual fact it's because they use them in alcoholic drinks to boost fertility in men. You can sell 1 kg of cobra for 200,000 dong, roughly £65. A tidy profit for the snake hunter!
After Cat Ba we decided to travel further down then coast to a place called Hue and stayed at the Google Hotel. We spent two nights here where we went on a demilitarised zone (DMZ) tour and visited the Imperial City. The DMZ tour was really interesting and explained the divide between North and South forces during the war. Our tour guide grew up throughout the war and told us real stories about his personal experiences.
We were then taken to the Vinh Moc tunnels. An extensive tunnel complex used in the war to shelter the villagers of Vinh Moc from the bombing. The tunnels are 30 metres underground, making them dark, damp and encroaching (at 5ft4 Lottie was even crouching)! At the time of the war, approximately 350 villagers lived underground for 6 years - amazingly, sharing just one bathroom between them!
To cap off our stay in Hue, the Google hotel served free local beer between 5pm and midnight. We had met a Mancunian couple that day on the tour and they came over to our hotel to make the most of the free beer. It resulted in a pool match, boys vs. girls with the girls coming out victorious 2-1. We haven't let them live it down quite yet!
This was our last stop in the North before entering Southern Vietnam, we will be reporting from there soon!
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Hanoi
After a gruelling 26 hour bus journey, where we only stopped for food once and went through a 3 hour border crossing, we made it to Hanoi. We were absolutely starved, so we had a quick shower in the hostel and went in search for food. We found a little restaurant on a busy street (every street in Hanoi is busy) and sat outside. We were joined by Tom and Marie, a couple from Belgium whom we met on the bus (Tom is 6ft 5 so he struggled with the sleeper bus beds designed for Asian men)! Nearing the end of the meal, Nat had obviously had too many cans of coke because he toppled backwards off his chair and flat on his back!! The owner tried to catch him but with no avail and instead snapped the chair leg clean off... An interesting first meal!
We've found that the main mode of transport in Southeast Asia is a scooter, Vietnam is no exception! The roads are more like rivers, with constant flows of mopeds, you have to be on your guard when crossing. Before arriving in Hanoi we had been advised on a technique for crossing what seems to be a wall of traffic, go slowly, steadily and don't stop! Crude we know, but it has been some of the best advice we've had.
At the centre of Hanoi City is a lake called Hoam Kiem. From here most of the interesting streets branched off, subsequently encircling the watery hub of business and nightlife. We stayed near the old quarter, which was the entire city in the early part of the 20th century, containing only 50 to 60 roads. Now it's the place to go at night for dinner and a few drinks, you can even get a beer for 5000 dong (about 15p!).
Our first bit of site seeing was Hoa Lo Prison Museum, built by French to contain Vietnamese political activists, it was later over turned and used as a POW camp. Nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by US POW's, it was used mainly to keep airplane pilots who had crash landed on their bombing missions. The place has a dark and eerie feel, with wax figures clamped in iron, one of the two original guillotines and some pictures of heads in baskets, you get a real feeling of the atrocities that must have gone on there.
The highlight of Hanoi was undoubtably the water puppet theatre. We weren't sure what to expect, but it seemed like a fitting place to go for Lots birthday. We booked tickets with our Belgian friends for that evening. Even though we went at 9 PM it was packed, mostly with tourists. It began with traditional Vietnamese music and swiftly moved on to six short ancient stories all portrayed with the water puppets. Before each story a lady explained what the story was about, luckily she was translated on a big screen and we had English programmes. The puppets were manoeuvred with amazing skill, attached to large wooden poles and moved by wire and handles. You can't see the poles easily as they are underwater, it takes a while to realise how it all works.
Overall Hanoi was great - slightly hectic but great. So we decided to go to Cat Ba Island next to see some rustic countryside and the renowned islands of Halong Bay.
See you soon!
We've found that the main mode of transport in Southeast Asia is a scooter, Vietnam is no exception! The roads are more like rivers, with constant flows of mopeds, you have to be on your guard when crossing. Before arriving in Hanoi we had been advised on a technique for crossing what seems to be a wall of traffic, go slowly, steadily and don't stop! Crude we know, but it has been some of the best advice we've had.
At the centre of Hanoi City is a lake called Hoam Kiem. From here most of the interesting streets branched off, subsequently encircling the watery hub of business and nightlife. We stayed near the old quarter, which was the entire city in the early part of the 20th century, containing only 50 to 60 roads. Now it's the place to go at night for dinner and a few drinks, you can even get a beer for 5000 dong (about 15p!).
Our first bit of site seeing was Hoa Lo Prison Museum, built by French to contain Vietnamese political activists, it was later over turned and used as a POW camp. Nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by US POW's, it was used mainly to keep airplane pilots who had crash landed on their bombing missions. The place has a dark and eerie feel, with wax figures clamped in iron, one of the two original guillotines and some pictures of heads in baskets, you get a real feeling of the atrocities that must have gone on there.
The highlight of Hanoi was undoubtably the water puppet theatre. We weren't sure what to expect, but it seemed like a fitting place to go for Lots birthday. We booked tickets with our Belgian friends for that evening. Even though we went at 9 PM it was packed, mostly with tourists. It began with traditional Vietnamese music and swiftly moved on to six short ancient stories all portrayed with the water puppets. Before each story a lady explained what the story was about, luckily she was translated on a big screen and we had English programmes. The puppets were manoeuvred with amazing skill, attached to large wooden poles and moved by wire and handles. You can't see the poles easily as they are underwater, it takes a while to realise how it all works.
Overall Hanoi was great - slightly hectic but great. So we decided to go to Cat Ba Island next to see some rustic countryside and the renowned islands of Halong Bay.
See you soon!
Monday 22 April 2013
Laos "Sabaidee Pimai"
The journey to Laos was interesting to say the least, 20 hours in a mini van with the Thai Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. Lets just say it was an experience! Luckily we were getting off at the first stop Vientiane.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos and is only separated from Thailand by the river Mekong. We booked four nights here mainly to sort out our Vietnam visa. The visa turned out to be a piece of cake involving filling out one form and collecting it the next day, at a price of $65 each however.
At this point Nat was still unwell so we decided to find a doctor for him. The Australian embassy in Vientiane have an in-house doctors surgery which is available for British nationals to use also. We rang up and got an appointment for 20 minutes time! After a consultation and a blood test it transpired Nat had Dengue Fever. Lots of rest and sleep were the doctors orders.
It's clear to see the French influence on Laos, there are many cafes all serving croissants and baguettes, as well as pretty decent coffee! Something that was almost impossible to find in Thailand.
After a couple days rest, a large quantity of baguettes and some interesting nights wondering a vibrant night market we hopped on a VIP bus to Vang Vieng. Don't let the companies fool you, it was a fairly run down bus with some suspicious smells.
After a very scenic journey through countryside villages and mountainous passes we made it to Vang Vieng. We arrived during the height of Songkran, a water festival celebrating the New Year in most of the south east Asian countries. It starts when the sun transits the constellation Aries and marked the start of the year 2556 in Laos. We have been to the future!
After we got off the bus, it was a short tuk tuk ride to the hostel. Even though the ride took approximately 3 minutes we still got soaked form head to toe by locals enjoying the festivities.
We spent the next day trying to manoeuvre around the town without getting a drenching. The locals take no prisoners, if you are riding a moped down the street they will stand in the road, forcing you to stop, subsequently chucking a bucket of water down your neck!
One day we decided to bite the bullet and rent a moped to see the caves and lagoons in the mountains. The bike was geared so it took Nat a while to get used to it, we drove up the road on the left hand side before we remembered they drive on the right, whoops!
We started off at a tourist hotspot called the 'Blue Lagoon', but found it was really busy and dirty. After making a quick exit, we met Kathy, Anja and Rawad, two Germans and a Canadian. We then decided to team up and explore the rest of Vang Vieng's incredible surroundings.
Our first stop was a secluded lagoon which was peaceful and succeeded in giving us a relaxing rest bite from the dirt track roads. As we were leaving we came across a deaf and dumb Laos man who was pointing ecstatically for us to follow him up the side of a mountain. Dubiously we followed him, which turned out to be the best decision of our visit to Vang Vieng. We followed him until we came across a cave about a hundred metres up a rocky path. Slowly we made our way into the dark abyss. It was incredible, full of stalagmites, glittering rock formations and the odd creepy crawly. This led to a few screams from the women!
The final part of our Vang Vieng experience was a bit of tubing down the Mekong. As the water was low and the tubing scene has some what evaporated after the deaths of drunk tourists last year, we ended up paddling at a leisurely pace down the river. It was pretty relaxing, but if we were to do it again we would hire a kayak. The trip is longer and there's no bobbing around.
The next and final stop on our journey through central to northern Laos was Luang Prabang. We decided to jump on another VIP bus and arrived about 7 hours later in the world heritage city. First impressions mean a lot and Luang Probang offers bundles of beauty, although this comes at a bit of a price. It was the most expensive place we've been in so far during our whole trip, but our favourite in Laos. We spent our first day chilling around a pool with a submerged pool bar and went out for a nice meal in town that night.
On our second day we met up with Simon and made our way to Kuang Si Falls with our German friends on a 32 km tuk tuk ride. After some great bartering, knocking off a whole dollar $8 (8000 kip) from the total trip we made it to the waterfall. The water was an amazing shade of blue and very refreshing to swim in. There was a rope swing and a mini waterfall that you could jump off. We made it to the top waterfall after what seemed like a mini trek, especially with flip flops on!
That night we all went out for a traditional Laos meal, followed by a game of pool and some drinks. Because of the 11.30 curfew the Laos government impose, all bars close early apart from one place... Luang Prabangs one and only bowling alley. Situated in what seems like a warehouse, slightly outside of the town, sits a state of the art bowling alley. Full of Westerners, it was great fun, if not slightly surreal!
The next day it was time to leave Luang Probang to journey to our third country, one month into our trip. Many thanks to Simon for letting us chill out at his hotel pool and use his room to get ready for a gruelling 24 hour bus journey to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sabaidee Pimai, Happy Laos New Year!
Vientiane is the capital of Laos and is only separated from Thailand by the river Mekong. We booked four nights here mainly to sort out our Vietnam visa. The visa turned out to be a piece of cake involving filling out one form and collecting it the next day, at a price of $65 each however.
At this point Nat was still unwell so we decided to find a doctor for him. The Australian embassy in Vientiane have an in-house doctors surgery which is available for British nationals to use also. We rang up and got an appointment for 20 minutes time! After a consultation and a blood test it transpired Nat had Dengue Fever. Lots of rest and sleep were the doctors orders.
It's clear to see the French influence on Laos, there are many cafes all serving croissants and baguettes, as well as pretty decent coffee! Something that was almost impossible to find in Thailand.
After a couple days rest, a large quantity of baguettes and some interesting nights wondering a vibrant night market we hopped on a VIP bus to Vang Vieng. Don't let the companies fool you, it was a fairly run down bus with some suspicious smells.
After a very scenic journey through countryside villages and mountainous passes we made it to Vang Vieng. We arrived during the height of Songkran, a water festival celebrating the New Year in most of the south east Asian countries. It starts when the sun transits the constellation Aries and marked the start of the year 2556 in Laos. We have been to the future!
After we got off the bus, it was a short tuk tuk ride to the hostel. Even though the ride took approximately 3 minutes we still got soaked form head to toe by locals enjoying the festivities.
We spent the next day trying to manoeuvre around the town without getting a drenching. The locals take no prisoners, if you are riding a moped down the street they will stand in the road, forcing you to stop, subsequently chucking a bucket of water down your neck!
One day we decided to bite the bullet and rent a moped to see the caves and lagoons in the mountains. The bike was geared so it took Nat a while to get used to it, we drove up the road on the left hand side before we remembered they drive on the right, whoops!
We started off at a tourist hotspot called the 'Blue Lagoon', but found it was really busy and dirty. After making a quick exit, we met Kathy, Anja and Rawad, two Germans and a Canadian. We then decided to team up and explore the rest of Vang Vieng's incredible surroundings.
Our first stop was a secluded lagoon which was peaceful and succeeded in giving us a relaxing rest bite from the dirt track roads. As we were leaving we came across a deaf and dumb Laos man who was pointing ecstatically for us to follow him up the side of a mountain. Dubiously we followed him, which turned out to be the best decision of our visit to Vang Vieng. We followed him until we came across a cave about a hundred metres up a rocky path. Slowly we made our way into the dark abyss. It was incredible, full of stalagmites, glittering rock formations and the odd creepy crawly. This led to a few screams from the women!
The final part of our Vang Vieng experience was a bit of tubing down the Mekong. As the water was low and the tubing scene has some what evaporated after the deaths of drunk tourists last year, we ended up paddling at a leisurely pace down the river. It was pretty relaxing, but if we were to do it again we would hire a kayak. The trip is longer and there's no bobbing around.
The next and final stop on our journey through central to northern Laos was Luang Prabang. We decided to jump on another VIP bus and arrived about 7 hours later in the world heritage city. First impressions mean a lot and Luang Probang offers bundles of beauty, although this comes at a bit of a price. It was the most expensive place we've been in so far during our whole trip, but our favourite in Laos. We spent our first day chilling around a pool with a submerged pool bar and went out for a nice meal in town that night.
On our second day we met up with Simon and made our way to Kuang Si Falls with our German friends on a 32 km tuk tuk ride. After some great bartering, knocking off a whole dollar $8 (8000 kip) from the total trip we made it to the waterfall. The water was an amazing shade of blue and very refreshing to swim in. There was a rope swing and a mini waterfall that you could jump off. We made it to the top waterfall after what seemed like a mini trek, especially with flip flops on!
That night we all went out for a traditional Laos meal, followed by a game of pool and some drinks. Because of the 11.30 curfew the Laos government impose, all bars close early apart from one place... Luang Prabangs one and only bowling alley. Situated in what seems like a warehouse, slightly outside of the town, sits a state of the art bowling alley. Full of Westerners, it was great fun, if not slightly surreal!
The next day it was time to leave Luang Probang to journey to our third country, one month into our trip. Many thanks to Simon for letting us chill out at his hotel pool and use his room to get ready for a gruelling 24 hour bus journey to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sabaidee Pimai, Happy Laos New Year!
Tuesday 9 April 2013
A slice of Pai?
Highly recommended by friends doing a similar route, we decided to head off in the wrong direction to a little town called Pai. We travelled by minibus, full of travellers stuffed together, breathing heavily; this combined with windy roads left Lottie feeling slightly queasy! (Nat slept like a baby all the way).
When we arrived in Pai we were met by a sea of tourists/ex-pats, the majority being very hippy! Even so we could instantly tell there was a great atmosphere. After a bit of wandering around we eventually found our 'hut'. Surrounded by plenty of greenery and intertwining streams it offered a serene atmosphere yet we were still located in town. That night we sampled the local entertainment... Chelsea vs. Sunderland.
The next morning we woke bright and early to hire a scooter and explore the surrounding area. We started off at a secluded waterfall and had a swim. The water was freezing, but a welcome rest bite from the morning sun. We stayed until midday and left just as the pool was getting busy.
After a few wrong turns, we made it to the viewing point, unluckily the surrounding farmers were (we think) burning their fields. The view was obscured in places, but the idyllic spot we found ourselves in was still a great place to relax and have our baguettes.
We visited Pai Canyon next, stupidly in the heat of the midday sun, Nat was feeling unwell so we headed back to our hut. The next day was spent hanging around as we thought he had sun stroke, although we found out that Nat had contracted Dengue Fever.. Damn mosquito's!!
When we arrived in Pai we were met by a sea of tourists/ex-pats, the majority being very hippy! Even so we could instantly tell there was a great atmosphere. After a bit of wandering around we eventually found our 'hut'. Surrounded by plenty of greenery and intertwining streams it offered a serene atmosphere yet we were still located in town. That night we sampled the local entertainment... Chelsea vs. Sunderland.
The next morning we woke bright and early to hire a scooter and explore the surrounding area. We started off at a secluded waterfall and had a swim. The water was freezing, but a welcome rest bite from the morning sun. We stayed until midday and left just as the pool was getting busy.
After a few wrong turns, we made it to the viewing point, unluckily the surrounding farmers were (we think) burning their fields. The view was obscured in places, but the idyllic spot we found ourselves in was still a great place to relax and have our baguettes.
We visited Pai Canyon next, stupidly in the heat of the midday sun, Nat was feeling unwell so we headed back to our hut. The next day was spent hanging around as we thought he had sun stroke, although we found out that Nat had contracted Dengue Fever.. Damn mosquito's!!
Sunday 7 April 2013
Naughty elephants, naked Frenchman and forest fires
Being the culture capital of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has a great amount to offer; nights out, good food, mountain pursuits and among other things an enormous walking market. We spent more time here than anywhere so far on our journey to the North, staying at a guest house called Parami that's owned by a Swiss man and his wife.
While chilling out in the garden, we met another travelling couple and later hit the town. We had started off in a budget Thai restaurant that was delicious and slowly worked our way up the strip bar hopping. We finished in a bar playing some locals at pool in a nail biting tournament that ended up with the locals winning the final match and the dosh!
Our second day was spent on a cookery course, you each choose six dishes to make. We had an energetic Thai lady as our teacher, she was great fun and made the course a fantastic experience. The first step was to make our curry paste, which is much simpler than we expected. We chose to make red and yellow curry between us, the only real difference was the type of chilli used and fresh turmeric was used to make the yellow curry. Bashing the paste into submission with a mortar and pestle was hugely entertaining, especially as our instructor was shouting exuberantly the word "harder" over and over again! We recommend going on a cooking course if you ever visit Thailand and we hope to bring some of our newly learnt culinary expertise back to the UK (Lots got the highest mark for her vegetable Tom Yum Soup so there are no excuses!).
Our next adventure took us on a two day trek into the local mountain regions to the North of Chiang Mai. We started with an Elephant ride, we weren't to sure what to expect after seeing the way they were treated in central Thailand, but they were well fed, watered and rewarded with a bath in the local river after each ride. For such cumbersome animals, they seem very happy in water. We saw this in the Elephant sanctuary outside Lampang, they use their trunks as water pistols and splash their fellow herd and anyone who foolishly gets too close!
We managed to get on the naughtiest elephant of the lot, starting in second place and finishing in last by some way. Within minutes he had gobbled up all of our bananas and then moved onto the surrounding shrubbery and trees.
After the elephants we went on a two/three hour track to a local hill tribe. We followed a narrow path weaving its way up the mountain, jumping obstacles and dodging over-hanging branches. We stopped off at a secluded pool, although the water levels are low at the moment, there was still enough for us to slide down the naturally made waterfall and into the cool waters of the pool. This was all well and good until the only Frenchman in the group decided to strip naked directly in front of Lottie which gave her a bit of a surprise.... Typical French!
We made it to the mountain village at about 7 pm and were showed to our sleeping quarters. We were sleeping on a bamboo floor, about three meters above the ground with a roof made of leaves. The villagers were friendly and all helped cook for us, there were dogs, pigs, chickens and a litter of newborn puppies running around us all the time which definitely provided us with entertainment. Surprisingly we weren't bitten by any Mosquitos that night too, result! One of the highlights of the camp was a local who was both deaf and dumb; he was keen on showing us his newly learnt magic tricks from previous visitors.
The next day we set off down the same track but were halted by a forest fire; although it was on the adjacent hill, the smoke and ash were spreading across our path so we turned back. It wasn't the end of the world as went down a new track, although it was mostly through smelly cabbage fields, it was nice to see some different scenery.
Our final part of the trek was white water rafting,even though it was incredibly tame, it was still fun. We went down with an Irish girl who was a great crack and our coxswain wasn't that proficient at steering (on more than one occasion we got stuck and had to jump up and down to get ourselves moving again). The highlight was bobbing past an elephant bathing as well as some locals climbing onboard to catch a free ride!
The final night was spent with Sharon, our Irish friend. We visited the night market where Lottie bought her first anklet (with some great bartering!). The night market in Chiang Mai is a must visit and is without a doubt the best one we've been too in Thailand.
That's it from us, next stop Pai where we will be staying in a bamboo hut! Adios Amigos! X
While chilling out in the garden, we met another travelling couple and later hit the town. We had started off in a budget Thai restaurant that was delicious and slowly worked our way up the strip bar hopping. We finished in a bar playing some locals at pool in a nail biting tournament that ended up with the locals winning the final match and the dosh!
Our second day was spent on a cookery course, you each choose six dishes to make. We had an energetic Thai lady as our teacher, she was great fun and made the course a fantastic experience. The first step was to make our curry paste, which is much simpler than we expected. We chose to make red and yellow curry between us, the only real difference was the type of chilli used and fresh turmeric was used to make the yellow curry. Bashing the paste into submission with a mortar and pestle was hugely entertaining, especially as our instructor was shouting exuberantly the word "harder" over and over again! We recommend going on a cooking course if you ever visit Thailand and we hope to bring some of our newly learnt culinary expertise back to the UK (Lots got the highest mark for her vegetable Tom Yum Soup so there are no excuses!).
Our next adventure took us on a two day trek into the local mountain regions to the North of Chiang Mai. We started with an Elephant ride, we weren't to sure what to expect after seeing the way they were treated in central Thailand, but they were well fed, watered and rewarded with a bath in the local river after each ride. For such cumbersome animals, they seem very happy in water. We saw this in the Elephant sanctuary outside Lampang, they use their trunks as water pistols and splash their fellow herd and anyone who foolishly gets too close!
We managed to get on the naughtiest elephant of the lot, starting in second place and finishing in last by some way. Within minutes he had gobbled up all of our bananas and then moved onto the surrounding shrubbery and trees.
After the elephants we went on a two/three hour track to a local hill tribe. We followed a narrow path weaving its way up the mountain, jumping obstacles and dodging over-hanging branches. We stopped off at a secluded pool, although the water levels are low at the moment, there was still enough for us to slide down the naturally made waterfall and into the cool waters of the pool. This was all well and good until the only Frenchman in the group decided to strip naked directly in front of Lottie which gave her a bit of a surprise.... Typical French!
We made it to the mountain village at about 7 pm and were showed to our sleeping quarters. We were sleeping on a bamboo floor, about three meters above the ground with a roof made of leaves. The villagers were friendly and all helped cook for us, there were dogs, pigs, chickens and a litter of newborn puppies running around us all the time which definitely provided us with entertainment. Surprisingly we weren't bitten by any Mosquitos that night too, result! One of the highlights of the camp was a local who was both deaf and dumb; he was keen on showing us his newly learnt magic tricks from previous visitors.
The next day we set off down the same track but were halted by a forest fire; although it was on the adjacent hill, the smoke and ash were spreading across our path so we turned back. It wasn't the end of the world as went down a new track, although it was mostly through smelly cabbage fields, it was nice to see some different scenery.
Our final part of the trek was white water rafting,even though it was incredibly tame, it was still fun. We went down with an Irish girl who was a great crack and our coxswain wasn't that proficient at steering (on more than one occasion we got stuck and had to jump up and down to get ourselves moving again). The highlight was bobbing past an elephant bathing as well as some locals climbing onboard to catch a free ride!
The final night was spent with Sharon, our Irish friend. We visited the night market where Lottie bought her first anklet (with some great bartering!). The night market in Chiang Mai is a must visit and is without a doubt the best one we've been too in Thailand.
That's it from us, next stop Pai where we will be staying in a bamboo hut! Adios Amigos! X
Wednesday 3 April 2013
Flying vegetables and historical parks
From Nakhon Sawan to Phitsanulok on a 2nd class train, we're moving up in the world! After using the Thai public transport system, you come to realise that bus and train timetables are only rough guides (and that's being generous!). Nevertheless, it's a great way to get around and our total bill has come to less than £20.
Phitsanulok is our first Northern city, we've now left central Thailand and are getting more and more eager to reach Chiang Mai. Phitsanulok is the home of the flying vegetables, we weren't quite sure what this meant but soon found out at dinner. A drum role and flames shooting in to the air are the signs to get ready; experts field with a plate and beginners have to catch their flying supper with a dustbin lid.
We only used Phitsanulok as a stop over and were soon in Sukothai. We stayed at a place called At Home and it was great. It had a really relaxing feel with a large garden and plenty of shaded areas to chill out. In the evening we went for dinner at a place called the Dream Cafe. It was full of western antiques from gramophone's to church pews. It was our first time eating fish, it was a risk that paid off! The menu explains the etiquette of eating in Thailand and both the waitresses bowed every time they walked past. All in all it was the perfect start to Sukothai.
We woke up bright and early to get to the historical park, which was a 12 km journey from new Sukothai where we were staying. The park itself is magical. It's incredibly well kept and boasts some phenomenal architecture. We spent almost the entire afternoon there until the heat got the better of us and we decided to go in search of a nearby waterfall. Unfortunately our efforts were in vane, but we did get to see some of the local life outside the tourist parts. We saw people working the rice fields and a few local monasteries; all of this within a valley between jungle covered mountains.
After our intrepid adventure into the wild, we sprawled out in the air conditioned room for a few hours - you can tell we are no good in a 40 degree climate! That evening, as it was our last night we sampled 'Sukothai noodles' in a restaurant called... Poo. They were delicious!
Next stop, Lampang, ciao!!
Phitsanulok is our first Northern city, we've now left central Thailand and are getting more and more eager to reach Chiang Mai. Phitsanulok is the home of the flying vegetables, we weren't quite sure what this meant but soon found out at dinner. A drum role and flames shooting in to the air are the signs to get ready; experts field with a plate and beginners have to catch their flying supper with a dustbin lid.
We only used Phitsanulok as a stop over and were soon in Sukothai. We stayed at a place called At Home and it was great. It had a really relaxing feel with a large garden and plenty of shaded areas to chill out. In the evening we went for dinner at a place called the Dream Cafe. It was full of western antiques from gramophone's to church pews. It was our first time eating fish, it was a risk that paid off! The menu explains the etiquette of eating in Thailand and both the waitresses bowed every time they walked past. All in all it was the perfect start to Sukothai.
We woke up bright and early to get to the historical park, which was a 12 km journey from new Sukothai where we were staying. The park itself is magical. It's incredibly well kept and boasts some phenomenal architecture. We spent almost the entire afternoon there until the heat got the better of us and we decided to go in search of a nearby waterfall. Unfortunately our efforts were in vane, but we did get to see some of the local life outside the tourist parts. We saw people working the rice fields and a few local monasteries; all of this within a valley between jungle covered mountains.
After our intrepid adventure into the wild, we sprawled out in the air conditioned room for a few hours - you can tell we are no good in a 40 degree climate! That evening, as it was our last night we sampled 'Sukothai noodles' in a restaurant called... Poo. They were delicious!
Next stop, Lampang, ciao!!
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Mon the Man!
We thought you guys would like to hear about Mon. He was the first person we met in Nakhon Sawan and has been the highlight of the city. At a spritely 66 years of age he's no spring chicken, but he's definitely a great entertainer. We met him when we first got off the train, he spoke a little English and insisted on hauling everyone who was sitting in his taxi out so he could take us to our hotel!!
He had The Beatles and Elvis Presley playing full blast all the way (which Nat was especially loving!). He dropped us off at our hotel and we thought that was the end of that.
That same afternoon we were abandoned by a tuk tuk driver at the top of a mountain. We had to traverse down the mountain road to get back to the hotel. Guess who happened to drive past up the road, the one and only Mon! He gave us his card and told us to give him a ring when we needed to go somewhere.
So... We gave him a call the next day and he acted as our tour guide, picking us up at about 11.30 am to show us what Nakhon Sawan had to offer. He took us too an aquarium and crocodile farm where we thought he would drop us off, but he used his pensioners card to come round the whole way with us, it was great! The croc farm was closed so he took us somewhere off the beaten track where they keep crocs on a farm so we could see some.
Then he took us to a temple that housed hundreds of monkeys. En route he stopped at a stall where he bought us all a coconut ice drink. It was delicious!! To top it all off, when he took us to the station this morning, he turned up with huge bunch of bananas for our breakfast!
Thanks Mon!
He had The Beatles and Elvis Presley playing full blast all the way (which Nat was especially loving!). He dropped us off at our hotel and we thought that was the end of that.
That same afternoon we were abandoned by a tuk tuk driver at the top of a mountain. We had to traverse down the mountain road to get back to the hotel. Guess who happened to drive past up the road, the one and only Mon! He gave us his card and told us to give him a ring when we needed to go somewhere.
So... We gave him a call the next day and he acted as our tour guide, picking us up at about 11.30 am to show us what Nakhon Sawan had to offer. He took us too an aquarium and crocodile farm where we thought he would drop us off, but he used his pensioners card to come round the whole way with us, it was great! The croc farm was closed so he took us somewhere off the beaten track where they keep crocs on a farm so we could see some.
Then he took us to a temple that housed hundreds of monkeys. En route he stopped at a stall where he bought us all a coconut ice drink. It was delicious!! To top it all off, when he took us to the station this morning, he turned up with huge bunch of bananas for our breakfast!
Thanks Mon!
Tuesday 26 March 2013
The Ancient Cities
Our first of three stops since you last heard from us was Ayutthaya. We weren't sure what to expect and got lost trying to find the hostel. We almost cut our losses until our tuk tuk driver eventually found the place. It was worth the wait, with a really picturesque Japanese water garden and a no shoes policy throughout the guest house, we were off to a great start. The owner was friendly and welcoming, making the hostel feel homely.
We did a bit of wandering around during the first night and eventually hired a scooter. It turned out to be the best way to get around and gave us the opportunity to hop from A to B on our own schedule. The ancient temples and monuments were huge and you could really get a feel for what it must have looked like in its hey day. In the afternoon we drove to the other side of the river to an ancient temple called Wat Chaiwatthanaram, we were recommended it by the hostel as the best place to see the sunset. It really lived up to expectations and we'd recommend going there even if its just a day trip out of Bangkok. It was a phenomenal spectacle!
That night we explored the night market, where there was a large array of food on offer. We had pad-thai and beef noodle soup to share. The pad-thai was made with fish paste and had loads of shrimps, not the safest of choices, but it's hard to order exactly what you want. The whole dish was encased in a outer layer of egg. We didn't eat the suspicious looking balls in the meat soup, but found out that they were only steamed pork balls. The island had a large Muslim community and for dessert you could choose from a great number of sweet pastries; the way in which Thai people make pancakes is great to watch also.
We hopped back on the train, next stop Lopburi. We had high expectations, this was the second ancient capital of the Ayutthaya empire. You can't pre book any hostels in Lopburi so we gambled with the Noom guest house. It was the place with the most going on. The town itself isn't hugely impressive, but is full of monkeys roaming the streets. We decided to go on a tour to a local lake that was stunning. You could hire out wooden platforms to sit on above the beach. To finish the tour off we went and watched thousands of bats leaving the safety of there caves in the mountain side as the sun set. They were accompanied by birds of prey, swooping trying to catch their dinner.
The final part of our stay in Lopburi was spent at a local bar with a Thai rock band playing. It's was an entertaining night, locals were jumping up and dancing, not very well though!
Next stop, Nakhon Sawan (the Heavenly City). We had learnt of this place from a German man we met on the train who recommended it to us. It does not feature in any of the tour guides so we knew very little about it but decided to venture there anyway! On arrival we met a taxi driver called 'Mon' and we found Nakhon Sawan wouldn't have been the same without him. He took us on a tour the second day to the aquarium and crocodile farm. The aquarium is built in the shape of Noah's Arc and cost about a pound to get in. The crocodile farm usually has a show on, which involves a daring man putting his head inside a crocodiles mouth. Unfortunately the crowds weren't substantial enough to put on a show, 'Mon' felt bad so he took us free of charge to see the monkeys.
Wat Kriang Krai Klang is a monastery/school near by, although the only monk we saw was having a crafty fag. There were tonnes of monkeys, as soon as we stepped out the taxi they swarmed it made it their home. It was a great end to a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
We hope you've enjoyed our latest addition to the blog, next stops are Phitsanulok, Sukothai, Lampang and Chiang Mai.
We did a bit of wandering around during the first night and eventually hired a scooter. It turned out to be the best way to get around and gave us the opportunity to hop from A to B on our own schedule. The ancient temples and monuments were huge and you could really get a feel for what it must have looked like in its hey day. In the afternoon we drove to the other side of the river to an ancient temple called Wat Chaiwatthanaram, we were recommended it by the hostel as the best place to see the sunset. It really lived up to expectations and we'd recommend going there even if its just a day trip out of Bangkok. It was a phenomenal spectacle!
That night we explored the night market, where there was a large array of food on offer. We had pad-thai and beef noodle soup to share. The pad-thai was made with fish paste and had loads of shrimps, not the safest of choices, but it's hard to order exactly what you want. The whole dish was encased in a outer layer of egg. We didn't eat the suspicious looking balls in the meat soup, but found out that they were only steamed pork balls. The island had a large Muslim community and for dessert you could choose from a great number of sweet pastries; the way in which Thai people make pancakes is great to watch also.
We hopped back on the train, next stop Lopburi. We had high expectations, this was the second ancient capital of the Ayutthaya empire. You can't pre book any hostels in Lopburi so we gambled with the Noom guest house. It was the place with the most going on. The town itself isn't hugely impressive, but is full of monkeys roaming the streets. We decided to go on a tour to a local lake that was stunning. You could hire out wooden platforms to sit on above the beach. To finish the tour off we went and watched thousands of bats leaving the safety of there caves in the mountain side as the sun set. They were accompanied by birds of prey, swooping trying to catch their dinner.
The final part of our stay in Lopburi was spent at a local bar with a Thai rock band playing. It's was an entertaining night, locals were jumping up and dancing, not very well though!
Next stop, Nakhon Sawan (the Heavenly City). We had learnt of this place from a German man we met on the train who recommended it to us. It does not feature in any of the tour guides so we knew very little about it but decided to venture there anyway! On arrival we met a taxi driver called 'Mon' and we found Nakhon Sawan wouldn't have been the same without him. He took us on a tour the second day to the aquarium and crocodile farm. The aquarium is built in the shape of Noah's Arc and cost about a pound to get in. The crocodile farm usually has a show on, which involves a daring man putting his head inside a crocodiles mouth. Unfortunately the crowds weren't substantial enough to put on a show, 'Mon' felt bad so he took us free of charge to see the monkeys.
Wat Kriang Krai Klang is a monastery/school near by, although the only monk we saw was having a crafty fag. There were tonnes of monkeys, as soon as we stepped out the taxi they swarmed it made it their home. It was a great end to a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
We hope you've enjoyed our latest addition to the blog, next stops are Phitsanulok, Sukothai, Lampang and Chiang Mai.
Saturday 23 March 2013
First Stop Bangkok
We've now been in Thailand's capital for a night and a day. The hustle and bustle of London is of no comparison to Bangkok, hundreds of people everywhere 24/7, street vendors, beggars and tuk tuks. We've learnt to cross roads in the Thai fashion (walk out and don't stop!!).
We are staying in a small B & B, basic but good value for money. The Tuptim is on Rambuttri Road a slightly more understated version of Khao San Road but by no means quiet! Everyone is friendly and welcoming which we have found is a Thai trait.
On the first full day we visited the Grand Palace (Bangkok's Vatican equivalent!). It was a soaringly hot day and to respect the Buddhist culture we had to wear trousers and have our shoulders well covered, which resulted in both of us almost over-heating! It was well worth it though as the palace is beautiful and lavishly decorated; buildings made from gold and jewels made it a spectacular sight.
From a green and gold Buddha statue, the next stop of the day was the floating market. A must see! There is some great tut on offer, but the gem of the afternoon was a waterside restaurant (if you can call it that?!); crispy pork in spicy fried rice, mouthwatering and for just 90p! We have had some tasty food so far, with some more time in Bangkok I'm sure we could find some really great local places to eat, but as of tomorrow we will be starting our journey North.
The best way to go from A to B is by far the river taxi service that runs up and down the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. We sat next to the captain/driver who was possibly the most relaxed cool dude in the world. He didn't even look over his shoulder to berth when he was sitting 30 odd metres away from the point of embarkation (shame he was a Liverpool fan!).
China Town was, urrmmmmm, interesting. Dump galore. Best bit was Lottie finding a massive lizard! I don't think that there is anywhere in the world so ram packed full of stalls and shops. Although, unlike the more tourist areas (such as Khao San and Rambuttri) the keepers don't really pester you but go about their own business.
Our next stop is Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. We get the train tomorrow at 11.20, where we will be chilling with locals in 3rd class for a insubstantial 30p! See ya soon, our next update will come shortly! Xxx
We are staying in a small B & B, basic but good value for money. The Tuptim is on Rambuttri Road a slightly more understated version of Khao San Road but by no means quiet! Everyone is friendly and welcoming which we have found is a Thai trait.
On the first full day we visited the Grand Palace (Bangkok's Vatican equivalent!). It was a soaringly hot day and to respect the Buddhist culture we had to wear trousers and have our shoulders well covered, which resulted in both of us almost over-heating! It was well worth it though as the palace is beautiful and lavishly decorated; buildings made from gold and jewels made it a spectacular sight.
From a green and gold Buddha statue, the next stop of the day was the floating market. A must see! There is some great tut on offer, but the gem of the afternoon was a waterside restaurant (if you can call it that?!); crispy pork in spicy fried rice, mouthwatering and for just 90p! We have had some tasty food so far, with some more time in Bangkok I'm sure we could find some really great local places to eat, but as of tomorrow we will be starting our journey North.
The best way to go from A to B is by far the river taxi service that runs up and down the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. We sat next to the captain/driver who was possibly the most relaxed cool dude in the world. He didn't even look over his shoulder to berth when he was sitting 30 odd metres away from the point of embarkation (shame he was a Liverpool fan!).
China Town was, urrmmmmm, interesting. Dump galore. Best bit was Lottie finding a massive lizard! I don't think that there is anywhere in the world so ram packed full of stalls and shops. Although, unlike the more tourist areas (such as Khao San and Rambuttri) the keepers don't really pester you but go about their own business.
Our next stop is Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. We get the train tomorrow at 11.20, where we will be chilling with locals in 3rd class for a insubstantial 30p! See ya soon, our next update will come shortly! Xxx
Monday 11 March 2013
On your marks, get set, go!
This adventure will start when we land in Bangkok on March 21st. We are then planning to travel in a clockwise direction exploring Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The journey may include Myanmar as the government are now allowing access to foreigners since 2010. With mixed reviews, we are still undecided and will have to make up our minds during the Southeast Asia stint.
We are currently in the final preparations, buying the essential 'bits and bobs' a backpacker needs to explore Asia, New Zealand and Oz. Lots and I are itching to get out there as the date of departure is getting tantalisingly closer. We will keep you updated with posts and pictures throughout the trip.
All that is left to say is goodbye, enjoy the summer and bring on Bangkok!
We are currently in the final preparations, buying the essential 'bits and bobs' a backpacker needs to explore Asia, New Zealand and Oz. Lots and I are itching to get out there as the date of departure is getting tantalisingly closer. We will keep you updated with posts and pictures throughout the trip.
All that is left to say is goodbye, enjoy the summer and bring on Bangkok!
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