Hi all, sorry for the big gap between posts. So we arrived safe and sound, if a little tired into London - quite a good flight actually; no personal movie screens to keep us entertained, but there were a few trashy Poms having nicotine withdrawl domestics to keep us entertained...
Settling into London life, Michelle got work practically immediately (3rd day here) but I'm not having so much luck. Like the NZ job scene, things here are fairly slow, and given that every role I'm applying for has maybe 400 other applicants, its slow going.
Loving the life over here though - London is crazy, hectic, fun, exciting and constantly on the go, except for today - theres a Tube strike!
Will endevour to keep this blog updated with what we're up to, and still planning on doing a SE Asia wrap up, as well as post a bunch more photos... ok theres a lot to catch up on!
Hope all is well in Kiwi-winter-land. Rest assured that the British summer was incredable - all 4 days of it. I think it was warmer in Auckland yesterday than here... seriously.
Anyway, must away - love to all.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
In Ammendium
Just in addition to my previous post...
!) 1 hour on the internet at standard Koh Phagnan rates is equivalent to about 6 beers in NZ. So hopefully you appreciate every word, in much the same way as I appreciate each and every drop of that delicious golden nectar.
2) On the train down to Surat Thani, Michelle had an allergic reaction to something. Shes fine now, but it meant that we got to visit our second hospital in SEA. (Rash and swelling on her face, the poor thing! Probably caused by something she ate... great help) Unlike a NZ Hospital, we were in and out in about an hour an a half, the nurses were attentive and it only set us back about $60. Yay for second world medical care.
3) I kinda skimmed over our Ha Long bay trip, and it deserves more... We did a 3 day/2 night trip, one night staying on a beautiful and fairly new Junk in a cute wee cabin. We were served fresh fish, beautiful fresh squid (which tastes kinda like NZ Calamari, but pretty much melts in your mouth) various stir fries and soups and it was really very good. We explored a huge cave (really, HUGE - the little things in the middle are people!)
...kayaked into a hidden lagoon, then on Cat Ba Island, we climbed a muddy, trecherous path up a mountain (where the video from an earlier post was taken) stayed in a rather upmarket hotel and generally just awed ourselves with Ha Long's mystical, mythical history and absolutely stunning scenery.
Ok... back to present... Koh Phagnan is a great place to wind down from all the long travels (although getting back to Bangkok from here is one heck of a mission!) chilling by the beach drinking cocktails (and beer), swimming in the pool, spoiling ourselves with Air Con, renting a moto and exploring the hard to reach, but beautiful eastern beaches and just psyching ourselves up for the UK.
Jeepers but the time has flown for us, its hard to believe that 5 months ago we were in Auckland with all this before us, it seems to have whizzed by... even the epic bus journeys.
Will do more of a wrap up of this leg in the near future, then it will be all on for our UK and Europe adventures!!!
!) 1 hour on the internet at standard Koh Phagnan rates is equivalent to about 6 beers in NZ. So hopefully you appreciate every word, in much the same way as I appreciate each and every drop of that delicious golden nectar.
2) On the train down to Surat Thani, Michelle had an allergic reaction to something. Shes fine now, but it meant that we got to visit our second hospital in SEA. (Rash and swelling on her face, the poor thing! Probably caused by something she ate... great help) Unlike a NZ Hospital, we were in and out in about an hour an a half, the nurses were attentive and it only set us back about $60. Yay for second world medical care.
3) I kinda skimmed over our Ha Long bay trip, and it deserves more... We did a 3 day/2 night trip, one night staying on a beautiful and fairly new Junk in a cute wee cabin. We were served fresh fish, beautiful fresh squid (which tastes kinda like NZ Calamari, but pretty much melts in your mouth) various stir fries and soups and it was really very good. We explored a huge cave (really, HUGE - the little things in the middle are people!)
...kayaked into a hidden lagoon, then on Cat Ba Island, we climbed a muddy, trecherous path up a mountain (where the video from an earlier post was taken) stayed in a rather upmarket hotel and generally just awed ourselves with Ha Long's mystical, mythical history and absolutely stunning scenery.
Ok... back to present... Koh Phagnan is a great place to wind down from all the long travels (although getting back to Bangkok from here is one heck of a mission!) chilling by the beach drinking cocktails (and beer), swimming in the pool, spoiling ourselves with Air Con, renting a moto and exploring the hard to reach, but beautiful eastern beaches and just psyching ourselves up for the UK.
Jeepers but the time has flown for us, its hard to believe that 5 months ago we were in Auckland with all this before us, it seems to have whizzed by... even the epic bus journeys.
Will do more of a wrap up of this leg in the near future, then it will be all on for our UK and Europe adventures!!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Catch up...
Getting to the internet is never as easy as you'd imagine, what with all the obvious distractions, and the often crippling high price of an hour of cyber-fun (more than a couple of beers... hence many beers, no blog updates!) but rest assured we're still here...
So, I see that my last proper post saw us in Nha Trang, Vietnam. At the time I was quite ill with a tropical cold, and we left Nah Trang on a so called "Sleeper" Bus... well unlike the sleeper bus in Laos, these ones just constituted long reclining chairs that folded down. Unfortunately we got the back row. Now while Dave, Christine, Michelle and I might not have slept much, the cuddly Vietnamese man sleeping next to me did! Good job too because with the air-con set to "freeze your balls off" I needed his body warmth.
Anyway, we arrived in Hoi An, and after resting most of the day we did a little exploring...
Let me just say, that if you're ever in Vietnam, you have to get to Hoi An. Very cute, rows of little Chinese shop-houses, narrow streets, lanterns and a million Tailors and Shoe Makers... Michelle and I succumbed to the lure very quickly, both getting several items of clothing and some shoes made. For that alone its worth visiting this place, but its just so darned cute!
After several days there, it was off to Hue, the ancient Imperial Capital... I say ancient but although the various Dynasty's that rules Vietnam did so from Hue, most of the interesting sights are only a couple of hundred years old. That aside, the imperial city was unexpected and stunning...
For the facebookers, photos here
for others... uh, sometime soonish...
Then it was up to Hanoi - strange city, suicidal drivers, but it certianly has a lot of energy. We went out and saw the famous Water Puppets - an amazing experience, then we bid farewell to David and Christine as they headed off to Halong Bay and we took care of a few errands (getting our insurance claim from Southern Cross sorted FINALLY!!!) and rested up after the 2 weeks of hectic and constant travel.
Then off to Ha Long Bay... utterly stunning! We payed a little extra for a "Deluxe" Junk and weren't dissapointed. It was a great group of people, and a very enjoyable time exploring the limestone islets, caves and the famous Cat Ba island.
Finally we bid farewell to Vietnam (for now, we're definately going back!) and caught our flight into Bangkok, and undertook our most epic journey so far...
Taxi to Airport, Airplane from Ha Noi to Bangkok, Taxi to Hualumphong Train Station, Tuk-Tuk to MBK to get some food, Tuk Tuk back, then on the train for the overnight trip to Surat Thani, Taxi and Minivan to the pier and Ferry to Koh Samui, and finally Songthaaw to Mae Nam beach. That's Planes, Boats, Trains, Tuk-Tuks, Songthaaws, Vans and Taxis all in one trip.
38 Hours later we finally collapsed onto the bed in our Bungalow.
Koh Samui is beautiful and interesting, we stayed on charming Bophut beach most of the time, but rented moto's for a few days and explored the entire island, including the famous (and energetic night spot) of Chaweng, then it was off to the famous backpackers party island of Koh Phangan.
Which is where we are now. Maybe not quite as spectactualr as Koh Samui, it makes up for it with a laid back atmosphere and very cheap food and drinks.
At this stage I can't quite believe its all drawing to a close so quickly! In under 2 weeks we'll be in Blighty, watching the Beeb, and since the Permiership League is on at the moment, supporting Liverpool. All very exciting apart from having to find work...
Anyway, thats it from me, net time is up and a beer is calling my name!
Shout outs to Kyle, Darren, Tamsyn and Fran - wassup you guys, hope you're still getting in a few last BBQ's. Big HI and hugs to David and Chirstine, for coming half way round the world to see us, and for sharing some of the adversities!
Ok till next time!
So, I see that my last proper post saw us in Nha Trang, Vietnam. At the time I was quite ill with a tropical cold, and we left Nah Trang on a so called "Sleeper" Bus... well unlike the sleeper bus in Laos, these ones just constituted long reclining chairs that folded down. Unfortunately we got the back row. Now while Dave, Christine, Michelle and I might not have slept much, the cuddly Vietnamese man sleeping next to me did! Good job too because with the air-con set to "freeze your balls off" I needed his body warmth.
Anyway, we arrived in Hoi An, and after resting most of the day we did a little exploring...
Let me just say, that if you're ever in Vietnam, you have to get to Hoi An. Very cute, rows of little Chinese shop-houses, narrow streets, lanterns and a million Tailors and Shoe Makers... Michelle and I succumbed to the lure very quickly, both getting several items of clothing and some shoes made. For that alone its worth visiting this place, but its just so darned cute!
After several days there, it was off to Hue, the ancient Imperial Capital... I say ancient but although the various Dynasty's that rules Vietnam did so from Hue, most of the interesting sights are only a couple of hundred years old. That aside, the imperial city was unexpected and stunning...
For the facebookers, photos here
for others... uh, sometime soonish...
Then it was up to Hanoi - strange city, suicidal drivers, but it certianly has a lot of energy. We went out and saw the famous Water Puppets - an amazing experience, then we bid farewell to David and Christine as they headed off to Halong Bay and we took care of a few errands (getting our insurance claim from Southern Cross sorted FINALLY!!!) and rested up after the 2 weeks of hectic and constant travel.
Then off to Ha Long Bay... utterly stunning! We payed a little extra for a "Deluxe" Junk and weren't dissapointed. It was a great group of people, and a very enjoyable time exploring the limestone islets, caves and the famous Cat Ba island.
Finally we bid farewell to Vietnam (for now, we're definately going back!) and caught our flight into Bangkok, and undertook our most epic journey so far...
Taxi to Airport, Airplane from Ha Noi to Bangkok, Taxi to Hualumphong Train Station, Tuk-Tuk to MBK to get some food, Tuk Tuk back, then on the train for the overnight trip to Surat Thani, Taxi and Minivan to the pier and Ferry to Koh Samui, and finally Songthaaw to Mae Nam beach. That's Planes, Boats, Trains, Tuk-Tuks, Songthaaws, Vans and Taxis all in one trip.
38 Hours later we finally collapsed onto the bed in our Bungalow.
Koh Samui is beautiful and interesting, we stayed on charming Bophut beach most of the time, but rented moto's for a few days and explored the entire island, including the famous (and energetic night spot) of Chaweng, then it was off to the famous backpackers party island of Koh Phangan.
Which is where we are now. Maybe not quite as spectactualr as Koh Samui, it makes up for it with a laid back atmosphere and very cheap food and drinks.
At this stage I can't quite believe its all drawing to a close so quickly! In under 2 weeks we'll be in Blighty, watching the Beeb, and since the Permiership League is on at the moment, supporting Liverpool. All very exciting apart from having to find work...
Anyway, thats it from me, net time is up and a beer is calling my name!
Shout outs to Kyle, Darren, Tamsyn and Fran - wassup you guys, hope you're still getting in a few last BBQ's. Big HI and hugs to David and Chirstine, for coming half way round the world to see us, and for sharing some of the adversities!
Ok till next time!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Vietnam Jungle
Just a quickie - have uploaded photies to FB, will post again soon (hopefully tomorrow when we arrive in Bangkok) but for the time being heres a wee vid of the Vietnamese Jungle, in Ha Long Bay. The audio is all natural...
PS - Don't worry about the stuff you're seeing on the news about Thailand - totally out of proportion, in typical media style...
PS - Don't worry about the stuff you're seeing on the news about Thailand - totally out of proportion, in typical media style...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Super Mega King Size Bonus Bonus Super Update
ALRIGHTY! Finally some internet time on a computer that works!!!
First up - Photos from the first leg in Vietnam...
Michelle relaxing on Long Beach on Phu Quoc Island - well earned after the supreme mission to get there.
Some boats at An Thoi Islands
Us enjoying the picturesque little bay
FISHIES!!!! Snorkelling.
Coral
Michelle catching a Fishie! They kept that one.
First up - Photos from the first leg in Vietnam...
Michelle relaxing on Long Beach on Phu Quoc Island - well earned after the supreme mission to get there.
Some boats at An Thoi Islands
Us enjoying the picturesque little bay
FISHIES!!!! Snorkelling.
Coral
Michelle catching a Fishie! They kept that one.
The first ever fish I've caught. Had to throw it back...
Beautiful beach at Phu Quoc
Floating Market on the Mekong Delta... which coincidentally looks nothing like a Francis Ford Coppola movie...
The infamous Saigon Traffic!
The infamous Saigon Traffic!
Ok, new stuff...
From Ho Chi Minh City we headed out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong had their base, only 70kms from Saigon. Although the trip was very touristy, we still enjoyed seeing the tunnels and having a crawl through, as well as learning about the VC resistance to the US war. It was very interesting seeing some very clever home-made weapons that the VC developed while remaining hidden from extensive US Army searches. Again a sad reminder of the horror and pointlessness of war.
Onwards north, we headed to Mui Ne (no idea on how to pronounce that one, everyone has a slightly different take on it!) where we were greeted with the surprising sight of a Desert, in the middle of Vietnam. We hired a jeep (Ginny - the only method of transport we haven't used so far is Cyclo, which we're saving for Ha Noi) and hit the dunes, explored the red canyon (which on closer inspection turned out the be caused by the drain off in the wet season), checked out the beautiful Fairy Streem, and watched dozens of Vietnamese tourists gape in awe and pose awkwardly for photos in front of the giant sand dunes.
Then it was a bery bumpy 4 hour mini bus ride to the Hill Station of Dalat. At 1500 meters elevation it gets rather cool there - something which after 3 months of steamy south east asian heat Michelle and I really enjoyed. It was even cool enough to warrant putting on long pants! Yes the chilly 27 degrees was welcome relief.
The next day we embarked on a tour of Vietnamese Kitch - Dalat is home to about the cheesiest set of attractions you could imagine - beautiful waterfalls decorated with Fibreglass Deer, Giraffes and Elephants. Elephant and Ostrich and Pony rides, Wooden frames to pose for photos in. Yep, to a Kiwi, whose appreciation of nature tends to be.. well... NATURAL, it was all very fake, though enjoyable and humorous none-the-less. So, 2 waterfalls, a gorgeous Gondola ride over the hills, the "Valley of Love", a strange flower garden, a so called Embroidery Village which turned out to be a complete tourist trap and a Tacky Art Deco palace and Michelle and I were ready for the next adventure...
Which brings us up to present.
Currently we're sitting in Nha Trang - killing a few hours before our overnight bus to Hoi An. The bus here was amazingly bouncy - sometimes we were jolted more than 10cm off our seats as our driver hit every pothole on the 120km journey with as much speed as he could muster. Its going to be a very long day, but hopefully (and without doubt) Hoi An will prove to be as enjoyable as the rest of Vietnam.
Since my last lot of Shout Outs were so well recieved, and its my blog, I'm going to go right ahead with round 2...
a big WASSUP to Paul, Scotty and Brendan. Missed the bbq's and beers a lot. Talking sh#t with myself doesn't cut it. Wassup also to your respective wahines, for putting up with you b#stards. A big YO (which is also Vietnamese for "Cheers") to the Courtier's, old and new. Hi to Mum and Dad, hope mums birthday went well, looking forward to updating you in August. Word up to Niv - Happy birthday to you also bro, see you in just over a month...
Ok thats me.. much love till next time...
Delays...
Sorry, sorry, sorry...
I'm really trying to update and get some photos up, but the internet is unfortunately so sh#te that many hours of attempts have yielded nothing...
Rest assures though, we're still alive and well, Michelle is feeling much better, Vietnam is exciting (though a little touristy) and we have amazing photos! If only the internet would co-operate long enough to get some uploaded!!!
We've shortened our trip, but we're very excited to be heading to London on the 8th of May.
Will update ASAP, as soon as I can find an internet cafe with reliable connection!
Take care... thanks to the response from the shout out - we love hearing from you all!!!
I'm really trying to update and get some photos up, but the internet is unfortunately so sh#te that many hours of attempts have yielded nothing...
Rest assures though, we're still alive and well, Michelle is feeling much better, Vietnam is exciting (though a little touristy) and we have amazing photos! If only the internet would co-operate long enough to get some uploaded!!!
We've shortened our trip, but we're very excited to be heading to London on the 8th of May.
Will update ASAP, as soon as I can find an internet cafe with reliable connection!
Take care... thanks to the response from the shout out - we love hearing from you all!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Goooood Morning VIETNAM!
6am Start. Catch one Tuk-Tuk for 1 hour from Kampot, down Highway 3, turn off at the 5th village on the right. Wind though rice paddies, past tiny rural villages on a tiny dirt track, past the water buffalo's and kids yelling "HELLO" and into the middle of no-where, where the dirt track becomes too rough to continue. Take your pack and put it on the front of a Moto (125cc Yamaha Scooter), and ride as pasanger while the driver takes you further down this rock-hewn path until you reach...
The Cambodian /Vietnam Border near Hatieng.
Cross the borderwith mininal fuss (apart from a thorough customs inspector wanting to see our vaccination certificates). On the Vietnam side the dirt track is immediately replaced by a nice clean paved road. Get to the ferry terminal after 2 hours, only to find that the ferry left nearly an hour ago. Find another couple of Moto's "convieniently" hanging around to take you to another ferry, 1 hour away (for a small, yet not insignificant fee, of course).
Wait at the ferry dock for an hour in blistering heat while they unload a dozen more motos off the boat. Catch ferry for 1 and a half hours to Phu Quoc (Yes, it sounds like Phew Cock) island.
Watch while Vietnamese men get into a huge roaring fight overwho's going to take you to the beach resort side of the island, and finally catch a taxi (with some very nice German and Finnish boys) to Long Beach.
1 Tuk-Tuk, 2 Motos, 1 Ferry, 1 Taxi Van. 7 Hours.
Luckily Phu Quoc was truely paradise. Almost unspoilt, set in the turquiose waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Swinging Palm trees, golden sand. Really what we needed after the filth of Cambodia. We'd arrived in Vietnam at last!
We stayed on Phu Quoc for what seemed like a couple of days but turned out to be a week. During this time we sat under a beach umbrella, read our books, ate fresh seafood, boated to some tiny outer islands, went snorkelling, fishing, ate more seafood, drank local Rum, and generally recouperated and rested up. Michelle also got attacked by sea lice, but she's asusred me that its not as bad as one time in Auckland.
Finally we tired of all that, and decided it was time to make our way back to the mainland, so it was back to the taxis, motos, boats and busses for the trip up to Can Tho in the Mekong Delta.
So far it seems like every journey in Vietnam is going to involve at least one moto.
Can Tho is a stark contrast to Cambodian cities - almost spotlessly clean, or at least it feels like it, its a busy little hub of the Mekong. Despite many attempts of our erstwhile guest-house owner to get us to take the US$40 tour, we rented our very own boat and visited the lively local floating markets for a mere NZ$25.
Veitnam is so far very exciting, lively and colourful. We can't wait to see more. We're also really looking forward to meeting Tania's Dad in a couple of days, and catching up with Dave and Christine in a weeks time.
As always, Photos to follow.
Oh oh, and since its my blog, I wanna do a shout out... MaiFM Stylez
Wassup to my Brother Tone, and Brendano - hope studying is going good. Big Hi To Brendon Russell and the New Mrs Russell. Missing you guys. And a big yo-yo-yo to my peeps in London - see you guys in just over a month. Word up to the Haines (and Ex-Haines) crew, Ed Gaines, Dan P and Hopkins. Friday lunchbeers ain't the same by myself.
Ok thats me, love to all :)
The Cambodian /Vietnam Border near Hatieng.
Cross the borderwith mininal fuss (apart from a thorough customs inspector wanting to see our vaccination certificates). On the Vietnam side the dirt track is immediately replaced by a nice clean paved road. Get to the ferry terminal after 2 hours, only to find that the ferry left nearly an hour ago. Find another couple of Moto's "convieniently" hanging around to take you to another ferry, 1 hour away (for a small, yet not insignificant fee, of course).
Wait at the ferry dock for an hour in blistering heat while they unload a dozen more motos off the boat. Catch ferry for 1 and a half hours to Phu Quoc (Yes, it sounds like Phew Cock) island.
Watch while Vietnamese men get into a huge roaring fight overwho's going to take you to the beach resort side of the island, and finally catch a taxi (with some very nice German and Finnish boys) to Long Beach.
1 Tuk-Tuk, 2 Motos, 1 Ferry, 1 Taxi Van. 7 Hours.
Luckily Phu Quoc was truely paradise. Almost unspoilt, set in the turquiose waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Swinging Palm trees, golden sand. Really what we needed after the filth of Cambodia. We'd arrived in Vietnam at last!
We stayed on Phu Quoc for what seemed like a couple of days but turned out to be a week. During this time we sat under a beach umbrella, read our books, ate fresh seafood, boated to some tiny outer islands, went snorkelling, fishing, ate more seafood, drank local Rum, and generally recouperated and rested up. Michelle also got attacked by sea lice, but she's asusred me that its not as bad as one time in Auckland.
Finally we tired of all that, and decided it was time to make our way back to the mainland, so it was back to the taxis, motos, boats and busses for the trip up to Can Tho in the Mekong Delta.
So far it seems like every journey in Vietnam is going to involve at least one moto.
Can Tho is a stark contrast to Cambodian cities - almost spotlessly clean, or at least it feels like it, its a busy little hub of the Mekong. Despite many attempts of our erstwhile guest-house owner to get us to take the US$40 tour, we rented our very own boat and visited the lively local floating markets for a mere NZ$25.
Veitnam is so far very exciting, lively and colourful. We can't wait to see more. We're also really looking forward to meeting Tania's Dad in a couple of days, and catching up with Dave and Christine in a weeks time.
As always, Photos to follow.
Oh oh, and since its my blog, I wanna do a shout out... MaiFM Stylez
Wassup to my Brother Tone, and Brendano - hope studying is going good. Big Hi To Brendon Russell and the New Mrs Russell. Missing you guys. And a big yo-yo-yo to my peeps in London - see you guys in just over a month. Word up to the Haines (and Ex-Haines) crew, Ed Gaines, Dan P and Hopkins. Friday lunchbeers ain't the same by myself.
Ok thats me, love to all :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Recovery and moving on.
PHOTOS! (Sorry, the first few are quite grim)
Photo of a prisoner at Tuol Sleng, just before execution.
Torture Room at S21 - Tuol Sleng
Rack of Skulls at the Killing Fields monument
The vast number of pills that we're taking for the next 3 weeks.
Thankfully, after a few days at nice hotels eating good western food (great pies, but still nothing on Faye's) Michelle was feeling well enough to move on, so we headed down to the beach. Its amazing how much you can miss the sea. We've been inland for nearly 3 months - it was refreshing to see the glinting water on the horizon, and smell the sweet salty air again. The sea is quite warm, so its not exactly refreshing to take a dip, but still. After a few more days in Sihnoukville Michelle felt much better so we decided to take a wee boat trip to some of the outer islands for snorkeling. Well - there was one ok ish spot, but because it rained the previous night visibility was quite low, and there seemed to be another storm rolling in (although it never rained on us). Thankfully it cleared just as we got back.
Michelle on the way to Koh Russei
Koh Russei - probably the most beautiful spot in Cambodia
Michelle having a wee splash in the clear water!
Serendipity Beach - the main beach at Sihnoukville
Actually quite beautiful, although by NZ standards it could do with a bit of a tidy up. There are hawkers (you can see one in the right of the last picture) walking up and down harassing you to buy fruit, sunglasses, bracelets and loads of other crap we don't need. Still, they're just trying to make a living...
We leave for Kampot tomorrow, then to Vietnam the following day - Can't wait!
Photo of a prisoner at Tuol Sleng, just before execution.
Torture Room at S21 - Tuol Sleng
Rack of Skulls at the Killing Fields monument
The vast number of pills that we're taking for the next 3 weeks.Thankfully, after a few days at nice hotels eating good western food (great pies, but still nothing on Faye's) Michelle was feeling well enough to move on, so we headed down to the beach. Its amazing how much you can miss the sea. We've been inland for nearly 3 months - it was refreshing to see the glinting water on the horizon, and smell the sweet salty air again. The sea is quite warm, so its not exactly refreshing to take a dip, but still. After a few more days in Sihnoukville Michelle felt much better so we decided to take a wee boat trip to some of the outer islands for snorkeling. Well - there was one ok ish spot, but because it rained the previous night visibility was quite low, and there seemed to be another storm rolling in (although it never rained on us). Thankfully it cleared just as we got back.
Michelle on the way to Koh Russei
Koh Russei - probably the most beautiful spot in Cambodia
Michelle having a wee splash in the clear water!
Serendipity Beach - the main beach at Sihnoukville
Actually quite beautiful, although by NZ standards it could do with a bit of a tidy up. There are hawkers (you can see one in the right of the last picture) walking up and down harassing you to buy fruit, sunglasses, bracelets and loads of other crap we don't need. Still, they're just trying to make a living...
We leave for Kampot tomorrow, then to Vietnam the following day - Can't wait!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Phnom Penh, Takeo - orphanage - and Health
Ok - its been a crazy week - Michelle has been very sick, but more on that in a bit...
Phnom Penh take 1:
We traveled with Gareth and Anya - some choice as kiwi fullas we met in Siem Reap - down to Phnom Penh where we stayed in our first proper Backpacker Ghetto. Now a lot of you will have been to Th Koh San in Bangkok, which was once a backpacker ghetto, but now is something else entirely, almost an attraction in itself. Boeung Kak is really a bit of a dive, with a slight positive that it overlooks a lake, is cheap and filled with other like minded travellers. Suitably chilled out we headed for PP's sombre sights - S21, the infamous Toul Seng prison used by the Khmer Rouge to torture its so called enemys. A horrific place, formerly a high school, the rooms were converted into many cells and torture rooms. In a number of the rooms they've taken photographs of the scenes found there, and often the floor was stained with victims blood. The place felt like suffering and fear. Lining the walls are haunting photographs of prisoners before they were taken down to the Killing Fields. The Killing fields themselves aren't particularly notable - just a few holes in the ground in a small field, apart from the monument filled with skulls which is quite something. Words can't express the suffering these poor people must have gone through, and the monument is a stark reminder of that.
Sorry - I left my camera at the Guest House so photos will come later...
Then it was down to Takeo to volunteer at the New Futures Orphanage. Great bunch of Kids (if slightly naughty) but very eagre to learn and after a few days even the shy ones were happily playing with us.
Unfortunately a couple of days was all we had - Michelle became quite sick with what seemed to be a regular tummy bug, but when it hadn't cleared up on the third morning we realised we would need some assistance. I e-mailed our travel doctor in NZ who suggested we get a specific antibiotic that wasn't available in Takeo (which is quite rural). The orphanage director who was going to Phnom Penh that day said that he could pick it up and return in the evening with it. Well - he didn't come back that night and meanwhile Michelle (who at this stage was getting weaker and weaker) needed something to happen fast. We took a taxi back up to PP.
Phnom Penh take 2:
We headed straight to a western hospital, where the doctors were quick to administer IV and once some testing had been done the appropriate Antibiotic. Thankfully Michelle started feeling better quite quickly. They kept her in IV overnight, and the next day moved her into a nice guest house. Thankfully she's doing much better, starting to get her appetite back after not eating for 6 days. Shes weakened, tired but recovering! I also have had a persistent case of the trots, so I've been treated for the same thing.
Its a bit of a low point of our trip as we're now both suspicious of all food (The dodgy food Michelle and I ate was prepared by the supposedly western trained staff at the orphanage) and are unsure how we're going to be able to get by on our budget if we aren't confident eating local food.
Anyway, internet time is up - I'll update again asap.
Phnom Penh take 1:
We traveled with Gareth and Anya - some choice as kiwi fullas we met in Siem Reap - down to Phnom Penh where we stayed in our first proper Backpacker Ghetto. Now a lot of you will have been to Th Koh San in Bangkok, which was once a backpacker ghetto, but now is something else entirely, almost an attraction in itself. Boeung Kak is really a bit of a dive, with a slight positive that it overlooks a lake, is cheap and filled with other like minded travellers. Suitably chilled out we headed for PP's sombre sights - S21, the infamous Toul Seng prison used by the Khmer Rouge to torture its so called enemys. A horrific place, formerly a high school, the rooms were converted into many cells and torture rooms. In a number of the rooms they've taken photographs of the scenes found there, and often the floor was stained with victims blood. The place felt like suffering and fear. Lining the walls are haunting photographs of prisoners before they were taken down to the Killing Fields. The Killing fields themselves aren't particularly notable - just a few holes in the ground in a small field, apart from the monument filled with skulls which is quite something. Words can't express the suffering these poor people must have gone through, and the monument is a stark reminder of that.
Sorry - I left my camera at the Guest House so photos will come later...
Then it was down to Takeo to volunteer at the New Futures Orphanage. Great bunch of Kids (if slightly naughty) but very eagre to learn and after a few days even the shy ones were happily playing with us.
Unfortunately a couple of days was all we had - Michelle became quite sick with what seemed to be a regular tummy bug, but when it hadn't cleared up on the third morning we realised we would need some assistance. I e-mailed our travel doctor in NZ who suggested we get a specific antibiotic that wasn't available in Takeo (which is quite rural). The orphanage director who was going to Phnom Penh that day said that he could pick it up and return in the evening with it. Well - he didn't come back that night and meanwhile Michelle (who at this stage was getting weaker and weaker) needed something to happen fast. We took a taxi back up to PP.
Phnom Penh take 2:
We headed straight to a western hospital, where the doctors were quick to administer IV and once some testing had been done the appropriate Antibiotic. Thankfully Michelle started feeling better quite quickly. They kept her in IV overnight, and the next day moved her into a nice guest house. Thankfully she's doing much better, starting to get her appetite back after not eating for 6 days. Shes weakened, tired but recovering! I also have had a persistent case of the trots, so I've been treated for the same thing.
Its a bit of a low point of our trip as we're now both suspicious of all food (The dodgy food Michelle and I ate was prepared by the supposedly western trained staff at the orphanage) and are unsure how we're going to be able to get by on our budget if we aren't confident eating local food.
Anyway, internet time is up - I'll update again asap.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Amazing Angkor
The guidebook warned "Nothing can prepare you for the majesty of Angkor Wat" - pretty bold words, but believe me, it lives up to expectations. Utterly breathtaking, beautiful, huge, detailed, ancient - Angkor Wat was the highlight of our three days exploring the vast number of temples in the region. Most date from 900 - 1250AD and the biggest - Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom were cities, housing thousands of people inside their moats and walls. Our first day appropriately started with a sunrise over the most famous, and the biggest religious monument in the world.
From their we headed to Angkor Thom, the City/Temple and the amazing Bayon temple with its enormous stone faces.
We visited several smaller temples then to finish the day off headed to Ta Phrom - famous for being the set of Tomb Raider. It really did look like a movie set (actually it reminded me more of Indiana Jones, but then I haven't seen Tomb Raider yet). It was overcrowded with package tours but retained much if its magic.
The second day we headed to Kbal Spean, a river with religous carvings and linga (apparently magical carvings that bless the water)
Then it was on to Bantaey Serai. The most detailed of the temples, its quite small, but totally stunning.
Michelle at Banteay Serai.
Finally after days of very physical climbing and clambering around temples, we got to the stunningPreah Kahn - in much the same style as Ta Phrom, but a lot more peaceful - while we were there we could heard almost continuous thunder rolling towards us, and just as we were leaving the skys opened up. Very atmosperic.
The next day, after neeting a couple of choice as kiwis - Gareth and Anya - we all headed to Tonle Sap the huge inland sea that dominates the map of Cambodia. We cruised through a floating Vietnamese village, saw some crocs... 
...saw a stunning sunset (its not the ocean, its a lake but you can't see to the other side!)...
...had a boat crash (its OK, we stayed dry)... and a great traditional Khmer dinner that night with our new English friend Poppy, who has promised to show us how to get sorted when we arrive in the UK in 3 months.
Sadly we had to leave Siem Reap - its a charming French Colonial city, kind of like Luang Phabang, but with much more hustle and bustle. Us 4 kiwis headed down to Phnom Penh, which will be the subject of my next post... till then much love to all.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Lao, Photos (Finally)
Sorry about the wait, the internet here is powered by two old mice on a wheel - finally some photos for you!
Our first view of the Mighty Mekong, and Laos in the background. Very strange from a Kiwi perspective to look over a river narrower than Auckland Harbour and see another country!
Michelle in front of some cute villas, now converted into US$50 a night hotels.
Our beautiful wedding anniversary room! Bliss.
Michelle entering the cave in Vang Vieng.
hehe, Michelle now actually IN the cave...
Me in the cave
Our first view of the Mighty Mekong, and Laos in the background. Very strange from a Kiwi perspective to look over a river narrower than Auckland Harbour and see another country!
Sunset over the Mekong after 2 days on the slowboat.
Michelle and I enjoying some french colonial charm in Luang Phabang
Michelle in front of some cute villas, now converted into US$50 a night hotels.Our beautiful wedding anniversary room! Bliss.
Kueng Xi Waterfalls
The top teir of Kueng Xi
Michelle entering the cave in Vang Vieng.hehe, Michelle now actually IN the cave...
Me in the cave
Kayaking along the Nam Song river
Hopefully we should be able to get some more pics up soonish (hopefully tomorrow) we've still got a bit to catch up on!
Friday, February 20, 2009
A green paradise... and a rat!
It was 7.20am and there was a knock at our door, “Bolaven Plateau Tour is on today we will leave at 8.15”. Just as well we’d
packed our day pack the night before and only had to worry about getting in a quick breakfast. I was spoiled with delicious
home made marmalade on French bread and natural lemon juice drink. I was so over the strawberry jam that was served up with
most breakfasts that was little more than red food colouring and a jelly like substance with what I assume was 70% sugar.
First on the agenda was a tea plantation. I got to learn a little about the tea making process and taste some Lao organic
green tea and meet the man who produces it himself. He was lovely and clearly very proud of his tea. He was only too happy
to have his photo taken! Tad Fane was 38 km from Paske and only a short stroll to see the 120 metre falls. Tad Fane drops
in two parallel streams that originates from Huay Bang Geng. An impressive sight in person, the pics don’t do justice. Next
we moved on to Tad Niang which originates from the same source as Tad Fane (Huay Bang Lieng) Tad Gniang was 30m high and
swimming was totally on the cards. It was a quick dip – the water was freezing but so refreshing and my headache disappeared
within seconds. Of course we did NZ proud, being the first 2 to brave the cold water and not soon after 2 other young men got
in for a quick dip. They saw my legs hadn't dropped off and i don't think felt they could've lived with themselves knowing a
girl had braved the water and they hadn't. I really liked Tad Gniang for its serenity, other falls we’d been to were a little
over crowded when tour buses arrived. It was nice to be one of 7 people to be taking in this sight. A coffee plantation in a
village was waiting patiently for us to arrive. We got out of the minivan on a dirt road and ‘Mon’our tour guide took us
through a maze of trees and shrubs. Shaun was cautious of snakes and I was busy snapping away and trying to become more
educated on the cultivation of coffee beans. Both Arabica and Robusta are grown in village plots throughout the region. I
now know what makes coffee a grade A or not, what berry beans look like, when they’re picked, how they’re dried and that Lao
coffee fetches among the highest prices in the world. We had a Lao lunch at the village and tasted some Robusta coffee.
Words that come to mind are gritty, robust, strong, and possibly what lacked in mine was the condensed milk the others were
pouring in their mugs. We finished with some local fruits – papaya, banana and I was introduced to a fruit called ‘custard
fruit’. I thought it tasted more like 'off' yoghurt but I gave it a good go, again everyone else seemed to be dribbling
condensed milk over it. This was some thing I thought best left for the lactose tolerant! Before we left the village we met
a young family and their first born. The baby was 2 days old. I found out some interesting village customs – thanks to Mon
our interpreter. He did well getting answers to my 101 questions! The mother lies on a bed with a smoldering fire underneath
once she goes in to labour. Shaun’s witty remark was, “Well that’s one way to get it our quick… smoke it out.” Then for the
next 12 days the fire continues. Mother still sits on top, lying next to her baby and drinks from a ladle, hot water with
herbs added to it. The placenta is buried in the ground and what I can only assume from the hand gestures our guide was
trying to explain from my questions was that when the next baby is born they place the two umbilical chords together (which
they’ve also kept) and place them in the ground together to help encourage the siblings to bond and play well together. Our
next stop was at the village Ban Kok Phung Tai. Up till now Shaun and I hadn’t been on a “Village tour”(I know this might
surprise many of you who’ve been to SE Asia, with tuk tuk drivers trying to pester you into doing one any chance they get),
but my morals didn’t support that – villages get nothing out of you invading their homes, that is unless you go on an ECO
tour where a proportion of money from the tour goes to the village. In this instance $2US per person was going into a fund
to set up a local school for this village so the children didn’t have to travel to the next village to be educated. We spent
over an hour there and loved every minute of it – money well spent! We got a glimpse into the traditions and daily lives of
an ethnic minority group in Laos. Possibly one of the more bizarre customs was how the families prepare coffins before their
death and place them under their family palm and thatch houses. I’m not sure if that’s just clever planning or plain
pessimistic… We spent time talking with the locals with the help of our guide. From a teaching point of view the kids were
starving for some stimuli and there were notable signs of just how bored the young kids were. I really just wanted to perch
myself there for a bit. But, with our Laos visa soon drawing to a close I knew that was what Takeo in Cambodia had in store
for me. The sun was beginning to set now as we reached our last site – Tad Lo village where we took in the last water fall
for the day, a pleasant sight for us but a vital resource for the locals. All that was left now was the 90 minute ride back
to Pakse, and a blazing red sunset that possessed us to pull over on route 13 to get a photo of it. An insightful day in to
the Bolaven Plateau – a green paradise.
On the 7th March we made our way to the Southern Bus Station in Pakse. We’d decided we had time to kill and thought a little
detour to Champasak was in order. We could go to Wat Phou and take in the river views. The guide books were accurate. It
was an unassuming little town with a roundabout that did what... I’m not too sure??? There was only the one road!!! Town
stretched 4km a long a dirt road and thankfully was still mostly unaffected by the hordes of tourists entering Laos. We
stayed at Vongpasit for 40,000 kip a room per night (NZ$8) with ensuite and a cold water shower. At first glance it was
fine, a little run down but a deck out over the Mekong made up for it. This was the spot to finish reading ‘Painting Mona
Lisa’ a beautifully written love story which allowed me to reminisce back to my art history lessons in 7th form of several
renaissance artists and paintings. A great fictitious read that reveals the truth behind Leonardo and his relationship with
Mona Lisa.. many details in the book are quite accurate, so who knows… maybe the author has the inside scoop!We caught a local bus to Wat Phou. It was way to hot to walk the 8km. Not to mention the amount of walking involved at the
historical site. Heaps of people (Thai and Lao pilgrims) came for the 3 day annual festival. There were rides for children,
heaps of food to be eaten and a steep climb up several steps to the temples. The temples and shrines date back to the 6th –
12th century. Wat Phou is a mountain monastery. It is clearly a most valued, respected site (well when there’s a festival
anyway). It is made up of a lush river valley, a 1500m tall mountain and what I thought was a very scenic landscape. It
wasn’t until about 2am the next morning that Champasak lost its charm. Being woken up by thuds and loud footsteps (NOT HUMAN
I might add) behind the walls. It was a RAT! I was sure this rat was going to thrash it's way through the walls (they were
only core flute!!!!) into our room. I cocooned myself in to my sleeper and had a most disturbed sleep. I think I slept with
one eye open the rest of the night. The next morning Shaun went in to the bathroom to find rat pooh and walls with big holes
in them that had NOT been there the day before and a bathroom door that had been severely nibbled at, luckily not gnawed
through to our room! This was our cue to leave – immediately! We caught a sangthiew (local bus) across the river ate some
local food from food hawkers who appear as you get down to the dock. This time we were actually quite grateful to be crammed
in a bus that should take 15 people but instead had 40 people, a motor bike, live chickens at your feet, big sacks of rice…
and just when you don’t think it could get any cosier… they let 2 more people on. This is NOT suitable transportation for
the claustrophobic, but for me, a hilarious, fun experience, with very friendly happy Lao people ( I think they get as much
amusement from 2 westerers being on the bus with them! Not common practise. Tourists usually go for the a/c mini van that is
quadruple the price and bought from a local travel agent). 5 hours later and a bus breakdown (no surprises there… those who
have traveled SE ASIA would know all about this, the welding began). Finally we were a 2 minute boat ride across to Si Phan
Don (4 Thousand Islands), where we got an EXCELLENT guesthouse in an old French colonial villa with beautiful teak furniture
and a great deck looking out over the river. Ok, we had to pay 70000 kip for the room per night (NZ$14) but so WORTH IT!
This was 4 nights of luxury.
Henriette & Drake Family – Great news about the school and the job, sounds perfect! So happy for you both, I knew you’d love
it there. Marlons class sounds excellent, pleased to hear both him and Dom are in the enrichment class. They will
thrive!!! Keep up the emails, its great to hear how things are going back in NZ.
Isaac – Glad to hear Pasa is off to a great start, new it would be, I bet you’ve already made heaps of new friends. Great
hearing from you!
Chris & Rachel – awesome meeting you both, had a blast in Si Phan Don with you both, Siem Reap is lovely. We are staying at
an excellent guest house called ‘Good, kind Guest House’. Look it up when you get here. US$8 per room with breakfast and
free internet.
Nicole – read Painting Mona Lisa
Taranga – How’s that love life of yours? Are you a team leader yet, if not, what’s taking you so long?
Arina – so sorry to hear you’ve been so sick I hope J has been at your beck and call every minute of the day
Jared – I hope Arina hasn’t passed it on to you!
Fiona - trust me, there is definitely times I feel like I’m back packing, but every now and then, I’m in absolute luxury!
p.s whats news on the job front?
Ginny – hows being a tutor teacher going? And, any idea of when you move in to your home?
Everyone else – lots of love to you all, thanks for the emails, and comments on the blog, we love hearing from you all, I've heaps of pics to upload and plan to in the next couple of days.
xoxxoxoxo
packed our day pack the night before and only had to worry about getting in a quick breakfast. I was spoiled with delicious
home made marmalade on French bread and natural lemon juice drink. I was so over the strawberry jam that was served up with
most breakfasts that was little more than red food colouring and a jelly like substance with what I assume was 70% sugar.
First on the agenda was a tea plantation. I got to learn a little about the tea making process and taste some Lao organic
green tea and meet the man who produces it himself. He was lovely and clearly very proud of his tea. He was only too happy
to have his photo taken! Tad Fane was 38 km from Paske and only a short stroll to see the 120 metre falls. Tad Fane drops
in two parallel streams that originates from Huay Bang Geng. An impressive sight in person, the pics don’t do justice. Next
we moved on to Tad Niang which originates from the same source as Tad Fane (Huay Bang Lieng) Tad Gniang was 30m high and
swimming was totally on the cards. It was a quick dip – the water was freezing but so refreshing and my headache disappeared
within seconds. Of course we did NZ proud, being the first 2 to brave the cold water and not soon after 2 other young men got
in for a quick dip. They saw my legs hadn't dropped off and i don't think felt they could've lived with themselves knowing a
girl had braved the water and they hadn't. I really liked Tad Gniang for its serenity, other falls we’d been to were a little
over crowded when tour buses arrived. It was nice to be one of 7 people to be taking in this sight. A coffee plantation in a
village was waiting patiently for us to arrive. We got out of the minivan on a dirt road and ‘Mon’our tour guide took us
through a maze of trees and shrubs. Shaun was cautious of snakes and I was busy snapping away and trying to become more
educated on the cultivation of coffee beans. Both Arabica and Robusta are grown in village plots throughout the region. I
now know what makes coffee a grade A or not, what berry beans look like, when they’re picked, how they’re dried and that Lao
coffee fetches among the highest prices in the world. We had a Lao lunch at the village and tasted some Robusta coffee.
Words that come to mind are gritty, robust, strong, and possibly what lacked in mine was the condensed milk the others were
pouring in their mugs. We finished with some local fruits – papaya, banana and I was introduced to a fruit called ‘custard
fruit’. I thought it tasted more like 'off' yoghurt but I gave it a good go, again everyone else seemed to be dribbling
condensed milk over it. This was some thing I thought best left for the lactose tolerant! Before we left the village we met
a young family and their first born. The baby was 2 days old. I found out some interesting village customs – thanks to Mon
our interpreter. He did well getting answers to my 101 questions! The mother lies on a bed with a smoldering fire underneath
once she goes in to labour. Shaun’s witty remark was, “Well that’s one way to get it our quick… smoke it out.” Then for the
next 12 days the fire continues. Mother still sits on top, lying next to her baby and drinks from a ladle, hot water with
herbs added to it. The placenta is buried in the ground and what I can only assume from the hand gestures our guide was
trying to explain from my questions was that when the next baby is born they place the two umbilical chords together (which
they’ve also kept) and place them in the ground together to help encourage the siblings to bond and play well together. Our
next stop was at the village Ban Kok Phung Tai. Up till now Shaun and I hadn’t been on a “Village tour”(I know this might
surprise many of you who’ve been to SE Asia, with tuk tuk drivers trying to pester you into doing one any chance they get),
but my morals didn’t support that – villages get nothing out of you invading their homes, that is unless you go on an ECO
tour where a proportion of money from the tour goes to the village. In this instance $2US per person was going into a fund
to set up a local school for this village so the children didn’t have to travel to the next village to be educated. We spent
over an hour there and loved every minute of it – money well spent! We got a glimpse into the traditions and daily lives of
an ethnic minority group in Laos. Possibly one of the more bizarre customs was how the families prepare coffins before their
death and place them under their family palm and thatch houses. I’m not sure if that’s just clever planning or plain
pessimistic… We spent time talking with the locals with the help of our guide. From a teaching point of view the kids were
starving for some stimuli and there were notable signs of just how bored the young kids were. I really just wanted to perch
myself there for a bit. But, with our Laos visa soon drawing to a close I knew that was what Takeo in Cambodia had in store
for me. The sun was beginning to set now as we reached our last site – Tad Lo village where we took in the last water fall
for the day, a pleasant sight for us but a vital resource for the locals. All that was left now was the 90 minute ride back
to Pakse, and a blazing red sunset that possessed us to pull over on route 13 to get a photo of it. An insightful day in to
the Bolaven Plateau – a green paradise.
On the 7th March we made our way to the Southern Bus Station in Pakse. We’d decided we had time to kill and thought a little
detour to Champasak was in order. We could go to Wat Phou and take in the river views. The guide books were accurate. It
was an unassuming little town with a roundabout that did what... I’m not too sure??? There was only the one road!!! Town
stretched 4km a long a dirt road and thankfully was still mostly unaffected by the hordes of tourists entering Laos. We
stayed at Vongpasit for 40,000 kip a room per night (NZ$8) with ensuite and a cold water shower. At first glance it was
fine, a little run down but a deck out over the Mekong made up for it. This was the spot to finish reading ‘Painting Mona
Lisa’ a beautifully written love story which allowed me to reminisce back to my art history lessons in 7th form of several
renaissance artists and paintings. A great fictitious read that reveals the truth behind Leonardo and his relationship with
Mona Lisa.. many details in the book are quite accurate, so who knows… maybe the author has the inside scoop!We caught a local bus to Wat Phou. It was way to hot to walk the 8km. Not to mention the amount of walking involved at the
historical site. Heaps of people (Thai and Lao pilgrims) came for the 3 day annual festival. There were rides for children,
heaps of food to be eaten and a steep climb up several steps to the temples. The temples and shrines date back to the 6th –
12th century. Wat Phou is a mountain monastery. It is clearly a most valued, respected site (well when there’s a festival
anyway). It is made up of a lush river valley, a 1500m tall mountain and what I thought was a very scenic landscape. It
wasn’t until about 2am the next morning that Champasak lost its charm. Being woken up by thuds and loud footsteps (NOT HUMAN
I might add) behind the walls. It was a RAT! I was sure this rat was going to thrash it's way through the walls (they were
only core flute!!!!) into our room. I cocooned myself in to my sleeper and had a most disturbed sleep. I think I slept with
one eye open the rest of the night. The next morning Shaun went in to the bathroom to find rat pooh and walls with big holes
in them that had NOT been there the day before and a bathroom door that had been severely nibbled at, luckily not gnawed
through to our room! This was our cue to leave – immediately! We caught a sangthiew (local bus) across the river ate some
local food from food hawkers who appear as you get down to the dock. This time we were actually quite grateful to be crammed
in a bus that should take 15 people but instead had 40 people, a motor bike, live chickens at your feet, big sacks of rice…
and just when you don’t think it could get any cosier… they let 2 more people on. This is NOT suitable transportation for
the claustrophobic, but for me, a hilarious, fun experience, with very friendly happy Lao people ( I think they get as much
amusement from 2 westerers being on the bus with them! Not common practise. Tourists usually go for the a/c mini van that is
quadruple the price and bought from a local travel agent). 5 hours later and a bus breakdown (no surprises there… those who
have traveled SE ASIA would know all about this, the welding began). Finally we were a 2 minute boat ride across to Si Phan
Don (4 Thousand Islands), where we got an EXCELLENT guesthouse in an old French colonial villa with beautiful teak furniture
and a great deck looking out over the river. Ok, we had to pay 70000 kip for the room per night (NZ$14) but so WORTH IT!
This was 4 nights of luxury.
Henriette & Drake Family – Great news about the school and the job, sounds perfect! So happy for you both, I knew you’d love
it there. Marlons class sounds excellent, pleased to hear both him and Dom are in the enrichment class. They will
thrive!!! Keep up the emails, its great to hear how things are going back in NZ.
Isaac – Glad to hear Pasa is off to a great start, new it would be, I bet you’ve already made heaps of new friends. Great
hearing from you!
Chris & Rachel – awesome meeting you both, had a blast in Si Phan Don with you both, Siem Reap is lovely. We are staying at
an excellent guest house called ‘Good, kind Guest House’. Look it up when you get here. US$8 per room with breakfast and
free internet.
Nicole – read Painting Mona Lisa
Taranga – How’s that love life of yours? Are you a team leader yet, if not, what’s taking you so long?
Arina – so sorry to hear you’ve been so sick I hope J has been at your beck and call every minute of the day
Jared – I hope Arina hasn’t passed it on to you!
Fiona - trust me, there is definitely times I feel like I’m back packing, but every now and then, I’m in absolute luxury!
p.s whats news on the job front?
Ginny – hows being a tutor teacher going? And, any idea of when you move in to your home?
Everyone else – lots of love to you all, thanks for the emails, and comments on the blog, we love hearing from you all, I've heaps of pics to upload and plan to in the next couple of days.
xoxxoxoxo
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
South Laos and beyond
Its been a while, but we're both doing great!
We've been all the way through Southern Laos and are now in Siem Reap, ready for 3 days at the amazing Angkor temples around here, the most famous of course being Angkor Wat.
We blasted our way through Northern Laos, due mostly to the high price of everything and the amount of tourist traps that held sway in that part of the country, and found ourselves right down the bottom of Laos with a lot of time left on our visas... so we took things pretty slowly - Pakxe for 5 days, then a fantastic trip to the Bolaven Plateau to several waterfalls, a coffee and a tea plantation, and a great local village. It was an eco-tour so part of the cost of our trip went back to the villagers (something the majority of tours don't do) - and it was obvious from the interactions between the villagers and our guide that there was a lot of mutual respect there, I'm sure Michelle will elaborate when she posts very shortly...
From Pakxe it was on the Champasak to see Wat Phou - a pre Angkor temple, we arrived in time for a local festival, with thousands of Lao and Thai people making pilgrimages to the ancient site. We were planning on staying at that relaxing riverside town, but were awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a rat trying to chew (and barge, by the sounds of it) through our bathroom door, so we left early and headed downriver to the island of Don Khong for 4 days of relaxing. The island is a little smaller than Rarotonga, and smack in the middle of the Mekong. We met 2 new friends - Chris and Rachel, from Calgary - and headed down to the smaller island of Don Det, for 4 more days of relaxing, floating down the river, swimming etc... Don Det has no mains power so relies on generators which run from 6 untill 10. When its 35 degrees during the day and high twenties, but really humid at night, you really start to wish for a fan!
After a 2 day bus ride (not too bad - we stopped to sleep at night), we're now in Cambodia!
Sorry, can't put more photos up at this stage - the net is pretty dodgy and 30 minute "downtime" is pretty common!
We've been all the way through Southern Laos and are now in Siem Reap, ready for 3 days at the amazing Angkor temples around here, the most famous of course being Angkor Wat.
We blasted our way through Northern Laos, due mostly to the high price of everything and the amount of tourist traps that held sway in that part of the country, and found ourselves right down the bottom of Laos with a lot of time left on our visas... so we took things pretty slowly - Pakxe for 5 days, then a fantastic trip to the Bolaven Plateau to several waterfalls, a coffee and a tea plantation, and a great local village. It was an eco-tour so part of the cost of our trip went back to the villagers (something the majority of tours don't do) - and it was obvious from the interactions between the villagers and our guide that there was a lot of mutual respect there, I'm sure Michelle will elaborate when she posts very shortly...
From Pakxe it was on the Champasak to see Wat Phou - a pre Angkor temple, we arrived in time for a local festival, with thousands of Lao and Thai people making pilgrimages to the ancient site. We were planning on staying at that relaxing riverside town, but were awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a rat trying to chew (and barge, by the sounds of it) through our bathroom door, so we left early and headed downriver to the island of Don Khong for 4 days of relaxing. The island is a little smaller than Rarotonga, and smack in the middle of the Mekong. We met 2 new friends - Chris and Rachel, from Calgary - and headed down to the smaller island of Don Det, for 4 more days of relaxing, floating down the river, swimming etc... Don Det has no mains power so relies on generators which run from 6 untill 10. When its 35 degrees during the day and high twenties, but really humid at night, you really start to wish for a fan!
After a 2 day bus ride (not too bad - we stopped to sleep at night), we're now in Cambodia!
Sorry, can't put more photos up at this stage - the net is pretty dodgy and 30 minute "downtime" is pretty common!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tales from Lao-Lao Land
Lao-Lao is the local rice whiskey, its similar to the Thai whiskey - Mekong, or Saamsong, but with more of a Turpintine flavour, but more on that later...
So we've moved south from Luang Phabang. Michelle and I both came to really enjoy that city. It has a lot of charm, and the Kueng Xi waterfalls were completely amazing (and brilliant for swimming...as per the video which has hopefully attached)
We spent our last night in a beautiful hotel, to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary... fantastic!
Then it was on to Vangvieng - a 5 hour minivan ride along a windy, potholed road. I don't know what we were expecting from Vangvieng, but the reality was something completely out of the ordinary. Packed with bars that pump untill curfew (yep, theres an 11pm curfew here) - it seems that every falang (forigner) in the country comes here to party - and party they do! The main attraction in the town seems to be tubing - sitting on the Nam Song River on a tractor tyre innertube, and floating from bar to bar getting very wasted on Lao-Lao Buckets and various "special" items! When you sit at the bar they slip a little menu in front of you with "additional" things to try...
We were put off this on the first day we arrived, as very intoxicated (and sopping wet) people filled the town up, stumbling around. Not pretty. We decided to do some caving, and kayaking instead, which was a brilliant experience.
The town is also filled with bars playing "Friends" re-runs. Probably more than half a dozen bars, where you sit on pillows and cushions and relax in front of some TV - something which Michelle and I did on our last day there, as we were both feeling a bit under the weather.
Currently we're in the capital, Vientaine (pronounced Vienchang) for one night before heading south to Pakxe on the 14 hour overnight bus. Exciting.
Hmmm... I can't seem to link to images, Firefox is in Thai on this computer! You'll just have to check back again soon, or have a look on our facebook pages.
So we've moved south from Luang Phabang. Michelle and I both came to really enjoy that city. It has a lot of charm, and the Kueng Xi waterfalls were completely amazing (and brilliant for swimming...as per the video which has hopefully attached)
We spent our last night in a beautiful hotel, to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary... fantastic!
Then it was on to Vangvieng - a 5 hour minivan ride along a windy, potholed road. I don't know what we were expecting from Vangvieng, but the reality was something completely out of the ordinary. Packed with bars that pump untill curfew (yep, theres an 11pm curfew here) - it seems that every falang (forigner) in the country comes here to party - and party they do! The main attraction in the town seems to be tubing - sitting on the Nam Song River on a tractor tyre innertube, and floating from bar to bar getting very wasted on Lao-Lao Buckets and various "special" items! When you sit at the bar they slip a little menu in front of you with "additional" things to try...
We were put off this on the first day we arrived, as very intoxicated (and sopping wet) people filled the town up, stumbling around. Not pretty. We decided to do some caving, and kayaking instead, which was a brilliant experience.
The town is also filled with bars playing "Friends" re-runs. Probably more than half a dozen bars, where you sit on pillows and cushions and relax in front of some TV - something which Michelle and I did on our last day there, as we were both feeling a bit under the weather.
Currently we're in the capital, Vientaine (pronounced Vienchang) for one night before heading south to Pakxe on the 14 hour overnight bus. Exciting.
Hmmm... I can't seem to link to images, Firefox is in Thai on this computer! You'll just have to check back again soon, or have a look on our facebook pages.
Moving South
Hi all, and thanks for the comments! :)
Laos for me has had highlights and low lights, pleased to be moving on tomorrow to Pakse in an overnight bus! Viengtaine isn't my favourite place nor is Vangvieng...
Lowlights:
got a slight cold (probably from the cave tubing)
bus rides to each next destination - sorry mum, but sometimes i dont think i'll make it out alive!
the down right rude, egocentric, noisey boys on the slow boat (for 2 days!!!!) keeping us up till 3am... then hearing them vomiting for hours after... NOT PLESANT!
Vomiting for a few hours due to over heating & a headache
Laos Highlights:
cheap tasty market food & fruit shakes
delightful little wine bars
Wedding Anniversary in Luang Prabang - the hotel made such a fuss!!!
Seeing silk weaving across the river in a village
Watching saa paper being made (similar to tapa making process)
Sunsets on the Mekong
1 hr Laos Massage
Cave tubing
kayaking down the river in Vangvieng
hearing buddha mythology at temples
meeting Viv & Rob from Holland who are travelling for about a year including NZ, sorry we won't be there to put you up for a few nights, talk about bad timing!
Arina & Jared - i LOVE the snowman pic, you 2 must be freezing!!! Meanwhile i'm sitting in 30+ degree heat! Sorry to hear J is under the weather :( see you in a few months and stay safe! p.s. thanks for the lovely warm anniversary wishes! xox
Adam & Fi - How is the job hunting going? And come to think of it house hunting too???
Tash - Thanks to you both for the warm wishes!
Mum & Dad - no need to worry (accept when ever i'm in a minivan with a crazy Laos driver and animals are walking across roads so we have to swerve to miss them!) We are both doing well! Hope you had such a blast in ChCh with the whanau. p.s. You know Shaunie would never let anything happen to me mum!
Jeannette & Peter - Thanks for putting up with mum and dad, hope they weren't too much trouble... he he he
Ma & Pa - thanks for all your emails, for checking in on mum, and for your anniversary wishes! xox
Justine, Sabine & Rohan - if you ever go to Thailand, you are going to need to get a container to ship everything back you'd want to buy for your house! Every market place has something that i think would be perfect for your home. Hope the new year has started well and Sabine likes her new class.
Kahn - thanks for your email! Let me know when you've organised and confirmed dates for Europe, can't wait to see you, love to your mum too - Eldene, hopefully you're reading that yourself and managed to get on to my blog xox
Big hugs and kisses to everyone who is taking the time to read our travels! xox
Laos for me has had highlights and low lights, pleased to be moving on tomorrow to Pakse in an overnight bus! Viengtaine isn't my favourite place nor is Vangvieng...
Lowlights:
got a slight cold (probably from the cave tubing)
bus rides to each next destination - sorry mum, but sometimes i dont think i'll make it out alive!
the down right rude, egocentric, noisey boys on the slow boat (for 2 days!!!!) keeping us up till 3am... then hearing them vomiting for hours after... NOT PLESANT!
Vomiting for a few hours due to over heating & a headache
Laos Highlights:
cheap tasty market food & fruit shakes
delightful little wine bars
Wedding Anniversary in Luang Prabang - the hotel made such a fuss!!!
Seeing silk weaving across the river in a village
Watching saa paper being made (similar to tapa making process)
Sunsets on the Mekong
1 hr Laos Massage
Cave tubing
kayaking down the river in Vangvieng
hearing buddha mythology at temples
meeting Viv & Rob from Holland who are travelling for about a year including NZ, sorry we won't be there to put you up for a few nights, talk about bad timing!
Arina & Jared - i LOVE the snowman pic, you 2 must be freezing!!! Meanwhile i'm sitting in 30+ degree heat! Sorry to hear J is under the weather :( see you in a few months and stay safe! p.s. thanks for the lovely warm anniversary wishes! xox
Adam & Fi - How is the job hunting going? And come to think of it house hunting too???
Tash - Thanks to you both for the warm wishes!
Mum & Dad - no need to worry (accept when ever i'm in a minivan with a crazy Laos driver and animals are walking across roads so we have to swerve to miss them!) We are both doing well! Hope you had such a blast in ChCh with the whanau. p.s. You know Shaunie would never let anything happen to me mum!
Jeannette & Peter - Thanks for putting up with mum and dad, hope they weren't too much trouble... he he he
Ma & Pa - thanks for all your emails, for checking in on mum, and for your anniversary wishes! xox
Justine, Sabine & Rohan - if you ever go to Thailand, you are going to need to get a container to ship everything back you'd want to buy for your house! Every market place has something that i think would be perfect for your home. Hope the new year has started well and Sabine likes her new class.
Kahn - thanks for your email! Let me know when you've organised and confirmed dates for Europe, can't wait to see you, love to your mum too - Eldene, hopefully you're reading that yourself and managed to get on to my blog xox
Big hugs and kisses to everyone who is taking the time to read our travels! xox
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Loving Laos
Well a long 2 days down the Mekong. Thankfully there was some breath taking scenery to view. More expensive than we'd anticipated, but hopefully it will get cheaper when we head futher South. Tummy troubles has resolved itself, for now... Enjoying the food, eating A LOT of vegetarian, the food markets are enough to put you off for life! BLOOD, GUTS, HOOVES, HEADS, RODENTS and we haven't even got to Cambodia yet... yikes! Nicole, you would not cope at all, you think its bad enough when Andrew goes hunting and brings home a carcass! Warmer in Laos which is nice. Will miss the train travel in Thailand, you can't read a book on the bus! Read a few books and enjoying the time to be able too!
Tracey - The Book Thief was beautifully written, loved the creative way the author put the story together, and an appropriate time when i read it at Kanchanaburi too, going to war museums etc. Thanks heaps xox
Nicole - Hows the Egypt plans coming?? Read 'Gathering Light' by Jennifer Donnelly, must be her first book, worth the read.
Ginny & Scott - looks like the house is coming along, you 2 working 24-7?
Mum & Dad - booked a really nice place to stay for our wedding anniversary, thanks heaps! Will be total luxury!
Tasha - Yes, you were right, SE ASIA is the best! I look forward to hearing your travels in South America.
Kelly & John - thanks soooo much for getting our luggage to London. You're the best! How was Tiri?
Dave & Christine - Christine, how is your leg healing? Let us know if you 2 will make it to Vietnam in April.
Anwar (travel clinic Dr) - thank you sooo much for the G-whizz recommedation. I think i pee standing up more than i do sitting down... lol
CS19 - have a great start back with Terry. I hope you kept up that reading in the holidays!
My soon to be year 7's - Best of luck on your first day at Intermediate. Its the best! Get involved in heaps of extra-curricular stuff and you'll make heaps of friends.
Michele - good to see you are showing Adrien the country side and getting lots of use out of the tent with the kids.
Ok, must go, water falls and bears to see now.
xox
Tracey - The Book Thief was beautifully written, loved the creative way the author put the story together, and an appropriate time when i read it at Kanchanaburi too, going to war museums etc. Thanks heaps xox
Nicole - Hows the Egypt plans coming?? Read 'Gathering Light' by Jennifer Donnelly, must be her first book, worth the read.
Ginny & Scott - looks like the house is coming along, you 2 working 24-7?
Mum & Dad - booked a really nice place to stay for our wedding anniversary, thanks heaps! Will be total luxury!
Tasha - Yes, you were right, SE ASIA is the best! I look forward to hearing your travels in South America.
Kelly & John - thanks soooo much for getting our luggage to London. You're the best! How was Tiri?
Dave & Christine - Christine, how is your leg healing? Let us know if you 2 will make it to Vietnam in April.
Anwar (travel clinic Dr) - thank you sooo much for the G-whizz recommedation. I think i pee standing up more than i do sitting down... lol
CS19 - have a great start back with Terry. I hope you kept up that reading in the holidays!
My soon to be year 7's - Best of luck on your first day at Intermediate. Its the best! Get involved in heaps of extra-curricular stuff and you'll make heaps of friends.
Michele - good to see you are showing Adrien the country side and getting lots of use out of the tent with the kids.
Ok, must go, water falls and bears to see now.
xox
Capitilism is Alive and Well in Laos
So we're finally in Laos, land of a million elephants (or something). The slow boat was very scenic, but no as pleasant as it could have been thanks to some extreemly drunk aussies and some fairly drunk poms (who proceeded to become extreemly drunk outside our guesthouse bedroom untill 2am). It was definately a worthwhile trip though, Pakbeng (where you stop for the night, to break up the 2 day journey) was a cute little town, and there is something romantic about floating down the river. Let me quickly dispell any notions of comfort though. The seats are little, narrow wooden bench seats that more suited to being some sadist ministers church pews. You have very little space (much of which is taken up by aforementioned drunk Englishmen). Luang Phabang came as a relief... Many Many thanks to B for suggesting we buy the cushions. Amen for those.
So thats where we are now, Luang Phabang - a beautiful city with lots of French Colonial charm, on the convergance of the Mekong, and the Nam Ou rivers.
Luang Phabang is a bit of an anomoly though. Prces here are fairly high, thanks to a huge influx of package tourists paying top dollar for everything. There are also some pretty well off Loatians - we've seen someone driving around in a Hummer H2! It doesn't help that the currency here is ridiculous, the smallest note is 500kip, but I haven't seen any of those, mostly everything is in multiples of 1000. Its terrifying to consider that our fairly basic guesthouse costs us 80000kip per night! They use 3 currencies actively here, just to confust things more! USD, Thai Baht and Kip are all accepted... Michelle and I spend half our time trying to work out what everything costs!
At the moment we're waiting untill 1.30 when we head off to Kueng Xi waterfalls for a dip to cool off in the heat of the afternoon. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the Pak Ou Caves where there are apparently several thousand buddha statues, then to the Whiskey Village. Alright. Although I've heard that Lao Lao (Laos Whiskey) tastes kinda like paint thinners.
After that, who knows... we've booked into a FLASH hotel to celebrate our wedding anniversary, then we'll head off to Vang Vieng for some tubing.
Jared, beer in Laos is amazingly, cheaper than Thailand. Even though it sounds expensive 8000kip is about 30baht, for a big bottle. Where are you man, I need a drinking buddy!
Thats it from me for now, will post again after we've had some more adventures.
Love to all.
So thats where we are now, Luang Phabang - a beautiful city with lots of French Colonial charm, on the convergance of the Mekong, and the Nam Ou rivers.
Luang Phabang is a bit of an anomoly though. Prces here are fairly high, thanks to a huge influx of package tourists paying top dollar for everything. There are also some pretty well off Loatians - we've seen someone driving around in a Hummer H2! It doesn't help that the currency here is ridiculous, the smallest note is 500kip, but I haven't seen any of those, mostly everything is in multiples of 1000. Its terrifying to consider that our fairly basic guesthouse costs us 80000kip per night! They use 3 currencies actively here, just to confust things more! USD, Thai Baht and Kip are all accepted... Michelle and I spend half our time trying to work out what everything costs!
At the moment we're waiting untill 1.30 when we head off to Kueng Xi waterfalls for a dip to cool off in the heat of the afternoon. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the Pak Ou Caves where there are apparently several thousand buddha statues, then to the Whiskey Village. Alright. Although I've heard that Lao Lao (Laos Whiskey) tastes kinda like paint thinners.
After that, who knows... we've booked into a FLASH hotel to celebrate our wedding anniversary, then we'll head off to Vang Vieng for some tubing.
Jared, beer in Laos is amazingly, cheaper than Thailand. Even though it sounds expensive 8000kip is about 30baht, for a big bottle. Where are you man, I need a drinking buddy!
Thats it from me for now, will post again after we've had some more adventures.
Love to all.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Far North Thailand Pics
Thanks to everyone who has commented, we really appreciate hearing for you!
So, into some photos!
Michelle and I by the Mae Ping River in Chiang Mai.
Yunnan Village near Pai
Michelle fending off the morning cold, overlooking Pai
Watching life go by, riverside in Pai
Mmmmm, frog on a stick, just like mummy makes. At the local produce market, Lampang.
The next image isn't for the sensitive of stomach, so you might want to hit page-down...
Alright... todays game is GUESS THE MYSTERY MEAT.
I'm pleased to say its not dog (the head was there, and it looked fairly rodentish, but its pretty big). Thats all I can really say about it.
Elephant Conservation Centre, between Lampang and Chiang Mai.
Monks in Lampang, buying cloth. What colour should we get?
Ok thats all for now (from me at least). In Chiang Rai at the moment, quite a lovely town, very friendly... heading to Chang Khong tomorrow to cross the border into Laos.
So, into some photos!
Michelle and I by the Mae Ping River in Chiang Mai.
Yunnan Village near PaiMichelle fending off the morning cold, overlooking PaiWatching life go by, riverside in Pai
Mmmmm, frog on a stick, just like mummy makes. At the local produce market, Lampang.The next image isn't for the sensitive of stomach, so you might want to hit page-down...Alright... todays game is GUESS THE MYSTERY MEAT.
I'm pleased to say its not dog (the head was there, and it looked fairly rodentish, but its pretty big). Thats all I can really say about it.
Elephant Conservation Centre, between Lampang and Chiang Mai.
Monks in Lampang, buying cloth. What colour should we get?
Ok thats all for now (from me at least). In Chiang Rai at the moment, quite a lovely town, very friendly... heading to Chang Khong tomorrow to cross the border into Laos.
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