Koh Phangan, Thailand 14th August 2008

Had a great day today. Went on a boat ride around the island with Lucy and Jodie our new travel buddies.

Did snorkelling and saw some really great and weird fish! Went to some beaches that you can only get to by boat so pretty quiet and also visited the waterfalls and swam in the rock pools (before I saw the lizard that was also swimming in it).

A really lovely day out.

Koh Phangan, Thailand 13th August 2008

Went to Bottle Beach today with Jodie, Lucy, Malcolm and G who are staying at the bungalows with us. It was very pretty and really good for swimming.

Went to the night market for dinner which was great.

Koh Phangan, Thailand 12th August 2008

Moved over to Koh Phangan and found a bungalow resort for 300BT. Our bungalow was pretty crap. We didn't even have a toilet seat! They did have a pool though which was nice.

Met up with some English and Irish travellers and had a late night session followed by a 5am dip in the pool. Good fun.

Hired a jeep and checked out Haad Rin Beach which was full of poseurs and beautiful people. Quite funny. Moved to another place which is much nicer and cheaper!

Koh Tao, Thailand 7th August 2008

Spent the last few days just hanging around on the beach playing bat and ball. Had some lovely swims and found some really nice little beach coves with not many people on them.

Today we met us with a couple who we last saw in Nepal. It was good to catch up with them again.

Koh Tao, Thailand 1st August 2008

Arrived in Koh Tao this morning after no sleep on the bus.

Got my first tattoo!! Sorry Mum. It was done by bamboo and hurt like hell but I was brave a just pulled lots of funny faces.

Bangkok, Thailand 31st July 2008

Spent yesterday wandering around the Kaoh San Road which is just how I imagined it. Loads of drunken blokes (David included), stalls selling cheap clothes and bags and cheap food. Tonight we get the overnight bus to Koh Tao.

Posted a parcel home which was the most efficient service I have ever seen. Just hope it gets there.

Cambodia - Thailand 29th July 2008

Had a hellish journey to the Thai border in the crappiest bus in existance. The road was also full of potholes the size of moon craters. The crossing itself was really easy. They didn't even check our bags!

Then a nice luxury bus to Bangkok.

Battambang, Cambodia 28th July 2008

Woke up this morning to discover that my forehead has swollen up from the sunburn. I look like a Klingon!

Put on my hat and went on a trip on the Bamboo Train. This is a little local train track that they use to ferry things from one small settlement or village to the next. The train consists of two sets of wheels with a wooden platform laid on top with a motorbike engine fixed to the top. You just sit on top and hang on. It goes pretty fast and feels a bit like being on a flat rollercoaster.

The trouble is that there is only one track so if something comes the other way you have to stop and lift off the platform and wheels and let the other one go past, then set up again. Apparently, there is an agreement that whoever has the lightest load has to get out of the way. Really fun.

At dinner tonight, there were street children begging not for our money but for our leftovers. Really sad and certainly makes you aware of how lucky we are.

Battambang, Cambodia 27th July 2008

Decided to check out Battambang as Lonely Planet describes it as very pretty and colonial. It's not!!

Had a terrible boat ride here. 9 and a half hours stuck on top of the boat with no shade so we both got sunburned badly. The driver fell asleep and crashed us into a houseboat and then we broke down. Not the best journey we've ever done.

Siem Reap, Cambodia 26th July 2008

Went to the Landmine Museum today which was a shocking eye opener.

The statistics on landmines are horrific. Cambodia is littered with these things and incredibly, some countries are still laying landmines, the US included! 14 people a maimed or killed by landmines everyday somewhere in the world.

We saw lots of landmine amputees begging or selling things in Siem Reap while we were there.

It certainly made me wary of wandering off the path in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia 25th July 2008

Today we went to the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed. This hasn't been restored at all and it overgrown with trees with their roots threading through the buildings. Very atmospheric and just how you imagine it to be.



Did a few Lara Croft moves on the way round but lack the chest to be convincing!

Angkor Wat, Cambodia 24th July 2008

Angkor Wat! What can I say? It's an amazing place. Stunningly beautiful and fully of incredible carvings and architecture. The pictures just don't do it justice.



We also went to Bayon which is the temple with lots of faces carved into it. I thought this was even better than Angkor Wat. More rustic as it's not been restored to the extent that Angkor Wat has.

Siem Reap, Cambodia 23rd July 2008

A 7 hour bus ride to Siem Reap which is really nice. Very upmarket and unlike the rest of Cambodia really. Quite expensive though but what can you expect.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 22nd July 2008

A complete change of pace today. We went to see the Choeung Ek museum. Also known as the killing fields, this was the sight of the mass graves of tens of thousands of men, women and children who were killed here and thrown into mass graves. It's a sad, sad place made even more so by the fact that it's really beautiful around here which just makes it seem even more shocking.

They have built a simple while memorial which is filled with 8000 skulls of some of those that have been found here.

In the afternoon we went on to visit S-21, a prison used by the Khmer Rouge to torture and kill opponents to their regime (although how they decided who was their apponents is questionable considering they included children and babies) and also anyone educated or intellectual.

This was a truly shocking place. The cells still had chains and even bloodstains in them and had photos of tortured victims on the walls.

Some cells had been opened up and contained the mug shots of the prisoners that were taken of them at the time of their arrest. Very poignant. Many of them looked as if they knew exactly what was going to happen to them. And the children just looked bewildered. It's hard to imagine that anyone could do that kind of thing.

A hard day really but one that is important for us to understand the history of Cambodia. I certainly won't forget it in a hurry.

On a lighter note, we had another crash today. Our tuktuk driver knocked 3 guys off a motorbike. A bit argument ensued followed by an exchange of money and we were on our way. Sorted.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 21st July 2008

Hello Cambodia! Arrived in Phnom Penh and it's totally nuts here! I though Saigon was a busy, crazy town but this is in another league.

It's pretty run down and a bit seedy here but that's understandable considering the countries past. It's also really polluted here because the traffic is relentless.

In the evening we went for a walk to explore and saw loads of people heading towards the stadium. Thinking that there might be a football game on we followed and discovered that it was exercise time! The whole place was packed with people doing aerobics in time to lots of different music. It wasn't very energetic though and looked like mass line dancing. Really funny. The music was hiliarious too, really high pitched singing to disco beats.

Saigon, Vietnam 18th July 2008

Arrived in Saigon. We are staying in a different area to when were here last. It feels very different. Found a great bussling backpacker hostel.

We walked round for ages and found the Irish bar where David and Ted watched the rugby world cup last time were were here. Had a little drink for old times sake.

Rather amusingly our hotel is called Titi which David can't stop sniggering about.

Have booked our bus tickets to Phnom Penh for Monday.

Dalat, Vietnam 17th July 2008

After a long time hanging around the beach in Na Trang we have finally moved on to Dalat.

It's a very pretty hill town with lots of French colonial architecture. Kind of a cross between Vietnam, France and Switzerland!

Hired some Easy Rider motorcycle taxis and went to Datan Falls which were beautiful. On the way back up the hill we rode on a little go kart rollercoaster which was really funny.

Afterwards we went on the cable car to the top of the hill which gave us great views of the area.

Found a great restaurant that did fantastic meatballs for dinner. Yum.

Na Trang, Vietnam 7th July, 2008

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me....

Had a lovely day. Got some email cards from home and phoned home to speak to everyone which made my day.

Had a lovely day chilling on the beach, then a lovely dinner and super duper chocolate icecream sundae for a treat.

Na Trang, Vietnam 1st July 2008

The Miss Universe contest is being held in Na Trang at the moment. There are lots of fireworks, pageantry and parades. Very glamerous. Not sure how Miss UK is doing. They are showing it every night on the TV and every house, restaurant and hotel is watching it.

Na Trang, Vietnam 26th June 2008

David is much better today so had a lovely day at the beach. Also found a great little cafe that does the best beef noodle soup in town (maybe even Vietnam).

Na Trang, Vietnam 24th June 2008

Had a lovely day at the beach, then applied for our visa extentions so that we can stay a while longer.

We were having a lovely dinner until David came over all sick, hot and faint. Had to get him into a taxi (where he was sick), then get him up 6 flights of stairs and into bed. This is definately not his week! We think it was maybe some bug he picked up at the dentist of all places.

Na Trang, Vietnam 23rd June 2008

Finally made it onto the beach which was lovely. After, that is, going to the dentist because Davids crown fell out after a tussle with a snickers bar. I think he's just getting to that age...

Found our old hotel and the bar we used to hang out in. Still the same!

Na Trang, Vietnam 20th June 2008

We've been in Na Trang for a couple of days but haven't been able to do anything as Davids back has gone again and I have been playing nurse. This really just involved walking down 6 flights of stairs to get breakfast, then walking back up 6 flights of stairs to get it to David. This is then repeated for lunch and then dinner.

I console myself that it's good exercise.

Hoi An, Vietnam 17th June 2008

Left Hue for Hoi An which has changed enormously since we were last here. All the little shack shops have gone, replaced by big hotels. It's a real shame as it seems to have lost a bit of it's charactor.

We are staying in town this time rather than on the beach because hotels there are so expensive.

The beach is still lovely though. Probably the best one we've been on so far.

Hue, Vietnam 15th June 2008

Hired bikes today to cycle to the beach but got lost and ended up cycling for hours around the paddy fields. It was really good though and all the locals, who I suspect don't see many tourists around their farmland, were really friendly.

We found an Indian restaurant for dinner and had curry with Steps Greatest Hits playing in the background. Not what I was expecting. Played pool afterwards and I won 3 games in a row. David was rather peeved that I am getting so good.

All in all, a lovely day.

Hue, Vietnam 14th June 2008

Arrived in Hue after a nightmare bus ride overnight. The sleeper buses here have little pods for you to sleep in but they're not even long enough for me to stretch my legs out straight so you can imagine how 6'1" David felt.

Hue is very pretty with lots of parkland alongside the river. Nice after the hussle and bustle of Hanoi. Still hot and humid though.

Hanoi, Vietnam 12th June 2008

Spent the day walking round the shops as David insisted he needed a new pair of shorts (nothing here is big enough for him) and it was so hot that unless you are sitting under a fan in your underwear you sweat like a pig on a spit. Not a pretty sight believe me.

Halong Bay, Vietnam 9-11th June 2008

Went on a 3 day boat trip to Halong Bay which is one of the most beautiful places I've seen so far. We had great company in an English guy from Kidderminster called Dan, an American couple called Huckleberry (!!) and his Vietnamese/American girlfriend called Kate who were a good laugh.

The bay was so beautiful with big limestone islands dotted about. And the sea was great to swim in. We did a bit of kayaking and also went to CatBa Island and treked up into the hills a bit (and got bitten alive by mozzies).

The staff on our boat were the most miserable bunch of whiners ever and wouldn't even play any music but the great company from the other guests made it a really good trip.

Hanoi, Vietnam 7th June 2008

Had an interesting train journey down from Sapa to Hanoi. We shared our 6 berth compartment with 4 Vietnamese and their 4 children. Very cramped to say the least.

Hanoi seems ok. We haven't had much of a look round yet. It's incredibly hot and humid at the moment and we've already had torrential rain twice today.

Sapa, Vietnam 4th June 2008

Today we walked to CatCat village. A nice 5k walk up and down hills through farmland and rice terraces.

Along the way we met a nice woman from the Black Hmong tribe who live locally here. She spoke very good English and was really funny. Telling us stories about the things that go on here and giving us a bit of local gossip. She told us that her husband (who she described as a no good loser!) was a farmer who grew corn and marajuana!

We saw lots of that growing in among the other crops. She told us that it's the only way they can make any real money here.

Sapa, Vietnam 3rd June 2008

Arrived in Sapa yesterday after a very wet border crossing. We had torrential rain all the way from Kunming to Hekou at the border, through the border crossing and then on to Sapa. 15 hours in total.

Sapa is beautiful though. Very hilly, pretty and quite quaint. The locals are very friendly and it feels nice to be back in Vietnam. I wonder how much it has changed since we were here 6 years ago.