Eo Ire Itum

I´m Still Here!

mazystar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:16:00 GMT

It´s been eleven or twelve days since I last wrote in here, and it was at least six days I went without being able to contact anybody at all.

We were staying on Little Corn Island, and the internet was down. They only have one internet cafe on the island and regular loss of power and an obviously weak internet connection, meant no access for quite a while. There wasn´t even any way of my calling home.

I apoligize to those who were worried - mainly my family. I know a few days can feel like an age when you haven´t heard a peep from a family member who is traveling in a dangerous part of the world.

The past eleven days have been both full on and relaxing. I have been writing in my own personal journal, so I´ll be BACK DATING a few entries when I get home...but for now, just a short update.

I arrived on Big Corn on the 2nd. The flight was amazing! The plane was tiny and we flew very low over the coast of Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea - the view was incredable.

I took the flight alone; Alex and Morgan had decided to take the boat over from Bluefields (they said it was horrible), so that day I relaxed by the beach, read and walked around Big Corn.

The following few days were quite similar. I caught up with Alex and Morgan and we did some swimming, exploring the island and general relaxing. After a few days we decided to head over to Little Corn Island, but we had a hiccup with the money side of things.

The ATM on the island wasn´t working at all for my cards and Alex and Morgan also had problems withdrawing money. It was a stressful time, but it was soon solved as I realised I could withdraw money over the counter in the back, from my debit card.

We took the tiny little panga boat over to Big Corn the next day and it was a bumpy ride. The waves were throwing up all over the place and as the boat skipped over the water, we all bumped along with it. It was like a ride at Seaworld or something - I´ve gotta say, it was LOTS of fun. I love that feeling of euphoria you get from that sort of thing. :)

Little Corn Island was fantastic. I loved the people there - everyone is friendly and wlcoming. I ended up staying there for six nights, in a little bamboo hut by the beach. Alex and Morgan left on the Sunday morning and I spent a few days there by my self, do some more exploring and relaxing by the beach.

Yesterday, I took the panga boat back to Big Corn and checked back into the same hotel by the beach for the night. I went to the airport and tried to book the flight to Managua yesterday, but they told me it was full. I ended up having to just rock up this morning, on the off chance that someone didn´t show up.

I wasn´t very positive about getting on the flight...but in the end, I was told there were three spare seats! So the two Canadian travelers I met and my self, managered to get seats. It was SUCH a releif. I had visions of missing my flights back to London and wasiting hundreds of pounds!!

Anyway, I´ll fill in the blanks later with my back dated entries. I hope everyone is well!!

Another day of traveling

mazystar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:11:00 GMT

Yesterday we woke up early and got the 8:45am bus from Managua to El Rama. It took a lot longer than we thought it would and we didn´t actually get there until about 4pm.

It was a crazy trip: every time we stopped a long procession of locals selling food and drinks would troop through the bus, shouting and waving their products. At one point a very loud man got on, and stood at the front of the bus yelling about god.

It was a noisy and uncomfortable trip, but it was an experience. When we arrived at El Rama, another experience was waiting for us. We got on a long speed boat down the river to Bluefields. It went VERY fast - our hair flaped in our faces and the boat bumped up and down on the water. It was intense and took about two hours in total.

When we got to Bluefields it was 6pm and we had spent another whole day traveling. To be honest I´m kind of sick of it and I´m annoyed that we haven´t found anywhere we like enough to hang around for a few days. I´m hoping the Corn Islands will be different.

The only problem is that getting there doesn´t seem to be an easy task. You can get a light plane from Bluefields, but I´ve been looking it up on the internet and I can´t find ANY information about it at all. There is also a boat, but according to my guide book, it only leaves on Wednesdays and being that today is Friday, Wednesday is quite faw away. Alex and Morgan went down to the docks today and said someone told them there might be one leaving on Sunday...but I think I´m going to try looking into getting the plane there. There might be a travel agent in town that can book the flight.

Anyway, I had an awful night last night...I was throwing up from food poisoning and I didn´t get any sleep at all. I´m feeling slightly better today though, apart from the odd stomach cramp. It´s just so hard getting a balanced diet when you´re traveling. Food poisoning is pretty much inevitable.

I do actually miss home at this point...it isn´t easy traveling when you´re sick. I think my immune system was beaten down from the shingles and I´ve just been feeling very fed up and tired. I have another two weeks left of traveling left, so hopefully I can do a week in the Corn Islands and then another week in Costa Rica by my self, before heading back to Guatemala for my flight home.

Back to Managua...

mazystar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:17:00 GMT

Yesterday and today have been travel days...

...yesterday we got a bus to a part of Isla de Ometepe that we were told was good (Merida), but it turned out to be VERY isolated and the only hostels in the area were expensive and the staff of the cheaper one were extremely discourteous.

There really was no "town" to speak of - just a tiny rocky road with a few houses, a comodore (local eatery) and these two hotels.

We were disapointed that Merida wasn't what we expected, especially after the bus ride there (an hour of standing up, squished into a tiny bus in the heat).

BUT, a huge part of travel is trial and error. You never know if you don't try...we tried and that is all that matters. You just have to chalk it up to experience and carry on.

In the end we decided to head back to Moyogalpa (the main town on the island and where you catch the boat back to the mainland).

We waited on the road, sitting on rocks and watching the local animals. At one point a troop of piglets gaggled across the dirt road in search of the guava fruit that lay rotting on the ground outside the comodore. They were adorable. I don't think I've ever seem so many piglets just "doing their thing" without being fenced in.

I'd love to explain the other amusment that occured as we waited for the bus...but Trumpapillar really defies explanation. :)

The bus ride took two or three hours, but it wasn't too bad. It gave us a good chance to soak up some examples of island life.

It's fasinating to observe people whos lives are so different to my own. The people of Isla de Ometepe live in small, very simple houses - brick or ply-wood with corrigated iron, and many with a dirt floor. They seem to really cherish family life, like a lot of other traditional cultures. Most keep animals (pigs, cows, bulls, chickens and maybe a horse or two) and farm the land (corn, plantains, maze etc). So often while traveling, I wonder about our comforts and whether we could live without them. I can't imagine living in one of these tiny houses with a dirt floor... it seems so far away from my life..and yet, millions of people live this way...

We stayed the night in Moyogalpa and stayed in the same hotel we stayed in the first night we were on the island.

Today we got the boat back over to the mainland in the morning and then caught a small local bus back to Managua. It's my birthday today, and this hasn't a FANTASTIC way to spend the day, but it is pretty fitting considering travel has been the main theme of my 25th year. Alex and Morgan have done their best to make today special for me though, which I appreciate very much.

SO - TWO DAYS of traveling! Its been alright though. Our aim now is basically to get to the Caribbean side of Nicaragua and visit Corn Island and Little Corn Island, where we will relax for a few days. The beaches there are suppose to be white sand and bright blue clear water. I can't wait to get there.

Oh and a shingles update!! I'm feeling MUCH better now and have almost finished my course of medication. I've gotten back the strength in my left arm (it was getting weak and painful because of the virus) and the horrible rash is clearing up very well. :)

PS: Photos soon, I sware! I haven't been able to upload any tonight becase there is a lock on the computer and I need a password to get into My Computer. I don't know the Spanish for "I need a password"...so I'm giving up. Will upload photos another day.

Isla de Ometepe

mazystar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:21:00 GMT

On Saturday we got the boat over to Isla de Ometepe, in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.

We got a taxi from Granada down to the docks near Rivas, and caught the ferry over - which took about an hour and a half (we also had to wait for two and a half hours for the ferry to actually leave).

The island is very different from the mainland - there are beautiful birds here and HEAPS of bugs (tonight we saw GLOW bugs in the grass). The people also seem more relaxed.

Yesterday afternoon we even saw a mother spider monkey with a baby on her back. She came right up to the entrance of our hotel, and one of the men who works there, gave her a few bananas which she snatched and ate in a nearby tree.

I'll have to post the photos up when I get a chance. There isn't much much internet access AT ALL on this island and at the moment I'm sitting in a hotel down the road from our hotel, and the computer screen is COVERED in bugs.

Anyway, our first night on the island we went to the fiesta they were having here!! I think it was a day in celebration of a saint...although, I can't be sure.

We saw young women dancing in colourful traditional dresses and people playing trumpets and drums. In the evening there was bull riding (it was too crowded, so we didn't get to see it...I doubt it would've been very interesting though) and loud music played long into the night.

On Sunday we pretty much spent most of the day waiting for the bus up to the beach. We got told different times, but the bus never came. In the end, we split a mini-bus with another group of tourists ($3US each). It was a very good deal, we were quite lucky. I talked to a very nice woman on the bus who had been to China. She also told me she had been volunteering down in Costa Rica, at a turtle breading beach.

We checked into a cheap enough hotel ($6 each, for a triple room) and we're right near the beach, which is lovely. I love hearing the waves at night time. :)

Today we explored some of the island, went to some vocanic water pools that are supose to have healing properties and in the afternoon went for a bike ride on the rocky, bumpy road.

I'm going to go now, these bugs are driving me crazy. I'll write again soon. :)

Virus...

mazystar — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:21:00 GMT

I went to another doctor yesterday afternoon and I finally found out out what I have - shingles.

So it isn´t just an allergic reaction to the painkillers, it´s a virus, which explains all of my other symptons such as sight fevers and head aches.

Now I´m on antibiotics and will rest when we get to Ometepe, which is our next destination. We´re getting a taxi to the dock and then getting a small boat over there. Hopefully it will be relaxing enough for me to start feeling happier - I just want to get better and get on with my trip!!

I took the anti-biotics and used the new cream for the first time last night and as a result, I had a better sleep than I´ve had in quite a while. I hope the improvement continues. :) I´ll update again after we arrive on the island; we´re leaving this morning.

Allergic reactions and extreme humidity

mazystar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:19:00 GMT

It´s no exaggeration to say that Central America is VERY HUMID.

I dislike extreme weather and the heat makes me cranky and stressed out - this is the same for a lot of people.

For me, London summer weather is perfect. It´s not too hot and you can still wear a cardigan or a long sleeve shirt without passing out or drowning in your own sweat.

Central America is so hot, none of us feel like doing anything. Sure, there´s stuff to do here, but the humidity seems to be sapping all of our energy and walking around in the heat all day just makes it worse.

Another thing that isn´t being helped by the heat is the horribly inflamed, burning rash on my left shoulder, back and breast that I´ve been developing ever since we were in Antigua. I think it occured when I started taking some painkillers for my back pain...soon after I noticed a small rash forming on my back, but didn´t think much of it. Now it´s huge and spreading...

It´s awful and it´s making me stressed, sad, self conscious and WHINGY. Hahaha. For one, It´s painful to take off and put my shirt or bra and it just burns on and off throughout the day. My arm and should is stiff and moving it too much irritates the rash.

Thankfully the other day, Alex very kindly took me to the doctors. The doctor was amazing - she reccomended I pour some cold chamomile tea on it, to stop the inflamation, and she prescribed me some cream for it.

The cream doesn´t seem to be helping too much, sometimes I see a change and the next day it just flares all over again and I feel like I´m going round and round in circles.

This morning I tried the chamomile for the first time (it took me a while to track some down) and it helped A LOT more than I thought it would. After only a few hours I could see a change in the colour of the rash. HOORAY.

I just have to persist with the treatment and if it is still bad when I get to Costa Rica, I´ll find another doctor to check it over again.

Anyway, I´m going to talk about something good now!! :) Yesterday was a pretty good day - I spend the day by my self: I had a lovely breakfast at a cute little cafe where I met two guys and we chatted about travel and the best places to go in Central America. Then I went for a walk around town and bought a few things, I do like this time - even despite the horrible men learing at all the women.

In the evening, I met Alex and Morgan and we went for a nice dinner at a little comodor follwed by a few drinks in a little bar with Alex´s friend from Mexico that we bumped into. It was a pretty good evening.

In the next few days, we´re going to get a boat over to Ometepe Island, in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. It should be pretty good and there is lots to do there, including kayaking (which I REALLY want to do at some point).

Journey to Nicaragua...

mazystar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:44:00 GMT

The other day (Monday) we got the Tica bus from El Salvador to Nicaragua. We had to be at the bus station at 4:20am to buy our tickets and register with our passports and we really didn´t get much sleep that night. We were all tired and cranky, but it was a relief to be able to get a bit of a nap as the bus gently rambled through the city before the sun came up.

Thankfully, the bus wasn´t too packed so we were all able to sit seperatly and have two seats to our selves. As we left the city, we increaed speed and that made it hard to sleep. Getting to sleep on a bus isn´t as easy as it might sound, especially when you're powering over cracked, bumpy roads and around sudden sharp corners.

We stopped a few times, once in the morning for breakfast and the other times were border crossings (which were no problem, although cost us US20 each...) and to let people off when we crossed into Nicaragua.

Passing through Honduras was quick and easy. The terrain and atmosphere looks no different to El Salvador or Nicaragua, and although the country is currently having many problems and tourists are being told NOT to go there, it seems passing through on the west cost is trouble free.

The bus trip took over 11hrs and by the time we FINALLY got to Managua (the capital of Nicaragua), we were all hot, tired and very cranky. We grabbed our bags and went to look for a hotel near to the bus station, so it would be easy for us to leave the next day.

Managua is horrible (even according to some of the locals we spoke to). I don´t think it would be an exaggeration to say that our first impressions were NOT GOOD. As soon as we walked off the bus and into the bus station, we started getting hassled by taxi drivers, and when we got onto the street it was the turn of the hotel workers, trying to get us in to their establishments.

One guy said he could do a triple room for US6 each, so we went to have a look. The man checked in all the rooms, as we followed, but he soon realised they had filled up. Then another man said "we have one room - six dollars!!" So we followed him into a room that OBVIOUSLY belonged to the people that worked there. We stood there looking around and Alex and I exchanged confused looks. Suddenly one of the men just yelled "ARRRRRRGH" and threw a glove in Alex´s direction, then the men starting laughing.

The glove hit the wall (thankfully, it didn´t hit poor Alex!) and slid to the ground. Alex and I shook our heads and just walked out; I think the noise scared us both, especially since we were exhausted from our journey. Morgan said a few words to the men in Spanish, and then we just walked away. It was a WEIRD thing to do on their part and it was not a good experience for us in our tired state.

We stopped in a small bar - I had a soft drink and read my book, while Alex and Morgan went off (without backpacks) to find a hotel. This way they weren´t hassled because it looked as if they were already settled into a hotel.

As I waited, I felt quite nervous because I had read so much about how dangerous Managua is. Alex and Morgan were back soon, and they told me we had a nice hotel around the corner. That night, I had my own room with a double bed and a tv. It was lovely. I wasn´t feeling too great, so it was nice to be able to chill out on my own and watch tv and read, and I´m sure it was nice for Alex and Morgan to have some time with each other as well. :)

The next day, we checked out and got a cab to Granada (which is about 45mins south, down the river). We only paid US25 to get there, split three ways, which isn´t bad really. We checked out a few hotels when we got there and decided to stay at Oasis, which is expensive enough, but pretty central and the staff are REALLY nice.

Yesterday Alex and Morgan checked into another hotel that´s just down the busy market road, but I decided to stay at Oasis. I like the staff there and have starting talking to some of the other travelers there, all of who are very nice. Most of the people I´ve met here are American (northern, obviously), and although I´ve seen/heard a few examples of bad and disrespectful traveling, most people seem to be very friendly.

As for the locals, most women are fairly friendly and you can usually get a smile from any one, even on the street. The men however...well the men working in business such as resturants and shops are usually quite nice and you can tell they´ve been trained to be respectful and courtious, but walk around the streets of Granada for 5mins and you will find a man learing at you, making cat-calls, whistling or being generally rude and sexist.

I know that that kind of thing can and does happen everywhere, but here it seems to be every second guy doing it, and this behavior tends to make women feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, especially when you´re alone and in a developing country.

I delt with a similar thing in Cambodia, especially in Phenom Phenn where tuk tuk drivers and sprukers are notorious for their lude comments to females with white skin. You just have to ignore it and let it wash over you like water off a ducks back. As a woman traveling to a developing country, you are always going to be judged, no only on the color of your skin, but also on the basis you´re a woman. Put "white" and "woman" together and some men just think of it as an invitation to be scum. This is espically the case for women walking out alone, or traveling completly alone.

Being asked where your husband is, is another MAJOR annoyance for me. Answer that you don´t have one and they think you´re "easy"...it makes lying the more attractive option, which isn´t really too great. :( I´ve even had women say this to me, one of whom said "Don´t worry, one day you can return here with your husband." Like I wan´t enjoying it by my self! She actually pitied me for not being married! Ha!

I know it can be a cultural difference, but as Alex said yesterday: you should not abide rude sexism from anyone for any reason! She´s very right.

Anyway, Granada is an old colonial town and in many ways it´s very beautiful. It´s set on the HUGE Nicaragua Lake (the largest lake in Central America) and is quite a touristy town with lots to do in the souurounding areas like, kayaking on the lake, canopy tours, volcano hiking, coffee farm visits...etc etc... But in some other ways it´s not so beautiful. Just like any other developing country, there is poverty, homeless, begging, dirty streets, open sewers etc etc.

I really want to book a tour to go kayaking on the lake, but it will have to be in the early morning or late afternoon, otherwise I´ll get sunburnt!! It´s SOOOOO hot here, but that is aleviated by the usual afternoon storm (it´s wet season). This doesn´t always mean rain, it can just mean thunder and lighting AND BLACKOUTS!!! AGGGHHH!!

Speaking of storms: one has just rolled in now and I´m going to get off the computer because there will no doubt be a big blackout soon. Photos and more stories soon, I sware. :)

Costa del Sol

mazystar — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:49:00 GMT

Yesterday we got a taxi one hour west to Costa del Sol. We had heard that it was really beautiful and very cheap - it wasn't really either of these things. As soon as we got there we realised that the beach was blocked by hotels or big houses built right in front of it.

The hotel we had reccomended to us was unheard of by everyone that we asked, so we just stopped at the second hotel we found (US35 for a triple, which is pretty expensive considering the room had no windows and was filthy). We dumped our stuff in the room and went for a walk on the beach. To get there, we had to walk down a tiny alley-way that stunk of rotting food. The beach its self was pretty horrible too - there was rubbish everywhere, the sand was brown and the waves looked very unpredictable.

We were all in a pretty bad mood by this stage - annoyed by the cost of everything in El Salvador (prices have gone up since they brought in the US dollar), tired from the heat and disappointed that everything we had been told about Costa del Sol seemed to be wrong.

After a beer by the beach, we headed back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. We also asked the staff to clean the room for us, which was important considering there was what looked like mouse poo everywhere!

We decided to leave Costa del Sol the next day and head back to San Salvador where we could book a bus to Nicaragua for the 20th.

For dinner we went down the road to a tiny little beach-side commodore (local eatery) for fish, rice, salad and tortias. It was delicious, but expensive compared to the prices in the rest of Central America. Then we bought some drinks and supplies and went back to the hotel to swim in the pool again.

That evening we made friends with three Salvadorian kids who were staying at the hotel with their aunt. They were so cute and even though there was a language barrier, I still managed to communicate with them and we spent the evening going down the slide, jumping into the pool in silly ways and laughing. They LOVED Alex because she could speak to them in their language and was was making them laugh. She was really good with them. She took the youngest child down the big slide, on her lap. She absolutely loved it, it was adorable. :)

In the morning we were all feeling tired and sick, and as soon as we woke up we packed our bags, called the taxi to take us back to San Salvador and went out for breakfast -fish, rice and salad again.

I started feeling really sick half way through breakfast. I've been getting TERRIBLE back pain ever since I arrived in Guatemala and I think the pain killers I've been taking are making me feel nauseous. :( Hopefully when we get to Nicaragua, I can find a doctor or something (I read that they have a lot of red cross clinics there, that welcome travelers), until then I just have to put up with it - it's not so bad that I can't bear it, I'm sure I'll manage.

The trip back into San Salvador was quick and it was nice to be in a car with the wind rushing through the windows and cooling us down. We booked into the same hotel when we got back and that's where we are now.

This afternoon we tried to book the bus tickets for Nicaragua, but were told we needed our passports. We can still book, if we get to the bus station tomorrow at 4:20am (the bus is at 5:15am). They said there should be enough seats. I hope we all get enough rest before then because we're all feeling pretty crappy. :/ The humidity is a big factor I think, but that will only get worse in Nicaragua...

El Salvador

mazystar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:41:00 GMT

After two days in Antigua, we decided to head south to El Salvador.

We were picked up at our hotel just before 9am and a shuttle bus took us 45mins north west to Guatemala City, where we were to wait for the bus to El Salvador. When we got to the bus station we realised we had three hours to wait - the bus was at 1pm. The time passed fairly quickly as we talked, read our guide books and had a lunch of tortias, beans and rice.

The bus trip took about five hours and getting through the border was no problem at all. At the Guatemalan border we were mobbed by men waving money in our faces, trying to get commision on an exchange. We ignored them and went inside to line up and get stamped out of the country. It didn't take long at all, and before we knew it the bus driver was honking the horn to signal that we were leaving.

The border at El Salvador was about 10mins away from there and it was even less trouble - we didn't even have to get off the bus. A customs offical and a nurse got on and to check everyone's passport, and ask if anyone wanted to see a doctor (in case of swine flu). It didn't take more than about 10mins and then we were on our way again.

Once we arrived in San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador), we headed straight for a street dotted with hotels. The one we found was fairly expensive ($45US for a triple room), but it was clean and comfortable with air conditioning and cable tv. There was even a lovely little garden just outside our room.

That evening we had the most delicious Mexican food for dinner - fajitas with beans, cheese, veggies, salad, salsa and guacamole. YUM!

Today we decided to spend the day in San Salvador. We visited the art gallery, the museum and went to a MASSIVE shopping center called Metro Centro.

San Salvador is a huge city and although there seems to be very wealthy people around, there is also a lot of poverty - just like the rest of Central America.

I do feel much safer here than I did in Guatemala City, but even so, there is still permeters of barbed wire around pretty much every residence and many business. There are also loads of security guards around, all carrying guns (shot guns and hand guns).

Everyone we speak to, says that this part of town is fairly safe, even at night. But we still haven't ventured TOO far from our hotel.

Tomorrow we're heading south east to Costa del Sol - a lovely beach town that isn't in any guides! An American guy who's lived in El Salvador for 30yrs told us about it, and it sounds amazing. He also told us the name of a hotel right on the beach for US$10 a night! It'll be great to get out of the city. El Salvador is SO humid. :)

It's been really fantastic traveling with Alex and Morgan - we all seem to be getting on great. Alex is even teaching me some Spanish!

I'll up date more after we arrive in Costa del Sol.

Arrival in Guatemala...

mazystar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:35:00 GMT

With much anticipation and a nervous disposition, I have arrived in Guatemala. The flight from London to Huston was trouble free and we arrived in Huston half an hour early.Going through customs and immigration once I was there wasn't easy though. The security and customs officers were commanding and rude - not a very good first impression for anyone just arriving in the US.

After the three hour stop over at Huston, I boarded the plane ready for the two and a half hour flight to Guatemala City.

Once at the airport, I breezed through the lax airport "security" and went outside to find my guy from the hotel. He was there with a sign and a broad smile "Marianne?" he said, and went to get his van. The hotel was only 10mins away from the aiport; I could actually see it from my window.

I slept awfully that night due to airport noise, screeching cars, rumbling motorbikes and 5am by fireworks going off nearby. I couldn't stop thinking either. I was pleased that I had made it to Guatemala, but apprehensive about the trip to Antigua the next day.

After breakfast the next morning, my shuttle bus arrived and took me to Antigua, which is about 45mins west of Guatemala City, through the mountains.

The differences between Guatemala City and Antigua are extreme. Guatemala City is busy and industrial, with almost every building covered in a perimeter of twisted barbed wire. I didn't feel safe at all in Guatemala City. But as the shuttle bus drove down from the hills and I caught a glimpse of the colourfully pained colonial buildings, tall white churches and cobble stone streets, my emotions began to change.

Antigua is a heavily tourist based town, and is therefore the safest city in Guatemala. Tourist police are everywhere and the locals are friendly aand welcoming.

After my shuttle dropped me off, I checked in to a hotel called The Black Cat and went to try and find Alex and Morgan. I found a msg from Alex on my facebook, telling me where their hotel is and on my way there I bumped in to them on the street.

It is so good to see them again and for a few hours being here felt like a dream. We went to get something to eat (beans, tortias, rice, salsa and salad!) and talked. In the afternoon we visited the ruins of a 17th century Catholic church in the center of town. They're in the process of rebuilding it using red bricks. I thought the old parts looked best - the building had crumbled and big chunks of the old walls lie on the dusty ground.

In the evening, we drank beers on the roof of Alex and Morgans hostel and talked and laughed. For dinner we got pasta and mojitos at a little bar in the center of town. It was a lovely day and I am so happy to see my best friend again. Traveling with her and Morgan is going to be lots of fun indeed.

We spoke about our plans for the next few weeks and it seems to consensis is to leave Guatemala by bus and head to El Salvador and Costa Rica. There is a lot more fun and adventure to come. :)

PS: I'll post photos soon! xx

Guatemala in six days!!

mazystar — Tue, 7 Jul 2009 21:42:00 GMT

As the title of this entry might suggest, I'm leaving for Guatemala in six days.

I have a return ticket (13th of July-13th of August), I have booked two nights in a hotel in Guatemala City and I have a very vague idea of where my friends - who I will be meeting up with - will be when I get there.

If I was asked to describe how I was feeling at this point, the only word I could accurately use would be ambivalent.

One one hand, I'm very excited indeed - the prospect of visiting a new country and culture, the adventures, the people...well, it's intoxicating!

But...on the other hand I am very very nervous. Sometimes I think I might have gone completely mad. Why am I going to a country where the best advice you can adhere to is to "not wear ANY jewelery and not to take photos of children because their families might think you want to kidnap them"?

Well, I've though long and hard about the reasons WHY I would want to visit such a place and the best I can come up with is....this is the world and I want to experience it.

The negative feelings I've gotten have subsided after I spoke to many people who have been to Guatemala and was reassured by their stories. I've gotten lots of advice, I'm as prepared as I can be and I will be cautious and use my common sense.

I went out today and bought - a first aid kit (with tea tree oil, the best antiseptic!), inspect repellent, a money belt, new bag locks, a big bright fluorescent strap for my check in luggage, tissues, a Central America guide, a novel, a new pair of sunglasses, organic natural hand spray sanitizer and facial wipes. I think there are probably a few more things I need...but I got everything on my list so far. I'm feeling pretty prepared. I have everything photocopied and double checked...all I really need to do now...is pack!!

I'm going on a bit of a tourist jaunt tomorrow with my Australian friend, Tara. We're going to Hever Castle the home of Anne Boleyn. It's an hour train trip from London (in Kent) and it should be a fantastic, histroical day out.

Progress...

mazystar — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:10:00 GMT

It's certainly been a long time since I updated this journal. Perhaps that's because this is a travel journal and I haven't been doing very much travel at all recently.

The past few months have been mind numbingly tedious in their monotony. Moving back to London was a good idea, as it has left me open to see more of the small amount of friends I have here, and also to see more of London and surrounding areas. But it simply isn't enough to quench my thirst for a challenge and for travel.

However, that is all about to change with the recent development of my British passport being approved! This means I can leave the country in possession of a golden return ticket, safe in the knowledge that I will be let back through the border.

So, I am currently making plans to visit Guatemala and some of southern Mexico. I am also looking in to the possibility of going to Costa Rica for a few days, although it is just a thought at the moment.

After all of the stress and boredom of simply WAITING for my British passport, I finally have a project to sink my teeth in to. I'm happily organising and booking my flights, checking visa status', making lists, checking dates and details and allocating funds. I can't wait for the trip.

I'll be leaving in early July (only two weeks away) and I'll return to England in early August in order to start job hunting. I'm not going to have a huge amount of pre-booked or organised plans and travel routes, although I am making sure I am prepared.

One of the best things about the trip is that I will be seeing my best mate, Alex and her boy friend Morgan, there. It will be so good to see them. It will also be fantastic to be on this trip for my 25th birthday in late July. :)

Just an Update...

mazystar — Tue, 5 May 2009 01:25:00 GMT

I haven't written in here for a while and I just thought I'd finally update the few that actually read this journal (mainly my parents).

Last week I moved from London to Torquay and although I do miss London (and my old housemate, Georgia), I;m enjoying it here. It's nice being so close to the sea and I love the new friends I've made here. I'm living with Lisa, who I met through Dave and Georgia. Her and I seem to click as housemates and we get along famously. We've done a few trips around the place and having grown up in this area; Lisa has a lot of local knowledge.

We've visited Paington and Dartmouth - including going on the Paington to Dartmouth steam train, the ferry, a Dart River cruise and we also visited Dartmouth Castle which was lovely. This area of England would certainly have to be one of my favorites. Sadly though the weather has been fairly awful at the moment compared to the sun shine they're have in London.

Tomorrow I'm planning on visiting my cousin and her children up near Swindon which should be great fun and then on Friday Dave and I are getting the train to London together because we've got tickets to the comedy quiz show 'Stephen Fry's QI'!! I'm SO excited, and I'm looking forward to seeing Georgia and other London people. :)

I have been a bit bored recently even though Torquay is a lovely place I am considerably more aware of having nothing to do. At least in London I knew more people and had more things to do. Here it is very basic and especially hard for someone to get around when they don't have a their own transport. I must wait until I get my passport until I can do more traveling and I am just waiting for my Dad's birth certificate in the mail so I can re-apply. My first application was denied because of incompetent passport office people neglecting to tell me the correct documents required. Until I get all of that done I pretty much just have to keep my self occupied.

As far as my further travels are concerned, I have obviously had to postpone my Mexican trip because of the travel warnings. I'm upset that I won't get to see my best friend Alex and I have been worried about her (even though I know she'll be fine).

I have decided to just postpone my entire Americas trip (I want to do the whole place in one go) and instead I will do some travel in Europe. Lisa and I have discussed a trip to Spain via ferry (leaving from Plymouth!) and there is also a group of us planning to go to Mykonos for two weeks in Sept. Both trips sound great, but I do REALLY want to do some more backpacking trips. As soon as I get my passport I will plan something. Until then I will just have to keep my self occupied with travel in the U.K.

I hope everyone back home is well. I constantly miss you all - especially Mum, Jenny, Dad, June etc. I love you all very much. xxx

Oxford + Torquay weekend

mazystar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:54:00 GMT

The past week has been full of ups and downs. Traveling is wonderful but I've found my self getting quite bored in London after a few months. I've applied for my British passport and now all I have to do is wait. Thankfully my boredom is alleviated by some great friends and some great adventures around the country.

Last weekend Georgia and I went to Oxford for Easter. We stayed in an old style country pub about three miles out of town. We didn't do a great deal of sight seeing (there's just so much to see in Oxford) but we did go to New College, Christ Church College, the Inspector Morse bar, the Alice in Wonderland shop, the botanic gardens and we went on a lovely cruise down the Thames. We also did one of those bus tours - I've never done one before despite the fact they have them in hundreds of cities across the world.

Our tour guide was an older gentlemen who had been a student at one of the colleges. He was very humorous and eccentric and told us all about the old pranks they used to play at his college. My favorite story he told was about some of the fellows who got a tame pigeon, over fed it and then let it go in their rival colleges dining hall so the pigeon defecated all over their food! Outrageous!

Most of the time we were there it was overcast but on the Monday we were lucky enough to have a glorious sunny day so we went walking around the Christ Church College grounds and went on the river cruise.

It was a lovely weekend. I've been very glad of Georgia's friendship here. She has certainly become a close friend over time and I really enjoy and appreciate her company. We both seem to have similar random and open personalities which is why we get along so well I think. She is just a wonderful person. :)

Anyway, so Oxford was really great and when we got back to London I pretty much spent the week doing NOTHING at all because I don't really have anything to do there any more. I've done all of the touristy things and I can't legally work, so all I can do is wait for my passport. I did kind of get a bit down during the week as well. Not having anything to do, not knowing may people in London, missing home, back pain and other issues made me feel really low. So I decided to head down to Torquay for the weekend!

Lisa had said I could stay with her in her huge house, so I got the train down on Friday afternoon and I'm still here now. On Friday I went out with Dave, John, Jess, Nick and others to the cider bar in Newton Abbott - this is the oldest public house in Newton Abbott (a good few hundred years old!) and there they serve traditional home made ciders. The alcohol content is high and the prices are low - just the way I like it! We went to a few other pubs in Newton Abbott in Torquay as well. It was a really fun night and I met quite a few really nice people.

The next day the sun was out and Lisa, Emma and I went for lunch in Paignton and a drive to the beach and the cliff tops over looking the lovely Tor Bay. In the evening a load of people came over to Lisa's for Emma's birthday - FANCY DRESS! I dressed up as a pirate (I bought my costume in the day for about £20) and there was some wonderful costumes - a ladybug, superman, batman, the pink panther. It was lots of fun indeed. The people I know here in Torquay are really lovely people and I'm glad to be getting to know them. This weekend really cheered me up.

Back to London tomorrow and dinner with Georgia in Chinatown the evening. So much to organise this week: Georgia, John and I have decided to go to Scotland (Edinburgh) in two weeks and on Thursday I'm going to Swindon to visit my cousin Louise and her family!! So exciting. Oooh, and a big group of us are going to the Greek Island Mykonos in late August. I can;t wait!! :)

Stratford-upon-Avon + Warwick Castle

mazystar — Wed, 8 Apr 2009 01:30:00 GMT

The last few days have been really fantastic. On Saturday Tara and I met at Marlybone Station in preparation for our three day, two night trip to Stratford-upon-Avon.

The train journey down there took just over two hours and we were fortunate enough to have a lovely bit of sunny weather so the sights out of the window were beautiful.

When we arrived we found out B&B, dumped our bags and went for a walk around town with our cameras. We walked through the town and marveled at the old Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean buildings, we walking along the river Avon and we also had a drink at a lovely river-side pub while we made plans for the next days activities.

After the drink we walked back down to the river via a small canal and found an old chain ferry. (Check out the photos so you know what I'm talking about.)

It's apparently the only one like it in England and runs on a chain across the small river to ferry people from one bank to the other. It cost 50p and since Tara and I were the only passengers the ferry man let us pull the lever that moved the ferry along the chain in the water. Pushing and pulling the lever was hard work and the ferry man said your legs really feel it after a whole days work. I can imagine!

Since we'd arrived quite late we only had enough time to walk around town but we did manage to see a lot as well as make plans for everything we would do during our stay. That evening we had a delicious dinner in an old Tudor pub with a lovely thatched roof. A few glasses of wine also went down nicely and saw me going to bed quite early.

The next day was Sunday and we awoke early to a hot breakfast in the B&B dinning room. Anne was our host and the breakfast we were given was just what we needed: eggs, mushroom, brown toast, tomato, coffee and fruit! Yum yum.

After breakfast we walked further out of town to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Anne Hathaway eventually became Anne Shakespeare and the cottage where she grew up is the apparent site of the courtship between her and Shakespeare.

I can't imagine a more romantic setting. Our walk was so peaceful - through the small town atmosphere of outer Stratford, past farms and tiny old cottages. Tiny spring lams bleated in the fields and birds tweeted as they swooped over-head. It was magical.

In order to get to the house one must first go through a glade where there is a stream full of ducks, trees and flowers. We took lots of photos here and called at the sheep in the adjacent field. It was a really amazing morning.

Anne Hathaway's house is set amongst several acres of gardens, a small wood and an orchid. Obviously in Anne's day it would've been a fully working farm but now it is simply a beautiful place devoted to the history of the Hathaway's, Shakespeare and of Stratford its self. We wandered around the spectacular gardens of herbs, spring flowers and vegetables, and a separate garden where there are many sculptures that have been inspired by the works of Shakespeare.

The house its self is full of furnature spanning the many generations that have lived in the house over the years, including the Hathaways. The walls of the house are made from 'wattle and daub' (a mixture of sticks, hourse hair and manure.) It was fascinating to see and the guides were all very friendly and well informed.

Our next stop was Shakespeare's birth home which is in the centre of town. This would have to be one of the most crowded tourist attractions I've even been to. It was just wall-to-wall people; all of them eager to see EVERYTHING as quick as humanly possible! To be honest it was a bit of a nightmare and we rushed through parts of it just to get away from the hordes.

It was interesting to learn more about Shakespeare's life and the period of history in which he lived. We passed through his fathers glover workshop, the main room of the house complete with a fancy bed left in the sitting room so guests would understand their wealth and the room in which it is though Shakespeare was born. It was all very awesome and I could hardly fathom the amount of historically important events had taken place within those very walls.

After our crowded experience in Shakespeare's house and since it was such a beautiful day,
we were feeling like doing something outdoors. So we decided to go rowing on the River Avon!

We hired a row boat right next to the chain ferry we had visited the day before.
The boat was wobbly and so were the two people in charge of it. I have done some kayaking in my time so I thought it would be easy for me...I was wrong. Kayaking is very different.
The ores were constantly slipping out of their little groves and I was not strong enough or coordinated enough to move them in secession with the other. After quite a lot of panicking I did manage to straighten up the boat and we rowed down river to find a spot to stop and have lunch.

We found some chains an buoys that were blocking boats from going through to the small collection of waterfalls and stopped there for lunch. It was lovely just sitting in the sun, chatting and eating out picnic, but it was soon time to row back. It was Tara's turn and she had just as much trouble as I did. Rowing certainly isn't as easy as it looks. Next time we need a big strong man to do it for us!

Back on shore we decided it was time to visit The Church of the Holly Trinity, the final resting place of Shakespeare and his wife, and the oldest building in Stratford.
Th building dates from 1210 and is built on the site of a Saxon monastery. Shakespeare is said to be buried 20 feet under the church to prevent its theft. The church is fascinating and I could hardly beleive that it has been in opperation for so many years. Indeed it still is today and there was a play being rehearsed one room when we were there.

New Place was our next stop. This was the house in which Shakespeare spent his last few years and in 1616, died at the age of 52. Sadly the house was knocked down in 1759 by the then owner Reverend Francis Gastrell, because he couldn't afford the tax and bills. Next door is Nash's House (Shakespeare's gran-daughter and her husbands old house) where there is a small museum.

By this stage of the day we were starting to get tired but we pushed on to the next house on the list - yet another one with Shakespearean flavor - Hall's Croft. John Hall was Shakespeare's son-in-law, married to his daughter Susanna. This is the house in which they lived until Hall's death at the young age of 35. The house is beautiful with many of the Jacobean fixtures and fittings still in tact.

That evening we had dinner in the oldest pub in Stratford, The Garrick Inn. The food was delicious and the staff were so friendly. We got back to the B&B quite early and after looking at the photos from the day we went straight to sleep.

The next day our adventures continued with a visit to the amazing Warwick Castle. It was so interesting and there was much there was to see and do. The castle dates right back to 1068 when William the Conqueror ordered the building of the mound and garrison. Since then the castle has been built up and re-built. It certainly is a breath-taking structure and so full of history.

We saw archers, knights and various other people dressed up to resemble historical characters. We wandered around the grounds and inside the castle its self where there are countless works of art, beautiful furniture and wax statues of famous historical figures like Henry VIII and his wives.

At 11am we made out way down to the river to watch a display of the HUGE trebuchet - the largest operational catapult in the world. We were on the other side of the river so it was hard to see exactly what was going on but they explained how the trebuchet works - two man run in two giant wheels in order to push the arm back so it can be loaded and then a series of ropes and pullys are loosened and the arm is thrown forward. They threw a 15kg stone forward about 100 meters. It was pretty impressive and you can imagine what damage they would've done with something more substantial being thrown.

We also saw a bird of prey show - a bird handler talked to the crowd about the birds as he fed them. There was an American bald eagle, a white-tailed sea eagle called Archie, a young brown eagle owl called Erine and a very impressive vulture called Emma. The show was fantastic - I've never been that close to such amazing creatures.

We did quite a lot of exploring of the castle and it's grounds; I throughly enjoyed it. I would love to go back in the summer to see the jousting.

Plymouth

mazystar — Wed, 1 Apr 2009 23:42:00 GMT

I left Torquay on Monday afternoon and headed further west to Plymouth so I could visit my family who live there - my Granny, Grandad, Auntie Shirley, Uncle Mike, cousins Duncan and Tim, and Tims' wife and three year old daughter, Lucy. I hadn't seen them for TEN YEARS and was eager to re-connect.

Being here has been really lovely. I spent Tuesday and today with Granny and Grandad. On Tuesday they took me up to Totnes which is a pretty quaint little village full of history and lovely old architecture, and today they took me into he city center and around the Barbican (docks and waterfront).

I'm so very grateful, to Shirley and Mike for putting me up in their home and for being so amazingly hospitable and friendly. Since being here I've remember just how much Shirley and I get along and how much we have in common. She really is a wonderful person.

I've been swept away by the love and kindness my family have shown me. I can't believe it had been TEN whole years since I'd last seen them. Before I arrived part of me was really apprehensive about seeing everyone again and I'm not even sure why. I had no need to worry about anything as my Plymouth family have always been and remain to be amazing folk. :)

On Tuesday night Duncan came around for a quick visit and that was lovely. It was really cool to see him again. And last night Tim brought around little Lucy who is ADORABLE!! She's a shy little thing and didn't want to look at me (until I bribed her with a chocolate egg. hehe). She seems a very bright and unique little girl as well. It was fantastic to see her and to see Tim.

I've really enjoyed my time in Plymouth and it's a shame I can't spend any more time here, but I'm planning to come back before I go to America and will pop back all the time once I move to London.

Back to London tomorrow. I hope I get a train with a plug for my laptop so I can watch a film!!! :D

Torquay

mazystar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:35:00 GMT

I've throughly enjoyed my weekend here in Torquay. I came down on Friday afternoon. I left at about 1pm and after a rather epic train journey, I arrived at Torquay train station and was greeted by my friend Dave who I met when he was living in Sydney.

Dave had kindly agreed to have me stay with him for the weekend and even gave up his bed for me. So very sweet of him. :)

After a lovely dinner (curry - the national dish) with Daves family, we went out to the local pub for a quiz night. Here I met lots of Daves friends and John (who I've known for a while since I got to England) arrived from Guilford.

The quiz was amazing fun. The guy that runs it is crazy fun - he laughs and shouts and dances around. I found out not long after getting there that John (not Guilford John, another one) had put my name on the list to be a contestant on the quiz!! ARGH!! :D I was called up after about three rounds of the quiz and after I was introduced to the pub the sound guy played 'Tie me Kangaroo Down' by Rolf Harris. Which is totally the worst song ever written by just about anyone. Hee hee. It was pretty funny though even if I did go bright red! It was all in the name of good fun.

The quiz was pretty much just answering questions from trivial pursuit and the first person to press their buzzer gets to answer and if you get the question right you get a card (just cards from a normal deck of cards) and you have to get PONTOON (so, 21) to win the round.

I answered ONE question (after someone had shouted the answer out anyway hehe) and then I got given a card and I won my round with basically no effot whatsoever.

Sadly I didn't win anything nor did I get through the semi-finals but it was lots of fun. After the quiz (the pub shut at about 11pm) a few of us headed into town and went to a club called Trents and had a few more drinks and a bit of a chat. It was a very good night but I think I was painfully aware of the fact we had to do it all again the next night and I really didn't want to burn my self out so I kept my drinks to a minium.

The next day John (who was also staying at Daves), Dave and my self went for a walk down to the harbour and on the beach. It was a lovely day mostly but the weather kept changing from sun to rain and then back again. I took some photos and we had coffee and food in a cafe by the water. It was a lovely afternoon.

In the evening after we all dressed up we headed over to Lisas. The main reason I've come down to Torquay is for GEORGIAS birthday and the party she had was a joint one with Lisa who I met on the Friday. We spent a few hours at Lisas and then got a huge taxi into town to eat MEXICAN food at Jingles! The food was delicious and the portions were bloody HUGE! I seriously couldn't eat all of my huge plate of nachos even though they were so delicious. It was painful to leave them!

After dinner we all pilled into a STREACH HUMMER. Yes you read correctly, a massive streach hummer. There was lots of room in there and I think there was about 18 of us so it's a good thing there was lots of room. It was a fun filled hour just driving around and having glasses of champers.

After the hummer fun we went to Trents again and spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying the music. It was a really great night out and I've really enjoyed meeting new people and seeing Torquay. I really like it down here actually.

Tomorrow I'm off to Plymouth which is very exciting. I can't wait to see the family again!! Its been TEN YEARS!!

By the Seaside

mazystar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:06:00 GMT

I wanted to visit the seaside and at the recommendation of a friend, I decided to take a short trip to the quaint little seaside town of Broadstairs, on the Isle of Thanet in East Kent.

Not knowing much about the town I was intending to visit, I looked it up on the internet and soon discovered it was where Charles Dickens spent much of his adult life. I felt excited to be visiting such a historically significant town - especially since Dickens is one of my favorite authors.

Getting the train turned out to be quite a nightmare and I no longer think well of British Rail. I ended up having to change trains because the website didn't clearly state that although you can pick up your ticket from Euston Station, that doesn't mean you can get the train from there.

Eventually however, I boarded the train at Victoria and began my journey through the beautiful Kent country side. I was very lucky with the weather because although it had been raining earlier in the day it had since cleared up and the sky was awash with a lovely mixture of grey fluffy clouds and golden afternoon sunshine.

The train to Broadstairs took about two hours and when I arrived I went straight to my guesthouse - The Copperfields Vegetarian Guesthouse. Somewhat of an odd name really isn't it? Copperfields is owned by local couple Sue and Roger who run it based on eco-friendly and vegetarian ideals. They do not serve meat for breakfast and use as many recyclable/biodegradable products as is possible.

As soon as I stepped through the door I was impressed. Sue is a lovely woman with a broad smile and an inviting manner. She greeted me and took me straight up to my room.The room was filled with personal touches like books, quirky ornaments and unique furniture. It was such a unique and homely place to be. (Certainly no faceless Holiday Inn!)

After I checked in I went straight to the cliffs and walked all around them, the beach and the town. The main beach was mostly sand and seaweed accentuated by large patches of white rocks (due to high calcium carbonate content). I walked for hours and as the sun went down the sky went from blue to orange. I felt an incredible wave of happiness as I looked out at the ocean. I felt a strong feeling of insignificance and yet joy. Happy to be alive and out in the beautiful world.

I walked around Viking Bay, up the side of the white cliffs and along the path back towards Bleak House - former home of Charles Dickens and the inspiration for one of his most famous novels (bet you can't guess which one.) It used to be a museum dedicated to Dickens and his work but sadly the house is now privately owned. You can walk around it through and I imagine the owners must tire of tourists taking photos - as I did.

When I was back in the center of town I came across TWO other houses that were adorned with signs claiming to have once been the home of Charles Dickens. He must have owned quite a few of the houses in town, or else he moved a lot. It was very interesting seeing all of the lovely 17-19 century houses. There is indeed a lot of history in Broadstairs.

Tomorrow I will visit the Dickens museum (now relocated to the highstreet overlooking the sea) and doing some more walking around town. :) A lot of people say that England doesn't have nice beaches - but I think that is VERY wrong after the amazing day I had.

Sure the beaches here are different to those we have in Australia; and Broadstairs is no "resort town" - but there is a raw, ruggaged breath-taking beauty about the rocks and the wind-swept cliffs that I love.

Walking Tour + Merrion Square

mazystar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:21:00 GMT

Sometimes one can feel lost while traveling. Unsure of the future and rather unstable when it comes to social and financial aspects.

I don't want to go home although I miss the people back in Sydney terribly. I love traveling even though there are obviously good and bad times, just like everything else. I have now been away from home for almost six months.

Coming to Dublin has just made me realise just how comfortable I feel in London. Even though it's shit. How do I explain what I mean? Hahaha. Well my old housemate who now lives in there (Umba) said this the other day - "London is horrible. I feel right at home." :D

Not that I don't like Dublin - quite the contrary. It is more like coming to Dublin feels like TRAVELING whereas being in London made me feel like I should be working and settled. I felt comfortable finding my way around and going about day to day life.

Apart from anything else and as strange as it might seem, being in London for a month - I felt at home. Although I do miss Australian people, blue skies, beaches and sunshine, and it is a VERY expensive and overcrowded city - I have mates in London...public transport is fantastic, the city is small and there is just SO much to see and do. Pros and cons as with anywhere.

I'm wondering if I will be drawn to move there after my trip to the U.S. Even so...I still feel like my life is on hold sometimes. I'm a positive person, but I can't help but wonder what the hell I will do when my money runs out and I have to settle down somewhere. This is going to be VERY hard in the present climate of world economics. Especially in London of all places. Jobs are scarce and I've never LIKED working in general (HA!) I'm sure that if I DO move there, the only job I 'll be able to get will be awfully menial and probably minimum wage.

My travels are going well at the moment though. Dublin is a lovely city and I've really been enjoying the change in environment from London. Its been great to see Heather again. I'm so grateful for her hospitality as I'm sure it's not easy having a house guest for two whole weeks. Heathers housemates Eion and Connor, are lovely guys who've made me feel right at home and been a great laugh.

The only annoying thing here is the climate! I don't mind the cold but its made my car accident injuries play up. My back has been hurting more than usual and my legs and knees are often very stiff after going out for walks in the cold. Yesterday the rain and wind was so freezing that our hands were stiff and red for ages once we got back inside to the warmth. It's even colder than London here and it only just started getting warmer there before I left! Having said that I have noticed more and more SPRING blooms around the place - daffodils, snowdrops and bluebells. Lovely. :)

The history of Dublin is extra interesting. Today Heather and I went on Sinn Féin's Walking Tour of 'Rebel' Dublin. This is a tour run by the Irish Republican party, Sinn Féin.

The tour guide was very well spoken and as we walked around Parnell Square and O'Connell Street we were told of the history of the Republican, Nationalist and Union movements here in Dublin as well as stories of the 1916 Easter Rising and The 1798 Rebellion. The guide pointed out buildings used by important figures such as James Connolly, Theobald Wolfe Tone and Kevin Barry.

It was an enthralling tour and its certainly given me much more of an interest in Irish history; something I know little about.

Yesterday was another historial walking tour - we spent the late afternoon walking around St. Stephen's Green and Merrion Square. Merrion Square are the four streets that surround Merrion Square Park where there many historically significant buildings - including the house where The Duke of Wellington was born and the 1855 to 1878 home of Oscar Wilde.

The large Georgian terraces with their tall windows, colorful grand doorways and cast Iron Boot Scraper hold so much history that it's quite possible to picture exactly what it wouldn't been like in 19th century Dublin. It's indcredable to be walking the same streets (although now with added tarmac) that were walked by James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde and other fascinating historical figures.

Tomorrow I'm thinking of going to the Ireland Film Center and perhaps the Dublin Arts and History Museum. Surely it will be another lovely day in Dublin, although hopefully it'll be a tad warmer. :)

Dublin

mazystar — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:33:00 GMT

I arrived in Dublin on the 4th and since then have been having a wonderful time seeing the city and visiting my friend Heather who I haven't seen for about a year (since she moved here). Its been so fantastic to see her again.

On my first day Heather took me to St. Michan's Church - a short walk away and home of a crypt that holds a number of bodies that have barely decomposed because of the dry atmosphere created by the church's magnesian limestone walls. The oldest body in the crypt is 800 years old and it is thought that he died during the crusades. In the same room as him lies three other bodies - two men and one woman. These three bodies are thought to be 400 years old but little else is known about their history and identity.

Together the four bodies lie on broken coffins on the floor of one of the crypts smaller vaults. These bodies are only on display because their coffins broke open due to over crowding in the vaults. (Coffins were stacked up and the pressure of so many on top of one another must have broken open these four coffins).

So we were able to see these spooky preserved bodies and even walk into the tiny room that holds them and TOUCH the hand of the 800 year old crusader. Doing so is said to be good luck - indeed his right index finger is worn down and feels almost like petrified wood (and very cold!) So there you go. I can now say I have touched the hand of a crusader that died over 800 years ago! Very cool indeed. :)

Apart from walking around the city and generally hanging out with Heather and her friends here we have also been to the Guinness Brewery. Yesterday we went along in the evening - 16Euros and you get a "free" Guinness when you get to the top of the building. Walking around was pretty interesting - although an entire Museum dedicated to a stout does seem a little strange. It's loads of fun and of course has much to do with the history of Dublin. They have now been making Guinness for 250 years!

I'm really enjoying Dublin so far. It's a charming and very small city with quaint cobble stone streets, lovely little pubs, friendly people and a tremendous sense of history.

London Update + Brighton Weekend

mazystar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:46:00 GMT

The past few weeks in London have been pretty fantastic. I've caught up with a lot of friends, been to some amazing places and done lots of walking around Central London. Its been great to catch up with people, some of whom I haven't seen in years. (Including Quientin who I met in hosptial and haven't seen for four years!)

I've been living at Georgia's house in Willesden Green which is only about 15mins out of Central London by tube. (Or two hours out if the Jubilee Line is down - which seems to be every weekend!)

I've been feeling very at home in London - there's plenty to do and see and I have a lot of mates here at the moment. But I suppose the down side of feeling at home is that I've been getting very bored. I feel as if I should be working or doing something more substantial that just being a tourist. It’s hard to know what to do during the week when I have what feels like TOO MUCH spare time on my hands.

I miss the every day challenges of traveling in Asia. (Despite the excitement of my attempted mugging a few weeks ago.)

Although I do have my trip to Ireland on the 4^th to look forward to – I’ll be staying with my friend Heather in Dublin. I can’t wait. :)

I had a great time this weekend in Brighton with an old friend from Sydney, Bryan. We hadn't seen each other in over two years, so it was so fantastic to catch up. I got the train down from London and Bryan got the train across from Portsmouth where he’s been living for the past five months.

We met at the station and after grabbing a quick pint we went to check into our guesthouse. Apart from a review that said the pillows smelt of bacon, the guesthouse we stayed in has quite a good reputation and is quite cheap. We checked in, smelt the pillows (they were fine), got changed and then went out on the town.

The night life in Brighton is bustling and there is something for everyone - clubs, pubs and of course a thriving gay scene. We started off the night with a few pints in several quiet, quirky pubs. We walked around the city for most of the evening stopping for a pint where ever looked good. It was a great night although I’m sure Bryan and I probably had one too many pints. We cetainly felt it in the morning!

The next day we woke up fairly early and after a lovely breakfast by the waterfront, we walked along the beach and along the famous Brighton Pier. We got ice cream, went on the dodgems and just soaked up the sun shine. We were so lucky with the weather - I haven't seen such a beautiful day the entire time I've been in England! The sun was out, the sky was blue and it was warm. Perfect.

After a lovely lunch in a quaint little pub on one of the cobble stone shopping streets in the middle of town, we went to the Art Museum, The Brighton Pavilion and looked in some of the cool kitch retro style shops that Brighton has become famous for. It was a very relaxing, carefree afternoon and I really enjoyed it. Brighton is such a funky little city and seeing it with Bryan made it all the more special.

In the evening we went along to a cabaret showcase at a pub called The Little Marlborough. We watched a few bands but after a while I started getting a head ache and went back to the hotel, leaving Bryan at the pub.

On Sunday we wandered around the city once again and checked out more shops as well as some amazing street art (including a Banksy oringial!) Such a fun weekend - I was sad to leave but I'm sure I'll go back to Brighton some day.

Welcome to the Jungle

mazystar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:22:00 GMT

An over dramatic title perhaps?

On Tuesday evening Georgia and I were sat in a nice Indian restaurant chatting over a curry; when a man casually walked in, grabbed my bag and RAN out the door.

This restaurant had two heavy glass doors (to keep in the heat) and he was half way through the second door when I jumped out of my seat, grabbed him and tackled him. He kind of pushed me back a little, I fell on my knees and he kept running.

Straight away I picked my self up again and bolted after him screaming "STOP THAT MAN!!" A few people in the street starting yelling as well (bless them!) and a man on a bicycle rode right in front of him and forced him to turn right... into a dead end. I could see him panicking now that the whole street was taking notice and he was basically cornered. He threw my bag on the ground and ran left across the road.

People were still yelling after him and the man on the bike called after his friend to see if they could find out where the man had gone. I picked up my bag and checked it - nothing was missing. I walked back to the restaurant and one of the other customers handed me my hat back and everyone expressed amazement over what had just occurred.

It doesn't quite feel as if it even happened. When something like that happens it's all a blur. I'm just so pleased that it all ended well. I'm reminded that the bag-snatcher might have had a weapon (although generally they're too scared or high to bother with such things) or that he might have gotten away with my bag, which would've been a huge inconvenience for me.

I can't believe the cheek of this guy to waltz into a restaurant and snatch someones bag!! Also this is a tad ironic for me after four months in Asia.

Anyway - apart from the atempted mugging my first week in London has been fantastic. I've been catching up with friends, seeing some of the sights and I have now moved into a spare room in Georgias house (thank you Georgia!) This will no doubt save me money as rent is considerably cheaper than staying in London hostels. Also I now have some of the home comforts that I have been dearly missing over the past four months. Living with Georgia is also going to be great fun - she really is a wonderful person.

Over the next week I'm going to sort out excactly what I'm going to be doing in London. Working, living or leaving...

London

mazystar — Sat, 7 Feb 2009 11:45:00 GMT

The flight from Bangkok to Dusseldorf and then to Stansted, London was long and boring. I'm sure I don't need to describe it - you know what's involved in a 15hr flight. No sleep, terrible in-flight movies, jet-lag, customs officers asking stupid questions, waiting in lines...etc etc etc.

I arrived at Stansted Airport on the 4th at about 8pm and got a coach into the city and the tube to Russell Square. After finding my poorly sign-posted hostel I checked in and went straight to sleep.

The next day I went walking around the city with an Australian girl I'd met at the hostel - Michelle. She knows the city fairly well after living here for seven months so she showed me Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and a few other places. It was nice to have someone to talk to and Michelle is a very friendly and warm person, so I'm glad we met.

That evening I bought an oyster card (a pay as you go card for London transport) and made my way via tube and bus to Umba and Ane's place in Harringey. Umba met me at the bus stop and the evening quickly turned into a blur of laughter, pizza, beers and catching up over the past year and a half since the three of us lived together on Alice Street in Newtown. It was lovely to see them again and it's always nice to see that some things - like the generosity of my former housemates - never change.

The next day Michelle and I had breakfast in a very British canteen style cafe and then we went walking again. This time we walked over Waterloo Bridge, past the London Eye, over Westminster Bridge and past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. We walked around for a good few hours but Michelle was due to start work at 3pm, so we had a quick drink at Leicester Square and said good bye.

After jumping on the internet to make sure I'd gotten the address correct, I got the tube to Covent Garden and found RULES - the oldest restaurant in London (established in 1798 - only 28 short years after Australia was established!) and where my Australian friend Tara works. She greeted me at the door and told me to wait for her in the upstairs bar. It’s no exaggeration to say that Rules is a feast for the eyes – low Tudor style ceilings, red velvet couches, rose buds carved into dark oak, crystal chandeliers - all bathed in the light of a roaring fire. It is quintessentially British.

I ordered a glass of South African merlot and I sat by the fire to wait for Tara to finish her shift. Hahaha, I'm SO CLASSY! In a few days I went from being a dirty backpacker to drinking merlot in this posh joint! Life is a funny thing. ;)

When Tara finished, she joined me in a few glasses of wine and we were able to chat about our travels and catch up. It was lovely to see her again and although we never had the opportunity to become close when we knew each other in Sydney (Tara is an old friend's sister) it's nice to know that even an acquaintance can be welcoming and friendly when youire on the other side of the world. :)

After a few drinks we caught the tube east and Tara showed me her part of London – Brick Lane, Bethnal Green, Whitechaple High Street etc. We went back to her little apartment for a few more drinks before we headed out to a famous curry house just off Brick Lane. (I can't for the life of me remember the name, but that may be because we'd had quite a few glasses of wine by the time we made it out to eat.)

The food was delicious and it was just wonderful to talk to Tara who is a down-to-earth, happy, warm person and a joy to be around. I got back to the hostel in a cab (my first London cab ride!) and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I've got quite a few more friends to catch up with here in London and I'm very much looking forward to seeing all of them, especially if it means seeing parts of the city I wouldn't normally see as a tourist.

After four months in Asia - coming to London is almost like coming home. It feels easier and I'm happy I can blend into a crowd again without it being so obvious that I'm a tourist.

The Bangkok Blues

mazystar — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:59:00 GMT

I've been in Bangkok for 24hrs now and I've been feeling a bit useless again - mainly because of the heat, the expensive hostel rooms, the tiny streets and the overbearing, swarming, constant crowds.

I left Sihanoukville for Phnom Penh on the 24th. The bus trip was fairly standard - a bumpy road, no leg room, screaming children, loud Khmer pop music emanating from the television at the front of the bus and of course - the constant beeping of the ear piercing bus horn. We swerved to miss all manner of things on the road; herds of cows, pedestrians, chickens, motorbikes, trucks overflowing with whatever they happened to be carrying and at one point we had to stop to avoid a toddler who'd wandered onto the road; naked from the waist down, his mother screaming as she ran out to get him.

After four months in Asia I've become quite patient and none of this shocked or annoyed me. On such noisy trips you can't read, sleep or even just sit and think. You're constantly aware of your situation so it really is just like sitting on a bus for hours. Luckily this bus trip was only about 4-5hrs so it was one of the better ones.

I only stayed one night in Phnom Penh which was just enough time to book my flight to Bangkok and say my good byes to Cambodia with one last gin and tonic at the Foreign Correspondent's Club and a stroll by the river.

The flight to Bangkok was short and trouble free - I even got a quite delicious dinner with organic red rice and curried Thai fish! Yummy! I arrived in Bangkok at 9pm and got a registered taxi straight to Khao San Road to find a hotel. A lot of places around this area are full which seemed pretty strange to me. I thought tourism in Bangkok would be suffering because of the protest troubles late last year. It seems, as ever, tourism is alive and well in BK. If only because it's the largest city in South East Asia and a stop over for many in transit.

The streets are filled with backpackers, hawkers, buskers and at night - prostitutes and drug dealers shamelessly skulk around in full view of everyone.

Because of its state of development, Bangkok reminds me of Hong Kong - except it's more spread out and there aren't as many high rise buildings. It's like a cross between Hanoi, Shanghai and Hong Kong...Everything is western and geared towards tourism, and it's just SO DAMN CROWDED.

Today was my first day here and I managed to get quite a lot done including printing out my British visa application form, sending a bunch of stuff home as well as a birthday present for my sister and I even got my existing tattoo extended!! (See photo)

Khao San Road is the place everyone said is the best to stay. Everything you need is within walking distance, there are loads of friendly backpackers and although it's not exactly keeping it real (as in not very Thai) it's a fun place to stay if only for a few days, especially between transit.

I don't much like it much my self. There are just too many people. I stayed in a hostel on the road last night and this morning decided it was best to move one street over. I miss the quiet of Luang Prabang and Laos in general. Still, over the next few days I will get out and see the sights of Bangkok as well as organising my U.K. visa/flights etc.

As it turns out I've got a friend who is here and tomorrow I'm meeting him for drinks. Lyb and Graeme are also due to arrive on the 28th - so I'm sure I'll have much to do before my flight to London which will be in about 8-9 days if all goes to plan. :)

PS: HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!! :)

The past....

mazystar — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:58:00 GMT

Before I went away I would often feel like the best and most interesting parts of my life were still to come. The part when I forge a path for my self either with a chosen career, a recognised talent or the dive into the deep waters of a long university degree.

I felt like my life was in a perpetual state of procrastination...and that SURELY everything I wanted and needed to do for a happy life was yet to be done.

But I've realised that I have already had a pretty interesting life. No more interesting than anyone else's of course; but nevertheless interesting to me. I do smile when I look back at the life I've already lived - bad times and all.

I shouldn't be concerned with what will happen in the future and I should only look back on the past with favor. Everything that's happened has led to this point and therefore all the bullshit was totally worth it.

Why should I think that the best parts haven't begun yet? They begun 24 years ago.

Poverty in Cambodia

mazystar — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:13:00 GMT

There are approximately 14,000 to 24,000 street children living in Cambodia. In Phnom Penh alone there are between 10,000 and 20,000 living and working on the streets.

They sell bracelets, guide books, fruit, key rings, postcards, sunglasses, necklaces...the list goes on. They approach you on the beach, sitting outside restaurants, walking along the street, in internet cafes and anywhere else you might be. Their eyes are sad and their clothes are worn. Sometimes they have tattered shoes clinging to their filthy feet, other times they have none at all. Sometimes they are quiet and move from person to person without uttering a word. Other times they shout in shrill voices about what they have for sale.

I've read that it is best not to buy from the children because it only teaches them to be dependent on tourists for survival and discourages them from attending school or getting help from the numerous organisations slowly being set up around the country.
But Lonely Planet and some other guide books say you should buy from the kids because you're getting something you need and helping a child at the same time.

I am torn between not being able to CONSTANTLY refuse children (especially the ones in Sihanoukville who WILL NOT leave you alone until you buy something) and my desire to not want to be part of the problem. It's very hard to say no to a small child.

I know that it must be hard for the kids getting thrown into the "work force" sometimes as young as three or four. I want to help them. I want them to get to school and grow up knowing about the world and being happy. Not spending their lives wandering the streets selling plastic nic-knacks to fat, lazy tourists.

I've given to or bought things from some kids and I feel bad for doing so but I would have felt bad if I didn't. I also buy presents for people back home from little shops that claim to be part of organisations that give a percentage of the money they make to street children.
I wonder what is better? I know that 99% of the money that the street kids make directly, doesn't even affect them. They give it to their parents or who ever looks after them. I wonder what parent could send their children out to work when surely they could make enough money in a place with HUNDREDS of tourists to sell to.

I've spoken to kids who tell me that everyone in their family works. One little girl who was eight years of age told me she has seven brothers and sister who all work. The youngest being four. They all go to Khmer school in the morning, work during the day and go to English school in the evening. I asked her if her parents work and she said her Dad does.

Maybe these families need the money from all the kids as well as the money from the parents. Then they can get to school.

I've met other kids who have told me they learn all the English they know from tourists. I wonder who taught them to say "The dingo stole my baby!!" when I tell them I'm Australian.

In Phnom Penh there are clusters of families that sleep on the streets. Usually single mothers with anywhere from one to five small children and babies. They do not sleep in corners or doorways or parks. They sleep on the side of busy streets, day and night.
I want to cry when I see them. It's a cruel world that lets babies sleep naked on the streets without so much as a nappy. And they say it's best NOT to give to them. I don't know what to do. I know that if I was to give to all of them I'd have no money left. But then I look into their eyes and I want to give them all the money in my wallet. I've seen poverty before but I don't think I've ever seen anything like the desperate poverty of Cambodia.

The smaller towns in the country of Cambodia are filthy. Waste flows directly into the small canals along the side of the road and there is rubbish everywhere. Naked toddlers play in ditches with muddy plastic bags and old styrofoam containers. But the older children cycle to school and the people along the streets smile because they are surviving. There are no people sleeping on the streets in the country. To live out there you have to be at least able to survive.

Really bad poverty is attracted to cities where people might have a chance of making some money from passing tourists. In Phnom Penn the streets might be cleaner but poverty is rife.

On the bus into Phnom Penn we drove past what can only be described as a 'shanty town'. Right in the city - a block of brown dusty land littered with tiny shacks made from anything possible. Tarpaulins, rusted sheets of corrugated iron, old wooden doors...all nailed together to make a tiny living space for an entire family, or more. There would be no sewerage or clean water. There would be no locking doors or windows. It wouldn't be safe from anything. The rain would come in and so would the bugs and diseases.

I have never seen anything like it before except on television...and when you're confronted with it face to face it's quite different.

It's always the children that get to me the most. To know how privileged we are in a country like Australia and then to see such things here in Cambodia. It really is heartbreaking.

Boat tours in Sihanoukville

mazystar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:39:00 GMT

The past two days here in Sihanoukville have been fantastic. Yesterday I went on a boat tour of the Ream National Park.

The tour started with breakfast by the beach at 7am. I sat and watched the cafe's staff set up for their busy day while I lamented the fact that I could have still be asleep in bed. I was finally presented with my breakfast. One baguette sitting alone on a huge plate. I smothered it in jam and butter in order to take away from the crunchy stale taste.

I am not a morning person at all but I don't mind getting up early if I am doing something important or interesting. I do not like getting up at 6am for a stale bit of bread. I couldn't help but think that this the day was doomed to failure.

After a half an hour bus ride through the streets of downtown Sihanoukville and into the country side, we arrived at the Ream National Park ranger station. Here we met our ranger guide, had a quick toilet break and boarded the tiny junk boat that would take us down the Prek Tuk Sap Estuary.

I ended up being the very last person to climb aboard the boat so I had to sit in between an old Italian couple who kept talking over me even though I had asked them several times if they wanted to sit together. They passed cameras, bottles, half eaten fruit and guide books inches away from my face. It was going to be a LONG boat ride.

On the way down the river our guide pointed out sea eagles, storks and egrets, and when we got past all of the mangroves and into the bay, our guide started shouting "dolphins! dolphins!" We all looked but saw nothing. He kept seeing them but no body else did. An Australian woman at the back of the boat said quite loudly "There aren't any dolphins! He's lying!" (Bloody Australians!) Seconds later we saw a silver fin shining above the water for a split second and everyone held their breath to see if it would surface again. The boats motor was turned off and we floated, listening to nothing but the gentle lapping of the water. A few minuets past and the guide said that it was probably the wind that was keeping the dolphins below the water. I had no idea that dolphins didn't like the wind.

We jugged on to our first destination - one of the national park's beautiful golden beaches. Some people swam, others sun bathed and I sat on the sand and read my book. After an hour we were told we were going on our trek through the jungle and to the other side of the peninsular. I was worried at this point because I was wearing only thongs and I wasn't sure what the track would be like. I needn't have worried. Our apparent "trek through the jungle" turned out to be nothing more than a casual stroll down a sandy, tree-lined path. As the group walked, I chatted to a young British woman called Louise who was walking in front of me.

After the "trek" we had lunch at the dolphin watching station, which is a wooden building sitting on stilts about two meters out from the shore line. Lunch was a barracuda steak, coleslaw and (as usual) a stale baguette. Poor Louise had to settle for only, what she called, a cabbage sandwich because she is a vegetarian and couldn't eat the fish. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a vegetarian in some Asia countries. Especially in China where vegetarian fried rice comes complete with squares of pork. Louise said it was usually only hard when it comes to day tours and that she usually gets by with veggies and fruit.

When lunch was finished we all jumped back onto the boat. A few minuets later the motor whirred and we were stuck on a sand bank. The guide had told us as we were leaving that if this happened he would ask for the men to help push the boat. (He also said the women didn't have to help and could stay in the boat. None of the women complained when they heard this.)

Everyone watched as the guide and the driver pushed with oars trying to free the boat from the sand bank. A few of the men asked if they needed a hand but after the guide jumped into the water and gave the boat one big push to the right, we fell off the sand bank and into deeper water.

The ride back was much more enjoyable. I sat at the front of the boat with Louise and a young Australian couple - Lauren and Steve - and we all talked. Louise and I even discovered we were staying at the same guesthouse, which was quite a coincidence considering how many places there are to stay in Sihanoukville.

Once back at the ranger station we were slowly ushered into a few vans and four-wheel-drives, and driven half an hour back to town.

In the evening Louise and I decided to go out for dinner so we found a quiet little restaurant away from the beach that had Khmer coconut curry served INSIDE a hollowed out coconut. Even despite the novelty of having ones meal served inside a coconut, the meal was DELICIOUS and satisfying and both Louise and I were clutching our fully bellies afterwards. As we were sitting at our table talking; Greg walked by, which was a fantastic surprise and when Louise left for the guesthouse Greg and I caught up over a few beers.

The next morning I dragged my self out of bed at 7am, showered, dressed and went to the guesthouse reception to ask where I was suppose to be to start my island boat tour. One of the Khmer staff told me my ride was late. He apologised and told me to sit while he called the driver. The exchange of words sounded quite fiery but in a few seconds the driver was there. I carefully climbed onto the back of the moto (THIRD time on a motorbike and counting!) and asked the driver to go slowly. To the drivers credit he did go slowly ... but the ride was only to the top of the street! I could have walked there in THREE MINUETS! I wondered why it had been so important to stop this poor moto driver from doing whatever it was he was doing so he could come and driver me to the end of the road. Hahaha.

At breakfast I sat with two Australia women – Ashley and Julie who were work mates traveling South East Asia together on a few weeks holiday. It turned out that both are from the same area in Sydney that I lived in for years – one from Chippendale and the other from Newtown. I have met lots of people from Sydney but so far no one from Newtown. It really is such a small world...especially when you can be in another country and have someone ask you about your local pubs like The Townie and The Lansdowne. :)

(Oh and what was for breakfast? You guessed it – one stale baguette each. Yum, yum.)

After breakfast we made our way down to the beach and to our boat. I sat with Julie and Ashley at the back but we couldn’t talk due to the noise of the motor. As we jugged along I stared out at the vastness of the calm ocean with the morning sunlight dancing along the blue water’s slight ripples. Even despite the very motor, it was still peaceful and relaxing. Our small boat was carrying about 11 people in total most of whom were young backpackers. An Aussie couple, two French women, two Scottish guys, three young Khmer guides, Julie, Ashley and my self.

We soon stopped about two meters from the rocky shore of a small island. Once here our guide handed out snorkels and told us we could snorkel closer to the shore or just swim around the boat where the water was about 2-3 meters deep. When people jumped into the water, the tiny boat leaned to one side and then rocked quite dramatically from side to side for a few seconds. The water was warm and I swam around for about half an hour before getting back onto the boat.

Our next destination was Bamboo Island where Julie, Ashley and I did some snorkeling and walked around the beach – being careful not to step on any sea urchins as we went. Lunch was served in the shade on the beach and consisted of barracuda steak, coleslaw and a baguette. Sounds familiar right? It was exactly the same as the lunch I got for the national park tour! Hehehe. It was nice enough though, especially with chili sauce!

Bamboo Island is one of the smaller islands in the bay of Sihanoukville, and it became obvious to us just how small it is when we walked an entire 10mins to get to the other side. Few if any people actually LIVE on the island but you can rent bungalows along the beach if you’re lucky enough to secure a reservation. The beach on the BAY side of the island is clear of sea debris like bits of coral and urchins so we all felt a lot safer just paddling in the calm, shallow water without the threat of stepping on something and needing to go to hospital.

I talked to Julie and Ashley, and the three of us bobbed around in the water and bathed in the sunshine. It was just a lovely, relaxing afternoon with some awesome people, in a beautiful place. What more could you ask for? :)

The boat trip back to Serendipity Beach was noisy again and this time everyone was feeling quite tired from having the sun on them all day. (It’s a hard life! Woe!) Some people read others watched the water and the passing islands and our guide passed around plates of squared banana and pineapple.

Back on dry land Julie, Ashley and I decided to meet up later on for a drink and I wandered off into town to check my emails and buy my ticket out of Sihanoukville. I bought an 8:45am bus ticket to Phnom Penh leaving the next day.

I enjoyed my time in Sihanoukville but I really feel that it’s time to move on now. My next destination after Phnom Penh will be Bangkok where I will organise the next leg of my journey – my U.K. trip. I have visas, flights and accommodation to sort out and Bangkok is b y far the best place in South East Asia to do this.

Although I did have some low points of my trip in Cambodia...I will be sad to leave. I have enjoyed my time here. I met some FANTASTIC people, experienced some new things, eaten some great food and see some awe inspiring sights. And I am sure I will come back one day and do it all again. :)

BEACH BEACH BEACH!

mazystar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:47:00 GMT

I didn't realise how much I missed the beach until I got to Sihanoukville. Today I woke up and bounded straight down to the beach. I walked along the entire length of Serendipity Beach; stopping every now and again to wade in the calm crystal blue waters or sit on the golden sand and contemplate the world.

After a good hour and a half wandering on the beach I bumped into Scotty, the Kiwi that I met in Hanoi around Christmas time. I couldn't believe it was him and he and his friend Matt asked me if I would like to come along with them to Ochheuteal Beach, which they said was much more secluded and has some fantastic bars and restaurants.

We set up camp, went for a swim in the beautiful warm, shallow water and I had my self a lovely ice cold pina colada. I haven't had such a relaxing day in AGES. It was lovely to just chill out by the water and bask in the sun. Its also been a long time since I've enjoyed swimming in the ocean so much. In Sydney most of the beaches have fairly big waves and sometimes rocks and rips so it can be pretty dangerous. This beach was just breathtakingly beautiful and very calm.

So I arrived here yesterday from Phenom Penn with Charlie and Greg. We parted ways here basically because the boys want to do their thing and I want to do mine. We were sharing a room in Phenom Penn which made accommodation very cheap but also meant none of us really had much privacy or space. So now that I have my own room I'm able to relax and have some time to my self.

Over the next few days I think I will check out some of the surrounding islands and the national park, and do some more sun baking on the beach. :)

Phnom Penh

mazystar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 06:09:00 GMT

18/01/2009

We've been in Phenom Penn for several days now and I've really enjoyed it. We arrived from Battembang by bus on the 16th and that evening Greg, Charlie and I went out for dinner and then out drinking in the city.

We started at the famous Foreign Correspondents Club on the riverfront where we had a few beers and eyed the delicious looking but expensive food everyone was eating. We needed to eat so we walked along the riverfront looking for a decent bar/restaurant. We stopped for a few beers along the way and eventually made out way to a tiny street filled with bars, cafes and restaurants. We choose Indian food and it was delicious - the best Indian food I've had for a long time and the place was actually run by Indians.

What followed was a hilarious night out on the town going from bar to bar to sample Phenom Penn's night life. There are a lot of prostitutes around (hostesses or ladies of the night as they seemed to be referred to around here) as well as dodgy massage parlors and everyones favorite - old creepy men with young Cambodia women.

Some of them are escorts, others are married and a lot are obviously involved in prostitution. Every time I see it (which is often) it makes me feel really uneasy and I wonder how anyone in that circumstance could be happy. The girls look happy and the guys look VERY happy...but I wonder what anyone is getting out of it that's not money or sex - two very superficial things. Most of them aren't in love and many of the women can't even speak English so there can't be anything to talk about.
The men get their sex and the women get their money so I guess even the marriages are a transaction of sorts. Each to their own.
Still I imagine when you pull back the superficial happiness there would be a lot of misery there. A life without love.

The next day was a bit of a write off for me because of a killer hang over and I spent much of the day in bed listening to Ricky Gervais podcasts on Charlie's Ipod.

Yesterday we visited the genocide museum and the killing fields which made for a very depressing and contemplative day. As we walked around the sunny courtyard of the genocide museum which used to be a prison used by the Khmer Rouge, I thought about how much pain, death and misery had been inflicted within the prison walls. We saw photos of children, women and men who had been tortured and eventually slaughtered, sometimes for nothing more than being educated or living in the city.

20,000 children were killed by the Khmer Rouge. TWENTY THOUSAND. It makes me cry when I think of the children who died for nothing. What had they done wrong? Seeing photos of their faces and the dead, blank look in their eyes...I can't imagine how ANYONE could think it is okay to torture anyone, let alone an innocent child.

At the killing feilds we wandered through the site of mass graves and lay flowers at the memorial. Even the beautiful trees in this area were used for murder. A sign by one tree said the soldiers used to throw children against it until they died of head injuries. Another tree was used to hang large speakers that played noises and music to muffle the screaming and crying of prisoners. It was a sobering day and after walking by the riverside in the afternoon we decided it was time for a few drinks at the good old FCC.

After a few drinks the boys had their hearts set on going to a restaurant they'd read about in Lonely Planet called 'Sugar Palm' - so we found the address and walked off to find it. We walked along the riverbank, down 241 street, 242 street, 243 street... wait, what street was the restaurant on again? 240 street. We walked around for about half an hour looking for the street and when we eventually found the street we thought it was on there was no sign of ANY restaurants at all.

"Let's get a tuk tuk there then," said Greg "If anything they might know where the restaurant is, even if it's just around the corner." So Greg and Charlie stopped a few tuk tuks and no one seemed to know the place. I didn't really expect them to to be honest - Phnom Penh is a big place and I'm sure tuk tuk drivers don't know the name of every restaurant in the city. Greg and Charlie continued to stop drivers and ask them if they knew Sugar Palm - no one seemed to.

Eventually we spoke to a driver who said he knew where it was. We told him the street number and the name of the restaurant and he seemed PRETTY sure. We still had our doubts but we were willing to take a chance so we hopped in the tuk tuk.

After a short while we realised we were going around in circles, doing U-turns and going down the same streets two or three times in a row. The boys starting getting quite annoyed and we were all hungry. It would've been fair enough if the driver had said he didn't know, but he had said he did when he clearly didn't. I think we should've guessed that he didn't know to be honest - but perhaps it was wishful thinking that had pushed us on.

We directed the lost driver to take us back to our guesthouse and when we got out we found our guides and checked the address again. We had certainly driven and walked past where the restaurant was suppose to be and there had been no sign of it. "It probably wouldn't been a huge disappointment if we HAD HAVE found it," I said. "Let's just go somewhere else, eh?"

The boys agreed and we walked off down the riverfront in the opposite direction to where the Sugar Palm debacle had started. Charlie said he thought we should go to a little street he had found the other day. Apparently this street is filled with lovely little bars and restaurants and we would find something there with no problems.
When we got to this lovely little street it was clearly part of the red-light district and the restaurants that by day were lovely little european style street-side cafes, by night turned into sleazy back door establishments that specialized in providing services to any man drunk enough to stumble through the door.

Scantly clad women leaned against every inch of wall available and Greg and I teased Charlie for wanting to come down this particular street. We walked back down towards our guesthouse and eventually chose a very quiet looking Khmer restaurant. We were hungry and it was already past 10pm.

The meal was horrible and just after we had finish a HUGE rat ran straight out of the kitchen and onto the street. Even the rats hadn't liked this place. We all thought about Sugar Palm and what might have been.

The next day we got up early and after breakfast Greg went and bought three tickets to our next destination - Sihanoukville. A beautiful town down south on the coast.

The Boat to Battembang

mazystar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:52:00 GMT

15/01/2009

The boat ride to Battembang was incredible and I'm so glad that I did it. I had heard mixed reviews - some saying it was fantastic and others saying the boat had to turn around and head back to Siem Reap after a few hours.

I woke up at 5:30am and headed down stairs to wait for the van to pick me up and take me to the boat docks. I started talking to two Londoners in the van whom had also been staying in my guesthouse, Charlie and Greg.

The van ride to the boat docks took about half an hour and the van filled with other tourists along the way. The boat wasn't really what I expected. It had two levels, the bottom one with a bathroom and a few seats and the very top (the roof) of the boat with was piled high with luggage and also had a few people sitting up there.

I decided to sit up the top so I could take some photos and better enjoy the scenery, and I was soon joined by Greg and Charlie, who turned out to be amazing company during the trip. We talked about politics, family, British comedy and everything under the sun (literally - I got terrible sunburn sitting on the boat!)

The journey was truly incredible. I loved watching the people in the floating villages and fishing boats jugging past noisily. Kids screamed and waved as we past, some running after the boat and giggling as we waved back. It was a lovely journey.

Once we arrived in Battembang (eight hours after we left!) Greg and Charlie asked me if I'd like to join them and we decided to stay at the same hotel - The Royal Hotel - in town. We checked in and went out for dinner at a wonderful Khmer restaurant. I had a traditional Khmer curry with fish, which was simply delicious.

After dinner we strolled through the practically deserted streets of Battembang looking for The Riverside Bar, a place that has gotten pretty good reviews and is apparently frequented by the likes of Angelina Jolie. If it's good enough for Angie!

The bar was actually really lovely, with soft acoustic music playing in the background and a cool breeze blowing through the bamboo veranda that hung over the riverbank. We had a few beers, talked and I lost a very long winded game of pool. (I could lose pool professionally I'm that good!)

When the evening was coming to a close (which was when the bar closed) we had to get back to our hotel and was confronted with the choice of moto riding or walking. I wouldn't of minded walking but it would've been a LONG way and I was tired and feeling a bit worse for wear after the boat journey. So...I got on the back of a motorbike for the very first time in my entire life. I swore I never would but I did it. The driver was actually very good and Greg kindly told him to take it easy and go slowly because it was my first time on a bike.

The roads were empty and the ride was relativity comfortable and really not as scary as I thought it would be. I couldn't stop smiling when I got off...doing something you NEVER thought you would do and doing it at the spur of the moment...well it's quite amazing. Although riding a motorbike is not that daring a thing to do at all...for me it seems that way. I am glad that I faced my fear. It was the perfect end to a wonderful, adventurous day.

Bad Medicine

mazystar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:21:00 GMT

So my hostel lost some of my clothes. Two shirts and some socks. Then when I told them I wanted to look for them my self they said I had probably not put them in the laundry bag and laughed at me. I felt so angry and it wasn't even about the clothes. It was about being laughed at. They asked me why in hell would they steal my clothes and laughed some more. I said I didn't think they stole them, I was upset because they wouldn't even take responsibility or apoligise. They weren't even NICE to me about it and were talking to each other in Khmer and rolling their eyes.

I checked out this morning after an argument about not paying for the washing of the half of my clothes they didn't lose. Again, it's not the money it's the principal. But all principals go out the window in a country like Cambodia. I just refused to pay for the laundry, said thank you and walked out. There is nothing I can do but grin and bare it. I felt humiliated and sad that people could act so badly towards me when I had done nothing wrong but ask for my property back.

Seam Riep is a lovely city, but together with the losing of some of the few clothes I have and being harassed on the street by hawkers, tuk tuk and moto drivers, restaurant owners and just about everyone else on the streets...I am left feeling quite tired and overwhelmed.

I checked into another guesthouse this morning that is on the aptly named 'Bar Street'. The street is buzzing with life both day and night and has quite pleasant a atmosphere with its mixture of bars, restaurants, street stalls and guesthouses. There is a huge Irish pub downstairs from my guesthouse and tonight I indulged with a large glass of Guinness and a delicious Shepard's pies. The pub was playing Crowded House and Jimi Hendrix so I was in absolute heaven. It was nice to relax. :)

Tomorrow I leave (at 6am!) for Battembang and I'm quite excited about the mode of transport which will carry me there. I have booked a six hour boat ride down the Seam Riep river all the way to Battembang. I love boats and I've been told this is the most scenic rive tour in Cambodia. I can't wait.

The Beautiful Temples of Angkor

mazystar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:12:00 GMT

Today I went to visit the beautiful temples of Angkor just outside of the city of Siem Reap. I organised a tuk tuk through my guesthouse and it was only 12USD for the whole day.

I woke early and went down stairs for breakfast. My guesthouse is full of dogs, cats and at night chit-chat lizards cling to the wall chirping and eating mosquitos. As I ate my breakfast I had a cat in my lap and a dog at my feet.

At 9am I went outside to meet my driver. His name was Han, he had a bright smile and happy eyes. I climmed aboard my 'chariot' and off we went through the busy morning streets of Seam Riep and to the tree lined streets of Angkor.

My first stop was the very grand Angkor Wat; the best preserved temple in Angkor that was build by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. The entrance is a long brick causeway (called the 'Naga Causeway') that stretches over the river and leads through three gates to the main temple buildings. In the grounds and buildings I saw what remains of courtyards, swimming pools, statues and towers. It was amazing to think of the history of the place and what life would have been like for those living there during the rein of the Khmer Empire.

Next stop was the Bayon Temple, a richly decorated smaller temple which was built in the late 12th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. On every stone tower that rises above the main terrace building there are smiling faces looking at you from every direction. These faces are meant to represent the king as the Bodhisattva Lokesvara (enlightened being of compassion).

After a good hour wandering around the beautiful grounds of Bayon, I jumped back into my tuk tuk and told Han to take me to one of the temples further east. We went to Ta Prohm Temple, one of the most famous Angkor temples due to it being a set location for the film Tomb Raider.

Huge silk cotton and strangler trees grandly tower overhead and many of them grow right on top of the ruins; their roots running along the moss covered stone and into the ground.

There were tourists everywhere and it took me quite a while to find an area to my self so I could sit and admire my surroundings. I got quite annoyed with some of the tourists because they were all being so loud, yelling and laughing to each other in such a peaceful place. Silence is never possible when you're visiting a tourist attraction. I wonder what it would be like to wander around the temples of Angkor completely alone.

There are two main groupings of temple buildings and the path that leads from east to west is sandy and lined with tall trees. I passed some mine victims playing traditional Khmer music and I bought one of their CD's for my Dad. It was inspiring to see people who had been through such suffering laughing and playing their music in the sun.

We visited a few other temples in the afternoon. Each time Han waited for me outside and each time I came out I found him fast asleep in the back of the tuk tuk with the sun on his face. Not a bad way to make a buck! I asked him if he enjoyed being a tuk tuk driver and he said he did. I asked him if he had a family and he said he did. Han is a man of few words. :)

We left Angkor in the late afternoon sun and sped through the outskirts of town and back to the guesthouse. It's always a bit scary being in a tuk tuk when it's going fast. Through the city it's never so bad because the traffic is slow, but when you ride one through country streets or on an empty highway it tends to be quite terrifying.
Being that it's an open carriage with no doors, windows or seat belts...there is absolutely nothing to protect you from the cold hard tarmac beneath. Although it still makes me cringe from time to time I have somehow managed to get used to it, and these things don't bother me as much as I thought they would. Adapting to tuk tuks and crazy Asia traffic is something you must do if you don't want a holiday full of panic attacks and swear words.

I had a fantastic dinner after I got home from Angkor. I found an Indian Restaurant in town and had mixed lental dahl, rice and hot nann bread. Delicious!

From Laos to Cambodia

mazystar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:51:00 GMT

My last few days in Luang Prabang and indeed in Laos were restful and relaxing. All I did was stroll around the quiet town and drink banana shakes by the Mekong. Lyb and Graeme left to go further up north in Laos and then across to Thailand so I made the decision to fly to Cambodia, starting in Seam Riep and making my way south through Battembang, Phenom Pen and on to Sihanoukville.

On my last night in Luang Prabang I stayed in a slightly more expensive guest house so I could indulge and rejuvenate my self with a hot shower. It was worth the extra money. In the morning I had the included guesthouse breakfast and it was delicious. Scrambled eggs, hot bread with butter, fresh fruit and coffee with real milk.

The flight from Luang Prabang to Seam Riep only takes about an hour and twenty minuets and it was a pleasant enough flight. We got lunch (or at least it LOOKED like lunch. It didn't TASTE too much like lunch) and I spent most of the flight with my nose in my book.

Seam Riep is brown, dusty and hot. The streets are littered with tuk tuks, motorbikes and four-wheeled-drives covered in mud. I feel like I should be wearing a big sign around my neck that says "NO I do not want a bloody tuk tuk." Everywhere I go I have tuk tuk drivers saying "LADY! You want tuk tuk!" Even if I say no to one the very next driver will ask the same question.

It's very frustrating but all you can do is ignore them. Don't even look in their direction. I've even had a few drivers saying suggestive things to me. Yesterday a motorbike driver asked me if I wanted a "moto or a kiss" and today a tuk tuk driver asked me if I wanted to be his "special friend". It's annoying but as long as it isn't dangerous, which it is if you ignore them, I'm happy enough.

Parts of Seam Riep can be dangerous after dark, but the main parts of town buzz until the early hours and are fairly safe. My guesthouse, Smiley's, is on the outskirts of the main area and down a tiny alley so I don't intend on going out after dark. If I don't feel safe I wouldn't enjoy my self anyway. I believe it's best to take precautions when necessary.

I'm really looking forward to visiting the temples of Angkor tomorrow and getting out to see more of the city.

Elephant Park

mazystar — Thu, 8 Jan 2009 07:57:00 GMT

Luang Prabang has a series of economically and ecologically sustainable community based projects that tourists can enjoy called 'Stay Another Day'. These projects include promotion for the Children's Cultural Centre, where tourists can volunteer their time or donate books and funds; community based textile shops where every cent goes towards helping local villages and there is also The Elephant Park Project. This project is geared towards ecologically sustainable tourism - making sure that the elephants within the park, all of whom have been rescued (usually from loggers), are well looked after. Money paid by each person that visits the park goes towards the elephants upkeep and the development and growth of the park. Being that everyone who works in the park have families living in the nearby village, the money you pay is also going straight into the local community.

On Sunday I booked a day tour at the elephant park (for Wednesday) and had been eagerly awaiting it ever since. At the time of booking I didn't know much about what it would entail because the guy in the tour office was quite vague. I only knew that I was going to spend the day with the elephants.

At 7:45am I made my way to the Tiger Adventures offices on the main street of Luang Prabang to wait for the tour guide. Sitting on the stairs was a friendly middle aged American couple and we struck up a conversation straight away. We were soon joined by a smiling German couple in matching cargo pants, but there was still no sign of our tour guide. At a very late 8:20am our tour guide finally arrived with our tuk tuk and we all piled in.

After swapping tuk tuks and picking up several other people, we were on our way to the elephant camp. The 45min bumpy and very dusty tuk tuk ride was nothing if not crowded, but everyone talked and laughed like old friends. I was sitting in front of a Canadian woman called Steph and after starting a conversation about our travels (she'd come straight from an Australian visit) we hit it off and just couldn't stop talking.

We arrived at the elephant camp just before 10am and were straight away taken to meet the beautiful elephants who were in the middle of a mid-morning snack of sugar cane and pineapple leaves. The guide explained to us that many of the elephants have been rescued and some of them are injured. The one we saw first was lacking sight in her right eye. He explained this was because loggers use elephants for pushing over and clearing trees. I asked him if it was painful for the elephants to carry up to three people at one time on their backs. He smiled and shook his head "No, no. They are very strong. Also they are used to it and are treated very well here. They have a happy life and live until they are very old."

After meeting the elephants we split up into our groups. The lovely American couple left us because they were staying overnight and needed to check in to their lodge. (They gave me their email so I could contact them when I'm in Seattle, isn't that sweet!)

The leftover group (Steph, the German couple and myself) were led by our guide to the nearby village. Small wooden huts lined the red dusty roads and children waved and giggled as we pasted. The guide took us to a tiny roadside shop where a lady was selling sticky rice and mushroom pudding wrapped up in banana leaves. She invited us to try and although I smiled after tasting it, I must say it was very bland.

After strolling back through the village it was time for our elephant ride. Riding an elephant is something I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand I would never want to be a part of the oppression and exploitation of such amazing creatures and I know there are many dodgy elephant tours in Asian countries, but on the other hand I felt better after reading about this particular project and how well the elephants are treated in the park. I was still wondered if carrying around tourists all day is really the best lifestyle for an elephant, but I was constantly reassured by our guide and by the park keepers that the elephants were happy, healthy and safe. I hope this is true.

Steph and I had decided to 'share an elephant' and after climbing up onto the wooden platform we carefully sat on the two person 'seat' that was fastened to our elephant's back. The elephant's keeper (called a 'Mahout') sat on her neck and as we started moving he gently patted her as he whispered into her large floppy ears. I wondered what he was saying and if the elephant could understand him.

Our guide took our cameras and very kindly snapped a few photos of Steph and I giggling as we sat atop our magnificent elephant. He handed our cameras back and then we were off, albeit very slowly. Steph and I continued to talk as the elephant made its way out of the camp and down the slope of the river bank. I felt rather worried as our elephant stumbled down the vertical track to the river, and Steph and I both tried not to look down. (It was terribly high off the ground.)

Once we got into the river the elephant started making happy little trumpet noises and flicking large drops of water backwards with her curly trunk. She must have loved being in the water. The keeper laughed and patted her head.

Mornings in Luang Prabang are generally fairly overcast and by roughly 10-10:30am the clouds clear, revealing a stunning blue sky and warm sun. This has been the case every day since I arrived and I'm not sure exactly why it occurs. The only explanation I could come up with is that LP is in the mountains and the cold air makes clouds, which only dissipate once the sun is warm enough. The clearing of the clouds is obviously a gradual process, but as we sat on our elephant while she wadded through the fresh blue waters of Nam Kahm River, I could have sworn that the clouds parted and the sun came out in only a few seconds. The day was looking beautiful.

The was activity all around us: other elephants were wadding through the waters in front of us, children swam and giggled to our right and to the left women from the village washed their clothes on the rocks. After leaving the water our elephant made her way through the tail-end of the little village and back to the camp. The ride was exhilarating, but feeding the elephants was just incredible. After we had gotten off our elephant (being sure to say thank you!) we had of photo taken with one of the smaller elephants.

Lunch was a vegetarian buffet that we ate in the restaurant by the river. Although it was included in the tour, it was delicious! Lao salad, sticky rice, Lao potato curry and steamed veggies - it was mouth-watering.

After lunch the five of us got a small motor boat and drove 15mins up river to the amazing Kangsi waterfalls. The water in the pools below the falls looks light turquoise in color because it's glacier water that flows down from the mountains above. We dipped our feet in and were immediately struck by how cold it was. A few people had decided to swim but Steph and I decided to lounge in the sun and have a beer. We were only there for half an hour before our guide came to collect us for the next leg of our journey - KAYAKING!

We took a boat back down the river to our waiting kayaking guide. Steph and I picked out our kayak, adorned our selves with life vests and began the journey down river and back to town. Neither of us had used a two person kayak before but I think we got used to it very quickly and together we made a wonderful team. We powered meters in front of the German couple and even our guide, who was in a one person kayak, found it hard to keep up with us.

We were told that the kayak back to town would take us roughly three hours, but I believe it took at least four! It was tiring and very straining for the upper body, but both of us had a lot of fun. We talked the whole way about everything from men to travel. When the water was still we had to paddle very hard to get the kayak moving at all, but when we drifted into raging rapids it was hard not to loose control and flip over.

Being dry season, rocks stuck up out of the water and at times were extremely hard to spot. A few times our plastic kayak stopped abruptly and we smacked into a hidden rock. The first time this happened both Steph and I screamed, not sure if we would tip over or not. But as this kept happening and no tipping occurred, we just laughed. Only once were we truly worried, and that was when we somehow managed to deposit our selves right onto the top middle of a submerged rock. We were stuck. "What do we do?" Steph said, laughing. "I don't want to get out!" I said, "the water is flowing too fast, we might slip and fall on the rocks."

Steph agreed and we set about pushing with our paddles and our feet in order to set our selves free from the rock. Eventually we slipped forward into the rapids and away from the rock. We both cheered as the kayak lurched forward into the waiting current. As the front of of kayak hit the huge waved, walls of water smashed into my face and chest. Our kayak filled up with water and both of us were soaking wet. We went through quite a few more rapids and LOVED every second of it.

It seemed to take us forever to reach our final destination. The guide had informed us that we could stop when we saw a bridge. After about three hours of hard kayaking we were hungry, tied, wet and sore and couldn't WAIT to see this fabled bridge. We kept on going, Steph and I encouraging each other and trying our best to keep paddling. At one point some kids came swimming towards us, "Oh no, what are they going to do?" Steph sounded worried. Giggling, they jumped on the back of our small kayak. We almost tipped backwards and into the water! "ARGH!" I screamed, but all we could do was laugh. It was, of course, impossible to paddle with FOUR people on the tiny kayak, so the kids expectant ride really didn't last more than a few seconds.

It wasn't until after another hour that we finally spotted the bridge. "THE BRIDGE!" we both shouted simultaneously, "I SEE THE BRIDGE!! WOOO!!" Behind us the German couple cheered. I think we were all happy that we could finally have a rest.

Tired, sore, wet and sun burnt, we dragged out kayaks onto the muddy bank by the bridge. Although I was exhausted I couldn't help but smile. "I'm so tired...but that was amazing." I said to Steph and she wholeheartedly agreed.

After taking off our life jackets we jumped into the back of yet another tuk tuk and made our way into the centre of town. Steph and I asked them to drop us by the Tiger Adventure office so we could go across the street to the Scandinavian bakery for hot tea and croissants. I am so happy to have met someone as open and friendly as Steph. I do hope we can stay in touch and see each other again one day.

What an rewarding and full day this was. Most certainly a highlight of the Laos leg of my South East Asian journey. :)

Yoga at Dharamma

mazystar — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 05:13:00 GMT

This morning I woke up before dawn: showered, dressed and then walked down to the Dharamma massage and yoga center for my early morning yoga class by the lily ponds.

The teacher was Meena; a tiny Thai woman with a broad smile and a soft, reassuring voice. The class consisted of a young Australian couple, a young Dutch couple, a middle aged Canadian woman and my self. Being that the sun was only just rising, we all had the appearance of staggering zombies as we stiffly took our yoga mats and spread them on the ground. We set up on the grass in between the lily ponds and the beautiful wooden center building. After Meena took up her position at the front of the class we were ready to get started.

For me, yoga can be both enjoyable and very painful. On the one hand it makes me aware of my bodies limitations - cause by the accident I was involved in a few years ago. As I stretch my bones creak with uncertainly and my nerves tingle painfully...this side of it always makes me rather unhappy and uneasy with my body.

On the other hand doing yoga a celebration of my gratefulness at being able to move like this at all! I feel very lucky that I am able to continue my life with so few injuries. I need to be happier with the level in which my body has recovered and continues to do so.

Being that everyone in this class was basically a beginner, Meena started us off with breathing exercisers and we did an hour and a half of basic yoga poses and stretches. It felt great. I breathed in the sweet morning air and closed my eyes as rays of sun danced through the morning mist.

What a perfect start to the day.

After the class we all sat cross-legged on the floor to talk, drink tea and eat bananas. It was friendly and warm and inviting. Meena gave each of us pointers about how we could more enjoy our yoga and get the most out of our bodies.

I walked back to my guesthouse with a smile on my face. Meena had said during the class - "Try and relax today. Be content." I knew I would be.

Tonic for the Soul

mazystar — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 09:41:00 GMT

An Australian woman I met in Vang Vieng told me she was coming to Luang Prabang because she had heard it described as ‘tonic for the soul’. I’ve been here for less that 24hrs now and I have to say she is right. Luang Prabang is magical.

Encircled by mountains and set on a jutting peninsular with the Mekong River running to the west and the Nam Khan to the east, Luang Prabang is rich in natural beauties, historical sites and cultural wonders. There are the Kuang Si Falls and Pak Ou Caves; elephant rides through the jungle, night markets selling traditional goods, The Luang Prabang National Museum, countless temples and much more.

I arrived yesterday evening after a rather arduous 8hr bus journey through the mountains. Lyb and Graeme had picked a lovely little family run guest house not far from the center of town so when I arrived I booked a room there as well.

I didn’t do too much after I arrived last night, but I did check out the famous Luang Prabang night markets and bought a few pieces of traditional jewelry and a delicious fruit shake (with three types of milk!)

Today I had a much needed sleep in (got up at 9am!) and after breakfast I went for a walk into town. It was a full day - I bought a new camera, booked in for a yoga class on Tuesday and a half day elephant park experience on Wednesday (I get to hang out with ELEPHANTS! I’m SO excited!!), got a traditional Lao massage (HEAVEN!), visited the national museum and three beautiful temples and ate a delicious vegetarian pizza at one of the lovely little French style cafes on the main street.

I'm lovnig Luang Prabang so far and although I did have a great time there, I’m very grateful to have a rest after a week in the party town - Vang Vieng (which is kind of like the Ibizia of Sth Est Asia - gin and tonic for the soul)!

More photos have been uploaded now that I have a brand spanking new camera, which is still a Cannon but is the next model up from my old one (10 mega pixels!)

New Years Eve

mazystar — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 08:53:00 GMT

New Years Eve in Vang Vieng didn't really meet my probably over enthusiastic expectations. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I wanted to at least have fun. It ended up just being more like a high school dance with young drunk people everywhere most of whom were trying to pick up in the most obvious and in some cases quite aggravating ways.

There was a huge party down at one of the riverside bars with bonfires, DJ’s and buckets and from a distance it looked like fun so Lyb, Graeme and I headed over and had a gin and tonic each. The evening was already in full swing and the place was filling up with people very quickly.

After a few drinks I started talking to a lonely looking German woman called Hannah and her and I decided to go off for a dance. What followed is an evening I’d much rather forget. I didn’t end up having as much fun as I had wanted simply because I don’t like crowds and I didn’t enjoy the amount of sleazy men leaching around the place. I ended up getting quite annoyed and heading back to my hotel room fairly early.

All in all a rather disappointing New Years, but then I really don't think I've had many that aren't somewhat of a disappointment.

Tubing in Vang Vieng

mazystar — Thu, 1 Jan 2009 14:33:00 GMT

The last few days have been unbelievable to say the least. I arrived on Monday and had a good night out having a couple of beers with a few other backpackers. And on Tuesday Lyb, Graeme and I decided to do the obligatory Vang Vieng tourist activity - tubing!!

In case you're unaware of what tubing is it involves a fast flowing river, a huge inflatable tube and lots of places to stop for food and drink along the river. (The river is not quite as fast flowing at the moment due to it being dry season.)

In town we lined up to rented our tubes and then rode a tuk tuk three kilometers up river to the starting point for all Nam Song River tubers. The journey down river and back to town usually starts fairly slowly and this was no acception for us as we decided to stop for drinks before we'd even gotten our feet wet. The first bar was part of the Vang Vieng organic farm chain and here I had a delicious organic mulberry shake. I was however, very keen to get in the water. So after some naggingin the direction of Lyb and Graeme, we were on our way down the river.

Getting on ones tube is never as easy as it looks. You basically sit on the tube, with your bum in the middle and your legs sticking over one side into the water and your head back at the other side. Once you get comfortable and the current picks you up, it's very relaxing.

We floated down river for a while soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the soft flow of the water; but we soon decided to try the next bar which was equip with a flying fox, a large swing and a very loud DJ.

At this point you might be wondering how one would get out of the water (and off the tube) and onto the bar, especially knowing that rivers usually aren't surrounded by sandy beaches and have most of them have a current. Well the riverside bars basically employ people to throw out ropes or point out sticks when they see a tuber coming past and if the tuber wishes to grab hold they will get pulled in and helped onto the bar. Most of the bars are stages over the water constructed out of wood and bamboo with a small bar and usually a tiny DJ hut.

For some reason I missed my first rope and in my brazen attempt to join my friends at our first stop, I fell off my tube and into the river. All I could do was laugh and being a fairly strong swimmer (you wouldn't go tubing if you weren't!) I was able to swim to shore as one of the bar employees very kindly swam after my tube.

The obvious crowd pleaser at this particular bar was the flying fox. Lyb and Graeme were both brave enough to try it but alas, I was not. It just looked too high for me (like a lot of people, I have vertigo) and the way people hit the water...well it didn't really look fun or safe so I decided to sit and watch instead. (As I said the other day when asked why I didn't do it - "I ate a bloody snake heart man, I don't need to swing off no flying fox!")

After an hour or so we jumped back on our tubes and paddled down to the next bar where there was yet another terrifying flying fox and an equally terrifying Canadian bar employee handing out free shots of local whiskey that tasted like drinking a small explosion.

Here we bumped into an Australian couple that Lyb and Graeme had met a few days previous - Matt and Jess. I talked to Jess while Graeme, Matt and Lyb threw them selves at the mercy of the poorly constructed flying fox. (I might be making this sound a little more dramatic that it actually was!) ;)

After a while at this third bar the five of us decided that some food was a good idea, and after hearing a whisper there was a bar with an attached restaurant further down river, we decided to get back on our tubes. We floated down river quite fast at this point and everyone floated off in different directions to avoid the large number of rocks that stuck up out of the water - something that's unavoidable during dry season.

The food at the restaurant was AMAZING (I had yellow noodles with egg, veggies and coriander) and the music was fantastic. The vibe has really started to pick up and we were all glowing with happiness and enthusiasm.

What happened next was peculiar to say the least but it's probably the best fun I've had in a long time. Someone decided it would be a good idea to start an impulsive game of MUD VOLLEY BALL. The fact that there was neither a net or a ball seemed to worry no one and what ensued was a good hour of wallowing around in a big pool of muddy water (perhaps there for that very reason?). It was quite primal and rather odd but it was also a load of fun, especially since by the end of it there was over twenty virtual strangers in the pool throwing mud at each other and laughing like best mates. It was just good old fashioned fun. The kind you remember having as a kid. :)

The next bar we went to was our last for the day and this is where we found the scariest activity of all - THE HELL SLIDE!

This was a concrete slide about three meters long with a sudden rise on the last half meter of it. That last half meter doesn't make any sense because you're basically charging towards the water, feet first and at the very last min you are thrown up and then suddenly DOWN again and into the water. I was told to try and keep my body straight, but when you hit that rise it's impossible - your body is thrown to the side and then off into the water at a rate of knots. Although it was painful and scary for me, it did mean that I was able to experience some of the euphoria that everyone had been telling me you got from going on the flying foxes. Nursing my bruises and laughing with the other guys was all part of the wonderful day.

The evening ended well enough, with Lyb and I floating off down the river and back to town. We tried to make one POWER TUBE by attaching out tubes together - me holding onto Lyb's feet as she paddled with her hands at the front and I kicked in the water with my feet to the back. It wasn't until 45mins into our journey that we realized we were even being overtaken by people walking on the riverbank, so we decided to split up again and race back to town before it got dark and the river got cold.

This day was simply amazing for me. I count it as being one of the most enjoyable days I've had on my travels so far. Vang Vieng is wonderful, although very touristy and full of pubs it's still something you have to experience if you come to Laos...and I recommended tubing to EVERYONE (young and old)...it's fantastic fun. :)

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I've got a lot more to update about NYE and so on, so those entries will come soon. Also, there won't be any photos for a while because I've lost my camera, but I'll be buying a new one shortly.

Tomorrow I'm getting the seven hour bus to Luang Prabang, and there I'll be volunteering at the organic farm for a few days. I can't wait. :)

Hope everyone had a fantastic New Year!!

I Can Breath Again!

mazystar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:39:00 GMT

After a sleepless night in the hotel from hell complete with constant airplane noise and a never ending supply of mosquitoes, I went back to the airport to wait for my flight to Laos. ROUND TWO!

The first thing I did was get some more cash and then some food. After last nights uneatable meal, I was famished and luckily the food at the airport cafe was fast and delicious. I woofed down a salad sandwich and slurped down two coffees in record time and skipped off to find somewhere with internet.

I checked in at 2:30pm and after getting come U.S. dollars I went through immigration and found my boarding gate.

Noibai airport as I've said before, is tiny and there are only a hand full of airlines that work from there. Vietnam Airlines is the biggest, then China Southern, then Jetstar Pacific and then Laos Airlines. (If you book with a bigger airline they will out source to one of these smaller carriers.) I went with Laos Airlines.

I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I booked my ticket through the cheapest airline I could find, but I was at least expecting an airplane that didn't look like it was part of a plastic Macarno kit. There's something unnerving about being on an airplane that's so old it still has ashtrays in the arm rests!

I must have looked nervous as we began out accent because the middle aged American woman next to me asked if I was alright. "I like my airplanes to be younger than I am." I said, pointing to the arm rest ashtray. She laughed and patted my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. These planes might make a lot of noise, but they're perfectly safe."

As it turned out, she was right. The plane journey was one of the smoothest I've had since beginning my trip. We were confronted with very little turbulence and the plane took off and landed so quickly it was as if we had never left the ground. I was quite pleased that my concerns were unnecessary and as we made our quick decent to Vientiane Airport, I looked out the window in awe at the amazing countryside. We glided over mountains ranges, rivers and lush jungle. I don't think I'd seen so many trees on flat ground since leaving Australia. In China and Vietnam every available part of non-mountainous terrain is used for farming. Here they seem to have a healthy mixture of both.

An hour and a half a go I had left a smoggy, rainy day in Hanoi and now I was in Vientiane on a sunny, clear afternoon. As I stepped off the trusty little plane that I now looked upon favorablly if only because it had stayed in the air, I took a deep breath and looked around. The air was sweet and I could see for over a kilometer in every direction. I was amazed - NO POLLUTION! Well everywhere has SOME pollution but this seems to be a city with the least amount of pollution I've seen in Asia so far. I'm happy to get out of the unbreathable, eye stinging air of Hanoi.

I breezed through visa application and immigration and then strolled right through the airports non-existent customs. After buying a taxi ticket (USD6 for the 10min drive into town), I was greeted by the jolliest taxi driver in the world. He immediately grabbed by bag and said happily, "Hello!! Welcome! Follow me madam! I will bring the taxi to the front." My experience with taxi drivers in both China and Vietnam are poor to say the least so I was pleased to have such a seemingly genuine one. We chatted for a while and he gave me some pointers on clean hostels and places to buy bus tickets.

After the shortest ride from airport to town center I think I've ever experienced, I stepped straight out of the taxi and into my hostel. After checking price and room conditions my bag was snatched up yet again, this time by the smiley reception man. "I take your bag for you miss! Follow me please." I couldn't believe the difference here to Hanoi. It's not that the people in Hanoi aren't friendly, it's just that they don't seem HAPPY. (But to be fair I'm never happy at work either, so who can blame them!) Mr. Smiley carried my bag up three flights of stairs and then bounded off happily as I shouted out a very sincere thank you after him.

In keeping with the 70's style airplane I arrived in, everything in my room seems to be made out of the popular 70's furniture material, wicker. Wicker bed, wicker chairs, wicker cupboard, wicker writing desk, wicker T.V stand, wicker coffee table....I've never seen so much wicker in all my life. Thankfully enough though, the doors seem to be made out of a more solid material.

My first impressions of Vientiane are very good. The streets are quiet and clean, the people are friendly and everything is within walking distance.

Sadly, I've already booked my trip to Vang Vieng, leaving tomorrow morning by bus. (It's about three hours.) I wish I was staying here longer, but being that New Years in only three days away I think it's best to meet up with Lyb and Graeme again so we can be together to celebrate the beginning of what is sure to be a wonderful year. :)

Late to Laos

mazystar — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:13:00 GMT

After a terrible mix up with flight times, I am now leaving for Laos tomorrow and I have to spend the night in a dreadful airport hotel.
Due to my current predicament, the rain and a newly contracted flu, I am feeling less than happy.

I did well enough getting to the airport, leaving at 3:15pm in order to arrive over two hours before my flight was due to leave at 6:30pm. I found the right place to catch the shuttle bus from (it was only USD2.50) and got to the airport at around 4:15pm. During the 45min bus ride I chatted with some American backpackers and felt very happy, even despite the high pollution burning holes in my pupils. (I think the pollution was especially high today because this is the only time its actually hurt my eyes.)

Once at the airport I checked the flight board. After one quick glance, I was struck with the sudden realisation that my flight was due to leave in 15mins time. There is was in green neon - Laos Airlines, Vientiane, 4:30pm. NO OTHER FLIGHTS TODAY.

My heart pounded and I ran around frantically, lugging 13kgs on my back and 7kgs on my front. Hanoi Noibai Airport is TINY but for some reason it still took me a good 10mins to locate the hidden Loas Airlines desk. I then waited for another 10mins before I was informed that the time on my ticket was the time for the Luang Probang flight, NOT the Vientiane one. I didn't feel angry because it was my fault for not DOUBLE checking my flight details, something which I usually make a point of doing. Instead of angry I felt helpless. What could I do but except it and try to find an alternative?

Two distressing and confusing conversations later I had a new ticket (they transferred the old ticket) for the soonest flight to Vientiane - leaving at 4:30pm tomorrow. I was informed I could if I wanted, buy another ticket through Vietnam Airlines if I still wanted to leave today, but that would obviously mean paying again and there was no guarantee that there would be any spare seats.

I sat down for a coffee and decided what to do. I could go back into the city and find Ana, the American girl who I met yesterday. Or, I could hold up in an airport hotel for the night. It was a choice between taking the 45mins trip back into town or spending money on a hotel room which would hopefully be half decent. I decided on the hotel. Then at least I could relax and organise my self instead of getting distracted by bars and backpackers.

There is only ONE hotel in the area surrounding the airport. This is where I am currently. It's dreary, shabby and painfully expensive. My room looks like something out of Faulty Towers, in the threadbare 70's sense, and the staff are few and far between. As far as I can work out there is one porter (who was fast asleep in his chair when I arrived), one lady on the front desk (who kept laughing when I was checking in) and another woman who works in the hotel "bar". The bar in five tables and chairs, some grubby glasses and a few cheap bottles of vodka.

After I checked in, I went for a walk. Being that this is airport country, there isn't much arround and I think my time here will be the closest I get to small town Vietnam before I leave tomorrow. There are airport related buildings, a few pho restaurants and some farms.

I stopped in for dinner at a tiny little pho place about a 20min walk from my hotel. Due to the staffs lack of English and my lack of Vietnamese, I was eventually served with an entire chicken. When I say entire chicken I mean ENTIRE CHICKEN. Head, legs, wings...everything down to the comb (the red protuberance on the top of a chickens head).

After my snake lunch a few days ago, the sight of an entire chicken sitting on my plate was too much for me too handle, so after a feeble attempt at picking out some of the white meat, I paid and left; all the while feeling quite defeated about... EVERYTHING. I'd just spend my last change on an uneaten chicken and the nearest ATM was back at the airport. I slinked back to the hotel and sulked in my room.

I haven't had many low points during my trip so far, but after missing my flight...I feel as if I've hit a rather self indulgent, sulky patch. Hopefully it will take me no more than the next 12hrs to wallow in my own self pity, before I'm back in high sprits and on my way to Laos.