THE world trip

Probably my last entry

becci_m — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:47:00 GMT

The end of my trip is very nigh now- it seems like i was planning all this yesterday, and i cant believe that on Saturday my 6 months will be over and i will e flying back to England. I wont pretend im not looking forward to going home, but i have had an unbelievably brilliant time; I think when im back on English soil im going to look back and not quite believe that the last 6 months actually happened without looking at my photos. It pretty much goes without saying that I will be traveling again, and i definitely will be coming back to India. India especially has been a roller coaster, but the place has really charmed me with the peoples friendliness and scamming audacity in equal amounts, and all the places we have been have all left their individual impression.The last week and a half has been hectic. Last Sunday we left Dehli in the luxury of a chauffeur driven air conditioned car, a every far cry from the previous government buses. As I handed over my 50 pounds for 8 days and 7 nights of car, I was at first skeptical if that amount of money ( over half a weeks budget when your in India- you can also apparently buy a camel for that sort of cash) was going to be worth the experience. After the first day I was so happy we got the car!! It was totally worth the money for the hassle from touts and scheduling public transport, and with the amount of luggage we all have now it was so good just to load the lot into the boot and not worry about it. We also covered far more distance than we could have on the buses and trains. From Dehli we drove with Vinot our driver ( or 'Vinnie' as we liked to call him) to Pushkar, which was one of my favourite paces in Rajastan after Jaislamer. It was really small, with its function divided between being a holy city for pilgrims coming to its lake, believed to have sprung from a Lotus flower that was dropped by Brahma, and for hippy tourists. It was a really vibrant place, with, importantly, cheap shopping galore. From Pushkar we visited Udaipur ( where some of the Bond film ' Pussy Galore' was filmed, dont you know). This was a properly flying visit considering the amount of things the town had to over- in one day I went on a trek on a Marwari horse, visited two lakes, the city palace, had a quick cookery class, and saw several other sites. Its a really romantic place, which i unfortunately felt i didnt do proper justice to because i was too tired to enjoy it as much as it deserved.From Udaipur we went to Jaipur, the regional capital. Not so pretty after being in rural Rajastan, despite being toted as the pink city. Many of the main sights, including the Hawa Mahal were under renovation work, but the 'Amber Fort', not somewhere i had really heard of before, was breath taking; the abandoned old city of Jaipur, cast in gold stone and topped by the Amber fort, was so beautiful, it was so worth the visit. This description is very brief so doesn’t do the place justice, but i cant recommend it enough.From Jaipur, we commenced our final long car journey to the final point of the gold triangle, of Agra. On the way we visited the short lived Mughal city of Fatehpur Sicri, and its mosque. The mosque was amazing, but the touts, aggressive persons wanting to your guide, and the people wanting to take a photo of you got very tedious very quickly- it was certainly the place were I felt most hounded, and it was a relief to hand over 250 rupees to get into the peace and quiet of the old city ( it was worth a look, but if it hadn’t been for the prospect of the touts outside, i dont think i would have appreciated it as much for the price.)And then finally, the Taj Mahal!! Agra, we had heard, was a very dirty place to be polite. i thought, how bad could it be? Very, Very bad was the answer- it was incredibly dirty, smelly and in a general state of disrepair, which sat at extreme odds with the amount of tourist money that was coming in through the Taj- Taj entry costs 750 rupees for foreigners, thats just under 10 pounds, and what i would spend on food, accommodation and transport on a normal day. This amount of tourist money flooding in was just not reflected in the rest of the city.We went to the Taj at 6 am, to try and catch the dawn breaking- it was a perfect time to go as it wasnt too hot, there werent so many people ( it was heaving by 7 am) and we randomly saw Seal and Heidi Klum, which was weird! Im so glad to say that the Taj wasnt an anticlimax for me- it was so beautiful, and though i wasnt sure whether i was in awe of it, or its fame, i was definitely in awe. Then, we didnt really do anything else in Agra- it was just too damn smelly and expensive! Also we had to have some time to prepare, as we had to say a sad farewell to Vinnie and the car, and turn our steps towards the scrum that was the train station.We took an over nighter, all 4 of us plus Daanias ( Clare and Linzs friend) two friends, which was cool having the 6 of us as we got 6 beds together which minimized the stares and was just plain more fun, and got to Varanasi yesterday afternoon. Varanasi is an 'interesting' place, being the most holy Hindu site in India and dedicated to the god, Shiva. Its also the only place we have seen the Ganges, and here the river has a very important place in daily life- people wash themselves and their clothes here, pray here, pour their rubbish and waste into, come to die an auspicious death here ( to die here is to be released from the life cycle), and float or burn their dead here.At 5.30 am this morning we all boarded a boat, and had a tour of the river, as dawn is the best place to view it and the people. We asked to not be taken to the burning Ghats ( the place were the dead are burnt and then their ashes are scattered) but we still saw a body wrapped in white cloth float past. An unusual insight into Hindu live, but a bit too much for a couple of the girls.Tomorrow we get our final train back to Mumbai, which will take 27 hours if it runs to schedule, and then after one more day in Mumbai, we board the plane back to Heathrow on Saturday. I think it will be a bit surreal going home as im so used to constantly be on the move, but im definitely very tired now. I think it will be interesting to see if ive changed at all ( i really dont think so, though a lot of people think im Spanish now!) and i cant wait to see my family and friends. It will definitely be interesting to see how long i can stay put in England!!

Holy Cows, Everywhere

becci_m — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Hey from India!

My last update was from Bombay/ Mumbai, and though only about 12 days have passed, alot has happened and been discovered, as I will begin accordingly below...

Firstly, I LOVE India. Id heard alot of negative things about this place, both from friends and travel books, but i have found that any difficulties we have had have been far outweighed by the the amazing time we are having. The main things im finding hard to get used to, and probably wont get used to, are the amount of unashamed staring we have to put up with, especially in the more rural areas, and the clash between some of the wealth here, and the grating poverty that seems to be everywhere. Also not a fan of the principle that some people here have, that, as a foreigner, you will happily submit to paying extra random charges ie putting your bag in the back of the bus will unoficially set you back a charge not included in the price- its not a lot, but its the principle of the matter!! Though i do find the amount of cows (sacred, dont you know- they know it, you can tell by their content faces) popping up from around corners and leisurely walking down the street very amusing, and so many people here are genuinely excited to talk to English people.

But where have we been? First stop after Mumbai was the blue city of Jodhpur. We only spent one day and a night there, which was enough to get caught up in the little winding streets amid electricity cut outs, and to admire the beautiful fort, but it was such a laid back place that i could happily have stayed longer and continued monkey spotting. After there, we got a bus to Jaisalmer in the Thar desert, not somewhere we had heard of before, but somewhere which the lonely planet had good reviews on, and we were lured by the prospect of a camel safari through the desert. So glad we went; our guest house, Moti Palace ( which had been prearanged from our guest house in Jodphur, a particularly good move as the touts as you are trying to alight the bus can be pretty intense) was in the fort- not very ethical, as the old, golden stone fort is struggaling to cope with the pressure now, but the views out of our room ( the honeymoon suite, for three people!) were amazing, and the fort is breathtaking. The camel safari was interesting, and very very hot- glad i did it, but my bum could not have coped with it any longer than for 2 days!!

After Jaisalmer, we headed to Bikaner. Bikaner is a place that could easily be seen in a day and a half, with a fort that has amazing carvings and museum pieces inside, and the Karni Mata rat worshipping temple, complete with fat well kept rats hanging out everywhere, was an experance, but apart for those places and the uninspiring Camel research centre, there was not much more to do. And unfortunalety for us, we had to spent 3 nights there, due to bus timetables. We finaly left on the third money, with the help of our friendly hotel manager who took us to the bus stattion in his car, and got our tickets for us so we didnt get ripped off, we left Bikaner for Mandawa via the rickety government bus. For a pound, you cant go wrong for a 6 hour journey, though being treated like zoo exhibits at every stop by the people outside did get rather grating.

We reached Mandawa in one dusty piece though, and set up shop at the 'Hotel Heritage Mandawa', a wicked ' Haveli' ( old traditional house) whcih had been freshly painted with lots of Hindu and daily life pictures, and where you can negotiate a pretty good room down to a reasonable price- but you didnt hear that here. Mandawa and the district around it are noted for there rich Havelis, but i found most in a sad state of repair. The town itself consists of a few dirt roads, and teh prefered mode of transport is by donkey or camel cart. Perhaps its new to tourism, but the stares reached new heights here, though its always irritating rather than threatening. Another very slepy place, with not a lot to do, so i was very excited to find myself yesterday on another government bus bumping ( And i mean REALLY bumping along the road) towards Dehli. From what id heard, i was expecting a seething hecti sess pit, getting pulled everywhich way by hawkers. Not the case at all!! From what ive seen so far, Dehli is like a haven of piece compared to Mumbai, and after the deserts of Rajastan though really enjoyed, its so nice to be able to get back to a bit of the cosmopolitan. We are staying in the main Bazar, a shopping Mecca for tourists ( like Thailands' Kho San Road), but still vibrant and bustling with lots of locals.

The plan is to stay a few days here, as we are picking up Clare and Linzs friend who is flying in from England to meet us here, tonight, and then start the tourist trail proper, and head down to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Half way through my Indian leg, and evem though im loking forward to going home, i cant belive how fast the time is slipping away. On that note, must dash, as im going to get a suite fitted!!

A sun soaked dash from Bangkok to rainy Bombay

becci_m — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 02:07:00 GMT

Only 4 weeks left of travelling, and i use that as my excuse for being really rather slack on the update front; ive merely been trying to fit in as much as possible, into the short amount of time i have left- that, and a profusion of sun, sand and fun in the thai islands arelly dissuaded me from stepping into the shade of an interenet cafe!

So! post round two of Bangkok, we boarded a 14 hour bus down to the port where we could kick off for Ko Phangnan, party capital of the gulf of Thailand. It really was built for one thing- the consumption of copious amounts of buckets ( Whisky, coke and redbull, in a sand castle making bucket; classy!) We met some wicked people, and sepent several days chilling by the sea in our lovely guest house and bungalows, and by night heading down to the maion beach of Hat rin to enjoy the revelry. No full moon for us, but cant say im sorry- i think that would have been just too much for me, considering what the island was like during its 'quiet' days! After Ko Phangnan, we crossed back acroos Thailand to the west coast, and headed for Phi Phi for a bit of rest and relaxation ( Well, that was the plan anyway) Phi Phi is very very beautiful; therefore, really quite built up, considering the damage that the Tsunami caused in 2004. However, its still very special and has its own atmosphere; something that i think is helped by thye total lack of ccars, and unbelieveably perfect beaches. We evenb visitied the beach where 'The beach' was filmed, Maya, and having aload of other fellow tourists couldnt hide its beauty.

But it wasnt all laziness, oh no! One day we took a small longtail boat and headed out to a few of the surrounding islkands, and where we doid plenty of snorkelling- it was the best snorkelling ive ever done; so much coral and fish ( fish who swarm you because they want to be fed bread!) and i even saw 3 black tipped reef sharks!! After Phi Phi, were we spent more than afew days, we headed across the waves to Phuket. Definately glad we spent more time in Phi Phi- Phuket town were we stayed, was very ineteresting, due to its merge of portugese and asian architecture, and the beach of hat rai harn was also a bit of a treat, but Patong, the tourist mecca of Phuket, was like a personel hell for me- very bright, tacky and just hporrid- we only went to get our bus tickets to Singapore, and then we scarpered out of there as quick as possible ( with new copies of Harry Potter in tow, so it wasnt all bad!)

So, moving swiftly on, we headed down to Singapore. It was a journey you just had to laugh at, otherwise it could have been quite traumatic; despite repeated assurances from the travel agent thyat we would be getting a COACH with TOILET, at the appointed time of departure a minibus came for us. Nio problem, we thought, it must be taking us to the coach. Not the case though, we went to another minbus ( which subsequently nearly carshed into a car coming the wrong way down the highway!) And then we changed to another minibus. And then another minbus! And then a coach (SANS toilet!!)Phew. Oh wait, no. At 5am we where awoken and then put onto ANOTHER coach, and off we went into Singapore. Add in two border checks in that time, and you can imagine how knackered we were! But you have to laugh, as no one will explain whats happening, so you just have to go with it!

But we made it, and Singapore was really, really cool. It is a beautiful city, really developed and very cleana nad tiday, with a strong cosmopolitan feel. We thought we would get in a bit of culture from the Singapore Museum and the Museum of asian civilsation, which were both cheap, very well laid out and very interesting, and i even got a cheesy photo out side Raffles, although unfortunately i couldnt follow in my Grandmas footsteps and get a drink inside, as my garments have become very travel worn, and i felt rather a scruff.

However, i do wish that i had had the money to do Singapore justice ( on the whole, its very pricey) But its definately somewhere id like to go back too.

And so, now we are in Mumbai ( Bombay) We got here late last night, and so far, ive got a good impression. The people are friendly, its vibrant, but the traffic is terrible!!! as we are flying out of here, we have decided to leave the sight seeing til then, and are getting a train tommorow to the blue city of Johdpur. Im very excited! But io cant belive ive only one month left! Im determined to makle the most of India, but im looking forward to the return trip too.

Gallery: Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Thailand

becci_m — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:17:00 GMT

The above

Cambodia; another show of the gruesome 21st century

becci_m — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:39:00 GMT

This is just a short one, as i dont want people to think that i have become obssessed with internet entrys!

As planned, we dashed out of Vietnam ( Saignon was actually, to give it its due, pretty nice)and into Cambodia. No problems what so ever in crossing the border; in fact, some cynics might say that the Cambodian border control lacks tight enough security, given that for a few extra dollars we didnt even have to produce two photos to gain our visa- but i say, embrace it, the system works! And so began for me, 5 of the most interesting and enjoyable consecutive days i have had. First stop was the capital, Phneom phen ( its a toughie to spell, but i think thats about right!) where we stayed in the 'Floating Island' guest house of charmingly rickety proportions, on stilts overlooking the central lake of the city. The area was superlaid back, with lots of wicked bars and restaurants on the tiny alley ways. The capital was quite an emotional place, as the recent Cambodian history has been tumultuous to say the least. First of all, we went to the grand palace, which was beautiful, and very nicely laid out ( big fan of the topairy!); a proper oasis.

Then, we went to S-21 prison. This was the place were the Kymer Rouge revolutionaries held and tortured people, from new- borns to the very elderly, during the 1970s. Around 12 people out of the 19000 ish people ( many went in for no reason at all- wearing glasses or speaking a foreign language made you a candidate) who went in, survived. The prison was once a school, which is possible to tell today from the layout. However, in the class rooms are the old metal beds that were used in 'Interegations', there are black and white photos of some of the dead, and mug- shots that were taken of everyone that went in. It was very upsetting, particulary due to the calous and pointless-ness of it all.

Next stop was the ' Killing Fields'- the title sets the tone. This was where the Kymer Rouge took prisons to be executed and then buried them in mass graves. So far 8000 bodies have been interred, the skulls of which now stand in a glass fronted Stupa on the site. It is thought there could be a million people at the site, and there are still bones and old clothes visiable through the ground as you walk around. The whole experience was very sad, but im glad i saw it, especially as it is a historical event i knew hardly anything about before i came travelling.

After all that, we headed to Siem Reap, a place that definately shows a brighter side of Cambodias past, and something the people are very proud of. This Is Angkor, the site of the famous Angkor Wat temple, and its surrounding smaller temples, built from 1200-1450. It took 2 days to get around all the sites, and the achievement of what the people did then is incredible. Angkor wat takes the big prize, but all the temples, despite being slowly destroyed by the forest, are impressive. In a way, its sad to see how a country that once was so advanced, is now classed as developing.

Would have loved to stay longer in Cambodia and have gone down to the beaches, but time is ticking now, and the Thai Islands are calling! We got back to Bangkok today, and are going to Ko Phangan tommorow for a bit of sun!

Goodbye Viet Nam. Its been a land of emotional extremes

becci_m — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 23:49:00 GMT

Im beginning to think that all my entrys start in a very negetive way; despite appearences, i am having a brilliant time...........until disaster, in the form of the puesdo-communist state of vietnam struck......

It all started so well. We boarded a plane from Laos, which was actually very safe and hospitable, and it was novel to have a plane that was powered by propellers. Then we got to the airport, and the fun began. Who would have thought it would be so hard to change travellers cheques??( No i dont believe that all the machines in all of these 4 booths are broken- why are you so predudiced against the cheques????!!)Never mind, off we popped in a very nice taxi towards Ha Noi, the capital. I have never experienced roads like it here, and i havent gotten used to it in the time we have spent here. First, i saw a basket load of live dogs being transported on the back of a scooter. Then, a basket load of live pigs, being transported in much the same manner, then after a cacophony of beeping, just from our taxi driver ( thats the way the roads work here- no high way code, just beep if you want to get through), we were spat out into the high madness of the streets in the Old Quarter. After bolting for the nearest door, we found ourselves in a very opulent hotel; for the princely sum of 5 pounds a night, we had a brilliant en suite room, breakfast, internet, and the best hotel staff ive ever come across. Quite the sanctuary from the craziness out side, and we had only been in the country 60 minutes!

The rest of our time here passed in much the same topsey turvey way; the hotel staff are always friendly and considerate, the people on the streets always hassle you and grab; the restaurants are super clean, and on the whole serve a brilliant variety of food, but the pavements outside are full of mopeds, so problems gaining access to the restaurant is the only thing that might make you go hungry; we went on a brilliant two day tour by boat of Ha Long bay, which is immense, but to get to our boat we had to risk life and limb by clambering over 5 other boats, which were all in dock too.

On the whole, its been an interesting expeience ( and i like to think, character building), and the first time ive experienced a ' Culture Shock'; the rode system is so bizarre, that whilst its dangerous to cross, its actually quite funny to see how no one ever does hit anything else. Hoi An is a fantastic city, that has been preserved in its 18th to 19th century state due to UNESCO protection, and you can also get a coat tailored there for about 16 pounds, but i could have given Hue, with its lack lustre streets a miss ( though seeing a genuine Vietnamese market in all its 'aromatic' glory, despite being at odds with what we do in the west, was worth it).

Some of the buses were great, and the conductors helped as best they could, whilst on others ( particulary those of an over night variety that enjoyed turning the lights on and off sporadically, whilst blasting the horn and driving down unsealed roads) getting man-handled was the best you could hope for.

The place of the biggest opposites was Nha Trang. There, we went for a day trip on a boat, which was captained by one of the best entertainers ever, Mr. "Funky Monkey". We had an absolutely brilliant day swimming, snorkelling off the reef and dancing along to the music made by his make shift band ( Drum kit that was made out of barrels- very cool!). It was just a masive shame that that night my friend Clare had to suffer getting mugged twice. We had been told that it was a bit of a rough place, so when Clare felt a little hand rummaging in her bag, she demanded her stuff back. She got it, but unfortunately as we were about to enter the hotel later on, she wasnt as lucky- a favourite trick about these parts is to drive past on a motorbike and grab your bag. Being aware of this, we both had our bags across our bodies. Unfortunally a bike still tried to take Clares- the bag didnt snap, and she was dragged along the ground until the bike let go. She is ok now, pretty grazed but nothing worse, but people heading into Viet Nam should be aware how oppurtunistic some of the people are here, and it really seems to be beneficial to either be a male, or to be around males.

However, all the above is just from personel experience, and i have met alot of people who have had no problems here at all, and have had the best time. It was just bad luck, it seems, for some of these things to have happened- like i said, Viet Nam is a country that seems to exist on consisting of extremes, and when it has been good here, it has been amazing. Perhaps its just time to head off into Cambodian, and take a deep calming breath, and get a new start!

Laos; so laid back, so cool!

becci_m — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 21:10:00 GMT

As planned, we made it to the slow boat- however, the whole process of being stamped out of Thailand, getting into a boat, then getting out of the boat once across the river, being pushed into the Laos immigration office, stamped into the country, then being taken through several other checks at places that look like make shift garages before finally getting into the real slow boat on the Mekong River, was confusing to say the least. Mix it with heat, and it got pretty unbearable. Ah well, once aboard the slow boat, it was all better- well, actually not; the boat was very narrow and curved at the bottom to avoid the river rapids (What Rapids??!!was our initial panicked response) which meant as i was at the window seat i had more leg room by sitting on the window ledge. 6 Hours later, after being sat on a wooden bench with no cushion, we arrived in the very small, wood shack river village of Pak Beng, and over a very good curry i was able to put it all down to character building, or something like that. The next day the boat was near luxurious, with actual room to move your legs, AND a cushion, on the way to Luang Pra Bang.

We spent about 4 whole days in Luang Pra Bang, as it was beautiful ( UNESCO world heritage site), with lots of temples, small french colonial streets, and a very laid back atmosphere. Also, plenty of travellers, so when the 'Hive' bar shut at 11pm ( everything in Laos shuts early) we had lots of people to go bowling with after ( bowling is allowed after 11pm, and it still serves beer. Its very strange, you just have to go with it). Reluctunately, we left Luang Pra Bang, and headed down to Vang Vieng, ( via an 'Air -Conned' V.I.P bus: read: you can open the windows) where the promise of river tubing awaited us.

In Vang Vieng we met up with some Americans, Canadians, Kiwis and an Irish Man, and spent the next few days with them. Vang Vieng is a pretty strange place; it looks like a stereotypical third world shanty town, apart from the main street is lined with cafes for travellers, playing non-stop re-runs of Friends, family guy and the simpsons. The main aim is, like i said, to go tubing. This is pretty cool! You hire a tyre inner tube, get taken 3 kms up stream from the town, and then float back down the river, getting pulled into any make shift bar you fancy! We had a brilliant day, as there are also rope swings at every bar that you can jump off! Next day, the activity continued, with most of us going to the local caves; really fun, as the caves are massive, and pretty untouched apart from the buddhist shrines that are in them. In true laid back Laos style, my head torch was on the blink, but this wasnt seen as a problem!! I begged to differ when we actually tubed through one river cave, and me and Linz both started to experience technical difficulties with illumination whilst at the back of the group! ( our torches, once we were spotted, were likened by one group member to faintly glowing cigerettes in the distance). We then had a wicked night on one of the river islands with a bar and a campfire, and then it was off to Vientiene, the Laos capital.

Currently in Vientiene. We are having to spend a total of 5 days here, as we are having to wait for a flight to Ha Noi in Vietnam. Everyone else has already gone, as Vientiene has got, I feel, an undeservedly bad reputation. We have found plenty to do, such as going to one of the big temples, spending a whole at a very posh hotels pool, and eating the wicked food at the open air food vendors on the edge of the Mekong. However, it will be quite nice to leave- the heat ( apparently 38 degrees a few days ago) has left me a big melted mess, and this continually drives us back our air-conned room avec cable TV; there is only so much soppy asian pop one can take on the music channels!

As an aside, just to show how poor this country is, our day using the pool at one of the best hotels in the city cost about 5 pound, a whole days caving, plus lunch, equipment and transport, cost about 4.50 pounds, and hiring a tube for the whole day was 2.50. Factor in that our ensuite, large air-conned room with TV costs 3 pound a night each, food at an all you can eat buffet costs 70 p, and 8 hours on a bus will set you back a fiver, and we are paying tourist prices, its crazy what people are living on here.

Gallery: Its actually North Thailand AND Laos

becci_m — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:57:00 GMT

temples, treks and team bonding

The Asian Odyssey begins!

becci_m — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:08:00 GMT

We flew into Bangkok after a knackering 40 hours of awakefulness, the monotony of which was only broken by the airports of Cairns and Sydney, and 4 feature length films on the flight over to Bangkok. Due to Linz having some sort of Sub-economy ticket, she couldnt be fitted on our flight, so had to follow Clare and i the next day.

Bangkok was crazy; very very dirty ( you can actually see the pollution hanging in the air) very hot and humid, which equals reams of sweat everywhere,and a higly dangerous rode system filled with Tuk tuks ( motor bikes with a traior on the back- very good for nipping around in)scooters, angry taxis and pedestrians everywhere. Thyis is coupled with added issue of getting from A to B, with every Tuk Tuk driver insisting on taking you to a gem fatory, or cloth store, or boat ride etc ( they get fuel vouchers from the establishment owners) on route, even if you empahtically state you dont want to go. At first, very annoying, but after 5 days, it actually becomes pretty funny! Despite all this, i loved Bangkok, and the energy and madnes was a welcome change from the predictabilty of Australia and New Zealand. The temples especially have to be seen to be believed- Wat Phra Kaew, in the grounds of the Grand palace is a huge haven of glittering temples, right in the middle of Bankok, and WatPho houses the iconic 46 m long, gold reclining Buddha- both well worth the heat.

After taking in a lady boy show, Khao san road ( THE backpacker haven of Bangkok, and pretty good in small doses)and getting our Vietnam visas sorted, after our 5 ish day in Bagkok ( and reunited with Linz) we headed up north to Chiang Mai on the 14 hour over night train. Chiang Mai is a beautiful city, tiny compared to Bangkok, and still retaining in the old sector the original city walls, though housing just as many temples as bangkok. The old tricks still go here; a taxi driver said he woud take us to the main temples for 100B bewteen the three of us ( about 1.30 pounds) if we would go to some factorys first - 6 latre, it was pretty tedious, but we saw a lot for not a lot!

The next day, we headed off intrepidly into the jungle on a three day trek ( i was ill the first day, classy, but recovered shortly after- same couldnt be said for poor Linz). It was amazing! We rode elephants, stayed with the hilltribes, the hill tribes children sang to us ( organised chaos, but very cute!) swam in water falls, and went bamboo rafting on the last day. Even when Clare got knocked into the water off the raft by an unruley tree trunk, didnt dampen the spirits!

Next stage of the journey is to head to Laos- we get picked up at about noon today,and get taken to Hua Xing on the Laos border. Then tommorow we cross over, and take a two day slow boat through Loas to Luang Prabang. Very Excited!! Must dash, Coz i havent packed!

Genuine Oz Experience: The final act

becci_m — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:51:00 GMT

Wow, we made it to Cairns in goodtime, the final destination on our big oz extravaganza. The reasons behind this haste were not so great- Magnetic island was great, my first glimpse of sub-tropical paradise, though by the time we had driven further up north the rain had caught up with us, so Mission beach, an equally spectactular place and on every travellers list was a bit of a wash out. In all truth we were driving each other mad by sitting in the close proximity of 'Campers' all afternoon, so we thought for the sake of all our sanitys we had better head out to Cairns!

Cairns is a wicked place, full of colonial arcitecture and fellow back packers. There is even a 'Backpackers Resort', which looked very flash, but when we heard the prices we had to scarper pretty quick! No luxury for us! As we made it to Cairns with days to spare, we thought we would nip up to port Douglas. It was absolutly lovely there; full of pretty restaurants on the marina front, markets and seafood everywhere. The backpackers we parked up in was amazing, with pool, hammocks and very cheap beer. On the way back down to Cairns we passed the Queensland tropical zoo............we had to go in! The only wildlife id seen so far was road kill kangeroos, so to actually feed the real things, stroke a koala, hold a baby alligator, and watch the crocodile, bird and snake shows was very cool! And the day was rounded off as only we could do it- clare left the headlights of campers on for the 4 hours we were in the zoo, so 2 burly zoo keepers had to be called out of the zoo to give us a push! Very funny; almost as funny as when she reversed into an unsuspecting vehicle in the campsite car park. No real damaged was caused, so its all good!

Once we were back in Cairns, i did the honours of saying a sad good bye to Campers; not really all that exciting, considering the girls were preoccupied with Clare extending her tattoo! Then we headed out to celebrate Cairns with several people we had met along the way in Oz. All in all, its been a very cool place, though i wont be sorry to say goodbye to the prices. We fly to Thailand tommorrow, and i am unbelievably excited! ( though not excited about spending the next 40 hours travelling between airports at Cairns, Sydney and Bangkok) Not really sure what to expect Asia, especially from Cambodia and India, but i think im ready for it; i am fully replenished in the way of antibacterial wash, baby wipes, insect repellent and loo roll. I can take what ever is thrown at me!

Genuine Oz experience: Part 2

becci_m — Tue, 22 May 2007 10:37:00 GMT

Reallly feel like in into Oz now, as i have been having the best few weeks possible, in my humble opinion. After we tore ourselves away from Byron Bay ( it was difficult, but we took a deep breath and quietly drove away)we headed up the east coast into the 'Gold Coast'. Here, the camper van was both a pleasure and a nuisance. First, the positive; the plan had been to drive up to Surfers Paradise. We had heard good things. But as we got nearer, an the sky scrapers got bigger, and the smell of american eateries went from pungent to overbearing, we decided to simply drive on, So on we did, bizarrely driving through both Southport, and Birkdale, until we decided to stop in a place called Cleveland, It actually worked out pretty well- we found a quiet campsite, where we had the pool to ourselves, so we spent some time there just relaxing.

As the clouds drew in though the next day, we decided to head on, and see if we would drive away from them. No such luck; serves me right for trying to make everyone jealous with my tales of sunshine, as the rain followed us for the next 6 days. Damn it! Though cant complain, as Queensland is in the midst of a really bad drought, with lots of farmers struggling due to failed crops, so i guess if the aussies are happy, we should be too. So the negative about the 'Campers'; we had hoped to stop in Brisbane, but after two hours of driving around and around and in and out of the city trapped in the infuriating one way system, we gave up ( i was driving, and had reached boiling point!) and headed out again to the less built up places of Moochydore and Noosaville. I say that its a negative of the Campers not being able to drive around cities very easily, but the places we actually went were so pretty, and we otherwise wouldnt have seen them so its not all bad.

After this little detour from the plan, we got to Hervey bay. From there we joined a large organised tour group, 'Koalas', and headed across on the ferry to the huge sand island of Fraser to a self drive 4x4 safari, with 6 other people. Our group was great, but the company we went with were shoddy to say the least- our truck was a sad rust bucket, with holes in the floor, breaking seats, and a dogey clutch. And the driving itself was so hard core im surprised the van lasted as long as it did; during the second afternoon one of our back wheels started to make a strange clunking noise.....one of the lads tuned out to have been a mechanic for a couple of years, so he went to check it out. His verdict- 4 out of 5 of the wheel nuts had just snapped off through mechanical negligence. If the last one had gone ( not to be too dramatic!!) the truck could have toppled over one of teh cliffs we were driving by.

As there is no signal on the island, an elaborate rescue organisation had to be done as we were in the depths of the bush. I had to call the international satilite, to get put through to Brisbane police, and a lovely lady there got in touch with Koalas for us. AS we had camping stuff, they were like, ' see you some time in the morning'. And so, we were on our own in the outback.....actually we saw nothing dangerous, and we all had a great time with our boxed wine, until we were resued at 10am the next day. Fraser was great!!

Next stop, two days of driving later, was the Whitsunday islands. We got a boat trip around the islands for two days and two nights, staying at a resort on the island at night. The Whitsundays were amazing, they are so beautiful i couldnt believe it. We went to New Haven beach, one of the top 10 beaches in the world, and went snorkling along the coral twice. Needless to say, i was a very happy girl sitting on that huge yaght!!

Still not done with oz yet though. Next stop Townsville. Check out the oz pics!!

Gallery: The east coast of Oz

becci_m — Tue, 22 May 2007 10:29:00 GMT

Sunshine!!!!!!!

Genuine Oz Experience: part one

becci_m — Tue, 8 May 2007 13:16:00 GMT

Well, we made it to Oz! It has to be said that Oz was not my main target destination in this whole tour; perhaps i had preconcieved ideas that it would be really british, and a bit hot and dusty and dull.....How wrong i was!

First stop was Adelaide- most people who we spoke to before this stop wondered why on earth were we going there first, why not go straight to Melbourne or Sydney- truth be told, the ticket to there was cheaper, but i like to think that it gave us a wider cultural experience of Oz, a bit more off the tourist trail!( feel how cultured i am!) Adelaide was actually a really lovely city- quite quiet and laid back, but it was a good introduction to the country. The same cannot be said for the 'Tattersalls' hostel we stayed in; it looked like it should have been the set of Hitchcock horror film, with its peeling decor, mouldy beds, sticky carpets and dingy halls. Not being precious, but i was rather pleased when we escaped that place and headed on our why to Melbourne! We got the overnight bus there, and it really gave some scope as to how vast this country is; the bus took 12 hours to get there, and Melbourne is the next big city close to Adelaide.

I wasnt really fussed about Melbourne- the gallery and museums are wicked, as was the Queen Victoria open air market that was just behind our hostel, but apart from that, i found it a bit miserable ( this was possibly to do with the rain, and a bout of sickness on my behalf), but it more than made up for itself through the following things- free Champagne for the ladies in the hostel bar, nice! AND..........the neighbours tour!!!An unmissable highlight for any Oz trip, and we met one of the old cast, 'Darcy' the doctor, Carls nemisis!! He provided entertainment for many a wet student afternoon!!

Apart from that, i left Melbourne with a take it or leave attitude to Oz. That was until, 15 hours of over night bus journey later, we arrived in Sydney! I loved that city!!It was so hectic, and cool, and the opera house and harbour bridge were just unbelievable!!! I was in awe- we stayed there for 4 days, and i left there on a proper high!! And what more fitting way to leave Sydney, than to leave public transport behind, and hop into our own camper van! Its brilliant!! We've got so much more freedom!

The plan is to work our way up the caost- we are at the north coast now ( even though we are actually on the east coast), and then carry on up through the Gold Coast. We stayed one night at a camp site in Newcastle, then a night at Coffs Harbour, which were both pretty, with nice beaches etc, but we are definately in my favouritre plave now; Byron Bay! Its hippy and surfer heaven, i love it! we spent the day on the beach yesterday, asnd then went out last night. The beach is great, the night life a bit backwards, but we are in a bubble here and its still fun, and we did get drenched in a torrential down pour on our long walk home last night, but its all good!! the sun is back out, and we are going back to the beach! Also had our first barbie last night, so really in the spirit of things now!

Any way, i think ive rambled on enough now- needless to say, the going is good here! Hope everyones ok, and thanks for the comments; it means alot to know whats happening at home, as despite appearences, i am missing old blighty!!

Any way, im off to top up my tan..............

Gallery: And now the south island

becci_m — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 18:56:00 GMT

Photos of the south, and also a couple from the Bay of Islands, as this was our last stop.

Fairwell to NZ- its was great while it lasted

becci_m — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:05:00 GMT

Well, we were slated form the start about the amount of time we had to spare in NZ, but i would say 'Hah' to the dissentors! we saw all we wanted and it was great! After getting the ferry from North to South Island ( where, as it is a very small world, i saw a girl i went to uni with, Random!) we headed across to Nelson. This was a very nice, rather small town, where we took full advantage of the spa, swimming pool and free soup at the hostel. We felt we deserved a bit of abreak, as obviously we have been exerting ourselves so much!

We properly packed in the south island after that; from Nelson, we went to Greymouth ( so good, it doesnt even make the lonely planet shoestring budget guide to NZ, which says it all, though it was rather quirky, with its 'noahs ark' themed hostel. We stayed in 'Tiger' room!). Then we went to Franz Josef to check out the glacier. The plan had been to do a glacier walk, but the fates intervened, and a massive storm meant it wasnt safe to go up. Instead, we wandered to the base, and took a photo. Almost on a par, i would say. Then, we headed down to Queenstown ( by the way, the whole of the west coast is stunning, with rugged beaches and loads of national parks and words cannot do it justice). As a break from our travel norm, we stayed two nights here, instead of one. It was great! It has wicked clubs, where you get your drinks in teapots, and we were able to do a day trip to 'Milford Sound'. Its one of the most famous places in nz, an epic fjord land, which was just unbelievable!

After a couple of days break from the Magic bus, we hopped on again, and headed for Dunedin. Urm, not really all that much to report- to give some idea about the limited activites, we went to the Cadbury factory tour, and saw the 'Steepest road in the world'. Oh yes, rocking.

But nevermind. The next stop was Lake Tekapo- i had b\never heard of this place before, but i am not sure why it is not more famous. It is VERY small town (i.e. a street, with one of the oldest church buildings in NZ)over looking the most brilliantly blue lake. The water is such a vivid colour dur to "rock flour", a glacial deposit that makes the water highly reflective; therefore a bright day equals a brillianytly unnatural turquoise lake. we were going to spend our one afternoon here horse trekking around the lake, but some fool had dug up part of the path. we had to content ourselves with red wine and the \views. Such a shame.

Finally, we made it into Christ church, and spent a good couple of days there. this is a pretty city, where i was able to indulge my horse trekking needs. (though it was nowhere near as impressive as Chile). It was also nice just to be settled in one place, afetr our hectic bus dash. And as time has been pretty tight, against my better environmental inclinations, we were forced to get an internal flight back up to Auckland. Auckland, the city that just doesnt like to see us go! The plan wfor when we got back here was to do one final trip, north to the Bay of Islands, and spend two nights there. Alas, the bus was full, and we had to sapend another day in Auckland, before we could head out. Feel like i know that place inside out!

However, the bay of island \s was totally worth the wait- very hot, very beautiful, with a very relaxed sea port town feel. Only issue was, like most of the rest of New Zealand, you really feel that you always need more time and far more money, to be able to get stuck into the best of the activites; we conteneted ourselves with the free bikes at the hostel!

And so, that was NZ!! Overall, its been rapid, very exciting, and very painful on the purse, but totally worth it. My only qualm has been treated as a tourist, and nothing else- tourism is now nz's biggest earner, and you can really tell. Even without alot of money, you will be ferried from place to place, and activites, tour groups and treks will be thrust upon you, but i suppose that is how the country works best. I rather missed the challenge of independent travelling though, and not just being a holiday maker. But im very very glad i went, and cant wait for oz!

Gallery: The north island

becci_m — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:25:00 GMT

New Zealand- the North Island

becci_m — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:18:00 GMT

Hey all! thanks for the comments- keep me down with all the Enterprise gossip.

So, New Zealand. We flew in on April 3rd, after never seeing the light of the 2cnd ( Time differences- very wierd). We flew into Auckland, where we went fom being a twosome to a posse of three, as Linsey flew in from England. Bit af a traumatic time for her, as her bags where lost in LA...not judging American Buearacracy here, but would this have happened else where..?Any way, the bag didnt deign to join us until thursday, so we spent a good old time checking out Auckland. I hadnt heard too many good things but i actually think its one of the nicest cities ive ever been to. very clean, the people are amzing, and the harbour, parks and island are wicked. we packed in the whole cultural thing here, visiting the huge Auckland museum, and the Auckland Art gallery. then, we hit the Magic bus! Sweet as, definately!

We only have 20 days in NZ, so its abit of a whirlwwind to see the best parts of the north and south island, hence why we brought the hop on hop off bus tickets. As an aside, we chose the Magic Bus over the Kiwi Experience, as we didnt feel the Kiwi bus would really cater to our tastes, as it were. We are NOT regretting that desion! Our Magic driver in the north island, Rangi, was brilliant, even if he did strongly proclaim that the best thing about Auckland is leaving it. On that first friday, we made our way down to Rotorua. (On the way, i saw possibly the funniest thing ever, though the girls werent so keen- there is a n angorra rabbit centre on the way, where they do displays of how they get the fur off the Rabbits. Basically, the rabbit has its paws streched out, and then is slowly turned, like a rottiserie chicken style, if you will, whilst being shaved. It doesnt hurt the rabbit, and it rather tickled me!)On the way, we stopped off at some caves, where Clare and i partook in some 'Black water rafting'. Basically, you get an inflattable inner tube, and make your way through a cave system, swimming at times, and jumping into water pools. Also, alot of this was in the dark, so you could see the glow worms- it was immense! Rotorua itself is a town based on a centre of geothermal activity- a bit wiffy, due to all the sulphar in the air, but very interesting being surrounded by geysers and bubbling pools. Also, the fact that the hostel had an open air, free, natural hot spring pool, didnt hurt either!

Next day, new bus journey. this time we headed down to lake Tapou, the biggest lake in NZ. On the way, a bit more addreneline! At dinner time, i did what could be best described as bungey swing. You skuttle up a telegraph pool, get strapped into a harness so you are in a sitting position, and then jump off! It was terrifying! So i thought next, lets go sky diving! that was so much fun, and not scary, just awe inspiring- it was over the lake, and it was just too good for words!

Phew!Off to wellington then! the most pulse racing thing we did here was go on the cable car up to the botanical gardens. Extreme. Also, kiwis take there holidays seriously here, so as it was easter, EVERYTHING was hut. Fun times- it looked like it could have been a wicked town. And that there was the north island! V quick, i know, but we are flying back to Auckland, to do the Bay of Islands, so its all good. We got the ferry across from the North to the South on Monday, where i randomly bumped into a girl from uni- very small world! Hope everyones good!

Gallery: Peru! At last!

becci_m — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:56:00 GMT

It took a while to find the internet to handle this, but here goes!

Gallery: From Geyser Fields to Santiago

becci_m — Wed, 4 Apr 2007 09:30:00 GMT

These places where 24 hrs aprt from each other by bus. Fun!

Gallery: Vina del mar and Valpraiso- valpraiso is so much better!

becci_m — Wed, 4 Apr 2007 09:27:00 GMT