On the road again

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap...another fun bus ride!

mwhinnen87 — Thu, 7 Oct 2010 03:06:00 GMT

23rd Sep

Another early start...and another morning hurriedly and somewhat expertly packing. I waited downstairs for my transfer to the bus station for my ride to Siem Reap. At the station I got chatting to an older couple who have been travelling the bast couple of years. They were from the UK (but Indian or Pakistan backkground) and sick of listening to the whinging POMS (their words!!) so they moved to India...and have been travelling on and off. The husband told me about India and Thailand. He told me India is a definite culture shock and that I'd need to prepare myself if I ever intended to go there! He also expressed his opinion on Ko Phi Phi, saying it was absolute paradise and his favourite place in the world! I told him I'd also love to head there one day...I am seriously planning on it...but for now I was thinking of heading to the smaller Island Ko Samet. It was time to jump on the bus. It was designed so there was a large cargo area underneath the seats, so it was a high bus. I watched in amazement as they loaded scooters into the cargo compartment! We headed off and I soon realised the VIP experience wasn't exactly true to it's words as the air-con wasn't 100% effective and there was a discernible lack of curtains! So utilising my multi-purpose sarong I strung it up as a make-shift curtain. I was still damn hot and couldn't manage any shut-eye. As we drove along we tended to stop frequently for varying amounts of time. As I was sitting toward the front of the bus I later found out they were picking up fares along the way...I will experience this throughout Cambodia! Mid-trip we stopped and I grabbed a sprite and was hungry so bought some "coconut biscuits". On reading the packet it seems they like the additives over here...guess today tonight hasn't made it to the shores of Cambodia. I arrived in Siem Reap a very hungry, hot and bothered traveller. I'd read in the lonely planet a sort of warning about a scrum of tuk-tuk drivers when you arrive in SR. They were right. The bus pulled in to a dirt lot, through some rusty iron gates which were subsequently closed behind us. As I got off the bus there were a few drivers that must've had priority rights to be there and there was one holding a sheet of paper with my name on it. So I gave him my bag and he told me to hold back while they opened the gates for us. Then like water crashing through open floodgates the drivers flowed through those gates and started to jump around and yell at no-one and everyone "you want tuk-tuk??". My driver ignored them and strode on by...so I followed. Waiting at the tuk-tuk was another guy...the 'second' driver...and he asked if I knew where I was staying. I stupidly told him no, as I lacked foresight. I did tell him I wanted to stay at the River Garden which wasn't a backpacker dive but more of an oasis...I assumed I'd need somewhere to relax after exploring the temples. He launched into an explanation why I should stay in one of the two hotels he wanted to show me, and I was under no obligation to stay at either. I was reluctant to begin with as I hate being coerced into things and told him so, plus I had read about this happening and didn't want to be one of those naive travellers. The river garden was far away from town however, so I agreed to check out his hotels...and made him admit that he received a comission of $1-2 if I stayed there. The first hotel was quite nice and had a pool, and for $40 a night it was pretty good. The driver told me it was a great location but when I said I wanted to see the other, as it had sounded nice from his description, he mumbled something under his breath and I was quietly satisfied that it wasn't going entirely as he planned it!! So onto the next hotel, and it was lovely. It was a rectangle of rooms which faced into the pool area, which was quite private as there were plants forming a screen. So I told the driver I wanted to stay there as it cost the same as the other hotel. Once again, I'd disappointed him. And once again I was quietly satisfied with this small triumph! After checking-in the 'second' driver took me over the plan for two days sight-seeing of Angkor Wat and surrounds. We eventually agreed on a cost of $40 for two days. Ripped. I was a bit irked but was in the mind-set of "stuff it" so went with the flow. In the back of my mind I was all the time reasoning that I was travelling by bus a bit more than expected so was saving LOTS of money from that. So if I got ripped off here and there it was all part and parcel with being a tourist...and a young girl travelling alone! I did want to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, even though there was no guarantee it would be spectacular as there is often heavy cloud cover this time of year. So they agreed that the "first" driver would be waiting for me at 5am the next day. So I settled into my room and after a cold shower I walked into town. SR had a much better feel than Phnom Penh. There was still the usual chorus of "you want tuk-tuk lady?" and "hey, hello lady" from some of the workers and local boys. I'd mastered the smile, shake head and look straight ahead. I hunted down the Angkor Palm restaurant. I ordered fresh spring rolls and the typical Cambodian dish Fish Amok. It was a memorable meal!! One of the best of the trip, the best in Cambodia hands down. The fresh spring rolls were crisp and bursting with mint and basil. The fish amok was divine. I think it's cooked in coconut milk kwith spices etc but it was kind of a dry curry and the fish fell apart and melted in my mouth! It was served with a side of stir-fried morning glory and steamed rice. The presentation of food in SEA has never let me down...as cheap as the food is they take pride in what they serve up to you. The curry and morning glory were served in banana leaf cups. With an Angkor beer to top it off I was in heaven. I regret not taking a cooking class in Cambodia but such is life. Where I sat I could see the markets so when I was done I had a look around. And couldn't resist...several...purchases. I stopped off at the petrol station on the way back to the hotel and after the boring domestic duty of washing clothes I crashed, exhausted.

Vientiane and Phnom Penh

mwhinnen87 — Tue, 5 Oct 2010 15:52:00 GMT

22nd Sep

I jumped into a tuk-tuk for an expensive 10minute ride into town, around Nam Phu. After wandering around trying to get my bearings I found a Scandinavian bakery and treated myself to a breakfast of croissant with ham and salad, strong coffee and an apple juice for 26000 kip (under $4)!! Then i checked-in to the White Orchid Hotel and paid $20 for a big room with air-con and bathroom. I decided to take a walk around and ended up walking a few km to see Vientiane's version of the Arc du triumph. A little different... It was really hot walking around but I continued on and stumbled across a shopping centre I'd read about Talat Sao. It wasn't too impressive! It was multi-level and basically was full of small clothing and jewellery shops but nothing tempted me. On the way back to my hotel I stopped at Croissant d'Art for some rice noodles with vegies and a watermelon juice for 20000 kip, yum! Back at the hotel I slept for two hours...considering I got little sleep the night before it's not surprising right? I organised with a tuk-tuk driver to head to Pha That Luang...and as usual paid more than I expected (cheers Lonely Planet) as it seemed the drivers all had a set price they had agreed on. There and back, with a 30 minute wait at the temple, was 60000 kip! Rip off. In the end I didn't even have the 2000kip entry fee as I only had enough money to pay the driver. But I took some photos anyway...it is apparently a main attraction of Vientiane and was a temple covered in gold, especiually pretty to see at sunset but I was too early for that. I got back to the tuk-tuk within the 30 minutes, slightly hot and sweaty! Driving along the driver picked up another fare. It was an Indian guy who introduced himself and was quite chatty, especially on discovering I was Australian. Turns out he was there on business etc etc. Back at the hotel I got changed...something you have to do out of necessity in SEA when it's so hot because you're clothes end up sweat-soaked...so I'm glad I didn't go too crazy minimising my wardrobe! I wanted to find a bar along the Mekong river to watch the sunset so set off with a map in hand. Again...the map was more of a "guide" and not entirely helpful. The names of the streets on the maps are always slightly different to the names on the street signs with minor differences in spellings. Why is that? Anyway after wandering around some back streets I finally stumlbed upon the "Spirit House" which wasn't where I had intended to stop for a drink but you tend to just go with it! I had myself a large Lao beer and relaxed while the sun set over the Mekong. It was fabulous. The colours became more and more vivid as rowers passed by and locals sat fishing. It was another moment I wish everyone was there for!! Eventually I walked back into town and made it to the Full moon cafe and had yet another Beer Lao (it was really nice!!) and more fried rice noodles with vegies! Could never get sick of this lifestyle! It was a huge serving but of course I finished it all....and for 37000 kip (less than $5) I was getting my money's worth!! Yep it's gonna be hard to be back home and eat out. Don't think I'll be able to!! I spent some time on the net and bought myself an icecream. After perusing my Lonely Planet some more I fell asleep around 9pm!

22nd Sep

For some reason on this trip I seem to wake up before my alarm...I swear I've been getting up earlier than I was when I was working. Makes perfect sense. This morning proved no different...I guess I was asleep early but when you don't have to be up for any reason you feel a bit cheated!! So I showered and packed...the usual routine. And I was getting good at it, probably becuase I wasn't unpacking much anyway. After checking-out I organised a taxi to the airport. It was a bit overcast and when I arrived at the airport it was completely empty. I was early to check-in so I had a look around...and stumbled upon the airport restaurant which was called the "West Coast Airport Restaurant" AND there was the WCE logo on the wall!!! No joke!!! Can't wait to get home and e-mail the club and see if they know about it...wonder if there is any copyright something going on with that?? After check-in I had breakfast at the restaurant..."American Breakfast". I guess the asians think Americans are pigs because it was huge; 2 eggs, bacon, ham, and 2 MASSIVE sausages. I spent a bit of time on the net and exchanged the remaining kip I had...and in the process heard my name on the PA! So I rushed to immigration and soon after boarded the plane. It was pretty empty. After 1 hour 10mins I landed in Phnom Penh. It wasn't a very inspiring airport but the guys at the Visa desk were chatty and it didn't take long to process. I took out some money and after a tuk-tuk drive into town I checked-in at the Royal Guesthouse. A room with air-con and bathroom, complete with balcony and bars on windows (!) was $12 a night. I organised with the driver to meet me at 3pm to go to the killing fileds and Tuol Sleng Prison. I relaxed for a bit then walked to the Royal Palace. There were drivers everywhere singing "you want tuk-tuk lady"...they even drive alongside you and stalk you!! Not scarily...just annoyingly. I explored the palace and pagoda and took photos...blah blah blah. Not much to say on that. On the walk back to the hotel I had drivers telling me I was a celebrity...beautiful...whatever they could thin to try to flatter me into providing them with a job! One guy even stalked me for a while and proceeded to tell me how happy he was that he was driving next to a beautiful girl and looked me up and down (bleh!) but I protested that I just liked to walk so he was not needed. He replied by saying he likes to walk to and motioned to get off his tuk-tuk so he could walk with me!! Then I was firm and told him "No. I walk ALONE". Freak! But he backed off making sulking noises. Pretty extreme for tuk-tuk driver standards.

Back at the hotel my driver was waiting for me. So I jumped on and we headed to the killing fields. Along the way I was mentally preparing myself and the drive there wasn't...pretty. The road was dusty and i had to blink my eyes constantly. There were people living all along the road and it was certainly a new level of living standards. Still, there were children playing in the streets and they seemed happy. We arrived at the killing fields. It was quite and very...chilling. There was a temple built to house the some 8000 skeletons they had exhumed from the mass graves. The kind of sight that stops your heart and stifles your breath. As I walked around there were graves everywhere and signs detailing the number of skeletons they'd found....and the tree upon which babies were thrashed to crush their skulls. There were speakers which played music or propaganda about the Khmer Rouge and "Angkar" (the organisation) so that when people were killed the other prisoners couldn't hear their screams as they were bashed to death to save on bullets. Horrible. Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, had studied in France, as many Cambodians did who could afford the education. This was where he formed his Marxist ideas. Next it was onto the Tuol Sleng Prison. This used to be a school buit was transformed into a prison. It was very eerie and the photos of prisoners were on display. The photos went on and on...and on. Illustrating just how many had died. 1.7 million cambodians died under the Khmer Rouge rule which lasted 3 years, 8 months and 20 days. After the Vietnam war I might add. All as the West watched on. Or didn't...I guess they turned a blind eye to the atrocities that occurred. I have since read "First, they killed my father" and "stay alive, my son". Accounts from 2 people about their struggle through the Regime and how they survived.

Needless to say I was quite depressed that night and really missed my family and friends!!! I just needed a hug and someone to reassure me that there was some good in the world!! I am glad I saw it though. The only thing to do is learn from the past so as not to repeat it.

Goodbye Luang Prabang

mwhinnen87 — Sat, 2 Oct 2010 11:27:00 GMT

20th Sep

Today I was up early and had to pack my bag with my newly acquired purchases...so it took a while. I paid for my room and laundry ($30 for 3 nights) and power-walked to Tum Tum Cheng restaurant....arrived there nice and sweaty and slightly flushed. After that it takes a good hour to "cool down". The group for the cooking class was made up of Swiss, Canadians, English, Mexican, New Zealanders and Australians. Not a bad mix. After we were all supplied with tea we were given recipe books to choose 6 dishes...not an easy task it all sounded delicious! There were starters, salads, soups and mains. Eventually we agreed on 6 recipes which were spring rolls, papaya salad, red chili chicken curry, sour fish soup, steamed fish in coconut leaves and ginger fish. Then we hit the markets. This is an experience. If in southeast asia you have to check out the fresh food markets. Although the term "fresh" could be used loosely. There was meat everywhere crawling with flies and being handled in all sorts of ways. There was fish, beetles, snakes and crabs along with vegetables and noodles. After being shown a few of the staple ingredients we made our way back to the restaurant, chatting all the way and exchanging travel stories...which never gets boring (maybe to us travellers but I guess to other people it may not seem too exciting)...."you had to be there" kinda thing.

We had our stations set up and put on our aprons and wielded our massive cleavers...the multi-purpose knife for all asians! Our teacher talked us through the base ingredients such as galangal, chili, morning glory, basil etc etc. We passed around the ingredients, twirling them in our hands to inspect them closely and smelling their pungent aromas. Then the teacher talked us through sticky-rice. This stuff is a little odd. It is a different type of grain of rice which isn't grown flooded like normal rice and is more starchy. It is soaked, usually overnight, for 4-8 hours. They get up early (4am or earlier) to prep the rice by washing it and then steaming it...in time for the alms at sunrise...this is when the monks walk around the town with a pot in hand and people put in balls of sticky-rice or other food. Monks only eat twice daily. The end product is quite dry and you pull it out of a special bamboo container it is kept in and form a ball...this you can then dip into curries or stews. It was pretty cool and very different! We began cooking, starting with the spring rolls then following with the soup and curry. We put the fish and other ingredients into the banana leaves to be steamed and mixed the papaya salad. It was fantastic!!! The smells emanating from that kitchen were incredible and as I hadn't had breakfast and it was already midday, my stomach was tying itself in knots!!

Finally we sat down to our feast...and it really was a feast! Complete with Lao wine we were set. The flavours were divine! The steamed fish was great and the sour fish soup different. I enjoyed rolling up the balls of stick-rice and dipping them into my curry. It was so awesome I was so glad I had taken the class! We couldn't finish all the food...and there was still dessert! The teacher had treated us to banana and coconut stick-rice and it was sooooo yummy. Not too sweet but a nice end to the meal. After coffee we received our "certificate of participation" and our own cook books....will be treasuring this one! We said our goodbyes and I headed off in search of an ATM with Barry as I'd had to borrow money off him to pay for the class! Then I spent a good 2 hours on the internet catching up on stuff and headed to JoMa cafe. It is so peaceful and cool in there. And full of tourists! But everyone was quiet and in their own head-space. I sat in a comfy chair and ordered a very extravagant banana split after all that food I'd eaten!! I just felt like something cold and refreshing! Back at my hotel I jumped at a tuk-tuk driver and asked him to wait while I grabbed my bag. Then he drove me to the bus station. I headed to the counter and it seemed they had double booked my seat. I got worried thinking I wouldn't get on the bus at all! But they just moved me to the back. I still had time to kill so grabbed a coke and waited. Finally I got on the bus, and loaded my own bag onto the bus after taking the lead from other travellers. We left at 7:45pm. It was a reallllly bumpy ride and we were winding through the mountains, taking corners wide and on two wheels I'm sure! I don't know if it was because I was sitting over the back wheels but I seemed to be bumping around in my seat alot more than others. It was quite funny actually and I had to laugh to myself occasionally! I was sitting next to a japanese girl whose head kept on lolling onto my shoulder, which really irked me! It was magic driving through the mountains at night. The lights were all out in the bus and the moon was very bright so it was possible to see quite far into the distance. It's too hard to describe when mountains of that magnitude are doused in moonlight and you are snaking through them, trying to comprehend the beauty of it all! We stopped around 1am and after sussing it out I realized we got a dinner of rice and "stuff" included. So I picked what looked like some sort of curry and later realized it was pork belly. It was pretty gross looking but tasted ok. We hopped back onto the bus and continued on. I awoke to people talking very loudly and the bus was stopped. It was an American lady protesting that she missed her stop, Vang Vieng. The driver and his helpers blamed her, and she in turn blamed them for not notifying her of when we had reached Vang Vieng. It was all very confusing and finally she grabbed her things, notably irrate, and flagged down a car. She and another traveller got in and eventually we headed off in the opposite direction. We arrived in Vientiane to the sun rising. By this point I was getting sick of the bumping around...the novelty had gone completely! We pulled into the bus station and were descended upon by the job-hungry tuk-tuk drivers!!!

Elephant Experience in Luang Prabang

mwhinnen87 — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:16:00 GMT

Hi folks....still on Luang Prabang! There was just so much atmosphere in this place forgive me for trying my hardest to paint a picture! Sometimes these "journal entries" can be pretty extensive...

I was up at a reasonable 7:45 this morning and prepped for my day with the elephants. The guesthouse didn't offer any breakfast so I picked-up a horrible packet of cheese and onion "Laos" chips and snacked on them before I realised what I was doing! Finally the minibus arrived, checked my ticket and off we went. The guide was quite young but very enthusiastic. He asked where I was from and when I replied that I was Australian he beamed and said there were 8 other Aussies that make up his group today. The drive was so bumpy it was actually quite hilarious to be jumping around in my seat and watching the Spanish girl in front of me trying to sleep! The scenery was so lush and green and the mountains shot up into the blue sky. When we arrived at the Elephant Village it was as though I'd stumbled onto paradise! I can't get over the mix of brown, blue and green that is so striking in Laos. The view was fantastic. I met the rest of the group and my hopes of 8 young Aussies dissipated when I saw 8 oldies rock up!! Still...it reminded me of good old Mum and Dad (sorry oldies!!!) and they were so lovely to talk to and made me feel at ease. It was like being with the Contiki group (sorry that is a strange reference for those of you that don't know my Mum and Dad went on contiki years ago and we still catch-up with their comrades!!). We were given a short talk about the Elephants and the Village and were taught some commands such as Sai=left, Kwa=right, Pie=go etc etc. I was able to memorise them but the older folk actually asked for pen and paper and took notes!! Avid learners! They couldn't believe it when I refused the paper politely. As it turned out the commands were damn useless! We had a test dumbo to have a ride on. One of the men volunteered to go first. He clambered up the leg and awkwardly threw his leg over the neck. It looked really difficult....and we learnt that the Elephant really only responds to the mahouts voice. I had a go and it was so difficult to mount that animal!!! Seing as I had the shortest legs it's no surprise I couldn't get my leg over. With a bit of help I was up, and it was strange! The elephant's skin was very rough and at the young age of 35 it had thick hairs protruding randomly fromt the top of its head!! It was also pretty high up there and as the elephant moved you had to be loose and sway with it, whilst clenching its neck with your legs and bending your knees over its ears. The mahout basically dragged the thing along and my commands were completely ingnored! After everyone had a turn on the test dumbo the other elephants came out, fitted out with seats and the guide asked if I could go on the test elephant, minus a seat as there were too many of us. So I climbed up again and positioned myself ready for the hour long ride. We started off and it was uphill. I had to lean on the elephants head to blance myself. It was pretty early on that the cheeky animal decided to cool itself off with mud. So the mahout and I were sprayed quite casually with mud...the mahout copping the worst of it! It was actually quite funny to hear him growl at the elephant...which was probably thinking well I'm bigger than you so go ahead and try buddy. The mahout out his hands on my waist every now and then to make sure I didn't topple off. Going downhill was particularly hard to balance with the giant steps of the elephant. It was nice of him to offer help but a bit strange all the same! We chatted a bit, he spoke very broken english and I think he was my age. As we climbed up the hills the view that opened up before us was amazing. It was so peaceful just trudging along at an elephants pace...periodically being bombarded with warm, thick mud!

After the very hot ride I had to clean myself of all the mud. I was offered a bucket of water and a scoop. Next it was lunch and they had laid out rice and curries. It was all really yummy, I helped myself to seconds. Of course. After lunch a few of us jumped on the elephants, bareback this time, and they rode them to the river for a cool swim. During lunch I had read that the elephant I rode liked to submerge itself underwater. So I mentally opted out of that experience! When the others came back they were beaming! I couldn't wait to get down to the river....so I chose my elephant and we slowly made our way down to the river. The mud squelched under the elephants feet and then we were waist-deep in water. The mahout grabbed a scoop and started splashing water over the elephant...then me! It was quite nice actually. He gave me a scrubbing brush and I got to work...not really sure how useful I was being but I think it was more about the experience not the outcome of how clean the elephant was. Then they told me to stand on the elephant for a photo op! So I did. The mahout I was with asked my name and if I had a boyfriend...he was an old man and when I told him no boyfriend, "too much work" he winked at the mahout I had ridden with before and he repeated my name to another young mahout and they laughed and teased each other. Awkward. Soooo anyway once we were done in the river we headed back. The guide was taking photos for me the entire time and I'm so stoked he captured the experience- it was so much fun!!!

We jumped on a couple of long boats next, destination: waterfalls (can't remember the name!!). The boat trip was magic. It was so nice cutting throgh the water and watching on as children slid down the muddy banks and into the even muddier river. We made it to the waterfalls and they were so unexpectedly beautiful! Pristine blue water was tumbling over limestone which was smooth by years of carving by the water. We jumped in and it was freezing but refreshing! After our cool-off we headed back to the boat and back to the village. It was such an amazing day. It was really nice to have met the 8 oldies as they were keen to hear about my travels and to tell me about everything they had seen. We said our goodbyes and I jumped in the minivan.

Back at the hotel I had a shower and decided to test out a restaurant that I was keen to do a cooking class at; Tum Tum Cheng. I sat down and ordered...it was still early...then a guy came in and sat himself down too. Eventually he came over and asked if I had been in Vietnam recently as I looked familiar. I replied I had but he said he must've been mistaken. I offered for him to sit down and join me for dinner because like he said, it seemed pretty stupid for two people to sit on opposite ends of the restaurant alone! We got our meals...I had ordered a chicken red curry and rice, and Barry ordered a traditional Lao stew (which was strongly flavoured with lemongrass), as well as some deep-fried dried beef for good measure!! We sat and chatted over dinner and Beer Lao, it was great! We realised we were both there for the same reason- to test the restaurant in liue of booking the cooking class. After a couple more Beer Lao and being treated to some music by the chef himself (!) we booked ourselves in to the cooking class the next day and set off for the Hmong night markets. I had a slight buzz-on from the beer so may have gotten a bit carried away with purchases! But it was all so nice and the people lovely! Said goodbye to Barry and after another round of the markets and spotting some of the ladies from the elephant experience I headed home. Slept reallllly well that night! Dreamt of elephants and the beautiful Laos countryside!!

My love affair with Luang Prabang continues

mwhinnen87 — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 23:06:00 GMT

Just had a look and it seems I've had a few views for my journal...not sure if it's a good or bad thing! Great because I think everyone should be here with me to experience this, but also bad... well, because it means people are actually reading the stupid stuff I write about ha ha!!

Day 2 of Luang Prabang

I had set my alarm for 7:30 and when I heard it and glanced at the window I decided it was still too dark to head out for a ride. Yeah I'm pretty easily motivated and uber strong willed. Sooooo I got up an hour later. I rode my bike along the peaceful streets to the river on the other side of the peninsula. Settled into a lovely spot at Saffron Cafe and ordered pancakes (these seem to be consistently good in asia) and coffee. Something inspired me to also order a cinnamon scroll. I hate cinnamon. Maybe it was the price? My cappucino had some weird frothed milk going on but was really good. Coffee is damn strong here! Pancakes were fab and I soaked up the atmosphere of the river under the shade of some trees. I looked on as long boats fought against the strong current of the river to cross to the other side. After I paid I went on to book an elephant ride. It cost $67US and included transport there and back, lunch, and of course a day spent with elephants and a visit to a waterfall thrown in for good measure. After I sorted it out I went to jump on my bike. But it wasn't there. Then I started to wonder what the consequences were for a stolen bike. The lady I hired it off (the first moody and rude Lao I had met) requested my drivers licence or passport for safekeeping. I'd given her my licence so just as I was thinking it may not be so bad to loose that (as I've done before) a guy came over and returned my bike. He looked european and was substantially taller than me so it probably clicked that it wasn't his bike when he realised the seat was as low as it could go. He apologised and I asked him if there was a way to lock it. So he pulled out the chain and lock type thing that was in the front basket. Duh...I thought that was a remnant from the previous rentee. So I inspected it and it was pretty rusted-up. I reminded myself to grab my lock and cable when I went back to the room so I could avoid another mini freak-out. I made it probably 200 metres and stopped to look at a travel agent....these probably outnumber the cafes and restaurants in LP!! I booked a "VIP" bus to Vientiane. It cost $18 and she muttered something about dinner but I checked on the aircon status. Affirmative. Thought it was a decent alternative to catching a flight for 100 bucks. Good save.

Went back to the gusthouse for a cold shower and they told me they were cooking a free dinner for the guests so I should be back at 6pm.

I set off on my ride to the Kuang Si waterfalls, very optimistic that I would make the 35km there...and 35 back!! The lonely planet said it was a reasonable ride through rice fields and lovely scenery. So I thought I'd save a few bucks and work off the pancake and cinnamon scroll I'd pigged-out on for breakfast. The start was pretty good. Small hills but once I got up I cruised down the other side. It was probably the hottest part of the day, awesome planning Melissa, but the breeze on my face was enough to keep me from overheating. Then the sun got a bit more piercing, and the hills got bigger. I refused a couple of offers from tuk-tuk drivers who already had a full load of passengers. I'm too stubborn, right Mum? In the end I made it to a large hill. Had to actually get off my bike to push it up and stopped to guzzle water. There were a group of boys playing and one of them had been racing me...actually keeping up with me as I struggled with the ascent. Butterflies were flying on par with me so that was when I started thinking my enthusiasm for the ride was actually far greater than my resolve to finish. I was about 20km in. A tuk tuk went past and I glanced at the driver with a distressed look. He stopped and I checked with his passengers if it was ok for me to join them. It was a group of English guys and a girl, and they were more than happy for me to join them and helped the driver load my bike onto the roof. As we drove along we got talking, there were 3 english guys and one english girl...and an extra french/irish guy. We exchanged travel stories and it turned out that they had only met each other whilst travelling. They were going on to Thailand so any chance of me taggin along with them was short-lived. As we climbed up hills we all remarked that it would have been a killer ride...and I didn't even have a mountain bike. It probably seemed really stupid but I think they all understood it was one of those moments you have when you're travelling...when you decide to plunge into something and have no idea what you're getting yourself into!

The entrance to the Falls had a bear enclosure. The Asiatic bear is about the same size as the brown grizzly bear. The enclosure didn't really seem big enough for them. We headed into check out the waterfalls and were met with the muddiest, murkiest flowing water I'd ever seen. Nothing like the water of Litchfield or Kakadu. Some guy told us the water is usually pristine but heavy rain in the mountains was the cause of the overly muddy nature of the water. The "swimming area" didn't seem very safe and there weren't any caution signs anywhere! I just kept thinking...if this were in Australia... plus the French guy was telling me stories of travellers drowning in Vang Vieng due to a lethal combination of too much alcohol, mushies and very strong currents (including a guy from Manchester he had befriended). Vang Vieng is synonymous with the phenomenon of tubing for those of you playing at home. Youtube it. So those stories, along with one of the English guys still suffering from pink-eye, put me off tubing which I wasn't keen on doing alone anyway and I had sort of already decided to spend an extra day in LP. I walked up the side of the falls with the French guy but when we came across some steep wooden steps that had water flowing heavily down them I turned back as he pushed on. Didn't fancy the climb in thongs. So I went down and found myself a nice spot in the sun and tested the water. I walked in but pushed it a little bit far and slipped and fell on my ass! I recovered pretty quickly as my bag and bum copped the brunt. It would have been hilarious if anyone else had of seen it. But they didn't! I dried off in the sun and was reading when the others came and said they were pretty keen to head off seeing as there was zero potential for a swim!! I agreed. The driver dropped us in town and I said goodbye to the others and headed to JoMa where I had a slightly funky-tasting roasted veg wrap and mocha. Later on in the arvo I dropped off my bike and was handed back my licence. I made it to the guesthouse for the free dinner which turned out to just be fried rice. I got excited thinking we might be treated to a BBQ, Laos style. I sat myself down with an English couple....very timid people so I was chatting away about Vietnam and they told me a bit about Thailaind, in particular Chiang Mai. I really want to get there one day! After a nice chat I said goodnight, did some boring old handwashing and decided on going to the Night Markets the next night. The evening was spent writing in my journal and bugdeting/planning for the rest of the trip! No chance of getting bored when you are travelling alone. Any time spent alone is spent either planning, reviewing or just reading or sleeping. I love the fact that you are forced to kind of force yourself on others. And they generally don't mind because most backpackers are very like minded and easy to talk to. I believe it's character building. I'm glad I have decided to do this and step out of my comfort zone...too boring there anyway!!!

Luang Prabang; a Wonderful Oasis

mwhinnen87 — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:16:00 GMT

Well hello journal....it's been a while.

17th Sept

Today I landed in Laos...Luang Prabang. The airport was tiny! But the sun was shining and the sky was blue, it all felt very promising. Flying over the mountains and mekong and landing in a seemingly paradise city densely populated with towering palm trees and very few traffic, I already felt miles away from Vietnam. I headed to the Visa on arrival counter...very 70's deco...and paid my $30US...easy. Had to head to the toilet and instantly noticed the difference from Vietnam. There was no smell! Actually there was a pleasant hint of air freshener floating around and I was excited- this has to be cleaner and more relaxed than Vietnam already!! I stocked up on max Kip; 700,000 and got a taxi for 50000kip. 10 minutes later I was dropped off at a pretty paved laneway and told to head down it for the Cold River guesthouse. There were children running around and mothers hanging out washing. I cracked a smile. As the room wasn't ready and after we'd settled on $10 per night for a room with a shower, I left my bag at reception and lonely planet in-hand I set off towards the town. Thought I could follow maps pretty well but it seems the Geography award I got in highschool was a bit of a fluke. I came to a fork in the road where it should have continued. So I hang a right and ended up walking alongside the river. Amazing view! The contrast of the mirky brown Mekong against the striking green mountains which in turn were contrasted with the piercing blue sky was so beautiful...so I got snap happy. Saw the first of many young and old monks stalking the streets, their orange attire almost fluorescent. I wasn't sure what the etiquette was with women. I'd read they can't talk alone with a woman and you can't physically touch them but I didn't know if I could even make eye contact. I noticed them eyeballing me so thought that the rules couldn't be too extreme. Walking the streets was really cool, the place had a very colonial vibe to it with classic cars scattered in the streets. I eventually got my bearings and came across a cafe highly rated in the lonely planet; Morning Glory. Get your head out of the gutter- it's actually a plant they use alot here and in vietnam (and cambodia as it turns out). Quite often they'll stirfry it and have it as a side dish or throw it in curries as you would spinach. Anyway it was situated across the rode from a large wat so I sat myself down and devoured the best Panang curry I've ever had. Along with a fresh fruit juice it all came to 50000kip. I found a place for iternet and after some routine checking facebook and e-mails I headed back to the guesthouse. I had already been greated by the musical "sabaideee" to be infected with it's welcoming sound. I already began noticing that people in restaurants etc just say it as hello without an underlying come in and eat something or buy something...as is the case in Vietnam (and Cambodia).

The room was basic and only had a fan but hey for $10 what do you want?? Funny thing though...I guess due to the proximity to the river, their sewerage may have been injected straight into the Mekong...because in this guesthouse you had to throw the toilet paper in a bin and not the toilet!! I headed back into town and opted for a massage for 40000kip. One hour of "traditional Laos massage" was pretty interesting. I had a guy...hmm...and he started from the feet and made his way up. But when he got to my back he started pressing down on my spine so hard and crushing my ribs into the matress that I had to time the intake of my breath to his releases!! Then my neck was something else, it was so hard that I had to tell him to be more gentle. He politely laughed and apologised, but proceeded to knead into my neck the same as before! I wasn't quite relaxed after it but glad I did it!

I decided to check out another cafe I'd read about and on the way I passed through the main street where they were setting up the Hmong Night Markets. It was incredible. It went on forever, and they had their own shelter then laid out a piece of plastic or a sheet and put out their goods. They were laying out hundreds of scarves individually, taking much care. Then the jewellery came out and each piece was meticulously placed one by one. They take pride in presentation here. At JoMa cafe I had a slice of pizza and a juice, so good! Then I set out on a mission to climb to the summit of Mt Phousi (pronounced Pussy). Now it's not high, just difficult to find! Again there I go with my geographical prowess...I know it's a mountain and the summit would be obvious but this is southeast asia!! I walked into a shop at the base of the small mountain and asked how do I reach the top? The boy said I just need to follow the blue signs, the first of which he pointed out to me. He asked if I was intending to see the sunset and as I replied that I hoped so he said it will be a nice night for it. Ah, the people are just lovely in Luang Prabang. So I set out in search of the blue signs and ended up walking between houses where chickens were flapping around and children were running up and down the walkway. It didn't seem quite right. But I eventually got to a higher point and could look out over the town. I had no idea if this was "it" so I went to head back down. As I walked through more houses children smiled as they rode past on plastic car toys and sang out Sabaidee, or even hello! Very sweet. I thought there was meant to be more to it so I turned back around, climbed up again and walked the path that seemed to go into the mountain and looked a bit dodgy...hence my initial hesitation! But finally I saw a ticket booth and at this stage the sun was headed down, down, down! So I semi-ran up the stairs and made it to the top. Dripping with sweat and in the company of many other tourists! They were all madly clicking away with their cameras so I joined the throng, but refrained from taking awful posing pictures of myself like the Japanese like to do. It was so beautiful and the view of the majestic mountains was mesmerising. As I went down the mountain the exit came out onto the night markets so I had a quick look. I decided I would do the majority of my shopping for the trip there! I rented a bike and as I jumped on it, possibly too confident after conquering riding in Vietnam, the handles moved as they were a bit loose, and I almost fell into a vintage car parked in front of the shop. Luckily I saved myself, had a laugh, then got on and wonkily set off. My confidence was a bit shaken and the brakes weren't reliable but I got back to the guesthouse to chill for a bit as it was still early evening. I thought of going back to the markets but heard doors being locked so thought I'd call it an early night. I looked over some of the activities I wanted to pursue whilst in LP and as my eyes were glazing over I fell asleep.

My first experience of Laos was undeniably unreal! I am in love with Luang Prabang and can't wait to explore it some more. Every corner you turn there are gorgeous little cafes and people warmly welcoming you with the infectious "sabaidee" greeting. LOVE THIS PLACE!!

Thoughts on Vietnam

mwhinnen87 — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:10:00 GMT

This is probably a bit lame but I thought I would paint a bit more of a picture of Vietnam; the land and it's people. It's the small things that add up to massive cultural differences and sometimes there is no rhyme nor reason to them...which intrigues me even more! So here are a few quirky things I noted whilst in Vietnam!

- Firstly...the traffic. It is a well known fact that Vietnam has some of the craziest traffic due to the fact that the preferred mode of transport is the scooter or motorbike. There are limited traffic rules and at times it seems like a bum-fight...but then if you look more closely you realise it's actually organised chaos. Traffic flows as it needs to. To cross roads is another story. I had to disagree with Dean the contiki tour guide as he said just walk across and the traffic will avoid you. This is partly true. BUT you have to avoid cars, buses, taxis etc as they don't move for anyone, but when it comes to scooters it's full steam ahead...power across that road and don't stop! There was also crazy honking going on that didn't seem to stop. Drivers honk to cyclists to move over so they canm overtake, they also honk when approaching an intersection to let other traffic know they're coming (there aren't give way or stop signs. Don't be stupid). I also noticed they would put their indicators on if they intend to overtake, perhps to let the car in front know they're going too slow.... So there is some method in their madness.

- It is also quite a bizarre sight to see the Vietnamese covered head to foot...literally, face masks, elbow-length gloves etc. Everyone wears face masks due to the traffic pollution and dust etc but even in 40 degree heat they cover themselves completely as they are obsessed with being white. In complete contrast to us stupid westeners who believe tanned is healthy they believe white is beautiful. Whitening creams are huge over here...so I guess they are just as extreme as we are, just in the opposite way!!

- The food....ah the food! Fresh and light is how I would describe it (sometimes a bit bland and flavourless). Noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner sums it up. Some people can't get into rice and noodles for breakfast...while I'd prefer cereal I'm getting into the noodles to start the day! No wonder they are all so tiny though...they live off noodles and work around the clock!

- Something I disliked was their method of rubbish collection. Basically they throw bags full of rubbish on the street ready for the people pushing massive metal bins around to pick it up. As a result it can be pretty smelly everywhere. Even in Sapa in the mountains, there was rubbish everywhere scattered in and between the quaint little towns. They need to start up a "Clean up Vietnam".

-It was hard to distinguish the Police. There were guys in uniforms everywhere...security standing outside shops, Tourist police...think I saw my first police vehicle in Hanoi. A small pick-up truck with barely distinguishable writing on it's side!

- The nails. Yuk the fingernails.... Guys often have a thumbnail or pinky fingernail that was way too long and manicured for my liking. Someone was telling me it may be a remnant of the 70s where they would use a long pinky fingernail to snort the white stuff. So it's seen as a fashionable thing. I sat next to a guy on the plane, really nicely dressed etc sorta metro but every single nail was an inch long. Bleh. Also sat next to some gorgeous ladies with drawn-on eyebrows and long fingernails....and toenails...guess I was glad they were painted but it's just something I won't understand!!

There were so many more small details and I could go on (and on and on) but i guess you just have to make it to the country yourself. As with any country it's the small details that make it stand out from the rest. And I loved every minute of exploring amazing Vietnam.

Scenic Sapa

mwhinnen87 — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:43:00 GMT

Sabaideeeee!! I'm writing this in Luang Prabang, Laos (will fill you in on it's amazingness soon!) but just had my first "bummer" moment of the trip. Found out I can't obtain a visa on arrival into Myanmar (Burma) as they have elections (elections? bah yeah right) so they are attempting to limit the number of non-Burmese entering the country. Guess they don't want people to know the dodgy happenings of the country, bit late for that. Anyway I was really excited to go as I've heard it's beautiful and the people are great...some travellers I'd met today said they had a blast and it was the safest country they've been! Damn...will have to revise and look up some new possible destinations! Any recommendations???

Anyway back to the trip that is and has been.

I was waiting at our hotel in Hanoi for my taxi to the train station. The funny little vietnamese guy I'd booked the tour with met me there and we jumped in a taxi. He got my ticket organised and showed me to my cabin and "soft-sleeper". He went over everything 10 times...very thorough, and he was very sweet so I felt the need to tip him! Three other people settled into the same cabin and the trip began with some Malaysian guy playing asian pop on his phone...then snoring loudly and leaving his light on. It was an ok ride...slept on and off. The train had a few stops so came to a sudden halt at times. Arrived at Lao Cai station around 5am. There was a driver waiting for me with my name printed on a piece of paper. Even at 5am, pitch black outside, there were people going around to the minivans asking you to buy flashlights, coffee, or maps of Sapa. Hardworkers these Vietnamese! There were a (possible?) couple from Melbourne and another girl going to the same hotel. The drive through the mountains was stunning. It was raining slightly and there was a morning mist about which added to the magic. Then the magic dissipated when we came across a build-up of traffic. There was a small landslide ahead that was blocking the road!!!! After a few phonecalls the driver told us to grab our bags and trek through the mud to a car waiting on the other side! Wet weather gear came out and I was set. Wasn't a bad walk over but my foot did slip at one point and I was mud-logged. Fun really. Finally made it to the hotel and the Hmong women descended upon the car before we had even made it out!! They had run down the hill upon spotting us and bombarded us with the usual "where you from?" "what your name" etc etc. We legged it up the steps (I wasn't in the mood for bargaining or buying at 7am) and we were shown to our rooms. I went upstairs for the included breakfast...banana pancakes with coffee, juice and a piece of bread with butter and jam. Went back to the room and rested up before meeting my guide.

I went to the lobby at 1:30pm and my guide was there. A gorgeous, tiny little local Hmong girl of 16 years old!!! Think her name was Liang. We began our walk to the Cat Cat falls and an older Hmong lady tagged along. After answering some of her questions she came out with "you buy from me now so I can go back to hotel". So I felt obliged!! Just bought a bag and said I would consider some jewellery later. After shaking her off (and after an expensive purchase!) Liang and I continued on foot. We chatted all the way, her English was quite good but she was very softly spoken. Turns out the children go to school there a few days a week, and only for half days. The rest they are expected to help at home and on the farm. Liang's older sister was now married and so she was responsible for looking after her two younger siblings...as well as bringing in a small income from doing tours. It was amazing, I told her I didn't even know what I was doing at sxiteen but I was sure I was much lazier than she!! The differences between our upbringings was very interesting. But she seemed very happy. We saw the relatively unimpressive waterfalls and tiny village. She showed me into a Hmong house and illustrated how they dye their hemp clothing with indigo dye for the Black Hmong tribe. Also how they dry corn and pound their rice. It was drizzling a little at this point but I was still so hot from walking around. At the end I refused a motorbike ride back as I wanted to walk longer and take it all in. So we walked uphill and stopped for a drink and some green-tea chewing gum! The view was fantastic. Photos just didn't capture the moment so I'm sorry everyone but you're going to have to go their yourselves for the real experience....I'll still show you the photos of course!!

Back at the hotel the older Hmong lady was waiting for me so I bought some bracelets. I retreated back to my room because these Hmong ladies are ruthless. They just walk alongside you and wait until you cave! Eventually I headed out, passed through some smelly markets and walked down the main street. Had a pizza at a place recommended by the lonely planet...which wasn't too bad but pretty much all cheese!! Back at the hotel I bumped into the Melbourne couple and chatted for a bit before I headed back to bed and watched some MTV (ha ha...never watched it before in my life but it seems to be my link to the western world) and fell asleep after watching a really awesome movie "Ghosts of girlfriends past". It was terrible in case you didn't note the sarcasm.

The next morning I was up at 7:30 for breakfast...banana pancakes again- why ruin a good thing? ... then I had to pack and check-out. Liang met me at 9:30 and we headed off for a bigger trek. A stop-off at the ATM and then I realised I had another Hmong tag-along. Liang did warn me that they would help me with my trek and ask me to buy stuff from them. It was a longer walk and not raining so it was really nice. Awesome view of the rice terraces and smaller towns in the valley. I stocked-up on water and we headed down the valley. There were some really steep places and as it had rained the day before some areas were very muddy and slippery. I made it down with the help of the Hmong lady but it started to rain lightly which wasn't bad just annoying as it made the trek a bit more difficult. I was glad for my purchase of fake converse shoes in Hanoi!! It warmed-up as we got further down into the valley. We stopped for lunch and I had fried rice with a drink. Then I entered into heavy bargainings with the Hmong lady. Still felt jipped and disliked feeling "obliged" to buy from her just because she grabbed my hand offering help down the hill. I'm quite a stubborn person and usually refuse help when it's offered so that angered me a little more!! But then the items she was selling were all made by her hand and she was trying to make a living so I thought what the hell. It's also a way to remember the Hmong ladies and Liang. We were the first group there and Liang said I was doing the trek very quickly...I laughed it off as I was under the impression I was moving at a snails pace compared to her tiny limber legs! But then the other tourists filed in with their tag-along Homng ladies!!! Very funny to see western men with these women half their size jogging next to them. Everyone else seemed to be covered in mud from falling so I was pretty pleased with myself ha ha!! After lunch we walked into the towns and had a look around. This was really rural vietnam. Water buffalos, chickens, ducks and dogs roaming everywhere. There were soem little stalls selling the most intricate stone-carvings...I was annoyed I didn't take out more money as I was dry. Ah well they'd be heavy to carry anyway. At the time purchasing these things seems like a good idea but then you get home and don't half wonder if it just looks like something from Things or Red dot!! But I guess it's the memories that come with the souvenirs. Eventually we were picked up by a motorbike and Liang and I climbed on and the 3-person heavy (possible 125cc?) bike sped through the mountains. It was the scariest but most thrilling ride I have ever been on! The driver was a pro at dodging rocks and navigating through small streams and potholes. That's saying something because I consider Dad and Tim pretty amazing riders. Still I crossed my fingers along the way and made it back to the hotel in one piece!! I said goodbye to Liang, she was such an amazing girl I was so glad to meet her and hear her perspective on life. I had time to kill before the bus and finally when it arrived we were packed in like sardines. Then it was like deja vu. There was a bank-up of traffic and we discovered a landslide had blocked the road. I was stressed this time as I had to be on the train at 7 and it was approaching 6. It was so crazy there were trucks, vans, bikes and scooters everywhere. Finally they cleared the way but it was an abslute bum-fight to get though and our driver manouvered his way through pretty cheekily but I was very grateful!! We got to Lao Cai and stopped for something to eat (noodles and veg for $1.50) and I stocked-up on peanut butter and chocolate oreos. Found my "berth" on the train and set myself up for the night. I shared the cabin with three other vietnamese who were on their mobiles intermittently throughout the night. Didn't sleep much this time. I had my bag with my valuables at my head and semi-consciously groped around for it just to check it was there!!! Got into Hanoi at 4am, much earlier than expected and I jumped off in search of a taxi. BAH! you don't have to look for them...they find you. I was told to go for Mailinh taxis but a driver approached me and quoted $25US which I thought was damn expensive!! But then it was an hour drive to the airport. I bargained him down to $22. It was a dark ride to the airport but I got there, waited to check-in. Did so and then boarded my flight to Luang Prabang baby!!!!! More to follow :)

Love to all! Wish you could see all this with me xx

Contiki Continued....

mwhinnen87 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:48:00 GMT

So day 6.... we were up and off to Hue today. An amazing bus journey later we were settled into the hotel and headed to lunch during some free time. Made it to bar Why not and had noodles again! Next we headed off on a tour to the Tu Duc Tomb. It was basically a massive parkland for the King Tu Duc...bit of a useless man apparently. He sat around the beautiful grounds and had hundreds of concubines and unichs at his disposal. Instead of righting wrongs and improving life for his people he wrote poems and prayed for "someone else" to help his people. Very pretty place and huge grounds with temples etc. Explored the place for a bit and the rains were threatening! And of course there were the ladies trying to sell ponchos and umbrellas as soon as you stepped out of the Tomb. Next it was onto the Pagoda after viewing how incence and hats are made. The pagoda was interesting, hung around to hear the monks chanting (didn't sound very peaceful actually...bit more aggressive really!!). Then we took a very lame boat down the "perfume river" whilst the rain fell lightly around us. Dinner was organised for us...a place was booked that was owned by a deaf man and his 8-or-something daughters. Looked like a dive but the food was really good. And beer so cheap!! Great night finished off with a free cocktail on the hotel roof-top bar with great views of the city.

This morning we headed off on a cyclo tour to the Forbidden purple city. Contiki was out in force on their cyclos, pretty hilarious!! We stopped for our group photo (currently in my backpack getting squished into all sorts of contortions!) ten we toured the Forbidden city which was very lovely. After a look around and some Elephant rides it was off to the (poor excuse of an) airport. Here Dean the tour guide gave me some tips about Luang Prabang and Phonm Penh, among other places in Laos and Cambodia. After the flight (about 1 hour) we got on a bus to the city of Hanoi. The bus could only take us so far and we had to jump off, scoop up our luggage and cross through crazy traffic (similar to HCMC, maybe fewer bikes but more chaotic) to get to the small lane our hotel was down. The hotels on contiki have been palatial!! Especially compared to Europe where the rooms were as big as the bathrooms I was now using. How four of us got ready in limited time in those bathrooms is unfathomable!! But we did! A few of us had a walk around town and picked up some silk scarves and DVDs..then hit-up the legends beer restaurant for a brew and some food.Really nice. We had a great view over a busy "intersection" so masrvelled at the chaos below. Then a perfomance started on a stage in the middle of this intersection! It was crazy because bikes were passing by and stopping, thereby holding up the traffic! We crossed thorugh the madness to have a look at the lake at night. Then Lisa, Mel and I ran into Dean and shared a bevy with him in a small bar around the corner from our hotel. Hanoi was nice but busy and chaotic once again...something I wasn't too excited about being part of!

Day 8... today we had a three hour drive to Halong Bay. I'd seen some pictures of this place and it is campainging to be listed as one of the world's greatest wonders. It was instantly evident why! It was absolutely huge and scattered within the bay were thousands of limestone "islets" and "karsts". Spectacular....I couldn't comprehend the magnitude! We boarded our private Junk boat (very impressive) and settled in for lunch. What a lunch it was!! About 9 different courses or plates of seafood. Crab steamed in beer, clams, garlic prawns, fish, octupus...so amazing and I ate it all! Meanwhile we were floating among the most picturesque place I have ever seen! Once we were all full we headed to some caves and had a look around. After this we had the option of going to a lookout (up some very gruelling steps). I stayed back as I wasn't feeling too well and thought I could do some more reading and planning for my trip. Slept a little bit and woke to hear the guys jmping off the boat. We had another epic meal at dinner, which pretty much mirrored our lunch and after this we drank and dance, some people staying up pretty late. I wasn't feeling the vibe so went below deck and stuck my head out the window just marvelling at the karsts surrounding the boat. I could imagine floating peacefully in a kayak or something at night, the karsts towering over you with their millions of years on the earth belittling you and forcing you to ponder over your tiny existence!! Beautiful.

Day 9... we were up and cruising again. I could stay in Halong Bay for at least a week. After breakfast a few of us opted for a boat ride to see some monkeys. It was amazing to see them in their natural environment, the babies were so tiny but acrobatic nonetheless! Mr Richmond will be dissapointed I could name the species of them... What was for lunch?? You guessed it, more seafood!! I was still impressed by the dishes that came out in a constant flow of yummyness. Then we had to say goodbye to Halong Bay and we were all very sad to leave. Back on the bus for 3 hours and we had our last dinner together as a group at Le Tonkin. We couldn't go to the KOTO (know one teach one) restaurant as they were closed for a meeting whioch was a huge dissapointment. Le Tonkin had probably never served a group as big as ours so the service was terrible slow and a couple of meals never made it out! We headed to a bar near the hotel and after a few drinks landed at "The tunnel bar" which was really funky. We pretty much had the place to ourselves so drank, smoked some shish and danced for hours! Excellent last night. I rocked up to the hotel at 2am pretty intoxicated, though not overly, went on facebook and snacked on some pringles whilst chatting to Lisa- awesome roomie!

Our last day....nawww...it was a late start as we took advantage of the sleep-in! ASfter packing I went with Lisa to her hotel to dump my stuff while we walked around the outer area of Hanoi. After buying shoes for trekking in Sapa I got my bag and we walked to the hotel a few km away....well it was after we took a wrong turn!! Got back a bit sweaty so changed and headed to legends for a last beer together. Said goodbye to everyone at the hotel as they were off to dinner and I was waiting to be taken to the train for my big Sapa adventure!!

All in all contiki was pretty amazing. I felt a bit weird being part of a tour group again after preparing myself for solo travel but it was good to have some mates to drink and party with...and share the experience of Vietnam!!

I'll fill you in on my Sapa trip next so stay tuned...

Love to ALL!!!!! xx

Contiki tour: Vietnam Highlights ... in a nutshell!

mwhinnen87 — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:39:00 GMT

Hi all,

So sorry it has been so long between "stories". I've found an internet cafe in Sapa...some internet, you can't even log onto facebook. So I'm having to back-track a bit in my memory with what we did on Contiki (as you can guess it's all a bit hazy).

I managed to find my way to the meeting point for Contiki, a hotel on Pham Ngu Lao. I got there pretty early so crashed in the lobby and began to read a bit more of my new best friend...Lonely Planet's guide to southeast asia on a shoestring. Then a guy wearing a Contiki shirt approached me and asked if I was on his tour. We did our intro's and his name was Dean and he'd been with Contiki doing the Asian tours for a couple of years. We got through some admin stuff to save time later and he told me I could check-in...apparently my room mate had already settled in to the room. So I checked in and headed to the room and Kirsty was there, an English girl travelling alone and heading to Hong Kong to see family after the tour. We chatted a bit and prepped before meeting the rest of the group. That evening was spent going over admin stuff then a trip to the Ben Thanh Markets for dinner. Average food, I had some dish of 2-minute noodles with vegies. Downed a few beers and got to know some people. We headed to the bar Allez Boo (was becoming a regular at this place now) and we had many drinks and danced a bit. Fun first night.

Day 2 was a bit of a sleep-in and after lunch we headed off on a tour to the War remnants museum and had a look at the Reunification Palace. I instantly recognised the gate of the palace as the one that was rammed by a tanker I guess in 1975. The War museum was as horrible as is to be expected. Confronting images of the war and even now of people suffering the effects of Agent orange. Millions of litres of agent orange and other toxic liquids were dumped all over Vietnam. Apparently it alters your chromosomes in some way so you can pass on defects to your children. There were photos of vietnamese and american children who were affected due to their parents exposure to Agent orange. Millions of vietnamese died in the war that lasted 10years...most of them innocent farmers, elderly and children. Photos documented these atrocities. There was also lists of journalists who died in the war. We headed to the airpoirt to catch an afternoon flight to Nha Trang. We landed around 6pm and it took an hour to drive to the hotel. We got ourselves ready to head out to the sailing club....and that was the beginning of a massive night!! It was ladies night so we had free alcoholic concotions before 11pm...then moved on to anything and everything...shots, cocktails, jam jars...the lot! Complete with a bonfire drinking right on the beach was amazing. Danced a bit and a few injuries happened. A couple of twisted ankles and a casualty from excessive alcohol consumption! Dean the tour guide was run off his feet! Most people went to bed around 1am but a few of us stayed at the Sailing club til we were kicked out at 3am. Then we wondered up the beach and ended up at the swimming pool. And stayed there until 5am when the sun came up. We legged it to the beach and it was the most amazing sunrise I have ever experienced! Because we had arrived at night we had no idea the bay was surrounded by mountains and undulating green islands. Incredible!! There were lots of people out for a swim that morning....and we were all in awe of what we had witnessed. We headed to breakfast, still under the influence and went to bed to sleep for a couple of hours!

Day 3 we had a cruisy free day in Nha trang. The weather was beautiful so we hung out at the beach. I went for a bit of a walk with a couple of younger girls from Queensland and bought some things. We headed to the Brewhause brewery for dinner which was amazing and so cheap then others went out to another bar and scored heaps of free shots and drinks. I had a quite one!!

Day 4 we were up early for breakfast and took the bus to the airport. We flew to Hoi An and it was stinking hot, but not as humid as HCMC. The sun was out and sweltering!! We were too ealry for check-in so we had an early lunch at the Cargo Club and did a little tour of the Old quarter. Gorgeous. Had a look at the Japanese Bridge and an Old house. Saw some photos of flooding, it's incredible what these people endure! Next stop we checked out the infamous Yaly tailor shop. Then we picked up our bicycles and headed to the hotel. After a cool-off in the pool I was ready to hit-up Yaly's. I had no idea what I wanted yo have made for me but I thought a nice long dress would come in handy! So they fitted me for one and I chose the material and design etc. Imagine someone telling you "If there was any dress in the world you would like made what would it be??" This is how hard it was!! Back to the hotel I went for a bicycle ride outside of Hoi An. Very hot work but we got to check out some of rural vietnam, rice fields and buffalo etc. Awesome. Tonight we went to a cooking class and I had a ball (as you can imagine!!). We made fresh rice paper rolls, green papaya salad, marinated chicken skewers and they extra food for us....too much to eat!! Have to say mine came out pretty well and I think I was the only one to eat my food! LOVED IT!

So now Im half-way....Day 5. This was a free day after we did a tour of some ancient ruins (most of which were bombing casualties of the war) we basically checked out some more tailors and looked at other souvenirs. Went...somewhere...for lunch and I had my usual stirfried noodles and vegies. Never get enough noodles!! Some more poolside chatting and we headed to Green Chili for dinner. This place had only been open 3 weeks and the head chef had studied in Milan for 3 years so the focus was on Italian food. I strayed from my preference of the local cuisine and had ravioli in a creamy sauce with ham and mushrooms. DIVINE! The ravioli was freshly made and absolute heaven! The sauce also reminded me of home so it was a damn good choice! Some of us headed to a bar and then back to the pool for a chat and reasonable early night.

To be continued...

First stop Ho Chi Minh

mwhinnen87 — Sun, 5 Sep 2010 17:21:00 GMT

Xin chao!!

Hard to describe this city....but highly stressful sums it up!!

The flight to Singapore wasn't too bad. I got chatting to a guy called Chris who was flying to Singapore... made the time go quicker to talk to someone. Being small and near the window I had my body in all sorts of contortions to try and get some sleep. Failed. At the bugdet terminal in Singapore I had to pick up my bag and go through customs...then check-in for my next flight 2 hours later and wait another 2 hours to board. 1hr 40 mins later I was in Vietnam! Had to get my Visa which was a bit of a wait but nothing crazy. Picked up my bag and headed straight outside. Was on the lookout for something to eat but nothing much around. Taxi drivers pounced and I asked to get to District 1 for 100000dong but they laughed (this was what lonely planet quoted!!). So they pointed me to the bus. For 6000d the bus dropped me off very close to De Tham. The main backpacker area. A girl got talking to me, possible trying to better her english, and she told the bus driver to look after me and tell me when to get off. It was very nice of her...ou know, warm fuzzy. Anyway walked along a street a bit looking for Mama Cuc's which lonely planet suggests. Some guys were telling me to come into their hostel and there it was...Mama cuc's! Got a room for US$16 with breakfast and dinner included. So many stairs! Got settled in and laid down to rest...for a few hours!!

Decided to head down for the inclusive dinner. Got chatting to an American guy Matt who had seen parts of Cambodia and Thailand already. Awesome guy. Dinner came and it was noodles in soup with some spring roll things on the side. Pretty damn good! Got talking to 3 English girls and guy (James, Charlotte and Elizabeth)...again really nice people! They had also seen a bit of Cambodia and Thailand so it was great to hear their stories. We decided to head out for a beer.

Ventured out about 9pm and walked down...a street...to...a bar...(I'm really good with names!). This bar was set up for westeners...so had a BGI beer or two for 35000d each. Amazing. Decided to head off to anoter bar so sat down at GO2 (?) and had a few more beers! Had some awesome discussions, you know, about politics, healthcare and education! No joke, it's really interesting to compare between different countries. So several beers later we headed back to hostel which was locked! And to bed at 2am. Nice one :)

Got up this morning a little bit worse for wear...thank you panadol. After breakfast (bread roll with really runny jam?) I met Matt and we headed off for a walk. Made it to Ben Thanh markets- huge- and then found our way to a restaurant (enter name here later!). Amazing choice of food and I'd seen this place on a cooking show a few days previous. So fancy and good service and food for all of $7...meal, drinks and coffee! Might try and get back there tmrw with Contiki! Said goodbye to Matt and wandered off without a map and without any intention of going anywhere in particular! Weather SO humid and hot but sunny which is nice. Thought it would be raining more. After some frozen yoghurt I ended up here...writing this to bore anyone who could be bothered reading it!

So hard to explain what this city is like. The motorbikes and scooters are incredible. 1000s of them and the traffic is chaotic but there is some beautiful flow to it that makes it work. You just cross the roads avoiding cars and buses but the other traffic has to avoid you! Not sure I could live here...it seems very stressful and the heat gets to you but I guess like anywhere it's a way of life for them and they just get on with it! They seem very happy and lovely people. So for my first stop I've had lots of fun and experiences...can't wait to see the rest of Vietnam!

Love to all and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!! xx

Franticly tying up the loose ends!

mwhinnen87 — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 19:36:00 GMT

My first entry! Could be my last...my confidence in myself is evident. But then I would know myself better than anyone right? Maybe. Anyway...have spent the day trying to get everything together; printing booking confirmations, packing bags (eliminating clothing- getting pretty good at that by now!), updating iPod etc etc.

Frantically tried to print my own passport photos as you need a couple of copies with each new visa application for each country (which you obtain on arrival at most places). Finally went to Kmart and printed some "wallet" size photos. Still too big. Have some old photos I'll handover if they get picky but otherwise I've read you can have a photo taken at immigration. Guess I'll find out soon! Also organised a "Visa on arrival" for Vietnam so hope that works too!

Catching a flight at 21:35 tonight which arrives Singapore at 2:50am (yep, budget terminal as I'm flying with Tiger. Gulp). Then I have a 5 hour wait before boarding my 1 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh (previously Saigon for those of you playing at home).

Guess I'll write my next entry in HCMC- if I don't get run over attempting to cross a road first!! xxx