Russ & Tash's travels

Photos: Singapore

russc_01 — Thu, 1 May 2014 23:15:00 GMT

Singapore and Journey End

russc_01 — Thu, 1 May 2014 22:04:00 GMT

We very nearly didn't make it to Singapore. We had been 'reliably' informed it was ok to leave Vietnam 48 hours after the expiry of our visas by various travel forums and travelers, however we found this wasn't entirely true. Upon checking into our flight we were asked to report to the immigration office, where five seedy looking, laughing officials greeted us. We were informed that we would need to pay a fine (which we assumed would be reasonable eg $25 as mentioned online). After much deliberation and waiting we were informed that the fine would be $420 USD. To give some perspective this was much more than we were paying on accomodation a week! We knew at his point these corrupt officials thought their payday had arrived...our trump card however was saying 'thats fine, do you take credit?'. Concerned looks were exchanged and they said 'no", but you can take out money from the atm downstairs'. We told them our credit card did not allow cash advances (total crap of course) and we had already used up our cash, other than what Russ held in his hand (about $10 worth of local currency). The stand off continued for awhile, even with them asking if we had friends in Vietnam who could 'help'us! We seemed to make some progress when Tash mentioned the Australian & English embassies, kindly offering them to help resolve the situation. We were also lucky that Singapore Airlines stepped in and offered to have their local Chairman speak with the head of imigation.

After the officials finally established there was no money to be made from us, we were escorted back to the airline and allowed to check in. We felt as if we had won the lotto but managed to maintain poker faces until boarding the flight, whereby we celebrated with lots of drinks, enabled by a very friendly hostess who freepoured wine, some times even before we had requested it!

We landed in Singapore giggling and relieved, happy to be somewhere clean, safe and familiar. As we had been here about five years ago we spent our time nostalgically seeing our favourite parts, and also seeing some new attractions which weren't here last time. Russ's highlight was food related (obviously), specifically curry in Little India, and Tash's was the Zoo, walking around like an over excited five year old on a sugar high.

It is impossible to summarise how amazing the last eleven months have been. We have spent time with family & friends we do not usually see, met some incredible people who have made the journey that much sweeter, seen Europe like we always said we would and have been amazed and challenged by SE Asia. We have climbed a mountain, hiked rivers, spent more time on buses, trains and planes than is healthy, and partied with the best of them. We have laid on what seems like a thousand beaches, tripped to islands, seen ancient buildings and landmarks and been challenged and excited by so many cultures, people and ideas. Tash has seen lots of animals in the wild! We have had stomach bugs, mozzie bites, leech bites and Russ even dislocated a finger....and we wouldn't change anything. It has been a epic journey and one which we will never forget. You could never have said 'we have not lived' before but now.....

We head for home tomorrow, happy and contented and ready to settle and stay put, at least for awhile... :) Hope you've enjoyed reading our blog - we will keep it for ourselves as a record of the fun we have had!

Russ & Tash

Photos: Hanoi

russc_01 — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 19:17:00 GMT

Hanoi

russc_01 — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 18:59:00 GMT

Hanoi is much like Ho Chi Minh City, busy, loud and manic which was a bit of an assult on our senses after the serenity (well mostly) of Cat Ba. We treated ourselves to a nice hotel and have taken full advantage of room service and our mini bar. It has been an absoulute luxury to have a separate shower and toilet, and having our room cleaned daily.

We would have been more enthusiastic about exploring the city if we had started here, however we are a bit templed/cultured out and by this point have been happy enough to roam the streets exploring, drinking coffee and eating good food. The big exception to this was our trip yesterday to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. In the style of other Soviet heros / leaders, Uncle Ho was preserved for display against his wishes of cremation and is visited daily by hoards of Vietnamese people and tourists. Although a little strange it was fasinating seeing Ho Chi Minh just looking like he had died yesterday surrounded by armed guards in white militatry regalia.

It is our last night here, we head to Singapore tomorrow afternoon for a few days - then home. We are both really looking forward to returning.

Photos: Cat Ba Island & Halong Bay

russc_01 — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:27:00 GMT

Cat Ba Island & Halong Bay

russc_01 — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 15:56:00 GMT

We were happy to leave Hue despite facing a mammoth 16hour overnight train journey, thankfully booking the best class; soft sleepers. We were lucky to have the bottom beds of a four bed berth and both managed 7-8 hours of sleep - so much better than our other overnight train journey! We transfered to a coach in Hanoi, stayed in Halong city overnight then headed to Cat Ba island by ferry the folllowing morning.

Cat Ba is the largest island in the Halong Bay / Lan Ha Bay areas, all made up of varying sizes of limestone masses surrounded by water, and has a relaxed island feel to it. On our first full day we booked onto a tour which took in the sights of the two bays, included kayaking, swimming and a visit to a grotto. Although the areas are visually stunning, there are many floating fish farms, big cities and a high percentage of boats around contributing to a disappointing amount of rubbish and waste in most areas of the bays: which is a real shame. That being said it was great to see a place so well known for its islands and limestone rock formations.

During our tour we met Nick & Jenny, an awesome couple traveling southwards through Vietnam and were also traveling extensively like us. We hung out together during the day and then decided to meet up for dinner and drinks. From just a couple of beers things esculated quickly to many cocktails, shots and laughing gas balloons in a quirky yet fun bar. The bar man was fully particiating in our (and everyones) fun and saw him slump on a bar stool by 4am and sleep, much to Jenny and Tash's delight now manning bar whilst triumpthantly standing over the bar man like he was a crime scene! The night became day and we thankfully found our beds by 9am the next day. Nice to meet such awesome people, despite them being from Wolverhampton (says the man from the midlands ;) ).

We move on to Hanoi for five nights next, then finish in Singapore. Not long til we are home!

Photos: Hue

russc_01 — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 12:39:00 GMT

Hue

russc_01 — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 12:22:00 GMT

We arrived into Hue with high expectations especially since Hoi An was so stunning. Hue has been a bit average, not particularly bad but not amazing either. The highlight of the city is definately the Citadel, the ancient city where a dynasty of Emperors ruled Vietnam. Much of the ancient city was badly damaged or completely destroyed during the TET and American offences during the American/Vietnam war. Inside the city, what buildings remained were pretty impressive and proved highly photogenic.

Besides this there was little else to see and do and so it happened, we found a good bar with decent food, cocktails and music and spent the day shooting pool against each other and staff members (thrashed by them everytime).

And so this see's us writing our blog whilst lounging around in our average hotel with a late checkout planned ready for our overnight sleeper train to Hanoi which is supposed to take 16 hours. From there we hop on a bus to Halong city where we then head to Cat Ba island and Halong Bay.

Photos: Hoi An

russc_01 — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 16:58:00 GMT

Hoi An

russc_01 — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 16:09:00 GMT

Hoi An is easily one of the most photogenic towns we have stayed in with old style Chinese / Japanese / Vietnamese buildings, a river running through and lots of cafes, bars, resturants and craft shops. Being so photogenic resulted in Tash snapping away like a Japanese tourist on a speed / Vietnamese coffee high. The food here is exceptional with many local specialtiies on offer alongside the usual flavoursome and spicy Vietnamese classics. There are also many Bia Hoi establishments where fresh, draft beer is only 3000 dong a glass: 15c! Alongside this there is a pretty nice beach 3 kilometres away from the centre and we have rode out there on bicycles to enjoy some lunch, swim and to do some skids!

Hoi An has a similar feel to it as Kampot did in Cambodia, yet it is bigger, cleaner and also has a beach. Whilst here we have visited some of the buildings in the old town (which is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site) as well as cycling and walking around soaking up the sights.

From here we continue or journey northwards (finishing in Hanoi in 2 weeks time), with our next stop being Hue - a place with an Ancient Citadel and heaps of history.

Loving Vietnam!

Photos: Nha Trang

russc_01 — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 19:06:00 GMT

Nha Trang (& Dalat)

russc_01 — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 18:37:00 GMT

We had a few unproductive days in Dalat before heading to Nha Trang, mainly drinking amazing Vietnamese coffees at 'Chocolate Cafe' and people watching. We heard there were lots of nice things to see and do but we happily did nothing. Our first day in Nha Trang was much the same but after this we finally managed to find some motivation.

On the following days we spent time on the beach, walked to see the Cham Towers (Ancient towers built...expectedly...by the Cham people) and indulged in some nice meals. We were also continously amused by the Russian tourists and their 'holiday clothes' including such fashion statements as: cowboy hats, sailors caps, speedos, short tight shorts (for men), jump suits, faux animal prints and net shirts etc. We believe they have very different ideas about holiday clothes compared to any other nation!

Our final day was spent on a snorkel tour out to two islands, Hon Mun and Hon Mot. The snorkeling was nice with colourful corals and fish, however, it was disappointing to see damaged coral and rubbish in places. The buffet lunch provided onboard was so large it was slightly intimadating but Tash had a win with keeping hers down - given her history with boats!

That evening we took a night sleeper train to Danang, our access point to Hoi An (via connection by bus). The sleeper train was much like sleeping in a chest of drawers, with 6 beds per berth (3 on either side bunk style). We were lucky enough to share our room with a mother and a child with gastro, with Tash having to throw her day bag away due to some projectile vomit - lovely. As with everywhere here neither seemed to care about the body fluids everywhere and made no efforts to clean up!

Thankfully we booked a nice hotel, disinfected ourselves, and slept happily for the afternoon. We have heard Hoi An is beautiful and a real foodie place - but we'll have to check this for ourselves!

Only 3 weeks left of our travels, having an amazing time but can't wait to see everyone.

Photos: Cat Tien National Park

russc_01 — Wed, 2 Apr 2014 21:40:00 GMT

Cat Tien National Park

russc_01 — Wed, 2 Apr 2014 21:13:00 GMT

We left Ho Chi Minh and headed a few hours north west to Cat Tien National Park. It would come as no suprise to any who have visited Vietnam that we were overcharged for our bus journey, followed by being stung significantly by the moto taxi riders for the 25ks up from the main road to the park. We would have prefered another bus but ended up having no choice but to take the two toothless, slightly crazed moto riders up on their firm offer: we were told by all involved that there "was no local bus". We thankfully arrived alive after wild manouvers and several important text messages sent. On arrival we were pleased to meet a couple who had just had the same experience.

We have now spent two full days in the park, with day one involving riding bikes to a local village with a long house and visiting a bear sanctuary. Although Tash was pleased to see bears (Russ less so) she wished the feeding cages were larger. Day two we were joined by the couple we met and we rode much futher into the park and trekked to Crocodile Lake where there were actual crocodiles (the Vietnamese have named several places after animals which are not present e.g. Turtle Island and a few mystical e.g. Unicorn Island!!) so we were pleased the marketing was accurate!

We move on to the hilly, colonial town of Dalat tomorrow on the suprise suprise, local bus (since found) and have booked a nice local hotel which has many reviews raving about the large buffet breakfast complete with vegemite and bacon...sold...take our money already!!!

Photos: Ho Chi Minh City & the Mekong River

russc_01 — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:42:00 GMT

Ho Chi Minh City

russc_01 — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:27:00 GMT

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City was both an assult on the senses and a relief to find friendly, welcoming locals. We spent our first two days exploring some of the major landmarks in the city (old post office, Notre Dame Cathedral, War Mueseum, Bitex Co tower) as well as sampling some of the tasty foods and drinks. We particularly are enjoying the strong local coffee combined with sweetened condensed milk. We loved immersing ourselves in chaos of the city, mostly taking our lives in our hands everytime we crossed the road. The heat has been suprising too, with each day hitting 36c and high humidity; making us impose a much needed daily siesta.

We also took a two day trip out of the city to see the Mekong River, mainly wanting to see functioning, non-touristy floating markets.

We move on to a National Park tomorrow with Tash (as always) excited to see animals and Russ (as always) less so.

Photos: Kuala Lumpur

russc_01 — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 01:18:00 GMT

Kuala Lumpur

russc_01 — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:41:00 GMT

Our flight from Sandakan was one approached with a healthy dose of trepidation and fear; given that MH370 was recently lost and we had booked with Malaysian Airlines. On top of this there was nowhere in the airport to buy some stiff drinks and the plane had none on board either. We would have greatly regretted if our last drinks ever were apple juice!! With every bit of turbalance we saw other passengers fidgetting and tapping their knees, a few clued up Chinese businessmen had clearly hit the sake early and seemed more relaxed than most. It was a relief to touch down in KL, not only as we survived but also because it more progressive than Semporna.

We decided that our time in KL would be spent doing the touristy thing, starting with a visit to the Batu caves. The caves feature many steps, lots of tourists and some very aggressive, cheeky monkeys who consistently raid the temple food offerings, tourists bags and snacks. We also walked around the city centre, saw the Petronas towers from afar and even had a look through the massive shopping malls (which Russ's Mom would love) - much to Russ's despair.

It is Tash's birthday today and to celebrate we have purchased a nice bottle of wine (a rare and expensive luxury at the moment) and we have plans to ascend the Petronas towers this evening followed by dinner a one of the top rated Japanese restaurants in KL. Tomorrow we head to Vietnam, flying into Ho Chi Minh City with plans to travel up towards Hanoi over the coming month.

Looking back on our four weeks in Malaysia, we loved climbing Kinabalu, enjoyed the natural beauty of the Cameron Highlands and Borneo but have been disappointed by most of the towns and cities, which have been largely dirty, smelly and at times unwelcoming to westerners. We also don't rate the food which has mainly been uninspiring, greasy and a bit dull. Bring on Vietnamese cuisine!

Photos: Semporna Archipelago

russc_01 — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:06:00 GMT

Semporna Archipelago

russc_01 — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 23:40:00 GMT

Unfortunately our time in Semporna did not live up to our rather high expectations. We had been told there was little to do in the town (although the islands are a diving and snorkeling mecca) but could not have imagined how dirty, stinky, unwelcoming and downright backwards the town could be. We had booked a more expensive hotel on the basis we could use the pool, however sitting right on the port next to the fishing trawlers meant a rotting fish smell pervaded, and combined with the garlic smell from the hotels kitchen made the pool a no go zone. As it happened we were still recovering from a nasty stomach bug and hence spent our first two days in bed reading and catching up with rubbish tv.

That all being said; by the third day we managed to get our sorry asses out of bed and headed out on a snorkel trip to the archipelago. We managed to snorkel at two locations (both close to Mabul Island) and were priveleged to see lots of different fish and five sea turtles. The corals were also spectacular although some did look quite damaged in some locations. Although we knew our antibiotics (for stomach bug) would make us sensitive to the sun we were unprepared for the severity of the sunburn that resulted (given that we both wore 3/4 wetsuits and 50+ sunscreen). Russ looked alot like a typical English holiday maker!

All in all we were glad we went but also very pleased to get on another freezing bus and back the more hospitable town of Sandakan. Here we spent one night only but induluged a little and had cocktails to celebrate our anniversary in a lovely rooftop bar...next stop KL.