Elodie and Zack's Trip to Asia

Phnom Penh

zholmes2 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:22:00 GMT

We are blogging from Ko Samet in the South of Thailand today! We are really sorry for the lack of blogs, we have been so busy travelling from here to there and trying to make the most of our last week here!

We left you in Ho Chi Minh City...A whole two weeks ago nearly!

We arrived in Phnom Penh earlier than expected- yippee!!! It was lunchtime and we needed to find a guesthouse. Unfortunately, they were all miles away from the bus station, along the river front. Luckily, we were able to share a tuk tuk with two German people going in the same direction as us. As we had absolutely NO money between us (it had been taken off us at border crossing in order to buy a Cambodian visa), we had to ask them to pay and said we would pay them back later. We chose 'Happy Guesthouse 11' and this turned out to be a fine choice. Our room, although a little basic, was sufficient for our needs and the bar area was possibly the best we have seen yet- beers in Cambodia were only 50 cents in all the bars/restaurants! There were loads of little tables, sofas and hammocks on a deck on the lake which provided the perfect setting for sunset watching. After checking in we decided to make the most of the rest of the day and went to see Tuel Sleng Prison (S-21). This was used by the Communist Khmer Rouge to torture prisoners. The fact that the prison was formally a school, made it all the more haunting. If like us, you start of fairly unfamiliar with Cambodian history type Khmer Rouge into google, it's so interesting, especially as it's so recent. The prison was fairly brutal and had pictures in every cell of someone dying on the bed in that room- not very nice. We spent about one and a half hours walking around and then took a tuk tuk (haha) to Wat Phnom which looked extremely beutiful in the evening sun. We sat down and watched the monkeys playing in the surrounding grass and trees before walking back to our hostel in the still blazing sun. We were chuffed to find a cheap place to eat- it also had a pool table (Elodie is getting very good, even Zack admits it although she has not quite reached game-winning level). We finished our meal of noodles (of course) and walked down the street only to find the same meal for half the price- damn! We headed back to our hotel for an early night after watcing the sun set over the lake with a chocolate milkshake each. We woke up bright and early to get our tuk tuk to the Killing Fields at 7am. After a COLD shower and another milkshake and pancake, we set off. We were not prepared for what we saw. The mass graves had only been partly excavated and were shockingly untouched in places- due to the recent rainfall, teeth, bones and clothes of the victims were scattered everywhere. Thanks to our early start we had a peaceful walk around and left as the tourist buses began to arrive. Our tuk tuk dropped us off at the Grand Palace where the King of Cambodia lives. Emotionally and physically tired, we mustered all our strength for, dare we say it, more shopping at the Central Market. We got fed up of bartering as the people were a lot more stubborn, especially as we seemed to be the only foreigners there so we got inflated prices. We met a Canadian girl (who was very hippie-like and slightly peculiar but also very nice). When we heard that she had been in Cambodia helping for a long time at a school in the middle of the biggest slum in Phnom Penh, we asked her if she wouldn't mind taking us (she had said that we should visit it as much of the population is very poor because of the corrupt government). We were a bit scared to go on our own so she came with us. To see the children playing in the school yard (a sewer in the middle) was lovely but also came as a great contrast to the huge rubbish dump that was next to it. It was also sad to hear that most of the little children there had HIV and their little feet were very sore and cut from all the broken glass on the ground. We went back to where our hostel was (riverside- yes we did sing the song each time we said it) and had the cheaper noodles we had seen. We made friends with a little Cambodian boy who was fascinated by our camera and even sat on Zack's chair with him while we ate. He loved the travel sweets you gave us Adeline and as we only had a few left, we gave him the tin. The girls working there were very happy and smiley and symbolised the Cambodia people as a whole- they are always very polite and helpful and very friendly indeed.

Tell you about Siem Reap tomorrow!

Off for some cocktails on the beachside bar! Love to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ho Chi Minh City

zholmes2 — Tue, 3 Aug 2010 22:07:00 GMT

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TESSA AND EDITH!!! I know that we sent emails but we had to say it on here too :) We hope you both had lovely days and enjoy being 18!

After yet ANOTHER bus, this time in the morning too, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City! It really is as busy and buzzing as people say. The number of motorbikes is absolutely mindblowing and in some places, crossing the road is pretty much an impossibility. We quickly found a hotel after being picked up by a very loud lady and followed her down several small alleys...it was fine though, and we got to a little guesthouse. Up some tiny, tiny stairs we got to a very high room which was pokey and claustrophobic. However, we weren't willing to turn down the reasonable price tag. We put down our bags and went to look around the city. It was dark by now and all the roads were lit up by bright flashing signs advertising clubs, shops and bars. We found a smallcafe on the side of the road and had some of their delicacy 'pho' (beef noodle soup). Zack found it funny that the panda in 'Kung Fu Panda' is called pho too. Elodie later found out after he had announced this that he had been thinking it on the bus and had waited until we were eating it to say and sound clever and funny. As we were exploring, Zack happened to come across another hotel which looked a lot nicer, on the main street and was the same price. We nearly cried. We returned to our hovel and made up a quick story about how our friends had just come into town and we wanted to share a dorm with them so we were leaving. Luckily, this was quite easy as she didn't understand what we were saying really. So she agreed and we went upstairs. As we were climbing, she shouted up to the top and a man replied. We hurried faster, a lot faster! Then we came face to face with the man who then demanded some money if we left. Hurriedly, we paid and off we went! With the prospect of a bigger, cleaner room, a hot shower and free internet we were chuffed with our decision. We settled in for a fairly early night in order to prepare for a day of exploring and museum visiting.

In the morning, we woke up (in our own time for once which was nice) and then went to have breakfast at a cafe which was DELICIOUS. Elodie had huge American pancakes- mmmmmmmmmmm! Then we set off for a long walk to the 'War Remnants Museum'. Boy were we in for a shock. We both agreed that it was by far the most graphic, shocking and horrific museum we had ever been to. We overheard one man say that he and his wife actually had to walk out. It was filled with photographs of the effects of bombs and Agent Orange on babies and women which was probably for Elodie the most horrible bit. The accounts of the American and South Vietnamese atrocities were unbeleivable and it was fairly hard to get to the end. Some of you may think that it was probably a bit anti-American, but there was just as much, perhaps more, about the actions of the South Vietnamese. For example, the Phu Quoc Islans Prison exhibition was among the most shocking of all. There were long, vivid descriptions of daily tortures (which were absolutely horrific and we could barely read some of them). It also had a display on the types of propaganda used by both the American and Vietnamese. We left the museum a little dazed, were tired of walking and were hungry so we decided that the best thing would be to find a bakery and sit in the big park opposite for a rest and lunch. We found an extremely popular bakery where all the Vietnamese seemed to go in their lunch hour, and got little pizzas and a cake each- yuuuum! The we set off for the Reunification Palace, which apart from the big tank in front, wasn't that interesting. Oh but we did got to look at the President's chair where he sat , to read a book... So yeah, it was definately worth it just for that. In the grounds, we found a replica plane which underneath told the story of a man in the Sounth Vietnamese airforce who was given a mission to bomb the central Hanoi. After taking off,he quickly turened round and proceeded to bomb the palace with the President inside. It turned out that he was a secret agent working for the North Vietnamese! He now lives in Ho Chi Minh City with his family- hahaha! We bartered for a cyclo, which we are getting quite good at and went to the biggest market in the centre. Elodie had to sit on Zack's lap as we didn't want to pay double for two, so we got a couple of laughs and stares as we sat squashed with our bags while this little old man wheeled us between speeding motorbikes. The market was a recovering shopoholic's nightmare. Designer bags ( real leather ones) for about ten pounds, designer clothes from about a pound and all the latest perfume for about three pounds!!! There was food, coffee, tea, live fish and crabs- everything! We were slightly shocked about how much the people really grabbed at you, one woman actually held Elodie's wrist as she was walking away and Zack had to step in! They thrust clothes and coffee at you from every angle! Zack loved it and spent about half an hour bartering with this lady for some Abercrombie gear (Margaux, you'd be so proud) and got it down to about a fifth of the starting price! We've definately got the hang of it now and it's funny to see other tourists pay about double what you payed. That night we went to bed exhausted. Elodie was prepared for another night of weird dreams. We started taking our malaria tablets a fewdays ago and ever since, Elodie has woken up in the morning very confused. To quote a few- Liam was teaching her to be a German Cheerleader? In another, she was Santa.

The next morning we had to get up early as we had booked tickets to go to the Cu Chi tunnels which were used by the Vietcong to fight the Americans. Zack was really excited - he had not stopped talking to Elodie about the prospect of being able to shoot live rounds with one of the weapons used by the Americans or the Vietcong. We walked around the site looking at all the entrances as well as the fighting trenches and then had a look at the various booby-traps set by the Vietcong which were fairly horrific. Then it was on to the part Zack had dreamed of. The choice of weapons was enough to make any man drool a little: AK-47, M3, M60. After much dithering Zack settled for the M1 Carbine mainly because it was used both in the Second World War and the Vietnam war (for those who can see through this reasoning will know that the Carbine is Zack's favourite weapon in Call of Duty). Zack - Jamie and Charles it was honestly one of the coolest things I've done! I've shot an M1! My life is pretty much complete I'd say. Elodie was the only girlfriend to brave the noise of gunfire to take photos but was not the only partner having to endure a post-shooting lecture from testosterone-filled boyfriends and husbands! We then walked to the tunnel entrance where we were told of the different stages to exit - Elodie opted for the shortest 30m infront and Zack decided to brave the non-widened tunnels 100m from the exit. After watching Elodie go up into the sunlight Zack continued with another guy further into the network. At times we had to crawl on hands and knees and eventually had to stop because the tunnels were getting uncomfortably thin - it really brought home the feats achieved by the Vietcong when fighting the Americans. After a couple of photos of entering the tunnels by the small, hole entrances (you'll understand when you see the photos) it was back on to the bus and back to the "Ho Man" (what we called Ho Chi Minh City). We have spent this afternoon at the market making some essential purchases as this is our last night in Vietnam! We have absolutely loved the buzz and energy of the Ho Man and will definately be sad to leave not only the city but Vietnam as a country. It is one of the most amazing places either of us have ever been and we have made a promise to ourselves to return here one day.

So on to the next part of our incredible journey! Cambodia here we come! Love to you all as always xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elodie - Hello everyone. I'm enjoying myself A LOTT!!! Claire- yes the ski hatted babies was very weird but also cute. Katie- your birthday will be the best because then EVERYONE will be 18!!! Edith- HAHAHAHAHA leprosy frog- good times. what were you though? or was it just me? Did you like the picture? I hope you know that caused a lot of embarrassment, i had a few people watching and I had to ask my motorbike rider to sit there while i pulled that face. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack - Katie the touch rugby sounds hilarious, please share all as soon as you get the chance. Hope you're having a brilliant Summer, only 2 weeks and then we're back! - mad! Mum and Dad - if you guys read this then I hope you are having a fab time in Croatia , I can't wait to see you guys! I will definately come to Cornwall Mum. Did you see Clo's new photos? She's put them up on Facebook so have a look if you get the chance. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dalat

zholmes2 — Mon, 2 Aug 2010 23:09:00 GMT

Hello all!

We managed another bus! But this time it was during the day...which we found out is even worse!!! The journey took seven hours and seemed to last forever. At times, we were crawling up mountainsides with no tarmac road to speak of and a sheer drop below. We arrived in Dalat in the rain. However, we found this was normal because as it is so high up, they get daily rain at 3pm on the dot. Tired and hungry we stumbled around up and down small winding roads, trying to find a hotel. We soon discovered that it was nothing other than the first day of the Vietnamese holidays and as a result every mna, woman and child had come to Dalat for a long weekend. Just our luck. We spent an exhausting hour lugging our bags around and walking in and out of hotel receptions. We found the people to be VERY rude too which only added to our mood! It was only until a nice girl saved us from sleeping on the streets that we perked up a bit. We were taken to the 'Peace Hotel' which was nice enough but full of holes for mozzies to get through! Luckily we had a big net. Our first impression of Dalat had not been a great one. As we have said, the people were not exactly the friendliest we have encountered and the town itself was nothing to shout about either. Despite this, the night market gave us some hope for the next morning. Dalat seemed to come alive when we stepped out in the evening! We had a lovely dinner and the restaurants were definately something to rave about. The night market was HUUUUUGE! Although not offering anything we needed (such as fur coats and reed baskets)it was a good bustling atmosphere.

In the morning, we decided to seize the day and hire some mountain bikes and explore. Elodie was not happy when all the bikes seemed to be man-size with a 'man saddle' and was very uncomfortable. Especially when half way across a busy road, her saddle twisted round sideways and she nearly fell into all the bikes. We got completely lost instantly! It was quite nice cycling into little roads that seemed like they hadn't been found by tourists yet and we felt as if we were in a mountain village. The babies all wore little ski hats and people we walking around in big coats and boots- very weird! Our excursion was cut short by the torrential rain which even forced the hardy locals inside- it had come early! We therefore took our bikes back- grr- and had lunch inside a cosy little cafe which we really enjoyed. The rain continued to fall so we took refuge in the 'Hangout' had some drinks, played pool and various board games which was actually a lot more fun than we thought! The guy at the Hangout told us that due to the rain, the Easy Riders or anyone for that matter would be mad to try and brave the weather (the roads were trecherous). Our plan to do a half-day excursion higher into the mountains was therefore not possible! He also told us that the best way for us to look at the mountains was to use the cog railway. We got a little taxi there only to find that there wern't any seats left! NOOO! Whats more, a stormy looking bunch of clouds kept rumbling and were getting nearer and nearer and we were stranded outside the town and lost. Many of you may be thinking, 'Why didn't you bring your raincoats?' BUT we did think of this however, from Hoi An after our monsoon we shoved them in a plastic bag at the bottom of ELodie's bag and when we got them out again in Dalat we literally gagged. They STANK! We threw them out onto our little balcony immediately. Zack even threw his away eventually. Elodie has saved hers because it is Margaux's but wouldn't dare touch it again. We jumped in a taxi just as the rain started to pour...again. We made the joint decision that the best way to spend the rest of our afternoon would be in our lovely new hotel room (we fell out with the the woman at the other one) and had been recommeded this one. It was the same price and SOOOOOO NICE! We watched Cartoon Network for ages and the end of Quantom of Solace (james Bond). Cartoon Network was pulling out all the stops with Elodie's favourites such as Ed, Edd and Eddy and The Grim Tales of Billy and Mandy (Edith and Margaux you'll know what i mean- don't deny it). It was good just to relax for a bit actually and we both loved it as we knew that Ho Chi Minh city, our next stop would be very hectic and non-stop. We ate at what we thought was cool and cosy cafe ( it was playing some French rap) but it soon turned out that the French chef was an absolute psycho and was also very drunk. It would have been funnier if we weren't so hungry and if everything we had ordered off the menu had actually been available. We had some noodles and we were told that the Vietnamese chef was on holiday (the French guy did the pizza and stuff) so he was going to 'give it a go'... However, it was suprisingly good so we'll give him that. Another trip to the night market was once again cut short by the firework display. Oh no it wasn't, it was cut short by the rain again. We ran back to our hotel accepting defeat. That's how travelling goes sometimes we guess. Hopefully our luck will improve for Ho Chi Minh which we are very excited about. Report from there soon!

Lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Diving and Snorkelling in Nha Trang

zholmes2 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:17:00 GMT

Firstly, sorry for the confusion over the 'Hell-bus'. To be specific, it is so-called because when you wake up you feel more than disgusting, you have to watch your bags for robbers, no sleep, bumpy roads, beeping- and on top of all this, you get to the new place at about 5.30 in the morning and have to begin the search for a hostel- heavy bags and all. Hence, the 'Hell-bus'.

Having cleared that up, we can now tell you about the past two days which have been soooo gooodd! Yesterday, we had our first ever experience of diving! We got up early and made our way to catch the bus. We were offered coffee by two, extremely handsome french men, an offer that Elodie could NOT refuse. Her love was confirmed when seeing the more handsome of the two, Olivier (you have to say it in a french accent)stand in Calvin Kleins on the boat deck changing into his gear. Unfortunately for Elodie, we were told on the boat to the island that Olivier would not be our instructor. Booo! Instead, we had Gilles from Marseille and Jesse (a man) from the US. They were both really cool and they really looked after us. After gearing up, we took the plunge into the very warm water and practised 'skeels' (skills). These included breathing and how to remove water from our masks under water etc. Five minutes later, they pressed a tab on our suits and we veeeery slowly sunk under water (it was quite scary the first time!). The first dive was indescribably good - the coral reefs were so beautiful and it was surreal to be swimming amongst the fish instead of watching them from above. Gilles showed us all the interesting anenome and sealife etc - some which looked like something out of a film (when he touched some parts they shook and then sank into the sand!). We coaxed some clown fish out of their home and Elodie even got an official Fire Coral burn! The hour that we spent under the water seemed to go on forever and our dive was made more relaxing by the constant checking and reassurances from Jesse and Gilles. At the end of our dive we slowly swam to the surface and got back on the boat where they had laid out an assortment of fruit and coffee - perfect! Elodie poured herself a cup of coffee whilst Zack helped himself to the mountain of lychees - now one of his favourite snacks. We then set off to the next dive site for our second and final dive. Gilles came over to talk to us and said that the first dive was really good and that if we wanted we could go to the underwater caves. Of course we both jumped at this opportunity and geared up again, this time feeling a lot more confident and raring to go. After doing final checks we started our descent - this time to 12 metres. We investigated the new area and found even more brightly coloured fish than before! The tunnels looked very small and claustrophobic and Elodie's breathing went through the roof. However, after some reassurance from both Gilles and Jesse showing her the light at the end, she went through with no problems. The next cave was longer and deeper than the first and required us to go down and up a couple of times (controlled by our breathing). Once again we went straight through and both loved the experience. On our way back to the boat we saw two other divers beckoning us over- they had found a turtle under one of the coral reefs! We swam over and marvelled at this amazing sight. Just as we were about to leave, the turtle started to swim away so we stayed to watch it for a while. When returning to the suface, happy with dive, the instructors we shouting to each other saying 'We saw a turtle!' (en Francais). What we hadn't realised was that this was a very rare occurance. One of the Divemasters had been here 5 months already and had only seen one other. So we were very pleased after that! And we gloated to all the other divers on board! Gilles was desperate for us to do the Open Water Padi course which lasted for 2 days. Unfortunately, we had neither the time or the money. However, we were pleased with the fact that as beginners, we had been taken through the tunnels which the other instructors agreed was not often done. During our lunch back in Nha Trang (it was included in the price), Gilles said that if we did the course we could sleep in their accomodation especially for their students whilst we did it. As we were not doing the course, we were disappointed. But then! He said we could stay there anyway for free!!! We gratefully took up the offer which was saving us a lot of money. That night we went to have dinner in a place that Jesse highly recommended called 'Something Fishy'. The Australian man who owned it specialised in barbequeing fish to perfection! We settled with a huge fresh tuna steak each along with the best homemade chips we have had! YUM! It was very reasonably priced too and this meant ice-cream for dessert!!! We went off to this place suggested in our trusty Lonely Planet where Banana splits were rumoured to only cost 15000 dong (50p!). Fortunately for us, the rumours were true! And the ice-cream was delicious. A quick walk around the tiny market was followed by a beer with Gilles before bed.

The next day after another early start, we set off on our boat trip. We were each given some snorkels and flippers and we went to Hon Mun, one of the biggest islands off shore and a prime spot for snorkellers. Again, the fish were amazing and we saw some we hadn't even seen when diving. A few jumps off the boat later, we sunbathed on the top deck and had a feast of noodles, prawns, squid, rice and an unknown fish steak which was lovely. We sunbathed some more after lunch and then swam before LOADS of fruit and more coffee! We gorged on the mango, dragonfruit, pineapple and a deleciously light sponge cake. We met some very nice people including a lovely Glaswegian couple who were a couple of years older than us called Ruth and Jamie. Unfortunately, they are leaving tonight for Hoi An (they are going up, us down). We are also off tomorrow taking the bus to Dalat, a very highly recommended small city in the mountains. It is apparently much, much cooler than everywhere else and is compared to the 'French Alps in the Spring-time'- quote from Lonely Planet.

So speak to you all soon from Dalat! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elodie- WE LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks for your comments, they are so good to come back to honestly! Claire, yours was HUGE! But we loved it and we are going to buy Toy Story 3 on DVD for SURE! And yes, yes i know i remebered all those cats- each hold a special place in my heart. Yes LOTS of stories for Croyde! You'll all be sick of it haha! Ma and Pa- Your comment made me reaaaaaallly laugh! And your email. The weeding sounds so good! And I like the fact that Mog was watching a film while you go blown away. Brilliant. But mum, that's what we do at the Chalet! We like watching movies in the room- it's cosy. I will email you back soon! Jamie and Emily- your online fight was amusing. And Emily haha for spelling it wrong second time. Jamie- you are so pedantic!!! LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! p.s. Claire ahhahahahaa for moaning about how all your friends have gone bla bla bla and forgetting Emily HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Also I will have to meet Laura's bf, I want in on the partaaays! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack- Yo yo yo! Thanks for all the comments people - they really do make us happy when we read them. Claire, thanks for your essay I'd say it was 95% classic you - the 5% missing was the lack of 'makes me want to die' although I can imagine you saying it for some things lol. As soon as we get to Saigon we are going to purchase a copy of Toy Story 3 lol. Em, have fun in Antigua and make sure you do loads of snorkelling! We can't wait to see you all and show you all our photos! Clo - I hope you are having an amazing time in Aus, reading your blog is making us consider it for next Summer or maybe the Summer after lol. I read loads of the comments on the wall but I couldn't see yours, never mind. Anyway, love to you all as always, take care, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nha Trang

zholmes2 — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:17:00 GMT

For our last day in Hoi An, we planned to go to the beach again and lie in the sun. Beach towels at the ready and sunglasses on, we stepped out of our windowless and soundproof room, only for Elodie to hear Zack exclaim 'Holy Guacamole!'- there was a torrential downpour outside- a monsoon! As a result, we were told that our mini excursion to My Son would not be worth it in the rain as it consisted of walking around outside, and even if we did want to go, the streets were so flooded that minibus would have taken HOURS. Instead, we braved Hoi An Old Town, which after a while, when the rain died down a bit, still looked very pretty. We then had lunch, but whilst eating our noodles, it started to tip it down again. Not wanting to stay in the hotel all day, we went out looking for something to do. At times the rain was so hard that you could not see to the end of the road. We came across a beauty salon that looked nice and cosy and we were drenched so whilst Elodie had a manicure, Zack settled for a 'much needed' pedicure- his feet were skanky. After relaxing for about half an hour, then arguing about the price with the owner, we had no choice but to sprint into what now looked like a river with only one small raincoat to cover two backpacks and us. We have forgotten to mention that Zack was wearing a crop top- joke a vest top. We were making all sorts of noises as we ran, and often waded, through the flooded streets- we got many bemused stares from locals and more sensible tourists taking cover in shops. We sat in our restaurant and played a couple of games of pool and had dinner and a pancake to fill us up before we got on the 'Hell Bus' as we now call it. After Zack FINALLY purchased a raincoat, which he practically stole off an old woman for 20p, we ran all the way back to our hotel again. We changed into clean, dry clothes before getting onto a big, yellow bus. Fortunately, we were grouped at the back with a load of tourists. Unfortunately, Zack was next to a large girl from Canada who incorporated half of Zack's bed into hers and got irritated every time he moved. We woke up feeling disgusting and had to find a new hotel which is most definately the worst part. We bargained but to no avail until a man on a shiny motorbike, who answered to the name of 'Eddie Murphy' and was part of the 'Easy Riders' crew, came to our rescue. He took us on the back of his 'Low Rider' to a very cheap hotel he knew and they had a room yay! After thanking him he rode off into the night- no, not really- down the road.

We spent today booking a diving course and an Island hopping, snorkelling tour for the next two days. We are very excited! We also familiarised ourselves with Nha Trang. In smaller news, Elodie bought a towel after lying on plastic bags on the beach. Zack opted for stealing the hotels'- it was 'all part of the price' he claimed. We are sitting on the beach writing this in a notebook before dinner to save time. Zack has just been pestered by a boy to buy chewing gum. When he said 'no thank you', the boy ruffled Zack's hair and walked away. Zack jutted his head forward to try and avoid it and his face was priceless! A mixture of horror and irritation. he exclaimed 'Oh no! I've probably got lice now. That's what they do when you say no you know.' In the heat of the moment he retaliated by squashing an ant which had just bitten him on the leg. Anyway, off for dinner.

Love to all! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elodie- Jamie- Ouch Jamie! That sounds so painful! Did you cry? Don't lie! Tessa- I sent you an email back :D Claire- You know that I love a challenge and competition so in response to your earlier comment about the cat pictures- me and chippy's cat, me and your cat after the feeling maybe? aaaaaaaaand the cat in cofu, pebble. HA IN YOUR FACE! xxxxxxxxxxx

Zack- Mum, Dad and Kit- Hope you got to the airport ok and that you've settled in. It is strange to think that none of the Holmes family are in England! Actually, it's not that strange, it happens every time lol. Jamie- Kids sell tiger balm here to earn money, I bet you could have used some after that jump! Claire- Sky-diving sounded SO COOL! I can't wait to see the DVD and laugh- joke. Peace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hoi An

zholmes2 — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:29:00 GMT

After our last day in Hue, we decided that because we loved motorbiking so much and we were so fed up of buses, that we would take up the offer of a ride to Hoi An on the back of motorbikes. This would take a whole day but the riders would stop at several places to break up the journey. We had a hearty breakfast which included sugar crepes for Zack (note the plural) and a honey crepe and a coffee for Elodie (she even bought one of the mini filters). We left at 8.30 in the morning, although there was no rush because the drivers were very laid-back and would wait for us. After dodging all the traffic of the main town we set off on the clear highways. The weather was beautiful, sunny and hot, but on the bikes there was a lovely breeze. Our first stop was at a waterfall where all the local children seemed to congregate and we had a nice cool swim in the clear waters. We then rode for about an hour before we came to our second stop where we had lunch on the beach and stayed there to paddle for a while. It was our first glimpse of a beach so far and we couldn't WAIT to see more! We carried on with full stomachs through the exact route that the people from Top Gear followed, up and down the mountains with the view of an AMAZING coastline on each side. We recognised shots from the programme and were very excited- numerous pictures were taken and we had fun taking them of us overtaking eachother. We wound our way down the mountainside until we got to Danang where we stopped for a break at China Beach, a 70km stretch of natural beach that the American soldiers used to use and goes all the way to Hoi An. Once in Hoi An, we found a fairly cheap hotel which had a pool- extremely lucky considering everywhere seems to be full. Even as we type this, tired travellers are being turned away. After a refreshing swim in the pool we went out to explore the town which was absolutely lovely. It reminded us of a little mediterranean village in France. The quietness of the streets and the ban on motorbikes in the old town after 7pm, made it peaceful and relaxing to walk through. There were lanterns everywhere and it was so pretty. We stopped at a little restaurant to have a fabulous dinner and pondered on one of our best days yet. Travelling seems to be getting better and better as the days go by! The next morning we wandered the streets to try a bit of price comparison on the thousands of tailor shops offering cheap clothes. We ended up with a tailor called 'Long Silk' and we both got a shirt each made. We showed her pictures on the Abercrombie and Fitch website and she made exact copies of the shirts we wanted- logos included!!! Afterwards we decided to indulge ourselves in some custom-made trainers at a shoe shop for only 10 pounds each! They are brilliant! And she managed to make them in a day. In fact, they were so good that Zack had another pair made. While we waited for our clothes etc, to be made, we went to hire some retro style bicylces (with baskets on the front) to cycle to the beach which was only 5km down one big, straight road.This was the 'China Beach' previously mentionned. A cycle by the river in the sun was blissful and we enjoyed the exercise! The beach was like one in the Caribbean but with a quarter of the people and cafes, despite it being the weekend. There was a lack of tourists and we could not understand why! The sea was like a bath and we just lazed around under the palm trees. At 3 o'clock we started to get hungry and whizzed back to Hoi An for lunch at our hotel. The rest of the day was spent collecting our clothes after making sure they were perfect. As we had fallen in love with the beach, we decided to have a whoe day of relaxation the next day and hired the same bikes (for a cheaper price yay! 30p for a whole day) and went back to the beach for some serious sunbathing. We met sooo many people we knew who had found the same place and it was nice to catch up on what every one had been doing since. In fact, we ended up having dinner and playing pool with two girls we had met on our Halong trip that evening. We splashed out on some niiiiice sunloungers with a little table in front and set up our picnic. We found that the restaurant we loved so much did takeaway sandwiches! So we got two on our way to the beach and they wrapped them up for us to take. We also bought a huuge bottle of coke as we were spending quite a bit on cans and this, we decided, was a very good money-saver! The sun was very bright and strong but there was a nice sea-breeze so sunbathing was comfortable. We had a quick swim in our little pool and a shower before going out for dinner. We are off to My Son today, in our first bout of torrential rain unfortunately!

Lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elodie- Claire- YAY you went skidiving! We were so scared you were going to chicken-out or fall or something! haha! Emily- LOVED the comment about how we both hate English! Maybe if we had to write real-life blogs as coursework we'd have done it at uni! Jamie- have fun in oz! Margaux- It sounds so good in Italy. ME burn!!! YOU more like! I'm nice and brown now. I heard about Alessandro! Alehandro alehandro ally ally handrooo! Have fun au chalet xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack- Mum and Dad- Thanks for the email, I will send you one before you go to Croatia tomorrow. Didn't manage to get your shirt Dad, I needed slightly more measurements than just your neck size lol. Kitty- I will try and get you DVDs asap. Have a fantastic time in Croatia and enjoy the sun! Jamie- Saw your comment on facebook about the cliff jump, sounds quality! Love to you all, see you soon! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hue

zholmes2 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:18:00 GMT

We have arrived in Hue!

As soon as we got off the overnight bus after a slightly uncomfortable ride (the bus driver kept beeping REALLY loudly throughout the night and the roads are very bumpy) we were surrounded by people asking us to come to their hotel. We were about to ignore this man, but as we were so tired we just went along to see his hotel. We were extremely lucky as this hotel happened to be the first mentioned in the Lonely Planet and was also directly opposite the tour guide operator also mentioned as the best place for motorbike tours. It was called 'Cafe on Thu Wheels' (Thu being the name of the owner). We ent there for breakfast when we arrived and have been hooked ever since. The food is cheap and really yummy- plus it's over the road and her babies are cute! We booked a motorcycle city tour of Hue straight away after reading the glowing reviews in her recommendation book- and we were not disappointed! We have caught the motorcycling bug and now can't get enough! There is a reason that Top Gear decided to do a show about motorbiking in Vietnam. The guides were proffesional and experienced, as well as friendly and chatty. They took us to all the most interesting places such as the Citadel (where we found the same bullet-ridden arch shown in the Top Gear Vietnam special) and the oldest temple in Vietnam (there was the car burnt by the monk who famously set himself alight in the middle of Ho Chi Minh city killing himself in protest against the war). We also went to another Pagoda that was not really for tourists, it was in the middle of a forset and all the local monks lived there. It was very interesting to see the differences between Vietnamese monks and Thai monks, because there were loads! The Vietnamese monks were not permitted to permanently leave the temple once they had entered under any circumstances but Thai monks are allowed to be monks for any period of time. The Vietnamese monks were also allowed to worship alongside the Nuns, something unthinkable in Thailand! Elodie was even allowed to walk around in a vest top and allowed near the living quarters- much less strict than in Thailand! To Zack's delight, and Elodie's horror, we were then involved in what can only be described as a scene from an action movie. On our way up to visit the old war bunkers, the drivers started shouting to eachother which alarmed us both. After getting off our bikes, we were immediately told to jump back on and we sped through the forest (Kevin it was honestly like mountain biking through Ashridge but on a motorbike at 30 mph- terrifying!). Five minutes of frantic mirror-checking followed and then we arrived at the tomb of Tu Duc. We were told that a lone tourist had attempted to follow us on our tour in order to visit the same places without paying for the guide- something the guides did not like at all. Our trip down the back streets and through the forest had been a successful attempt to shake him off. Cool or what? After we relaxed in the beautiful gardens of the tomb of Tu Duc we returned to the old bunkers where we enjoyed the stunning views of the river whilst listening to the first-hand stories of our tour guide. Our last stop was the Japanese covered bridge which was really pretty and helped all the old people years ago to carry the rice over the river from the fields. It is amazing to think that after two-hundred years the bridge has needed no restoration, despite being made out of what looked like wood (we weren't sure). We then got back on our bikes for a long ride down the empty highways in the sun, the mountains and rice paddies as our backdrop.We had a lovely dinner and treated ourselves to crepes with sugar and lemon. Yum! They were really thick and fat.

The next day, we had a tour which took us to the Demilitarized Zone which stretches all the way to the Laos border. Unfortunately for us, it was a 5.30 start as there was a long drive ahead. Firstly we visited, the Vinh Moc tunnels which were used by villagers and border guards for safety against the American bombers (not suprising considering that the Americans dropped 7 tonnes of bombs per person!). We were able to go inside the tunnels with a guide who showed us rooms such as the maternity room (where 7 babies were born during the six years that the people were in the tunnels) and the Meeting room which although no bigger than Zack's bedroom could fit 50-70 people on the floor. It was hot and cramped and hard to believe that people stayed in there for that long! Elodie couldn't stand 10 minutes of it and got very frustrated with the woman in front of her who stopped to take photos of EVERY room we passed even though they were all identical. Bomb craters were all around on the surface and we were told that the tunnels had had a lucky escape on several occasions. There was also a museum with lots of photos which were very interesting and showed pictures of the villagers who had lived in the tunnels and who are still living in a nearby village today. We then went to the Khe Sanh combat base where Zack enjoyed looking at the planes and helicopters whilst Elodie herded some chicks that were running around in the grass in an attempt to get a photo. On our way back we went alongside the Ho Chi Minh trail and stopped at parts ot have a look. We also stopped to look at some of the views of the 'Rock Pile' a rocky mountain top that was used to land helicopters in emergency situations. When you see the photos you will understand how crazy this was. We had our final meal at 'Cafe on Thu Wheels' and were so tired from the last two days that we went straight to bed.

Elodie- Joanne your book made the overnight bus that much more bearable! I hope you and family are having a lovely time in America :D Grandma A- Thanks for your comment Grandma, hopefully I will come back in one piece! Look after L.G. she needs lots of cuddles now that everyone has gone. Love you xxx\

Zack- Mum Dad and Kits - will write an email tomorrow morning for you. It has taken us this long just to write the blog! We are a bit behind! Having a relaxation day by the pool tomorrow to recuperate. xxxxx

Perfume Pagoda and Halong Bay

zholmes2 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:19:00 GMT

Sorry we havn't blogged in a while; we have been very busy! As you know, our tour to Halong Bay had to be cancelled because of the Typhoon, but we were assured that on Monday the weather would be fine and we would FINALLY be able to go. So on Saturday, we were at a bit of a loss as we had two extra days to fill. Fortunately, we were offered a day tour to Perfume Pagoda, which despite being one of the main attractions of Hanoi as stated in the Lonely Planet, we had ignored. It happened to be a lovely suprise! We were taken down the 'Perfume River' by a little rowing boat powered by a tiny little woman! However, she proved to be amazingly strong and she motored us quickly to the foot of the mountain where the Pagoda was. We took a small and extrmely hot cable car to the top- the views of the river and mountains were beautiful. We found the Pagoda (which is a type of temple by the way) at the bottom of a HUGE cave. It had looooads of insects- there was a stick insect bigger than my hand!!! The smell of insence filled the cave and the coolness inside was a relief. We also had to lug around our massive bags because we had booked onto the tour last minute (literally that morning) and so had not prepared anywhere to keep them. This made the whole thing slightly hot and uncomfortable to say the least. Particularly when climbing the numerous steps! Fortunately, some English girls, who at first we HATED (typical Habs girls-Nick) offered to take our bags back down in the cable cars with them as we were climbing down the mountain on foot- they were forgiven!

Sunday was greeted with the news that the storm had passed that night and we would be able to go on our trip. This came as a huge relief as at one point we had considered just moving on which would have meant missing Halong Bay completely. We had a relexing morning with a lovely breakfast (Elodie- the coffee is DELICIOUS here!!! and so cheap!) and planned our walk around the various lakes in Hanoi. After visiting the lakes we decided to keep walking to Lenin Park. It is fair to say that the man has been relatively neglected in comparison to Ho Chi Minh. The park looked like a construction site/jungle- AND you had to PAY to walk around it. We hailed a taxi (or four- as they did not agree with our price)and set off to the Army Museum. Zack loved looking at all the American aircraft (Jamie you would have been in your element)- Elodie, not so much. But we enjoyed a niiice brownie at the end which made up for it and prepared us for the long walk back.

Then for the day we had been waiting for! We got up bright and early as we had been warned (thanks mum and dad (elodie)...) that we would die if we went. So we decided to check with every person possible what the chances were of death. They all said it would be fine so off we went! However, half way there, they informed us that our boat had been damaged in the typhoon and was unable to go out. We would therefore be transferred to a one day boat and would then stay the night in a very posh hotel on Cat Ba Island to make up for it as it was too dangerous to sleep on the boat. They also informed us that another typhoon was coming! You were right Kevin and Adeline! But it wasn't coming until the evening that we were coming home on. The sight of Halong Bay put all our doubts behind us and we were excited to be in the potential 8th wonder of the world. Although not the luxury option we had paid for the boat was still brilliant and it chugged slowly around the GIGANTIC limestone karsts. The first thing we did was to explore the natural caves and tunnels in the rocks by kayak. There was a particular couple that Elodie really did not like as the woman, who was Vietnamese, was EXTREMELY rude and irritating so we took much joy in chasing them around and overtaking them in our kayak. The tunnels were fun to go through and we even saw a big jellyfish floating next to us. We then stopped off at the 'Suprising Cave' which was so-called by our guide because you were 'suprised' when you entered it. He was a small chubby man who resembled the 'Happy Buddha' and was very crude but this added to his hilarity. The lighting inside the cave was not natural but it certainly added to the magic of our surroundings. We were told that three French women discovered the cave whilst climbing the rocks. Our tour guide took great pleasure in showing us the different shaped rocks that looked like animals and certain parts of the body...one of which looked like a 'Beebop' apparently (a boobie). Another cave we visited had natural light and was filled with massive bats. Before we got to Cat Ba island we floated by on our boat and had the pleasure of watching the sun set over the bay. On arrival to the island, we saw a literal shipwreck where one of the jumks, just like ours, had tipped on its side in the storm two days ago, killing three and leaving two still missing. This made us grateful we were staying the hotel for the night!!! The luxury came that evening in the hotel and the room we stayed in cost a lot more than our whole tour put together!!! The dinner that night was a FEAST of different food including the fish from Halong Bay. The next morning (Kevin you would have LOVED it) we had a breakfast buffet which included coffee, chocolate cake, carrot cake and bacon. Zack mainly stayed by the apple juice constantly refilling his cup. Elodie headed straight for the cake. Unfortunately, because of the impending storm, we were not allowed to go to another island or swim in the water as the current was potentially volatile and no-one wanted to risk it- having said this, the weather was beautiful! We sat in the sun and tanned our arms and legs, dangling them over the front. We returned to the dock and had another lovely lunch in the harbour.

Back in Hanoi, we went to our tourist office and got back 30 dollars for the 'inconvenience' caused to us!! It was no problem at all, we had loved it but obviously we didn't complain- extra money for diving! We rushed to the 'Gecko' bar accompanied by two ice-cold Tiger beers. It was one of the most satifsying meals yet after having noodles, noodles and more noodles.

We got on our overnight bus, which was extremely cosy as it had proper beds (chairs that went flat- we weren't used to that luxury). However, Elodie got a fright as she woke up with a man fiddling with her glasses and the bag by her feet. He was practically on her bed! But he quickly left after she shouted at him and didn't return. We arrived in Hue this morning and have had the BEST day yet- we'll write about it tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your comments- miss you all!

Elodie- Claire- WELL DONE CLAAAAAAAIRE! That's so good, you'll have such a good time. I'm so glad you had fun in Paris, it sounds hilarious- and I like the sound of the bike tour! Tessa- Got your e-mail, I will e-mail you back as soon as I can, I'm glad to hear you had such a good time in Turkey! Are you tanned? Edith- Same with you, I will email you back as soon as I can, we're a bit limited with computer time at the moment. I took such a funny picture especially for you today I can't wait for you to see it. I'm pulling your favourite faaaaaaaace. And also, in reply to your comments, yes lots of presents are coming your way. Wait for my big email to you, miss you lots. Mum and Dad- Have fun in France, and don't miss me too much! We've been to lots of Lakes and they keep reminding me of the chalet. We're also by the mountains at the moment and that reminds me too. Love you. Margaux- I got two pairs of Hollister shorts today- for 30p each!!! HAAAA.

Zack - Mum, Dad and Kits, I will email you all soon. Is Bec there now Mum? What are their plans for this Summer? What is Henry doing? I bet Dad is looking forward to the end of Summer Camp! When are you off to Croatia again? It is weird to think that we have only been here for 14 days and that we have so long left! We have done so much already it's unbelievable! Bit weary but a couple of days by the beach will remedy that I'm sure! A refreshing Tiger Beer will help too! Miss you all loads, hope you are enjoying the start of Summer!! Abi - great news about the shirts but don't get them yet ok? I'm going to see if they will do them in Hoi An for me and if it is cheaper I will get them there. I second the congrats to you Claire!! You must be sooo excited!! Jamie - yes I have done surfing but not much, don't worry about me keeping up with you though! Love you all loads, happy travelling so far, xxxx

Hanoi

zholmes2 — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:03:00 GMT

Sorry for the radio silence, it has been a busy couple of days. So we got on our plane to Vietnam! We were both very excited to be somewhere new and couldn't wait to start exploring! Hanoi is absolutely CRAZY but in a really good way! There are so many motorcycles on the road it is unbeleivable and we have had to learn how to cross the road all over again- the best way here is to walk slowly, dodge and take the odd gamble. But it's ok because they always avoid you and know exactly what they are doing. The noise of beeping is sooo loud and constant- even throughout the night. They seem to use their horns for no apparent reason other than to add to the general chaos. Our first impression of Hanoi was that it was very French, the architecture in particular. This was great because it made us feel at home especially when we went to visit the lake (the biggest in Vietnam). Another positive side to Hanoi is how unbeleivably cheap it is! We thought that after such a rough few nights, we deserved to have a clean and more upmarket room for the night. Hanoi has more than enough posh hotels with extremely cheap rates. We eventually settled for Sunshine2 Hotel which had a massive room with a power shower and our own flat-screen computer for free internet access. We splashed out a whopping 5 pounds each for this luxury!!! We then found a restaurant reccommended to us by a Dutch family and we have eaten there every night since never spending more than 4 pounds between us for a meal and drinks. A major difference between here and Thailand is that there are a lot fewer tourists and as a result, the English of the locals is TERRIBLE! Even the 'English guides' cannot understand a word we're saying! It is very very difficult to communicate, especially when booking tours and dealing with money etc. As i'm sure you have all heard, our trip to Ha Long Bay has been postponed for a couple of days due to the Typhoon that has hit it along with China. Although disappointed at first, we have made the most of these few days and have grown to really like Hanoi. Today, we went to visit the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Google him if you have forgotten GCSE history- haha! If like Elodie you ignored the Mausoleum part, you too would have got the shock of your life when there in front of you was the actual body of Ho Chi Minh himself. We were both intimidated by the poker-faced guards that lined every corridor of the HUGE tomb. It had a red carpet and was very grand and we were led everywhere by loads of these guards. We were extremely lucky because having been told that it was shut for the day at 10.50, we wandered disappointed towards it at 10.57 and still saw a small queue so we joined the end and happened to be the very last people through security! Despite Zack having his camera taken off him, Elodie passed through unchecked. Once inside the tomb and faced with the guards Elodie remembered that both her camera and phone were in her bag and as a result was terrified that either would go off and she'd be arrested! Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, neither happened. The fact that we were last in also meant that we got to see the guards lock the tomb and parade out of the building. Then we paid a mere 34p to get into the Ho Chi Minh museum which was both interesting and quite strange at the same time- Elodie did not find it so interesting and found the body a lot more fascinating probably as we explained earlier because she had not realised what was in store.

We then had the rest of our day planned out from our trusted Lonely Planet book and set off walking to the 'Hoa Lo Prison Museum' which we both found really really interesting. The prison was used and built by the French who imprisoned the Vietnamese communists and then afterwards by the Vietnamese who captured American pilots who had been shot down during the Vietnam war later on. In the French part of the museum, it was quite disturbing to see the cells which had models of the prisoners, especially the women's cells which included their babies, and the tortures they had to suffer. The contrast between the treatment of the Vietnamese and the Americans was astounding. How the former dealt so kindly with their prisoners after being dealt with so harshly themselves is amazing. Those who do Politics, you'll be interested to know that the personal effects and clothing of John McCain are kept at the museum. We then treated ourselves after all the walking, to lunch on a restaurant floating on the lake. We indulged in a Western meal after all the noodles and rice, which consisted of a tuna sandwich, a croque monsiuer and chocolate sundae- deeeeelicious. We are going to rent some bicycles tomorrow and the next day we are finally off to Halong Bay! Due to Zack's bargaining skills we cancelled our initial trip with Hanoi Backpackers and went to Sinh Cafe - a place which organises all of the tours (we were told this by two guys who had spent 6 months in Vietnam). As such, we got a better boat (junk) and the same tour for half the price! (Unlucky Clo). Moreover, with Elodie's excellent planning skills we have lost no time at all. Despite our gains we opted for a cheaper hostel - nice but slightly freaky deaky - we are sleeping on the top floor aaah! However, this economic decision did mean that we have money to buy some DVDs!!! At 60p each we can't wait to do a bit of shopping tomorrow. Any requests??? Anyway, just had another delicious meal at our favourite restaurant and are now off for some much needed sleep.

Elodie - Aww Grandma don't be scared we're having fun and being very careful! Dad- I was speaking to some Belgian boys and they were saying about the cycling and how much they love it etc and how they all go to see the Tour of Britian in London every year. I hear Cavendish won something? And Lance is out of the running? Renting bikes for 1 pound tomorrow for the day, should be fun! Claire- I hope you have a really good time in Paris!!! and everyone else going! The Harry Potter party sounds BRILLIANT! I bet Angela was Luna Lovegood??? And Jamie, I can't wait to see all the pictures.

Zack- having a fantastic time, a very happy traveller indeed! We have been so lucky with the weather - it is tipping it down now but we are all cosy in our hostel. Dad - hope you are enjoying the weekend, get some rest before the second week begins! Are their any DVDs that you wanted especially? They are really good quality so just name the title and I'll find it - ask Mum too. I will send you a longer email tomorrow. To the Croyde Crew - miss you guys, keep the comments coming! xxxx

Trekking part 2

zholmes2 — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:29:00 GMT

Be prepared: this is going to be a long one...

Firstly...HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF OUR OLDEST AND BEST FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! CLAIREEEEE!!! We are thinking of you and hope you have a lovely day and a really good party (by the sounds of it it's going to be a good one!) Lots of love and kisses!

Ok...In the morning, Elodie had her last shower for what she thought would be at least three days. Then we were to pack only what we really needed into our small bags which meant minimal clothing and not much else (medical kit took up loads of room and so did the water). An hours journey in a truck was followed by a stop off at a market to buy supplies (i.e. food for our trek). Our group consisted of a beautiful young Dutch couple called Fernando (Ferry) and Kimberly (23 and 19), two German twin brothers Robert and David (20), a French girl Fay (21) and a German girl Sarah (20) who had met whilst working/travelling in Oz- and last and sort of least, the two Koreans who we do not know the names of or ages. Finally, we were led by our tour guide Lulu who was an eccentric and hilarious character who both made us laugh with his party tricks (Nick and Kevin you will love them we will have to show them to you at home) and jokes. Naturally, he also had priceless facts about the area. Our favourite moments of his were his outcries of not 'Oh my God' but 'Oh my Buddha!'. He wore both an Argentinian football shirt, not because of the team but because he 'liked the colours.' And on the second day, one that had the slogan 'No Money, no Honey,' to which he added 'no Baby' - hahahaha!!! First stop was the elephant camp, much more adventurous and fewer tourists than the previous one. Fortunately, we once again picked the rebel baby of the group who was not big enough for a mahout and this meant that we WERE the mahout (we took turns at 'driving' the elephant whilst sitting behind its ears). However, there were downsides to having the naughty baby, especially near the cliffs when the others were out of sight. We were pushed into huge branches, as it reached for bamboo leaves before a mahout took charge. The elephant growled with irritation (it was very hungry were told). It then charged on ahead downhill to the water where it sprayed us with mud and sand from the bottom of the river with its trunk with it kept lifting up to us for a stroke. We then trekked for more than 2 hours through the dense jungle to a waterfall. All the time, getting to know our brilliant group. We laughed and joked the whole way there - everyone spoke English as a common language so we could all talk and joke together. The Koreans (who did not speak much English) and had slept the whole way on the truck, raced ahead in front. However, after the first rest stop, they lagged behind at the back - no stamina! - whilst we charged ahead with Lulu - HA! We got to the waterfall which was not deep enough to swim in but we could stand under it and feel the force of the water which was so strong it nearly pushed Zack to the floor.

After a steep and very difficult trek, we arrived in the hilltribe village and were shown to our big hut that we would all be sleeping in on the floor together. The evening was the most enjoyable of our trip so far. This was due to a combination of things: the people, Lulu, the hearty meal and of course Lulu's BRILLIANT games. The Koreans however, decided to retire early to bed leaving only their torch for the trecherous walk to the toilet. We enjoyed listening to thehuge family in the single-roomed house next door play and talk around their fire after cooking us such a lovely meal. All of us, then retreated to our beds, absolutely exhausted from the days events. Even though there was only a thin sheet between us and the billions of bugs we slept like logs. Zack and Ferry stayed up to talk for a while (Elodie-gay (haha he doesn't know i've written this)) which apparently helped to send everyone to sleep. The next morning we were treated to a delicious breakfast of local frsh eggs (collected that morning) and little bananas picked from their trees with tea and coffee. We packed up our things and went to visit their little school which was lovely and they had lots of toys to play with. The little children were ADORABLE, especially at the nursery. Elodie LOVED it! We said our goodbyes to Ferry, Kimberly and the Koreans. We trekked to a much needed lunch break where we had delicious noodle soup and passed our free time listening to the ipod together and making spears out of bamboo (with your pen knife Dad (Kevin) which by the way we have been using LOADS as I have lost my torch so we used it as a torch in the jungle). The final trek of the day took us to our picturesque waterfall camp which consisted of five bamboo huts just for us in a secluded area by a Paddy Field. Lulu showed us the jumping rock which Elodie begged Zack not to jump off but he did it anyway and as a result has had a little bug for a day after swallowing some of the water but is now fine. Lulu also showed us these natural slides made out of rocks then we spent ages playing on. It was like natural rapids! We also got an unexpected opportunity for a shower which was so so nice as we were disgusting. The consisted of hole in the ground which stank so we tried to visit it as little as possible. Zack found it hilarious that the one time that Elodie needed the loo after holding it in all day trying to avoid going to the hole was at midnight in complete darkness with the noise of bugs and the waterfall DEAFENING! The only light we had was from a weak little torch on the end of the penknife. Lulu built us a campfire by the waterfall which we sat and talked by cooking the fish that we had caught in the river ealier with a bamboo rod. It tasted ok but very very fishy. The last day was the hardest of the entire trek, everyone was exhausted, sleep deprived and feeling a little ill. Two hours trekking was quite enough and fortunately we reached our lucnh stop where a truck was waiting to take us to our bamboo rafts down the river. Mental. The water was so rough and we finished absolutely soaking and terrified. The man steering it almost fell off! and there were huge rocks in the way! The thunderstorm the night before had swollen the river and the current was strong. We then returned weary and hungry to the hostel were it was lovely to see Kimberly and Ferrry sitting byt the pool with drinks and welcomed us with hugs and kisses, also laughing at our appearances. We made a quick trip to our old friend 'Mr Juicy' before getting back on the overnight bus back to Bangkok. A VERY uncomfortable night passed and we got back and had to go straight to the airport to catch our plane to Hanoi, Vietnam. We'll save that for next time!

We are safe and sound in our FANTASTIC room in Hanoi, typing on our personal computer with free internet!

Lots of looooooveeeee xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack - Dad I will send you an email tomorrow morning, bedtime now. I got your email and piccies, DICKS looked properly old-school in a good way - I am so glad it is back to its roots. Claire - we will try to send pictures soon, have a fantastic time! xxx

Elodie - It is nice to be clean again - Tessa and Claire you would have hated it! But had a really good time - strange that we are in Vietnam now.

Trekking Part 1

zholmes2 — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:07:00 GMT

So now we know the meaning of the phrase 'i'm sweating buckets'...

Chiang Mai was not what we thought it would be, not in a bad way though. It was suprisingly quiet and small for a city although having come from somewhere as vast as Bangkok, it is easy to see why we thought this. El;odie, however, thought that it lacked the vibrancy and personality of Khao San road, but Zack was happy to be somewhere quieter with fewer tourists. It was also ALOT cheaper than Bangkok. We'll start from where we left off,. After writing the previous blog we went to get some money from an ATM- Elodie had been using Zack as her own personal ATM for a few days and had a few IOU's to pay back. Since there was no-one around (perhaps because it was a Sunday) we stopped to ask an American man fixing his bike on the road if he knew of anywhere good to eat. He reccommended a nice small family-run cafe where we had lunch. Elodie stuck to Pad Thai and Zack tried something a bit more adventurous- Bamboo shoot soup. His risk did not pay off. Elodie left with a full stomach. Further risks followed including green Fanta which turned out to be a chemical-filled bubblegum-flavoured monstrosity. Do not try it. Again, Elodie chose a safe fruit smoothie and left refreshed. After this, we went back passing small temoples on the way. We stopped to look at about three of them including the one with the 'Crystal Buddha'. We both thought they were more personal and pretty than the larger tourist-infested ones in Bangkok- PLus they were free! yay! Due to the mid-day heat we collectively wanted a swim. Luckily, our cheapo hostel had a pool- perfect! We topped up our tans (lovely and brown) and swam in the cool water. After our period of relaxation we wanted to see some of the other temples we had missed. To our delight we stumbled accross a temple by the name of 'Wat U Mong' named after a girl in England called Margaux Lawley apparently. JOKE. We then came across a huge statue with a large golden Buddha inside. Next to this amazing structure was a place called 'MOnk chat'. Intrigued, we discovered it was a place which allowed monk students to talk to tourists about their lives in a temple in order to practice their English. We spent an hour or so talking to him and found it very interesting. The constraints of his religion were evident in the fact that he could not look Elodie in the eye or shake her hand which we also found out that he could not even do to his own mother which Mummy's boy Zack almost cried at the thought of. To quench our thirst we found a bar called 'Mr JUicy' and has the best smoothie both of us had ever had. Made of fresh fruit and yoghurt, they were absolutely delicious as we were both craving some fruit. What made the smoothie even better perhaps we the fact that on each of the tables was the old favourite 'Connect 4'. After numerous games, the first few of which Elodie won, Zack emerged the overall winner. This seems to be pattern nowadays... A fact that Elodie claimed was mostly due to LUCK. We then proceeded not to talk to eachother for a further 15 minutes, only looks of malice were exchanged. Differences were then sorted out and we went off to the market. Chiang Mai came alive at night as the Night Bazaar began. Along various streets and through temples the market put the size of Khao San road to shame. We wandered around until we were tired and hungry enough for dinner and found a restaurant that we had spotted earlier. We then sat down to the best meal we have had so far- Thai green curry mmmmmmmmmm! We even got second helpings afterwards we were so hungry and it was so good and cheap. We had a quick nap before waking up to see Holland lose to the mighty Spanish. Many of the people at our hostel we Dutch so there was a very disappointed reaction and Zack was unable to celebrate his sweepstake victory. We had a good nights sleep and woke up in the morning ready to start our trek.

Part 2 coming soon from Hanoi, our next stop!

Elodie- Mum and Dad- the trekking was soooooooooo good! But we are very very tired now and want to go to sleep but we've got to get the overnight bus back to Bangkok and then catch our flight to Hanoi so no rest for a while! Is margaux back yet? Apparently i woke up in the middle of the night and shouted 'Margaux, margaux!' haha and Zack had to tell me to go back to sleep. Edith- SEND ME AN EMAIL!!! I MISS YOU AND WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT IT! jamie- Zack annoyed me for a while but i just ignored him and theres noone here who really support Spain so he has to celebrate in his head. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack- Lots of love from me! And Abi we are really looking forward to the rowing! xxxxxx

Chiang Mai

zholmes2 — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:04:00 GMT

Good morning from Chiang Mai!

This is probably the earliest that we have started this holiday which is surprising considering the eleven hour over-night bus journey that we have just endured. On to that later though.

So yesterday, we decided to seize the day and got up early to catch the river boat to the Grand Palace after having a coffee (and orange juice for Zack of course haha) outside a street cafe. It was absolutely beautiful but the heat made it difficult to walk around for long periods of time. Nevertheless, we were able to see the Emerald Buddha and even sprinkled ourselves with their holy water which was done by dipping a flower into a pot and sprinkling it on your head. We had to stop for a quick pepsi after which, we went to look at the museum, which wasn't up to much if we're honest- a room full of Buddhas. We took the 3 baht boat across the river in order to get closer to the Wat Arun (a famous temple- google it). By this time, it was about 3 o'clock and we were both EXHAUSTED and very very hungry. We perhaps made the wrong decision in not having lunch on the street but instead decided to go to Siam square and the MBK centre to look for somewhere to eat there. The centre was HUGE and unbelievably crowded and the restaurant area on the fifth floor gave us plenty of choice. However, we were attracted by an all you can eat buffet which was not up to our usual standards- lesson learned, we will stick to the street from now on! Coming out of the MBK centre, we were faced with the challenge of finding wither a Tuk Tuk and bartering like mad (we didn't have much change) or getting a more expensive taxi home. Fortunately, Zack was on the ball with a full stomach and spotted two Kiwi guys shouting for a taxi and we hopped in to share the price! Brilliant! They were nice to talk to and had some funny stories, including one where there was only two of them left as their friend had both his passport and 15,000 baht stolen and had to go home early! Obviously not that funny for him but his friends thought it was hilarious. We made a quick stop in an internet cafe to check all your comments :) but did not have enough time to write a blog good enough as we had to catch our bus and really did not want to miss it. After initially looking forward to what looked like a quiet and empty bus (we spread our stuff everywhere, whipped out the savlon for aching bites, shoes off etc.) however, it rapidly filled up much to our displeasure. Watching the lightning light up the clouds and with a 'Real people' magazine from the girls in front we set off to Chiang Mai.

We arrived this morning at 6.30am bleary eyed and were herded onto the back of pick-up trucks (yes trucks) to our pre-paid hostel. Slight chaos ensued as it seemed most people from the bus had also booked at the same hostel. We were left with a room with neither air con or even a fan (it is WAY too hot to even consider that). We asked what the other options were and were told they could transfer us to the twin hostel down the road. We accepted thinking it would be pretty much the same thing, however we couldn't have been more wrong. Firstly, the place was deserted which should have been a warning in itself but the exterior seemed nice enough. Once inside our room and desperate for a shower, Zack got in only to find that his shower was in fact an authentic Thai mud bath complete with authentic dirt and bugs. Elodie heard a scream and laughed and laughed (which wasn't comfortable as we had been on a bus for 11 hours without a toilet...). Zack had a Guy Fulbrook moment (Holmes family will understand) and immediately pronounced 'Right that's it we're leaving'. Grabbing our stuff we protested that we could not have a shower and needed to go back to the first hostel. The owner seemed suspiciously unphased by our demands suggesting that we had not been the first people to leave. Luckily, back there a room had become available with a fan- YIPEE! So here were sitting at very fancy computer with the pool beckoning us. We will try and find a bar tonight to watch the football and there are plenty of young people here eager to watch it too. Zack- Vamos Espana! Elodie- BOO! (joke i don't care).

Considering it's monsoon season we have seen VERY little rain so far and the showers we have seen have been during the night. We are unsure whether we will be able to blog tomorrow as out trek starts and our accommodation is uncertain. We are thoroughly looking forward to our jungle adventure and we will take lots of photos to show you.

Elodie- Claire- YAY you booked your sky diving that's so cool! and It's your birthday sooooooooooooooon! Tessa- Wow that club sounds so cool! I hope Romy had a good night. Did you go and see your brother's new house? What's it like? Jamie- Your comment made us really laugh! Bad luck about Germany, only joking, i'm not that nice, HAAAAAAAAAAA! When are you going to Oz? Mum and Dad- Are you having fun now you're childless? Honeymoon take 2. Poor booboo's tummy give her a cuddle from me. I'm trying so hard not to stroke all the rabid L.G's and cats.

Zack - firstly Clarice congratulations on reaching the finals! Your abstinence from alcohol on the boat trip seems to have paid off! Charles hope you're enjoying the summer cricket- I reckon the lobster look is back in fashion anyway! Abi - miss you loads buddy, hope you're back safe from Oz, when are you going away next? Mum don't worry about the accommodation I will check the email now.

Lots of love as always, xxxxxxx

Tour to Kanchanaburi

zholmes2 — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:28:00 GMT

Hello all!

Firstly, thank you so much for your lovely comments, they make us feel happy indeed :) We are so glad you got the hang of using the blog Grandma and Grandpa F!

Right so let's start from yesterday morning when we woke up to our alarm at 6am to have a shower (elodie only) ready to be picked up by the tour bus. After a quick panic about the whereabouts of the bus at 7.15 we were soon on our way to K. We got to our check point where we met our tour guide 'Eddy' who like to say an elongated please after every sentence (much like the man in the wheelchair in Facejacker-Chips). The first place we visited was the Kanchanaburi War Cemetary for those who died whislt building the Bridge over the River Kwai- a very sombre moment indeed. From here, we walked to the Jeath War Museum- a very graphic portrayal of the construction and eventual destruction of the bridge both of which cost thousands of lives. We were instructed to walk to what Elodie understood as the 'Beach on the River Kwaaaaai' (Eddy's pronunciation). She was very excited and couldn't wait to sit down and admire the view. It was therefore with great suprise that we ended up over a health and safety-neglcted bridge! Although a little reluctant to walk across the bridge we made it half way before turning back to meet the others. On our walk back, Zack spotted two little leopard cubs on the street- Elodie almost died of excitement and exclaimed that she MUST stroke them. After a couple of strokes and photos, both the leopard and Elodie got too excited leading one to bite the other on the leg- we'll let you figure out who was who. Don't worry they still remain friends. Once we had boarded the train along the Death Railway, which by they was fantastic with wonderful views of lushious forest and mountains! A delicious lunch followed in a nearby restaurant which we shared with about five Japanese tourists- all of whom were lovely. With full stomachs we embarked on a little river boat to get on our bamboo rafts! After watching some others on well-constucted rafts we got to ours which, already a little low in the water, proceeded to sink deeper as we all got on. Fortunately instead of our initial fear of the crocs in the water, we found this very very funny and laughed all the way to the shore. The highlight of the day was the elephants! We rode round the trail for about half an hour, the other ten minutes of which was spent ploughing through bushes and trees; our elephant seemed to be the rebel of the group overtaking and even running to our delight but also our discomfort! We were then taken, tired and hot, to our room for the night on a floating guesthouse! It was adorned with fairy lights and lanterns that would've made Adeline and Nick extremely jealous. Elodie got the full floating guesthouse experience when the whole thing started to rock and sway whilst having a shower on a raft-not such a pleasant experience. The most surreal part of the evening had to be seeing people floating down the river at night, using only the current as transportation- shopping bags and all! After smothering ourselves in 100% deet (mosquito spray) we still- Zack's ankle in particular- got ravaged by mosquito bites. The next morning we made our way to Erawan Falls where we spent the morning hiking up dangerous terrain to access the various levels of the waterfall. After a trek that few dared to tackle, we made our way back down the trail, soaking with our own sweat and looking like beetroots, to finally jump amongst the fish into the cool water that we had envied on our way up the mountain. The falls were spectacular and we could even stand underneath the gushing water into the cave- a perfect photo opportunity. A man even jumped from the top of the waterfall which was slightly shocking and mental but Dad (Kevin) i knew you would have done it too! We had Pad Tahi for lunch to refuel and got the bbus to Tiger Temple! The tigers were beautful and we had pictures with the cubs (for the tiger lovers of you all), although we were left wondering about the ethics of such a place. A very long and tiring bus journey eventually ended in a slightly wet and dark Bangkok. We soon found our way, after tripping into mud puddles, to a new hostel after which we went to get dinner which consisted of Ice Tea (yes Claire, we are living off it you'll be glad to know) and our beloved Pad Thai from the stalls (yes Kevin, the most delicious ever). And all this brings us finally to the internet cafe where we are now thinking of you all back home.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments, they really did make us smile at the end of an exhausting tour!

Lots of love Zack and Elodie xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elodie- Mum miss you and hope cat and dog are ok, i will buy you lanterns. Dad I might try a scorpion tomorrow and boo Spain, i wanted Germany to win! We are going to watch the final in our posh hotel which we managed to nab for 250 baht a night in Chiang Mai! Mog be careful in tenerfife and have a good time!!! Don't get burnt you sunbathing addict! Claire i hope you get your interview you will be brilliant :D Tessa miss yoooooou!!!!! Have fun in Turkey!!! be good!Joanne I hope Adam like Chesham :D and have you heard from Esdith? Love you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zack - Hello everyone. Mum I'm sure you're looking forward to a nice quiet weekend without Kit and Dad, I hope the weather stays nice and sunny for you to be out in the garden. Have fun at DICKs Kit and Dad - wear those shirts with pride! I am enjoying watching the mighty Spanish march on closer to victory, I think if they win I will indulge myself by buying a Spanish football shirt to wear in Croyde. Thanks for the help Clo - our time has run out tonight but I will make sure we check your blog soon so we can catch up on all your news! Hugs and kisses, xxxx

First Day in Bangkok

zholmes2 — Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:22:00 GMT

We're heeeere!

I guess we should start from the beginning...The flight was long and exhausting (for Zack specifically...) but a can of 'Mountain Dew' in Muscat made it slightly bearable. Muscat was HOT HOT HOT, after being outside for about 2 minutes to queue for the bus we had lost 90% of our bodily fluids. The films on the other hand were BRILLIANT!!! We watched a large selection of them but Zack chose the longest films possible meaning that half way through he drifted in and out of sleep (where the person nods their head constantly then wakes up startled). Unfortunately they didn't have get me to the Greek tessa!!! But I watched Ondine (which by the way mum you will LOVE). ZAck- Despite our fears Dad I was able to secure a third watching of The Green Zone! Once we got off the flight, Elodie feared an American style interrogation but was pleasantly suprised by the slightly plump thai woman who barely looked at our passport and let us through without problems...or a smile for that matter. We got a taxi to Khao San Road trying to keep our eyes off the speedometer which was clocking on average a tiny 130 mph with traffic dodging! Both of us were overwhelmed and tired and trying to dodge motorbikes was very difficult, especially with our HUGE bags. Got to a nice safe hostel called 'My House Guesthouse' just off Khao San Road. Almost got straight to sleep, however i got rudely awakened by Zack rustling through my bag in the pitch black looking for ear plugs!!! The insects were very loud as was the much needed air conditioning. Fell into such such a deep sleep that waking up was greeted with Elodie saying 'I think it's quite late'. After, working out the time difference, we discovered it was in fact 12.30!!! So we had a cold (refreshing) shower and then went to explore. As it was already lu8nch we had some noodles in our HOstel cafe but Zack didn't eat his. I was so worried i thought 'Oh no...i'm going to be travelling on my own today'. Zack later revealed that he felt like he had done in France. Fortunatly, after about 2 litres of water he perked up and we set out. We looked at the stalls on Khao San and then decided we had better do something cultural. A nice American boy suggested that we take a boat trip down the river to look at the temples (including The Grand Palace). We knew they would be closed as we were too late but the coolness of the river and the amazing sights made it worth it. We spent the rest of the late afternoon comparing tour prices and getting our Visa for Vietnam which was suprisingly quick and easy. We eventually settled for a 2 day tour in Kanchanaburi which starts at 6am tomorrow! This includes The death Railway, museum, The Erawan waterfall which is the biggest in Thailand, and elephants! Also the Tiger Temple which Adam, Kitty and Anna will be pleased to know.We leave tomorrow and we are sleeping on a floating hostel which doesn't have internet (we're guessing) so we wont be able to blog tomorrow but we will the next day. (Adeline i can maybe text you). Then we will be picking up our Visa, spending the morning visiting the temples that we saw today and going to the FLoating Market. After that we're off to Chiang Mai to ride the elephants!!!

This evening we have purchased some clothes (lots of designer spin offs!) Adelne and Margaux I got red Ray bans and a lacoste top! Claire we bought the best top for you EVER! And the funniest for Charles! Zack gt a flashy watch too. Going to watch the football with a Tiger beer later and then off to bed.

Dad (Nick) thank you so much for the card (that was sneaky). We laughed. Claire yours was HILARIOUS! and thank you so much Tessa yours were lovely :) and ma, pa and marg :D i love my sweetes and book and photos.

We miss you all very much, can't stop wanting to buy stuff for you all!Look forward to hearing from you all, thank yu for your comments.

Love and kisses Zack and Elodie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just hours to go!

zholmes2 — Tue, 6 Jul 2010 16:21:00 GMT

So here we are! Only a few hours left until we leave for the airport so we thought we'd write our first log to say goodbye England and goodbye everyone! Thank you to all of you who have sent us texts or messages on Facebook, we will miss you all so much! Also, don't forget to comment and let us know what you are all up to this Summer as well. See you in 6 weeks!

Zack and Elodie