Day 71 Cameron Highlands
So I found someone who's just like me!! Whilst everyone else has gone trekking through slippery mud and insect watching, Jemma and I got a taxi to the strawberry farm where we spent the morning. We climbed up the strawberry farm which is all over the hills and then we went to the strawberry shop where it only sells strawberry related things.We sat down at the strawberry cafe which again sells all things strawberry and nothing else - as you can see from the picture I took of the menu. I've literally died and gone to strawberry heaven. There's giant strawberry cartoons everywhere too. SO GOOD. I had a strawberry sundae with strawberry ice cream, strawberry sauce, strawberry wafer and strawberries!!! Crazy. Then we got to go and pick our own strawberries so off we went with our safety scissors and punnet! It was really fun. We picked some good'ns. Next we had a bit of difficulty finding a taxi and no one wanted to help us but eventually we got one and went to a tea plantation which had really spectacular views. It was really nice. So yeah Jem and I had a good day - we're very similar too. We had lunch which was really nice and then a starbucks mmm! Then we watched the Disney channel in the communal lounge - much to other peoples annoyance I believe. The others came back from their day trip and one by one they came in and told us we would have hated it. Good decision by us! We then had dinner, Jem, Steve, Sophie and I, it was really nice. Now we're all sat in the local party joint aka the internet cafe which is clearly the place to be at 11pm on a Sunday night. BYE.x
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Malaysia Update
Day 70 Cameron Highlands
It was a bit of a lazy morning this morning as we weren't leaving until 11.30am so I had breakfast at 10am and then just chilled. Our bus came an hour late so we just sat in reception on the internet or whatever. When we arrived in Tanah Rata at 5pmish our tour leader was like 'there's nothing to do in the Cameron Highlands' which is pretty much true. So we went out for dinner and then just went back to the hotel - which doesn't even have a TV. BYE.x
It was a bit of a lazy morning this morning as we weren't leaving until 11.30am so I had breakfast at 10am and then just chilled. Our bus came an hour late so we just sat in reception on the internet or whatever. When we arrived in Tanah Rata at 5pmish our tour leader was like 'there's nothing to do in the Cameron Highlands' which is pretty much true. So we went out for dinner and then just went back to the hotel - which doesn't even have a TV. BYE.x
Malaysia Update
Day 69 Penang
I booked a tour yesterday because Jemma and Steve had and they said to do it too so I thought it'd be a good idea. I got up for breakfast at 9am and I got to have marmite for the first time in 3 months - sooo good! And in Thailand I had picked up some snack size pots of nutella so I used that too, mmm. We went down to meet our guide and it turned out to be just the 3 of us and our tour guide was this little old Malaysian man who was really sweet. He was also the driver and he put on his little headset with microphone so that he could speak to us through the speaker system. Firstly we went to the snake temple. For some reason it didn't occur to me that it would mean there were actual snakes there..? They had real snakes all around the temple. Then we went next door to a snake farm.. I don't know what posessed me to do so but I got into a cage with a 24ft python and stroked it if that's the right word to use for a snake. I really don't know what's compelling me, of all people, to do these things?!? Next we went to Kek Lok Si temple which was really cool. It's all on this hill/ mountain thing and so is on many levels. It's really funky and has beautiful views over Penang. Also we went on the first inclining lift in Malaysia which took us up to another level of the temple complex which had a HUGE statue thing right on top of the hill, oh and some fishes. It was really lovely. This was the point at which I decided I quite like Malaysia. After that we went to a Thai temple and a Burmese one where we had fun taking photos doing the same poses as the buddhas. Next we went to a clothing factory which was weird and had some of the most hideous creations known to man. Then we went to a botanical garden which was lovely, acres of lush greenary. Moving on we went to the chocolate factory thing with all the chocolate tasting for free!! SOOOOOO GOOD. AMAZING in fact. I bought some crunchy coconut chocolate things, really really yummy! I loved this place - the only thing that stopped me buying a ton is the amost 40 degree heat whereby transporting chocolate around is just not possible - you know what this means guys, no chocolate presents for you! I'll just let you know how good it tastes. Next was the coffee tasting and then tea and last of all honey and dried fruits. Mum would have loved it. It was such a good day trip and all 3 of us were glad we booked it (the others didn't even see half the stuff) so it was a really really good day. After that we went for dinner at the best curry house in town, it was so good! We then went back to the hotel and sat on the rooftop with some drinks. To sum up, it was a very good day! BYE.x
I booked a tour yesterday because Jemma and Steve had and they said to do it too so I thought it'd be a good idea. I got up for breakfast at 9am and I got to have marmite for the first time in 3 months - sooo good! And in Thailand I had picked up some snack size pots of nutella so I used that too, mmm. We went down to meet our guide and it turned out to be just the 3 of us and our tour guide was this little old Malaysian man who was really sweet. He was also the driver and he put on his little headset with microphone so that he could speak to us through the speaker system. Firstly we went to the snake temple. For some reason it didn't occur to me that it would mean there were actual snakes there..? They had real snakes all around the temple. Then we went next door to a snake farm.. I don't know what posessed me to do so but I got into a cage with a 24ft python and stroked it if that's the right word to use for a snake. I really don't know what's compelling me, of all people, to do these things?!? Next we went to Kek Lok Si temple which was really cool. It's all on this hill/ mountain thing and so is on many levels. It's really funky and has beautiful views over Penang. Also we went on the first inclining lift in Malaysia which took us up to another level of the temple complex which had a HUGE statue thing right on top of the hill, oh and some fishes. It was really lovely. This was the point at which I decided I quite like Malaysia. After that we went to a Thai temple and a Burmese one where we had fun taking photos doing the same poses as the buddhas. Next we went to a clothing factory which was weird and had some of the most hideous creations known to man. Then we went to a botanical garden which was lovely, acres of lush greenary. Moving on we went to the chocolate factory thing with all the chocolate tasting for free!! SOOOOOO GOOD. AMAZING in fact. I bought some crunchy coconut chocolate things, really really yummy! I loved this place - the only thing that stopped me buying a ton is the amost 40 degree heat whereby transporting chocolate around is just not possible - you know what this means guys, no chocolate presents for you! I'll just let you know how good it tastes. Next was the coffee tasting and then tea and last of all honey and dried fruits. Mum would have loved it. It was such a good day trip and all 3 of us were glad we booked it (the others didn't even see half the stuff) so it was a really really good day. After that we went for dinner at the best curry house in town, it was so good! We then went back to the hotel and sat on the rooftop with some drinks. To sum up, it was a very good day! BYE.x
Malaysia Update
Day 68 Penang
It was a long driving day. We drove for 10 hours to get to Georgetown, Penang in Malaysia. Shortly after arriving we went to some night time food court thing, it was basically a square with mini restaurants around the outside and you ordered little dishes from as many of the places as you wanted and then they'd bring it to your table - it was different but really nice. That's all folks. BYE.x
It was a long driving day. We drove for 10 hours to get to Georgetown, Penang in Malaysia. Shortly after arriving we went to some night time food court thing, it was basically a square with mini restaurants around the outside and you ordered little dishes from as many of the places as you wanted and then they'd bring it to your table - it was different but really nice. That's all folks. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 67 Ao Nang Krabi
Today was a bit of a lazy day. The weather wasn't so good so I took the opportunity to sleep a little longer. I didn't do much today, had a bit of a walk around town and along the beach and went to Haagen Dazs and had dinner. BYE.x
Today was a bit of a lazy day. The weather wasn't so good so I took the opportunity to sleep a little longer. I didn't do much today, had a bit of a walk around town and along the beach and went to Haagen Dazs and had dinner. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 66 Phi Phi islands
Today we had booked a speed boat tour of the Phi Phi islands. We left quite early in the morning for a full day of island hopping. It was amazing. We went to see about 5 different islands as well as a really pretty bay area which we couldn't stop in as the boats have to have a special license but it was really pretty to see and then a snorkelling spot just off of one of the islands. The first island we went to was an uninhabited island with white sandy beaches and crystal clear water and that was really beautiful. The next one we went to was really busy but by far the best beach - it was the one from the film The Beach. It was amazing, the sand was like really soft and so fine it didn't feel like sand it was more like the blue lagoon in Iceland. I liked this one best. Then we went to the main island of Phi Phi which is the only one which had civilisation and we had lunch here and looked around all the little shops. After that we went to monkey island. It was nice until the monkeys came out and then it was a bit scary, the locals say they really are 'cheeky monkeys' and this is where that woman was mauled by a monkey that was on the news a little while back. They're really naughty, they're not like in India where they're scared of you, they steal any food or drinks you're holding and any belongings left on the beach unattended were not safe.. So anyway I kept my distance and they were fun to watch. I really enjoyed my day of island hopping. The beaches are so lush!!! BYE.x
Today we had booked a speed boat tour of the Phi Phi islands. We left quite early in the morning for a full day of island hopping. It was amazing. We went to see about 5 different islands as well as a really pretty bay area which we couldn't stop in as the boats have to have a special license but it was really pretty to see and then a snorkelling spot just off of one of the islands. The first island we went to was an uninhabited island with white sandy beaches and crystal clear water and that was really beautiful. The next one we went to was really busy but by far the best beach - it was the one from the film The Beach. It was amazing, the sand was like really soft and so fine it didn't feel like sand it was more like the blue lagoon in Iceland. I liked this one best. Then we went to the main island of Phi Phi which is the only one which had civilisation and we had lunch here and looked around all the little shops. After that we went to monkey island. It was nice until the monkeys came out and then it was a bit scary, the locals say they really are 'cheeky monkeys' and this is where that woman was mauled by a monkey that was on the news a little while back. They're really naughty, they're not like in India where they're scared of you, they steal any food or drinks you're holding and any belongings left on the beach unattended were not safe.. So anyway I kept my distance and they were fun to watch. I really enjoyed my day of island hopping. The beaches are so lush!!! BYE.x
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Thailand Update
Day 65 Ao Nang Krabi
We arrived at the station on the overnight train early in the morning and went to a cafe where we were supposed to have breakfast. I ordered beans o toast and then 20 minutes later after everyone else had finised and paid they came over and said they didn't have any beans what did I want so I went without. We then had a 2hr 30mins bus journey to the beach resort! Our rooms weren't ready when we got to the resort so we went to the beach but I didn't havemy towel sooo I think I got bitten by some thingys. We went back to the hotel and the room was ready so I had a quick shower and then went out with everyone to eat some lunch. A lot of them then went on to go to another beach but I just chilled at the one we were at. Then there was a massive parade through the town as they were in the middle of a festival, I watched it from the Haagen Dazs cafe having a lovelyyy ice cream - I so take after my father. I then went for a wee sleep as I didn't get much on the train the night before. We then had a group dinner. BYE.x
We arrived at the station on the overnight train early in the morning and went to a cafe where we were supposed to have breakfast. I ordered beans o toast and then 20 minutes later after everyone else had finised and paid they came over and said they didn't have any beans what did I want so I went without. We then had a 2hr 30mins bus journey to the beach resort! Our rooms weren't ready when we got to the resort so we went to the beach but I didn't havemy towel sooo I think I got bitten by some thingys. We went back to the hotel and the room was ready so I had a quick shower and then went out with everyone to eat some lunch. A lot of them then went on to go to another beach but I just chilled at the one we were at. Then there was a massive parade through the town as they were in the middle of a festival, I watched it from the Haagen Dazs cafe having a lovelyyy ice cream - I so take after my father. I then went for a wee sleep as I didn't get much on the train the night before. We then had a group dinner. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 64 Bangkok
Today wasn't that fun, just spent the day at MBK again, had an ice cream - pretty standard. Bought food at the 7/11 for the night train, went on the night train. Okay so it was more fun than the previous night trains, but still not for me. BYE.x
Today wasn't that fun, just spent the day at MBK again, had an ice cream - pretty standard. Bought food at the 7/11 for the night train, went on the night train. Okay so it was more fun than the previous night trains, but still not for me. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 63 Bangkok
Okay so Bangkok is boring me now. I've been reduced to having to have a manicure and massage as I have exhausted all the sights there are to see. I then just chilled at a cafe in Khao San Road. But first in the morning I was woken up with a telephone call from reception at 7am saying that Josefin from Sweden would be on her way to my room - by 1pm she still hadn't arrived so I went out. I returned to the hotel for 6.30pm for the meeting with the new group - turns out it's 11 girls and 1 guy. Aslight improvement and at least it's more people! And a few younger looking ones, only a few. Turns out Josefin doesn't exist (and yes that's how her name is spelt really). So we went out for dinner with the new group but it was a bit weird as a few of them had already eaten so 4 people didn't join us. It was an average meal. Afterwards 4 of us went to Shamrock, an Irish pub on Khao San Road which was quite lively and then we went back to the hotel. BYE.x
Okay so Bangkok is boring me now. I've been reduced to having to have a manicure and massage as I have exhausted all the sights there are to see. I then just chilled at a cafe in Khao San Road. But first in the morning I was woken up with a telephone call from reception at 7am saying that Josefin from Sweden would be on her way to my room - by 1pm she still hadn't arrived so I went out. I returned to the hotel for 6.30pm for the meeting with the new group - turns out it's 11 girls and 1 guy. Aslight improvement and at least it's more people! And a few younger looking ones, only a few. Turns out Josefin doesn't exist (and yes that's how her name is spelt really). So we went out for dinner with the new group but it was a bit weird as a few of them had already eaten so 4 people didn't join us. It was an average meal. Afterwards 4 of us went to Shamrock, an Irish pub on Khao San Road which was quite lively and then we went back to the hotel. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 62 Bangkok
So my first day alone alone in Bangkok and what do I manage to do with myself - sleep all day! Got up for breakfast but went back to sleep. Oh I did do about 4 hours of studying theories of justice in preparation for the Cam interview - I meant to do a lot more but got carried away with my self set question of 'what is justice?'. By the time it reached 5pm I was ready to get up and do something so I showered and made myself look pretty and headed over to the State Tower where I was told I had to go to eat at Sirocco - the highest rooftop restaurant in Asia or something like that. I was warned it would be a little bit pricey but not how much it turned out to be and I wasn't told that I'd need to book a table so I almost got turned away but I got sat inside by a window and then just before my food came I got a table outside. Unfortunately, despite the ridiculous amount you pay for the less than average food, you're not allowed to take photos. Like what is that about?!? I've since read things on trip advisor moaning about it and one said that the manager said to him that they didn't want anyone to copy the restaurant design and so not to disturb the customers eating, however, he pointed out that the restaurant picture is on every website that features the restaurant and that with all the customers paying that much they all wouldn't mind that the others were taking photos but hey nothing I can do about that now. Also the ridiculous dress code - I took my drink to the bar afterwards and saw a couple who ordered champagne - which may I add is about $50 a glass - asked to leave because the man's shoes weren't nice enough, he was in a suit it was just the shoes weren't a good make.. hmm. I had one of my maxi dresses on and my topshop dolly shoes which are filthy after 3 months of travelling in dirty countries, I think my dress may have hid them. But yeah very strange. It was an amazing view though and a really nice hotel. BYE.x
So my first day alone alone in Bangkok and what do I manage to do with myself - sleep all day! Got up for breakfast but went back to sleep. Oh I did do about 4 hours of studying theories of justice in preparation for the Cam interview - I meant to do a lot more but got carried away with my self set question of 'what is justice?'. By the time it reached 5pm I was ready to get up and do something so I showered and made myself look pretty and headed over to the State Tower where I was told I had to go to eat at Sirocco - the highest rooftop restaurant in Asia or something like that. I was warned it would be a little bit pricey but not how much it turned out to be and I wasn't told that I'd need to book a table so I almost got turned away but I got sat inside by a window and then just before my food came I got a table outside. Unfortunately, despite the ridiculous amount you pay for the less than average food, you're not allowed to take photos. Like what is that about?!? I've since read things on trip advisor moaning about it and one said that the manager said to him that they didn't want anyone to copy the restaurant design and so not to disturb the customers eating, however, he pointed out that the restaurant picture is on every website that features the restaurant and that with all the customers paying that much they all wouldn't mind that the others were taking photos but hey nothing I can do about that now. Also the ridiculous dress code - I took my drink to the bar afterwards and saw a couple who ordered champagne - which may I add is about $50 a glass - asked to leave because the man's shoes weren't nice enough, he was in a suit it was just the shoes weren't a good make.. hmm. I had one of my maxi dresses on and my topshop dolly shoes which are filthy after 3 months of travelling in dirty countries, I think my dress may have hid them. But yeah very strange. It was an amazing view though and a really nice hotel. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 61 Bangkok
Today I arranged to meet up with Aaron and Lori who were the only 2 people I knew left in Bangkok - Heidi and Jay left in the early morning. I had breakfast at my new hotel which was alright and then went back to the old hotel to meet them. We then went for a walk to find Chinatown which was nice, Chinatown was rather dirty though and all the streets were really narrow and full of shops. We went for lunch at quite a posh Chinese restaurant. I was really enjoying it until the end when I had almost finished my noodles and then I found a cockroach!!! A fried cockroach in my food :( That was really sad and made me think that maybe I would be ill in the next few days. I told the waitresses and they just looked at it and took it away so that was the end of that - but when they came with the bill I politely reminded them that I wouldn't be paying for that dish at the very least! Then we just went for a long walk around Bangkok, meandering through temples on the way until we came to the river front. Aaron flagged down a longtail boat (yes just like you would a taxi) and negotiated a price to go on a 2 hour river and canal tour which was really good and we got to get off at a few temples on the way too. We went to Wat Arun which was good as it was a bit different to normal temples because it's all mosaic which is nice. This pretty much took up the whole day. After that Aaron and I went for dinner at Mayompuri which is a really nice restaurant just outside of Khao San Road. We went to a few bars afterwards then went back to my hotel. BYE.x
Today I arranged to meet up with Aaron and Lori who were the only 2 people I knew left in Bangkok - Heidi and Jay left in the early morning. I had breakfast at my new hotel which was alright and then went back to the old hotel to meet them. We then went for a walk to find Chinatown which was nice, Chinatown was rather dirty though and all the streets were really narrow and full of shops. We went for lunch at quite a posh Chinese restaurant. I was really enjoying it until the end when I had almost finished my noodles and then I found a cockroach!!! A fried cockroach in my food :( That was really sad and made me think that maybe I would be ill in the next few days. I told the waitresses and they just looked at it and took it away so that was the end of that - but when they came with the bill I politely reminded them that I wouldn't be paying for that dish at the very least! Then we just went for a long walk around Bangkok, meandering through temples on the way until we came to the river front. Aaron flagged down a longtail boat (yes just like you would a taxi) and negotiated a price to go on a 2 hour river and canal tour which was really good and we got to get off at a few temples on the way too. We went to Wat Arun which was good as it was a bit different to normal temples because it's all mosaic which is nice. This pretty much took up the whole day. After that Aaron and I went for dinner at Mayompuri which is a really nice restaurant just outside of Khao San Road. We went to a few bars afterwards then went back to my hotel. BYE.x
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Thailand Update
Day 60 Bangkok
Jay and Aaron arrive! They've been playing catch up the entire 5 weeks and we see them every other night or every 3 nights. So we chilled with them for a bit and then headed to Khao San Road, the main backpacker street to do a bit of shopping and people watching from one of the many cafes. Later we met the guys and their tour leader for a farewell meal - a better one this time :) which was really lovely! It was a riverfront location and it was seafood.. I don't eat seafood. So I had a salmon steak cause it had the word steak in it and it was actually really good! We then went to a few bars with the boys and had a really good night! At the end we all got in a taxi to my hotel where the 3 got out to say goodbye to me before going on to the other hotel (because I changed hotels for the start of my new trip). It was super sad!! Heidi cried which made me cry :'( I really will miss her so much, she's like a best friend to me. We were together 24/7 for 5 weeks and I absolutely adored her, she's one of the most amazing people I've met. But we've already decided a rough time that she's coming over to stay with us Mum and Dad ;) I'm sure you're both fine with it. So yeah sad times. BYE.x
Jay and Aaron arrive! They've been playing catch up the entire 5 weeks and we see them every other night or every 3 nights. So we chilled with them for a bit and then headed to Khao San Road, the main backpacker street to do a bit of shopping and people watching from one of the many cafes. Later we met the guys and their tour leader for a farewell meal - a better one this time :) which was really lovely! It was a riverfront location and it was seafood.. I don't eat seafood. So I had a salmon steak cause it had the word steak in it and it was actually really good! We then went to a few bars with the boys and had a really good night! At the end we all got in a taxi to my hotel where the 3 got out to say goodbye to me before going on to the other hotel (because I changed hotels for the start of my new trip). It was super sad!! Heidi cried which made me cry :'( I really will miss her so much, she's like a best friend to me. We were together 24/7 for 5 weeks and I absolutely adored her, she's one of the most amazing people I've met. But we've already decided a rough time that she's coming over to stay with us Mum and Dad ;) I'm sure you're both fine with it. So yeah sad times. BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 59 Bangkok
Today Heidi and I went to MBK which was a big shopping mall with a lots of little market stalls inside. It was so big that this consumed our entire day. I wish I could write more but I feel that's the entirety of it. We did have our final farewell meal which was umm interesting. It was good to see the tour end. I would miss Heidi like crazy but I had the next day and night with her anyway. It had ended up with Heidi and I and 3 Germans for the final week and well, they spoke German the entire time so yeah just the 2 of us really which was fine by me but it was a long travel week. So yeah Heidi and I had some down time in Bangkok to just chill and do what we wanted which was nice and we went out to a bar after the meal and headed back for an early night as Aaron and Jay would be arriving in the morning so we could hang with them. Note to self: maybe don't book a 5 week tour again (although with a better group I would not be typing this right now). BYE.x
Today Heidi and I went to MBK which was a big shopping mall with a lots of little market stalls inside. It was so big that this consumed our entire day. I wish I could write more but I feel that's the entirety of it. We did have our final farewell meal which was umm interesting. It was good to see the tour end. I would miss Heidi like crazy but I had the next day and night with her anyway. It had ended up with Heidi and I and 3 Germans for the final week and well, they spoke German the entire time so yeah just the 2 of us really which was fine by me but it was a long travel week. So yeah Heidi and I had some down time in Bangkok to just chill and do what we wanted which was nice and we went out to a bar after the meal and headed back for an early night as Aaron and Jay would be arriving in the morning so we could hang with them. Note to self: maybe don't book a 5 week tour again (although with a better group I would not be typing this right now). BYE.x
Thailand Update
Day 58 Chiang Mai
Today we got up early to drive to Chiang Mai as it was a 5 hour drive and we had to get an over night train at 4pm. So on the way to Chiang Mai we stopped off at Chiang Rai where we went to the white temple - it does have another actual name but one which I cannot think of at this present moment. So basically it's designed by an artist man who lives in or near the temple or something and it's really amazing! It reminds me of Narnia with all the white and it has lots of mirror pieces in it so it glistens in the sun which is really beautiful. After having spent so much time in Asia you get to a point where all the temples become one, with only a few outstanding ones for example Taj, Angkor Wat, the golden one in Vientiane, Wat Arun (a mosaic one in Thailand) etc. these ones are different. Most are the same. But just when I thought I was templed out we get shown this one which, excluding Taj 'cause that's a bit different, is my favourite one! Absolutely beautiful. I think I want a house like it maybe. Somehow I don't think that's a request Dad would be able to facilitate. Moving on we went to a cashew nut plantation! Now if ever Dad were to describe heaven to someone, this would be it. Free cashew nuts, and many other nuts for tasting! They had so many kinds. I bought some for Mum and some for Dad but they may not make it home in one piece - they started off as whole nuts but you may receive them as ground nuts due to the over-packing of my 55l rucksack! I've been lugging 1.5kg of nuts around with me for a good week now, so appreciation will be greatly received. Heidi and I had decided that the thing we most wanted to do in Chiang Mai was the Tiger Kingdom (we also had planned to go to a temple but didn't make it due to time constraints, although we ended up being 2hrs 30mins early for the train, hmm). When we got there I was really nervous but Heidi as always was as cool as a cucumber. You had several ticket options ranging from the smallest, small, medium and big cat and then various combinations so Heidi and I decided to just go for it and chose the smallest ones and the biggest ones! Also for $10 we could get a photographer who would take 150-200 photos for us and then we'd get a CD each so we opted for that and it was sooo worth it! Oh yeah, I also had to sign my life away - I was saying to Heidi that my parents would be super angry (maybe a little upset also) if I'd agreed to my own mauling by a tiger but we decided to just not think about that so sign it I did. Firstly we went to see the biggest tigers. The most nervous part was when we were waiting outside the tiger cage for our turn and then when they let us in and locked the cage behind us - that was scary! The tigers were absolutely gorgeous, there were 3 which were just sunbathing and so we got down to stroke them - we went to touch them lightly but that tickles them so they start flicking their tail so we were told to pat firmly which they then prefered and then we tickled their tummies and laid down with them! It was amazing. Then the tigers got up to play in the water and I got really soaked when they started flicking their tails and jumping in the water. You are told that you just have to stay away from their heads and don't approach them head on cause then they'll want to 'play' and that's never going to end well. So we spent about 20 minutes in there with them which was absolutely amazing! One of the best experiences ever. Then it was over to the baby tigers - they were only 3 months old and absolutely adorable! They were really friendly. One was sleepy and we were told we should let it fall asleep with its head in our hands which was so incredibly cute and I held its paw! It was sooo sweet! Then the other one was really really playful! We were tickling it's belly and it was giving up high 5s and rolling around and just having a lot of fun! It also really liked Heidi's ponytail. It was just a really amazing day! Then we went to the sleeper train which was bearable. BYE.x
Today we got up early to drive to Chiang Mai as it was a 5 hour drive and we had to get an over night train at 4pm. So on the way to Chiang Mai we stopped off at Chiang Rai where we went to the white temple - it does have another actual name but one which I cannot think of at this present moment. So basically it's designed by an artist man who lives in or near the temple or something and it's really amazing! It reminds me of Narnia with all the white and it has lots of mirror pieces in it so it glistens in the sun which is really beautiful. After having spent so much time in Asia you get to a point where all the temples become one, with only a few outstanding ones for example Taj, Angkor Wat, the golden one in Vientiane, Wat Arun (a mosaic one in Thailand) etc. these ones are different. Most are the same. But just when I thought I was templed out we get shown this one which, excluding Taj 'cause that's a bit different, is my favourite one! Absolutely beautiful. I think I want a house like it maybe. Somehow I don't think that's a request Dad would be able to facilitate. Moving on we went to a cashew nut plantation! Now if ever Dad were to describe heaven to someone, this would be it. Free cashew nuts, and many other nuts for tasting! They had so many kinds. I bought some for Mum and some for Dad but they may not make it home in one piece - they started off as whole nuts but you may receive them as ground nuts due to the over-packing of my 55l rucksack! I've been lugging 1.5kg of nuts around with me for a good week now, so appreciation will be greatly received. Heidi and I had decided that the thing we most wanted to do in Chiang Mai was the Tiger Kingdom (we also had planned to go to a temple but didn't make it due to time constraints, although we ended up being 2hrs 30mins early for the train, hmm). When we got there I was really nervous but Heidi as always was as cool as a cucumber. You had several ticket options ranging from the smallest, small, medium and big cat and then various combinations so Heidi and I decided to just go for it and chose the smallest ones and the biggest ones! Also for $10 we could get a photographer who would take 150-200 photos for us and then we'd get a CD each so we opted for that and it was sooo worth it! Oh yeah, I also had to sign my life away - I was saying to Heidi that my parents would be super angry (maybe a little upset also) if I'd agreed to my own mauling by a tiger but we decided to just not think about that so sign it I did. Firstly we went to see the biggest tigers. The most nervous part was when we were waiting outside the tiger cage for our turn and then when they let us in and locked the cage behind us - that was scary! The tigers were absolutely gorgeous, there were 3 which were just sunbathing and so we got down to stroke them - we went to touch them lightly but that tickles them so they start flicking their tail so we were told to pat firmly which they then prefered and then we tickled their tummies and laid down with them! It was amazing. Then the tigers got up to play in the water and I got really soaked when they started flicking their tails and jumping in the water. You are told that you just have to stay away from their heads and don't approach them head on cause then they'll want to 'play' and that's never going to end well. So we spent about 20 minutes in there with them which was absolutely amazing! One of the best experiences ever. Then it was over to the baby tigers - they were only 3 months old and absolutely adorable! They were really friendly. One was sleepy and we were told we should let it fall asleep with its head in our hands which was so incredibly cute and I held its paw! It was sooo sweet! Then the other one was really really playful! We were tickling it's belly and it was giving up high 5s and rolling around and just having a lot of fun! It also really liked Heidi's ponytail. It was just a really amazing day! Then we went to the sleeper train which was bearable. BYE.x
Laos/ Thailand Update
Day 57 Mekong river to Pakbeng
Nothing to report again today. Back on the boat at 6.30am. I've run out of food supplies. I'm bored. When I'm bored I eat... there's no food though?!?!?!? BYE.x
Nothing to report again today. Back on the boat at 6.30am. I've run out of food supplies. I'm bored. When I'm bored I eat... there's no food though?!?!?!? BYE.x
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Laos Update!
Day 56 Mekong river to Pakbeng
There's not really anything to say about today. We got on a boat at 7.30am and cruised along the Mekong until 6pm when it got dark. We got off to spend the night at a really small village until it was light again. I'm almost at the point of insanity. Bbbboooorrrrreeeeeedddddddd. BYE.x
There's not really anything to say about today. We got on a boat at 7.30am and cruised along the Mekong until 6pm when it got dark. We got off to spend the night at a really small village until it was light again. I'm almost at the point of insanity. Bbbboooorrrrreeeeeedddddddd. BYE.x
Laos Update!
Day 55 Luang Prabang
Soo, today Heidi and I had booked a day trip not with GAP to meet other people but when we were waiting outside the hotel for our pick up, the other 2 only go and turn up saying they went early in the morning to book onto the tour we were doing.. :( I was a bit annoyed, I'm getting cabin fever after 26 days together I just wanted some time away. It was a really good day anyway. We went elephant trekking for 2-3hours, they went through the jungle and through rivers which was pretty cool - we were so close to going under at some points! It was really funny but I'm sure there'll be some pictures where I have sheer terror in my eyes! One of the elephants when crossing the river fancied a swim and the two girls riding it went right under with their cameras, phones, passports and everything!! (I only had my camera with me and it was in a waterproof bag). I loved riding the elephants, they're so cute too! We fed them after which was nice and had our lunch in this tree top hut in the jungle looking out over the elephants. We then went to this really lush waterfall and climbed up it for a bit and Heidi went for a quick dip in the water but it was super cold. We had a very scenic drive back. Everyone ate the street food from the night market for dinner, I don't care how nice they say it was it was absolutely filthy. They were cooking in the open air leaving food out in dirty streets and just no, it was gross. So Heidi came with me to eat afterwards. She had an appetizer because she said her food tasted of propane - ew! I had lots of Lao money left that I couldn't change back so I chose a really nice restaurant (plus I the places we get taken every night I wouldn't necessarily choose and now I have the choice). I had the best meal since travelling! It was a 200g filet steak with mashed potato and herb butter and carrots. It was beautiful!! Cooked to perfection, it was really chunky piece of meat and lots of redness still mmmm. Then I had a banana split, it was amazing. The food was haute cuisine, delicately presented like something from The Great British Menu. Also we were waited on hand and foot, free mineral water being topped up sooner than you could finish it, we had free apperetifs and palate cleansers as well as baguette slices with garlic and herb butter (again as much as you could eat). It was the most amazing meal, superb!! Then Jay, Aaron and Con (their tour leader) turned up at the restaurant and all they ordered was a drink each but they got all the bread and apperetifs too! After we went to Utopia which was a really nice bar on the riverside and Apple was there too with some people from one of her previous tour groups so we all chilled there until midnight (there's prohibition here too so that's chucking out time). Ohhh Fay has left the group now. But I see her again in just under a week for the start of the next tour. BYE.x
Soo, today Heidi and I had booked a day trip not with GAP to meet other people but when we were waiting outside the hotel for our pick up, the other 2 only go and turn up saying they went early in the morning to book onto the tour we were doing.. :( I was a bit annoyed, I'm getting cabin fever after 26 days together I just wanted some time away. It was a really good day anyway. We went elephant trekking for 2-3hours, they went through the jungle and through rivers which was pretty cool - we were so close to going under at some points! It was really funny but I'm sure there'll be some pictures where I have sheer terror in my eyes! One of the elephants when crossing the river fancied a swim and the two girls riding it went right under with their cameras, phones, passports and everything!! (I only had my camera with me and it was in a waterproof bag). I loved riding the elephants, they're so cute too! We fed them after which was nice and had our lunch in this tree top hut in the jungle looking out over the elephants. We then went to this really lush waterfall and climbed up it for a bit and Heidi went for a quick dip in the water but it was super cold. We had a very scenic drive back. Everyone ate the street food from the night market for dinner, I don't care how nice they say it was it was absolutely filthy. They were cooking in the open air leaving food out in dirty streets and just no, it was gross. So Heidi came with me to eat afterwards. She had an appetizer because she said her food tasted of propane - ew! I had lots of Lao money left that I couldn't change back so I chose a really nice restaurant (plus I the places we get taken every night I wouldn't necessarily choose and now I have the choice). I had the best meal since travelling! It was a 200g filet steak with mashed potato and herb butter and carrots. It was beautiful!! Cooked to perfection, it was really chunky piece of meat and lots of redness still mmmm. Then I had a banana split, it was amazing. The food was haute cuisine, delicately presented like something from The Great British Menu. Also we were waited on hand and foot, free mineral water being topped up sooner than you could finish it, we had free apperetifs and palate cleansers as well as baguette slices with garlic and herb butter (again as much as you could eat). It was the most amazing meal, superb!! Then Jay, Aaron and Con (their tour leader) turned up at the restaurant and all they ordered was a drink each but they got all the bread and apperetifs too! After we went to Utopia which was a really nice bar on the riverside and Apple was there too with some people from one of her previous tour groups so we all chilled there until midnight (there's prohibition here too so that's chucking out time). Ohhh Fay has left the group now. But I see her again in just under a week for the start of the next tour. BYE.x
Laos Update!
Day 54 Luang Prabang
Today we had another long bus ride to Luang Prabang - journeys in Laos are long because it's 80% mountainous so the distances as the crow flies aren't long but driving up and down the mountains is long. We arrived in the afternoon and once again it's a really beautiful place. Heidi and I went into town and saw the palace which was quite pretty and then we did a hill climb to a temple to watch the sunset as it had a really nice view over the city. When we came down the night market had taken over the whole main road and it was closed to vehicles. We went to Joma (there's one in this town too) to have a little snack. We ate at a pretty little garden restaurant called Lao Lao. Afterwards Heidi and I went to the night market and did a spot of shopping, well Heidi did. We then went to a little cafe for an ice cream and they put a strawberry oreo in it!! (Strawberry oreos is my main source of nutrition since being in SEA.. India was bourbons). Oh and we booked a day trip for the next day. BYE.x
Today we had another long bus ride to Luang Prabang - journeys in Laos are long because it's 80% mountainous so the distances as the crow flies aren't long but driving up and down the mountains is long. We arrived in the afternoon and once again it's a really beautiful place. Heidi and I went into town and saw the palace which was quite pretty and then we did a hill climb to a temple to watch the sunset as it had a really nice view over the city. When we came down the night market had taken over the whole main road and it was closed to vehicles. We went to Joma (there's one in this town too) to have a little snack. We ate at a pretty little garden restaurant called Lao Lao. Afterwards Heidi and I went to the night market and did a spot of shopping, well Heidi did. We then went to a little cafe for an ice cream and they put a strawberry oreo in it!! (Strawberry oreos is my main source of nutrition since being in SEA.. India was bourbons). Oh and we booked a day trip for the next day. BYE.x
Laos Update!
Day 53 Vang Vieng
Today the others planned to do the tubing but first they were hiring bikes to go to some caves but I didn't feel like going to the caves as they're not supposed to be good for claustrophobic people plus I needed some time away from everyone (not Heidi). The midterms were live on telly so I spent the best part of the morning watching those - so exciting! I then ventured out of the hotel on my own (first time since starting this trip) and went to the town to look at the shops for a bit. I then found an internet cafe where I managed to upload all the photos on my website to facebook which only took a mere 3 hours. Then ensued the most difficult conversation of my life: trying to explain to the Laotian internet cafe owner that there are not 100 minutes in 1 hour. He told me a hugely large price and I said it was wrong. They charge by the minute here so he showed me that I had started at 12noon and it was now 3.22pm so he typed in his calculator 3 x 100 + 22! I then typed in his calculator 3 x 60 + 22, then he showed me the time again and I tried to explain and he just tutted and shook his head. I did it one more time, handed him the correct money and left. It was infuriating. I went for another little walk around the town and bought a strawberry cornetto and went back to the hotel to watch the sunset from our balcony. Heidi arrived back just before we were leaving for dinner and she had had a really good day doing the tubing. We went out for dinner and Jay and Aaron turned up! They'd just arrived today (they're the only 2 guys who continued to Laos from the group a day behind). Heidi and I went out with them to 'the islands' which basically you go across a rickety wooden bridge and there's a load of bars. They're all outside bars with bonfires which is nice. The one we went to was called bucket bar (you could only order drinks by the bucket not a glass), it was quite fun. It was nice to be with some of the guys again but the drinking in Laos is crazy. BYE.x
Today the others planned to do the tubing but first they were hiring bikes to go to some caves but I didn't feel like going to the caves as they're not supposed to be good for claustrophobic people plus I needed some time away from everyone (not Heidi). The midterms were live on telly so I spent the best part of the morning watching those - so exciting! I then ventured out of the hotel on my own (first time since starting this trip) and went to the town to look at the shops for a bit. I then found an internet cafe where I managed to upload all the photos on my website to facebook which only took a mere 3 hours. Then ensued the most difficult conversation of my life: trying to explain to the Laotian internet cafe owner that there are not 100 minutes in 1 hour. He told me a hugely large price and I said it was wrong. They charge by the minute here so he showed me that I had started at 12noon and it was now 3.22pm so he typed in his calculator 3 x 100 + 22! I then typed in his calculator 3 x 60 + 22, then he showed me the time again and I tried to explain and he just tutted and shook his head. I did it one more time, handed him the correct money and left. It was infuriating. I went for another little walk around the town and bought a strawberry cornetto and went back to the hotel to watch the sunset from our balcony. Heidi arrived back just before we were leaving for dinner and she had had a really good day doing the tubing. We went out for dinner and Jay and Aaron turned up! They'd just arrived today (they're the only 2 guys who continued to Laos from the group a day behind). Heidi and I went out with them to 'the islands' which basically you go across a rickety wooden bridge and there's a load of bars. They're all outside bars with bonfires which is nice. The one we went to was called bucket bar (you could only order drinks by the bucket not a glass), it was quite fun. It was nice to be with some of the guys again but the drinking in Laos is crazy. BYE.x
Laos Update!
Day 52 Vang Vieng
Today we slept in until 9am and had breakfast, we needed to leave at 12 noon for vang vieng so Heidi and I chilled in Joma cafe until then (the obsession with Joma could be to do with free wifi..). Not a particularly busy day today either as the bus journey then took most of the day. Vang Vieng is really beautiful. We went down to the river where they do the tubing and it looked quite mellow. Then we went along the banks a bit to a bar which the tubers stop at and it was crazy. Basically, tubing here.. you get on a tube at the start and they paint stuff on you and give you crazy headbands then you float along the river which is lined with bars and you only float for about 2 minutes before reaching the next bar, then you get given the free alcohol that place is offering to attract the crowds and the alcohol is served in buckets and very strong, these bars play clubbing music really loud and have rope swings, slides and ziplines into the river. This is not normal tubing. Everyone there was so drunk, I've never seen so many people so drunk, people could barely stand and all their eyes were weird from too much alcohol and people had cuts and bruises everywhere, even slings. So now I understand why there are several deaths here every year... I had already decided it was not for me but this confirmed that perfectly. We then went for dinner and that was okay, you got a free bucket with every 2 meals ordered and free shots all night.. really not my kind of place. I don't mind people drinking but they seem to drink themselves senseless here. It's weird because Laos is so quiet and not that much going on. Plus 25 days with the same 3 people is way too much now, I could spent years and years with Heidi though :). BYE.x
Today we slept in until 9am and had breakfast, we needed to leave at 12 noon for vang vieng so Heidi and I chilled in Joma cafe until then (the obsession with Joma could be to do with free wifi..). Not a particularly busy day today either as the bus journey then took most of the day. Vang Vieng is really beautiful. We went down to the river where they do the tubing and it looked quite mellow. Then we went along the banks a bit to a bar which the tubers stop at and it was crazy. Basically, tubing here.. you get on a tube at the start and they paint stuff on you and give you crazy headbands then you float along the river which is lined with bars and you only float for about 2 minutes before reaching the next bar, then you get given the free alcohol that place is offering to attract the crowds and the alcohol is served in buckets and very strong, these bars play clubbing music really loud and have rope swings, slides and ziplines into the river. This is not normal tubing. Everyone there was so drunk, I've never seen so many people so drunk, people could barely stand and all their eyes were weird from too much alcohol and people had cuts and bruises everywhere, even slings. So now I understand why there are several deaths here every year... I had already decided it was not for me but this confirmed that perfectly. We then went for dinner and that was okay, you got a free bucket with every 2 meals ordered and free shots all night.. really not my kind of place. I don't mind people drinking but they seem to drink themselves senseless here. It's weird because Laos is so quiet and not that much going on. Plus 25 days with the same 3 people is way too much now, I could spent years and years with Heidi though :). BYE.x
Laos Update!
Day 51 Vientiane
At 8am we left for the capital city of Laos, Vientiane. We arrived at almost 2pm and went to Joma bakery for lunch, it was nice as they make sandwiches to order so we all had those. We then hired a tuctuc to take us to the 4 must see things - I can't remember their names, if I ever knee them that is - but it was the golden temple, 2 other temples and the Laotian arc de triumph thing. After that Heidi and I went back to Joma to have some snacks and a drink. Then we went to the night market and browsed a bit before having dinner. After Asia no beef in England will ever feel tough again. BYE.x
At 8am we left for the capital city of Laos, Vientiane. We arrived at almost 2pm and went to Joma bakery for lunch, it was nice as they make sandwiches to order so we all had those. We then hired a tuctuc to take us to the 4 must see things - I can't remember their names, if I ever knee them that is - but it was the golden temple, 2 other temples and the Laotian arc de triumph thing. After that Heidi and I went back to Joma to have some snacks and a drink. Then we went to the night market and browsed a bit before having dinner. After Asia no beef in England will ever feel tough again. BYE.x
Vietnam/ Laos Update!
Day 50 Hanoi to Lac Sao, Laos
At 6.30am we started the 10 hour drive to a border town in Laos. This isn't going to be a very long post as driving and eating was the sum total of today's events. There was a very weird part when the Vietnamese departure immigration officers had all our passports - they stamped them looked at you and gave them back except they did mine first then put it to one side. They let everyone go through but then started pointing at my eyelashes.. they then reached to touch them it was all very weird then they had all their friends come to look at me, then it was my nose they wanted to touch and then my fingers (I had a manicure so flowers on my nails) then my tour leader came back through immigration and started shouting at them and grabbed my passport back and stormed off, me in tow. Very strange. The border town was dead, only one restaurant and barely any life. BYE.x
At 6.30am we started the 10 hour drive to a border town in Laos. This isn't going to be a very long post as driving and eating was the sum total of today's events. There was a very weird part when the Vietnamese departure immigration officers had all our passports - they stamped them looked at you and gave them back except they did mine first then put it to one side. They let everyone go through but then started pointing at my eyelashes.. they then reached to touch them it was all very weird then they had all their friends come to look at me, then it was my nose they wanted to touch and then my fingers (I had a manicure so flowers on my nails) then my tour leader came back through immigration and started shouting at them and grabbed my passport back and stormed off, me in tow. Very strange. The border town was dead, only one restaurant and barely any life. BYE.x
Vietnam Update!
Day 49 Hanoi
Today we woke up relatively late at 8.45am and had breakfast. Heidi and I then started our pampering session - we had bought face masks, hair masks and foot masks. So we put on the face and hair masks but then our room had no hot water so we were freezing washing off the hair ones! It was fun though. Then we went to the local market which wasn't so good because we weren't expecting it to be local, we were told it was touristy. So instead we just went shopping down the many streets of Hanoi and I bought some much needed underwear - note to self: bring more than 5 pairs of underwear for a 3 month trip. We walked across the lake bridge to a temple and took some photos then sat in the sun by the lake for an hour or so (this is just us 4 girls still, not the older 2). We all decided on Fanny ice cream for lunch (mine and Heidi's 3rd visit in less than 24 hours, I really take after my father). Heidi and I opted for the fondue which meant that we could choose 14 scoops of ice cream! They had over 20 flavours to pick from and so we chose 7 each. The fondue had a pot of melted chocolate in the middle over a candle then it had four sections around it - 1 with my ice creams, 1 with Heidi's, 1 with lots of fruit and 1 with about 25 wafers. It was awesome. We went back to hotel in the late afternoon to get ready for our night out. Heidi and I were ready an hour or so early so we caught a taxi into town and had some drinks in a cafe on the lakeside whilst the lake was all lit up which was really pretty. We met our group for dinner at a restaurant called 69 and the other group were eating there too so we all finished at the same time and went out to a bar with them. It was so much fun being with them all again. There's prohibition in Hanoi so when it came to midnight the bars had to close, however, the barman led us all to this garage place and then knocked on metal shutters then it opened up and we were bundled in.. turns out it was a huge nightclub! We had a bit of a party there as it was Halloween it was crazy. At 2am I was ready to leave to Leigh offered to take me home and Sophie and Matt came with us too. We stayed up chatting in my room waiting Heidi and the others to come back. They got in around 4am and everyone came to our room to hang out as some of us had to leave at 6am anyway so we just stayed up, I think we had 30minutes sleep :) It was the best night of my entire trip. It was really sad to say goodbye to everyone in the morning as Sophie and Sarah were finishing in Vietnam and Leigh, Matt, Michael, Neil and Albert were too! BYE.x
Today we woke up relatively late at 8.45am and had breakfast. Heidi and I then started our pampering session - we had bought face masks, hair masks and foot masks. So we put on the face and hair masks but then our room had no hot water so we were freezing washing off the hair ones! It was fun though. Then we went to the local market which wasn't so good because we weren't expecting it to be local, we were told it was touristy. So instead we just went shopping down the many streets of Hanoi and I bought some much needed underwear - note to self: bring more than 5 pairs of underwear for a 3 month trip. We walked across the lake bridge to a temple and took some photos then sat in the sun by the lake for an hour or so (this is just us 4 girls still, not the older 2). We all decided on Fanny ice cream for lunch (mine and Heidi's 3rd visit in less than 24 hours, I really take after my father). Heidi and I opted for the fondue which meant that we could choose 14 scoops of ice cream! They had over 20 flavours to pick from and so we chose 7 each. The fondue had a pot of melted chocolate in the middle over a candle then it had four sections around it - 1 with my ice creams, 1 with Heidi's, 1 with lots of fruit and 1 with about 25 wafers. It was awesome. We went back to hotel in the late afternoon to get ready for our night out. Heidi and I were ready an hour or so early so we caught a taxi into town and had some drinks in a cafe on the lakeside whilst the lake was all lit up which was really pretty. We met our group for dinner at a restaurant called 69 and the other group were eating there too so we all finished at the same time and went out to a bar with them. It was so much fun being with them all again. There's prohibition in Hanoi so when it came to midnight the bars had to close, however, the barman led us all to this garage place and then knocked on metal shutters then it opened up and we were bundled in.. turns out it was a huge nightclub! We had a bit of a party there as it was Halloween it was crazy. At 2am I was ready to leave to Leigh offered to take me home and Sophie and Matt came with us too. We stayed up chatting in my room waiting Heidi and the others to come back. They got in around 4am and everyone came to our room to hang out as some of us had to leave at 6am anyway so we just stayed up, I think we had 30minutes sleep :) It was the best night of my entire trip. It was really sad to say goodbye to everyone in the morning as Sophie and Sarah were finishing in Vietnam and Leigh, Matt, Michael, Neil and Albert were too! BYE.x
Vietnam Update!
Day 48 Halong Bay to Hanoi
At 8.30am we left for Hanoi which was a 160km journey but takes 4 hours.. so the average speed is obviously very slow. It was an okay drive except for the fact that it was long straight roads but we had a limit of 40km/h because of government rules so you just wanted to go faster. When we arrived we had lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake which was really pretty. I had steak which was nice too. We then went for a walk around lake - Heidi, Sophie, Sarah and I. On the way we found a post office so Heidi stopped with me to post more stuff home - this time it's the tailored dresses and a pair of white linen trousers which have proved to be incredibly impractical. It was a very difficult trip to the post office.. I had my stuff weighed at DHL and USPS because I wanted to see how much it would cost and it weighed 1.86kg but was too expensive. VNPT which is the Vietnamese postal service was a lot cheaper and I looked up the price for 2kg. So I decided to send it with them, I did all the form filling (which takes a long time), had it packaged up and everything and then the woman tells me it's 2.015kg which means I have to pay for 3kg!! I argued with her for a bit because I had weighed it myself and knew what it was then all of a sudden she lost her ability to speak English and played dumb.. So I gave up on that as it was still cheaper than any of the western postal companies. I then asked if I could buy insurance because in Ho Chi Minh I was offered it for $10 but she said you couldn't buy insurance and it went on for ageeees, it was all very dodgy but I just resigned myself to the fact it may or may not get home - fingers crossed it will. After all of that stress Heidi and I decided to do a golf car tour of the city. We got into the little golf car and were taken around all of the major parts of the city for an hour which was good - we picked out all the shops we wanted to go back to. On the way we saw where Fanny ice cream was and so we headed back there after for an ice cream. I had one called Fairy which had chocolate, vanilla, raspberry and banana flavoured ice cream with a fruit salad at the bottom, dried fruit sprinkled on top and flowers made of chocolate. Heidi had some tropical one which was served inside a pineapple. It was lush. We had dinner at a place called 'Little Hanoi' with 'recommended by the lonely planet' underneath.. On the way to the restaurant there were at least 5 of these all identical... Which one is the real one, I could not possibly tell you but the food was not so great at the one we went to. Afterwards we checked out the bars/clubs for the following night as the other group would be with us also and it would be our last night together so we wanted to go somewhere good. We found a few places then gave up and had a walk around the lake with Heidi, Sarah and sophie.. We ended up at Fanny ice cream again! This time I had profiterole ice cream which I think I've uploaded a picture of to my website so you can see it there, it was so good! We got back around midnight and went to sleep. BYE.x
At 8.30am we left for Hanoi which was a 160km journey but takes 4 hours.. so the average speed is obviously very slow. It was an okay drive except for the fact that it was long straight roads but we had a limit of 40km/h because of government rules so you just wanted to go faster. When we arrived we had lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake which was really pretty. I had steak which was nice too. We then went for a walk around lake - Heidi, Sophie, Sarah and I. On the way we found a post office so Heidi stopped with me to post more stuff home - this time it's the tailored dresses and a pair of white linen trousers which have proved to be incredibly impractical. It was a very difficult trip to the post office.. I had my stuff weighed at DHL and USPS because I wanted to see how much it would cost and it weighed 1.86kg but was too expensive. VNPT which is the Vietnamese postal service was a lot cheaper and I looked up the price for 2kg. So I decided to send it with them, I did all the form filling (which takes a long time), had it packaged up and everything and then the woman tells me it's 2.015kg which means I have to pay for 3kg!! I argued with her for a bit because I had weighed it myself and knew what it was then all of a sudden she lost her ability to speak English and played dumb.. So I gave up on that as it was still cheaper than any of the western postal companies. I then asked if I could buy insurance because in Ho Chi Minh I was offered it for $10 but she said you couldn't buy insurance and it went on for ageeees, it was all very dodgy but I just resigned myself to the fact it may or may not get home - fingers crossed it will. After all of that stress Heidi and I decided to do a golf car tour of the city. We got into the little golf car and were taken around all of the major parts of the city for an hour which was good - we picked out all the shops we wanted to go back to. On the way we saw where Fanny ice cream was and so we headed back there after for an ice cream. I had one called Fairy which had chocolate, vanilla, raspberry and banana flavoured ice cream with a fruit salad at the bottom, dried fruit sprinkled on top and flowers made of chocolate. Heidi had some tropical one which was served inside a pineapple. It was lush. We had dinner at a place called 'Little Hanoi' with 'recommended by the lonely planet' underneath.. On the way to the restaurant there were at least 5 of these all identical... Which one is the real one, I could not possibly tell you but the food was not so great at the one we went to. Afterwards we checked out the bars/clubs for the following night as the other group would be with us also and it would be our last night together so we wanted to go somewhere good. We found a few places then gave up and had a walk around the lake with Heidi, Sarah and sophie.. We ended up at Fanny ice cream again! This time I had profiterole ice cream which I think I've uploaded a picture of to my website so you can see it there, it was so good! We got back around midnight and went to sleep. BYE.x
Vietnam Update!
Day 47 Hue to Halong Bay
It was an early start again this morning, a 5.30am wake up as we had to get a flight to Halong Bay because of the trainlines being flooded. I'm quite glad there's no overnight train. Annoying man next to me on the flight.. every flight I've had there's been a man sitting next to me and they've all been weirdos and really annoying, hopefully this won't happen on my 14 hour flight back from Singapore I'll have better luck. It was only an hour long and then we got on a bus for 3 hours from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay. Arriving in Halong Bay we went straight to a boat to do a 4 hour cruise around the islands. It's absolutely spectacular! The food that was included was not so good but it was edible. The sun was shining and it was warm so we just chilled on the top deck and took in the scenary. After a couple of hours we docked at an island and went in to some caves which were really cool. They had lit them up with all different colours of light which was a bit weird but looked quite funky.
We had a local guide for the trip who was the most annoying person ever, he was full of communist propanganda and couldn't stop telling us how much he hated Americans and how bad they were.. He was awful so I put my iPod on whenever he started talking. We then went to our hotel which had a really nice balcony with a view over Halong Bay. We had dinner and then came back and watched desperate housewives and glee - turns out they like those programmes over here! BYE.x
It was an early start again this morning, a 5.30am wake up as we had to get a flight to Halong Bay because of the trainlines being flooded. I'm quite glad there's no overnight train. Annoying man next to me on the flight.. every flight I've had there's been a man sitting next to me and they've all been weirdos and really annoying, hopefully this won't happen on my 14 hour flight back from Singapore I'll have better luck. It was only an hour long and then we got on a bus for 3 hours from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay. Arriving in Halong Bay we went straight to a boat to do a 4 hour cruise around the islands. It's absolutely spectacular! The food that was included was not so good but it was edible. The sun was shining and it was warm so we just chilled on the top deck and took in the scenary. After a couple of hours we docked at an island and went in to some caves which were really cool. They had lit them up with all different colours of light which was a bit weird but looked quite funky.
We had a local guide for the trip who was the most annoying person ever, he was full of communist propanganda and couldn't stop telling us how much he hated Americans and how bad they were.. He was awful so I put my iPod on whenever he started talking. We then went to our hotel which had a really nice balcony with a view over Halong Bay. We had dinner and then came back and watched desperate housewives and glee - turns out they like those programmes over here! BYE.x
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