Having travelled for over 7 months without any major losses it appeared my luck was coming to an end; when packing up to get off a night train at Delhi I had my handbag stolen containing all of my essential belongings such as passport (and visa), purse (cash and card), camera (irreplaceable pictures), ipod, jewellery, etc... Not exactly the best start to the day but, after filing a police report and making an appointment at the British Embassy, we soldiered on and went to explore the city. Surprisingly the theft didn't dampen our view of the city, which was quite nice and a good place to shop.
The next day we awoke to find at least 7 cockroaches (if not more) crawling around our hotel room; on the bed, floor, and even our bags. Another stressful morning! We left immediately, letting the incredibly rude staff know how we were planning on reviewing their disgusting hotel on trip advisor. We found a much nicer hotel and chilled out, trying to not the stress get to us.
During our stay in Delhi Jonny wanted to find a sitar, so we spent quite a lot of time looking around many different music shops and even some workshops / factories in people's homes where we were practically force fed chai tea and home made snacks. It was quite interesting, and I'm sure my Dad would have enjoyed seeing the different processes of manufacture.
Our meeting at the British Embassy went incredibly well and I was issued an emergency passport in just 4 hours! Unfortunately the visa has not been so easy to acquire, however it is currently being processed and I just have to make sure to pick it up from Delhi before exiting the country.
Even though Delhi has caused us stress and hassle during our stay, I still liked the city and would recommend others to visit.
We then travelled to Rishikesh on another night train. The scenery around our hotel was wonderful, surrounded by mountains. Poor Jonny was ill for a couple of days when we were unfortunately staying in a hotel room without television or wifi.. I read two books in three days!
When he was feeling well enough we rented a scooter to explore the area. It was nice driving around the peaceful mountains taking in the beautiful sights. At one point a donkey (or a mule - I'm not really sure what the difference is) climbed up a hill onto the road behind us and started chasing us! It was right behind us for at least a kilometre! We saw a man walking on his own so I shouted to warn him and he literally dove into the bushes at the side of the road to hide from it! I have heard a statistic that you are more likely to get kicked to death by donkeys than die in an aeroplane crash, but didn't actually think it was true until now..
We met up with Joe who is currently living there doing rafting down the Ganges along with some of his friends. We didn't actually do any rafting (not my sort of thing!) but it was fantastic to meet up with him for a catch up along with some vodka and card games.
I'm not sure if I caught it off Jonny or ate some dodgy food, but I got a stomach bug too.. Great.. After a couple of days eating plain rice and watching reruns on tv we got a taxi back to Delhi as all other forms of transport were booked up over the Easter weekend. We decided to get it overnight to avoid wasting time travelling, forgetting how dangerous Indian roads can be especially in the dark. I dozed for some of the way but Jonny, bless him, kept his eyes on the road the entire time to make sure the driver didn't get tired or make any dangerous driving manoeuvres and we have arrived safe.
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Varanasi & Bodhgaya!
Varanasi lived up to our expectations of being filthy and overcrowded. It is a popular tourist destination for foreigners who want to see the Hindu ceremonies on the river Ganges, yet at the same time a popular place for Indian people to go when they know they are going to die as Varanasi is a holy city making path to heaven easier. Funerals are conducted continuously through day and night on the burning Ghats by the river side. There are a lot of sick people begging on the streets making every trip or exploration around the river slightly depressing. However, Jonny very kindly treated me to a nice hotel with a spa which he had promised as a birthday present meaning we had somewhere lovely to go back to every night with Ayurvedic massage and a steam room.
Every day they conduct cremations on the ghats of the river, lighting each body with a fire which has apparently been kept alight for over 2000 years! We saw some of these cremations taking place but didn't look for long.. It felt a bit distasteful to go and see such a personal experience as if it were a tourist attraction.
We saw a few temples before getting a boat out onto the river at sunset to see the nightly ceremonies worshipping different Hindu gods. We lit candles on beds of flowers which we put in the river to watch them float and many other people did the same making the water look magical. This is called puja.
The next day, we got up before sunrise to take another boat out. The sunrise was beautiful and worth the early start as, like in Agra, there were fewer tourists around. We saw people washing on the banks of the river and others singing or chanting in their daily religious rituals. We were shocked at the rudeness of some tourists who were taking photos and videos of those washing! If somebody filmed me having a bath I would throw their camera in the water!
Next, we travelled to Bodhgaya to see the Bodhi tree under which Buddha apparently got enlightened. The town was a lot smaller and calmer which was a relief after the chaos of Agra and Varanasi. We were also overjoyed then we found a restaurant in a Tibetan monastery which served food which hadn't been drenched in a pint of oil! The further north we go the more often we have our food served swimming in ghee (the fat from butter Indians use as a cooking oil)
The temple was very calm and relaxing with beautiful gardens. Many Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Japan all make pilgrimages to this site to see the famous tree and there were people from all around the world. We attempted to meditate under the tree, but I don't think I am spiritual enough to embrace Buddhism just yet as I got distracted by an ant...
The leaves from the sacred tree are supposedly blessed and lucky, and it was amusing to see all the monks rushing around to grab them whenever the wind blew.
We met some boys who work at an orphanage who showed us around some other holy sites in the area, such as a cave where Buddha meditated without food or water for 6 years.
There hasn't been a lot else to do and unfortunately we have had to stay two days longer than planned as all the trains to Delhi were full but we have still had a lovely time and it has been nice to chill in such a relaxed place.
Every day they conduct cremations on the ghats of the river, lighting each body with a fire which has apparently been kept alight for over 2000 years! We saw some of these cremations taking place but didn't look for long.. It felt a bit distasteful to go and see such a personal experience as if it were a tourist attraction.
We saw a few temples before getting a boat out onto the river at sunset to see the nightly ceremonies worshipping different Hindu gods. We lit candles on beds of flowers which we put in the river to watch them float and many other people did the same making the water look magical. This is called puja.
The next day, we got up before sunrise to take another boat out. The sunrise was beautiful and worth the early start as, like in Agra, there were fewer tourists around. We saw people washing on the banks of the river and others singing or chanting in their daily religious rituals. We were shocked at the rudeness of some tourists who were taking photos and videos of those washing! If somebody filmed me having a bath I would throw their camera in the water!
Next, we travelled to Bodhgaya to see the Bodhi tree under which Buddha apparently got enlightened. The town was a lot smaller and calmer which was a relief after the chaos of Agra and Varanasi. We were also overjoyed then we found a restaurant in a Tibetan monastery which served food which hadn't been drenched in a pint of oil! The further north we go the more often we have our food served swimming in ghee (the fat from butter Indians use as a cooking oil)
The temple was very calm and relaxing with beautiful gardens. Many Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Japan all make pilgrimages to this site to see the famous tree and there were people from all around the world. We attempted to meditate under the tree, but I don't think I am spiritual enough to embrace Buddhism just yet as I got distracted by an ant...
The leaves from the sacred tree are supposedly blessed and lucky, and it was amusing to see all the monks rushing around to grab them whenever the wind blew.
We met some boys who work at an orphanage who showed us around some other holy sites in the area, such as a cave where Buddha meditated without food or water for 6 years.
There hasn't been a lot else to do and unfortunately we have had to stay two days longer than planned as all the trains to Delhi were full but we have still had a lovely time and it has been nice to chill in such a relaxed place.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Jodhpur & Agra!
I immediately fell in love with Jodhpur on arrival. Our hotel room was gorgeous, with Indian themed interior design and yet still reasonably priced (900 rupees a night) overlooking a view of the beautiful blue buildings of the city and the fort at the top of it all. It was a good city for shopping for materials, however you need to be aware of shopkeepers lies such as that they produce scarves for Hermes and Burberry. One shopkeeper had even photoshopped a photo of Liz Hurley next to him and his staff!! (He has recently been found to be a fraud by a local newspaper).
We visited the fort which was gorgeous with exquisitely decorated rooms, where we learnt about the most recent Maharaja of Rajasthan who was crowned at just four years old!
The next day was holi; a hindu festival of colour, so after being kept up all night by people playing drums in the streets (we had joined them for a bit but didn't want to stay out too late) we put on some clothes we didn't care about and headed to the streets to find a place serving breakfast. Before we had even eaten we had been pelted by paint and water by children, as well as chased by angry street dogs who were obviously agitated by the festivities. Everywhere was closed so we ended up going back to our hotel for some food and spent an hour or so throwing water balloons outside our window. It was just like being a kid again. We threw some more paint around with the people from the hotel but had been warned not to go too far in the afternoon as the young boys who have had a drink get very touchy feely and rude to girls, using the paint throwing as an excuse to put their hands down womens tops. In the evening the hotel put on some traditional Rajasthani dancing and singing.
Next we travelled to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal! Somebody we met on our travels had told us that when they saw the Taj for the first time it was so beautiful it made them cry.. It didn't quite have that effect on me but it did make me stop in my tracks speechless for a second or two. There are lots of rooftop restaurants so you can get a good look without actually having to pay to go inside the grounds. When we did spend a day inside we got up before sunrise; meaning we had an early start of around 5am! It was completely worth it though as we got there before most other tourists and saw how the marble changed colour through different parts of the day. It is definitely the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Agra however was not so nice; the streets are so hectic, you can't walk a few metres without rickshaw and cycle drivers pestering you to take a look at their friends shop but I guess this is to be expected from the city with one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.
We then continued on the tourist trail to Varanasi to see the Hindu ceremonies being performed on the ghats of the holy river Ganges.
We visited the fort which was gorgeous with exquisitely decorated rooms, where we learnt about the most recent Maharaja of Rajasthan who was crowned at just four years old!
The next day was holi; a hindu festival of colour, so after being kept up all night by people playing drums in the streets (we had joined them for a bit but didn't want to stay out too late) we put on some clothes we didn't care about and headed to the streets to find a place serving breakfast. Before we had even eaten we had been pelted by paint and water by children, as well as chased by angry street dogs who were obviously agitated by the festivities. Everywhere was closed so we ended up going back to our hotel for some food and spent an hour or so throwing water balloons outside our window. It was just like being a kid again. We threw some more paint around with the people from the hotel but had been warned not to go too far in the afternoon as the young boys who have had a drink get very touchy feely and rude to girls, using the paint throwing as an excuse to put their hands down womens tops. In the evening the hotel put on some traditional Rajasthani dancing and singing.
Next we travelled to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal! Somebody we met on our travels had told us that when they saw the Taj for the first time it was so beautiful it made them cry.. It didn't quite have that effect on me but it did make me stop in my tracks speechless for a second or two. There are lots of rooftop restaurants so you can get a good look without actually having to pay to go inside the grounds. When we did spend a day inside we got up before sunrise; meaning we had an early start of around 5am! It was completely worth it though as we got there before most other tourists and saw how the marble changed colour through different parts of the day. It is definitely the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Agra however was not so nice; the streets are so hectic, you can't walk a few metres without rickshaw and cycle drivers pestering you to take a look at their friends shop but I guess this is to be expected from the city with one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.
We then continued on the tourist trail to Varanasi to see the Hindu ceremonies being performed on the ghats of the holy river Ganges.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Gujarat!
Night buses are usually our preferred method of transport around India, as it is cheap, relatively comfortable and means that most importantly we don't waste days of our journey on the road. The trip to Ahmedabad however was one of our worst. The bumpy roads meant we were constantly being thrown around and there were several occasions I feared I would actually be thrown off the top bunk of the bus. When we woke up properly from our restless nights sleep we woke to what seemed like a different era. Instead if the British-Indian style architecture and hustle and bustle of the busy modern streets of Mumbai there were people riding camels and horse drawn carts. We were knackered, and relieved when we found a cheap, clean, quiet hotel. After finding some food we retired to our room to watch a film and drink the small bottle of Indian whiskey we had smuggled into Gujarat. (It is a dry state- no alcohol)
The next day we travelled to Bhuj in Kutch. It is renowned for it's handicrafts, so after seeing some amazing things being sold all over India from Gujarat we wanted to see where some of it was made and meet some of the talented workers. On our first day we saw some villages which are government funded to give people living in rural places which used to be self sufficient a place to trade their work and keep their culture alive.
We rented a moped and went on an adventure which took us to an ashram hindu temple. We sat under a tree in the shade and drank chai tea whilst chatting with the people who lived there. They offered us food and to sleep there, but as kind as their offer was we had to refuse as we wanted to continue exploring the area, and the next day we had a camel ride in the desert booked.
The camel ride was amazing. We rode out to the white desert; White because the ground is rich with calcium chloride. It looked like snow under our feet. We had a guide who led the camel out, but on the way back we were left on our own a be jumped in a car and left us to it on the way back. Afterwards we saw some more villages but it can feel awkward walking into somebodies home, often whilst they are busy working, eating, or looking after children, and so as we had such an early start that morning we called it a day to get some rest before our journey to Rajasthan.
Gujarat was an amazing experience. We saw beautiful things and great people.
The next day we travelled to Bhuj in Kutch. It is renowned for it's handicrafts, so after seeing some amazing things being sold all over India from Gujarat we wanted to see where some of it was made and meet some of the talented workers. On our first day we saw some villages which are government funded to give people living in rural places which used to be self sufficient a place to trade their work and keep their culture alive.
We rented a moped and went on an adventure which took us to an ashram hindu temple. We sat under a tree in the shade and drank chai tea whilst chatting with the people who lived there. They offered us food and to sleep there, but as kind as their offer was we had to refuse as we wanted to continue exploring the area, and the next day we had a camel ride in the desert booked.
The camel ride was amazing. We rode out to the white desert; White because the ground is rich with calcium chloride. It looked like snow under our feet. We had a guide who led the camel out, but on the way back we were left on our own a be jumped in a car and left us to it on the way back. Afterwards we saw some more villages but it can feel awkward walking into somebodies home, often whilst they are busy working, eating, or looking after children, and so as we had such an early start that morning we called it a day to get some rest before our journey to Rajasthan.
Gujarat was an amazing experience. We saw beautiful things and great people.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Mumbai!
I am currently reading Shantaram and so was excited to visit the city in which the book is set. Gregory David Roberts describes the first time he ever reached Mumbai (or Bombay as it was then) and how he smelt freedom and it was wonderful, but to be honest the first thing that I smelt was poo.
On the day of our arrival we visited an art gallery and wandered around the city, drinking beer whilst watching cricket at a local sports centre before going out for a nice meal.
The next day we decided to take a trip to Dhiravi; the slum area in which the film Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. It is absolutely huge and so we didn't explore too deep, but were surprised at how the area functions so well. Jonny was the only one to brave the public toilets, yet reported back that they were some of the cleanest he has seen in India. Despite this, it was very shocking to see the conditions that some people grow up in; watching young children running around playing with rubbish on the street wearing nothing whatsoever apart from a t-shirt. We also saw some of the toilets used in the film, dropping straight over the river. I have used some disgusting toilets on my travels, but all safe in the knowledge I can return home to a lovely clean white loo. These people don't have this luxury.
The next day we took a trip to Elephanta Island to see the ancient caves built into the hillside by monks, some over a thousand years ago. It was a nice day out, however a bit of a tourist trap where we were constantly having to pay more and more each step of the way. It also gets annoying when most tourist attractions charge foreign visitors so much more than Indians. We were charged 250 rupees whilst Indians pay just 10. I'm happy to pay a bit more, yet to pay the equivalent of 25 Indian people's entry seems a bit over the top.
When the ferry got back to the mainland we visited the bar Leopolds; written about in Shantaram for some beers and chicken before our night bus to Ahmedabad.
When we arrived for the bus it turned out it was delayed by over an hour leaving us stood next to an overflowing bin. The smell was unbelievable. I was angry yet felt bad to complain as we were stood where the travel office was situated. The people organising our travel had to put up with the smell every day.
When the bus finally arrived we were very happy to leave Mumbai.
On the day of our arrival we visited an art gallery and wandered around the city, drinking beer whilst watching cricket at a local sports centre before going out for a nice meal.
The next day we decided to take a trip to Dhiravi; the slum area in which the film Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. It is absolutely huge and so we didn't explore too deep, but were surprised at how the area functions so well. Jonny was the only one to brave the public toilets, yet reported back that they were some of the cleanest he has seen in India. Despite this, it was very shocking to see the conditions that some people grow up in; watching young children running around playing with rubbish on the street wearing nothing whatsoever apart from a t-shirt. We also saw some of the toilets used in the film, dropping straight over the river. I have used some disgusting toilets on my travels, but all safe in the knowledge I can return home to a lovely clean white loo. These people don't have this luxury.
The next day we took a trip to Elephanta Island to see the ancient caves built into the hillside by monks, some over a thousand years ago. It was a nice day out, however a bit of a tourist trap where we were constantly having to pay more and more each step of the way. It also gets annoying when most tourist attractions charge foreign visitors so much more than Indians. We were charged 250 rupees whilst Indians pay just 10. I'm happy to pay a bit more, yet to pay the equivalent of 25 Indian people's entry seems a bit over the top.
When the ferry got back to the mainland we visited the bar Leopolds; written about in Shantaram for some beers and chicken before our night bus to Ahmedabad.
When we arrived for the bus it turned out it was delayed by over an hour leaving us stood next to an overflowing bin. The smell was unbelievable. I was angry yet felt bad to complain as we were stood where the travel office was situated. The people organising our travel had to put up with the smell every day.
When the bus finally arrived we were very happy to leave Mumbai.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Bangalore, Hampi & Goa!
It was lovely to meet up with Josh and Kieron, and after spending a couple more days in Cochin sunbathing on the beach and exploring antique shops we decided to continue our journey north. We had been recommended by many people a stay in Hampi, and when we were booking transport it had seemed a great idea to break up the journey by stopping in Bangalore on the way. We took a non air conditioned second class sleeper train which wasn't the most pleasant experience but travelling overnight meant we didn't lose a day exploring. Bangalore however was a bit of a disappointment. There was not a lot to do and the city was spread quite far apart. We also happened to stay in the most disgusting hotel I have ever seen with suspicious dark stains on the walls. We entertained ourselves with museums and aquariums but I definitely would not recommend visiting the city unless for business purposes. We were happy to leave the next day on a night bus to Hampi.
Hampi was gorgeous. The scenery is magical with huge rocks littered across the landscape. On our first day we rented bicycles to explore one of The nearby temples. The roads were so clear that by the following day we felt confident enough to rent scooters (I hopped on the back of Jonny's). We did this for a couple of days travelling down the country roads passing small villages and workers in fields and rice paddies. Every night the hotels and restaurants show different movies where we could recline on cushions on the floor eating and drinking beer. It is impossible to be stressed in Hampi!
We had been sleeping in some serious budget accommodation however me and Jonny moved to a much more comfortable hotel when we discovered squirrels were invading our room gnawing on closed packets of biscuits and rubbish out the bin. The price difference was definitely worth it as we had hot showers and woke up every morning overlooking some rice paddies. The only things wrong there were the frogs living in our toilet and the time a big poisonous spider came in our room.. Luckily we were saved by our friend Vishal who was not frightened to gra the spider with his bare hands!
After a few days we took another night bus to Goa. Our first stop was Anjuna which was great for lounging around on the beach in the day and partying at night. Unfortunately we chose a bad time to visit as it is election season and there is meant to be a curfew of 10pm. There was always still somewhere open until the early hours of the morning though. Walking home was always a mission after a few drinks on a night out. We inevitably got lost every night. The stray dogs take ownership of the town at night which was quite scary. I would walk in between the boys as they held rocks just incase we had to defend ourselves.
When we had enough of touristy Anjuna where we could not spend half an hour on the beach without being hassled to buy things, we travelled South to Palolem for a more chilled out beach experience. The beach was gorgeous and there were campfires every night. We were staying in beach houses right on the shore which were painted in bright colours making them look like doll houses. It would have been more fun living like barbie and ken if they had hot water!
We rented out kayaks on one day and went out on the sea to explore a nearby island but just made it around a big rock. Still a good effort though...
We took scooters out on another day and went to see a big fort nearby. When walking around there were loads of monkeys. They were fascinating to see in such a wild area, but I was scared if getting too close incase they felt threatened by us and attacked.
Me and Jonny then left Josh and Kieran to travel north to Mumbai. I had a great time with them and am looking forward to a reunion at an Indian restaurant when we get back to the midlands.
Hampi was gorgeous. The scenery is magical with huge rocks littered across the landscape. On our first day we rented bicycles to explore one of The nearby temples. The roads were so clear that by the following day we felt confident enough to rent scooters (I hopped on the back of Jonny's). We did this for a couple of days travelling down the country roads passing small villages and workers in fields and rice paddies. Every night the hotels and restaurants show different movies where we could recline on cushions on the floor eating and drinking beer. It is impossible to be stressed in Hampi!
We had been sleeping in some serious budget accommodation however me and Jonny moved to a much more comfortable hotel when we discovered squirrels were invading our room gnawing on closed packets of biscuits and rubbish out the bin. The price difference was definitely worth it as we had hot showers and woke up every morning overlooking some rice paddies. The only things wrong there were the frogs living in our toilet and the time a big poisonous spider came in our room.. Luckily we were saved by our friend Vishal who was not frightened to gra the spider with his bare hands!
After a few days we took another night bus to Goa. Our first stop was Anjuna which was great for lounging around on the beach in the day and partying at night. Unfortunately we chose a bad time to visit as it is election season and there is meant to be a curfew of 10pm. There was always still somewhere open until the early hours of the morning though. Walking home was always a mission after a few drinks on a night out. We inevitably got lost every night. The stray dogs take ownership of the town at night which was quite scary. I would walk in between the boys as they held rocks just incase we had to defend ourselves.
When we had enough of touristy Anjuna where we could not spend half an hour on the beach without being hassled to buy things, we travelled South to Palolem for a more chilled out beach experience. The beach was gorgeous and there were campfires every night. We were staying in beach houses right on the shore which were painted in bright colours making them look like doll houses. It would have been more fun living like barbie and ken if they had hot water!
We rented out kayaks on one day and went out on the sea to explore a nearby island but just made it around a big rock. Still a good effort though...
We took scooters out on another day and went to see a big fort nearby. When walking around there were loads of monkeys. They were fascinating to see in such a wild area, but I was scared if getting too close incase they felt threatened by us and attacked.
Me and Jonny then left Josh and Kieran to travel north to Mumbai. I had a great time with them and am looking forward to a reunion at an Indian restaurant when we get back to the midlands.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Kerala!
I was so excited to meet Becki and Tom in Cochin. We all get along so well I knew we were definitely going to have an amazing time. We met up in Fort Cochin which is a quiet, touristy area. We even found a really nice (and cheap) hotel called Tom's mansion! Perfect! This was a good place to visit first as we could catch up on the past few months apart whilst eating good food, and drinking alcohol from the government shop. The shop is a surreal place; as alcohol is (meant to be) illegal for sale in restaurants and cafes in the state of Kerala, the only place it is available is at the state shop. People visiting cover their faces, change their clothes and hide the alcohol in their trousers once they have bought it because it is seen as so shameful to be seen buying.
Poor Becki's luggage gad got lost on her flight over and sent to Melbourne!! But once we had it back we took a trip up the mountains to a town called Munnar. The bus ride there was so scary! The driver seemed to have forgotten he had other people's lives in his hands and was racing other buses up windey thin mountain roads. Even the locals were gripping the edges of their seats and gasping with terror. When we got there the views were worth the bus ride from hell. We had a couple of much needed beers before a meal and an early night ready to go on a 'reliable tour' the next day. Our tour guide was hilarious, and quite obviously making a lot of stuff up on the way but we didn't mind and had a wonderful time. We went on an elephant ride up a hill and saw scenery which I thought looked like something from 'the sound of music'. Afterwards we walked through some (snake infested... According to Becki hehe) tea plantations. We saw some kathakali traditional Indian dance performance which was quite odd and seemed to be based mainly around strange facial expressions.
The next day we decided to travel south to Allepey where we were going to see the Keralan backwaters. After our traumatic drive up the mountain we gave the bus a miss instead getting a taxi. The difference in cost was extreme (300 rupees for all of us on the bus or 3000 in a taxi) but we felt our safety was worth the money and it turns out we definitely spent our money wisely as we saw a bus crash on the way down. However, after seeing another crash on the roads it seems our luck was running out and we had a collision of our own. A drunk man was walking along a dual carriageway drunk and facing the wrong direction whilst on his mobile phone and despite all our drivers efforts our car hit him. He got straight back up without any serious injuries, and the most damage was done to the car behind us which hit our behind as our car braked. We were a bit shaken up but just glad to be safe and sound when we reached our hotel.
The next day we took a small boat out for the day and saw some beautiful sights. We saw lots of wildlife as well as people from smaller towns washing their clothes and dishes in the river whilst listening to fat freds. It was gorgeous.
After Allepey we took a train down to Varkalar to spend a few days by the beach. We met some lovely people who ran a restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the first night where we shared many cocktails and stories. The next morning Jonny woke me up early and we went for a morning stroll on the beach before breakfast. When we met up with Becki and Tom we all saw wild dolphins swimming in the sea from a cafe on the beach. They were beautiful!
We sunbathed all day before going back to the restaurant we had been to the night before for a snapper which they had caught for us that morning. They had kept it alive in a pond and sacraficed it along with a crab for our dinner whilst we were there; the freshest fish I have ever eaten! It was delicious.
The next morning whilst enjoying our morning stroll, me and Jonny saw some ceremonies going on at the far left side of the beach. It turns out the ocean is holy and many people have their funerals there, with their ashes being thrown into the sea. Afterwards the children of the family all danced in the waves. It looked like a lovely way to be celebrated. After another chilled out day on the beach, we all watched the sunset together before an open mic night. We had an amazing night. Jonny played guitar with some other musicians and we all drank cocktails and sang along until the early hours.
We spent another couple of days chilling on the beach enjoying each others company and swimming in the ocean before the sad day came when we had to travel back to Cochin for Becki and Tom to get their flight home. We went back to Tom's mansion and spent the evening listening to a sitar and tablar show. It was so relaxing!
The next day Josh and Kieron arrived and we went to a festival at a local temple where they dressed up elephants and put on a but of a performance. They then set off fireworks on the street which actually just happened to be pots of gunpowder. It was surreal!
I was very sad to see Becki and Tom leave, as we had such a fantastic time. Kerala has to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world I have been lucky enough to see.
Poor Becki's luggage gad got lost on her flight over and sent to Melbourne!! But once we had it back we took a trip up the mountains to a town called Munnar. The bus ride there was so scary! The driver seemed to have forgotten he had other people's lives in his hands and was racing other buses up windey thin mountain roads. Even the locals were gripping the edges of their seats and gasping with terror. When we got there the views were worth the bus ride from hell. We had a couple of much needed beers before a meal and an early night ready to go on a 'reliable tour' the next day. Our tour guide was hilarious, and quite obviously making a lot of stuff up on the way but we didn't mind and had a wonderful time. We went on an elephant ride up a hill and saw scenery which I thought looked like something from 'the sound of music'. Afterwards we walked through some (snake infested... According to Becki hehe) tea plantations. We saw some kathakali traditional Indian dance performance which was quite odd and seemed to be based mainly around strange facial expressions.
The next day we decided to travel south to Allepey where we were going to see the Keralan backwaters. After our traumatic drive up the mountain we gave the bus a miss instead getting a taxi. The difference in cost was extreme (300 rupees for all of us on the bus or 3000 in a taxi) but we felt our safety was worth the money and it turns out we definitely spent our money wisely as we saw a bus crash on the way down. However, after seeing another crash on the roads it seems our luck was running out and we had a collision of our own. A drunk man was walking along a dual carriageway drunk and facing the wrong direction whilst on his mobile phone and despite all our drivers efforts our car hit him. He got straight back up without any serious injuries, and the most damage was done to the car behind us which hit our behind as our car braked. We were a bit shaken up but just glad to be safe and sound when we reached our hotel.
The next day we took a small boat out for the day and saw some beautiful sights. We saw lots of wildlife as well as people from smaller towns washing their clothes and dishes in the river whilst listening to fat freds. It was gorgeous.
After Allepey we took a train down to Varkalar to spend a few days by the beach. We met some lovely people who ran a restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the first night where we shared many cocktails and stories. The next morning Jonny woke me up early and we went for a morning stroll on the beach before breakfast. When we met up with Becki and Tom we all saw wild dolphins swimming in the sea from a cafe on the beach. They were beautiful!
We sunbathed all day before going back to the restaurant we had been to the night before for a snapper which they had caught for us that morning. They had kept it alive in a pond and sacraficed it along with a crab for our dinner whilst we were there; the freshest fish I have ever eaten! It was delicious.
The next morning whilst enjoying our morning stroll, me and Jonny saw some ceremonies going on at the far left side of the beach. It turns out the ocean is holy and many people have their funerals there, with their ashes being thrown into the sea. Afterwards the children of the family all danced in the waves. It looked like a lovely way to be celebrated. After another chilled out day on the beach, we all watched the sunset together before an open mic night. We had an amazing night. Jonny played guitar with some other musicians and we all drank cocktails and sang along until the early hours.
We spent another couple of days chilling on the beach enjoying each others company and swimming in the ocean before the sad day came when we had to travel back to Cochin for Becki and Tom to get their flight home. We went back to Tom's mansion and spent the evening listening to a sitar and tablar show. It was so relaxing!
The next day Josh and Kieron arrived and we went to a festival at a local temple where they dressed up elephants and put on a but of a performance. They then set off fireworks on the street which actually just happened to be pots of gunpowder. It was surreal!
I was very sad to see Becki and Tom leave, as we had such a fantastic time. Kerala has to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world I have been lucky enough to see.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Chennai & Pondicherry!
It was amazing to see Jonny again after four long months apart. Our first stop in India was Chennai; an enormous city where you can see such contrasts between the rich and the poor.
On our first day we met an auto rickshaw driver who agreed to give us a tour of the city, however whilst being driven around (for a lot more money than we should have really paid) it soon became apparent that he not only didn't know much about the city but didn't speak very much English either. It was still nice to be driven around and get a feel of the city and we saw some very interesting sights. We drove down by the coast where we saw fishermen and their families living in tents made out of posted ripped off Walls because their accommodation was ruined in the recent tsunami and has not yet been fixed. It was shocking, and such an eye opener to how some people have to live, when we had a nice comfortable hotel to go back to.
We visited the beach the next day again. It was huge, with hundreds of stalls run by people trying to scrape a living. We even saw people with tattoo needles giving out tattoos on the beach. They didn't look very hygienic.. Me and Jonny decided it was definitely best to turn them down..
We spent a couple of days exploring the bazaar district. It was ginormous and sold everything you could ever imagine. It was probably the size of Kidderminster!
We went to an international music festival which although was very different to the festivals me and Jonny visit in the UK was still very fun (and as usual we snuck in a cheeky vodka in pepsi!) Jonny recorded some if the music on his new mic and we met some performers afterwards.
The next day we had our first taste of Indian public transport and got a cramped, non air conditioned bus to Mahabalipuram, a town around 45 minutes outside Chennai where there are some stone carvings done thousands of years ago using ancient stone masonry techniques. It was beautiful.
We then visited Pondicherry where we stayed for a few days. Unfortunately it had been torn apart by a huge cyclone just ten days before our arrival and we saw huge tree trunks strewn across the streets. Pondicherry is built in a French style and in some areas you feel as if you really could be in the south of France. We got some bikes and rode to the beach to watch the sunset which was lovely, but quite scary as the roads were very busy, but I just kept ringing my bell and we got there and back safe.
We spent a couple of days exploring, and eating good food before our journey to Cochin to meet Becki and Tom who had flown out from England to meet us!
On our first day we met an auto rickshaw driver who agreed to give us a tour of the city, however whilst being driven around (for a lot more money than we should have really paid) it soon became apparent that he not only didn't know much about the city but didn't speak very much English either. It was still nice to be driven around and get a feel of the city and we saw some very interesting sights. We drove down by the coast where we saw fishermen and their families living in tents made out of posted ripped off Walls because their accommodation was ruined in the recent tsunami and has not yet been fixed. It was shocking, and such an eye opener to how some people have to live, when we had a nice comfortable hotel to go back to.
We visited the beach the next day again. It was huge, with hundreds of stalls run by people trying to scrape a living. We even saw people with tattoo needles giving out tattoos on the beach. They didn't look very hygienic.. Me and Jonny decided it was definitely best to turn them down..
We spent a couple of days exploring the bazaar district. It was ginormous and sold everything you could ever imagine. It was probably the size of Kidderminster!
We went to an international music festival which although was very different to the festivals me and Jonny visit in the UK was still very fun (and as usual we snuck in a cheeky vodka in pepsi!) Jonny recorded some if the music on his new mic and we met some performers afterwards.
The next day we had our first taste of Indian public transport and got a cramped, non air conditioned bus to Mahabalipuram, a town around 45 minutes outside Chennai where there are some stone carvings done thousands of years ago using ancient stone masonry techniques. It was beautiful.
We then visited Pondicherry where we stayed for a few days. Unfortunately it had been torn apart by a huge cyclone just ten days before our arrival and we saw huge tree trunks strewn across the streets. Pondicherry is built in a French style and in some areas you feel as if you really could be in the south of France. We got some bikes and rode to the beach to watch the sunset which was lovely, but quite scary as the roads were very busy, but I just kept ringing my bell and we got there and back safe.
We spent a couple of days exploring, and eating good food before our journey to Cochin to meet Becki and Tom who had flown out from England to meet us!
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Hanoi & Halong Bay!
We had booked a sleeper bus to get to Hanoi, which was originally meant to take 26 hours. We thought it wouldn't be too bad, however after a stressful border cross, back ache and numb legs it became apparent it would be over 30 hours in transit! My longest journey yet.
Hanoi is so far north it is quite cold at this time of year. It was strange to be wearing jackets and gloves again after so long. We arrived quite late and as there is a midnight curfew we headed straight out to a bar for a couple of drinks - We needed them after being sat down on the bus for so long. If you are through the door before 12 a lot of the bars will let you stay until past 3am; as long as you are inside and upstairs so that the police are unaware.. Yet even then the police will often come in to close down a bar if it is open after hours, as we experienced on our last night in Hanoi.
The hostel we stayed at, Hanoi Backpackers, was fantastic, and one of the best I have been to. It just so happened that the day we arrived Erna (the girl who I traveled Koh Phangan and Cambodia with) was also booked in! We spent the next day exploring the city. Despite being a large city, it is all very close together and busy. The electrical poles are an electricians nightmare, all tangled up.. They looked very dangerous.
Hanoi is so far north it is quite cold at this time of year. It was strange to be wearing jackets and gloves again after so long. We arrived quite late and as there is a midnight curfew we headed straight out to a bar for a couple of drinks - We needed them after being sat down on the bus for so long. If you are through the door before 12 a lot of the bars will let you stay until past 3am; as long as you are inside and upstairs so that the police are unaware.. Yet even then the police will often come in to close down a bar if it is open after hours, as we experienced on our last night in Hanoi.
The hostel we stayed at, Hanoi Backpackers, was fantastic, and one of the best I have been to. It just so happened that the day we arrived Erna (the girl who I traveled Koh Phangan and Cambodia with) was also booked in! We spent the next day exploring the city. Despite being a large city, it is all very close together and busy. The electrical poles are an electricians nightmare, all tangled up.. They looked very dangerous.
Through our backpackers, we organised a trip to see Halong bay for a stay on an overnight boat. When we arrived we took kayaks out to see some of the fishing villiages. We also stopped in a cave to have a little explore. The evening was mainly centred around getting wasted, and after the biggest game of Kings Cup I have ever played, we put on some music and partied on deck surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Halong Bay is one of the natural wonders of the world, and it is easy to see why. I had such a funny night. One of the highlights has to be when Tommy got so excited about a song he jumped up and down until the stage collapsed under him.
We got back to Hanoi in time for one final drunken night out with Tommy and Steve before my journey to India to meet Jonny!
We got back to Hanoi in time for one final drunken night out with Tommy and Steve before my journey to India to meet Jonny!
Vang Vieng!
After a night of transit in Vientiane, we arrived at Vang Vieng where we had planned to spend Christmas and New years. We had booked to stay in an open aired tree-house, oblivious to the fact that at this time of year the weather is similar to an English summer meaning it got quite cold at night. It wasn't unbearable though, and I was fine sleeping with a couple of layers on.
People go to Vang Vieng to go 'tubing', where you rent a rubber tube and float down the river stopping at bars along the way by catching on to ropes thrown from the shore, however on arrival we found that on most days it isn't even worth renting a tube; instead just drinking, dancing, and playing beer pong at the first few bars on the river. It was great fun, with such beautiful views of mountains in the background where there are apparently wild tigers and bears!
People run around with pens writing disgusting yet hilarious things on each other and the DJ plays the same playlist every day. I had a fantastic time, but it did remind me a bit of being 18 again at freshers.
Before I went to Vang Vieng I was told how dangerous it is, and on arrival you can see how easy it is to get injured on the zip lines and huge slides after copious amounts of alcohol, but anyone that knows me well knows I've never been much of a swimmer as I hate putting my face underwater and so I stayed away from them.
Unfortunately, like quite a lot of SE Asia, a lot of the bars have a curfew, although after a day drinking on the river this is probably a good thing.
I visited the blue lagoon there on one of the days of my stay which was gorgeous. The water really was so blue! We climbed up some steps to a cave where we explored a bit, but decided to chill out in the shade and listen to some music instead of climb further into the dark wearing flip flops.
I met some amazing people whilst there. Jess decided to stay there working at a bar, yet it just so happened that two boys we met, Steve and Tommy, were planning on going to Hanoi at a similar time as we had originally decided upon and so I joined them, and after four months together me and Jess parted ways.
Overall, I had a fantastic time in Vang Vieng. The music is cheesy, but the whiskey is free..
People go to Vang Vieng to go 'tubing', where you rent a rubber tube and float down the river stopping at bars along the way by catching on to ropes thrown from the shore, however on arrival we found that on most days it isn't even worth renting a tube; instead just drinking, dancing, and playing beer pong at the first few bars on the river. It was great fun, with such beautiful views of mountains in the background where there are apparently wild tigers and bears!
People run around with pens writing disgusting yet hilarious things on each other and the DJ plays the same playlist every day. I had a fantastic time, but it did remind me a bit of being 18 again at freshers.
Before I went to Vang Vieng I was told how dangerous it is, and on arrival you can see how easy it is to get injured on the zip lines and huge slides after copious amounts of alcohol, but anyone that knows me well knows I've never been much of a swimmer as I hate putting my face underwater and so I stayed away from them.
Unfortunately, like quite a lot of SE Asia, a lot of the bars have a curfew, although after a day drinking on the river this is probably a good thing.
I visited the blue lagoon there on one of the days of my stay which was gorgeous. The water really was so blue! We climbed up some steps to a cave where we explored a bit, but decided to chill out in the shade and listen to some music instead of climb further into the dark wearing flip flops.
I met some amazing people whilst there. Jess decided to stay there working at a bar, yet it just so happened that two boys we met, Steve and Tommy, were planning on going to Hanoi at a similar time as we had originally decided upon and so I joined them, and after four months together me and Jess parted ways.
Overall, I had a fantastic time in Vang Vieng. The music is cheesy, but the whiskey is free..
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)!
We were meant to spend longer in Ho Chi Minh City, but had instead extended our stay in Cambodia to visit Siem Reap, and so in the end we only had one day to see it. We only really wanted to go there to find out about the history, visiting the tunnels where the Viet Cong would hide out during the war, and after taking a tip to see the war museum.
The tunnels were very interesting, and we learned about the intricate architectural designs used to prevent anyone from finding them such as horrible looking metal traps and trick tunnels leading in different directions. Thousands of people lived under the ground for twenty years meaning many people were born and died there. This inevitably led to lots of illnesses due to poor ventilation and lack of sunlight or exercise. They had to come up with solutions to get rid of excrement, and another problem they had was cooking food, as if they let the smoke appear over ground this would mean their hiding place would be found. We got to go down inside the tunnel which was surprisingly small and uncomfortable to crawl through. The tunnel is also a lot wider and taller than it used to be so it's hard to imagine how awful it must have been!
The war museum showed us a different side to the war, seeing it from the side of Vietnam, such a war torn country. We know of it as 'The Vietnam war' yet to them it was 'The American War'. The photographs were very disturbing, showing very gruesome images. I have studied about the effect these images had on the world's support for America in the war through the media, and so it was interesting to see, yet at the same time they were some of the most distressing photographs I have ever seen. It was horrible learning about the effect that the chemicals still have on people today several generations down.
We went out for a few beers afterwards (we needed them after our heavy day) before getting a plane to Vientiane so we could spend Christmas day in Vang Vieng. We are going to go back to Vietnam to explore Hanoi in January before my journey to India.
The tunnels were very interesting, and we learned about the intricate architectural designs used to prevent anyone from finding them such as horrible looking metal traps and trick tunnels leading in different directions. Thousands of people lived under the ground for twenty years meaning many people were born and died there. This inevitably led to lots of illnesses due to poor ventilation and lack of sunlight or exercise. They had to come up with solutions to get rid of excrement, and another problem they had was cooking food, as if they let the smoke appear over ground this would mean their hiding place would be found. We got to go down inside the tunnel which was surprisingly small and uncomfortable to crawl through. The tunnel is also a lot wider and taller than it used to be so it's hard to imagine how awful it must have been!
The war museum showed us a different side to the war, seeing it from the side of Vietnam, such a war torn country. We know of it as 'The Vietnam war' yet to them it was 'The American War'. The photographs were very disturbing, showing very gruesome images. I have studied about the effect these images had on the world's support for America in the war through the media, and so it was interesting to see, yet at the same time they were some of the most distressing photographs I have ever seen. It was horrible learning about the effect that the chemicals still have on people today several generations down.
We went out for a few beers afterwards (we needed them after our heavy day) before getting a plane to Vientiane so we could spend Christmas day in Vang Vieng. We are going to go back to Vietnam to explore Hanoi in January before my journey to India.
Phnom Penh & Siem Reap!
Our journey from Koh Phangan to Phnom Penh was the longest journey we have had yet, consisting of tuk tuk, overnight boat, taxi, bus, aeroplane and another taxi. It was hectic! One of the girls we met in Koh Phangan, Erna, met us there, and another, Kaytee, met us a couple of days later. It was fantastic to see another countries with the girls and stay in contact for a little while longer as we all got on very well.
The history of Phnom Penh is fascinating, and we spent a (very sad) day exploring the killing fields and prison. They were both very shocking. The Killing fields were very quiet and serene with lots of butterflies and trees around. It could be such a beautiful place. It's awful to hear how recent the tragic events were and to learn that the majority of people in Cambodia will know somebody who lost their lives under the regime. Every time it rains they discover more bones of those buried in the mass graves. There are even clothes and bones which are visible. It was distressing to see the clothes of very small children. Pol Pot believed that it was better to murder an innocent person by mistake than to risk not killing somebody who could be guilty of opposing his regime, and would kill every member of a persons family so as not to risk anybody taking revenge. This included babies. They used to play music from loud speakers to drown out the screams of those being killed. The audio tour was very good and used accounts from people who actually witnessed what happened and how it affected them and their country.
Our trip wasn't all sad though and on a different evening we went to a boat party with some people we met at the hostel. It started late which was a shame as it was meant to be at sunset and by the time the boat left the riverside it was dark, but we still had a great night.
On another day, me, Kaytee and Erna hired quad bikes and explored the Cambodian country side at sunset. It was amazing to see what the rural areas of the country is like - as there are only three big cities and the majority of the rest of the country is made up of small villages. All the little children living on our route would run out to wave at us and say hello. They were extremely cute, yet I didn't wave back much as I didn't want to lose control over the bike and risk hitting one of them!
That evening we got a taxi to Siem Reap where we visited the amazing Angkor Wat temples. The taxi ride was terrifying. Our driver even drove down the wrong side of the road on a busy highway for a while until Erna asked him to stop. I have no idea what he was thinking. It is often a rarity to have seat belts in taxi's aswell, and so we were all gripping our seats. The temples were gorgeous, and definitely worth the taxi ride from hell. We saw the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed, and all had fun climbing around the rocks putting on our best Lara Croft impressions. My favourite temple had lots of huge faces everywhere. They were like nothing I have ever seen before and it was interesting to imagine what they would have looked like when they were functioning temples hundreds of years ago in the twelfth century.
Me and Jess left for Ho Chi Minh city the next day for another stressful journey of long buses, this time unfortunately with a horrible stomach bug. I spent the entire 13 hour bus ride being sick into a plastic bag - not pleasant for me or anybody else who was unlucky to be sat close to me!
The history of Phnom Penh is fascinating, and we spent a (very sad) day exploring the killing fields and prison. They were both very shocking. The Killing fields were very quiet and serene with lots of butterflies and trees around. It could be such a beautiful place. It's awful to hear how recent the tragic events were and to learn that the majority of people in Cambodia will know somebody who lost their lives under the regime. Every time it rains they discover more bones of those buried in the mass graves. There are even clothes and bones which are visible. It was distressing to see the clothes of very small children. Pol Pot believed that it was better to murder an innocent person by mistake than to risk not killing somebody who could be guilty of opposing his regime, and would kill every member of a persons family so as not to risk anybody taking revenge. This included babies. They used to play music from loud speakers to drown out the screams of those being killed. The audio tour was very good and used accounts from people who actually witnessed what happened and how it affected them and their country.
Our trip wasn't all sad though and on a different evening we went to a boat party with some people we met at the hostel. It started late which was a shame as it was meant to be at sunset and by the time the boat left the riverside it was dark, but we still had a great night.
On another day, me, Kaytee and Erna hired quad bikes and explored the Cambodian country side at sunset. It was amazing to see what the rural areas of the country is like - as there are only three big cities and the majority of the rest of the country is made up of small villages. All the little children living on our route would run out to wave at us and say hello. They were extremely cute, yet I didn't wave back much as I didn't want to lose control over the bike and risk hitting one of them!
That evening we got a taxi to Siem Reap where we visited the amazing Angkor Wat temples. The taxi ride was terrifying. Our driver even drove down the wrong side of the road on a busy highway for a while until Erna asked him to stop. I have no idea what he was thinking. It is often a rarity to have seat belts in taxi's aswell, and so we were all gripping our seats. The temples were gorgeous, and definitely worth the taxi ride from hell. We saw the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed, and all had fun climbing around the rocks putting on our best Lara Croft impressions. My favourite temple had lots of huge faces everywhere. They were like nothing I have ever seen before and it was interesting to imagine what they would have looked like when they were functioning temples hundreds of years ago in the twelfth century.
Me and Jess left for Ho Chi Minh city the next day for another stressful journey of long buses, this time unfortunately with a horrible stomach bug. I spent the entire 13 hour bus ride being sick into a plastic bag - not pleasant for me or anybody else who was unlucky to be sat close to me!
Koh Phangan!
We went to Koh Phangan for the full moon party of the 10th December, which was as mad as we had expected it to be. The parties are different to those on the Phi Phi islands, with less different bars. I felt it was more centred around getting wasted. The days leading up to the party were just as mental as the actual night of Full Moon. The day after the actual party it was shocking to see all the people with bandages and injuries showing how unsafe it can be. Not really much else to report on Koh Phangan as we just spent a week partying really, but had a great time with some amazing people.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, & Koh Tao!
When we first arrived in Phuket we had decided to spend a couple of
days in Katta, an area quieter than Patong. On our first night we were
quite disappointed with the local bars which seemed to be full of old
men gawping at young Thai women, however the next day we spent lay on
the beach and afterwards found a really chilled out reggae bar which to
enter you had to wade through the sea.
The next day we took a tour on a boat to see a few different islands, including 'James Bond Island' (famous for being the set of one of the films). It was beautiful! But I think I would have appreciated it a bit more if I had drank less rum at the reggae bar the night before... We got in kayaks and explored some caves on another island, and went for a quick swim at another one.
That night we left for Patong, famous for it's nightlife. Our time in Patong mainy consisted of sunbathing and clubbing, so not much to report about that.
After Patong, we visited Koh Phi Phi. We were staying in bamboo huts at the top of a hill. The huts were basic and there were LOADS of mosquitos, but it was amazing, and the view from our balcony was gorgeous. Unfortunately to get to our hut we had to walk past the islands sewage system, which somebody had renamed 'Poo gardens'. It wasn't a pleasant smell.... The beach on Phi Phi was amazing with loads of little bars, UV body paint, fire shows, and buckets of Sang Soom (Thai rum). We went out every night we were there - always promising ourselves we would take it easy yet ending up stumbling home in the early hours of the morning. I loved it! We met some amazing girls who we became great friends with and we all went out for a tour on boats to see Maya Bay, where 'The Beach' was filmed. On the way we got to stop at a secluded beach on a different island for lunch and also tried out snorkeling. I am not a fan of it though, and ended up panicking because we were so far out to sea, and also the depth of the ocean. The water was so clear it was like tap water so you could see everything. That night we all bought fluorescent shirts and went out for some UV fun.
Phi Phi was probably one of the best places I have ever been. There were no Taxis because the island is so small everyone just walks wherever they go, and there is always something going on in the evening.
We spent one night in Krabi in a nice hotel and it was such a relief to be somewhere with a lovely clean bathroom and comfortable beds after four nights in the huts.
Next was Koh Tao, which we had assumed would be easy to get to, but typically none of us had actually researched transport. We knew there was a three hour drive to Surat Thani to the ferry, yet didn't realise the ferry would take so long to get there. We were told by the man on reception at the hotel that there was no overnight ferry because it was not high season, and even claimed to phone up the pier to check. This wasn't such a problem for me and Jess as we had a couple more weeks in Thailand so our plans were flexible, but it was for Madeleine as her days in Thailand were limited. She ended up booking a flight to Bangkok from Surat Thani, and checked in online as she wasn't sure how easy it would be to access wifi when we arrived. When we actually got there, we found out that the man at the hotel was infact wrong and the night ferry was still running. Poor Madeleine couldn't change her flight as she had already checked in! We are going to complain about this to the hotel, although they probably wont take any notice.
We had been advised by loads of people to go to Koh Tao, but it seems at the moment there are renovations going on everywhere meaning you can't relax anywhere without hearing sawing and drilling. (I can hear it right now) However, we found some fire shows, buckets, and a drum and bass night, so I was happy. Last night I even tried fire Poi on the beach.
Unfortunately Madeleine had to go home yesterday and we were very sad to see her go as we have had an amazing time with her. Today we were meant to go to Koh Phangan, but we missed the ferry this morning. This has worked out for the best though because when we phoned up the hostel to let them know, the lady told us there had been a mistake with the booking and we aren't meant to check in until tomorrow anyway! So we have one more night in Koh Tao before a week of partying leading up to the Full Moon party!
The next day we took a tour on a boat to see a few different islands, including 'James Bond Island' (famous for being the set of one of the films). It was beautiful! But I think I would have appreciated it a bit more if I had drank less rum at the reggae bar the night before... We got in kayaks and explored some caves on another island, and went for a quick swim at another one.
That night we left for Patong, famous for it's nightlife. Our time in Patong mainy consisted of sunbathing and clubbing, so not much to report about that.
After Patong, we visited Koh Phi Phi. We were staying in bamboo huts at the top of a hill. The huts were basic and there were LOADS of mosquitos, but it was amazing, and the view from our balcony was gorgeous. Unfortunately to get to our hut we had to walk past the islands sewage system, which somebody had renamed 'Poo gardens'. It wasn't a pleasant smell.... The beach on Phi Phi was amazing with loads of little bars, UV body paint, fire shows, and buckets of Sang Soom (Thai rum). We went out every night we were there - always promising ourselves we would take it easy yet ending up stumbling home in the early hours of the morning. I loved it! We met some amazing girls who we became great friends with and we all went out for a tour on boats to see Maya Bay, where 'The Beach' was filmed. On the way we got to stop at a secluded beach on a different island for lunch and also tried out snorkeling. I am not a fan of it though, and ended up panicking because we were so far out to sea, and also the depth of the ocean. The water was so clear it was like tap water so you could see everything. That night we all bought fluorescent shirts and went out for some UV fun.
Phi Phi was probably one of the best places I have ever been. There were no Taxis because the island is so small everyone just walks wherever they go, and there is always something going on in the evening.
We spent one night in Krabi in a nice hotel and it was such a relief to be somewhere with a lovely clean bathroom and comfortable beds after four nights in the huts.
Next was Koh Tao, which we had assumed would be easy to get to, but typically none of us had actually researched transport. We knew there was a three hour drive to Surat Thani to the ferry, yet didn't realise the ferry would take so long to get there. We were told by the man on reception at the hotel that there was no overnight ferry because it was not high season, and even claimed to phone up the pier to check. This wasn't such a problem for me and Jess as we had a couple more weeks in Thailand so our plans were flexible, but it was for Madeleine as her days in Thailand were limited. She ended up booking a flight to Bangkok from Surat Thani, and checked in online as she wasn't sure how easy it would be to access wifi when we arrived. When we actually got there, we found out that the man at the hotel was infact wrong and the night ferry was still running. Poor Madeleine couldn't change her flight as she had already checked in! We are going to complain about this to the hotel, although they probably wont take any notice.
We had been advised by loads of people to go to Koh Tao, but it seems at the moment there are renovations going on everywhere meaning you can't relax anywhere without hearing sawing and drilling. (I can hear it right now) However, we found some fire shows, buckets, and a drum and bass night, so I was happy. Last night I even tried fire Poi on the beach.
Unfortunately Madeleine had to go home yesterday and we were very sad to see her go as we have had an amazing time with her. Today we were meant to go to Koh Phangan, but we missed the ferry this morning. This has worked out for the best though because when we phoned up the hostel to let them know, the lady told us there had been a mistake with the booking and we aren't meant to check in until tomorrow anyway! So we have one more night in Koh Tao before a week of partying leading up to the Full Moon party!
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Chiang Mai!
We had originally planned to spend a week in Bangkok, but as the Foreign office warnings were still advising against all but essential travel, if we left the airport and something happened there would be a chance our travel insurance would be void, and so we booked connecting flights to the north of Thailand.
It was lovely to be somewhere that was less humid! The hostel we were staying at was really friendly and we met loads of people when we arrived. We took our first ever tuk tuk on a day out to Tiger Kingdom which was great fun. I could just sit and get driven around on one of them all day just looking at the city and feeling a nice breeze, although they aren't so great for good hair days! I was worried that it would be quite cruel towards the Tigers and had heard rumors that the tigers get drugged to make them more placid, and sometimes chained to the floor, but when we got there they all looked quite awake and there were no chains. We first went in the cage with the baby tigers who were only a few months old and really cute before moving on to medium, and then large. It was surreal to be stood next to such an enormous powerful animal and I was happy to have my photo taken quickly before making an extremely fast exit.
On another one of the days before Madeleine's arrival we also went on a boat cruise recommended by the lonely planet book, but it was really disappointing and quite boring.
When Madeleine arrived on Sunday we were really excited about meeting her at the airport with a sign, but she managed to get an earlier flight so unfortunately I wasn't even out of bed. However, it meant we could spend the entire day together. I got my first ever Thai massage and after carrying my backpack around it felt amazing on my shoulders. We then spent the afternoon wandering around the market and eating loads of strange foods. We ate fried grasshoppers and maggots, before eating meat on a stick, quails eggs, and some sushi. My stomach must have been confused after all that!
The next day we went on an elephant training course. It was absolutely amazing, and I think the highlight of this entire trip. We were given some silly outfits to wear, and a big straw hat as we were out in the sun for so long so we all looked absolutely hilarious. We were then taught how to get on and off the elephants. Unfortunately I'm not the most graceful person when it comes to climbing things and had some trouble with my legs flailing around but I made it up and back down again alright in the end. We were then shown how to control them, giving them directions by tucking a stick under their ears and saying something in Thai (which was impossible to remember). Once we had got the basic hang of it we were then allowed to ride down to the river. It was so scary being in charge of an elephant, but absolutely great fun. I named mine Nellie of course. We then got to wash them in the river with some sort of root that when wet made a sort of lathery foam. We were told this is really good for the elephants skin so I rubbed a bit on my leg, but I don't think it did anything but make me dirtier. Afterwards they prepared us some food before we got given a certificate to show we can now control elephants. I have my elephant licence before I even have my driving licence.
Because the elephant training was only a half day tour, we decided to do a cooking class in the evening where we were shown how to prepare Thai food. We made some amazing dishes which I will make for you all when I get home. I think the soup I made was the best food I have eaten since I have been in Thailand!
To top off this amazing day we went on an extremely drunken night out which was great fun, but we had planned for the night to be a bit more restrained than it turned out to be as we had another tour booked for 7am the next day to visit Chiang Rai. We got taken to see the some hot springs before going to see the White temple. The temple was gorgeous. To get inside you had to walk along a path with hands coming up out of the floor either side and horrible statues of scary looking faces. This was meant to represent crossing hell to get to heaven. There was a man on a microphone, his voice booming down to keep walking and not look back. Inside the temple had some really strange paintings representing hell of Superman, Darth Vader, and Harry Potter.
We were then taken to a dock where we got a small boat past the Golden Triangle, a piece of no mans land between Thailand and Laos. Because there is no law there it used to be used as a place for people to trade opium. The name the golden triangle is because there would be people using so many different currencies, they would instead use gold. I didn't get any opium. We got to stop in Laos for a little look round, where I saw the biggest spider I have been in contact with on my entire trip. This is quite worrying as me and Jess are spending Christmas and New Years in an open aired treehouse in Vang Vieng...
After the trip and a bite to eat we visited a tribe where the girls are encouraged to wear gold rings around their neck to push down their shoulders giving the illusion of extended necks. It was really interesting.
The next day we got a plane down to Phuket. Chiang Mai was amazing fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Thailand.
It was lovely to be somewhere that was less humid! The hostel we were staying at was really friendly and we met loads of people when we arrived. We took our first ever tuk tuk on a day out to Tiger Kingdom which was great fun. I could just sit and get driven around on one of them all day just looking at the city and feeling a nice breeze, although they aren't so great for good hair days! I was worried that it would be quite cruel towards the Tigers and had heard rumors that the tigers get drugged to make them more placid, and sometimes chained to the floor, but when we got there they all looked quite awake and there were no chains. We first went in the cage with the baby tigers who were only a few months old and really cute before moving on to medium, and then large. It was surreal to be stood next to such an enormous powerful animal and I was happy to have my photo taken quickly before making an extremely fast exit.
On another one of the days before Madeleine's arrival we also went on a boat cruise recommended by the lonely planet book, but it was really disappointing and quite boring.
When Madeleine arrived on Sunday we were really excited about meeting her at the airport with a sign, but she managed to get an earlier flight so unfortunately I wasn't even out of bed. However, it meant we could spend the entire day together. I got my first ever Thai massage and after carrying my backpack around it felt amazing on my shoulders. We then spent the afternoon wandering around the market and eating loads of strange foods. We ate fried grasshoppers and maggots, before eating meat on a stick, quails eggs, and some sushi. My stomach must have been confused after all that!
The next day we went on an elephant training course. It was absolutely amazing, and I think the highlight of this entire trip. We were given some silly outfits to wear, and a big straw hat as we were out in the sun for so long so we all looked absolutely hilarious. We were then taught how to get on and off the elephants. Unfortunately I'm not the most graceful person when it comes to climbing things and had some trouble with my legs flailing around but I made it up and back down again alright in the end. We were then shown how to control them, giving them directions by tucking a stick under their ears and saying something in Thai (which was impossible to remember). Once we had got the basic hang of it we were then allowed to ride down to the river. It was so scary being in charge of an elephant, but absolutely great fun. I named mine Nellie of course. We then got to wash them in the river with some sort of root that when wet made a sort of lathery foam. We were told this is really good for the elephants skin so I rubbed a bit on my leg, but I don't think it did anything but make me dirtier. Afterwards they prepared us some food before we got given a certificate to show we can now control elephants. I have my elephant licence before I even have my driving licence.
Because the elephant training was only a half day tour, we decided to do a cooking class in the evening where we were shown how to prepare Thai food. We made some amazing dishes which I will make for you all when I get home. I think the soup I made was the best food I have eaten since I have been in Thailand!
To top off this amazing day we went on an extremely drunken night out which was great fun, but we had planned for the night to be a bit more restrained than it turned out to be as we had another tour booked for 7am the next day to visit Chiang Rai. We got taken to see the some hot springs before going to see the White temple. The temple was gorgeous. To get inside you had to walk along a path with hands coming up out of the floor either side and horrible statues of scary looking faces. This was meant to represent crossing hell to get to heaven. There was a man on a microphone, his voice booming down to keep walking and not look back. Inside the temple had some really strange paintings representing hell of Superman, Darth Vader, and Harry Potter.
We were then taken to a dock where we got a small boat past the Golden Triangle, a piece of no mans land between Thailand and Laos. Because there is no law there it used to be used as a place for people to trade opium. The name the golden triangle is because there would be people using so many different currencies, they would instead use gold. I didn't get any opium. We got to stop in Laos for a little look round, where I saw the biggest spider I have been in contact with on my entire trip. This is quite worrying as me and Jess are spending Christmas and New Years in an open aired treehouse in Vang Vieng...
After the trip and a bite to eat we visited a tribe where the girls are encouraged to wear gold rings around their neck to push down their shoulders giving the illusion of extended necks. It was really interesting.
The next day we got a plane down to Phuket. Chiang Mai was amazing fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Thailand.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Kuala Lumpur & Penang!
I had the most amazing time in Kuala Lumpur, it has been my favourite city on this trip so far. As soon as we arrived we immediately scouted out a reggae bar just around the corner from our hostel, and after our journey with heavy backpacks, treated ourselves to some greasy food and a few jugs of beer.
On one of the days we took a trip to the Batu caves, where Hindu's celebrate Thiapusum, a festival in August. There are 270 steps leading to the caves which I climbed on my own because of Jess's vertigo. When I got to the top the views were breathtaking. The cave was so huge, I felt tiny in comparison. I'm not sure if it was the enormity of the cave or because I had forgotten to take my bottle of water up with me to climb such a long way in the beating sunshine, but the heights of the cave ceiling made me feel slightly dizzy. Walking back down I was a lot faster because I was being watched by some monkeys and we had been warned to keep our distance from them as they sometimes bite. We found the most amazing Indian vegetarian restaurant where we tried a selection of dishes served on a banana leaf.
Our travel book had mentioned a rooftop bar not far from our hostel which sold extremely cheap drinks, so when we got back to the city naturally we decided to find it. I am so glad we did! The manager was a great guy and allowed us to bring in coconuts we had brought in off the street to fill with rum. We stayed up until the morning drinking and chatting, even after he had closed the bar and locked everybody else out.
We visited a Batik shop where we were got to paint our own. I really enjoyed doing something creative, even though mine ended up looking like a piece of art made by a child compared to the ones in the shop made by professionals.
On one of the days we took a trip to the Batu caves, where Hindu's celebrate Thiapusum, a festival in August. There are 270 steps leading to the caves which I climbed on my own because of Jess's vertigo. When I got to the top the views were breathtaking. The cave was so huge, I felt tiny in comparison. I'm not sure if it was the enormity of the cave or because I had forgotten to take my bottle of water up with me to climb such a long way in the beating sunshine, but the heights of the cave ceiling made me feel slightly dizzy. Walking back down I was a lot faster because I was being watched by some monkeys and we had been warned to keep our distance from them as they sometimes bite. We found the most amazing Indian vegetarian restaurant where we tried a selection of dishes served on a banana leaf.
Our travel book had mentioned a rooftop bar not far from our hostel which sold extremely cheap drinks, so when we got back to the city naturally we decided to find it. I am so glad we did! The manager was a great guy and allowed us to bring in coconuts we had brought in off the street to fill with rum. We stayed up until the morning drinking and chatting, even after he had closed the bar and locked everybody else out.
We visited a Batik shop where we were got to paint our own. I really enjoyed doing something creative, even though mine ended up looking like a piece of art made by a child compared to the ones in the shop made by professionals.
That night we met some people on the rooftop of our own hostel. They were amazing fun, and I hope to keep in contact with a few of them. After copious amounts of vodka we were given salsa dancing lessons by a the lovely Susana and David. I had a glorious time!
The markets around the corner from our hostel were good, and we spent a day eating and shopping. When going out for dinner I had a rather disappointing fish soup, so asked for some chillies to spice it up. Tip: When in Malaysia, homemade chilli sauce is LETHAL. I was too cocky with it and poured in quite a bit before I realised I had now turned by soup into a firey mess. I was not to be defeated though and powered through it, even though my face had turned such a bright red I looked like I was about to explode. People walking past the restaurant were all laughing at me struggling with the chilli, and Jess getting to grips with how to eat rice with chopsticks.
We left Kuala Lumpur to travel to Penang, which was a five hour bus journey. Sounds horrible, but was actually fine as our bus was air conditioned with comfy seats with lots of leg room.
Our hostel was amazing- instead of a backpackers they advertise themselves as a 'flashpackers'. Although we had booked the cheapest room with shared bathrooms, they had made a mistake with the booking and so upgraded us to a nicer room with our own shower and toilet. The difference was probably about a pound, but was still a nice surprise. We met a lovely girl called Becky in our room, and as it was just the three of us in a six bed room it was like we had visited a hotel together. The hostel even provided Ipads for people to use the internet. Again we found a reggae bar with cheap drinks and had an amazing night.
The next day we all visited a snake temple, which had been advertised as having tonnes of snakes all chilling in the surrounding garden and on the steps, but were disappointed to find just two big boa constrictors and some other smaller poisonous snakes. After travelling all the way to see it we had to have our photo taken with one of the huge snakes.
Me and Jess are now in Thailand. Our backpackers seems great with some friendly people and we are extremely excited for the arrival of Madeleine on Sunday!!
The markets around the corner from our hostel were good, and we spent a day eating and shopping. When going out for dinner I had a rather disappointing fish soup, so asked for some chillies to spice it up. Tip: When in Malaysia, homemade chilli sauce is LETHAL. I was too cocky with it and poured in quite a bit before I realised I had now turned by soup into a firey mess. I was not to be defeated though and powered through it, even though my face had turned such a bright red I looked like I was about to explode. People walking past the restaurant were all laughing at me struggling with the chilli, and Jess getting to grips with how to eat rice with chopsticks.
We left Kuala Lumpur to travel to Penang, which was a five hour bus journey. Sounds horrible, but was actually fine as our bus was air conditioned with comfy seats with lots of leg room.
Our hostel was amazing- instead of a backpackers they advertise themselves as a 'flashpackers'. Although we had booked the cheapest room with shared bathrooms, they had made a mistake with the booking and so upgraded us to a nicer room with our own shower and toilet. The difference was probably about a pound, but was still a nice surprise. We met a lovely girl called Becky in our room, and as it was just the three of us in a six bed room it was like we had visited a hotel together. The hostel even provided Ipads for people to use the internet. Again we found a reggae bar with cheap drinks and had an amazing night.
The next day we all visited a snake temple, which had been advertised as having tonnes of snakes all chilling in the surrounding garden and on the steps, but were disappointed to find just two big boa constrictors and some other smaller poisonous snakes. After travelling all the way to see it we had to have our photo taken with one of the huge snakes.
Me and Jess are now in Thailand. Our backpackers seems great with some friendly people and we are extremely excited for the arrival of Madeleine on Sunday!!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Jakarta!
Jakarta is huge. It is chaotic in a completely different way to Kuta, with the city spread over a huge area, lacking in pavements and road rules. Even the taxi drivers have no idea where they are going. This was my first experience of being an ethnic minority, and felt slightly uncomfortable with the way everybody would stop to look at us and call out to us in the street.
Outside our hotel was a complete contrast to the inside. One one day a man tried to sell Jess a live goat just down the road from where we were staying. We decided it was probably best if we didn't.
We visited a museum on our first day, although it took a while to find after we got dropped off in the wrong place and then given several different directions as to which way it was to get there. However, this turned out to work in our favor as we got to see the monument national, and arrived at the museum just in time for the free English speaking tour. The museum was completely different to those you would see in the UK, with hardly any barriers to protect ancient artifacts. For example, the first record of writing in Indonesia was just placed in the garden of the museum for anyone to touch. We saw some absolutely amazing things. We then got driven to the backpackers region of Jakarta to check out a few small bars. Apparently it used to be extremely popular with a large amount of tourists, yet there have recently been hotel bombings (although there have been in Kuta also, Kuta has recovered it's tourist economy whereas Jakarta seems to still be struggling).
We visited a huge market selling all sorts of clothes, jewelry, and even Christmas trees, and then crossed the road to an enormous mall selling electricals. I was thinking of buying a small notebook so I could make use of the wifi we can access in our hostels on the way around and also upload some photographs, but couldn't really make sense of them and didn't really know what to look for. My Dad would have been in heaven though!
The next day we wanted to go to a club called Stadium we had heard about. On a normal weekend it stays open from Thursday to Monday. The guy on reception at our hotel asked if it was ok for his friend to come along with us to be our 'body guard'. At first we were apprehensive as we didn't feel unsafe and didn't want to drag somebody out if they didn't want to, but when we arrived at the club it was obvious he was having a great time, and dragged us up to the dance floor when it was still empty to pull some shapes. Willy was great fun!
On Saturday we wanted to go out again, but when the taxi pulled up the club was closed. Typical, we had visited what lonely planet describes as 'the clubbing mecca of south east Asia' on a religious holiday. Yet the next day Willy invited us out again with some of his friends. We had such a fantastic night! The club was enormous. (Strangely showing football on a huge screen whilst pumping house music? - it seems the Indonesians are mad about their 'soccer') Unfortunately, cameras were banned inside the club so we couldn't take any photographs.
Our last day we spent in bed ill feeling very sorry for ourselves. I had been slightly ill for a week, but had been ignoring it and still partying which had taken it's toll, but am now much better and loving Kuala Lumpur.
Outside our hotel was a complete contrast to the inside. One one day a man tried to sell Jess a live goat just down the road from where we were staying. We decided it was probably best if we didn't.
We visited a museum on our first day, although it took a while to find after we got dropped off in the wrong place and then given several different directions as to which way it was to get there. However, this turned out to work in our favor as we got to see the monument national, and arrived at the museum just in time for the free English speaking tour. The museum was completely different to those you would see in the UK, with hardly any barriers to protect ancient artifacts. For example, the first record of writing in Indonesia was just placed in the garden of the museum for anyone to touch. We saw some absolutely amazing things. We then got driven to the backpackers region of Jakarta to check out a few small bars. Apparently it used to be extremely popular with a large amount of tourists, yet there have recently been hotel bombings (although there have been in Kuta also, Kuta has recovered it's tourist economy whereas Jakarta seems to still be struggling).
We visited a huge market selling all sorts of clothes, jewelry, and even Christmas trees, and then crossed the road to an enormous mall selling electricals. I was thinking of buying a small notebook so I could make use of the wifi we can access in our hostels on the way around and also upload some photographs, but couldn't really make sense of them and didn't really know what to look for. My Dad would have been in heaven though!
The next day we wanted to go to a club called Stadium we had heard about. On a normal weekend it stays open from Thursday to Monday. The guy on reception at our hotel asked if it was ok for his friend to come along with us to be our 'body guard'. At first we were apprehensive as we didn't feel unsafe and didn't want to drag somebody out if they didn't want to, but when we arrived at the club it was obvious he was having a great time, and dragged us up to the dance floor when it was still empty to pull some shapes. Willy was great fun!
On Saturday we wanted to go out again, but when the taxi pulled up the club was closed. Typical, we had visited what lonely planet describes as 'the clubbing mecca of south east Asia' on a religious holiday. Yet the next day Willy invited us out again with some of his friends. We had such a fantastic night! The club was enormous. (Strangely showing football on a huge screen whilst pumping house music? - it seems the Indonesians are mad about their 'soccer') Unfortunately, cameras were banned inside the club so we couldn't take any photographs.
Our last day we spent in bed ill feeling very sorry for ourselves. I had been slightly ill for a week, but had been ignoring it and still partying which had taken it's toll, but am now much better and loving Kuala Lumpur.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Bali!
Bali was the first stop on our journey through Asia, and we stayed in Kuta, which is known for being extremely chaotic yet very touristy. The majority of people are Australian bogans getting trashed, as Kuta is to Australia what Magaluf is to England. We stayed at a hotel where there is a bar in the swimming pool so spent quite a bit of time drinking Bintangs in the sunshine. The streets surrounding the hotel are so intense with people everywhere saying hello, trying to sell things, even shouting some quite rude things and grabbing our hands. After a couple of days we got used to this and began to relax a bit when we ventured outside the hotel. The humidity has been easier than I thought it would be to deal with, although can get a bit too much when in bars and clubs. We found a great reggae bar where we could enjoy Indonesian covers of reggae classics whilst smoking flavored Shisha. (The strawberry tasted like the smell of 'My little pony'!)
We had massages in the shade on the beach, drank cocktails, and sunbathed. Living the dream!
We had massages in the shade on the beach, drank cocktails, and sunbathed. Living the dream!
It is very cheap to hire drivers over here so we went on a few trips. We saw some traditional Balanese dance called Balong; it was great fun. They acted out a story which at times was quite hard to follow but they gave us a piece of paper letting us know the basics. We then went to a place where women made the most amazing pieces of art on material using batik. I wish I could have taken photos but cameras were banned in the shop which is a bit of a shame as they were so beautiful but quite expensive. We also stopped in to see the surrounding gardens of a temple which was absolutely beautiful. I wore a long skirt, but was worried I was going to offend people as I still had my shoulders out. The guide said that it wasn't a problem though as we weren't actually entering the temple. Jess was given a sarong to cover up her legs which we were allowed to borrow for a small donation. We washed our faces in the holy water which on one side is meant to give you youthful skin, and on the other good luck. I washed my face in both so hopefully I will remain wrinkle free and lucky!
Another place we went to was a coffee plantation where we got given samples of loads of different coffees, cocoas, and teas. We also drove to a mountain where we had a beer looking at the amazing views.
We went to see 'monkey forest' where there are loads of monkeys you can get close to and feed bananas. This was fine until one mother monkey got stressed out and bit someone, then soon after one jumped on me. I have had my rabies shot, but I'm not willing to test it out!
It is so cheap here - a nice change from expensive Australia, and the food is amazing (although I had a bit of an upset stomach today I don't know if it is the food or the beer).
We fly to Jakarta tomorrow, which is apparently less touristy so will be an adventure.
Another place we went to was a coffee plantation where we got given samples of loads of different coffees, cocoas, and teas. We also drove to a mountain where we had a beer looking at the amazing views.
We went to see 'monkey forest' where there are loads of monkeys you can get close to and feed bananas. This was fine until one mother monkey got stressed out and bit someone, then soon after one jumped on me. I have had my rabies shot, but I'm not willing to test it out!
It is so cheap here - a nice change from expensive Australia, and the food is amazing (although I had a bit of an upset stomach today I don't know if it is the food or the beer).
We fly to Jakarta tomorrow, which is apparently less touristy so will be an adventure.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Perth!
We have had some amazing adventures during our stay in
We went to Fremantle on Saturday with Paul and Andrew. We visited the famous Freo market and bought an Ostrich egg which we later made into a giant frittata. Apparently one egg is the same amount as 12 chicken eggs!
On Sunday it was 35 degrees, so we headed to the beach for a sunbathe and when we started to feel overheated we went to Jess’s friend Paul’s house to watch rugby, play beer darts, and sing along to gay pirates. We had an amazing day.
We went on a wine tour in Swan valley on Monday where we
got driven around a few of the wineries, getting to sample loads of wine,
cheese, olives, and chocolates. A day of pure indulgence; I loved it, although
all this eating and drinking has put a few pounds on me, and as we are soon
heading to Asia where we will probably spend a large amount of time in our
bikinis I decided to go for a jog.. But whilst doing so nearly got killed by a
magpie! Apparently they peck out small children’s eyes and are extremely
territorial. I was chased down the road by it screaming for help (probably
quite loudly as I still had my ipod in). Nobody came to my rescue though, much
to the amusement of a driver who slowed down to laugh at me running across the
road punching the air. Exercising in Australia
As Jess’s aunt Jane had very kindly lent her a car, we decided to take a long road trip up to the Pinnacles. They are formations of limestone in the desert that are thought to be at least 6000 years old. The journey was long, and we passed 7 dead kangaroos on the way… Kangaroos cause loads of accidents on the long roads through the outback, so even though we were driving in the day (Kangaroos are generally nocturnal) I kept an eye out, as in a small car a kangaroo collision would probably hurt quite a lot..
We also took a road trip toMargaret
River
When we woke up the next morning it turned out the office had some confusion and put us on a winery tour by mistake! The bushtucker tour group was already on canoes down the river. Luckily the company accountant picked us up and took us on a canoe to catch up, with a bottle of wine for the mix up. Super Pablo to the rescue! It was surreal being taken down a river on a dirty canoe by a man in a suit! The tour was great fun! I ate a widgety grub (like the ones on the lion king). It was DISGUSTING. I also tried kangaroo meat, emu, bush turkey, and crocodile as well as some weird nuts and fruits that the aboriginals used to eat. We saw some caves where we were invited to crawl through a small dark tunnel (the leader told us it was beautiful and everyone who does it enjoys it, but I just got dirty and grazed my arm). After all the canoeing we decided it was a good idea to stay at the hostel for another night as a long drive when tired is never a good idea. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we have made, as on the way back the car broke down in the middle of nowhere! Luckily it was the middle of the day instead of night (as it would have been if we had driven back the afternoon before) so we walked down the highway to a trucker’s rest stop where three very friendly truckers push started the car for us, even bringing us bottles of cold water in case we were thirsty. Only problem was we couldn’t stop, even at traffic lights as the car wouldn’t start again, but it seemed that for once we had some good luck and all the lights were green. Phew. After the long stressful drive we had a well earned swim in the sunshine.
That evening we went to a small jazz club. To get to the club you walk into a red phone box which leads to a set of stairs down to a cosy little room with loads of posters and candles. It was BYO so we took in a few bottles of wine and some snacks before listening to a group play some really fun music. We all got up and had a dance, but only after a few large glasses of vino.
As Jess’s aunt Jane had very kindly lent her a car, we decided to take a long road trip up to the Pinnacles. They are formations of limestone in the desert that are thought to be at least 6000 years old. The journey was long, and we passed 7 dead kangaroos on the way… Kangaroos cause loads of accidents on the long roads through the outback, so even though we were driving in the day (Kangaroos are generally nocturnal) I kept an eye out, as in a small car a kangaroo collision would probably hurt quite a lot..
We also took a road trip to
When we woke up the next morning it turned out the office had some confusion and put us on a winery tour by mistake! The bushtucker tour group was already on canoes down the river. Luckily the company accountant picked us up and took us on a canoe to catch up, with a bottle of wine for the mix up. Super Pablo to the rescue! It was surreal being taken down a river on a dirty canoe by a man in a suit! The tour was great fun! I ate a widgety grub (like the ones on the lion king). It was DISGUSTING. I also tried kangaroo meat, emu, bush turkey, and crocodile as well as some weird nuts and fruits that the aboriginals used to eat. We saw some caves where we were invited to crawl through a small dark tunnel (the leader told us it was beautiful and everyone who does it enjoys it, but I just got dirty and grazed my arm). After all the canoeing we decided it was a good idea to stay at the hostel for another night as a long drive when tired is never a good idea. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we have made, as on the way back the car broke down in the middle of nowhere! Luckily it was the middle of the day instead of night (as it would have been if we had driven back the afternoon before) so we walked down the highway to a trucker’s rest stop where three very friendly truckers push started the car for us, even bringing us bottles of cold water in case we were thirsty. Only problem was we couldn’t stop, even at traffic lights as the car wouldn’t start again, but it seemed that for once we had some good luck and all the lights were green. Phew. After the long stressful drive we had a well earned swim in the sunshine.
That evening we went to a small jazz club. To get to the club you walk into a red phone box which leads to a set of stairs down to a cosy little room with loads of posters and candles. It was BYO so we took in a few bottles of wine and some snacks before listening to a group play some really fun music. We all got up and had a dance, but only after a few large glasses of vino.
We are flying to Bali on Wednesday!! Australia has been absolutely amazing, and like everybody else I know who has visited, I have fallen in love with it.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Brisbane!
We have now been away for an entire month, and this morning when I woke up with a horrible cold I almost began to feel homesick and sad.. That is until I put on my bikini and sat in the sunshine drinking cheap beer. It's a hard life..
Brisbane has been amazing. We have been staying with Mike, Malcolm (Shiny), and Dion who are great guys; so much fun. We haven't really done many touristy activities here, and have mainy used it as a week of drinking too much and eating lots of junk food. (I am getting an impressive beer and burger stomach..)
The boys work in the week but Shiny took the day off on friday and we explored the city after a morning swim in the pool. Brisbane is huge and it took around half an hour just to get to Centre of the city. We had a great day!
On saturday we planned to take a road trip to Gold Coast, so stocked the car full of Jim Beam (for the passengers - poor Mike was our designated driver) and cheesy music. We had so much fun we missed the turning and ended up in New South Wales... By the time we got to Gold Coast we needed somewhere to stop for a shower and to get ready to hit the town so ended up going to an aquantence's house to freshen up, but after a few more Jim Beams and a Hungry Jacks (Burger King) we were all absolutely knackered and got lost going back into the city! For some reason we ended up going back to Brisbane which was a shame because I would have loved to go out in Gold Coast, but never mind.
This evening Dion cooked us roast lamb followed by apple pie. Yum.
Tomorrow we are flying over to the West coast to Perth where I am looking forward to meeting Jess's friend Kirri.
Brisbane has been amazing. We have been staying with Mike, Malcolm (Shiny), and Dion who are great guys; so much fun. We haven't really done many touristy activities here, and have mainy used it as a week of drinking too much and eating lots of junk food. (I am getting an impressive beer and burger stomach..)
The boys work in the week but Shiny took the day off on friday and we explored the city after a morning swim in the pool. Brisbane is huge and it took around half an hour just to get to Centre of the city. We had a great day!
On saturday we planned to take a road trip to Gold Coast, so stocked the car full of Jim Beam (for the passengers - poor Mike was our designated driver) and cheesy music. We had so much fun we missed the turning and ended up in New South Wales... By the time we got to Gold Coast we needed somewhere to stop for a shower and to get ready to hit the town so ended up going to an aquantence's house to freshen up, but after a few more Jim Beams and a Hungry Jacks (Burger King) we were all absolutely knackered and got lost going back into the city! For some reason we ended up going back to Brisbane which was a shame because I would have loved to go out in Gold Coast, but never mind.
This evening Dion cooked us roast lamb followed by apple pie. Yum.
Tomorrow we are flying over to the West coast to Perth where I am looking forward to meeting Jess's friend Kirri.
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