koh samui

We got a minivan to take us to our hotel, which was right on the water at Chaweng Beach. I had never been to Koh Samui before, so it was all a new experience for both of us. We checked into our very nice bungalow/room, then ate some lunch as I was starving (we hadn't eaten properly since lunch the day before). The tides were all a bit strange from the recent full moon, so the water was lapping right up to the sea-front restaurant. That meant no lying in the beach, but we were happy to be poolside for the afternoon. It was a bit of effort to get a sun lounge, as some very rude Europeans had put their towels on some to save their spot, and then disappeared for hours, with their friends reasurring us they were taken! That night we walked around the main street area, which was all a bit over-developed: Starbucks, Burger King, Maccas... not exactly island paradise! It was good to look around the shops though, we even ran into a couple from Copa! We had dinner, then headed back in the direction of our hotel. Mum went to the room, whereas I stayed at the internet place just out the front to check my emails. All was well until we had a blackout... I somehow found our room through the garden paths by using the flash on my camera! As there was nothing to do without power, we went for a stroll along the beach, admiring all the fancy resorts. We had a good sleep-in in the morning, then enjoyed the best buffet breakfast ever (made a pig of myself). The whole day was then spent on the sun lounge on the beach; Mum had a massage in the afternoon, and I did absolutely nothing! Was really good after the last few busy days. We headed into the main strip again, enjoyed a Tiger beer, then dinner, then window shopping (saw the Copa people again!). Had an early night as we were very tired, from doing nothing at all. In the morning we caught a few hours of sun, before heading out to Samui airport to catch a flight to Krabi. Bangkok Airways is the only company that flies to and from Samui, so they own the airport... it was like a tropical resort! It was all bungalow-style, open walled structures, free drinks & cakes, a fish tank in the toilets, gardens everywhere- I never want to fly AirAsia again! The flight itself only took 50min, on a propellor plane, so before we knew it we had landed in Krabi.

bangkok- 4th time around

We headed to Khao San, which I know now like the back of my hand! We managed to get a room at D&D (with the rooftop pool), and it was so nice to be somwhere with air-con, TV, hot water, breakfast included... what luxury! After exploring the streets a bit, we had a delicious dinner, then headed off to the night bazaar for some shopping. It was just as big & as busy as last time I was there, but we got a good few hours in. A little (well, one hour) foot massage while we were there didn't hurt either!). We got a tuk tuk back, however the streets were insanely busy (more so than usual) because of the Water Festival, so we were stuck in traffic for much of the journey. After looking over our purchases we went to sleep. We got up early in the morning and ate our pretty crappy buffet breakfast. Mum then went and relaxed by the pool, whilst I caught up on stuff on the internet. We then got the bus to Chatuchat Markets (I was game enough to brave them for a second time). We shopped for hours, had a quick lunch break, then kept on going. We were there for 5 exhausting hours! We got the bus home, had a quick lie down, then headed out for dinner. Then we made our way to the beauty/massage place. We ended up getting a pedicure, facial and one hour oil massage- spoilt! We emerged two and a half hours later feeling very relaxed and pampered. The next morning (early again), we headed out to the Grand Palace for a bit of culture in amongst our consumerist trip to Bangkok! We had to change into long sarong-skirts as we were innapropriately dressed for the Palace. It was very hot & the crowds were huge, but it was a good experience. Very beautiful architecture, and the Emerald Buddha was impressive. There was something going on at the actual palace, with guards standing to attention outside, which was a bit of excitement. We then walked to the nearby Reclining Buddha, but were told numerous times along the way by con-men that it was closed, but they would be happy to take us somewhere else! The buddha was enormous & gold, very beautiful. Afterwards, we got a taxi to MBK shopping centre, but I think we were a bit shopped out to enjoy. We didn't buy a single thing, except lunch! After getting back to Khao San, we looked around the street stalls one last time (bought a few things of course), before relaxing with a drink at our hotel, watching the carp in the pond. We then got organised and left for the train station. In the whole 3 days at our hotel, I didn't get to use the pool once! Once we got to the station we found our train and boarded with the help of the guard, who assured me that he had seen me before on the train!? We got in our seats, and passed the time playing cards & reading, before the staff changed the chairs into bunks. It was all very cozy, and we got a good night's sleep before pulling into Surat Thani station around 6am. We then transferred onto a bus to the pier to go to Koh Samui. The boat took about 3 hrs, but it was very rough seas, and we were quite happy to finally get off at the other side!

phuket

I had a great spot on my boat from Phi Phi to Phuket; leaning over the edge getting the ocean breeze. However, the staff came out on the deck telling people to move because the boat was overbalanced. (nevermind that all the baggage below deck was stacked on one side only) Then, a second ferry pulled up next to ours, also headed for Phi Phi, and people on our boat had to get on it to ease the overcrowding. After all the dramas, we finally arrived in Phuket hours later. I got a minibus to Nai Thon Beach, which was really beautiful. It was extremely quiet, and only had a handful of hotels & restaurants along the shore front boulevarde. I checked in & had some lunch, then headed down to the beach. It reminded me of Australia- there were waves, shories even, and the water was cool & refreshing! I had a lovely, relaxing afternoon on my deckchair, before eating an early dinner at a beach restaurant, whilst admiring the sunset. I then headed to the airport to meet Mum after her flight in from Sydney. Amazingly, the Jetstar flight landed an hour before the scheduled time, so I thought I may have missed & lost mum. But she appeared, after a group of 25 annoying-looking girls from the North Shore (I am guessing by their designer suitcases) headed for Schoolies in Thailand. We caught a taxi back to our hotel, before walking along the beach & eating dinner at our hotel. We caught up on all our respective stories & gossip of the past 3 months over cocktails, prawns & spring rolls. Welcome to Thailand! In the morning we were up very early, and walked along the completely deserted beach. Nai Thon is not one of the main resort beaches in Phuket, which was so nice- we didn't have to share it with any other tourists or spruikers selling junk along the beach! We had breakfast (mum's first fruit shake), then relaxed on our deckchairs all morning, before getting organised for our flight to Bangkok. We headed to the airport (again!), and were greeted by huge queues snaking their way out of the building. We didn't have to wait too long though, but we did have to try and stop an extremely drunk guy from pushing in. The flight was so quick- by the time I had settled in, we were preparing to land!

koh phi phi

As the boat pulled in to the harbour, I could tell straight away that Phi Phi had changed a lot in the 2 years since I had been there last. There were a lot more bulidings, guesthouses & restaurants crammed into the main town. The centre of the island was so developed you couldn't see across to the other side. And the accomodation was ridiculously overpriced! However, I was still really happy to be back (even though I am a whinger!). So, we were sitting eating some breakfast, feeling tired & seedy after the ferry trip. Then a (German) guy came over to our table out of nowhere, and said he was a photographer over here shooting some portfolio photos for 2 (German) models. And he said he wanted to take photos, of just my face (no sleazy shoots in a bikini or anything). I was VERY skeptical, beacuse it is just the type of story people use to con naive girls (i.e. me). The Swiss girls were a great help, asking him lots of questions in German. We looked at his website, which was very professional & had some really excellent photos on it. So, I thought I may as well take up the opportunity of getting pro photos taken, that I can keep, for free! The girls came with me, as my managers/bodyguards/stylists. We went out on a longtail boat to Bamboo Island, which was absolutely beautiful. The water was bright blue & crystal clear, with thick green forest right down to the sand. It was a perfect tropical paradise! So, we took some photos- some with a bag on my head (was actually a good effect), others with a leaf on my face, and more with hair flicked over my eyes. I felt pretty stupid most of the time, especially when people walked past while I had a bag on my head! But it was quite fun, and some of the photos turned out better than I expected. We headed back in the late afternoon, after our driver hurried us along, saying there was a storm coming in the distance. We saw a big pod of dolphins in the distnace which was exciting! The girls & I met the models & photographer for dinner, but it was all quite boring, as they all kept talking in German! Afterwards, we watched a really impressive fire twirling show at the Hippy Bar, shared a birthday bucket & danced for a bit. The next day we relaxed on the main beach, but the tides were all messed up because of the full moon, so the water was too low for swimming. We had to splash around in 2 inches of hot water, avoiding the rocks, in order to cool off. In the afternoon however, the tide returned, and we could see the water coming in right before our eyes (tsunami?). We met the Swedes for dinner, and went to the Reggae Bar. There was amateur Muay Thai, which was funny, because in every fight there was one guy who didn't even know how to punch, and would just get smashed. Although at one point, the good fighter's shoulder popped out & had to forfeit, so the lame fighter won! Then the pros got in the ring, however it was all staged (I think anyway). We stayed out for a while, but I had a very early boat to catch in the morning, so went to bed early by Phi Phi standards (I'm such a party animal).

koh lanta

My overnight bus was actually really good- I even got to watch a decent movie, in English! Once I reached Krabi, I got on a minibus headed for Koh Lanta. All was fine until we reached the pier to catch the vehicle ferry... we were stuck in a queue for nearly 2 hours. I finally reached the island, and searched for somewhere cheap to stay. I got an extremely basic bungalow close to the beach, at a place with a pool, so I was happy. I watched a very spectacular sunset, before enjoying a cocktail at the beach bar. That night, I actually ended up getting quite drunk off SangSom, and ended up at a Thai discoteque. The next day I deeply regretted the alcohol, and spent the whole day by the pool feeling sorry for myself. The tide got really low, exposing the rocks below, so swimming was near impossible, although it made for great sunset photos. The following day I was very lazy- I lay in a deck chair half dozing for hours... was excellent! I had dinner at one of the many restaurants along the beach with some people staying at my resort. We watched a fantastic lightning show from the storm in the distance, and also a fire twirling show (very amatuer- the guy's shorts caught alight!). There were a bunch of relly annoying, show-offy Aussies at the beach bar, the guys were dancing with their shirts off, so I went to bed early! That night I had a shocking sleep- I was eaten by bed bugs or fleas or something, and saw a mouse & its poo in my bathroom, so when I woke up I got myself out of the crappy room! I upgraded to air-con & TV & concrete walls- it was heaven! During the day, I went out on mopeds with 2 Germans from the resort. We explored the west coast of the island, and found a nice, quiet beach (much nicer than ours!). The following morning I searched for a different location to stay on Koh Lanta. I found a perfect beach, with really cute (and clean!) bungalows, so I moved there. For 3 days I kept a routine: wake up, breakfast at a restaurant on the beach, sunbake, read, swim, nap, lunch at a restaurant on the beach, laze about some more, walk the length of the beach, enjoy sunset, eat dinner on the beach. It was great, and the weather couldn't have been better. One night a guy from my bungalows (another German) & I walked along the beach looking for a busy bar, which was slightly difficult as the main demographic on Koh Lanta is old Swedish couples & families. We stumbled across a place with free BBQ and fruit. The resort was throwing a birthday party for a girl who was staying there- so nice! Had a fun time there, met lots of (non-old) people, drank lots of buckets, and watched a weird American guy dancing entirely to his own beat- doing the splits, kicks, cartwheels... he was in his own world, was hilarious! We also went night swimming ala "The Beach" and it was so amazing being amongst the glowing photoplankton in the water! The next day was the first time it was cloudy, but I managed to squeeze in some beach time before a huge downpour in the afternoon. That night I had a quiet one, playing cards with the Germans (the 4 Kings game is spreading around the globe!). I left very early the next morning, headed for Koh Phi Phi with 2 Swiss girls & a Swedish couple I met at the birthday party.

bangkok- buckets, markets & massages

After finding a guesthouse half the price of my first night, I got talking to a few people in the restaurant downstairs. I wasn't planning on a big night, but we ended up heading to Khao San, and going to the bucket stall. We drank buckets of Sangsom Thai whiskey, coke & red bull, which went down far too easily! We bought some helium balloons from the touts walking by. Everyone is so friendly when you are drinking on the street, we got talking to an English/Thai couple who had their cute daughter with them. The guy went and bought a bag full of fried grasshoppers for us all to share! When the stall closed for the night, we headed to Gulliiver's on the corner, but I decided to call it a night not too much later. I woke up feeling a bit ill in the morning, when I had arranged to meet Weafer & Emma at a bar/restaurant on Khao San. As I was waiting for them, I got talking to 2 Irish guys who were continuing to drink after an all nighter. They were really friendly, so we arranged to meet later on. The girls arrived after a bit of a nightmare at the airport (Emma's bag was left in London), and we went in checked into our hotel. We had breakfast then wandered around Khao San for a little while. I then met the boys at their hotel to use the rooftop pool for free (yay!) whilst the girls slept off their jetlag. Was so nice sunbaking & swimming, felt miles away from the hecticness of Bangkok. Rory & Rob were being pretty Irish & rowdy, was a very entertaining afternoon. As I was leaving, we decided to catch up later on in the night, along with an English girl Laura Lea. I went and woke the girls up from their slumber, then we went and got some dinner at a street restaurant. After exploring the streets, we went and got a Thai massage. Painful at the time, but very very good! We were a bit tired, and kinda keen for sleep, so we went to leave at message at the boys' hotel to say we were bailing, but we spotted them on the street at the bucket stall... so we pulled up a stool, and decided to have a drink. This turned into a big night of drinking endless buckets, playing with helium balloons, trying on funny hats and carving up the dancefloor at The Club. I randomly bumped into a girl who was in my Laos group- the last time I saw her was about 6 weeks ago in the very same club! We wandered home after the music stopped and the lights came on. After a big sleep in the next day, we lazed around the pool in the afternoon. That night, we headed to Suan Lum Night Bazaar via a crazy tuk tuk ride! The shopping was amazing, I went a little bit crazy! There were so many little stalls selling really cool clothes, and all the normal homewares, scarves, souveniers, etc. By the time we got home & into bed, our 'quiet, early' night ended about 1am. The next day, we had another marathon shopping session, this time at Chatuchat weekend markets. It had over 8000 stalls, and in 4 hrs we probably only saw about half. After a big day walking, I enjoyed my oil foot massage very, very much. On Khao San that night, the girls were keen to try a grasshopper... I can just say they taste better when you have had a few drinks! On my last day in Bangkok (for the time being anyway), we got up early for delicious fresh fruit & muesli, and organised the girls' tickets to India. After a huge , delicious lunch, we got ourselves ready to depart. In 2 hours I will get on my bus headed south to Ko Lanta. Fingers crossed for good weather!

P.S.

I have just put up a whole heap of photos from China (finally) so make sure you check them out!!

bangkok, third time around

So that brings me to the present! I have spent the day getting myself organised for some beach weather- I sent all my winter clothes home, got my hair dyed & cut (no more regrowth, it was getting horrendous, the hairdresser kept saying "oh, so much dark!"), caught up on my blog (for the first time in weeks), and enjoyed Khao San Rd food & shopping. Jess & Emma arrive on Friday, so I will meet up with them for a couple of days, and then get me some Thailand sun!

the road to thailand...

I got up at 5.30 in the morning, to make sure I would be on the first public bus out of Luang Prabang which left at 6.30am. I am not sure what was more irritating- the crying baby in the seat next to me, or the Thai pop music blaring from the speakers above. Both quientened down after a while though. All was fine, until the bus began to go very slow, making weird clunking noises... We broke down, and had to wait about 45 min for another bus to pick us up. I was getting quite worried, as it was already late in the day, and I really wanted to make the connecting bus from Vientiane to Bangkok. The people who lived in the tiny village where we stopped seemed quite intrigued by all the commotion. Finally I was on my way again, all the time staring at the clock. We got to Vientiane at 5.10pm, with my Bangkok bus leaving at 5.30pm from a station on the opposite side of town. I found a tuk tuk driver to take me there, but I had to wait for him to search for more passengers to fill all the seats (and his wallet) up. I made it to the bus with 5 minutes to spare- very relieved! I passed into Thailand on my fancy, air-conditioned bus, and slept on and off, before arriving in Bangkok at 5.30am... 23hrs of straight bus travel!

luang prabang

Helena & I decided to get the public bus to Luang Prabang, so I farewelled Mika & Roman. There weren't many free seats left, so I sat next to a Lao girl. Was kinda funny, cos the people who had raced on to get the front seats, actually had to deal with the wind & rain coming through the open bus door! Also, when the bus began to get very crowded, a French couple kindly moved their backpacks which were taking up 2 whole extra seats, so they wouldn't get dirty on the floor! What wankers. Was very beautful looking out the window- very misty & green. We even passed an elephant on the roadside (with a trainer). You know you are in Laos, when the toilet stop involves everybody squatting on the roadside behind the bus! After the lunch stop, a Lao man came back on with 2 live ferret-guinea pig looking animals in a cane basket, possibly for his dinner. We finally arrived in Luang Prabang after a long trip, and checked into aguest house. We headed out for cheap vegetarian food stall, and got talking to some people next to us at the table. They had just done a 2 day elephant mahout (driver) trip, which they said was amazing & fun! My plan was to leave straight for Vientiane in the morning, but I loved being in Luang Prabang, and the elephants sounded fun... so, after a drink & discussion, I decided to stay! Helena & I booked the elephant trip for the following day. In the morning I got up early to call home before leaving, but there was a blackout in the whole town so no internet! We got a minibus out to the Elephant Camp, and we were able to ride the elephants straight away. We put on some dorky safari hats, sat on the wooden bench seat & set off into the jungle! Was lots of fun, but thought we would fall out going down the hills. We followed a creek into the river, where the elphants had a drink, before heading back to camp. We had lunch, and then we were taught the phrases the mahouts use to lead the elephants. We studied & quizzed each other for a while (the most my brain has been used in the past few months) and then went & got changed into our sexy, baggy denim 'mahout suits'. This was necessary so the elephants would take notice of us! The elephants were brought over to us, and we mounted them, taking our place on their necks, on an extremely uncomfortable mass of chains. It did stop us from falling off, but it brought many bruises! We had a practice session around the camp, calling out How (stop), Bai (go) and Ya (bad elephant), among other Lao commands. We then headed back into the trees for a very fun ride. My elephant kept making hectic growling noises, but it was only beacuse she wanted to be close to her sister (Helena's elephant). We left the elephants in the jungle, where they would stay overnight, mainly eating (they only sleep for 1 or 2 hours!). Our guide then took us for a walk through the local village. We passed a game of soccer at the school, and watching a family playing by the river. The kids were loving the cameras. Every time we showed them the screen, they squealed so loudly at seeing themselves! Was so cute. We wandered back to the camp, had an early dinner, and spent the night relaxing and playing cards. Had a pretty early night, falling asleep in our cool wooden bungalows. We had a very early start in the morning, to collect our elpephants from the jungle. The second time around was much more comfortable! We headed down to the river and attempted to wash the elephants (quite difficult while trying to balance on its neck at the same time!). Afterwards, we said goodbye to our elpehants & had breakfast at the lodge. We then changed in to our swimsuits and headed down to the river. Luckily, the clouds from the previous day had turned into beautiful sunshine! We kayaked a short way, until we arrived at Tad Sae waterfall. Although I had been here already a few weeks ago, it was still easy to enjoy the lovely clear, fesh water. We had a picnic lunch, then continued to kayak down the river. Helena & I took it nice and slow, was very relaxing. We passed tiny shacks every now & then, with very neat little crops. It felt like we were paddling for ages, when in fact it was only about 4km! After heading back into town, we relaxed a bit, then had vegie food stall for dinner again, and some happy hour cocktails. I also did a little bit of shopping!

bit of a disaster... but a bit of Laos!

My plan was to get the 24hr train from Kunming to Guangzhou, where I had booked a cheap flight from there to Bangkok. All was fine, I boarded the train and put my bags in the cabin (where a guy was smoking on his bed- not good for my lungs!). About 10min before the train was going to leave, I a had arandom thought that I should check my plane ticket once more, even though I had looked at it loads of times already... I must have known deep down, because I had booked the flight for 2nd Dec, not 2nd Nov! I had to quickly get my stuff together and run off the train, before I ended up 24hrs in the wrong direction! I was able to explain to an English speaking guard, and get most of my money back off the ticket. So, I went back to the booking office & had a think, and decided the cheapest way to get to Thailand was to get buses through Laos. Luckily, I was able to get a ticket for one heading to the border that afternoon. I had a very rushed arvo- cancelling flight, getting passport photos for a visa, etc, so was a relief to get on the sleeper bus. It consisted of VERY short bunks (made for Chinese height). There was a Russian guy, Roman, in the bed next to me, so got talking to him. He had hitch hiked from Russia, through Central Asia, and was heading to Bangkok. Probably not the safest idea to join him on his path! The bus ride was smooth, until we stopped for 2hrs at the station at about 4am. It meant I could get some sleep in though! We then had to change onto a minibus, as we headed through very tropical vegetation. The windy roads didn't agree with 2 Chinese women who got car sick (one out the window, one in a plastic bag). A Chinese guy stopped the minibus and tried to get our driver to take a small box across the border for him, but the driver didn't want a part of it! (Drug deal, anybody?) Roman & I met with a Japanese girl, Mika, who was also heading to Bangkok. We finally reached the last Chinese town of Mengla, and had one last Chinese meal. The 3 of us began walking the 2km to the Laos border (we didn't want to pay for an overpriced tuk tuk), but luckily a truck stopped for us & we climbed in the back. At the Laos border town of Boten, I payed for my visa with no trouble (just lousy exchange rates), then we got a taxi truck to the nearest big town, Luang Nam Tha. It was really beautiful being back in Laos- everything is so green & lush! We passed lots of tiney villages & lots of children. Once in the town, we checked into a basic guesthouse, and I actually ran into Helena, from my China group! I knew she was in Laos, but didn't expect to see her! Had dinner at the food market, then met with Helena for a drink afterwards.

back to kunming

After breakfast, we headed off to Kunming again. At our hotel the lift was broken- my 20kg backpack was a pain to lug up the stairs! The group met in the lobby for a drink, then we headed out for a last Chinese banquet meal. The food was really really good, and only about $3.20 each, including beer & bad red wine! We had a farewell drink and said our goodbyes, before heading to bed (Kunming is not excatly party town). I enjoyed my free buffet brekky in the morning, then stocked up on supplies at WalMart. Emma & I explored the Bird & Flower markets, then lazed around at the French Cafe. Had cheap noodle soup at a local restaurant for dinner, then packed my bags to finally leave this boring town.

dali

The driver decided to take the windy, backroads to Dali, so although it was beautiful we didn't arive till 8.30pm. We checked into our cute family-run hotel (free internet & laundry, yay), then went out for a meal to celebrate the birthday girl. We had organised a humungous cake (even though the surprise got spoilt!). We had a bit of a dance to the terrible music chosen by the DJ, with Alan (the 80yr old) getting right into it! In the morning Emma, Helena & I hired bicycles and headed out into the countryside, to the Shaping Markets (apparently a 2hr trip). We passed through some very small towns and saw lots of workers in the fields. It was quite a nice trip, but had some tough parts going uphill! We passed a couple on a motorbike, who informed us the markets were 35km from town! At that point we were about halfway, so we continued on. With no road signs, we reached a very industrial town & asked for directions... somehow we had passed the bloody markets. So we headed back (added another 10km onto the trip), then FINALLY found the place 4hrs after leaving town! We were buggered, so we ate lunch at a food stall & had a wander around. Considering how far we had come, I was expecting a pretty amazing market- was a bit disappointing. There was no way I was riding back into town, so we flagged down a bus, payed them way too much money, got our bikes tied to the roof and headed back to Dali. It was so far, I even had time to nap on the bus! Had a lazy afternoon, heard the adventures of other people in the group. We had a group dinner at a Tibetan restaurant, which was really delicious! Had a drink afterwards,and hobbled home in pain. I was sad because we had such a short time here, and there seemed to be heaps to do.

Zhongdian (aka Shangri-La)

The bus ran out of petrol on our way to Zhongdian, and we watched as the driver syphoned some out of his mate's bus! The scenery turned into very barren and flat grasslands, with Tibetan houses, prayer flags and lots of yaks. It was very beautiful. We arrived in the town of Shangri-La, which was 3340m above sea level! The town was actually in Tibet before the Chinese changed the official borders, so most people who live there are Tibetan. Was really interesting to see the different architecture, language and people. We walked around and took some photos, and had some BBQ food. Jackie then took us out of the town, into the plateau area. We were able to visit the summer home of a family of Tibetan yak herders. I was a very simple wooden shack. The little old lady & man made us lunch... green barley bread, yak butter tea (OK when eaten together), 'squeaky' yak cheese (bad), pig fat (bad, but a good lipbalm!), and vegie noodle soup (yummy). Everyone was struggling not to appear rude by not eating much! We were then taken to their proper home, whch housed 5 generations. It was huge, with beautiful ornate decorations inside, painted by a lama. They were very religious- they had a whole room used as a shrine to the 2 monks in the family. After returning to the herd, we helped feed the yaks (nearly lost my fingers!). We were then able to visit the neighbouring school. It had been set up by an Australian NGO, to help young people learn skills to help find employment- English speaking, tourism training, business kills, etc. We chatted to the students, they were really lovely. Played some ping pong, and listened to some Chinese & Tibetan singing (they have really strong voices!). When it was our turn to sing, we did Happy Birthday for one of the girls (her birthday was the next day), then she got a Chinese rendition as well! It was such a fun and amazing afternoon. That night, we watched some Tibetan dancing in the square, and tried some Tibetan food (wasn't great), before heading to bed. In the morning most of us went to Songzhalin Monastery. It was a huge complex built on a hill,housing about 700 monks, many who live there for practial reasons (food, shelter, education). It had really beautiful architecture,and with all the moks and the bright blue sky, I went a bit photo mad! I struggled a bit to walk up the huge set of stairs (hopefully due to the altitude, not the lack of fitness!). Was nice wandering around there. We got organised back in town, for our bus ride to Dali.

tiger leaping gorge

On our drive out to the gorge, we passed a big group of Chinese people in matching red jackets & backpacks, running around stopping cars. Apparently they were in a local version of the Amazing Race! I wanted to help them so I got on TV! (Later on we saw them being lectured by the cops!) We briefly stopped to view the first bend of the Yangtze River (not very exciting though), then met our guide Margot (an Aussie) who was accompanying us on our trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. She also had 2 gorgeous puppies with her who walked with us the whole way! We had absolutely perfect weather- blue skies & sun (I even wore shorts!). The first part of the walk was quite easy, passing through beautiful surroundings, with the snow capped mountains visible at each step. After a massive, delicious lunch at a guest house halfway, I was unkeen for the next, difficult part of the trek. The "28 Bends" was a rocky, uphill section, with 28 changes of direction on the path. For about an hour I was really struggling through this part, but then it was thankfully over! The next section was an easy, downhill stroll in the forest, very relaxing. We reached our guest house for the night, and freshened up before a beer & a huge dinner. We watched the full moon rise into a very starry sky, then I was so exhausted I had to go to bed! Enjoyed a sleep in & a big breakfast, before heading off for Day 2 of the trek. It started off nice & flat, overlooking the gorge, and passing some pretty little waterfalls. We saw a mini avalanche in the distance. The final section was dowhill, rocky & bendy, so took a bit of effort and concentration. As we walked along the road towards our guest house, we spat off the bridge into the river- we were so high up, it took AGES to land! Bummed around in the arvo, going for a tiny walk down the street and back. Had another amazing banquet dinner, then watched Babel (in Chinese) on DVD. The Tibetan family who ran the place brought us yak butter cheese & yak butter tea... interesting to say the least! We left in the morning for Zhongdian.

Lijiang

Our bus was very plush- wide leather seats and 3 TV screens, playing Charlie's Angles (dubbed in Chinese though). However, I began to yearn for the overnight trains... we broke down and had to stop 3 times, and then wait an hour for a new bus to pick us up! The scenery along the way was really beautiful though- lots of rice paddies, huge mountains & valleys, little villages... such a nice change from the busy cities we have been visiting. I also had some interesting (squat) toilet experiences. Firstly, little old ladies not bothering to close the doors; one woman facing bum out (lovely view); a communal trough that everone squats over- so much fun! Haha. We arrived in Lijiang quite late, and followed the narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town to our very cute guest house. That night we explored the town and its beautiful buildings, canals & bridges (and lots of Chinese tourists!). The following morning we got up very early to empty streets, and walked to the top of Lion Hill Park. We watched the sunrise from the top of Wangu tower. Was very pretty watching all the old style rooftops become light. There were a whole heap of Chinese men taking photos with massive lenses & tripods (compensating for something?). We sat in a little cafe to warm up with hot tea, and became the subject of a few photos from passers by! There was some Naxi (minority group) dancing going on in the town square which we enjoyed. We then explored Black Dragon Pool, which is a lovely big park & lake area. We wandered around the peaceful gardens, with the stunning Jade Dragon Mountains in the background. Was so nice being away from the hectic-ness of Chinese cities. There was a Culture Research Centre that we had a look at, and a young Naxi guy was more than happy to explain the Dongba culture of the Naxi people. It was really interesting. After a huge morning, I lazed around in the afternoon, before enjoying the dusk view of the town from Mel's balcony high on the hill. In the morning, we got organised to leave for our 2 day trek.

kunming

The train journey was quite uneventful. I was really tired from my busy few days, so I was looking forward to a big sleep... Didn't happen though! For some reason, the join between two carriages was squeaking extremely loudly, and I was on the bottom bunk, second row from the end, so it kept me awake all night! We arrived in the city of Kunming around midday. After manouvering our way to a taxi to the hotel, we ate lunch and then went for a walk around the city with Jackie. There wasn't much to do in the place; I think most travellers use it as a base to get to more interesting towns & sights. The highlights of our walk included a big lake surrounded by concrete bridges & pathways. Although Emma got her fortune told by a budgie which was exciting! And we passed a giant fibreglass dumpling that I had to pose with. We all sat around in the French Cafe for a while, enjoying tea & sweets. It was a really cute little place to relax in, with cosy lounges & free internet. I meandered back to the hotel, catching the bus all by myself (how independent!). We ate dinner at a restaurent next to the hotel, recommended by the manager. The place was packed, mostly with drunken Chinese businessmen, inlcuding the mayor of a nearby town. Included with our meal was a very tacky minority people show (the population of Kunming includes a lot of minority groups). There was dancing, singing by 3 guys in a boy band style set-up, walking up a ladder of knives (most probably blunt), auctioning a few ceramic pots, calling men up on stage to have a shot of booze and some 'traditional' space-age silver outfits. It was entertaining I suppose, and at the end Helena & I got up on stage for the clapping finale! The next morning I had a much needed sleep in, however it meant getting the dregs of the buffet breakfast. We explored the Bird & Flower market, which sold lots of things including souveniers, army memorabilia & weaponry, pets (spiders, snakes, turtles, pigs, birds, rabbits), some flowers (but not enough to name the market after them) and local supplies (sign making stalls, etc). Not that exciting, but still nice to walk around. Afterwards we went back to Cafe to be lazy for a while, and exchanged some books (I have read a LOT since I've been away). We had a group dinner that night, with some new people joining us for the southern part of our trip (including an 80yr old guy, keen for the trekking part!). The following morning we boarded a bus (my first bus journey in China), headed for Lijiang.

Chengdu

The train was much the same as the others- we played cards, ate too much food, read books... nice & lazy. We were woken by the train staff at 4.45am the following moring!! We arrived in Chengdu at about 5.30, so we killed time till the breakfast places were even open. We spent the morning at the Giant Panda Research & Breeding Centre. It had big enclosures for the pandas, so it wasn't too zoo-like (but still very touristy). We saw adult, sub adult & baby Giant Pandas- they were all extremely cute. They just sat there munching on bamboo non stop, then reaching around on the ground to get more bamboo, then continued the cycle. We were able to get quite close (with abarrier of course). There were even adorable 3 month old cubs, being fed bottles of milk by the staff... awwwww. We watched a very graphic film on the panda breeding at the centre... way too much information. Although it was set to an Enya soundtrack which softened the mood a bit! We ate a vegetarian lunch at the Wengshu Monastery in town, which was very nice. Some of the dishes were made to taste like meet though, which was a bit odd. We explored the picturesque streets & shops nearby, and headed to Tibetan Street, which was not as I imagined. It was really sad as Tibetan people & monks were begging for money and kept following us around. The Chinese probably owned all the shops & got the profits anyway. Our next stop was Jin Li Street, another very pretty, traditonal style collection of lanes. We inspected the shops & food stalls, before returning to our rooms. I watched the Culture Show that night, which showcased Sichuan (The province Chengdu is situated in) opera & entertainment. Was a fun night! the performers had very unique talents, especially the amazing hand shadow puppets! There was also singing, musical instruments, a comedy piece, fire spitting, acrobats & puppets. I had dinner at a local BBQ place- huge plate of spicy vegies & meat for $1.50! I was exhausted after such a long & busy day, but I got up early again the next morning as there is just too much to see in Chengdu! I went for a big walk by the river (it is possibly a canal) to a huge park. I passed a dead kitten on the way which was sad. The park was really nice, with little bridges crossing the lake, and the mandatory old people doing weird 'exercises.' I met a few of the girls for lunch, before we headed to the People's Park, however we didn't have enough time to explore as they were due to go to a cooking class. We walked back part of the way, again running into a food market with dead chickens and raw meat. That night I had delicious local BBQ dinner again, and a 50 cent longie of beer. I then met 3 of the girls on Jin Lin St at one of the bars. There were a lot of Chinese tourists about, and we were the subject of many of their photos! Some people tried to be sly about it- filming the building, and then slowly moving to us, while others posed with us at our table! So funny. The next day I got up very, very early, and Mel and I headed to the People's Park. There was a bit of tai chi, yelling, a lady hittng a tennis ball at a wall (she was so hopeless, but kept it up for over an hour), and some amazing old ladies- one was about 60 I reckon, and she was doing kicks over her head and stretching down to the ground with her arms bent; I was so impressed. We sat at a tea house on the lake, and enjoyed about 4 cups of tea while watching the loacls. There was a cute old man making bird songs, a lady cutting her toenails while sitting with her friends and some big card matches. We wandered around after that, and there was a lot more action. A high energy aerobics class, badminton (we joined in, and I had a huge rally going on with the old man), ballroom dancing, hacky sack... they have so much energy! There was a random haunted house for some reason in the park, and it was only $1, so we checked it out- hilarious! A little old man led us through a series of dark, underground tunnels, which made us think "what the hell are we doing??" He showed us to the entrance of the 'haunted' part, then disappeared. We were a bit freaked out being alone! The actual monsters and stuff tht popped up were so tacky, but we wanted to get out of there, it wa really claustrophobic! We met up with the group to have famous Sichuan hot pot for lunch. Basically, you throw raw meat and vegies (and quail eggs) into a pot of boiling water sitting in the centre of your table. However, our waitress put about 5 plates of food in at once, so it was too full to boil properly, and one of our gas outlets was broken. So with the technical difficulties, the meal was all a bit too much effort, and a bit overrated! I'm glad I tried it though. We then headed off to catch another overnight train!

Xi'an

After arriving in Xi'an around midday, Jackie took us on a walk around the busy city. We headed to the Muslim Quarter, which had lots of little shops & food places. I enjoyed some yum spicy bread & lamb for lunch, then we wandered around the surrounding side streets, full of locals. A few of us were in dire need of a massage after the desert, so we went to a Massage by the Blind place. Was excellent, although my massuese could DEFINATELY see. Ah well! That night, we went to Bar Street which was dead being a Monday. Eachplace we walked past the spruikers would yell at us to come in. We had drinks & snacks at a few places. First a cute cafe, followed by a bar with swinging chairs! All was good until 2 young Chinese 'musicians' came on stage. One guy had a guitar with stickers of baby Disney characters on it, the other had an electric drum kit. They absolutely destroyed 'Knockin on Heaven's Door' with the drummer talking on his mobile halfway thru! It was too loud & terrible, so we went to a cosy tribal style cafe, before calling it a night. I woke up early the next day to see the locals, mostly elderly, out exercising in the park. It ranged from the traditional to the bizarre... tai chi, sword exercises, banging hands on chests, massaging ears, walking around backwards, shouting, push ups with no shirt, banging into a tree over & over, clapping, line dancing to techno music... very entertaining. It was nice walking throught the pretty gardens. A garbage truck passed us, palaying "My Heart Will Go On." I then met up with the whole group to visit the famous Terracotta Warriors. We watched a movie first on 360 degree screens, telling us all about the history of the site. The 6000+ terracotta warriors were built over 2000 yrs ago by an emporer who wanted them in his tomb for afterlife protection. It took over 40 yrs & 720 000 people to build them all, but only 1 year after he died the tomb was invaded & destroyed. Kinda funny. Anyway, the broken relics were found about 30yrs ago, and they have been restored. Its pretty impressive seeing the 2000 soldiers on display in the main pit, but after a while it got a little boring (there are only so many different photos you can get!). Headed back into Xi'an and explored Culture Street (lots of souvenier shops). We rode bicycles on top of the wall which surrounds the city- 14km all up! Was completely flat though, so fairly easy. Was cool to see the city below. Some of the apartment blocks were very derelict. We watched the 'sunset'- basically the sun disappearing into the pollution haze. That night we went to an all-you-can-eat buffet (what a pig!). In the morning I had a little wander around with another girl. We took a wrong turn and ended up in the local food market- first was fresh seafood & nuts, but as we got further in we found raw meat... including whole dog & sheep carcasses- so disgusting! We got out of there, and bought some dumplings, the boarded yet another overnight train, this time heading for Chengdu.

zhongwei & the tenga desert

During the train journey, I saw a lot of different scenery- mountains, dry plains, narrow channels... however the most interesting part was passing a massive military operation! It seemed that they had been camping for a training exercise, but they were loading a lot of trucks & cannons onto a cargo train, with about 30 tanks in the background! A little unnerving. On arrival in Zhongwei, we walked through the centre of town, which was bigger than I expected (although nothing compared to Beijing!). A day trip out of town took us past high mountains, where we stopped at a tiny village on the Yellow River (more a collection of a few mud houses than a village really). We went goat-skin rafting, which was exactly as it sounds. Inflated goat skins tied together, with some sticks & cushions on top. You could actually see the shape of the goat's legs still! Was a very unique, peaceful & cool experience- floating down the river, seeing nothing except mountains, several houses, sheep and goats. The only downside was the extreme cold & slight drizzle. We ate dinner in the local food markets which was delicious- dumplings & filled pita bread for under $2! The whole day we didn't see one other tourist which was great. The next morning we left for our camel trek & overnight stay in the Tenga Desert (right on the edge of Inner Mongolia). We stopped on the way to see a very ancient part of the Great Wall made out of packed mud. We met up with our convoy of 20 camels and 4 drivers. It was really fun trekking on the camels! It was nice & slow, and VERY bumpy going down the hills. We passed through low scrub at first, but soon it was just sand dunes into the distance! After about 2 hours we stopped for a break. We ate lunch, collected firewood for the night, went sand-toboganning & played hacky-sack. Once the drivers had rounded up the camels after letting them roam free for lunch, we travelled a bit further then set up camp for the night. After collecting more firewood & putting up the tents, we sat around the fire drinking & toasting marshmallows. It got quite cold so we stuck close to the flames. Our BBQ dinner took about 4 hrs to cook all the food, as it was so tiny! I tried very strong rice wine (yuk!) that the camel drivers were drinking like water! One of the girls in the group was celebrating her birthday, so we had firecrackers & cupcakes & a singing candle. We retreted to our freezing tents, and I was grateful for the 6 layers of clothing I was wearing! After a pretty shocking sleep on hard, slopey ground, I got up early & explored the surrounding dunes. After the drivers had a few big swigs of rice wine, we were ready to leave. We trekked for about 2 hrs, then met up with our minibus & civilization! I really enjoyed my camel experience! We killed time back in Zhongwei, before buying some 'Great Wall' red wine & having a bit of a food stall crawl at the markets. After stuffing ourselves, we boarded the night train to Xi'an.

Beijing Part 2

After checking out of my crappy hostel (yay!) I went to the meeting point hotel for my China tour group. Was luxury! I went out and got lunch, and a Chinese girl got talking to me as she was passing my table. She was very friendly, and I think she wanted to parctice her English... we ended up chatting for about 1 and a half hours! I went back to my hotel room, where I had flowers waiting for me that Kearrin had arranged to be delivered! Very spoilt! Met with my group and leader, then we went to a Beijing (Peking) duck restauarnt. Had a massive banquet, with the famous Beijing duck- the chefs carve it in front of you, before we placed it in little pancake things, with a dipping sauce... delicious. But all the food was amazing. In the morning we headed out to the Great Wall, to the Simitai section. This part is a bit quieter than the main section, which was a bonus. When our local guide was quizzing us about the wall, and asked why it was built, every Aussie answered "To keep the rabbits out!" (Too much TV!) Was really cool, you could see the wall winding along the mountains into the distance. I climbed quite quick, which was difficult as it was very steep in some parts. The view at the top (well, as far as we could go) was spectacular! I enjoyed the solitude, before heading back down. I caught a flying fox down to the exit point (was pretty tame). We drove back to Beijing via the Olympic Park; they are building some very bizarre stadiums! We enjoyed another banquet dinner, even better food than the previous evening! A few of us headed out to explore the city; we found a cosy little bar & enjoyed a beer & popcorn before calling it a night. The next morning we had a local breakfast of dumplings & pancakey thing. [My stories tend to all involve food, as it is so good over here!] We also saw a random police speech/gathering out the front of KFC, complete with the SWAT taem! We hired a local guide to show us around Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City museum. There were a LOT of people at the square, including a few school groups & some very cute toddlers. Our guide told us some very interesting facts about the Forbidden City... there are 9999 rooms in the palace as 9 was considered lucky, one of the Emporers had about 3600 concubines. The City was very impressive and large, however the 2 main biuldings were closed for renovation which was disappointing. There was a nice garden area which the Emporers used for relaxing, which I enjoyed. We went to lunch- yet another shared banquet, and again better than the others! After stuffing ourselves silly, a few of us went to emplore the hutongs, which are small tradiational alleys. They used to be all around Beijiing, but many are being destroyed to make way for new buildings. It was really nice, walking by a lake & going through the quiet hutongs. You wouldn't guess that the madness of Beijing was only a few blocks away! That night we saw a Chinese Acrobat show, which was amazing, they were so talented! There was a bit of everything: tiny guys doing flips off a see saw; three extremely flexible girls; intertwining together; a crazy balancing act; girls doing tricks with Yo Ho Diablos (they are making a comeback!); leaping through hoops; then bicycle tricks- human pyramid & 12 girls on 1 bike! I was so impressed. We boarded the train the next day, headed for Zhongwei.

beijing- 14 million people + me

My first impressions of the city... cold, rainy, absolutely huge place, massive police prescence, but even bigger McDonald's prescence! Didn't have too much difficulty in finding the youth hostel I had booked, although I wish I didn't find it- not the nicest place! Bathroom was disgusting, but had my own room so it was OK. Martin, my friend from Xiamen, turned up in Beijing so we did a little sightseeing together again. We explored Wangfujing Street, which is a lrge pedestrian-only street right near my hostel. A lot of fancy shopping complexes there. We battled the crowds at Tiananmen Square, and went in the entrance to the Forbidden City, but I didn't have the stamina to go into the Museum Palace. For dinner we went to a famous dumpling restaurant- pork dumplings were delicious! My new favourite food. The next morning, we persevered through the rain and headed to the Summer Palace. It was a good call, as the weather cleared up but there still weren't too many tourists about. The palace was a very beautiful place- a huge complex set around a lake, with lots of buildings, gardens and temples. The architecture was stunning, particularly in the Tower of Buddhist Incense and Garden of Virtue & Harmony. It was a very peaceful place when walking through the gardens & windy paths. After a tiring few hours of walking around, we headed back into the city via bus- certainly an experience! It is extremely cheap to catch the bus, so a LOT of people do it. I had to stand the whole way, crammed in the aisle, yet at each stop more people would get on! They were almost hanging out the door. We got off halfway and switched to the subway, which was much more comfortable! On the Sunday, I caught the bus to the Temple of Heaven. There was another man who got off at the same stop so we explored the place together. Was very beautiful there, very peaceful, and not too many tourists again. And it was perfect weather too! Enjoyed the morning just wandering through the trees & temples, and admiring the temples & structures. Had a hot-pot style lunch, where you cook your own food in boiling water, but I think we chose dud ingredients- not very tasty. After filling in the afternoon at my hostel, I had dinner at Wangfujing Street.

34hr train trip to Beijing

My hard sleeper was actually very comfortable! I had the bottom bunk, in an open-ended cabin which sleeps 6. There was only one other guy (Chinese) in the room, so it was nice and quiet. However I was in the middle of organising my stuff when it hit 10.30pm- lights out! Luckily I had a torch. I was woken in the morning, very early, by the train staff opening the curtains up. As I was about to eat some breakfast, a man came over with his little girl. He looked quite amused & interested in the fact that I was on the train, although he spoke no English. I had a little Chinese phrasebook that one of the guys on my last tour had given me, and it came in so handy! For about an hour, we just pointed at different words and phrases- it was so entertaining! He made himself right at home, sitting on my poor bunkmate's bed, and putting his stinky feet up on mine! After trying to explain that I wasn't married (one of the questions in the book) I showed him a photo of Kearrin, and it got the thumbs up! Go Kiz! I got my Vegemite out, and offered the three of them a little taste on some crackers. They seemed to enjoy it, although they weren't keen for seconds! After they went back to their cabin, I relaxed for a few hours- reading, taking photos, listening to music... was really good. Nap time arrived in the early afternoon when the curtains got closed. I was also visited by anothe family, with the young boy asking me a few questions in English- he was getting a real kick out of it. They gave me some sunflower seeds to eat, which was generous I thought. Later in the evening, a lot of the Chinese women changed into their flanelette PJ's! I thought I was going to get a good night's sleep, until 2 new passengers arrived in my cabin, who turned out to be chronic snorers! After being woken up VERY early by a loud conversation between the guard & the snorers, I prepared for my arrival in the nation's capital, Beijing.

xiamen, my intro to china

Inside Xiamen airport, I saw only one other Westerner, and he was leaving, so that's a bad sign! I bought a map of the city, and tried to ask the ladies at the information desk if they knew where any of the hotels were that I had found on the internet. They barely spoke English, but they pointed me to a hotel across from the airport. The hotel was completely full (but way out of my price range anyway), however the girl at the front desk told me to head to the train station, as there were more places there. She called a cab for me, and after a bit of hassle with the driver (who spoke no English), I made it to Xiamen Zhan (train station). I headed to the info desk there, to see if they could help me, and again was directed to a nearby hotel. To my dismay, the hotel told me there were no rooms available there either! Apparently, I had arrived in the middle of China's National Day celebrations, where the Chinese are on vacation for an entire week! I began to panic, as it was about 10.30pm, I had no bed for the night, and it looked like every hotel in the city would be full of Chinese holiday makers! Thankfully, they discovered they did in fact have one room left, and I snapped it up (even though it was $50- ruined the budget with that one!). It was nice to enjoy a comfy bed & proper shower after my crappy Bangkok hotel. In the morning, I asked if there was anywhere to use the internet, as I was keen to find another cheaper hotel in Xiamen. They led me into their office to use the business computer! After ringing around, and hearing "We are full" too many times, I decided to try and buy a train ticket out of there. To my surprise (and joy), I was able to book a hard sleeper ticket to Beijing for that evening. Afterchecking out of the hotel, I was going to wander around & fill in time before the train left at 10pm. I didn't get far along the streetwhen a young Chinese guy introduced himslef & we got chatting. Martin was from a differnt part of China, and was also visiting Xiamen. We did some sightseeing, heading to Gu Lang Yu, a small island off the coast of Xiamen. We caught the speedboat across the harbour which was fun! The island was very popular with the Chinese tourists, it was pretty busy. We walked around the paved streets (there are no cars or bicycles on the island) and visited a small museum. The beach was packed- a few people swimming close to the shore in the dead flat water, some on paddle boats, and a lot sitting in deck chairs. I am glad I went to Gu Lang Yu, it was much nicer & more interesting than the highrises around my hotel. Martin & I caught the jam-packed ferry back to the mainland, then wandered around the famous walking-street in downtown Xiamen. We were desperate for some dinner, but there was mostly just clothing stores. The few restaurants that we found were far too busy. We ate some food off the street- some yummy meat on a stick (when I asked what it actually was, Martin's answer was simply 'meat') and delicious pastry-custard scrolls. After catching a taxi back to my hotel, we found a tiny local restaurant to eat dinner- was delicious! My first proper Chinese meal! Time was ticking away though, and I ended up running to the station to be sure I wouldn't miss the train (although Martin carried my bag for me so it wasn't too hard!).

back in bangkok

After being woken up quite early to have the bunks refolded into chairs, we arrived in the city of Bangkok at around 6.30am. This also marked the official end of my Laos tour, however most of the group was would be around Bangkok for the next few days. It was far too early for anyone to check into their rooms, so we enjoyed a massive buffet breakfast at the Royal Hotel, before headed to a very sleepy Khao San Road. I went to the internet cafe to sort some credit card stuff out (still!) and when I returned to meet the others at about 8am they had already started drinking beer! As there was again nothing else to do, I agreed to join in. Not the smartest start to the day! I went to find a cheap hotel room, whilst the others kept drinking! One of the boys left for his flight home very pissed. That night I watched the Kiwis in the World Cup, but I am afraid I got too over it and didn't stay to watch Australia! Had some more drinks, then headed to The Club on Khao San. Was a pretty fun place- good dance music, cool lighting, an empty dance floor to run amok, and we had glow sticks! Was lots of fun, until we decided to drink Sang Som buckets! As always, this was a bad idea. I remember the night, up until the point where I was sharing my 2nd bucket... Next thing, I woke up in the morning in my hotel room (which is a good sign!), with a bottle of water next to the bed, so I had gone home via the 7-11! Felt very very ill the next day. Left my room when I felt ready, at about 1.30pm! I headed to the Pinklao Shopping Centre with Adam, a guy from my group. We went to the cinema and saw 1408, a John Cusack movie. Was really scary & really good- go see it when it comes out. It was good to sit in the air-con whilst I was feeling so seedy. Before the movie started, everyone in the cinema (us included) stood for the playing of 'We Love The King'- a montage of photos & a song of how much the Thais love their King. We had a wander around the shops afterwards, and I saw a camera that I really wanted to replace the one I broke in Vientiane (I am hate not being able to take photos!). However, I had no money in my account so no sale! We headed back to Khao San & I tried to stomach some dinner. I was still feeling pretty crappy from the night before so went to bed early. In the moring, I met up with the people who had stayed on in Chiang Mai, and we went back to the shopping centre, I bought my camera (yay) and the girls bought some clothes etc. There was a random Thai rock bad playing centre stage, but they were pretty hopeless! It sounded just like they were tuning their instruments or jamming, not properly playing, but heaps of people were watching them! back at Khao San, it was very very empty. Hardly any stalls were out, and lots of police were around. I am not sure if it was quiet cos it was a Monday, or whether something serious was going on. Whatever the reason, it was boring! Had a last dinner with the people from my tour group, before some drinks at Gulliver's. When they all headed out to find a Ping Pong show, I went back to my hotel. The next morning I had a lot to organise, as I was flying to China in the afternoon! I finally got my replacement credit card at last. After a last farewell, I boarded a mini bus headed for the airport. After checking in, I wandered around the expensive duty free shops, had some Hungry Jack's & went to my departure gate. It was tucked away in a tiny forgotten corner of the huge airport. After a LOT of waiting, the check-in staff arrived, after the original departure time. Everybody was very pushy, with no regard for the queue! Once we were through the desk, we had to board a standing-room only Air Asia bus to get to the actual plane! Took about 5minutes- that's how huge the sirport is. And to my amusement, I was right near the bus door, so all that pushing got the other people nowhere! There was no allocated seating on the flight, so I chose an aisle seat. Some of the Chinese men on the plane were real pigs. One had his dirty feet all over the seat. Another man was eating an orange and spitting the seeds onto the floor. Then, on landing, immediately after the plane landed, whilst we were still going really fast, he stood up & got his bag out of the overhead compartment so he would be first off! He left the door open, and the poor flight attendant had to get up & close it. She yelled at him, but fell over cos we were going so fast. I felt so sorry for her. I made a big point of thanking her as I was leaving the plane. After exiting via the staircase, I was in China!

two days in a boat along the mekong river

Although two full days stuck in a boat sounds horrible, it was actually great! It was by far the best form of transport I have taken so far. It had a nice cool breeze, room to move around, comfy seats, space to play cards, beautiful scenery... very relaxing. It was good to do nothing, and not feel guilty about it! The outlook was spectactular- very jungly, with scattered tiny villages, children playing, water buffalo grazing. We stayed overnight in Pakbeng, a very tiny town. There were only a handful of restaurants in town, and I was very frightened that my choice of Indian would backfire on me, but I was fine. The town's power supply is turned off at 10pm, so no lights, but more importantly, no fan!! In the morning, power returned at 6.30am, so I was able to have a warm shower. The annual power boat race was happening that day, and was a very big deal for the village- people headed to Pakbeng from all over, so we had to leave before all the commotion began. The novelty of river travel was wearing a little thin, but a slept for a while to make the day go quicker! Some of the people in my group played cards almost non stop- I have no idea how they lasted 6 hours! We arrived in Houy Xai in the late afternoon, which was a slightly larger riverside village/town. We had a huge deck area of a local restaurant to ourselves which was great. And my meal was one of the first! I bought a bottle of Glen's Vodka to share for $6 (AUD). It didn't taste that bad actually! I stayed up for a while, but there wasn't much happening in Houy Xai so went to bed. After breakfast in the morning, we walked 100m down the street, to the river's edge to immigration. After passing the easiest border inspection of the trip, we got a little boat across the river, and had arrived in Thailand!! We took mini buses for the 4hr journey to Chiang Mai. It felt different to Laos instantly- the cars were on the opposite side of the road & the drivers were crazy again! It was much busier & more developed. We drove through some very flooded roads at some points. I only had 2 hrs to spend in Chiang Mai, before boarding the overnight train to Bangkok. All I really saw was the restaurant where I ate lunch... a little place called McDonalds! Half the group were staying in Chiang Mai for a few extra nights, so after a rushed goodbye we boarded the train. The sleeper seats were upright chairs for the daytime, then at about 10pm they got folded in bunk beds. We began drinking at 5pm cos there was nothing else to do! Three of us headed to the dining carriage to keep drinking once the beds were made, but we got kicked out soon after as the tables become staff sleeping quarters!

luang prabang

After a long day crossing spectacular mountains, we arrived in Luang Prabang in the early evening. It is a nice little town, with everything within walking distance from our guesthouse. Our group dinner that night had excellent service, which was such a nice change! Some of us went to the Hive bar, down by the river. It was a really cool place, playing normal music, including The Streets! I drank Lao vodka, which is quite strong stuff! At one point the power went off, so we sat around in candlelight. As the 12 o'clock curfew approached, we made our way back home. In the morning half the group went to the Tad Sai waterfall, which was absolutely amazing. As we entered the gates, we passed an enclosure with four elephants in it. They reached out at us with their trunks which was really cool. The falls were actually made up of multi levelled terraces, all cascading down into a big pool area. It was so good! The water was so clear & refreshing. The rocks between the levels weren't slippery at all, so we could walk up & down the falls. The current was so powerful when I tried to stand under the waterfall. It was so relaxing just lazing about in the water, and there weren't too many people about either (except for a few dodgy tourists swimming in their Y-fronts!!). The elephants even enjoyed a swim in the pool, although I made sure I stayed upstream of where they were afterwards! After lunch, we hung about in the water a bit longer, then followed a steep walking track up to the top of the hill. Was a nice view from there, and also another section of the waterfall. The day was a close second to the tubing in Vang Vieng! That night I did a little bit of shopping at the markets, before having an early sleep. The next morning I got a massage from the Lao Red Cross, which was excellent! I wasn't sure that I could get any more relaxed, but somehow I did! In the afternoon, I filled in time by drinking beer. We ate dinner at avegetarian street stall, which was the best- 5000 kip (about 60 cents) to fill your plate up with noodles, vegies, rice, etc. They even heat up your selection in the wok so it is piping hot! We sat at big communal tables, and got chatting to some Aussies. Afterwards, I bought a few last things at the night markets, then met the others at the local bowling alley! Unfortunately, I am still hopeless at bowling in Laos! Only could manage one game. The locals in the lane next to us were having a great time- high fives all around for no apprent reason. The best thing about the bowling alley is that is stays open serving beer as late as you want, even after curfew! They had microwave butter popcorn which reminded me of home- was delicious. We caught a tuk tuk home, ready for an early morning.

vang vieng

We arrived in Vang Vieng in the early afternoon. We had to walk through what I thought was a big car park to get to our hotel, but it was actually the air strip! A few of us hired bicycles and rode 7km out to Blue Lagoon swimming hole. Our bikes were definately not designed to ride on bumpy dirt roads! At one point I passed a group of young school kids, and before I knew it one of the little boys had jumped on my bike on the back seat! As he was getting a free ride, the rest of them ran along side, hanging on to him. They all took turns, getting off when we passed their houses! Was hilarious, but very hard work up the hills. The pool was really cool & refreshing, just what I needed. We couldn't stay too long, as it was getting late & I wasn't too keen to ride back in the dark. It was a very beautiful sunset, with the huge cliffs in the distance. At dinner that night, after waiting over an hour, I asked whether my meal had been started yet, and all I got was a blank look- they had totally forgot my order! Was fine though, because I had a milo, chocolate & banana pancake from a street stall instead! We headed out for some drinks, but there is a curfew at midnight, and if you are caught out afterwards the police can fine you hundreds of dollars. We were told about one place that stays open by paying off the cops, so we checked it out. It was quite seedy, and also part brothel, so I didn't stay very long! The next day half the group went kayaking, whilst the others (including me) went tubing down the river. It doesn't sound like much, floating along with the current in a huge tyre inner tube, but it was the best day of my whole trip! Firstly we walked through a small village to get to a swimming hole, and we relaxed there for a while. We then went on our tubes into a kilometre-long cave. We were decked out in head lamps with huge battery packs around our necks, that were thankfully waterproof, although looking at how ancient they were I am not sure how. The entrance to the cave was only just big enough for the tube, so I had to duck very low. It was really cool inside, it opened up a little bit, but it was still slightly claustrophobic. We got off our tubes at one point and had a walk around to explore, and then we floated back down to the entrance. Lunch was delicious, including a little taste of dog (it was actually good!). Then the real tubing began. For the rest of the day, we bobbed along with the current down the river, while soaking up the sun. There were a few mini rapids, but mostly it was a very relaxing pace. There are bars scattered alongside the river, so we stopped at 2. Because its quite difficult to control where you are going against the current, the people at the bars throw ropes at you to pull you in, but I struggled a bit! The first bar had everything- music, volleyball, boules, drinks, and best of all, a trapeze jump swing, 12m above the river! It took me half an hour to work up the courage to have a go on the swing, but I was so glad I did it- so much fun! (scary though) After meandering further downstream, slightly tipsy, we stopped at the Last Bar. It had another swing (not as high), but we just sat back and enjoyed the scenery... and a drink or 2. As we left the bar, the day was getting on, and it was a bit chilly sitting in the water when the sun was behind the cliffs. I had such an amazing day, its very hard to explain why it was so good! The next morning I was very sad to be leaving Vang Vieng, I would have loved to stay longer. We boarded the public bus again for about 8 hrs of travel.

laos- vientiane

My entry into laos began with a 6 hr train journey to the Vietnam-Laos border, then a stopover that night at a random border town called Vinh. The hotel was a bit strange- a few stuffed deer & cats in the lobby, and what I assumed to be prostitutes going into the back room with different Vietnamese men. We left very early the next morning, arriving in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, after almost 12hrs on the minibus!! Laos was already so different to the rest of Indochina that I have seen- it is a lot quieter, with no constant horn honking on the roads! It had a really relaxed & chilled atmosphere. Walking through the centre of town on our way to dinner, the streets were almost completely devoid of traffic & people- was bizarre, particularly compared to Hanoi. Our first dinner was an introduction to 'Laos time' as our guide Pauline called it- slow, slow, slow meals! Some people waited well over an hour, to be given the wrong meal in the end (this trend continued for the whole country, with one girl in my group being the last person to eat every night!). Some of the group headed out to the only club open after 12pm, which was within a huge hotel. As we arrived, 2 very drunk, old Laos men were being dragged out the door. Was quite a fun night, although there was a red light section at the back of the bar! The next day, we headed out for the day on a jumbo tuk tuk to see the sights of the city. My favourite was the Buddha Park, which had heaps of huge, unique sculptures & buddhas, in a big green park by the Mekong River. It was really cool. We also saw Phra That Luang (a massive gold temple) and Patuxai (Arc de Triomphe), which had a great view of the city. That afternoon we cooled of in a swimming pool we found at another hotel. Dinner that evening was great, although we didn't leave till after 10pm, by the time they had sorted out the bill for us! The next morning we boarded a public bus for a 6 hr journey through very stunning scenery.
P.S. I broke my camera at Phra That Luang, so I couldn't take any more photos!!! And I am onsessed with photos. So I don not own the copyright to images taken after that point...

quick update- ninh binh & hanoi

hey everyone. just wanted to let u know that i am ok (nowhere near the phuket crash)! i have had a busy few days. visited a place called ninh binh which was ok, not excellent though! it was a pretty boring town, but there was some cool sights to see. I visited Tam Coc, which is a section of the river surrounded my massive limestone cliffs, similar to Halong Bay. I also saw the national park which was good, although the long motorbike ride to get there & back was quite painful! I spent 2 more nights in hanoi, had a really fun time staying at a backpackers hostel, its run by 2 Aussies so everything is really clean & set up so well. I was pretty lazy this second time in Hanoi, but I arrived at the hostel on free beer night, so I couldn't resist! Had bit of a drama yesterday when i was checking my net banking, somebody stole my credit card details somehow, but not my actual card. they spent about $2400 online! had to cancel the card & now the investigation into the fraud will take about a month. but it should all work out, there is no way i am paying the bank the money! i am leaving for laos this afternoon, just met my new tour group- 16 people in it! don't know how i will go learning all the names! I will update soon with more photos & news. :-)

sapa

I have just returned to Hanoi after 4 great days in mountainous Sapa, which is 400km north. It took an overnight train to reach Lao Cai, which is on the Chinese-Vietnamese border. This was followed by a 1hr bus trip, which was delayed for a while as a big mudslide was cleared off the road! I met 2 Dutch girls on the bus, and we shared a room together for the first night. The town of Sapa is used as a base to trek to & visit nearby ethnic minority tribes. All the surrounding scenery is so different to the rest of Vietnam that I have seen on my trip. Parts of the mountains are cut into stunning terraced rice paddies. The climate is much cooler here (I had to wear a jacket!) and there are lots of clouds & mist as we are so high above sea level. We walked to Cat Cat village which is quite close to Sapa, and saw the powerful waterfall. However, the water was really brown from heavy rainfull the night before. We headed back to town & wandered around the shops, and were harrassed by the local tribeswomen selling handicrafts. They dress in their traditional embroidered clothes, but I did see one of them talking on her mobile, so I don't know how authentic everything is! The next day we bumped into 2 guys (Aussie & British) that the girls had met in Hanoi, so they joined us on a motorbike ride out to Ta Van & Lao Chai villages. We trekked between the two places, seeing the different minority groups along the way. Some of the villagers trekked the whole way with us in the hope that we would buy something, and I felt so guilty in the end that I gave in! Our drivers then took us out to Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall) which was really cool. We were going to continue along the road, which is supposed to have awesome views but there was too must mist. When we got back into town I had a TINY ride of the motorbike in the street- I didn't crash into anything! Was lots of fun, I can't wait to learn properly, but on roads that don't hug the cliff edge! The girls headed back to Hanoi in the afternoon. I discovered an amazing cafe that does the best desserts (ended up going there 3 times while in Sapa!). The next day Chris (the Aussie guy) & I went out on a bike to see Ban Ho village, which is a little further out from Sapa town. At some points the road was a bit muddy & wet, had to close my eyes cos I was scared! But we made it down safely. This village was a bit less touristy, the people seemed much friendlier & were just in normal clothes. A local showed us how to get to a waterfall (had to climb over the school yard fence!). It was really cool, with a big swimming hole underneath. I was so keen to swim in the cool water but didn't have my togs with me. That night I bumped into an Aussie girl that I met at the swimming hole. On my last day in Sapa, the 2 of us visited yet another village, Ta Phin, via motorbike. We had a little walk around, and got invited into a lady's house. All her friends turned up, so it was cosy sitting around in little chairs! Luckily Therese bought lots of stuff off them so I didn't have to feel guilty. As we were leaving the house, the lady gave us a cob of corn each- was delicious! Her daughter guided us through the caves, which were marked on the tourist map. Wasn't a whole lot to see though! Was very dark & slippery, and we had to crouch down most of the way, but I'm glad I saw it (my legs are still a bit sore though!). After heading back to Sapa town we ate lunch, then relaxed before catching the night train back to Hanoi. I arrived here this morning at 4.30am so I am pretty tired! I still have a few days to kill before my Laos tour starts on Tuesday, so I am heading to Ninh Binh tomorrow morning.

hanoi & ha long bay

Somehow walked around town when we arrived in Hanoi at 6am. Saw Hoam Kiem Lake, but couldn't be bothered to walk around it- seemed too energetic for me. We explored more of the town including the Old Quarter. We watched the Water Puppet show, which was hilarious, and so clever! Bizarre as expected, but impressive. The puppeteers have to stand in a pool for about an hour during the show, to make the puppets appear as though they move through the water. All the songs were in Vietnamese, but I had a bit of idea what was going on thanks to the program. The next morning we headed out to Ha Long Bay. The landscape was so stunning, with huge cliffs jutting out of the calm water. Photos can't do it justice. Had a big seafood lunch, before exploring one of the caves on a tiny island. The cave was massive inside, with beautiful limestone surroundings. We were able to swim at a sheltered spot in the bay. I can proudly say I was the first person to jump off the top deck into the water, even beating the 3 guys in the group! The water was so refreshing. We reached Cat Ba Island, our port for the night. Went for a walk around the cliffside to see the beaches, and caught the brief sunset, before it disappeared behind the clouds. We attempted to have a big night out, but with lack of good bars & our exhaustion, we piked out pretty early! (What a party animal, hey) It was quite overcast the next day, which was a shame beacuse there wasn't much to do apart from sit on the beach. Instead we got some moto drivers to take us around part of the island, saw the view from the top of the mountain & visited another beach. However, when they tried to make us pay more money we decided to walk back! Lazed around for the afternoon, before catching the ferry & bus back to Hanoi. It was quite sad, being the last night of the tour! Very strange to be leaving Hannah, Aideen & Ben, as we have been hanging out together for the last month! The next morning most of the group left early apart from Hannah. We went for a huge walk around Hanoi (my thongs felt much thinner afterwards), and organised our transport out of the city.

hue

It was Vietnam National Day when we arrived in Hue, so we visited the Citadel (Forbidden Purple City) as it was free! However, this meant that it was VERY busy, and adding that to the heat & tiredness meant I didn't enjoy this massive walled city as much as I could have. Some very cool architecture though. We watched the Miss Vietnam pageant on TV, which was pretty funny. The next morning walked around the town early to avoid the heat, saw the local market. Caught a boat across the Perfume River back to our hotel. Went to the beach, which was totally empty apart from shade huts & people trying to make us buy overpriced food. Was pretty nice & relaxing, although I think our taxi driver scammed us a bit, by taking us to his mate's section of the beach. When he dropped us off, he simply lay down & began watching TV with them! Tan took us for another cycle in the afternoon, which was great as always. Passed through small villages before reaching the open countryside. There was just green for miles either side of the road. A huge storm began building as we reached the middle of nowhere, was very eerie. Somehow we managed to ride around it and avoid getting drenched. Stopped at a poor village and gave some families basics like noodles & cooking oil, and schoolbooks & pens. Over 15km riding in total! On the Tuesday we went for a motorbike tour, which was great fun (I want a motorbike!). My driver was very helpful, pointing out things for me, like hospital, school, pagoda... dogs! Visited Tu Duc Tomb, where the King spent his holidays, before being buried there. Was a very extravagant complex! Went to a pagoda, and saw monks doing their twice daily chanting. We visited a village to see how conical hats are made (there is a secret picture in some of them) as well as incense. THEN, yet another overnight train!