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.