Rosie & Jim's travels

Well, we have been on Ko Tao for over two weeks now and we absolutely love the place! Our resort is really good, on a quiet part of the beach. There aren't many people here, in fact looking around now we seem to be the only people here! We are spending our days relaxing on the White sand and swimming in the turquoise water. A hard life I know!

Yesterday we hired a quad bike for the day to do an offroad tour of the island. I had been eagerly awaiting this day, and so couldn't sleep the night before anticipating the fun to be had the next day!!

The tracks across the island are mental, with some inclines/declines where it felt the bike was going to flip over. We had a few close calls when going down hill and the rear wheels decided to kick out sideways and prompt screams in my ear from Rosie! We were okay though, obviously down to my skills as driver!...

The scariest part was when we approached a goat sleeping on the track. I gave it a courteous beep of the horn, which only serve to annoy it even more and so it began stamping it's feet and getting ready for a fight. May I also add that this goat was massive and was endowed with the biggest 'balls' I have ever seen! Easily enough to make me back down from confrontation and reverse away! Especially when it went up on it's hind legs after Rosie encouraged me to 'just drive straight at it'!
Luckily we were rescued by the goats owner who shouted at it and threw an empty beer bottle at it!

We ended up having a really good day exploring the island. Rosie decided she liked to sit in front of me while I drove, so I'm sure we looked a bit daft but still had great fun.

So for now we are back to the beach, enjoying what left we have of the sun. We cannot believe we have less than 2 weeks left until we go home. It seems like two weeks ago we came away, and we are going to come back to that same horrible winter with the snow and ice. Instead (apparently) we have been told it is sunny back home?! Not sure if I believe that...

Anyway, for the time being we've got Bangkok to look forward to again and then 4 days in Singapore to finish off. We are really looking forward to civilisation again!

Right then, the sun is melting my iPod so best get going!

Bye for now,

xxxxx

We finally got out of Vietnam and arrived in a very hot, and also quite volatile Bangkok! You have probably all seen on the news the riots in the city, and the fact that the city was declared a 'live firing zone'. We also found this out first hand as we sat on our hotel rooftop watching fires go up around the city and the comforting sounds of gunshots helping us to relax! In out area of the city it seemed pretty normal, apart from there being clearly less tourists and the fact that the curfew was set up so at around 7pm th khao San road was like a ghost town! The riots on the news were enough to keep us indoors, as much as I would of liked to get a warm up in for Sandhurst I don't think it was the right circumstances!

Anyway, we decided we needed a good night sleep in our hotel and the next night got a bus/boat ticket down to Ko Tao, an island on the south eastern coast of the Thai peninsular. We decided to go here because the islands on the wet are getting more rain, and it is one of the closer island to Bankok. Although it was still a full night journey on the bus and 2 hours on a catamaran.

Anyway, we are sat here now on a gorgeous beach with unbelievably clear water and a huge coral reef right on our doorstep. A perfect spot for snorkelling, and we also found beach huts with sunbeds so it makes the package even better!

Our bankroll is getting lower everyday so we are having to do this on the cheap. Not easy in a place which has become pretty expensive in comparison to everywhere else we have been. We re thinking that this may be the only place we stay in Thailand, due to the fact that getting to other islands can be pricey in itself, and also in comparison Ko Tao is cheaper to live than islands such as Ko Phang Ngan and Ko Samui. So, we think were going to spend the last few weeks of our travels in this one spot. Not such a bad thing as we manage to get a cheap hut in a posh resort due to the fact it is so quiet. We are paying less here than at the budget resorts, so on that note we are quite confortable here. And anyway, I can think of places I would definately rather not be for 3 weeks!

Anyway, I think the reef is beckoning to be explored

bye for now!

Love, Rosie and Jim xxx

Well, we finally made it up to the capital of Vietnam; Hanoi on a pretty uncomfy sleeper bus through the night from Hue. Hue was nice, but very 'same same, but different' as everywhere else in Vietnam!
We didn't realise how long the country actually is until we started travelling through it! It has taken 3 weeks to make our way up and we have only really done the 'lonely planet' route and so not had too many stops.

Anyway, we arrived in Hanoi in an absolute monster of a thunderstorm. You know the one; Forest Gump describes them well! We got taken to a hotel in part of the old quarter of the city and got a cheap room. It was a dive but we just needed somewhere to crash after a dodgy 14 hour bus ride. We also decided to book a day trip out to Halong Bay, obviously we couldn't come all the way to Vietnam without missing it! We spent one day walking round Hanoi, it is very much the Asia that comes to mind when you think of it from the comfort of your living room. Thousands of people, motorbikes and animals all gettimg along with their daily work. On the street outside our hotel it was the fish and meat market, they seem to make use of every part of the animal with several stalls selling whole pigs faces and trotters. There was even one place that sold absolutely huge frogs, still alive of course! Nans idea of hell I would think!

After a hot and tiring day in the city, we got up the next day ready for our tour of Halong Bay. We were a bit sceptical as the trip was suspisciously cheap and went against all the tips in the Lonely Planet book. We have come to realise that the Lonely Planet is often not all it is cracked up to be and often gives some people a bad name for reasons we have not discovered. The trip went ahead really well and by 11.30 we were on our old Chinese style dragon boat heading out of the harbour into the bay. We were obviously really excited about seeing Halong bay, especially after how amazing it looked on Top Gear. . .

It is a massive shame to say it but it didn't really live up to my expectations. The water was murky and the weather wasn't great, which I think took away some of its beauty. I'm not going to say it wasn't amazing, because it was. Thousands of limestone peaks poking up through the water was definately an awe inspiring sight, especially when we got onto a small boat and went through a very small gap in the rock which opened out into a huge lake surrounded by cliffs. Known as 'Heavens Swimming Pool', we can definately see how it acquired its name.

We also got taken to a floating village, where people lived all year round and sold fish to the tourists. It was again slightly ruined by the fact that the fish was so expensive, so greed ruined that one I guess. However, I suppose if people will pay it then they will accept it.

After a good 5 hours exploring the bay, and a stop off at a huge cave we made our way back to the harbour where we got aboard the bus back to Hanoi. We were really pleased we did the trip, and it was definately worth doing however I think in this case a good photograph was better than our experience!

That night we got back to the hotel absolutely shattered and crashed in bed straight away. We didnt even turn on the telly. . .
The next morning we decided we were going to check out of the dive we were in, the room smelt of damp and the vibes there were not great at all, It was cheap but we decided to pay a few more dollars and move to the infamous 'Hanoi Backpackers Hostel'. It is more of an institution now with people all over vietnam wearing a vest or tshirt branded with the Hostels name across the back. We had two days to kill before our flight to Thailand so we thought we would prefer a nicer room and somewhere to meet people and have a good time.

The hostel is really cool, full of travellers who all make their way up to the roof top bar for a happy hour beer and a burger off teh barbeque. (The hostel is run by Australians so it would be a crime if they didn't fire up a BBQ!!) Anyway, that cheap beer each quickly escalated into a full blown night out. We met a group of 3 girls and one guy, who was a northerner which was a bonus, and decided to go in search of one of Hanoi's 'Bia Hoi' joints. Bia Hoi is a locally brewed fresh beer which has no preservatives in and so once the keg is opened it has to be drunk. And it gets drunk pretty easily! Especially as it costs around 12 pence a pint! So the six of us ended up squatting on playschool like kiddy seats with the locals and ended up absolutely steaming drunk after spending just a few dollars! After the keg got finished we moved onto a bar, where foolishly they had an offer on where if you can stand on one leg for two minutes you were rewarded with a free beer. I love free beer. And no matter how drunk I got I still managed to stand on one leg, win my beer, drink it and then go back and do it all again!

Rosie and I eventually staggered home at about 3am after a really good night with loads of travellers, and a hangover which was already creeping up on us. Needless to say, today we felt absolutely disgusting! We were not warned about the hangover that Bia Hoi inflicts! Luckily our hostel served us up a much needed coffee and a fry up. It hit the spot and we went back to the room and slept for a few more hours!

Were having a quiet one tonight as we have a flight tomorrow morning from Hanoi into Bangkok. Bangkok is obviously pretty dodgy at the minute so we intend on getting a bus straight down to the Islands. We're heading to Ko Tao, a quiet(ish) island popular with divers. It looks pretty cheap and weve heard good things about it so were looking forward to it. We are probably going to settle there for the last three or four weeks of our trip, to save money and have a break from travelling!

As a sort of retrospective view of Vietnam, I think it would be fair to say that we haven't felt quite as good about it as we did in India. We have found the people to be a lot more harsh, and often shout at you when they are simply trying to sell you something. Communication is incredibly hard with the locals, and we have often found that they either want to rip us off or are just down right rude. A real shame as we had high expectations about the place. Not to say we haven't enjoyed it, because we certainly have. It just didn't feel as good as India and Nepal. Plus Indian food is a million times better; a very important topic to me!

Anyway, I'll update when I get chance from Thailand.

Hope everyone is OK at home.

Nan: it was really nice to speak to you the other day, glad to hear you and Max are well. Look forward to seeing you both soon!

right, take care everyone!

P.S I realised one of my blogs didnt post properly for Saigon, so if I get chance I'll knock up a quick entry on the Southern part of 'Nam.

Well, according to Rich I'm getting slack with my blog. I do apologise but sometimes the sun and the beach is a much better option!

Anyway, after a really good relaxed week on the beach in Nha Trang, and not without a fair quantity of shrimps an scallops etc we packed up and got on a 12 hour sleeper bus north to Hoi An. However once we were on the bus we remembered that our hotel still had our passports! So in a few short sharp words with the driver I managed to get off the bus and sprint the mile or so back to the hotel
barefoot! Luckily the hotel owner drove me back at hair raising speed on his motorbike, and the journey then went on as planned! It certainly got our heart rates up!!!

The sleeper bus was a new experience for us, a lot more
modern than the ones in India so it was just about comfortable. It was not until the lights came on that we found it to be infested with cockroaches! Luckily we were on the top 'bunk' so try didn't reach us. It takes more than a few bigs to prevent me getting my sleep anyway!

So now were in Hoi An; a really nice sleepy town on a river with a really evident French colonial touch, mixed with Chinese and Japanese influence. We have noticed we are getting closer to china as the food is getting more and more like the food from the Chinese takeaway! Although not always as good may I add!

Hoi An is very much like Pushkar (to those who have been), it has a very much relaxed feel and the beer is the cheapest yet at 4000 dong!!! (27000 to a pound: you do the math!) so as you can imagine we are both very happy here, especially since Rosie has developed a Taste for a lager! Although I think the beer belly might put a limit on her enthusiasm...

One of the main attractions in Hoi An are the tailors. Similar to the tailors in Bangkok, however they are known as 'master copiers' and can replicate anything you want from one of the many western brochures they have out. We, like many others went with the intention to buy nothing... However this ended up going to pot and Rosie got measured up for a blazer, shirt and bikini! We were a bit sceptical as to how they would turn out; to say we were pleasantly surprised would be a massive understatement. The blazer was incredibly good quality and extremely well made. It looks like it could be sold in shops for several times more than Rosie paid. The san goes with the shirt and bikini, both are well made and because they are tailored to fit it would be hard to imagine how much they would set you back in England. Of course we had to remind ourselves that most of the clothes we wear at home are made out her anyway.

The fitting session ended up rubbing off on me and so I have been measured up for a smart/casual shirt. Iv asked for it in a loose fit as I have lost several kilos in the past few months. I ordered the shirt this morning and I am going back at 1600 to try it on and get any alterations made. The lady is really friendly and I clearly very enthusiastic abou our choices of clothes!

Tomorrow we are heading up to Hue for a night before an immensely long bus ride up to Halong Bay. Vietnam is so much bigger than we imagined!

Anyway, hope all is well in the UK!

Lots of love

Rosie and Jim xxx

We have come to the end of our time in Cambodia
with 4 nights in Phnom Penh- the capital
of the 'Kingdom'.

We spent the first day visiting the S-21 prison which is where Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge converted a school into a torture prison for anybody who he felt di not fit in with his regime. A very similar story to those of Hitler and Stalin.

The prison was really eerie, with all of the original bared wire, cells, instruments of torture and even blood on the floor. There was also an array of 'mugshots' of every detainee, including women and children.

Next we journeyed out to the Killing Fields at Choeng Ek, where thousands of prisoners were sent to their deaths; again very similar to Hitlers death camps.

Here it was very grim, with a display o thousands of skulls and other bones of the victims, as well as the weapons used to carry out the executions such as hoes, bamboo clubs and shovels: bullets were very precious so bludgeoning to death wa common. There was even a tree where executioners used to hold babies by their feet and smash their heads off the tree, then just throwing then into one of many mass graves.

Often we found ourselves walking across bones which rise up from the ground after rain. It was a very humbling experience for sure.

Phnom penh itself is nothing spectacular, the best parts are the beer at about 30pence a pint and the night Market Whig hav food stalls Which put even the hardest carnivores to the test. I found myself eating 'pigs face', Quail with it's innards and head still there, chickens feet and many other 'delicacies'! I was happy to try it all howeer I wouldn't be running back for a pigs ear dinner!

We have found some people very pushy ad unfriendly compared to other countries, when it comes to haggling especially. We are certainly ready to move to Vietnam! which luckily is tomorrow! We are getting a bus at 06:00 to Saigon which seems very good. There should be plenty to do and we've hear it's a lot more traveller friendly on the whole!

Anyway, going to get away and start packing for 'nam!

Love,

Rosie and Jim