The end of our Asian Adventure...
is near. Our time here at Pattaya has been soothingly relaxing. We've beached and bar-hopped, what more do you need?! Luke and I have been filling our days by buying snacks at the 7-11 and sitting and/or lying on the beach. A dreadfully hard life. This weekend we went and checked out some of the local markets which were really great. Much like the Khao San Road markets misus the barganing. (Everything is already pretty cheap.) I, not surprisingly, have bought abundantly. A really great feeling. And last night we went to Walking Street and checked out the very neon-lit bar scene. This is a single boys heaven. It really is. (Luke's soccer team take note. A fabulous location for, say, an end of season trip... Stay at my Dad's guest house! It's really great! ;) It was also hilarious when people on the street tried to convince us to come watch one of the ever so popular "sexy shows" (they seem to really like those here), but then realised there was a cop (my Dad's business partner's gf) with us and just as quickly retracted their offer. Funny! Also, just a random note, the hooker heels per capita here are astounding.
We really don't have much to report because we have been
that lazy. We are storing energy for our European Extravaganza. We fly out of Bangkok to Zurich on Australia Day so another reason to celebrate! It's really weird and extremely sad that the tropical and enjoyably cheap portion of our World Tour is coming to an end. We have met some really great people and seen some incredible sights so the feeling is bitter sweet. In one instance I wonder where the time went and in the next I feel as though we have been away from home for ages. Time really flies when you are somewhere tropical!
Battambang, Bangkok and a bit of beach...
We left Siem Reap for Battambang via river boat and an enjoyable eight hours it wasn't. It was ok sitting on the roof watching as the driver tried to navigate his way through the shallows of the river, but below deck was another story. Somewhat warm and at times, intimate, it wasn't the best of times. When we finally arrived in Battambang, the non lazy people on our tour (aww kidding guys. Bless.) went and had a look around. We rode motorbikes through the town (which really scared the crap of me) before we arrived at the Bamboo Train Station - a bamboo train being a sheet of bamboo nailed together sitting on top of some spare train wheels with an engine on the back and a lovely nylon mat to sit on. It was great. It took us through some of the villages and the city and it really was good times. Quite fun. We got back to the city centre and wandered around the markets and walked back to the hotel. That night we had our last Cambodian dinner and headed in for an early night as a Really Long Boat Ride can Really Take It Out Of You.
The next day we headed to the Thai border and said a sad goodbye to Cambodia and our Cambodian tour guide. However, finally getting through immigration made it very easy to ease into Thailand. And lucky for us we had an airconditioned bus waiting to take us to Bangkok. A much better option than the public bus. Those who know the public buses in Asia will know what I am talking about! I have to say arriving into Bangkok was a bit of a shock. It is so modern! Heaps of designer stores and everything. My kind of city. That evening we headed out to the night markets and the bars of Patpong. Never again. Those bars are gross. As Adam says "about as erotic as a stubbed toe." Word.
The next day we went on a city tour starting with a boat ride through the city. It was so much fun. It was like a ride you would go on at Dream World or something. Really great. What proceeded was a morning of some temples, some buddas, some palaces and a shooting gallery (go figure). We saw the Golden Budda, which was really pretty and the Reclining Budda, which is unbelivable. It's something like 45m long by 15m high. Amazing. The Grand Palace was also amazing. I have never seen so much bling in my life. Gold, jewels, silver it was blingier than Beyonce! However, unfortunately for us, it was a sweltering hot day in Bangkok and the unfortunate dress code of long pants and tshirts didn't add to the experience. I was a bit dissapointed in myself as all I could think about was airconditioning and McDonalds. But despite that, it was still pretty fabulous. Fabulous probably being the most appropritate word in this case! That afternoon was dedicated to shopping so we headed to one of the big malls, but we all had markets on our minds. A big group of us met up for some market shopping and we shopped til we almost dropped. But after an unfortunate misunderstanding between the group about where we were supposed to meet up for dinner, a bunch of us ended up at Khoa San Road (the markets were so much better there. Stupid Street.) and the boys were left waiting at an Irish Pub. Funnily enough we ended up eating at an Irish Pub on Khoa San. Hilarious.
Today was a bit more somber as we said our farewells. It was a really fantastic tour and Luke and I both really enjoyed the company of everyone we met. It was great. But the show had to go on as we then headed to tourist town of Pattaya (where my Dad's guest house is situated) just two hours (or less depending how crazy your driver is) south of Bangkok. And it's so great here. Heaps of beach and plently of bars. There seems to be lots of activites and water sports to do. Tomorrow we are heading out on a boat cruise with a bit of island watching and a whole lot of swimming on the cards. Luke and I plan to relax and soak up the sun before out European leg of our World Tour gets started.
Reaping rewards in Siem Reap!
We are here in Siem Reap in Cambodia and really enjoying every minute of it! Today is a rest day so Luke and I are just chilling and heading out for a massage soon. I tell you what though, we totally need it. We arrived here two days ago and it has been pretty full on. It was a six hour drive here from Phnom Penh and then we went to the Phnom Bakheng temple at the Angkor complex to watch the sunset. I've never seen so many tourists. Wow. There were SO many people there, but it was still pretty cool. The next day we went back to Angkor and went and visited some temples. I like to call it temple-ling. We saw the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon temple, Baphuon temple, the Royal Palace and Phimeanakas temple, Prah Palilay temple, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Terrace of the Elephant, the Taprom temple and last, but certainly not least, Angkor Wat. It was all pretty amazing. We look a gazillion of pictures like the trillions of tourists there, but it was really great. Angkor Wat was freakin' spectacular. Really. Just breathtaking. We were both just in awe. It’s really crazy to think that it was all made by hand without the help of cranes and all that helpful stuff. Angkor Wat definitely was the highlight of the day.
Last night we hit pub/bar (whatever it is) street for dinner and had a fab meal and time at the Temple. There are heaps of really cool places here. The markets are also nearby, which makes it even better! It becomes a bit tiresome bargaining sometimes though. It's a bargaining war! The other day I got one of the girls on the tour to bargain some earrings down for me because I really suck at bargaining. Haha. They really like to rip tourists off here (understandable I guess). There are always so many people trying to sell you postcards or some sort of souvenir. It's getting to the point where it's really wearing me down. There are only so many postcards one person can buy. And if they get you talking to them they get annoyed when you don't buy something. It's really just darn frustrating at times. I think I’ve gotten the stern no and walk away down pat now. It sounds mean, but trust me, it has gotta be done. Otherwise I'd end up buying everything!
Tomorrow we move on from Siem Reap (*tear) and head to Battambang. I think we are going by river so that should be interesting. We have a 6.30am start time so I’m trying not to think about it. For now we are happy to relax in this very funky little town.
Cruising in Cambodes!!!
Wow. It's been an incredible week (or how ever long it has been since I last posted). Sorry it's taken us so long to update, Blogger wasn't letting me log on. Anywho, I'll start with the rest of our time in Vieters. We headed to Hoi An after Hue and let me tell you we shopped like you wouldn't believe! As the tailoring mecca of Viet Nam we felt if was our duty to take advantage of this. Luke got two suits made and I got two blazers, a dress, a jumper and a wrap top... and some boots and sandals for good measure! It wasn't as cheap as I though it would be, but still quite good. Most of our time there was rainy so we checked out all the cool little restaurants and cafes Hoi An had to offer. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable three days.
We left Hoi An for Saigon by train and as it was an overnight trip we got sleepers. We had the excellent company of two Australians (they are everywhere in Viet Nam. Seriously. There are more there than there are in Australia. Not really but you know what I mean!) and we chatted and drank beer for the majority of the ride! We arrived in Saigon at 6am slightly groggy and ready to check in to our hotel for a nap. We headed to our hotel, which was where our tour was meeting up that evening and found that it wasn't our hotel at all. The tour had changed the tour starting point and really didn't think it was necessary to inform us. Nice one. When we finally made it to the right hotel they didn't have our details, so after three calls to Australia and a lot of stressing out everything was finally sorted and we had a room!
After our nap, we headed to the War Remnants Museam, which was absolutely life-changing. There was a lot of raw information and photos of the Vietnam/American War. So shocking and very sad to see the realities of this war. Somewhere all Australians should go to if ever in Saigon.
Later that night we had our first offical group meeting and went our for dinner. The next day was pretty full on as we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Reunification Palace/Hall. The tunnels were much smaller than the ones we went to at Hue and we went into both the tourist and the unadulterated tunnels, which were still in their original form. Pretty crazy stuff. That night we went out for farewell drinks and dinner. We also ended up at a touristy bar drinking cocktails into the early morn! Luke went on a mission with one of the guys to find snake wine, but were unsuccessful. Thankfully.
Yesterday we left Saigon and now we are in Cambodia enjoying the tropical heat! We didn't do much yesterday as it took most of the day to get over the border and to drive to the capital city of Phnom Penh. We did have a wander through the Central Markets which was fun. Today was another story. A very intense day. We drove out to the the Killing Fields and visited the Genocide Museum (former S-21 Prison which, before that, used to be a school). Wow. A somber experience. It's unbelievable what the Cambodian people have been through. A must see if you are in Cambodes. Our tour guide later took us to the Russian Markets for some shopping before heading to the Royal Palace. So a pretty full-on and draining day.
Right now Luke and I are happily relaxing and checking emails and whatnot. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next as the confines of our tour sometimes makes it hard to just go to a net cafe. We have another five or so days in Cambodia before we arrive in Thailand and I'll probably be able to post more consistently then! Woot!
Love you long time GI...
The last couple of days have been huge so I'll start with today (because it's fresh) and work backwards. Today we had a 6am start (START not wake-up) as we were heading out to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). Breakfast was included, so our first stop after picking everyone up was to a restaurant for some banana pancakes. We made stops at Doc Mieu Base, Hien Luong Bridge over the Ben Hai River (where they spilt north and south VietNam back in the day) and the museum and tunnels at Vihn Moc. The tunnels were absolutely amazing. We had the opportunity to go down into the tunnels and actually see how intricate and complex they were. They had a maternity ward for god's sake! At first Luke and I were a bit scared that we were actually going into the tunnels, but once inside (and once you had gotten used to the smell of BO) it was mind-boggling. As Luke kept saying throughout the day "They [the Americans] were never going to win the war!". Also, a piece of advise: don't proceed if you are claustrophobic. It is so dark and pretty tiny. It would be so easy to get lost down there. We stayed down for maybe half an hour and exited out the beach side and got some pretty fab views of Cua Tung Beach. We were also bombarded with people trying to sell cold drinks and water. But you get that a lot here. On the way to the tunnels we also walked pass trenches and craters left by bombs. An amazing place.
Next was lunch then a long journey into the mountains to visit the Rockpile (a US lookout during the war). We could only see the mountains as our guide assured us there was nothing left there (you can only access the actual lookout via helicopter). You could see areas around the mountains that had absolutely no vegetation because it had been blanketed with Agent Orange. Then, we moved on to Dakrong Bridge and the Ho Chi Minh Trail and were greeted with close to a dozen adorable children chanting "Money, money, money, money, mmmmoooooonnneeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy" to any white person who walked by! They were gorgeous if not a bit cheeky, but a bit of cheek never hurt anyone. Our last stop was the Khe Sahn Combat Base (a strategic combat base the US held... Cold Chisel wrote a song about it.) and that was interesting. There was a museum with lots of memorabilia and photos and outside there were bunkers, helicopters and other war stuff to look at, leaving a lasting impact. We all boarded our bus completely drained and were delighted when our guide informed us we had a three hour journey back to Hue!!
I think it is safe to say Luke and I are glad we stayed an extra night to go to the DMZ. Incredible. Absolutely recommend it if you are in the area.
And we did all this after yesterday's absolutely chockers day! The day before, we went on the City Tour and saw plently of Hue's interesting historical sights. In a nutshell we saw the Minh Mang Tomb, the Khai Dinh Tomb, people making incense, the Citadel (and within here we saw the Forbidden Purple City, the Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, some Massive gold fish, Thai Hoa Palace, the Nine Dynastic Urns and some pretty incredible temples.), one of the Pagodas and finished off with a dragon boat ride across the Perfume River. My highlight of the day was probably the Khai Dinh Tomb which had all this breathtaking ceramic pictures and paintings (words don't really do it any justice... ok maybe just my words. I'm tired so shhh). All the materials made to build the tomb and the artworks were imported from France and China. It took something like 29 years to complete! And you can totally see why. The roof had paintings of dragons all across it and apparently the artists painted it entirely by foot! As you do! Again, a massive day.
So as you can imagine we are both exhausted. I think we got some pretty good shots along the way so hopefully I can get them up so you can see what I'm fussing about! Tomorrow we have another early start as we take a bus tour down to Hoi An. I'm pretty excited because there is supposed to be some fantastic shopping there! Tailors and everything! I think we are going to just send some excess stuff home... So I can make the most of it all! ;)
Greetings from Nam!
We are here in the Citadel City of Hue in VietNam and so far, so fabulous! We arrived in Vieters on New Years Eve, but not without mishap. Our flight to Manila was delayed by two and a half hours causing panic attacks from yours truly. Lucky for us Philippine Airlines kindly transfered us to another airline to arrive in Manila half an hour earlier! We were transfered to Cebu Pacific, a small domestic airlines service... and as a nervous traveller already I was saying my hail marys in between my good-bye tears. Of course we made it and the flight wasn't that bad. They even had games where you could win T-shirts!
Anywho, after another round of checking in, we boarded our Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. By this stage Luke was not looking good. After waking up with a very high fever I came to the conclusion he had Bird Flu. Then we realised they were just side effects from the malaria tablets. By the time we actually made it to VietNam we were both thoroughly exhausted. Three flights in one day, no matter how short the flights are, are still three flights in one day, and thus very draining. Spirits were lifted, however, when we saw our kick-arse five star (five of course. Like you would stay in anything less than four. Kidding. No really, I am.) hotel. Hot showers and everything! Unfortunately for us we didn't make it to New Year. We made it for the Australian New Year and the Filipino New Year, but fell asleep 20 minutes before VietNam's New Year. I woke up at 12:24am with a start and that sinking feeling you get when you miss New Year. Shamefully hilarious.
The taxi ride to the hotel was interesting too. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was riding a motor cycle or bicycle of some sort. It was crazy! And I thought Filipino driving was chaotic. Here you not only have to look out for crazy, beeping drivers, but swerving cyclists as well. It's great! Saigon itself was a bit scary for me. I know I am going to sound like a naive, unworldly person here, but wow it was hard to find people who could speak English. (even Engrish would have been great.) For example our tragic experince at the train station. Wow. I won't go into detail, but I will tell you this. It took us a good 40 minutes before we found someone who could sell us the tickets we wanted, Luke then had to go back and change them to the ones we actually wanted (as we apparently didn't get the ones we wanted originally) then both Luke and I got publically abused by some strange woman at the platform door (I think we weren't supposed to wait on the platform, but we are stupid foreigners, I don't understand why she was so surprised). The train ride itself was pretty great. We had a four bed soft-sleeper to ourselves. Just the three of us. Luke, myself and the mouse. Yeah. Mouse. We won't go there.
It was morning by the time we got here to Hue. I am so happy we are here though. The first hotel we were hoping to stay at had been torn down so we were directed to the Thai Binh Hotel. At this point, the best decision we have made so far. The room is pretty fantastic for $US20 a night and we have been able to organise tours and transport for future endevours as well. Much to our delight. Go us! We've just had a full-on nine course (really. NINE. Yeah they were small courses, but there was still nine of them.) meal and I think I need to lie down. Then drag Luke to some sort of market or shopping area... Hahaha. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. ;)
I'm not sure when I'll be able to put some pics up, but we are going on a city tour tomorrow so I'll probably have better ones tomorrow anyway.
