Day 166 - 183 Last of Uk to Oz Silk Route

Yvonne

Day 166

Today begins with another later start to the day and a fantastic brunch in a café overlooking the beach in the shopping centre.  We walk along the shore for miles and mile in the afternoon taking our time and just chilling out. It is really nice to be in one place for a few days. It means we can really relax and enjoy the place. On our way back we price renting surf boards to teach the girls how to surf. We are quoted a crazy price. I am getting fed up of being quoted five and six times the actual price just because we are tourists. The locals seem to have the opinion that because you are white you are rich and the have a right to charge whatever they like. (Definitely ready for a place with fixed prices, even if they are going to be a lot higher than here at least everyone pays the same!)

The pool is very inviting back in the hotel so we hop in for a dip and wile the next few hours away reading catching up on a few internet chores in the fabulous air conditioned rooms. Did I mention it is really hot here? 

We eat in a little local place for dinner. I have the local noodle dish, called Cop Cai, which tastes exactly like the chow mein for the local Chinese take away at home. It was yummy! Brenda has a fantastic Balinese curry which is a little milder than the curries from the last few countries. After dinner we decide to walk down the main street a bit and check out a few of the bars for our big night out tomorrow.  We find a nice sports bar and order a cocktail. The cocktail costs more than our dinner so we decide that one is enough. 

Day 167

Today is our beach day. We stroll down the beach and settle into sun chairs beside one of the beachside hotels. Looking at the surf we are sceptical about being able to catch anything out there but after a swim I soon realise that even though they look small they are really powerful. We ask about prices to rent boards and again are given ridiculous prices. One guy quoted us 250,000 Rupia but when we asked a few guys who were out surfing how much they paid they said only 50,000R. (Ok so 10,000Rupia is about 1USDollar so it doesn’t sound that expensive but would you pay five times the price of something just because you were somewhere different?) Rant over!

We settle for poi lessons from Brenda instead of surfing.  Brenda manages to attract a bit of an audience, a little Japanese kid runs over and drags his dad back to watch her. He is very shy and when she asks if he wants a go he hides behind his dad’s legs, so cute.

As part of the deal with the chairs we eat dinner in the hotel. Whole fresh fish is the special of the day and I can’t resist. It was delicious. After a bit of fire poi on the beach we head back to the hotel to get ready for the big night ahead.

Soon we are all bundling into a taxi to bring us to the party end of the beach. We have a great night which is only dampened a little by my purse being taken while chatting to a seemingly nice Australian guy. I’m a little annoyed about it but what’s done is done.  I cancel my cards before hitting the hay sometime near dawn.

Day 168

The late starts are becoming a habit now and so are the take-aways. It’s Burger King for lunch today while we chat on Skype to home and catch up on all the gossip and message Wacker, who has just arrived in Darwin. We can’t wait to see him. He is looking forward to being on the trip and finally meeting everyone. We have talked so much about him on the trip everyone is really excited to meet and they nearly feel as if they know him already.

The day is another lazy day spent between the pool and the hotel room and an early night. 

Day 169

Our final day in Bali, we are flying to Australia and meeting Wacker tonight. Can’t wait!!!!!!!!!

Martin and Will arrived last night so after packing up all our stuff we say hello and catch up on their adventures since we left them in Singapore. They went to see the Orang-utans in Burma. It sounds great. We pass a few hours in the shopping centre and chilling out by the pool waiting to leave for the plane.

We make it to the airport with loads of time to spare. I start worrying about the weight of our bags. We have so much stuff and I’ve heard that the airline is really strict. We weigh in well under the max though and we are all relieved. One obstacle down, only customs to deal with now.

 We touch down and  get through customs without a hitch and soon we are out, meeting Wacker and Adam our driver for the final leg of our trip. It’s the early hours of the morning so it is  straight to the hostel and after a quick catch up with Wacker I’m off to bed.

 

Day 170

I spend the morning in the supermarket with Adam getting all the supplies we need for the next two weeks. I’m ‘in training’ for the trip in Jan for the next two weeks.  After a bite to eat Adam and the gang head back to the campsite and Wacker, Brenda and I head for the lagoon to cool off. The lagoon is amazing. The water is really warm but still refreshing and we end up playing catch with a few local guys, which I am rubbish at by the way. 

We treat ourselves to a nice dinner tonight in an Italian restaurant. It is really nice but we are all very tired and we have an early start so after dinner we head back to the hostel and turn in for the night.

Wacker

Day 171

We got up early to meet up with everybody else on the trip. I was very disappointed that the big orange truck wasn’t in Oz but the mini bus did the job. We left for Kakadoo National Park at 8.30am. after a short drive we entered the national park. We went to the visitors centre first to have lunch in the shade but were moved out to the sun by the staff because we didn’t buy anything in the café. After lunch we explored the museum in the centre and watched a couple of information movies about the park. Next we went further into the park and visited a few spots with ancient aboriginal rock art, it was very interesting and one place in particular offered a great panoramic view of some of the park. We camped beside JimJim billabong that night but we couldn’t swim because of the salt water crocodiles L I didn’t get much sleep as it was like trying to sleep in a sauna. It was a great first day to my truck life everyone is lovely and very friendly.

Yvonne 

Day 172

The flies are awake and raring to go by the time I drag myself out of my tent this morning. As soon as I open my eyes I can hear the buzzing. We were all doing our best to ignore them last night thankful that they weren’t mosquitoes until one starting biting. It was a March fly and it really hurt. The minute I stick my head out of the tent they are in my ears and trying to get into my eyes and mouth. They are really annoying even the smelly candle at breakfast has no effect on them. We all eat our peanut butter sandwiches with one had in a fanning action swatting the flies from our face or the food. This we become expert at over the next two weeks.

We leave Kakadoo national park and make our way to Katherine gorge. At the start of the drive we are all on kangaroo watch but soon we fall into old habits of napping. We were all expecting the landscape to be brimming with wildlife like on the nature programs, but like everything on TV it’s not really like that. We have to wait until we are at Katherine Gorge to see our first Kangaroo, and it was worth it. After a picnic lunch we find out that the walkways are closed for repair today and that the swimming area has been closed too. We are all disappointed but walk to the river to take a peek at what we are missing. On the green waiting to greet us is our first real life Kangaroo. The cameras are out in a shot and we are snapping away. We don’t get too close though.

We relax by the pool for an hour or so while some of the others go on a boat trip. The weather is so hot the water in the pool is really warm but it is still refreshing from the baking sun. You would definitely know that we have been backpacking for the last 5 months. All the girls are straight to the sinks to wash the clothes we are wearing put them out to dry in the sunshine. This is going to be a hard habit to break.

All scrubbed and in clean clothes we bundle back into the bus and are on our way to Katherine. It is a small one road town that reminds you of the saying ‘one horse town’.  We pick up a few bits for dinner and head for the outback again.

Brenda

Day 173

Mataranka natural springs was our first stop today. When you hear natural springs you think of steaming geezers and bubbling jocose-like pools. This was my first thought when I heard we were going here and frankly I was not looking forward to it because it was so hot. It turned out to be a beautiful outdoor pool with flying foxes in the canopy that were moving about in the day. It was crystal clear blue water with steps in to the pool. It was deep at one end and shallow at the other. It was really good to get in and swim in the water that was just a little cooler than the air temperature. We had some fun with my underwater camera while in the pool.

All too soon it was time to move on, so we loaded up the bus and headed for Daily Waters, a tiny village that used to be an army air corps base and now consisted of a campground, a pub and garage. The pub was amazing, it was full of foreign money, id cards, t-shirts, bras, caps, anything people felt like leaving behind, and among all the other memorabilia was a row of GAA COUNTY JURSEYS!!! They had at least 20 counties as well as some local ones people had left and some rugby ones too. It was so strange; they had a tree of flip flops in the beer garden and a number old car grills and number plates. We had lunch there which was a humongous burger and chips, it was a great burger then off to the bus and onto the main road again.

We pulled in for the night and cooked on fire and sat and had a chat around it after dinner, did a bit of star gazing then headed to bed.

Day 174

Our first stop of the day was Tenant Creek to stock up on supplies before heading off to the Devils Marbles or Karlu Karlu. It is a flat desert landscape with huge off-round boulders leaning on each other and on the ground. Some had split, others looked weather beaten and there were signs of a few parties in the area over the last while. We did the Chinese tourist thing of trying to trick the camera that we were pushing them, picking them up in our fingers etc. which was fun then ran for shelter of the bus as the sun was getting pretty hot as we reached midday. We parked up early that evening as we were close to Alice Springs and we didn’t want to get too close too early the next day as it wouldn’t fit in the time frame. Corinna was to leave us the next day until the drive into Sydney so this was her last night camping so we had a nice evening with her reminiscing on the past 6 months.

Day 175

The first stop of the morning was the Tropic of Capricorn which was marked with a monument and then we headed on to the sign for Alice Springs. The Humidity had decreased so it was much a nicer drove the further south we went. We stopped in Alice Springs for some shopping, a quick check of our emails and a few party treats for Gayle’s birthday. We headed from there out to a campsite near Ayres Rock National Park. It was a nice campsite, with showers and a bar which was so expensive you wouldn’t bother with it. We set up camp and the wind started picking up. The campsite was pretty open so we huddled our tents together for shelter and hit the showers. We cooked dinner and stayed up chatting for a while but went to bed early as we were off to catch sun rise at Uluru the next morning. 

Day 176

We got up in the dark, packed up the tents and loaded into the van before heading off into the park. We arrived at Uluru/ Ayres Rock at dawn, but it was a cloudy day so no spectacular colours you see on the ads though it did go very red when we were eating breakfast in the car park . It was still pretty amazing to see the big giant stone up close. We then headed off into the park.

Our next stop was the base walk around the base of the monolith. It was a 10.6km walk and because it was so cloudy it was possible to walk all the way around without dying of the heat. There were small signs explaining that the rock was of huge spiritual significance. There were only certain areas we allowed to take photos. There were information areas telling myths and legends for their culture. It was an enjoyable walk we saw some strange birds with Mohawks at the end. They were funny.

After the base walk we went to the Kata Tjuta to other monoliths in the area. We walked through a gorge that was really red and bare from the outside but the further you walked in the greener and rainforest like it became.  It was very beautiful. We then headed for the tourist village for lunch before going to the Cultural centre to learn about the cultural significance for the area. We spent a few hours there watching film clips and reading the information on the walls. They didn’t allow photos be taken in the centre. After we left the centre we headed over to the sunset place. We set out a cold dinner and ate it while waiting for the sun set. We had a little birthday celebration for Gayle while we were there and we watched as the sun went down through the clouds for an uneventful sun set. We were happy to have been there and watched the tourists around us get there champagne for sun set and eavesdropped on the Chinese tourists with their funny conversations. We then headed back to the campsite and had a small quiet party before heading to bed.

Day 177

We were on cook group so we got up had a shower and made breakfast before heading off on the road again. We had a long drive day and only stopped at roadhouses for a short amount of time at each place. We bush camped that night.

Day 178

We were up and out early in morning off to Coober Pedy. It is a small mining town in the centre which mines for opals. We had the option on staying in an underground hostel but only 2 people decided to stay. Once they were checked in it was off to the laundry. It was good to get some clothes washed as we were running out of clean clothes at this stage.

After the laundry was sorted we went to an amazing pizza place that had won loads of awards and had the most amazing pizza of the trip. We couldn’t leave Coober Pedy without seeing the opals so we went to a miners shop and had a look around. Some of the girls bought some opals and Wacker with the help of all the girls picked up my Christmas present. We visited an underground hotel with a small museum before grabbing a shower at the local petrol station and heading out of town to camp in the desert. We camped closed together to add some shelter to our tents as it was very exposed if the wind got strong. We had dinner and watched the sun set. It was a beautiful sun set and we played some music and then headed to bed.

Day 179

We had a quick breakfast and headed into town picked up people from the hostel and then headed off to the road again for another drive day. I was in the front passenger seat for the day so I was on animal watch, tricky, trying to stay awake after sleeping during the day for the last 6 months.  First stop of the day was a world famous of kangaroo road sign and we were on the road again for Hart’s Lake, it is a salt lake that dried up thousands of years ago that only left the salt flats so it was like snow everywhere in the 40 degree heat, it was hard and crunchy when you walked on it. There were about a million flies in the area and they all converged on us as we got out of the van and they stayed with us all the time until we got back on the van. They were in our hair on our clothes and all around our faces. GURR. We had to cross a railway track that went from Darwin to Port Augusta, one line, to get to the lake, while we were out on the lake a train passed and it had at least 100 carriages on it, it was very impressive.

We got back on the truck and went to a road house to have lunch and to hide from the sun for an hour. That afternoon we reached Port Agusta, we had successfully made it through the centre of Australia and the next was the road east. We picked up some shopping and headed off into the country side. The countryside had drastically changed in the space of an hour we were now driving though fields of crops, lots of crops and more civilisation that we had seen in the past 4 days. We camped up for the night in a layby with picnic benches and had fish for dinner. It was lovely, in a milk sauce. We sat and chatted for a while after it got dark and then headed to bed. 

Day 180

We were woken by bees on some tents in the morning so we were able to get on the road early. Our first stop of the day was a Gum Tree that was supposed to be the oldest in Australia, over 500 years old. Then we stopped at a house on the side of the road that looked like an old dolls house from the outside. It was fascinating inside and we explored it. It was dark and dusty inside with grain sacks on the wall, a collection of old toys and knickknacks everywhere including a gold vinyl of one of the doors album. It was a strange place, like something out of a scary movie.

After our stop there we hit the road again for Broken Hill for lunch and to pick up some Kangaroo Sausages or Kanga Bangers for dinner and to McDonalds for lunch. We hit the road again and camped in the bush again on the edge of a field for the night.  We were starting to get nostalgic as we were almost finished our 6 months and starting the next chapter, so we chatted by the fire for a while then headed to bed.

Day 181

We had an uneventful morning and stopped in Ningan for lunch of “Bogan Shire” (apparently a bogan is like a chav). It had a sign up for Bogan Shire so they really didn’t care. We had lunch there, it was lovely little town where everything looked well-kept and like there was loads of town pride.  We then hit the road and passed signposts for Clare, Louth and Tullamore. We stocked up in Dubbo with supplies for our second last night camping. It was a lovely site at Ponto Falls, the campground was on the side of a farm and a river. The irrigation system was slowly circling the field and we had the cockatoo’s to keep us company. We pulled up made camp, chopped some wood and rang home for a quick check in. we sat around and talked for the evening about the tour our favourite bits and our worst bits. We all had different answers and different bits each of us forgot about that were all extremely good or bad.

Day 182

We were woken by the cockatoo’s at dawn so there was no going back to sleep so we got up, cleaned up as much as possible and headed for Orange (it’s a townland and no, not everything is orange! I was disappointed). Orange is the heart of Australia’s wine country so we couldn’t pass through without going wine tasting. 10 in the morning is not the best time to do so but, we were on our holidays. We enjoyed the experience and some tried to make out they were professionals or wine buffs, it was funny. We had a great giggle. A few of us bought a few bottles for the party that night and headed off for the Bathurst to do a lap in our minibus with trailer of their race track.

The racetrack was fun, it was open all day everyday apart from race days and a speedlimit which apparently they do speed checks on. Crazy or what? The track is built around houses so I suppose it is understandable. We did our lap and enjoyed the jokes about catching up with the fast cars that happened to be on the tracks when we were there. We then headed into town to stock up for Adam’s famous curry for the last night and lunch, then back on the road for the afternoon to find a place to camp for the night.

We pulled up on the edge of a forest and camped just in of the road. It was a nice spot more like home than anywhere else we had camped. We unpacked the trailer and van of everything and worked on packing everything back into our rucksacks, ready for off the next day. We had a leech incident while putting up our tents, I was pretty freaked out after that. We then cleaned the bus and trailer before loading back up again. We then sat around for dinner of the most amazing indian food I have ever had, it was so tasty and so many spices mixed together. We ate our fill and then some it was so good. We then got the party started with music and a few drinks that lasted well into the evening with everyone choosing the music and joining in. We finished up in the van at around half 10 or 11 which is pretty late for camping and headed to bed.

Day 183 – Last Day of the Uk To Oz – Silk Route 2012

We were slower to get up and moving, but there was less to do so we got on the road early and headed for the Blue Mountains. They are called the Blue Mountains because the mist given off by the Eucalyptus Trees in the forests makes them look blue. We wound our way up into them to get into the centre to Hartly where the Three Sisters stand to pick up Corinna and have a look at the breath taking views. It was a beautiful day and we took a short walk down to the viewing point and around the area and then headed back to have a look around the shops and shopping centre. It was a quiet town and small with tourists traveling in and out every day by the bus load but it was very nice. I had the most amazing cup of tea in a café there, it was the best of the trip with proper tea and pasteurised milk, AMAZING!!!

We left Hartly at lunch time and got on the road for Sydney, all the time counting down the kilometres on the signposts as we went. It was very exciting and sad at the same time to say goodbye to everyone after such a long time with eachother in such close quarters.

We eventually started to see the city build up around us and the traffic started to build then just as we crossed a bridge we saw the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House in the distance.  We got very excited and the bus got very noisy. We travelled through the city to get down to the harbour to get to the Opera House and pulled up on a side street and walked down to the harbour front for photos and a great look at the city, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the Rocks.

We had actually made it, survived 6 months on a bus/truck thing all the way from London to Sydney. 29 countries in 26 weeks and here we were standing at one of the most iconic Harbours in the world and only a week and a half away from Christmas.

After our photos it was time to unload the trailer and bus and say goodbye to Adam then say goodbye to some of the other travellers as they were staying elsewhere. We finally grouped up together with a few of the girls and loaded our bags into a taxi and sent them to the hostel with 2 people while the other 4 of us walked up to the hostel ourselves. We made plans to see the others who were staying around the next day so it was more of a see you later than anything else. We walked all the way up town to the other side of the city centre and checked in. We all filed in for a shower and then went out for food and a night out to celebrate our finishing the trip.

Day 143

We got up while having breakfast we watched a pilgrimage of 200 Buddhist monks pass by the restaurant it was really something to see with their bare feet and brown carrier packs.

In the afternoon we went to the Dead Railway Museum which was dedicated to all the people who lost their lives making the death railway between Borneo and Thailand. It was the inspiration for the film “The Bridge Over the River Koi”. The Museum was very informative and gave a non-bias account of what happened there and the picture of how many people died there and what the conditions were like. Afterwards we visited the POW Graveyard that was outside.

Yvonne gave my hair a well needed chop taking at least 4 inches off it, it looked healthy again, then we had dinner and packed up to be ready for the next morning before an early night.


Day 144

We had a long drive day to get to the town where the ferry left for Koh Samui. We arrived at the hotel, which was really nice compared to the hotels we stayed at before had some dinner and headed to bed.


Day 145

First thing after breakfast we had a big truck clean as we were leaving the truck very shortly and had to have it clean for the boat trip back to England. We spent nearly 3 hours scrubbing the insides clean and taking the black off all of the pots and kettles; it was hard work as it was well burnt on. We finally finished and jumped into the shower and threw out of sooty black t-shirts as all our truck cooking was over until Australia.

We got back onto the truck and headed to the ferry port to catch the 3pm ferry. We had lunch at the port and I had the hottest chilli sauce of the trip so far. It burnt the mouth off me. We all loaded onto the ferry and set off on our hour and half boat journey through the islands of Thailand to Koh Samui. We arrived and go into our disco taxi and headed to the hostel “Monkey Samui”. The hostel was nice and the staff very friendly. Our dorm walls were all glass with peach curtains which was strange but it had air con so we were happy.  We went down to the beach and ate dinner in a bar on the beach and sat on the beach a la Shirley Valantine and had a few drinks on the beach with some of the others on the trip.

We spent the evening organising the dive trip in Koh Tao.


Day 146

We were up at dawn and off to the catamaran port to go to Koh Tao.  It was pretty quick going over and we stopped off at two other islands on the way. I realised on the boat that I was eaten alive by mozzies the night before, 30 bite on one leg alone, it must have been the hostel we stayed in. We arrived at 9am and checked into Crystal Dive Resort.  We had our dive review in the afternoon as we hadn’t been diving in a while with our dive instructor, an Irish guy named Keith from Cork. It was really nice to get into our dive gear again and refresh all the basics again.

In the evening we went out for burgers for dinner and had a drink in the resort bar and watched the dive videos of the groups who passed their tests that day. They were really cool and showed a lot of wildlife. We were excited to go diving the next day. We headed off to bed early as we were up early the next morning.


Day 147

We were up early and down at the centre to get kitted up and onto the boat for our first dive. It was great everything was ready for you on the boat so all you needed to bring on was your BCD and fins. There was so much space to set up compared to the boats at home. We got set up, had our initial briefing and we set off. We were given our first dive site briefing by Livvy our dive master and what we expected to see at it. We kitted up and off we went under the crystal clear water. We had a slow easy dive with loads of time to see the fish around us including parrot fish, angle fish, a sea snake and blue spotted ray. It was so colourful and loads of fun. We came back up on a high after our first taste and couldn’t wait for the next one.

We got back on board and changed our tanks and were back upstairs on the sun deck for the second roll call of the morning and briefing for our second site. It was so much fun to be in the water again and to be paired up with Yvonne made it even better. We saw loads more fish including prawns, barracuda, crocodile fish, butterfly fish and trigger fish. The Trigger fish are the most aggressive fish on the coral so we were warned to stay a safe distance away from them. They were so much bigger than the other fish we saw in the water. We came back up to the surface and back to the centre by lunch time. We had to wash our tent for the boarder control in Australia so we set to washing it, poles, pegs and all. It took a good 2 hours before we headed down to see the town of Sairee Beach and enjoyed an afternoon swim on the beach before a good walk back to our accommodation we finished off the tent and headed for dinner in a nice Italian restaurant then back to bed for another days diving on the next day.


Day 148

We were up and off to the boat for going dive day on the boat. It was a great day with 4 great dive locations, mango bay, white rock, twin peaks and Lean Tian. We saw so much marine life, juvenile sealip fish, trigger fish, little and big grupers, blue spotted ray, clown fish, bat fish, enemy fish and lots more. We played in the underwater playground called buoyancy world, with loads of opstical courses and things to swim through, it was great fun. We were jumping off the top deck of the boat and watching the rescue course going through the motions and enjoying the sun all day. When we eventually went in to dock we were tired, excited and a little burnt.

We found out that the local restaurants had a roast dinner on a Sunday so we went out for a roast Chicken dinner, it was massive the plate was huge it took up half of the plate and it had loads of veg, chichen and mashed potatoes on it. YUM YUM. We were getting the ferry the next day so we stayed out for a bit chatting to some of the divers we were diving with and exchanged stories and advice on diving and travelling. It was a nice evening but by 11pm we were exhausted and headed home to pack up and bed.


Day 149

We were on the ferry by 9 and very sorry to be leaving Koh Tao and vowing to be back again really soon. We got back to the hostel on Koh Samui and first thing I realised was how many mozzies were around. We got in touch with the girls that were staying further down the island and arranged to meet up with them for the night and stay in their hotel. We picked up our bags and hopped into a local taxi and off we went to Lani to check in to their fancy hotel. First thing was into the pool to wash away all the days travelling and enjoy the view out over the beach before dinner. For dinner we had a seafood bar-b-qued it was amazing, a whole fish,3 crabs, 6 prawns and 2 squid. God we were so full after it we could barely move.

We left the restaurant and stopped to pick up breakfast for the next day on the way to Swing Bar where they had a fire show on. We got comfortable on the front row of deckchairs and watched the show, I was so amazed at how good they were and mad jealous I didn’t have mine. Half way through the show Gayle got one of the guys attention and asked if I could have a go, he wasn’t too sure but let me have them. I was on cloud 9. It was so much fun. I went back to the table after shaking with nerves and excitement.

We then played limbo with a fire poll that didn’t go too low and I won a t-shirt, this was turning into the best night ever.  To my amazement one of the guys came over later in the night and gave me them again and let me have a longer go, even relighting them for me it was SO COOL. I was the happiest person in the bar. When the fire show was over we danced until the small hours then headed back to the hotel for a few hours’ sleep before heading for the ferry at 5.


Day 150

We arrived at the ferry and slept most of the way back to the truck and set off for the Malaysian boarder. We hadn’t got much sleep the previous night so we slept for most of the day on the truck. The boarder was pretty easy and the truck didn’t take too long to go through. We stopped for the night is a rough but ready hotel. We were so tired from the diving and the night out that we got dinner and went straight to bed.


Day 151

We drove to Kuala Lumpur and arrived there in the late afternoon and checked into the hostel for 3 nights. We had dinner in the massive shopping centre that was straight across the road for the hostel and did a bit of shopping. We were on the hunt for high heels for Will’s (our diver) fortieth birthday in Singapore. We spent hours walking the 11 floors to find shoes to go with our tailored dresses from Vietnam. We were all shopped out by the time we found the shoes and went back to the hostel to catch up with the others and hear about their time in Koh Samui. Time was getting precious as 4 people from the truck were leaving in Singapore.


Day 152

We explored the Chinatown markets picking up the last of our Christmas presents and admiring the knock off hand bags. It was amazing the quality went from really good to not so good. We really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the stalls. We finished off our afternoon there with a look around the Christmas shops that lined the side streets. They were just like Donal’s at home just on a much bigger scale with every kind of decoration you could imagine including a signpost that said “Let It Snow” very strange in 30 degree heat.

We got back to the hostel and started on the repack taking out anything that was to be sent home the next day and organising our bags as we were leaving the truck at the next stop. It took most of the afternoon to get sorted and labelling the things going home. We then did some internet chores and went for dinner and chatted to the group in the bar before bed.


Day 153

We packed up our box for the post office and sent it off after sitting outside the post office packing and filling out forms for the package with 6 others from the truck. When we got it sorted we went back to the hostel and had a day of looking for places to stay in Sydney.

In the evening we went to see the Patronas Towers and enjoyed their dancing fountains before heading home to bed


Day 154

On the way to Singapore we stopped off in the port town of Malaka, once the largest port town in Malaysia for trading spices and goods of the Fareast during the times of the East Indian Trading Company. We went to the Maritime museum which was a wooden ship with loads of information on Malaysian external rulers and their influence on the country. While we were in the boat it started to pour down rain for the rest of the afternoon spent in the town. We got soaked and eventually dried off in the truck on the way to Singapore.

We left the truck at the Singapore boarder and lugged our bags through the boarders and onto a bus to the hostel. We all looked like turtles carrying our homes on our backs. We arrived at the hostel, checked in, changed money and went in search of dinner. We were staying in Little India so we headed to a local Indian restaurant and had the best Indian food I’ve ever had. After dinner we headed back to the dorm, got set for the big day out the next day and headed to bed.


Day 155

We woke late and went for dinner before getting ready for the celebrations for Will’s Birthday starting in Raffel’s home of the Singapore Sling. It was great we were all dressed up and everyone looked really different to our usual backpacker clothes. We stayed in Raffel’s for a drink, then when we were leaving Raffels we said a very sad goodbye to Nick and Julie as they were off on a cruise for the next part of their adventure and headed to Orchard Towers and went from a disco bar to a live music bar where we stayed for the rest of the night before McDonalds and home.


Day 156

We got up late and had a lazy day. Before going to the Night Safari we heard that the ferry to Indonesia was broken down so we had to book flights to Jakarta and stay in Singapore an additional night.

The Night Safari was a great opportunity to see the nocturnal animals in the night. We spent 4 hours wandering between the lions, tigers, bats, bat monkeys, weasels, mouse dear, tapir and rinos. It was great. When the Safari closed we headed home to bed.


Day 157

We went to the day zoo after lunch and saw loads of animals in large enclosures with loads of space. The zoo is twined with Australia Zoo that is supposed to be the best Zoos in the world and it really shows, each animal was very comfortable in their areas with some mild interaction with the public. We had a great day and got to see whit tigers, pigmy hippos, leopards, zebras, giraffes, maerkats, Warthogs, ringtail lemers, seals, penguins and orang-utans. It was a great day out.

We then headed down to the dock for the evening in Boat and Clark Quay. It was a busy place full of people ready for a great night out. We were leaving in the morning so we headed back and packed up praying our bags were under weight.


Day 158

We were up packed and said another sad goodbye to Adam, Cozzy and Wayne staying behind and heading off on another adventure. We were at the airport by 1, checked in and waiting for our flight by half past. We wandered around the airport and eventually boarded the flight off to Jakarta.
We got a bus and taxi to our hostel, it was run by an Irish guy who was really sound. It was apparently much nicer than most hostels in Indonesia. We got pizza and watched Twilight Breaking Dawn movie in the hostel cinema area in prep for the Cinema the next evening.


Day 159

I spent time catching up on my diary in the morning while Yvonne talked to our tour leader about a job that she is taking for the month of January leading a tour group for four weeks.

In the afternoon we went to the Planetarium where we were adopted by a group of teenage girls with lots of questions and “you are beautiful” “so white” “pretty nose” madness. We enjoyed the show even though it was in Indonesian. When we got back we had some dinner from the street seller at entrance to the hostel, he came well recommended and was delicious, fish balls with egg, veg and potato in broth.

That evening we headed out to the cinema and enjoyed the last Twilight movie, Lindsey was so excited.


Day 160

We left Jakarta behind us and got a train to Yogyakarta. The train ride was a long one 8 hours, but it gave me time to catch up on my diary and a great view of the paddy fields and jungle that the train tracks cut through.

We arrived in Yogyakarta in the pouring rain and there was a mix up with the hotel so we had to wait a while before it was sorted. When we got to our hotel for the next few nights it was not very nice so we went to dinner and Karen set out to find another for us for the further two nights.


Day 161

We were up and moved to the second much nicer hotel by 9am the next morning. It had a pool and much nicer, cleaner rooms. We jumped straight into the pool and cooled off before going to explore before the rains started again. We booked a tour to the ancient temples the next day and had an afternoon catching up on some sleep. In the evening we headed out for dinner in a local restaurant with really good Indonesian food and amazing chocolate mousse for desert.


Day 162

We were up and on the bus at dawn to go and see the ancient Buddhist temple of Borobudur and the ancient Hindu temple of Prambanan. They are older than the temples at the Ankor Complex in Cambodia but just as amazing. They are severely affected by earthquakes and a lot of the smaller temples have crumbled as a result.

The Hindu temple has the story of a kind prince wanting to marry a beautiful princess and her condition was that he had to build 1000 temples in one night. With the help of the spirits he built 999 and she saw this and rose dawn early so he could not complete it. He got really angry and turned her into stone and built the 1000th temple around her.

We were approached in both temples by students learning English to have conversations with them as practice, in Borobudur we had no problem with this until they all started crowding around us asking us to fill out their forms for their teachers and to take photos as we were heading back to the bus. We didn’t offer to talk in Prambanan as we thought we would get stuck again.

In the afternoon, we booked our place to stay in Sydney and started to catch up on our blog. At dinner time we went to the place down the road and ate and chatted with the group which was now a small group of 10 before going back to the hostel to Skype Eva’s christening and bed.


Day 163

We got up and packed and were on the overnight bus to Bali by 1pm. It was an 18 hour bus ride, with a ferry crossing to get to Bali. The bus was comfortable enough but the aircon was set so low that we were all freezing for the night. We used extra blankets off seats that weren’t being used to keep ward. It was not the best night’s sleep ever but certainly not the worst.

Day 164

We arrived in Bali bus station by 7 and we grabbed taxies to the hotel we were staying in. It was lovely an amazing pool and very confortable rooms with big beds and a clean bathroom. We went for a swim and them explored the area, checked out the shopping mall and beach before coming back for another swim, dinner and an early night.

Day 165

We were very tired from the overnight bus so we slept in and had a day of internet jobs and updating the blog as it was cloudy and we needed to catch up on our blog. We went out to a lovely restaurant on the main strip for the evening and had amazing seafood lagasane for dinner. We were the only people in the room which was nice and we sat and chatted for a few hours.

Day 124 continued

The queue is pretty big when we arrive at the bus station and there is a bit of a stampede when the
bus arrives. Everyone is rushing to get the good beds. We all get settled in for the night and are on our way soon.

For anyone who has not seen a sleeper bus before, they have three rows of bunks. One row of bunks is along either side of the bus and one along the middle of the bus. Each bed is sitting up slightly with the leg area underneath the up-sloping part of the bed on front. They are pretty cool if you are smaller than 5’6” but for anyone over that it is cramped and very narrow.


Day 125
We arrive in Mui Ne at 6am and are dropped off at the hotel and thankfully the rooms are ready for us to check in. We all crash out for a few hours. On our breakfast hunt we come across a fancy beach side restaurant called The Sailing Club. We enjoy a delicious brunch and looking out on the fabulous white sand beach and the crashing waves.
After being forced to neglect our blog in China we are forced to ignore our beautiful surroundings and head back to the hotel and upload a load of photos and a few other bits on the internet.
To make up for the day indoors we stroll along the beach before dinner. The walk was great and with a really big wave every so often we all ended up wet to the knees but with the heat here we were dry very quickly.
We all eat fabulous sea food at the Four Seasons restaurant, no not that one but it was nice all the same. We end the evening in the Why Not bar playing pool and dancing.


Day 126
Today we are spending the day in the Disney land of Vietnam called Vin Pearl Land. It is on an island off the bay. It even has the sign on the hilltop like the Hollywood sign. The island has a theme park, an aquarium, a water park and a beautiful beach.
After the cable car ride over to the island we have a great morning going on rollercoasters, merry-go-round, pirate ship, chair-o-planes and on to the arcade rooms after.
The aquarium was my highlight even though the tanks were very small for the massive fish they had. They had every kind of tropical fish you can think of from angle fish to the Nemo clown fish and even the Hawaiian Humuhumnukunukuapooa’a (a cool colouredfish we spotted everywhere on or trip to Hawai’i a few years ago). They had turtles and massive rays. It was amazing. We even spied a scuba diver in the big tank cleaning the tank, the girls thought that this was hilarious , the world’s biggest pooper scooper apparently.
We head for the water park and spend the evening speeding down the slides and lounging in the lazy river.

After an action filled day we head back on the cable car just as the towers are starting to light up. It is beautiful. Dinner in the sailing club again and when leaving we ask for a stamp in case we decide to come back for the night club later.

All clean and a bit more rested Feng and I hit the town. We have a good boogie in the  Why Not bar for an hour or two and then on to the Sailing Club when the music gets too heavy for us. The Sailing Club is a totally different crowd to the Why Not bar. It is full of local tourists and westerners who are obviously on holiday not backpacking but the atmosphere is electric and as we walk in the Super Mario theme is being remixed so we are straight to dance floor and part the night away.


Day 127
We are having a relaxing day today after the madness yesterday. After a late breakfast we head to the beach and spend the day enjoying the sun. No partying for us tonight as we leave first thing tomorrow morning for the kite/wind/surfing capital of Vietnam!


Day 128
The drive to Mui Ne is beautiful, we whizz past little villages and farmers in the fields. Mui Ne is a huge long beach which is lined with beach resorts and local restaurants. We check in and head for lunch before looking at the beach. We stop in a few places to price a few windsurfing lessons. They are ridiculously priced, I wouldn’t pay those prices at home never mind in Vietnam so we resolve to rent a few surf boards in the morning.
We walk the strip after a bit and end the night with a bit of sea food at our hotel. The prawns were hand-picked in front of us. It is great being beside the sea again!


Day 129
The surf isn’t great this morning but we rent the biggest board the surf school has and head out for a bit of fun. We are really enjoying our time in the waves dodging the kite surfers, of which there are hundreds, and playing in the shallows. We even attempt two of us on the board at the same time but without much success.

We are booked into a tour for the evening to go to the yellow, orange and red sand dunes near the town. We all pile into the cool old land rovers all set for a big trek to the sand dunes and we drive five minutes down the road  and pull up at a little lane. Although we are a little confused we head on down the lane to find what looks like someone’s back yard. After a little consultation with our drivers we discover a fabulous little stream called the Fairy Stream. We all slip off our sandals and walk up-stream to find a whole new world hidden behind all the houses. The stream is a glorious burnt orange colour from the red sand bed with over hanging forest on one side and tall sand dunes on the other. With the water lapping at our ankles, we wander along drinking in the beautiful scenery. We are disappointed when we have to head back to the jeeps but we are all looking forward to seeing the famous red sand dunes.

In Mongolia we all expected to see sand blowing gently over hills of sand like on National Geographic, we definitely didn’t expect it in Vietnam but that is what greets us today. It is like a scene from Laurence of Arabia, well if there were dirt bikes and dune buggies in it I suppose. The noise spoils the tranquillity that you see on the TV but it is beautiful.  The Bikes and buggies look like good fun too. We all get free sand blasting body scrub on the way up to the top of the highest dune. Sand for miles is the view from the top and we even catch a few people sand mating to the bottom (like snow sledging but on the sand). On the way back to the truck we pass a fabulous lake covered with lotus flowers. It is the first time I’ve seen them growing wild, they are beautiful.

We make our way to the red sand canyon. This is almost a carbon copy of the Fairy Stream but without the water. Unfortunately on the wall of the little valley people have decided to etch messages into the sand. It is disappointing as the biggest problem in the area is erosion and they don’t need people coming for a two week holiday and helping it along.

The gold sand dunes are our next stop before going to the fishing village for sunset. It is much the same as the white sand dunes but without the dirt bikes and dune buggies.  It is very beautiful in the rapidly diminishing sunshine. They fishing village is bustling as we drive through, it looks like school is just over with at least two hundred white shirted teenagers on the road. We just make it to the pier for the sun setting over all the wooden fishing boats. It is very picturesque.

We are all jaded after a long day so after a bite to eat, sea food of course, and a quiet drink it is time for bed.


Day 130
With another long drive day today we are up early and on a bus to Ho Chi Ming city, formerly Saigon. The drive takes most of the day and it is after lunch when we arrive. We had a little trouble with our accommodation here, we were booked into the usual place and then Karen got an email to say that the roof had collapsed and they could no longer honour our booking. We all had a bit of a giggle, it worked out for the best though as we ended up in a new hostel which was in the centre of the city.

After a bit of a stroll around we head back to the hostel and get dressed up for a night on the town. We accept any excuse for a party. Martin is heading on to Bangkok tomorrow to meet up with Will so we are calling this Martin’s going away party. Before we leave though we find out that one of the girls has gotten bad news and has to go home. We are all devastated for her and are sorry to see her go.

We head out and give her a bit of space. Our spirits are dampened but we have a good night all the same, bumping into one of the guys from our bus earlier (who we nicknamed The Chad) and drinking in a little local place which consisted of little plastic chairs squeezed around the corner of a little shop front which served only beer. After a bit it starts to rain  and the lady comes out to roll out a cover and we all jumped up to give her a hand, like with the tarp on the truck. She is confused but glad of the help. Our dancing shoes come out not long after that in the night club.

Every person we met since we arrived has been telling us to watch our bags and to look after each other. We find out why when we are walking the short distance to the hostel. We hear a scooter rev up and take off and then see a girl running after it. The driver has just snatched her bag out of her hand. It wasn’t a small hand bag either, it was a school bag! We were all a lot more conscious after that, walking linked with bags in the middle.


Day 131

I’m the first up today and so I make my way upstairs to catch up on emails and facebook. Breakfast is a tasty roll in a bakery and we make our way to the War Museum. The first sight we get is of the American fighter jets, tanks and weapons that surround the museum. Off to one side there is an exhibition about the prison set up by South Vietnamese and American forces. Inside is an amazing and shocking display of war photographs. It shows all sides of war and some tell sort stories about the photographs. The museum seems a little one sided, telling all the terrible things that the American army did during the war but never mentioning the Viet Kong.

We detour through the market on the way back to the hostel. It is bustling with people selling food, clothes and souvenirs. Dinner tonight is in a little restaurant close by. We both order sea food, Brenda arrives with the prawns resting on a coconut. The food is fantastic.

We are up early tomorrow to see the Cu Chi tunnels so it is off to bed early.


Day 132

On the bus to the tunnels we are told lots of information about Vietnamese culture and the tunnels by our tour guide. This is what we were told about Cu Chi.

The Viet Kong was the Cu Chi people’s enemy as were the Americans. They wanted to live separately form both sides. But the American army built their Saigon base in the heart of their land and so the Cu Chi people went to war with them. They built a series of tiny tunnels which they moved into during the war and used in guerrilla warfare. The American base was built over the centre of the tunnel system. The Cu Chi rebels would pop up out of their tunnels attack the base and then disappear into the tunnels again. The American army used chemical weapons to destroy the crops and forest in the area to try and run the Cu Chi out of the area but they stayed to the end of the war.

We spend about two hours walking around the tunnels and see the weapons and traps that the Cu Chi used and how they lived underground. He whole time we are walking around we are listening to the sound of gun fire from the shooting range where you can pay to fire a genuine weapon form the ‘American’ war as it is known here.
At the end of the tour we get the opportunity to go down into the tunnels and walk either 25 or 50 meters. The tunnels are pitch black inside and very spooky. They have put in some lighting but after 25meters I’ve had enough and make my way out. We watch a short movie about the ‘American killer’ heroes of Cu Chi before making our way back on the bus to the city.

We are dropped off at the market on the way back and have another meander through and head back closer to the hostel for a bit of lunch. When we order our soft drinks Brenda get her 7up in a Guinness glass. It is unexpected things like this makes us smile. Chilling out for a bit is the only agenda for the afternoon before going for dinner.
We get a nice treat on skype after dinner when we get to chat to our granny and aunty for the first time since we left home. It is great to catch up.


Day 133
Our bus to Phnom Penh today is really nice with loads of leg room and reclining back and foot rests if you want to sleep. We take full advantage of it all the way to the Cambodian border. It is possibly the easiest border crossing we have had but they do take our finger prints. Very son we are back on the bus and on route to Phnom Penh.

The hostel isn’t the nicest we’ve ever stayed at but it is cute as all the beds have their own mosquito nets. We are lucky and get the room with air conditioning. We drop our bags and head straight out for lunch. We eat in a on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking the river. We are amazed with the amount of branches and greenery floating on the river.

Back in the hostel we begin to sort out the list of things we want Wacker to bring over to Australia when he comes. It is a shame he can’t bring over a full Irish or a carton of real fresh milk :)
We make our way back to the riverside for dinner and eat in a really nice bar with good music. It is only now that we have realised that it is the Saturday before Halloween. The bar staff are dressed up with skeleton clothes or a cloak on. We end up parting the night away upstairs in their night club.


Day 134

Today we want to see the palace but unfortunately it is closed to visitors because the king died about a week ago and he is lying in state. The walls outside the palace are swamped with flowers, incense and Cambodians paying their respects. A group led by monks pass us and shortly a flock of birds take flight from the middle of the group. I assume it was a ceremony of some kind.

We wander slowly towards the national museum passing lots of nice hand craft shops. The museum is full of artefacts from Anghor. They are amazing. You could spend the whole day in the museum looking at all the displays.

The night market is opening when we are heading back to the hostel. A few of us decide to have a look around and have dinner from the stalls. There isn’t much in the stalls we haven’t seen before so we make our way to the food area.  A large sitting area is surrounded by lots of stands with all sorts of food. We pick what we want and hand them in to be bar-b-qued and find a spot on the mats. The food is delicious and topped off by the wonderful friendly atmosphere. Supping on fresh fruit shakes we head for the hostel for more skyping and to look into dive resorts on the Thai islands.


Day 134
I had enough of war and killing in Vietnam but have been encouraged to go to the killing fields and S21 prison when here. 
First stop is the S21 prison, formerly a school it was turned into a prison during the reign of Pol Pot and the Kamir Rouge. Men, women and children were brought here for as little as stealing a small amount of food for their starving families.  Very few ever left alive, they were all tortured and beaten and those who lived long enough were then sent to the killing fields. The prison is a shocking demonstration of how humans can be led to do horrific things to each other. There are rooms and rooms of photographs of all the ‘prisoners’ who were held in the prison over the 4 year period it was open. I decided after one building of photographs that I had  had enough and waited outside for the others to finsh.

The Killing Fields is our next destination today. After the prison I’m not looking forward to it. This is where anyone who the Kamir Rouge or Pol Pot himself decided he didn’t like or was ‘plotting against him’ was sent to be killed. It is unexpected when you arrive at a beautiful grassland area with birds singing and fish jumping in the lake, but the history of this place is a brutal one. We are all given a headset which will tell us all the information about the place as we walk around. The stories are awful and I won’t share them with you but they are very tastefully dealt with. You hear the basic history but if you want to hear more you select another number on the headset. The headsets allow for a tranquil and respectful atmosphere in the area. They staff have managed to create a peaceful resting place for the people buried in the fields. I am glad to that I came.

Back in Phnom Penh and it is back online again for more research into our upcoming diving trip to Ko Tao.


Day 136
We head downstairs after packing up this morning to find a big group of people sleeping on the lobby floor. We tip toe around them and order breakfast, yum toast and real tea! We are off to Siem Reap and Anghor Watt today. It is a long drive on a tightly packed bus. We arrive around four o clock with just enough time for a bite to eat and then into a tuk-tuk to see sunset over Anghor Watt.
(Angkor is a series of palaces and temples built between the first and fifteenth century, used by locals for religious ceremonies)
I will let the photographs speak for the place. It was magnificent.


Day 137
Sun rise at Angkor Watt

 

Bayon

Angkor Thom

Tonight is Halloween night so we are hitting the tiles. After driving through the town earlier I have chickened out of my toga idea but Lindsey has offered her mask as she is staying in tonight. We have a great night dancing the night away with the mummy bar staff and a few others who are dressed up.

Day 138
We visit more temples of Angkor today.

We stop off at the market on the way back to the hotel. There are lots of jewellery stands at the market. If you are into your bling, this is the place to get it. The prices are really good and you can bargain them down even more.


Day 139
Today is spent travelling from Cambodia into Thailand and on to Bangkok. It is a long day and we are ready for good night out when we finally get to Bangkok. We meet up with Will and the others who went ahead at the hotel. Will’s friend Wayne has joined us for a bit too. He is staying until Singapore for Will’s birthday.
Today is Sarah’s birthday and although she had to go home we are going to celebrate it for her. Bangkok lives up to its reputation and we have a great night on Ko San Road with some not making it to bed until after dawn.

Day 140
We relive last night in the room with lots of laughter and giggles before heading for brunch. The sightseeing gets pushed back and we wander through the streets to get a feel for city. There is a real buzz in the air. Dinner is a kebab from a street vendor and then we settle in at a little bar with a god band playing all the classics. Another great night had by all.


Day 141
A quick breakfast and then we head for the palace. Due to the strict dress code Wayne has to rent a pair of trousers; they are bright red with elephants on them. It sounds strange but there are lots of people with them on. Everywhere you look in the palace gold catches your eye. Every inch of the palace is decorated with fancy tile work or a gold statue. The main attraction of one of the temples is a Buda carved out of Jade. Initially I think it is quiet small but when we get into the temple it is much more impressive. We sit and people watch here for a bit out of the sunshine. The heat of the day gets to us after a few hours and we make our way to the air conditioned shopping centre.

Back at the hotel later and we find out that incredibly Lindsey has bumped into friends from home on the street and has arranged to meet up for a drink. We head back to the live music bar and start another mad night out in Bangkok. I don’t know what they have put into the air here but it just makes you want to be out and about dancing and partying.


Day 142
We awake with a start this morning, we have slept through our alarm and one of the girls is knocking on the door to make sure we are up. We rush about the room getting packed up cursing Bangkok and its party atmosphere. We bundle into a taxi twenty minutes later and off to the truck. It is great to be back on the truck again. It’s nearly like getting back into your own room after a holiday. We all settle into our seats for a long drive to Kanchanaburi home of the Death Railway and setting for ‘The Bridge over the River Kwai’ movie.
It is a quaint little town and we decide to leave the exploring for tomorrow and have an early night.

Bangkok has taken its toll on us.

with some photos

Day 97
After the hectic day yesterday we take our time and stroll to the Temple of Heaven, stopping on the way for noodles and coffee. I am expecting another huge complex of temples and palaces but am pleasantly surprised when we arrive at a big park. It is full of really old twisty cypress and pine trees. They are magnificent. A short walk into the forest and we reach a beautiful roofed walkway where locals are playing cards and board games. We also spot a few ladies crocheting on the wall and selling their wares on the sly when the guards aren’t looking. We got some fab souvenirs from them but you will have to wait for Christmas to find out what they are (hehehe).

On to the temple. There are three areas to the temple and a big harvest ritual to go with it. They are in individual areas dedicated to each temple and with explanations of the rituals and the roles of emperor and his subjects. It is awash with people and coloured tiles. Not entirely my idea of heaven but I suppose when it was in use there wasn’t tour groups milling about in it.

We see all there is to see and then hit the pearl market across the road. This is where the hard work starts bargaining with all the retailers to get a reasonable price. Some of the starting prices are crazy! Needless to say we don’t buy pearls but silk dresses, pretty fan and chop sticks all round.

We decide to treat ourselves and get a tuk-tuk home. After a lovely drive through the little streets of the old town and back to our hotel the price we have arranged has suddenly gained another zero and a lot of angry negotiations and unfortunately a bit more money changing hands we head to the hotel very disappointed. (It was going to happen somewhere I suppose and it probably won’t be the last
time either.)


Day 98

Today we have to say goodbye to our Ukrainian hitch-hikers, Lana and Dima. We are all very disappointed to see them wave off the truck but have all promised to keep in touch with all our travel plans and stories.

We are a full truck again though with the two couples joining us again on the truck. Unfortunately for them though it isn’t a great day to re-join the trip. It is a long drive day and Will finds it impossible to get a bush camp spot and we end up sleeping on the truck in a petrol station.


Day 99

I wake to find all my sleeping things wet from dew as I slept on the roof. It doesn’t take long to dry as we get on our way. Our destination today in Xi’an: home of the terracotta warriors. We arrive late afternoon to a fabulous courtyard style hostel with replica terracotta warriors hidden everywhere. The hostel has great atmosphere with odd pictures everywhere and writing on the wall. It is one of the few places where it looks random and works.

After showers and getting settled in we hit the town in search of a rock bar that Will’s friend has advised. The directions consist of across from the Spanish night club and ring the bell. We are in luck and ring the right bell and are escorted past a terracotta warrior statue dressed in green with a St. Patricks day poster behind it. You just can’t get away from it wherever you go. It turns out to be more of a chilled Rn’B bar but there is a band on in a bit and a pool table so the guys are happy to stick about. It turns out to be a very relaxed night and we all had a few giggles when we realised that the band play three songs, take a break, play three more songs and then finished for the night. We can’t believe it.


Day 100

Feng arrives in the hostel after breakfast after her trip home (in China) to visit her family. She has had a great time and managed to squeeze in both families in the few days. We hear all about it on our trip out to the warriors on the bus.
We are all very excited when we arrive.  This is one of the big highlights for everyone on the trip.  After getting all the history in the museum we decide to take the pits in reverse order. Pit three the command centre, Pit two the archers ad wagons and then Pit one the main pit of foot soldiers.
They are spectacular, I’m not even going to try to describe them, and I hope my pictures do them justice. I can only imagine what they looked like when they we completed first. It must have been a scary sight for anyone who didn’t know what they were.

A few hours later and laden down with treasures for home we get off the bus back in Xi’an. We are all wrecked after a long day and head back to the hostel. We spy some roadside restaurants on the way back and decide to eat there tonight. We sit next to a small group of Chinese people who we are told are on holiday also. Their tour guide comes over to chat to Feng (she gets mistaken for our tour guide a lot in China). The group are in great spirits and we end up having a half understood conversation and lots of “cheers” over our dinner. The food is amazing, duck and chicken on sticks, stir-fry vegetables and either fried or soup noodles.

Day 101

We leave the hostel early today to make tracks for Chengdu. Not much to report on the day, the scenery is lovely and as with all of China we have seen so far every inch of land is cultivated in some way. Even in the petrol station we stayed at the little bit of land beside it had onions growing on it. It is hard to believe until you see it.

Lunch most days we are having pot noodle, not unlike the ones at home but a bigger pot, about the size of a big bowl and twice the depth. You fill it right up with water so that you have soup and the noodles. They are super cheap, really tasty (no doubt full of MSG) and every petrol station stocks them and plenty of hot water to top them up with.

We camp in a little quarry beside a river tonight, the only little bit of land we can find.


Day 102

We tick another major thing off our list today by visiting the panda sanctuary in Chengdu. It goes without saying they are SO CUTE! We spend three hours in the sanctuary but could easily spend twice that amount of time. The site is so big that you could easily miss a panda here and there. They have the pandas split up into the different age groups and each has its own space. We did get to see the younger ones from 14 days old in the incubators to the little prepubescent ones running around and tumbling over one another. Again so cute!! We simply had to buy panda hats too. 

Chengdu isn’t as big as the last two cities and has a way more relaxed feel about the place. Our hostel is great with really nice staff and great facilities. A group of five girls head out all dolled up for a nice meal. Feng orders of course and it is fantastic, nothing like the take away at home, real fresh food with great herbs and spices. Nothing is too sweet or tastes of MSG. We have soup to start, then steamed fish, chicken in a sauce that makes your mouth tingle, spicy pork, spicy beef, aubergines, spinach and lots more. It is a feast for your eyes never mind the tummy. We all eat our fill and just about manage to finish all the dishes and all forunder 7euro each. Back to the hostel for cocktails to top the evening off.


Day 103

As we have seen the pandas on the way into Chengdu we are in no hurry to get out of bed. We have a bit of a lie in and then Brenda and I head for the post office and meet the girls after in a nearby park. We have tea overlooking the pond in the park where you can rent boats. I try jasmine tea for the first time (possible the last too) while the girls get cresantimum and juju berry tea which tastes great and looks cool in the glass. We then wander around the park.

There is all sorts of things happening; guys flying kites, people ballroom dancing, people doing traditional dancing, people doing some form of line dancing with onlookers joining in and others preforming in full traditional costume. It is wonderful.

 

The refurbished traditional street is out nest stop. It is beautiful to look at, nice to walk through and has every possible souvenir you could think of. My favourite bit was the food part. They have all sorts on sticks from octopus to insects and every type of rice sweet and savoury. I have the spicy rice wrapped in banana leaves and the pineapple rice while Brenda tries the pork on sticks and the spring rolls. When we are all full to the brim and have visited the temple at the end of the street we make our way back to the hostel for a skyping session before bed.

Day 104

Today is day 1 of antimalarial meds and we are all a little apprehensive as we have all heard the rumours and the bad stories but for the most part it goes ok. We just need to take it with food.
After a quick tyre change (we are getting pretty efficient at those) we are on the way to the giant Buda. This a massive Buda, at least 100m tall, carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting place of two rivers. The monks and local people built it to watch over the fishermen and to calm the waters. There is a beautiful temple at the top of the hill before you see the Buda. The temples are fabulous ornate and glittering places with at least twenty Budas in each worshiping room, with incense and candles burning all the time.

We have to climb down lots of steps to get to the foot of the Buda but it is well worth it. When standing beside the Buda we are barely the height of its toe. There are fabulous park lands around the Buda but we are on a tight schedule so it is back to the truck after a short wander around.
When back at the truck we find out that there has been a change of plans for tonight and we are not going to be camping, we will be staying in a monastery nearby. We are all delighted. We arrive just after dusk at the monastery and the monks are already in the middle of their evening prayer session so we end up eating dinner to the sound of the monks chanting. Our rooms are lovely, basic and clean and we get to wander about a bit in the monastery before going to bed. It is a little spooky and very
exciting.

Day 105

I wake to my alarm after five and creep out of the room and into the courtyard to hear the monks chanting. It is enchanting sitting in the dark courtyard with the pointed roofs silhouetted against the forest tree tops at dawn listening to the chanting. I am soon joined by one of the other girls. It is over by quarter to six and I am sorry I didn’t get up earlier. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.

We drive late into the evening today, whizzing by beautiful mountains and through long tunnels. We
pass lots of areas where two and three motorways criss-cross each other high above the valleys. It looks like something from a ‘90s futuristic movie with the roads on huge concrete stilts through the countryside. We camp just off the road in a small patch of land that isn’t planted. At first we all think Will is mad when the truck has trouble getting into the spot because of the mud but when we climb down we see that it isn’t so bad after all.


Day 106

We are all in much better spirits by the time we arrive in Lijang around dinner time. It promises to be a great place, being one of the biggest tourist destinations in China, and it is harvest festival time. We also plan on going to see Tiger Leaping Gorge tomorrow.
After another delicious meal, a hot pot this time (you get a pot full of broth and you add whatever you like to it and it cooks on front of you) we sample one of the many scarf shops and have to drag ourselves out before buying the whole shop.
Back in the hostel we prepare for our hike tomorrow and turn in early.


Day 107
Taxis arrive early to take us to Tiger leaping Gorge. It is a two hour drive to the gorge through magnificent mountain scenery.  We stop at the main site and climb down to the water side. The river changes from a slow moving peaceful river into a ferocious rushing torrent of water at the first narrowing of the gorge. It is hard to believe the difference in such a small distance. 85 000m3/s of water pass through the gorge. It is incredible.  After we climb back up to the car park an hour later we are all in awe of the river and can’t wait to do a bit of walking along the river. But lunch first.

The taxis take us as far as they can. The road has collapsed part of the way so we arrange to meet them later. We have lunch in a little hostel-style place with amazing views from their dining room but the best view is from their bathrooms. From here we make our way down to the river side again. We walk on a well beaten and a little challenging trail down to the river side again. It is pretty steep at times but we all take our time and plenty of rests and photo breaks. The colours on the mountains are spectacular and the river never loses its appeal. We make it all the way to the bottom and get to stand on the tiger leaping rock. The myth says that this is the rock that a great tiger used to cross the river. It must have been some tiger because it is at least 30m between it and the other side.  We decide to rename the gorge ‘Leaping Tiger, Hidden Panda’ as we have brought our panda hats and are taking lots of photos with them on.

On the way back to the top we decide to take the adventure stairs. This is a ladder which the locals have built as a challenge and much faster way to the road again. It consists of three ladders with 80, 50 and 40 steps consecutively. We all fid them easier than the big walk back up the cliff side. We are all very impressed with Jenny, our most senior person on the trip who made it all the way down to the river and back up the stairs.
As we head back to the taxi we cross the collapsed bit in the road and are ushered in underneath the rock face by the road workers. We don’t fully understand what is going on until George our interpreter says explosive. They are blowing up the rock above the road to make it safe again. With that word out we all dash under the rock face just in time to hear the explosion and an avalanche of rocks sliding down into the gorge. It is a very exciting end to a wonderful day.

Back in Lijang dinner is a quick noodle soup and a chat with the guy serving us before heading back to bed. We are all shattered after such and active day.


Day 108

Today we are hitting the streets of Lijang and the markets to get a feel for the town. It is decorated for the harvest festival with flowers and brightly coloured fruit everywhere. The town is packed too there are people everywhere. The market is not as exciting at forst with all the usual things you find at home, tools, cheap clothes, fruit and vegetables but as we get closer to the tourist streets it get more interesting with embroidered shoe, handbags, lose linen clothes all brightly coloured and magnificent traditional dress.

The tourist streets are bustling with people all out for a good bargin. The shops, all small with big open fronts, are lit up brightly with wonderful treasures of every shape size and description, from multi-coloured key-rings to jade jewellery to leather and beaded handbags. If you cannot find all the presents you are looking for on this street you may as well give up. We spend hours browsing and buying. We eventually come out at the food end around 7pm and tuck into meat on sticks and fried rice from the street vendors.

On the way back to the hostel we walk down the bar street. There are promoters outside every bar trying to entice you in with promises of a free drink, local traditional entertainment and good service. We sit in the square for a bit to take in the carnival atmosphere and end up posing for photos with Chinese tourists.

Our skype call are short when we get back to the hostel and we head for bed satisfied that we did Lijang justice over the last few days.


Day 109 (Feng’s Birthday)

On the road again, this time for Dali another big tourist town. We don’t get very far before it becomes interesting. We pass a big white Lama fully groomed with a red dicky-bow on the side of the road. It is adorable. Its owner a young man is busy taking photos of the truck while we are busy taking photos of his Lama.

We arrive in Dali a few hours later and laundry is first on everyone’s mind, but with only two machines across the road in the sister hostel we have to take turns. While waiting Feng goes to find somewhere nice for her birthday dinner, a few sneak off the get a cake while I take some vital me time in the empty dorm and take my time to get ready for what promises to be a great night!

Dinner turns out to be another great success. Almost everyone from the truck comes along to celebrate Feng’s birthday, even George makes the effort. It is a fantastic meal with a panda birthday cake for desert. We are all in great spirits when we hit bar street, our first bar is not so successful though. Did I mention that Chinese people love Karaoke! We soon move on to a better one with a DJ and some western songs. We dance the night away and when the DJ finishes we hit another bar, The Pheonix Bar, with great dance music (Feng’s favourite). A great night was had by all as we stroll
home around 4am.

Day 110
Noone is in a rush to get up this morning and most people just have breakfast in the hostel. There are a few minor ailments among the truck so a few of us set out for the hospital to get them checked out.

After a long day of going from this test to that check and Feng doing a great job translating we get sorted with a few of us staying behind for an extra day or two in Dali for minor treatment. It is back to the hostel to get sorted for our holiday from holiday.


Day 111

Brenda, Feng and I wave off the bus the next morning and head for breakfast checking out some of the hotels along the way. We settle for a nice one in the centre of town. After an afternoon of enjoying the hotel and the TV we wander out for dinner.

The night market is nothing to talk about so we decide to go to the fun bar from Feng’s birthday night. We get chatting to a few people and guy even buys us roses. We then bump into a guy we were beside the last night. It turns out that he is the owners and lands a bottle of tequila in front of us. We all graciously decline but he insists so we concede to one shot and then he lands a bottle of rum on the table. We have great fun and soon the whole bar is up dancing including a group of guys behind us who are playing drinking games with pitchers of beer. The DJ finishes early again and we head back to the Pheonix bar but we are all shattered so we head home soon after.

Day 112

We are on the road again today, our aim is to make it to Kunming today and then on to Lo            uang Prabang the next day and meet the truck there the following day but being the end of the harvest festival and holidays we have trouble carrying out these plans. We take a taxi to a surrounding town to try for a bus to Kunming and eventually after an hour waiting in the queue Feng does the impossible and manages to get the last three tickets on the extra bus leaving in thirty mins.

The bus journey is twice as long as expected but we are just happy to arrive in Kunming and get possible the last room in the city in a nice hotel. We collapse into bed and resign to spending another day in Kunming and getting the flights to Louang Prabang a day later than hoped.


Day 113

After a leisurely morning, booking our flights for the next day and relaxing in the hotel room, we venture out into Kunming city. Like most cities in China it is full of  people hurrying here and there and street vendors doing their best to get your attention in the hope that you will buy their products.

We slowly make our way through the markets with all the trinkets of the other cities. We do find the
pet market that was mentioned in the guide book. All along one street there are big cages with the cutest puppies, kittens and even rabbits in them. Most of the animals are asleep but as son as you start to pet one they all crowd around your hand hoping for a bit of attention. I even spot a little kitten snuggled up in the middle of a crowd of fluffy puppies.

In a small doorway between fast food places we spy a restaurant that looks nice and head up the stairs. It turns out to be great and not too expensive either. Fully satisfied but still contemplating desert we head back out into the street for a bit more wandering. The last thing I was expecting catches Feng’s eye, an arcade. Im not sure about it but we go in and check it out. Three hours later and after a great time bashing this and hitting that, dancing and scoring baskets we are in the taxi home all supping on pepsi cans thanks to Brenda’s master arm chopping motion on the fruit salad machine.

Day 114

The hotel breakfast is delicious with a massive fruit buffet, every kind of pastry, and loads of hot food. We eat our fill before packing up and heading for the airport. It is a brand new airport and is amazing inside and out. We check in and stroll through the international duty free. There isn’t much in it really. I don’t think Kunming has many international flights by the look of things. 

In no time at all we are on the flight and landing in Loas’ capital Vientiane already. We sort out our visas and check in for our next flight in the internal flight terminal (I use this word loosely, they are two small buildings side by side) and then head quickly back to the international building which has air-conditioning.  We don’t have long to wait  and very soon we are in the air again for our 50min flight to  Louang Prabang.

Louang Prabang airport is smaller again and we are out in 5mins, bags and all and in a taxi on the way to the hostel to meet up with the truck crew again. It is like a cheesy movie reunion as the taxi pulls up outside everyone is sitting outside and it is all hugs and welcome back, even though it was only a few days. It is crazy how close we have all become on the truck, when someone leaves for a few day you notice that they are gone even if it isn’t someone you spend your day chatting to.
No time to waste, we are back on truck time again and we drop our bags off, fill out our Vietnam visas for Karen and head straight to the night market. The vendors line one of the main streets from 6pm every night and sell all their wares from hippy clothes, beautiful paintings, bed linen, baby bibs with elephants and lots more. We start with baguettes, yes French bread yum, and proper salad in it. There is a huge French influence in this country. You could spend a small fortune easily in this market but we resist, for tonight anyway.


Day 115

After a fench style breakfast we walk the main street all the way down to the Me Kong River where we relax in the cleverly positioned café and enjoy fresh juices and a few spring rolls. On the way back we take in the fabulous temple which is a feast for the eyes. Every wall is decorated with either small paintings or ornate mosaics. There is even an elephant head in mosaic on the side of one of the temples.



We book into a cooking course for tomorrow night on the way back down the street and get a good recommendation for a hairdresser from the lady taking our booking. I head off for the hairdressers straight away and the girls go next door for a massage.

In the hairdressers there is a gang of giggling girls who all gasp when I show them the picture of how I want my hair cut. I’m shown to the basin, which has a bed beside it which you lie on, and have my hair washed and then the boss man appears to cut my hair. A little sign language and a lot of negotiations later they understand that I want my hair dyed too. The boss man gets to cutting my hair and all the girls, who I assume are apprentices, are glued to his every cut and comb stroke. With my hair all gone, the dying process is the same everywhere so I won’t bore you with that.
An hour later and lots of hair gel later I’m walking back to the hostel trying to make my hair sit down. Asian people seem to be obsessed with volume when it comes to hair, but my hair doesn’t need any encouragement so when the hairdresser started to ‘style’ my hair he lifted it to give it volume only it stood a mile off my head. By the time I hear the shrieks from the girl in the hostel it has sat down a good bit.

It is another big night out tonight. Johnny is heading home in a few days so tonight is his leaving do. After booking our elephant trip for tomorrow, we all make our way to the Australian bar for a few. With not much happening there we move on to the Utopia bar which promises to be a bit livelier. It is a little mellow when we arrive but the DJ is taking requests so we stick it out and proves to be a good night out. We bump into a few guys from our hostel and chat to them for much of the night. At 11:30 the bar closes and the only place to go is the bowling alley so everyone form the bar jumps into tuk-tuks and head for there. One game of bowling and we are all set for home and bed.


Day 116 ELEPHANT DAY!!!

An early start is on the cards again today as we are going on an elephant experience this morning. We are picked up at the hostel and brought to where the elephants live. Here we climb aboard with the option of sitting on the chair on the elephant’s back or on the elephant’s neck (like the movies).
It is an amazing experience; the elephants know their names and understand the commands that the trainers are giving them. Brenda’s elephant is a little stubborn and fond of stopping for a nosey in the bush for something nice to eat. Half way through I get to swap with Feng and sit on the neck of the elephant. The trainer tries to teach me the commands but she doesn’t understand me or maybe I’m pronouncing them wrong because the elephant takes no notice of me.

After our trip out on the elephants we head for the waterfall and have a well needed dip in the pools.
They are cold at first but, like the Atlantic Ocean (but definitely not as cold), you get used to it. After a short boat ride back to the bus it is a quick spin to the hostel for some lunch and a bit of a snooze before cooking.
The cooking course is two and a half hours long where we are shown how to cook four dishes and taste them all before deciding which two to cook ourselves. Brenda and I decide on the pork salad with lemon grass and lime juice and the pork and chicken I the coconut milk sauce. Everyone’s food turns out delicious and we all tuck in on the porch after about 40mins of cooking.

Our route back to the hostel is through the night market and we find it very hard to resist the treasures this time. We come out the other end with a fab bedspread, chopsticks and some hippy trousers.


Day 117
A few of us get up at half five and head out to the main street to see the monks collecting alms, a very old tradition that they keep alive here in Louang Prabang. It is great that they keep the tradition alive but I am a little embarrassed when the monks come along and we are all standing there snapping away. It reminds of the images of the celebrities being hassled by the paparazzi. We head back to bed for a bit after.
On to our next destination Vang Vieng where we have been promised a real Irish bar beside the hostel. We are a little sceptical but when we arrive and head in for dinner we are greeted by a young Cork man taking our order and a young Kerry man serving us. We did ask them how they get along, considering the rivalry at home but they said that they have managed to get over it. The food is fantastic with possibly the best mash potato I’ve had on the trip so far with real butter, yum!
We spend the evening in the bar playing pool and learning to play darts. The owner Garry (the Kerry man) gives us the low down on what to do around Vang Vieng so we make our plans.

Day 118
After breakfast Brenda, Sandy and I head for the tubing. This is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. We rent a giant tractor tube from the locals and get a tuk-tuk up-stream to the starting point. Here we stop for a water safety photo before sitting into the tube and letting the river take us slowly back to the city. The scenery is amazing and so relaxing. Along the way we stop to buy a beer of a local guy selling them out of a bucket just for the heck of it. It is a Beer Loa too. We make it to the end and a young local boy jumps into the river to help us out with our tubes.
When we make it back to the hostel some of the others are planning on heading up into the mountains 7km away to a swimming hole called the blue lagoon so I decide to go too. A quick dash for a bite to eat and we are off to rent a few bicycles. After getting a little lost initially we find the bridge and leave the nice smooth tarmac for bumpy stone roads. It doesn’t take too long to get to the lagoon but just before it we are stopped for a ‘toll’. (I am a little annoyed that they seem to try and get every penny out of you that they can.)
The lagoon is more a bend in the river but it I beautiful and the water is very clear. We are just climbing in when Sarah spots two water buffalo down-stream enjoying the water too. We get a little closer to get a better view and take a few pictures. It is funny how the trip home never feels as long as the trip to an unknown place. It feels like no time when we are back in the hotel having showers and cleaning up for dinner.
Yes we are very predictable; it is the Irish bar again for dinner and cocktails again tonight. We even manage a bit of DJ-ing too. There are lots more people out tonight being Friday night and we even spot one or two doing poi and fire staff.

Day 119

Seven of our group have decided to scoot ahead and skip the next few bush camps for an extra day in our next destination, Hue Vietnam, so we are a little empty leaving Vang Vieng. It is a long drive day with beautiful scenery. The silhouettes of the mountains here are stunning.  We set up camp jut off the road in a nice secluded spot which could have been a quarry at some stage. Almost everyone decides to sleep on the roof but Will gets fed up of the insects about half an hour in and gets down to put his tent up.


Brenda
Day 120
We were up early and on the truck and decided to stop off for breakfast along the road. We arrived at the caves a few hours later and stopped at the restaurant for breakfast before going in. It was ages before anyone got their food so we decided to do a mini truck clean while we waited. It didn’t take too long and the food when we eventually got it was really good.
After we were all packed up again we went down and booked our tour of the caves by boat. They were 3 to a boat and they were small boats with two in each boat one to steer at the front and one to operate the engine at the back. The caves were very large and gloomy with lots of stalagmites stalactites and columns. We travelled for about half an hour then walked to see some of the larger areas with spectacular of stalagmites stalactites and columns. Then we followed on through the cave for 45 minutes longer and came out into the jungle along the river where the bison were cooling off by the waterside. It was a lovely tour but I don’t think caves are for me. Yvonne on the other hand loved them.
After the boat ride we went to the next town and had lunch and then headed on a 4 hour drive to the bus station for Vietnam. We arrived at the station late and decided to stay in a hotel for the night to be there early in the morning for the bus.


Day 121
We were up early and said goodbye to Will and the truck for three weeks and got on the 7 hour bus ride to the boarder of Vietnam. The bus was your typical backpacker’s bus ride possible, it wasn’t that bad, bench seats that make your bum numb and we had large bags of rice everywhere with a full load on the roof, no live animals though. It was a bumpy ride and we eventually got to the boarder and after a short motorbike taxi ride we were up in line to get stamped out of Laos and on to the Vietnamese boarder for a thorough inspection of our passports before getting stamped into country 23. We got a mini bus to Hue which was a 4 hour drive with crazy mad drivers on the road.
We arrived in Hue at dinner time so we quickly checked into the hostel and headed out for food. It was amazing lots of fresh vegetables and good fruit juices. We then wandered the street for a while looking in the stalls and did a few internet chores before bed.


Day 122
We were up early to see a bit of Hue before we left. We had American style Banana Pancakes for breakfast before getting lost in the maze that was the market with everything from stationary to tailors work houses to huge stalls of souvenirs. It was really cramped and busy, with people always trying to sell you their wares.  We wandered through and made it out and back to the hostel for lunch and got the bus from Hue to Hoi An. It was a sleeper bus during the day. It was a scenic route by the sea. It was the first sight of the sea in about 2 months it was great. We reached Hoi An at dinner time and headed straight to the tailors to order new dresses to be ready before we left and had dinner at a street stall while wandering through another market before heading back to the hotel.

Yvonne
Day 123
I eventually drag myself out of bed late today. Old habits die hard; we were up late last night watching movies on the television. (It was really nice after so long without a television) Breakfast is in a nice quiet restaurant down the road from the hotel and we hit the shops again. We are strolling through the market when we are nabbed by one of the dressmakers and order another dress. We then head back for Brenda’s fitting and meet up with the others. They have been very busy all morning ordering more clothes. It is time for food again by the time the fitting is done and we all head out together. The real damage starts after lunch, we are all talking about what everyone has ordered and soon we all want what the other had ordered so the rest of the day is spent chosing material and being measured.

With a busy schedule for the next day, fitting and collecting our purchases, we are thinking of out tummies again. Brenda and I decide that we will go for a bit of a walk first and see some of the sights here before dinner. We arrange to meet up with the rest of the crew later and head for the riverside. It is beautifully lit up and the music from the bar across the river is wafting through the air. The big highlight for me in Hoi An is the Japanese-style bridge. Folklore has it that there once was a big monster who’s head lives in Cambodia and it’s end in China, the Vietnamese people discovered it’s weakness was over the river in Hoi An and they killed the monster. Taking pity on the dead monster they built a bridge where they killed it and out a temple on the bridge to pray for the monster’s soul. The bridge is beautifully lit up with Japanese lanterns throughout.
On the way back we pass a Vietnamese hand craft shop entirely dedicated to model ships. It is amazing, some of the ships are huge. They have full replicas of all the ships throughout history from Captain Cook’s ship used to discover the pacific islands and Australia to the Titanic to Vietnamese and Chinese ships of old. It is a small shop but you could spend hours in there looking at the detail of each one.  We drag ourselves away with promises of ‘when I win the lottery’ or ‘when I buy a house’ and off to dinner and then bed.


Day 124
Our morning is going to be a busy one so we are up early and checked out of our rooms by nine and off to breakfast. One by one we tick off all our appointments with our arms soon filled with our treasures. The tally ends up; Brenda: 2 dresses and one pair of shorts, Yvonne: 2 tops, one dress and one pair of shorts. This sounds like a lot but compared to the others it is a small list. A few have bought suits, winter coats, flip flops, high heels, there is even a beautiful evening gown in the list. Everyone is very happy, the clothes are beautifully made and they fit perfectly. All the girls are determined to come back some day with and empty suitcase.

 

Our bus leaves tonight around 6pm for our 12 hour journey to our next stop Nha Trang. We are all hoping it will be a nice sleeper bus with bunk beds in it but we don’t know, fingers crossed.