Shadow Warriors Abroad
As some of you may know, a number of our current members are either living abroad or seeing the world. So that we can keep up to date with what they are doing, some of them have agreed to write irregular updates on their exploits.
Rainier - Our Man in Miami. Updated 09.12.04
Andy - Zagreb Knights. Last update 27.01.04 - Andy is now back in the UK.
Rob & Hannah - The Lost Crusade. Updated 05.10.04
This page is open to all members. If you're going off on holiday somewhere and have something to say, please contact me and I will add your thoughts to the website.
"Episode 9" New
Andy playing Solider!!
The Local Transport.
Icicles on a Canyon Wall
Working Hard in Brac
** New Pictures New **
Ski Party 1
Ski Party 2
19 October 2003
........well so far it's been ok over here. I've been travelling to Zagreb every day, done a bit of cycling and a bit of sight seeing. I've got some R&R in January/February and I'll be basing myself in Zagreb and going from there to Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade and then to Transylvania (it just took my fancy for some strange reason). It's getting cold, so I've taken advantage of the Canadian PX and brought some good quality fleeces and coats, very cheep, 25 Euro's for Heli Hanson.
I should be going to Sarajevo next week, and I'll be raiding the American PX.
Apart from going on a bike ride on Sunday their isn't much to do, we have a Brit bar and a Canadian bar and a Dutch cafe. But you can buy DVD's for 10 Euro's (I've just brought LXG good copy), CD's are only 2 Euro's and you can get most anything you want. Orders can be taken if anyone wants I'll post them from here.
Well I'll write another instalment soon.
Beers and Cheers Andy
27 October 2003
Well been traveling along the narrow canyon between Banya Luka and Merkonitch Grad in the snow, and its quite a view, but you don't want to be looking over the edge, as Bosnia has some of the worlds worst drivers. For fun they enjoy over taking on blind bends and corners, and when you have a good 50 meter drop to the river.....
Saw Jeepers Creepers in the traveling movie house, (40 ft trailer that opens up) and of course stand to attention when the national anthem plays before the start of the movie.
I've got to go to Sarajevo this weekend and then get a helicopter flight down to Brac (a island in the med). It's a hard life out here.
07 November 2003
News from Bosnia
Well as this weary war corrispondent was owed much for his greatness, he (by that I mean me) was given a free helecopter flight to the island of Brac, where was forced into doing activies such as scuba diving and messing about on speed boats. The worse thing is that I had to get paid to do this! How outrageus is this!
So apart form this horrible bit of work that I was forced into kicking and screaming. (why am I not being belived about about that bit?) It's been much the same. On the 15th of this month I've got to take a week's break down in Split and Dubrovnick. I'll tell you what that's like when I get back to the metal factory.
Hope all you folks are well, and I'll speak to you soon.
17 November 2003
I'm now in Zagreb for a little R&R (well I do deserve it as I work so hard). Zagreb is a cool town and I've managed to find the most pokey role-playing shop in the world, its no bigger then the standard bathroom. Seen a couple of movies at the kino (movies for those who don't speak German or Serbo Croat). Its odd watching a movie that has another language as subtitles.
I cant believe how quickly my time out here is going. But it seems like ages ago that I was back in the land of Blighty. (if zou guzs come across anz Z where Y should be its because of the lazout of the kezboards). The weather hasn't been to bad, had a couple of days of snow, but mostly its been better then back in UK at this time of year. But I know the snow will be hitting here soon.
Hope that everything is going well back home and I hope to speak to you soon.
Beers and cheers
20 January 2004
News from places east of Watford
It's day one of my tour of Eastern Europe, I'm starting in Zagreb, because of it's good (cheap) train's 16 quid to Budapest, can't beat that. Tonight I'll be watching LoTR with Maja (have I mentioned psycho date?). Then a nice lazy day before getting on the train Thursday morning. I'll try and send a postcard to the club from each location. I am so glad that I've got a couple of weeks off. Even though I've been enjoying myself Bosnia doesn't have a great deal to offer in the way's of a good night out. For example last Thursday a couple of drunk Canadians thought it would be fun to see what happens when you fire a pistol in a car. Well the bullet goes through the car and through the wall of a co-ri-mec (40 foot trailer converted into accommodation) and ends up in a mattress. The fella who's bed it was, was lucky to be on leave at the time. Well as you can imagine fun was had all round after that.
Will tell you what Budapest is like.
27 January 2004
Well Budapest is as they say the Bangkok of Eastern Europe. The night life is really good, but if you come here don't be an un-wary tourist. The taxi drivers will try and not use the meter, and strange girls will try and lure you into 'bars' to rip you off. You know the scams from Soho. Aside from that the Roman Baths and the historic buildings are well worth the visit. The thing about Eastern Europe (apart from abject poverty) is that how when it snows the countries don't grind to a halt, unlike some so called 1st rate powers. Yes cheap snow plows work. But because of the bad weather that is setting in, I don't think that I will be able to continue to Romania, as I do have to get back to Zagreb and then to Bosnia at some stage. Not that I want to get back to work of course. And catching up with Maja is an incentive. If their is anybody that is interested in coming to Romania in warmer times to do a bit of traveling let me know as I will definitely come.
Will I hope that you guys are well and that Gerald is updating the website. Keep rolling those dice!
Beers and Cheers Andy
Library ** Note - You have to have a Yahoo!
ID & Password to access **
More China Pictures
More Pictures - Hong Kong
More Pictures - Vietnam
More Pictures - Ho Chi Minh City
12.10.03 21.10.03 08.11.03 17.11.03 22.11.03 01.12.03 22.12.03 Part one 22.12.03 Part two 26.12.03 17.01.04
29.01.04 05.02.04 15.02.04 18.03.04 23.03.04 Part One 23.03.04 Part Two 24.03.04 10.04.04 06.05.04
13.05.04 19.06.04 26.06.04 29.06.04 06.09.04 08.10.04 New 05.10.04
New UK Dates Added
12 October 2003 [top]
Well nearly been here a week and it doesn't feel like it! Still not used to the time change, we are awake late in the evening and struggle to get up early each morning (yes I know we were both like that anyway but really am trying to get up early so am convinced its jet lag!)
The hostel we are in is right in the centre of life in causeway bay where everyone seems to shop till about 11pm every night! if I did not have to limit myself to what I can carry then I may well have joined them!
We spent the first few days just getting to know our way around and not doing much. Transport is really cheap (compared to London anything is though!) the tram is HK$2 for any trip which is less than 20p, have been using it a lot to get to central and the ferry's. Have been out to some of the smaller islands around and done a walk across Lamma island where we found a fantastic veggie/vegan organic cafe! unfortunately we had just had breakfast so we got a take away.
Yesterday we went to Lantau Island to see the big Buddha, it was impressive but unfortunately we picked the day for thick cloud and a thunderstorm so you couldn't actually see it till you walked up the steps and got very close, it was a shame as you couldn't see any views across the island when at the top! We would have then done a walk back to the MTR stop but decided to get the bus instead as couldn't see anything as in cloud!
Last night Rob wanted to watch England game in a bar which started at 1am here so we didn't get to sleep till about 4am so back to UK time and not being able to get up this morning! We did the peak tram to the peak overlooking the city and harbour this afternoon which gives some great views.
We leave this hostel tomorrow to go and stay in one for 2 nights in the New territories which will be quite secluded and good for walks country side and hopefully beaches! Then we stay the next 2 nights in the YHA hostel on Victoria peak back on Hong Kong island (wanted to stay there for the views and its supposed to be nice!, was fully booked till then).
We are staying longer than expected here but wanted to try and relax after leaving, its a nice place and somewhere I could live for a year or so (don't worry mum, not going to!) We plan to head into mainland China next Friday/Saturday where we then really have to start learning the language!
Hope all is well with you all and I look forward to some replies!
21 October 2003 [top]
Since I last wrote we have stayed in a YHA hostel in tai mei tuk, near Tai Po in the New territories for Monday and Tuesday night. Not a lot there really, some restaurants, a reservoir and lots of walks. Only stayed 2 nights so in the 1 full day we did a nature trail walk that took us to a waterfall and picnic/bbq area (loads and loads of these all over the place) and another short walk with views of the reservoir (Plover Clove). Was a nice change to get out of the city for a bit.
We then went back to Hong Kong Island and have been staying in the YHA hostel on Mt Davis, I really like it as there are great views over the sea and city and again out of the way of the hustle and bustle! Bit of a walk up or down though, and 1000s of steps! (hopefully doing Robs knees some good as they are a bit dodgy!)
Since staying there we have been round the south part of Hong Kong Island to Aberdeen (lots of old sampans that people used to live on offering boat rides - we didn't do this though), then over to Stanley to wonder round the market and beach, quite liked it there, felt like a small sea side village in the UK! We went to Ocean Park on Thursday which was good fun, really hot day for it and some good rides such as a log flume and roller coasters. There was also cable cars that took you from the top part of the park to the lower part which gave some great views over beaches and towns. Friday Rob spent all day getting prices and info for his digital camera so a non eventful day really! Saturday we went to Clear water bay on the south east tip of the new territories, the beach was really nice and has great facilities for showers and lots of lifeguards, unfortunately we did not have swimming stuff so I made rob go to another beach on Lamma island on Sunday so I could then swim in the sea! We then went to a nice veggie/vegan organic cafe for food! Rob then got his own back by going to a Peking Restaurant yesterday where there really wasn't much for me but I survived, will be good practice for me.
Rob finally got his digital camera yesterday which means we can now leave Hong Kong! Its been good but really ready to leave now as stayed longer than planned but then it is the first stop so not too bothered. We were planning to go to Guangzhou first as its only 1.5 hours on the train form here but yesterday I discovered that there is a trade fair on at the moment so the hostel is closed and all accommodation shoots up in price! We have therefore bought hard sleeper tickets to Shanghai leaving tomorrow afternoon which takes about 23 hours I think so lots of time to learn Chinese!
Will write again then!
Hope all is well with everyone!
Love Hannah and Robxx
Saturday 08.11.03 - News From Beijing [top]
Its cold and it has snowed!!!
Not written for a while, internet has not been as easy to find or as cheap as we had thought it may be.
We survived the 24 hour train journey from Hong Kong to Shanghai, was quite comfortable and the loos didn't even bother me! (hole in floor to track!)
Shanghai was ok, but very polluted from traffic and motor bikes. The driving is terrible there and traffic lights and green men to cross mean nothing! (all over china as we are finding!) We stayed in Captain YHA which was really nice, dorms with about 8 beds in each. Chatted to a few others travelling there. The old town and the Yu Yuan gardens were the best place with traditional Chinese style building as you expect to see. We did a 3 hour boat trip on the river to the mouth of the yangzi as it was recommended in the rough guide. Not that impressive really, just full of working boats, most of which are so low in the water they look like are about to sink!
We left Shanghai after about 5 nights and got a sleeper train to Tai'an - took about 15 hours. Not a lot in Tai'an town itself, the main attraction is TaiShan mountain - a holy mountain. The climb took us about 6 hours (said should take 4 in the book!) and its mainly steps (6600 or something like that). There are small temples and stalls along the way to look at. The last part of the climb was the hardest as the steps became steep with no walk inbetween sets or steps. We became famous here as were the only westerners climbing and had out photo taken a few times! We eventually got the the top just before dark and were shattered. The elderly Chinese people climb better than us! There is a small village at the top where we stayed, accommodation the worst yet as the sewer drainage is not great from up there! we got up at 4am to watch the sunrise from the peak, lots of people - again only westerners - and it was very cold! We cheated on the way down (due to robs knee not good on down steps) and got the cable car and bus so we had time to look round the temple in the town which is the traditional starting place for the climb.
From here we got a bus (managed to find it from matching the symbols! we were impressed anyway!) to Qufu to stay 2 nights to see the Confucius mansions, temple and forest. By the end of the stay here I was sick of people trying to sell us stuff, make us have a rickshaw ride, saying hello and staring!
We left here on another bus to Quingdao which is a seaside place and was really nice. It was an old German concession and so the building are very different and didn't feel like you were in china, it was just missing a chip shop! We stayed 3 nights and spent one day wondering round the town and the next doing another walk up LaoShan. Not as long or impressive as taishan but still some good views. As usual we were running late on getting there (25 miles out of town) and so when we had finished the walk we had missed the last bus back! had to walk for about another hour to get to the main road where more busses ran. This took us back a different way and terminated near the larger shopping district where we found a Pizza Hut!!! went there of course!
From here we got the train to Beijing, 10 hours but not a sleeper this time. It was packed and not much space. Was an express service but still very slow compared to some trains back home. By the time we reached Beijing so many other people had got on there were not enough seats so some people stood for about 5 hours (we had seat numbers as got on at first stop).
We got to Beijing about 8:30pm and it was not too cold, got a taxi (was completely ripped off but still cheaper than home) to the hostel as its very hard to find - and we never would have. Its an old courtyard house down narrow streets with old small buildings - nice though, expect the toilet block is outside so get a bit cold! Our first day we wondered over to Tian'anmen square and it was v cold. Bought some gloves, had some food in veggie place and came back to hostel for warmth and to sort washing out. In the evening it snowed, thundered and lightening! Yesterday we put all our layers on that we had and went to the forbidden city in the snow, got some fab pictures that I will try and send once rob sorts it out! Went for food in the evening miles away but managed the metro and bus ok. About to go to the temple of Heaven now - still some snow on roof tops but expect it may be icy. One strange thing they seem to do everywhere is chop all the branches off the trees when it snows! can't work that one out.
Anyway, bye for now.
Monday 17.11.03 - Beijing News 2 [top]
Beijing has been great, like it here. The weather is not as cold as when it snowed last week which is good! We have been to the forbidden city, summer palace, temple of heaven, walked along the great wall from Jinshanling to Simatai 10km - fab and great day for it, sun was out. Some parts were really steep, hard to climb and very ruined. See the pics on yahoo group for these. I have also been able to experience the Beijing Duck - veggie version in a restaurant. Was quite nice! We have also found a nice little place near the hostel which has English menu (they mostly get hostellers in there) that has some veggie dishes and is really cheap. The hostel is very central in the old Hutong areas, very old small mostly one story buildings, will take some pics and put on the site at some point. As usual there are lots of bikes around and people transporting everything and anything on their bikes, the best we have seen yet (not actually in Beijing though) is 2 desks some chairs and table - on a tricycle. Mad!
This weekend we went to Datong on the train Friday - 7 hours. Found somewhere really cheap to stay, well a tout for the place found us, near the station, 50 yuan a night for both of us (about 4 pound) Was actually quite clean but with very hard beds and no one could speak English! Not much in Datong itself (although did find a fab new pizza place!) but we went to the Yunyang Caves just outside (Buddist grottoes carved into a cliff build around 400AD) which were impressive. The next day we went to the hanging temple, 75km out of Datong. A temple built halfway up a sheer cliff side! was small with narrow walkways and stairs. Also went to the oldest wooden building in China, Yingxian Pagoda. The trips to each place had some interesting sights, lots of Donkey and carts, lots carrying coal, walled small villages of brick hut type housing, the buses felt like they were falling to bits and went about walking pace! On the way back from the Hanging temple we also saw villages of squat mud walled houses and cave dwellings. Seems strange that a country with large cities like Beijing and Shanghai and one that has just sent a man into space still has people living like this.
We got the sleeper train back to Beijing last night, the most rickety yet. We had top beds, rather than middle or bottom which have plenty of head room. Will try to avoid this in the future!
Spending one last night in the hostel here this evening and we have booked the train to Jiayuguan leaving tomorrow evening at 8:20pm. This will test us as its 34 hours, arriving not the next day but the day after at 6:20am. At Jiayuguan there is another section of the great wall including a restored fort guarding a key pass of the silk road. The town is not much to talk about according to the book though. We will get the train from here to Xian which I guess will be when I next write.
Bye for now!
Hannah and Rob
Saturday 22.11.03 - China North West News [top]
Survived the 34 hour train journey, actually went quite quick and on the second night I managed to get a bit of sleep (not as much snoring going on!)
We arrived in Jiayuguan about 6:15 am on Thursday. The whole of china is on Beijing time so over here it doesn't get light till nearly 8am! Decided to treat ourselves to posh hotel for 1 night - worth it for the bath! (and so cheap compared to uk prices) Also got to try chinese hotel breakfast as been having fruit, bars and bakery stuff most of the time. Was ok but not sure noodles, bean sprouts, peppers, peanuts etc is breakfast. Got a fried egg too but with funny sweet 'toast'.
We went to the fort here which is at the west end of the great wall and was securing part of the silk road. Very big and impressive with desert and mountain views. We hired dodgy old bikes to get there (brakes were fine though mum!), about 20 mins from town. After this we went to the overhanging section of the great wall about 6km from the fort. Very different to the wall near Beijing, Only a small section and it was a lot narrower and all been restored I think. Cycled back and went to the night market for some food, v v v cheap at night markets! Rob had some patty spicy thing and some meat kebabs stuff and I had sweet potatoes.
Yesterday we left the hotel and headed for the bus station (after buying some insurance thing you have to have in this area to travel on busses, can see why now!). Got there just in time for the slightly late 12:00 bus to Dunhuang which should take 5 hours according to my book. Bus ok, bit old and tatty but not full at all. The journey is mostly through desert. We were going for about 1.5 hours when the bus broke down. Thought was flat tyre at first but after the drivers couldn't fix it and were on mobile phones for a while figured was not, think it was the axle. Eventually another smaller bus went past that the drivers of our bus stopped it and we got on. Packed and had to stand for a bit till people got off then had a seat. The roads were very patchy which made the journey very bumpy! The police stopped the bus at one point for routine check of driving licence etc, thought they would ask for our passport and visa but didn't, maybe they got distracted by the lorry behind with a massive load leaning very much to the right! (like lots of lorries we later discovered). Continued the journey for some time (saw a good sun set in the desert) until this bus broke down (quite close to Dunhunag at this point but now dark and in the middle of nowhere). They messed around with the engine for a while and eventually started again only to stop a few 100 meters down the road (rob thinks was something to do with the fuel pipe), they got out and faffed with engine again and this time it got us there, a lot later than we had hoped for!
Dunhuang is an oasis town on the edge of the desert. Today we went to the Mogao caves (lots of carved Buddhist statues and paintings on walls and ceilings, established in 366AD). All the caves are locked so you have to have a guide to open them for you. As we seem to be the only westerners for probably 1000s miles we had our own guide who spoke quite good English. Only get to see a fraction of the caves that are there but very impressive anyway and kept in very good condition with colours still good. After this we went to the crescent moon lake in the desert sand dunes which are just outside the town. We got to taboggon down the dunes - good fun and also had a short camel ride. Two things I was not expecting to do in China!
Hoping to get the train to Xian tomorrow at some point but all the CITS travel services here seem to be shut and as the train station is 130km away can't really pop to the train station to buy ticket.
Will email again from Xian!
Hannah and Rob
Monday 01.12.03 - Update from Chengdu [top]
Since my last email we got the train to Xian from Dunhuang, 24 hours. The hostel there was nice, an old courtyard style building again. We got off the train after 10pm and refused all taxis that just hassle westerners then rip you off. Managed to find the bus which costs 1 yuan and got off at the right stop. We then did our usual walk the wrong way and get lost! only for about 10 mins though.
The first day we went to the terracotta warriors with an American girl and Irish guy that were also staying at the hostel. Very impressive and very large! So much is still underground though and lots that are broken and damaged. We all got the bus back together and wondered round town looking for pizza hut in the rain! couldn't find it but found a Chinese pizza place which was just as good!
Day 2 we didn't really achieve much apart from get digital pics to CD and use the internet. We then wondered round the town to the bell tower and drum tower and then the muslin quarter - lots of little stalls and food places. We looked round the Great Mosque also.
Day 3 we got a bus 3 hours to Famen Si (temple - again!) which holds finger bones of the Buddha! (wow! I was not really interested and too busy trying to see if a veggie restaurant there - was not or it was closed, only good thing about Buddhist temples!) Rob wants me to add that there is also a very fine selection of Tang dynasty treasures that were sealed away with the finger bones!!
The last day we went to forest of stelles (stone blocks with writing or pictures carved into it) which was originally a Confucius temple. Some were actually quite nice and I was tempted to buy some rubbings of one - too expensive and also would get damaged in back pack I expect. We went up the city wall also and walked along to where the hostel is, just inside the wall by the south gate.
Our train to Chengdu left at 2pm and arrived the next day at 9:30. We had lower bunks this time as sick of not being able to sit up! Was the worst journey yet as the driver was a maniac and it kept jolting practically throwing you out of bed, and some parents let their kid have a toy that played happy birthday tune and he was playing at and goodness knows what time in the morning, obviously spoilt!
Chengdu seems quite a nice place. The easiest journey to hostel yet as someone from hostel was there waiting to give free lifts! Again its like an old courtyard building, cheapest nights yet! (no heating though but its not as cold here). We wondered over to Wenshu si (temple) which had really nice gardens, tea house and veggie restaurant!! was really cheap and not too bad. Sat outside as the sun was out so not too cold. The gardens were packed with locals drinking tea and playing cards. Yesterday I tried to find out where the bear rescue sanctuary is but no one knew or even heard of it! (not open to public yet). We then walked along the river (jin river) to wangjiang park which was quite nice, not very good day though as cloudy. Today we got up early and went to the panda breeding base, the best time being in the morning when they are eating. Was quite good, some baby pandas also. Their surroundings seemed quite good, way better than a zoo but I thought they could have had some more space, there seems to be lots of walkways and seats for the public, I think some should be given to them! we got some good photos of them sitting happily eating away at leaves! I asked there about the bear sanctuary and this time someone seemed to know about it but still couldn't tell me where it is. I called animals Asia in Hong Kong when we got back, an English (speaking anyway) girl returned my call to say they are very sorry but bad timing, they are too busy as 37 bears have recently arrived so no one is spare to show me around. Its also still like a building site apparently! Would probably have upset me anyway! For those that don't know what I am talking about www.animalsasia.org They hope to open some sections to the public end next year.
Tomorrow we will get the bus to Leshan for a night to see china's largest carved Buddha that overlooks the river. After that then no more Buddha's I think, have had enough! From there we go to Chongqing to get a yangzi river trip to Wuhan which could be when I next email!
Hope everyone is feeling Christmasy! its not here! although have seen first Christmas lights on a shopping building here, Santa with happy Christmas!
Hannah and Rob xx
Monday 22.12.03 - Continued Adventures [top]
We began this a few weeks ago and now have time to finish it.....
Sorry guys, this is a long email..... we got bored ourselves writing it so won't be offended if you get bored reading it!
OK are you sitting comfortably......
Since I last wrote in Chengdu we got the bus to Leshan which took only 2 hours and I was expecting 4 or 5! Not much to Leshan, we got there too late in the afternoon to go to the big Buddha plus the weather was not great so we just wondered round the town. We decided to pick the busiest restaurant for food as everything was written in Chinese so no idea what's what. The restaurant was in fact a hotpot place which did have lots of vegetables being served, you then cook them in the pot in the middle of the table. Unfortunately to be expected though) there was chicken stock with what I thought looked like a head of something but rob says it was chicken bones - yuk! They couldn't understand me asking for just water or showing my vegan passport so gave up. They were also unhelpful in ordering from the menu and we ended up with 4 selections of mushrooms and a couple of other dishes as we didn't know what we were ordering! you would think they would say or help - most other places have. Rob munched through a couple of servings but said it was pretty dull. Despite the reports he had read of it being very spicy. Had food back in hotel room so didn't starve! The hotel room looked ok but was not so great. Had a moth flying round all night making noise and what we think was a mouse or some other creature knocking the bin over and running into carrier bags we had on the floor, did not sleep well! We legged it out of there the next day - after we had spent a few hours at the giant Buddha in the hill side overlooking the river, along with the gardens and temples surrounding it. Went looking for veggie restaurant in the Wuyou temple listed in my book that doesn't seem to exist!
We then got the bus to Chongqing, which took longer than I expected, about 7 hours. Most of the road was bumpy and uneven apart from last section. Arrived about 11pm and got a taxi to a hotel from the rough guide. They had dorm beds for 50 yuan so we took them and basically had the room to ourselves anyway just not with ensuite. Spent the next day actually finding a veggie place at a temple (ok - not fantastic) then getting lost on busses trying to find the CITS (China International Travel Service). Found it and booked the Yangzi river cruise! There are no overseas tourist boats as its out of season, just Chinese tour boats - cheaper anyway. The CITS actually took credit card so we went for middle class, 4 beds and shared bathroom, still cheap compared to uk prices. This left the next day in the evening.
Spent the next morning and afternoon wondering round the river side and shops. There is quite some contrast from wondering near shanti type houses by the river and 10 mins later being in a newly built up shopping pedestrianised street!
We got a taxi to the ferry port - not much of a port, just a floating pier type thing to the boat. Got hasstled by people trying to charge 5yuan to carry our bags. Some guy, smartly dressed asked for our tickets and showed us the way (we knew anyway which port), checked us into the boat (like a hotel reception) and followed to the room. We later discovered he did not work for the boat and again just after money - he did not get any! There seemed to be 2
Chinese people in the room when we go there, we had beds 3 and 4. Don't know what was said but when we walked in they had a brief word or two with the boat clerk and took their bags and walked out! charming
heh! The boat staff then tried to sell us the rest of the room so we had it to ourselves by saying the
Chinese are loud and will smoke lots! (which is true) First price for this was 400 yuan - said no and were happy to share. Someone else came in later and did a similar talk and said we can have the room for 300 yuan more. The only
thing we would want the room to ourselves is so no one smoking in there. Rob said 200 yuan or we share. The guy said that's not possible 'this is china, land of negotiation' rob said. He went away and as predicted was back within half an hour to take the money! should have tried for less or even nothing as looks like no Chinese want to share with foreigners but it was good in the end to have whole room, like 1st class then!
Went for a wonder as the boat started, bumped into 2 girls, Anna and Katie, that we had met in the Xian YHA! Was quite mad and was great to have others to chat to! There was another western guy, German, with a Chinese girl and the rest Chinese and we think some Japanese. Boat not that big, some outside space at the front and a bit at the back. A shop, 2 bars and a hair dressers!!
The next day the boat was scheduled to stop at Fengdu at stupid o'clock in the morning. 6:30am we got off, still dark and took a chair lift to pingdu shan, by chair lift we mean skiing type which comes up behind and whips you off your feet. At the top of the mountain there are various temples which for a mountain housing temples to demons and ghosts starts off very low key with a temple health and a Buddha temple. Further up it gets more interesting with Superstitious bridges, Ghost gates temples of various ghost spirits and demons and temples to King of the Dead and other unpleasant entities. Unfortunately its all been a bit jazzed up for the tourist trade so not sure how much of it is authentic. Especially as when you get the chair lift back down to the bottom you are then guided into the Fengdu Ghost City a completely modern fabrication that is basically a haunted house and makes Alton Towers effort look positively scary, all quite funny all in all though. If it sinks below the rising river waters I don't think too many people will be mourning its loss, unfortunately from the looks of the level markers I don't think this is likely too happen.
Next stop was to the Lanrui Dan (Orchid Like Temple) Pagoda. Quite a nice little structure bright red lots of levels and following the No Nails were used in its original construction theme here in china. You could see the marks on the wall inside to where the river will flood to and looks like this will be right on the edge of the waters.
We had food at the boat restaurant in the evening with Anna and Katie. Was actually not bad! Chatted in our room after that till about 11 then gave up and went to bed. There was some stop about midnight to white emperor town for people to get off but really couldn't be bothered as late and dark, and all the guide book said about the place was a person decided to make themselves a king and carve out a little kingdom here and when he saw white vapor rising from a well here decided to call himself the white emperor and make it his capital, we did not find this an inspiring reason to go running around in the wee hours of the morning especially with another early start.
Early start again the next day, 7am going though the first gorge (Qutang Gorge), we missed most of it as didn't realise! It was dark though and all they were doing was playing the ships lits over small bits of the gorge walls. Our guide tried to warn us about the gorge but couldn't speak English so we didn't get on deck early enough! What we did see was really impressive, can't really describe it and it was still dark so no photos! Next we changed to some smaller boats to go down the three little gorges for a few hours very impressive rock faces and little farms and villages along the way very picturesque, lots of photos. Saw Monkeys on the hill side! We later discovered that the river has already risen about 40 meters from the original depth so the views are quite different and the river wider.
The second gorge on the yangzi river was shortly after the boat trip. There was an announcement for it and all the Chinese rushed out and took photos for 5 mins then lost interest and went back to games and smoking!
This is great as we then have the front of the boat to ourselves for the rest of the way, about 40 km till the end of the gorge! Quite misty and cold though, more photos. Chatted on the front of the boat with Anna and Katie for quite a while till it got too cold and went inside to drink tea with some Chinese they had befriended, the vice mayor of a Chinese city and the president of a Chinese province! (so they say anyway) and one person who could speak English!
About 8:30 pm, as we were just finishing dinner the boat came to the three gorges dam locks. Some people got off to see the dam, some local culturally show and some other site in the area but it was dark!! we couldn't see the point and wanted to be on the boat through the locks. There are 5 locks in a row but only 4 in use as the water is not yet high enough. As usual the Chinese rush out for the first one, push and shove to take photos then go back inside. Great again as we were able to stay on the front and back for the rest to take some good photos! The lock had 7 boats in and is huge! the water level seems to drops about 15 meters or so each time and its very smooth! not like a canal lock! The whole thing took about 3 hours.
We were able to spend the last night on the boat but had to be off by 6am. It finished at Yichang. Our guide took us off the boat about 6:30. We waited for Anna and Katie for a while, the guide then went to look for them, good job as they thought it was 7 we had to be off by, the boat was about to pull out and they had to jump off!!!
We dumped our bags in the train station left luggage and wondered around for a shop and some food. Got a taxi to the dam site to see it in daylight. All seemed a bit of a rip of as a mini bus drives you to the dam, the locks and a model of the site for loads of money and it looks like you can get there yourself, but the taxi man wouldn't saying it is a restricted access area. Weather was not good, very misty but could just see everything. Anna was not too well and slept in the taxi. On the way back she was sick in her hat! nice. Think was food poisoning but everyone else ok. Taxi man was really nice about it. He was quite helpful and called his friend who drives a bus to wuhan (better for trains to Shanghai - quicker) which had just left, he waited for us!
Bus took about 5 hours and it all got very confusing. The bus driver tried to find train times by calling his friend who spoke English. 6pm he said, only train and we missed it. I had checked time in yichang and was told 15:20, 17:20 and 19:?? so thought should be fine. Got to train station and was told train at 14:48 the next day. At the bus station there was a bus at 19:10 but just not today. It seemed impossible to leave! It was chucking it down and we were soaked so we gave up. Tried to get taxi to cheap hotel from guide book but 3 taxis later and no one seemed to know where it is. One guy seemed to so we all pilled in, just about fit 4 people and 4 backpacks! He drove round for ages, couldn't find it, asked police men and at one point we had a police escort. Not for long, they gave up too. In the end said the words cheap and hotel in Chinese and he took us somewhere. Rob managed to bargain the price of a room to 50% of it!! quite impressed. Rooms were comfortable and had a bath! We had spotted pizza hut so got a taxi there for food to cheer us up, also as a birthday treat for Katie as it was her birthday We finally raided some of the medical supplies we had lugged half way round the world to give Anna some medicine to sleep better as she was still not feeling well.
Left the next day to get to the train station. We had no money so stopped at a cash point on the way, not working, network connection down or something we thought at the time. Travellers Cheques and US money locked in backpack so we headed to the station anyway in the hope that the ATM may be back up. At the station we discovered the train was now at 15:20 and again the only train today. Nothing seems to add up and times are always different! Hannah and Anna went off to try and get cash or change money. No banks near the station would change anything or take UK cash cards. Had to get a taxi to the bank of china who still would not change travellers cheques and the ATM was still down. Had to join a queue (Chinese queue is not a queue) with the locals so I could change US dollars. Eventually got to front and managed to get enough money for train. Taxi back and got tickets with about 30 mins to spare! we then find the time on ticket is 14:48 after all. However train information board says it arrives at 15:20. Its all very strange.
We have noticed that train times change where ever you get information from and some are listed and some not. Stress over and we got the train, all top sleepers as no bottom ones left. Can't believe its so impossible to use credit cards here.
We are now in Shanghai to see if we can change our opinion of it as it was the first stop in china I think it was all a bit of a shock and we didn't like it. Katie and Anna's first stop was Beijing and they didn't like that whereas we loved it!
We plan to go to Putoshan - a Buddhist island and also spend 2 day trips to suzhou to see the grand canal and canal villages and also Taihu lake. We are now thinking of flying to the next destination or 2 so we can leave on 21st on last day of our visa!.....
Hannah and Rob
Monday 22.12.03 - Escape from China the final mainland. [top]
Back in Hong Kong! civilization, fantastic sandwhich shops (mozzarella and avocado - yum!), clean toilets with toilet paper AND soap and no one stares or shouts hello every 5 mins! Will be good to stay till new year and just chill! Unfortunately we now notice how expensive it is here (still a bit cheaper than London though) and how cheap china was!
We liked Shanghai more this time, its still polluted though. Nothing really went as planned while we were there though.
We decided to book a flight to our next stop, guilin, to save a day as our visa was running out, did this the first morning and then got the bus to Suzhou to see the canals. We got ripped off as usual by a boat trip along the canal that took us only one way and we had to hire the whole boat as no one else was around. We wondered back through the town and would have stayed for food but for some reason the cash points would only take 6 digit pin numbers so ours would not work. When we got to the train station we found that the train back was way cheaper than the bus here so would have had money for food after all, then had to wait about an hour for the next train which was also delayed.
The next day we made a second attempt to see more of the canals, but had to pick flight tickets up at 10:30 so we did not get the early start we wanted again. This time got the train to Suzhou then a taxi to Tongli - a smaller canal village. Got ripped off in a taxi on meter, he just took a longer route, typical. Beginning to dislike Chinese people now due to always trying to rip you off and having to bargain them to death for a deal, which is a shame. Tongli was really nice though and worth the trip even if it was just for a few hours, which was long enough to wonder round. The canals were small and narrow round the streets with the main wide canal running past. We were able to walk by the canal which we were not expecting, we thought it may just back onto houses but there are paths and shops, cafes, houses etc along side. Got the bus back which was cheap and didn't actually take that long, hence believing the taxi had taken the scenic (lots of fly overs) route. Had decided to try Shanghai night life as have failed to do so so far in China. Got back to the hostel quite late as waiting for the train for ages. Went to a few bars down a main bar street listed in our guide books, was not all that great. One bar was mostly chinese all seeming to have a pretty good time but they must be loaded in chines terms as the drinks were not cheap, pretty close to London prices. The next stop was full of lots of western guys, some quite old with very young Chinese girls. The drinks here jumped a notch to London club prices too! we're glad we haven't tried doing this too often as we wouldn't have managed to get half as far as we have.
Third day we got the overnight boat to Putuo Shan, Buddhist island. Got 4th class as only that or 1st left. Was actually not bad and the beds quite padded even if you were sharing with about 12 other people, there were quite a few children so the smokers actually went out into the corridor!!.
We got to Putuo Shan the next morning at 8am and went to find out about return boats. VVVV annoying that you can never book return tickets on anything or even find out times for returning from the place you are starting from, they just make things up! Also the return ticket only seems to be a recognized term on cable cars! We discovered that there was one express boat back to Shanghai leaving at 12:10, the guide mentions many express boats back to Shanghai well it is the off season what can you expect. The Slow boat back would get us in at 6am, our flight was at 10:20. Should have booked it for later really. Trying the Fast boat would not leave much time for the island - it is quite small though! We wondered along the beaches, very nice when its summer I imagine, although they usually charge to go on the beach! mad. Got a bus to the cable car to the top of the mountain (well, hill really). At the top there was an army guy that would not let you walk to the peak, we wondered if this was just being racist but he also turned away a Chinese group too. This really annoyed us, what is the point of coming here if can not walk to the top?! walked down, wondered round the temple at the bottom then got the bus back to the port to get boat ticket. Sold out. Another option - she tells us now (argh!, such a lack of information available) is to get the boat to the next island then take the bus to Shanghai. We did this to find the bus at 3 was full so the next one was 4:50. booked for that. Really wound me up because if you could get timetables or even buy tickets from somewhere when you are not actually at the place then could plan things. Now had hours to kill somewhere else when could have been back on Putuo Shan.
Anyway, trying to forget it all now! If back in China in the summer one day then will return for a few nights as I imagine its great then.
Got the flight ok the next morning and then bus from guilin to Yangshuo and was there early afternoon! great, makes a change from 24 hours on the train. Checked into a youth hostel that was just being done up. Was ok but not really any hot water in the morning and he charged us 20yuan for the heater remote control, we left the next day and went down the road to one we saw the day before. Really comfy double bed (always twins rooms everywhere else in china), TV, nice ensuite and heater cheaper! Room cost about 4pound a night so bargain. Stayed 3 more nights. Yangshuo is really nice - and was sunny and not that cold! (in the day) but very touristy and geared up for the back packers. There is a street of restaurants/cafes/bars that are all in English and reminds me of a European tourist spot where everything English! Was great though and the food was yum! mostly ate Chinese as can read the menu but there was also pizza, pasta, Mexican etc. We spent time wondering round the village and parks, took a boat trip on the li river - really small boat as the river is low in dry season (at a stupidly early time of 7am bus to boat less than an hour away, why the trip has to be planned for then I don't know) and also went on 2 bike rides. There are lots of locals that offer bike tours which we did. The first woman that spoke to us seemed really nice and she did not hassle us each time she saw us to buy her bike tour like all the others, maybe she is clever and realises it just gets on peoples nerves! She took us through villages and to a bamboo raft which we got down a bit of the yulong river, then onto the Buddha Water caves. These were fab and not what I was expecting. Was taken along a route through the caves involving a lot of climbing up and down ladders, through small holes, one which you could literally just fit through head first! got filthy. Also went though some water parts and had to take off shoes and roll up trousers. Most other caves are only open in summer as have seen photos around of people on boats and in deep water in the caves, next time... After this we went to the guides house for lunch. She lived in a small village, and had chickens, ducks, cats and dogs wondering around, also had a water pump outside. Was dying to ask to use the loo to see what it was like but didn't! She understood I am veggie though and cooked some nice food and gave us lots of oranges and strange big melon type things. After this we cycled back to the town and she asked us if we would go to her brother in laws to speak with his son in English, his son is 4! They also cooked us food in the evening while the little boy read (or recited from memory) his English books to rob, he did seem very good though. He then had his evening bath in a bucket by the kitchen! Later the teacher and another 4 children arrived to practice English! It was getting quite late on in the evening and the kids must have been fed up. They were like soldiers repeating words you say. One girl could only answer questions correctly when the teacher asked them in a certain order, rob was asking 'how old are you' to get things like 'very well thank you, how are you?'! Also had to go through a speech the teacher had written for the English Oral competition they were all going to at the weekend, hence the extra practice needed, corrected and reworded a few sections to make it a bit better our first taste of English teaching here as lots of westerners stay on for some extra time in china and do it to earn money.
Just when you think you have met people trying to be friendly and it turns out they just want you to speak English with their children! Was interesting though.
On the last day we hired bikes and made our own way to moon hill and climbed this (not good weather the day before). Had some fantastic views of around Yangshuo from the top and was well worth the climb! As usual get harassed all the way up and down by people trying to sell you water when you already have some as well as postcards.
We got the 'deluxe sleeper' bus from here to Guangzhou as we thought we should try it as it had been trains till now. Never again, way worse than the train for getting sleep and the beds are really narrow. Had to get some sleep for a few hours when we checked into the hostel at our destination! We spent the day wondering round shamian island in the city which was the foreign concession. Tried some night life again in the evening and went to a bar with a live Chinese band taking requests from the audience and then onto 'Yes Disco'!!! Was like a club anywhere else really, very expensive and can't imagine that many people can afford to go there. They were showing a live premiership football game so the added joy of watching football while clubbing got robs vote of approval! It was busy but no way near packed like we are used to at home.
Yesterday we got the 1.5 hour train journey to Shenzen, dumped our bags in left luggage and wondered around the town. Managed to find some cheap Chinese food in the evening before walking over the border and getting the KCR train back in Hong Kong to the centre and checked into Mt Davis YHA again where we will spend Christmas and new year.
Still not feeling Christmasy but there is lots going on here and lots of Christmas lights and trees in the city, and even on some of the trams!
Hannah and Rob
Friday 26.12.03 - 60 days in China. [top]
Some of our thoughts on china...
We really enjoyed china but more than 2 months would have been too long for one visit while 1 month would be too short. I feel we coped very well with the toilets and hopefully will not be a problem anyway else!
Some reasons why we liked China...
We are not at work!!!!
Fantastic Scenery of so many different types from mountains to deserts!
The Great Wall was the highlight of the trip and was amazing
Had a fab experience and it really makes you appreciate what you have back at home!
Young children speaking to you and singing English nursery rhymes!
Buses and metros are really cheap in china and great to get around
Trains are comfortable and cheap way of getting around, also usually running on time!
CITS to book tickets when we couldn't be bothered to try in Chinese!
Some great nightmarkets for cheap food - even some veggie stuff
Has an English TV channel! CCTV9. Although the programs repeat lots and its all promoting china tourism!
Meet lots of interesting people at Hostels, could have probably met more on trains and stuff if we had spoken better Chinese.
You learn how big the country is when you are travelling around by bus and train and the trip takes a day or more of pure travelling. Bus and train journeys back in the UK will seem nothing to us now.
China has a huge and interesting history, although as they built lots out of wood most of the structures you go to see aren't the originals.
China is very cheap, even when we figured we were being ripped off sometimes we didn't bother to argue.
Hong Kong seems a really nice and interesting city, though we haven't been in summer so it may get too hot then. An interesting mix of Chinese and all things international, though it seems very expensive now we have come back to it after china.
We are not at work!!!, so good you have to mention it twice.
Some annoying points about china
People always trying to rip you off and never seem genuine. I'm sure this is not always the case though and if we were able to speak more Chinese then maybe we could have chatted more with people. I also think that being a couple we get a different reception from people compared with people on their own or 2 girls/2 boys. A recent example of this is in an internet place in Shanghai. A Chinese girl in my room told us where it was and that it is 3yuan an hour. Got there and a Chinese guy already using a PC told us it was 3yuan an hour, but the guy running the place said we had to pay 6. Not much I know but its the principle. We walked out and found somewhere for 4 an hour!
Timetables. Hate train timetables. It always seems different times where ever you look or ask. Also the fact that you can only book tickets 3 days in advance and can never book returns or buy tickets unless you are at the departing station is really annoying.
Smoking, everyone smokes here, mainly blokes. It seems they are years behind finding out that it causes cancer!
Spitting and snotting and general hygiene! yuk yuk yuk, people spit all the time and make horrible sounds while doing so. Also no one understands tissues and just snot straight out their nose! One woman on the train had a plastic bag just for spitting in! Surely they can cope without doing so, we all do. Also saw quite a few toddlers that just squat for a wee in the street while their mums hold them, nice thing to teach kids.
"Hello", Ok at first but after a while of everyone saying "hello" it can get on your nerves! Also people staring which happens in small places
Rip offs and Bargaining. Such an effort to go shopping as unless you are in a priced shop you have to bargain for everything, even the price of hotel rooms, just can not be bothered!
Food. Do get sick of rice after a while and it was quite an effort to find English menus or order from Chinese menus - can't wait for Thai food that is fab for veggies apparently!
Toilets. Goes without saying really! The worst being on top of Lao Shan mountain which was a toilet block with 3 holes in the floor going out down the mountain and no walls or doors separating each! Managed to use it though, while someone else was in there also! Would never have done that 2 months ago. The best toilet by far is Pizza hut! Western clean loos, toilet paper, soap and hand dryers.
Beggars. While it is sad that there are so many they do become annoying as they walk along side you, prod and hastle you which is quite different to London.
Queues. No such thing in China. People push left right and centre. Can not seem to understand that letting people off the metro first is a good idea. Always a mad rush to get on the train as well, even if people do have sleeper beds booked.
BBC world service is blocked
Art Exhibition 'students'. All over Beijing and some in Shanghai and even got some in Yangshuo which is a shame. People pretend to be art students and say there is an exhibition on after practicing English on you for a few mins, just want you to buy stuff. got so annoying just started saying 'not interested in art thanks' when ever anyone said 'hello - where are you from!'
Pollution in the cities
Entrance tickets for scenic spots. Have to pay to climb mountains, enter the desert and even on some beaches apparently!
'taxi', 'binguan' (hotel) shouted at you by stacks of people every time you exit a station. 'Leave us alone! we know you just want to rip us off'. When leaving a station you get a much better deal on taxi by wandering ten minutes down the road and hailing a normal meter taxi rather than trying to negotiate the price.
Could not have survived China without...
Pizza Hut! WOW, so great when had a bad day or just sick of Chinese food and want English menu with guaranteed veggie option! Very popular in china along with KFC.
Rough Guide/ Lonely Planet. For obvious reasons!
Oreo chocolate biscuits! Thanks America for supplying china with these! Chocolate that taste of chocolate!
Phrase book. Didn't take long to give up trying to say words and start pointing. (we knew numbers, how much, thank you etc) People just don't understand you if you are just one tone out, can not even make a good guess at what trying to say.
Cheese slices! Can get them in the big supermarkets, was great for making sandwiches
Bakeries! Not really expecting so many. Often sweet bread though.
English/pinyin signs. No matter how remote a station is the sign is in Pinyin, also street signs are, even in smaller towns. Would have been lost if it wasn't!. Pinyin is the failed attempt by china to switch their language to use the roman alphabet, hopefully they will try again as they have to use it to use computers.
China Daily English news paper! The English language paper that kept us roughly up to date with things going on in and out of the country.
Mobile Phone Signal is everywhere!
Peanut butter - can get in most supermarkets
Wooly thermals! Kept me warm in the north - about to discard!
ATM machines, on the whole worked most of the time. A few occasions when tried to get money in the morning when middle of night at home and its down.
Superdrug no water handwash. Probably stopped us getting food poisoning as often not anywhere to even rinse hands after the loo.
Everyone has a flash expensive phone, even if they seem quite poor, saw some monks with very swish little phones.
Chinese posing for photos - they often don't smile, also the person taking the photo has to get in a crazy position to take it, yee, er, san..... smile!
Bicycles carrying massive loads, desks and tables at one point. General traffic, saw quite a few lorries so overloaded they tip one way.
Staff in places. In Restaurants there is usually 2 people just to open the door! On trains there are loads, all of which seem to have a compulsive disorder and come along re arranging luggage and peoples towels hanging up! On the Beijing metro there are people to buy paper tickets and then 2 people to rip them up. Keeps people in work though.
Green Man on traffic lights. Means nothing. still don't cross and when you do look both ways, bicycles pay no attention to what side of the road they should be on and cars can still right turn when the traffic light red!
Baby Clothes with holes in. Nearly all babies wear trousers and under trousers with a big slit in. OK if they were wearing nappies! this was in the cold parts too, must be very painful!
When you don't understand what someone says, they will often then write it in Chinese!!!
Attention span of the Chinese. The classic examples being on the boat as mentioned in previous email, 5 mins of mad rush and photos then everyone goes away! despite glorious views and scenery for several miles afterwards.
I find it very hard to recognise people, they look very similar.
We realise how terrible our language skills are when practically anyone's English here is better than our Chinese, especially the children speaking and reading English at age 4.
On returning to Hong Kong we find ourselves staring at all the non Chinese here. Its quite funny they probably think we are mad.
People wanting to have their photo taken with us. We have been pictured with loads of army tourists and children, once you have said ok to one photo they all want their photo taken makes you almost feel like a celeb. especially the ones that sidle up for a sneak photo without actually asking you.
Army operation tourism, the biggest group of tourists we seem to have met at any scenic spot around china are hoards of off duty PRC Army soldiers in full uniform. All wanting their photo taken with everything even when it says 'No Photos'.
Reasons to Return.
I want to work in the Bear Sanctuary!
Lots of mountains to climb in better weather.
Go to Tibet
Try to learn Chinese before going back!
Lots of money to be made here if you can speak the language.
Try and do more bits of the Great Wall.
To follow in just over a month the next chapter 30 days in Vietnam.
Hannah and Rob.
Saturday 17.01.04 - Vietnam #1. [top]
First - had a great time back in Hong Kong and Rob promises?!!? to write a Hong Kong email to cover the beginning of our trip and the more recent stay but we'll see! Didn't really achieve much while there, did some nice walks though on Lantau Island and in the New territories.
The day before we flew to Vietnam we both came down with food poisoning and were really sick! Survived all china no prob and we get it back in civilization! The flight was at 3pm on 4th so had a bit of a lie in but we really were not moving very fast!
Once in Hanoi we find a cash point and take out 2million Dong each! (you should see what our balance is! 27.5 thousand to the pound) we then get a mini bus to Hanoi. As soon as you are out of the airport you are straight in the fields with women in triangular bamboo type hats and water buffalo (think). The driver dropped us not where we asked but at a hotel he wanted us to look at - I think. Was not so good so we then got taken to another by someone else who stopped us in the street as we looked lost, chatting about football and Manchester united on the way! - they all love it. This one was ok, small and lots of stairs but room had comfy bed, tv, hot water and was US$8 a night. Went to bed as tired and were not up before lunch the next day, stomachs feeling a bit better but not 100%.
Hanoi is a nice city, very small in comparison to cities in china, very few high rise buildings and the centre is very old narrow streets crammed full of motor bikes and shops/cafes spilling out on the pavements so not even any room to walk along them! The roads and traffic are just as crazy, green men again mean nothing, it sometimes looks safer to cross on red! Its also full of tourists, people speak English to you and restaurants all have English menus -which is great really!
Two days after arriving we went on a trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. It was a long bus ride to the boat port for Halong Bay, Loads of boats go out each day, there was about 20 or so on ours, quite small wooden boats with a good size deck we all sat on - in the sun! The scenery is like Yangshuo in China but in water! 1000s small peaks coming out of the sea and some caves. 10 of us on the boat had opted to sleep on board, 3 Korean girls who went to bed about 7:30 or something stupid and 7 Brits! The room was a bed and door, no space round the side! Spent the evening playing cards and drinking beer. Was a great view of the full moon sparkling on the water. The next day we spent on Cat Ba Island, was not all that impressed with it, could be because the weather was not great. Did a short hike to the top of a peak with a group, got left behind and ended up getting lost and going up the wrong way, which we discovered on the way down was lots harder and more interesting! The beaches were nice but two of them had building work going on which will ruin them as they are quite secluded at the moment. Found a bar ran by a NZ guy and his Vietnamese wife in the evening, full of travellers - seemed strange after so long in china. We left just gone midnight to find we were locked out of the hotel, had to bang and shake the shutters to wake the owners who sleep on the floor in reception! Boat trip back was uneventful as weather not good again, very misty.
Once back in Hanoi we had a few hours to get food and use internet before we got the train to Lao Cai in the north to spend 4 days in and around Sa Pa where there is lots of walking in and around minority villages. We booked hard sleeper through the hotel but ended up in soft! Think 2 guys also from the hotel had ours, didn't complain though, they were idiots. The trains are no way near as good as china, it was comfortable in soft sleeper but its not organized, less staff and difficult to find platform, have to just wonder across the tracks, and carriage. Also there does not seem to be station signs so never know where you are!
Once at Lao Cai we got a mini bus to Sapa which took about an hour. Goes up into the mountains, through the cloud and out again! Go past small shack houses and begin to see the minority people and the way they dress, some with shoes, some without. We had a guide who took us for a short walk with the two guys from our hotel, not impressed to be with them, we went to the nearest village of Cat Cat which is so touristy its a shame. The guys we were with were really rude and were clicking away with their cameras at people without asking or giving any money, was embarrassing. The houses are all made out of wood, have one, maybe two rooms and quite small. We went into one and our guide spoke to us about the people - Black H'Mong. Got mobbed by young girls selling things they have made!
On the Sunday we went to Bac Ha Market. A long bus ride round windy roads round the mountains for about 3
hours. A fair few tourists wondering around but not as many as I expected. It was packed, most people
here are from flower H'mong and the women and girls are very colourfully dressed, all looking the same.
Children are carried on their mothers or sometimes sisters back wrapped round with cloth. We felt like
giants as they are all so small! Everything is on sale here from animals, vegetables, cloth and traditional clothes they wear, Plastic sandals that they all have - if they actually have shoes - touristy things such as bags, blankets, jewelery.... Even here most people will speak English to you! We tried some bamboo sugar cane (picture to eventually follow) which was ok, very watery but you have to spit it out as can not chew it down.
Our guide then took us to a village close by and went into a house - this time made of mud. There was a main room with 2 beds and small stools, a room for the horse on the side, a room where they cook, had a massive wok of corn cooking to make oil, an upstairs platform which had lots of corn stored that had been dried and a pig sty outside. A little girl was in and a young child. They don't seem to mind people coming in, expect it is made worth their while. Our guide bought some corn wine for Tet (lunar new year) from a family he knows make it, that we all tried - clear and very strong like vodka! we bought some in a small water bottle!
Our 3rd night in Sapa was overnight in a village. Our guide for the trip was a 17 year old girl called Pem
who is from Black H'Mong minority and has lived in the area all her life I imagine! She speaks excellent
English that she has learnt over the years from the tourists but can not speak Vietnamese
(they speak H'mong - similar to Chinese) or read or write Vietnamese or English, and maybe not even H'mong as
she didn't go to school. Her older sister still works at home with the family and her 2 younger
brother/sister go to school and they learn Vietnamese. The day was really cloudy and so we couldn't see a
lot until we had walked down below the cloud. The walk was along trodden paths, over rice fields, down
streams, over rivers, through villages etc, not one you could find yourself! Along the way you get small children and adults selling mainly wrist bands and bracelets to you and also cushion covers (sending 2 to you mum at some point along with some little bags!) blankets, clothes, hats etc that they make. We ended up with loads of stuff as you feel sorry for them and its hard to say no but you have to in the end! The village we stayed in had maybe 10/12 houses, all wood. Everyone generally has chickens, dogs, pigs, buffalo, all of which I expect they eventually eat, but they are free to roam around before! The toilet was not bad, I think it has been rebuilt as people stay there. It was a bamboo hut (there were 2) with a concrete floor and hole that has a constant flush being channeled by bamboo from the stream and back into the stream. The old one had a bamboo floor as well. A water driven pump makes rice flour and apparently the electricity is generated by a water wheel, did not see this though. Not sure if all the houses had electricity, probably not. In the evening it was pitch black, not sure I have ever seen anything so black. Was also foggy so the light from the torch shone back at you. The house we stayed in had 8 mattresses upstairs with mosquito nets round them. There were 3 other couples that stayed as well, one who didn't speak to us, another couple about 50 from Quebec in Canada and a French man and English woman, about 40 so its never to late to quit and travel! In the late afternoon we sat outside while the guides prepared food (really yum!). Had lots of villagers coming over to sell stuff. One little girl from the village in particular captured our hearts! She was four and came over and said in English, 'where are you from' how old are you' 'what is your name' she then continued to try to sell us wrist bands she has. I said no to begin with, knowing I would probably eventually buy. The guy from Canada took a look (he is a granddad so naturally good with children!) He put them on the table and put his glasses on, once he could see 'WOW' he said - made her smile! 'how much' he asked, '4000' she said - '4000! he exclaimed! I give you 1000. His wife bought one for 2000 and he continued to bargain. Eventually she came round and sold him it for 1000, to which he gave her 2000 anyway and asked for change!! teasing of course. She ran off! Eventually came back and I bought one and she plaited my hair and tied it with a piece of string. The guy showed her his camera and asked her to look through it. He then pointed it at her mother, with her still looking through and took the picture. The little girls face lit up as this was something new for her! A good way to get a free photo! He then showed them a magic trick of stuffing hankie into hand, blowing and it disappears! They were amazed, laughed and left for the night!
In the night it rained, thundered and lightening. The next morning it did more of the same! We had to walk for a good few hours to get to the road so was not looking forward to it as its now all muddy! The children from the village were running around going to school in just plastic flip flops! All of us hung around waiting for it to stop but eventually left just before 11. The rain did stop shortly after but it was soooo muddy it took us ages to walk. Our guide cut us a bamboo stick each with point to stick in the ground as we walk. Helped a lot but we both still fell over and got all muddy! Lots of steep climbs up and down - down being the worst, she had to dig steps into the ground for me! Balancing along the rice fields along the hills was interesting, rob put his foot in the mud the day before! Some difficult jumps over streams and through streams but we eventually got to a house for lunch and to a road (well dirt muddy track) where we waited for a Jeep to take us back to SaPa. We had seen some great views though and saw a fantastic rainbow. Here lots of children were playing football and having races with metal hoop and stick like the old days! piglets and dogs were wondering around and again we bought more bracelets! The trip back in the jeep was interesting. Could only see about 3/5 meters in front because of the fog and it was so muddy. Went past peoples houses with small children outside with no shoes on and covered in mud. I wonder if they get a wash before bed time. Back at the hotel we cleaned our shoes and got the bus to the train station and had food. Hard sleeper this time but a faster train so was quite comfortable.
We are now in Hue, arrived this afternoon after a long slow train journey thanks to the hotel not booking fast, trying and succeeding to rip us off, oh well!
Will write again soon! Off to find a bar with football on TV now for rob!
Hannah and Rob
Thursday 29.01.04 - Scuba Diving.......... [top]
Rob and I have completed our PADI Open Water in Scuba Diving! which we have done in Nha Trang over the last 3 days. It was good fun after the first day which was not so great in the pool and learning the basics. The visibility in the sea was not fantastic, maybe 10 meters but it did not matter for the first few dives as we have nothing to compare it with and we were learning anyway. The hardest bit we both found was to take your mask of under water and replace it - finally did this on last dive yesterday and we both had to hold our nose! passed anyway! Other parts of the training which might have caused distress like throwing your breathing mask away and having to use someone else's spare were no problem at all, getting neutral buoyancy and just floating in one place under water took a bit of trying though, the first dive we all kept popping up to the surface by accident! I was not sure on a few things like stepping off boat with all your stuff on - which is really heavy - and thinking will sink but you just pop straight up again with your jacket inflated! Yesterday we did the tip off backwards from sitting on boat into the water which was ok but we didn't do the summersault landing tank first rather than head, thought would just go wrong! We have booked for another dive on Saturday so we can just enjoy it rather than having to do training under water.
Since I last wrote we have spent 2 days in Hue which was ok but 2 days is plenty to cover everything. The Imperial City (or Purple forbidden city as it is sometimes known) which was similar to the forbidden city in Beijing only a lot less well preserved! We also did a boat trip that takes you to pagoda, mausoleums and temple. The big mausoleums were only built within the last hundred years and you can tell how quickly things advanced here from the change in styles.
Next stop was Hoi An we got the train for 2 hours or so to Da Nang which takes you along the coast and has some nice views, and then got a taxi the rest of the way to Hoi An. We spent 4 nights here over Tet - new year. The new year celebrations were along the river, we sat in a restaurant along the river front and stayed there for rest of evening. To begin with the river had overflowed (as its really not very low compared with the bank, this happens a lot so we are told) and you could not walk down the road - just go though on motor bike or bike! It soon went down though in time for the road to be full of people from about 11pm. From 11:30 there was 100s of floating candles being lit and floating to drift down the river, there were some shows on some boats out in the river such as dancing in costume such as dragons and other mythical figures, and at midnight (well a few mins past, not exactly Sydney harbour!) there were fireworks for about 15 mins. All in all a nice evening and it makes up for normal new year for us! We drank some of our Corn Wine and shared it with some people we were celebrating with. Also when we got back to our hotel they had setup a party table for all their western guests to sit and have drinks and traditional Tet snack type things (I recommend the dried mango with ginger they have a nice kick to them). We had a good time and finally got to bed at about 3 in the morning.
Hoi An was really nice, small old buildings and narrow streets, just full of motorbikes and bikes. Its the place to go to taylor made clothes - although we are now not that convinced its very good! We were recommended someone by 2 different sets of people so we went there but she was closed for a week over tet ;o( so we just wondered round into somewhere else - there are 100s of cloth shops which is why I think maybe the quality is going down as its just a tourist attraction now. I had some 3 section zip off trousers made as my others are not all that comfortable. They fit really well but I had to go back quite a few times before got them to get things done I had requested and the final quality is not great. Oh well they should last me a bit of time anyway - with some repairs I expect! Because of this I decided not to have anything else made such as a nice dress to post home. Also did a trip out to My Son, which is a group of old temples from the Cham people one of the old Vietnam empires they were heavily influenced by India and worshipped the Hindu gods many of which were carved as statues here. The passage of time had treated the temples fairly well when the French discovered them and made them popular unfortunately the American war was not so kind and sections were wiped out by B52 bombing as the Vietcong were using the complex as a base.
From Hoi An we came to Nha Trang on the 12 hours overnight 'travelers' bus - it was not comfortable and did not sleep! Because of Tet the trains are all really busy so we did not try to go by train. We found a hotel that is quite nice, room comfortable and has bath, still within the 8$ a night limit we have tried to stick to, took a while as hotels seems to still be trying to increase prices because of tet when its now over! Still to get out and see some sights as our time so far has been taken up with diving and reading the dive book, today we did not leave the hotel till about 4pm due to partying too much last night with Kevin - also on our dive course, and Amy from home in London and her boyfriend as they are here on holiday - was nice to see a familiar face, even though in London we did not meet up much!
I hear it has snowed in the UK! well the weather here is much warmer! Often cloudy but seem to get patches of sun during the day but its still t shirt weather even in the evening. Still chasing the sun! Hopefully south Vietnam will be good - where we also plan to dive again on Phu Quoc Island - fab beaches apparently ;o)
Hannah and Rob
Thursday 05.02.04 - Finally, more China pics! [top]
Its taken ages and ages (mainly due to no CD rom in internet places or very slow connections) but have finally got round to uploading some more china photos to complete the ones on group site. Click on the following link, had to go in 2 albums as yahoo email photos only allows 16 in each?!!?
Hannah and Rob
PS, I hope to load some Hong Kong ones to robs yahoo photos, and of course some Vietnam ones - eventually!
Sunday 15.02.04 - Elephant in the Jungle [top]
Well after 10 days in total we managed to tear ourselves away from the lifestyle of sunshine, beach, diving (did another 'fun dive' which was great, could see up to 12m under and very colourfull), nice food and bars in Nha Trang and got the bus to Da Lat in the mountains.
We stayed in a great hotel called 'Dreams', $10 for the cheapest room but had real mattress, nice decor, hot water, free internet and breakfast included which was great, a help yourself buffet to bread, jam, cheese, peanut butter, veggiemite, marmite, fruit, eggs... needless to say we never needed lunch!
We did a day tour on motorbike with the 'easy riders'. My driver called himself 'Buddha' and we can't remember the name of robs! We figured as its the only way to get around independently we should brave it - I know, its all very dangerous mum but these guys were actually really good, spoke good English, drove slow and always made sure you were ok so we felt safe. We covered sights such as 'crazy house hotel' (designed mad like in trees but bit tatty now), a waterfall, actually quite good seeing its the dry season, Bao Dai summer palace (60s style and really not that impressive!), a meditation temple/lake and cable car, another dragon pagoda and temple and also the old Da Lat train station. (have posted Vietnam book home so can't remember names of things!). The drivers also do 2/3/4... day trips on motorbike which do sound great (and you get a helmet, the law on main roads) but way too much money for our budget and I imagine not very comfortable and we have massive bags!
The next two days were spent on an overnight treck over mountains and through jungle with a tour company. There was just us and a Dutch girl called Natalie and our Vietnamese tour guide 'Chonny' or it sounded like that anyway. The first day was pretty uneventful, up a hill/mountain that was really steep in places and I realise I am still unfit! Good views over a lake though from the top where we had lunch then it was down hill, that goes through 'jungle' so much cooler to walk. We get to the 'camp site' really early, about 3. Its by the lake but not nice for swimming in. We stay in a tent but in a wooden hut on stilts! After food there really wasn't much to do as its dark and no electricity so it was an early night! The next morning after noodle and veg breakfast (have managed to avoid those so far) we head off for the jungle treck, after about half an hour we pass some people who say there is an elephant on its way so we wait 10 mins and sure enough it comes along, its owner tempting it with sugarcane bamboo which it eventually stops to eat in front of us. It had been let free for just over a week as it had been busy over tet so was tired! Well we thought it was great as not been so close to one when its not in a zoo, which I hate, or wild life park. The rest of the treck continued in the jungle up a hill where we stop for lunch, then down and out towards chicken village. Its called this because of a large statue of a chicken so we were safe from bird flu! From here we get a car back to Da Lat where its raining!
From Da Lat we went to Bao Loc. Not really on the 'open tour' bus route but it goes through so we are able to get off. I wanted to come here to go to the Dambri waterfalls, 50m drop which sounded good and also to try to get to the Cat Tien National Park which is 50km away. You could get tours to both these places and on to Saigon but they were really expensive (like $40 per day!) whereas the bus cost us $8 to Saigon with stop over at bao loc. However when we get there we discover there are no such thing as taxis in this town, which we were hoping to get to the falls and then to the National Park, so we decide to not bother with the national park and take a motorbike to the falls. This time not such a good ride but we got there and on the way back we told them to drive SLOW and it was much better. We now realise we should have taken motorbike test before we came to this country as its the only way to get about and its really frustrating having to stick to the tourist trail! The falls were really good and you get drenched from spray.
As we gave up on the idea of trying to get to Cat Tien national park (public bus would be a nightmare, 2 different ones and bet there is no timetable) we booked the bus to pick us up on route to Saigon the next day. We have now been here 6 days and will be glad to leave. Its full of motorbikes and is hot and humid! Have managed to sort things such as move flight tickets to Australia to May and get Cambodian visas. I had 2 dresses made and then went back to get mum two after she sent me measurements! (these are now in the post mum along with other stuff, 6kg so cost a fair bit but at least its weight not in our bags!). Have done some shopping and seen sights such as Reunification palace (again an ugly 60s building like a high school!) war museum and cu chi tunnels.
The cu chi tunnels were really interesting. For those who don't know what they are this is a set of underground tunnels where Vietnamese guerilla fighters based themselves first in the resistance against France trying to retake Vietnam after it had declared its independence at the end of world war II. They were then used and massively extended during the resistance against the US. The initial tunnels were on one level about 3 meters below the surface then they were extended to 3 different levels of 3, 6, and 8 meters below with a total length of 250KM of tunnels. The tunnels linked small villages of restance fighters and in the end effectively became their villages because the whole area was being bombed massively by the Americans trying to force them out of the area. The tunnels included sniper points hidden entrances (including submerged ones into the Saigon river), workshops for making weapons, kitchens, dinner halls, hospitals, bedrooms etc. There were also a number of interesting booby traps should the Americans peruse them into the tunnels. This causing some problems today as the tunnels are still intact including a lot of booby traps that no one can remember the locations of.
Some sections have been made wider/taller for the western frame and have wide entrances. Even so they are really small and dark. You can just about walk bent in half from your waist. The first 2 sections were really short but the last few were quite long and pitch black! One section we were not sure who we were following, the group went on in front and I didn't like it as can not see a thing in front and its not just straight so made rob go back! The section after was another level deeper and we both did that, you come out with a bit of a sweat as its so hot, amazing the way people lived under there. It was fun going through the narrow tunnels especially dodging the bats that also seem to be down there, though Hannah didn't see any of these.
The war museum was really interesting - and it must be for me to say that! No pots on display so it must be good! Mainly photos of the Vietnam war, people that have been born with some terrible defects as a result of parents exposure to 'agent orange', people who suffer accidents from mines and some articles. Also examples of the 'tiger cages' and descriptions of torture, the grounds have tanks/helicopters etc on display. You come out very sad and wondering why it all had to happen. We have seen more people on the streets in Saigon that are injured from the war or outcomes of it.
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon is no where near as flash and happening a city as we thought it would be. Compared to many of the cities we have been to even in China it reminds you Vietnam really is still a developing country. Its all been very nicely setup for us westerners to come here on holiday but there is so much here that is a world away from what we coddled westerners have come to know and love.
Tomorrow we start our first adventure in Vietnam, we are attempting to make our own way through the Mekong delta by bus and boat, (shock, horror, I'm sure the tour companys will be horrified!) taking maybe 3 days in different places on the way to Phu Quoc island, very near Cambodia. We will then make our way back up by the border for a few days and into Cambodia by boat.
From Hannah and Rob.
Thursday 18.03.04 - Vietnam the Final Chapter [top]
Actually we have been in Cambodia for about 3 weeks now but we've been rather slack on the emailing!
So... Vietnam, the last week we spent travelling through the Mekong Delta in the south which we both think is hyped up a bit as it was not that fantastic, still interesting though. We managed to get the local busses (and I'm sure ripped off a few times as we flagged them down to stop for us) from Ho Chi Minh City to Rach Gia where the boat for Phu Quoc departs.
We spent 3 nights getting down there all by bus and did boat trips along the river and saw floating markets, stilt houses and lots of fruit being grown on the islands around the area. We also got to see Coconut Candy being made and try a sample or two and a few other Mekong delta crafts. We also went for a walk around Anh Binh (total guess of the name as don't have book with me, it was an island in the river in Vinh Long with lots of canals round it) and got totally lost as its all narrow dirt track paths between houses, schools and along narrow parts of the river/canal. We also seemed to be the only tourists wondering around so we got the hellos and waves which was nice. Phu Quoc Island was nice, but then again not as nice as we hoped! (expectations a bit too high for this area I think!) There a fair few guesthouse/hotel complexes, all along the beach but its still relatively quiet and undeveloped as far as tourists but not for long as new complexes are being built as we speak. The dirt track roads are not so great but some are sealed. We braved hiring a motorbike to drive here as the roads are very quiet. Rob had a practice for 2 mins and off we went! 2nd gear for a while but he did eventually get to 5th! Also a good practice and different road types from good to dirt track to sand towards the beach (I get off at this point!). The beach was about 20km drive and it was really nice, white sand and clear sea, just very shallow so not so great for swimming in. We stayed another day to hire motorbike again for more practice, also to see another beach, (I didn't have a go though) as it seems the best and sometimes only way to get around yourself.
We also dived for a day here which was good as we are still new to diving but not as good as we hoped, maybe south of the island would have been nicer but it was quite expensive so we didn't do another day. We dived with the same outfit (Rainbow Divers) that we training with in Nha Trang as this is the new dive resort they are running. They were so desperate for a bar to hang out though they had to build their own no complaints from us though.
From Phu Quoc we got the boat back to Rach Gia and then bus to Chau Doc by the Cambodia border, spent a day here wondering round the market and river and then got fast boat over the border to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. It took about 4 hours or so with 1 hour going through customs. The Customs/Passport control was quite funny involving lugging our bags on and off boats so that they could be put through x-ray machines and have our exit passes and entry passes stamped. We arrived in Cambodia on 26th Feb, the day our flights were originally out of Singapore to oz before we changed them! Just goes to show how long it takes to see everything and travel through a country without rushing and missing lots. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and some of Malaysia to do yet before Australia! Cambodia emails to follow...
So, a general update on Vietnam, if I can remember! Total time in country was 7 weeks which is a few weeks too many really. I don't know how it happened, the only thing we can think of is after china we found the sun and a beach....
Sapa, we enjoyed seeing the minority villages, people, and the countryside, they were all very friendly, even if it was just to sell you a bag/hat/wrist band... but then that's how they make some money to live. It opens your eyes to see how these people live and what little they have.
Nha Trang, well we did spend 10 days here! The beach was nice and the diving was fun and the sun came out! We also met some nice people and had some good food.
Ha Long Bay, taking a boat trip around the bay seeing all the limestone peaks popping out of the water.
Hanoi, An interesting city with quite a bit of character and completely mad traffic.
Chu Chi tunnels and War museum in Ho Chi Minh City. These were fascinating and sad at the same time.
We got to ride a motorbike.
Good Points to Vietnam.
People speak English everywhere! (well, tourist spots anyway) could be bad however as we don't get to learn the language
Can read the menus and the food is great and cheap (lots of western as well - bad on diet though!)
Accommodation became cheaper (av 8$ a night but could get cheaper if wanted)
It was sunny and beach life began!
Diving is quite Cheap and well run here.
We were getting 29000 dong to the pound.
Frustrating Points to Vietnam.
And the main one for not liking it so much. You are really restricted as to where to travel. The tourist map is set out for you and open tour busses to each place. Its cheap and convenient, picked up from your hotel each time but its not travelling like in china. The only way to get around to other parts of the country on your own is by motorbike or car and driver, both of which are really expensive unless you are a confident driver of a motorbike, but even then its not legal, police just turn a blind eye and the traffic is mad and very mad in the towns and cities. We spoke to other travellers who felt the same, some that left after 8 days as after Laos they didn't like it! if you book travel through your hotel or a travel cafe it's fine and easy but unless it's a backpacker bus you stand a fair chance of being ripped off. Trying to go to a bus station or train station yourself seems to confuse a lot of people and china is overflowing with timetables compared to Vietnam (and we were thinking china wasn't that great).
Again, tours are everywhere to see the sights and trips to other destinations. Its sometimes cheaper and easier (not in the case of the national park that seemed only possible by motorbike or expensive tour so we missed it out or to Sapa where they rip you off for a tour from Hanoi) to do this as we did quite a bit but again we felt it was not as good as just going off on your own to see things as in china and finding the bus to take you there.
The usual people all after your money and trying to rip you off but then that's se Asia for you.
So as you can probably tell, we love you china all is forgiven, its very easy to travel there and one day we will return. Vietnam however? It was nice don't get me wrong and we did have a good time but I think we saw enough in 7 weeks and have covered the lot - well, the tourist areas they want you to go to anyway!
Right, must be off, Cambodia tales so far to follow in few days.
Hannah and Rob
Tuesday 23.03.04 - Cambodia, the Story so far..... [top]
Well we have been in Cambodia a month on Friday and we are extending our visa this week to stay maybe another 7-10 days as we still want to travel north and east before entering Laos.
We left Vietnam by boat travelling up the Mekong River into Cambodia. The boat trip was quite fun and the scenery was quite different to Vietnam with a lot less built along the river and generally more green.
We eventually arrived in Phnom Penh and got a great impression of the country by being ripped off by a taxi (attempted anyway). We were told by the boat people that a taxi was free courtesy of the boat company, so off we go but because we don't stay in any of the hotels the driver wants us to go to he tries to charge us so I find out what other people paid and offer that to which he demands more, when we refuse he rips the money up and storms off, oops! He was in a really flash car anyway so must be doing pretty well! After our initial bad experience we have since chatted with lots of Cambodians and they are in fact very friendly people.
We spent 2 nights in Phnom Penh and went to the killing fields and Genocide museum which is even more depressing and sad than the Vietnam War museum.
We next went south as we were missing the beach already! Sihanoukville, we spent 4 nights then 2 days and 1 night on a diving live aboard and then another 4 nights. Way way too long but it's so hard to leave this sort of place! Could be anywhere though with beach, bars and restaurants. Bumped into Kevin again who we learnt to dive with in Vietnam. Diving was fab, even if very expensive. We did our advanced open water course which was a buoyancy dive, navigation dive, night dive, deep dive to 30m and underwater naturist - recognising fish, coral etc. We went out to Koh Tang Island 5 hours away by boat that is deserted apart from a small army post. The water was the clearest I have seen, the guys that run it were sitting on the boat looking for the coral as we moved along, it was that clear. The night dive was a great experience and not as scary as I thought and the deep dive was nothing too bad either, just you only see sand on the bottom so not very exciting! Robs brain apparently works more efficiently at 30m than under normal conditions, he's obviously been nitrogen deprived all these years.
From Sihanoukville we booked into a share taxi through our hotel to go to Kampot, about 2 hours drive away. The taxi turned up about 9am and our bags went into the boot. I looked into the battered old car and thought 'where are we going to sit?', there was already 4 adults and 3 small children in the car plus the driver! We find out it's the norm for a share taxi to be 4 in the back and 2 in the passenger front seat. We get our money back, there is no way we would have been able to close the door, Cambodians are small! We get a moto to the market area and wait by a mini bus supposedly going to go to Kampot when full. Two other travellers turn up so in the end we bargain down a taxi to take just the 4 of us - in comfort! (well, the car was still a battered old thing!). In Kampot we stay at a guesthouse recommended by the woman who runs diving in Sihanoukville, which was opening that day so they were having a free party! The guesthouse was really nice, has chairs and tables in the garden, a bar/restaurant area and a chill out room upstairs with really comfy chairs and hammocks on the veranda outside. The city, we'd call it a town, is really small and quiet with half the roads just dirt tracks. The Party in the evening was not bad, got to chat with the local Cambodians - who just happen to be the tour guides who want to sell you things but they were nice to talk to all the same. We spent a day motor biking to Kep, a sleepy town with a beach but definitely nothing to write home about! It's good to get out on the bike though to see the country side.
Five of us went to Bokor national park the next day which is a nature reserve the highlight of which is the Bokor Hill Station. The hill station is located atop an escarpment of a small mountain contained within the park. The hill station was built by the French in the early 20th century as a weekend resort. The escarpment is high enough that it is much cooler and fresher than the surrounding settlements, hence why the French built here. It was apparently a very popular location for the colonial elite until they got booted out. The Hill Station also played a role in the various wars and civil wars that afflicted Cambodia as it is in a very strategic location. The buildings were pretty much ruined with the combat and occupation of various hostile forces but there is still lots of interesting stuff to see here.
As this was a playground for the Colonial Elite there were some very nice villas and hotels built including some for the Cambodia royalty. They were all stripped bare and left to rot but you can still get a feel for how exclusive and rich the place would have been. An added bonus to our trip was that a South Korean Film crew were in the middle of making a Vietnam Horror film at the time of our visit. We had arranged to stay at the hill station over night but all the accommodation was full of people from the film crew so we rented a tent from the park rangers and stayed in that instead. Unfortunately Hannah was struck down with food poisoning that day so we did not get to do too much wandering around. That night we had the opportunity to go for a ranger guided trip through the jungle or go and watch the film crew, guess which we chose.....
Yes South Korean Vietnam Horror flick was always going to be the winner. Especially as they had some American actors in for a few days to do the American soldier bits. We headed up with a number of beers to watch the fun, the actors and crew were really friendly and told us about the film and its plot (really it does have one) and the different bits they were filming. They were filming around/in the ruined Palace Hotel/Casino but they were having a lot of problems with lights, sound, flies and temperamental actors so a lot of takes were required. We hung around until they had a complete power failure for awhile so we decided to head to bed. The film if anyone is interested is called R-Point and is a bit sixth sense like in that most of the people in the film are ghosts of dead soldiers but they don't actually know they are dead.
The next day Hannah was feeling rather better and we were able to do a lot more hiking around to see the abandoned buildings and a very remote Buddhist monastery.
To get back to Phnom Penh we get a mini bus, that was not too over crowded for us, 3 to the back seat for most of the way. Pretty bad road though. We hired bicycles and went to the Royal Palace and silver pagoda and other spots around the centre.
Siem Reap was next, we bussed it the next day. We got 3 day passes for Angkor and planned to try to fit it in 2 days, we of course stayed for 3! The first day we left the hotel at 5:15am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, it was cloudy! so the next day we left again about 5:30am, this time it was worth it! Each day we stayed till sunset, which always goes behind clouds. We also bumped into Kevin again in Siem Reap! Found him in the bar!
(written by Rob, in case you can't tell!)... There are many, many interesting temples built in this area the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. But many of the other temples such as Ta Phrom and Banteay Srei are more impressive up close due to their fantastic carvings or encroachment by jungle. The craftsmanship and effort taken to make most of these temples would have been immense and next to the Great Wall of China is the most impressive thing Rob has seen on this trip. Hopefully we can put some of the many, many pics rob has taken of the temples on the web for you to see.(ummm....)
Next we went by boat to Battanbang and it was a great trip. We went past lots of floating villages with floating schools, police stations, shops, petrol stations! All the children wave and shout Hello as you go past! The boat gets quite full as the locals pile on from the villages as we go past. We sat on the roof for some of the way. It was also on here that we met a lady who we guess to be about 70+ years old who has been travelling Cambodia and Laos and other places (not sure if on same trip). Amazing really, she was up on the roof of the boat sitting on the floor! She also coped with the terrible road journey at the end. As the river is so dry the last 2 hours are by road. Some on the back of a pick up but we were in a mini bus. Four to a 3 seater and 3 people including Rob on the floor where the front seat would have been. Air Con was a paper fan each. Have never sweated so much in my life, nice! The road was not a road but a track through fields with massive holes in so the bus leaned so much over to the side or down you felt like it would topple over. All good fun once we got out!
Battanbang is the second largest city but it feels like a very small town! We visit a few temples in the area and spend ages chatting to the young monks that want to practice their English. We also take a motorbike tour with 2 drivers (this time I get to wear a helmet, if the driver is then so am I! - he wears it to keep the dust out though!) This was a great day after visiting 2 temples (not as impressive as Angkor Wat etc but hey) we group up with 2 other guys and we drive through villages (all houses on stilts) waving to the kids and stop to take pics and wonder into a school and take more pics! Digital Cameras are great as we take the picture and show all the kids the result. I should have a great photo of Rob and camera surrounded by children all wanting to see! The final part of this tour was to go on the Local Norry or Crazy Bamboo Train. You turn up and pay to be taken somewhere and they literally put it together on the track in front of your eyes. Two sets of wheels, a bamboo/wood platform with an lawnmower engine bolted onto it. This v small vehicle was then loaded up with 4 Motorbikes, 4 Moto Drivers, 4 westerners and 2 train drivers (it was a bit cosy). Then because we had taken so long to get everyone loaded on two Norries had come in the opposite direction and we had to take ours off the track so they could go get past us as it is a single line track. After a quick rebuild we were on our way and it was very good fun the tracks are pretty much the originals put in by the French and now have loads of bends and kinks which we had been warned about. The big Train uses the same track and you wonder how it manages to stay on. Well we motored along the track back to Battanbang forcing a number of Norries coming the other way to dismantle and go off the track as we were more heavily loaded. A mad transport system but a great experience.
To get back to Phnom Penh we decide to take the train, even though it takes over twice as long as the bus. The day was so good I will write an email just about it, but maybe tomorrow!
Hannah and Rob
Tuesday 23.03.04 - Birthday not so Far Away [top]
For those that may want to get me something for my birthday which is 12th April, will come round quick! then please donate to one or a bit to each of these...
(will need to pick English version - its French at first)
Found out about this when we went to a Khmer heritage exhibition in Battanbang that was set up by them. It also had photos of the work they do for deprived children in Cambodia, see the site! You can't donate online here though but they give bank account and sort code to transfer money to, see contact info.
- micro charity!
A girl we met on Bokor National Park is volunteering for the 2 people that run this, we then met her again in Battanbang along with Donna and Mark that run this. They were in the process of working on Project Pagoda Kien Kes (see info on the site), helping children that are affected by aids. The pagoda is running as an orphanage and they are aiming to reintegrate the children back into the community. Can not donate online but can contact them by email to get bank details.
Found on internet, a UK charity to help landmine victims in Cambodia, see site for info and donations online.
Thank you in advance!
Wednesday 24.03.04 - The Best Train Ride Ever!..... [top]
We got up early on Sunday to catch the only train at 6:40am that runs every other day between Battanbang and Phnom Penh. This costs us the foreigner price of about 12,000 riel, 3$ for the 291km journey at an average speed of maybe 20km per hour! 6 westerners in total so more than I was expecting! The train has 3 passenger carriages and I think it was 3 goods wagons. To get between each carriage you have to jump or walk on the connection, there are no doors in between. The last carriage is open to the back and all the doors to get on either don't exist or swing open all the time! The window frames have no glass so people sit in the frame or even get on and off the train through the window and its handy for passing refreshments to people on the roof! The toilet is actually ok and looks as though may even have been maintained! It's a squat toilet with the hole to the track and it's not dirty in there. The only thing is that again there is no glass in the quite big window so have to be careful not coming to a stop so people can see in!
We get on the middle carriage that is all wooden 2 seaters facing each other but no luggage racks so we are told to go in the next one along, this has again wooden seats, some that are broken or fallen through the floor! The floor now I mention it is planks of wood with lots of rubbish and bits of food under, some parts have no planks of wood, just rubbish, bits of wood and dust, oh and the resident mouse (or mice) that keeps running round your feet! We put our bags on the rack that seems secure enough as people tie their hammocks to it! The roof and wall panelling has come away in lots of places leaving just the outer shell of the train. We are in the 'buffet car' so bonus! This consists of a big freezer box of drinks in between the seats and is used mostly by the 2 western guys buying cans of beer! They also seem to dish out instant noodles later. The train starts not so packed with plenty of seats spare but these soon fill up, along with lots people on the roof. Each station stop is often not a station but just a stop by a village and people run on in the few seconds it stops for. The amusing thing about this trip is at each stop people are running around putting planks of wood, trunks of trees and barrels of wood on the train, even as its moving off, often on the roof or just through the door, anywhere so long as its on the train (and usually hanging off for most of the way with people standing on it out of the door!) It then gets shifted about to the roof or in the carriage/goods wagon as the train is moving. There is never enough time at each stop to get all the wood on so lots gets left behind, maybe until the next train in 2 days time.
The scenery is great, we go past village after village with children waving as we go past and selling things at each stop. The train often sounds the horn, I guess to make animals, children and Norry bamboo trains (we go past quite a lot by the side of the track and people waiting for the train to go past) get off the track in time!
The people on the train are generally much poorer than you see in the mini busses as the train is so cheap for locals. The children are fun and again we use the trick of taking pics and showing them the digital screen. Some young people get on that are learning English so they sit with us to have a conversation to help practice. A very old lady with teeth so rotten they are hardly teeth sits with us for a bit of the way with maybe her granddaughter or great-granddaughter of about 3 or 4 years old who has mucky torn clothes and no flip-flops on her feet (the shoes most people wear). Obviously we can not understand them at all but we buy them some water and I give the little girl the rest of my coke. She is obviously not scared anymore as she falls asleep for a while with her head on my lap and her grandma sits on the floor (would not take seat when someone offered). The girl ties her hair in a knot to keep it off her neck so I dig out one of my hair bands for her. She likes looking at the digital photos I take of the train and people inside but she never once makes a sound or smiles. Not like a 3 year old in the UK. They eventually get off at another village stop.
I spend a lot of the journey hanging out the window taking photos enjoying the nice breeze, until it begins to chuck it down with rain and with no glass in the windows we all get soaked! The people from the roof all come down and it's quite full inside. The rain lasts quite a while but we eventually loose it.
We stop for a long time at 2 stations where Rob gets off first and I do at the next to take photos of even more wood going on and people walking all over the roof. We eventually brave climbing on the roof while it's stopped and take some pictures of two monks sitting up there and what is going on. A Cambodian guy obviously thinks it's amusing having two westerners on the roof so we get our photo taken for a change! Unfortunately (or fortunately maybe!) we are told to get down just before it pulls off. Boooo! Then again they hardly want headline news of tourists killing themselves by sitting on the roof of the train! The ladder to climb up and down is in-between carriages so would not be good if slipped and the train often rocks so much side to side because of the uneven track that I am surprised the wood and people stay on!
As it gets dark they hang a light with a car battery to the roof. Its not so much fun now as we can't see outside to take photos and the last few stops is where all the wood is thrown off the train so we stop for a while each time. The train eventually gets into Phnom Penh about 9pm, 14 hours after we left. We get our bags down and only just get off in time before the train seems to move out of the station!
We are both tired once we check into the guesthouse, what a day, it feels like we have travelled now.
Hannah and Rob
Saturday 10.04.04 - How many Khmers can you fit in a car? [top]
Question: How many Khmers (Cambodians) plus us two can you fit in a saloon car?
Answer: Read on...
Since our last email we spent almost a week in Phnom Penh sorting out our visa for Laos and a Cambodia extension, expensive week! Lost a day due to trying pizza at Happy Herbs... didn't move from guesthouse the next day! Hired bikes most days and ventured out into the mad traffic and went to markets, museum and the like.
From here we got a bus to Kratie, a small town on the river. 7$ we paid for a ticket but on the day it turns out to be any old minibus that didn't fill up so we were dumped onto another minibus with not enough seats, was full though so off we went, just a shame we were ripped off, should have gone to the market and got in one and paid maybe 4$. Journey pretty uneventful, took maybe 5 hours, half on good sealed road, half not. Stayed 2 days in Kratie and loved it. We wondered round the town in the afternoon we got there and a girl of about 12 chatted to us and took us to her house where we also chatted to her neighbour, a guy of 20 and arranged to go with him and his English teacher friend for a bike tour the next day. One of them took us to see their uncles house and grandparents house, attached. All quite big stilt houses here, loads of space inside as not much furniture. They then took us through villages nearby and to a festival in a village temple that was for the old head monk being entombed in his very own stuppa, including life sized statue of said dead monk. Got some warm smiles from people as we gate crashed for a few mins. The English teacher used to be a guide in the area so knows a lot, the other guy does not seem to get out much, his mother doesn't like it and he's not allowed out after dark either! As they are not used to biking together we often lost each other as one drove faster! The next day we started out much earlier, we went in the other direction to temples, villages, someone's house for apple-mango fruits from the tree and then for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we got a boat out on the river to see the irawadi dolphins. Could not get any decent photos because they don't jump out of the water like some dolphins. In the evening we met up with them again and another of their friends to check out the night life in one of the villages! Stopped for a drink and sweet fruit things in what seemed to be someone's house, a bamboo mat on the floor on stilts outside. Then to a restaurant where they set up a bamboo mat on the floor again to sit and eat on. The kids here thought it was great to see us, apart from one who was scared of us (think its rob!) Nothing I could really eat but heh. After this we went dancing, the point of the evening. Villages sometimes hire speakers and music and dance outside. This was because its nearly their new year. We were the only westerners there so got the attention of the kids straight away who then seemed to copy Robs dancing... oh no! Stayed for a bit and then back. Good fun and they were friendly guys and spoke great English.
From here we got the 12:00 boat the next day to Stung Treng. Really fast! Long and thin but air con inside so we didn't sit on the roof like some people. Nothing to Stung Treng, had to wait till the next morning to get to Ban Lung though as its all morning travel in this country.
At 7am we wondered over to the river front where pickups and taxis depart. One was waiting, looked full though - never, always room for a few more. Everyone moved up and the kids sat in the middle. The pickup truck has seats inside, front and back seats, and then truck space on the back that has narrow seats down each side. The luggage all gets tied on to the back or goes in the middle for the kids to sit on. As it left there was 8 on the seats either side, 3 sitting on the bags tied to the back, 2 on the roof, 5 children and I think 7 inside. Journey was good experience. The roads are terrible all the way, dirt roads with massive holes in places. You need glasses and a scarf over your face to keep the dust out. By the time we arrived, about 6 hours later, we were filthy, from head to toe! The amount of dirt that came out of my t shirt and scarf when washed was unbelievable, took about 8 or 10 rinses for the water to be clear!
Ban Lung, in the north east, was really nice. Small town again, all dirt roads. We spent a day on our own motorbike (with crash helmets this time oooh!) to some Chinese speaking and lao villages, got a few hello's in Chinese from villagers but that was it! Had to take the bike on a really tiny boat to cross the river. Late in the afternoon we went to the Volcanic Crater Lake called Yak Loum. A lake surrounded by trees, people swim but we decide to leave that till the next day and get there when its still hot. Nothing to do in the evening here apart from have some food and go to bed, only a wedding was going on outside and was very loud! Stopped about 10:30pm so not too bad.
The next day we took an English guide and moto driver to take us on 2 bikes as we heard the roads were not so good this way, this warning was correct! We stopped at rubber plantation to see them cutting the bark and letting the rubber drip out. They get 600 riel per liters and one person taps about 20 liters a day. (4000 riel to 1$). This part of Cambodia has amongst its natural resources Zircon and Amethyst gem stones. So next stop was at one of these "Gem Mines". More accurately 1M Wide by 10M Deep holes all over the countryside. They then dig across the layer that contains the gems hauling out the mud to sift through and take out all the gems. We bought a couple of raw zircons from one of the miners probably worthless but who knows. Once searched, they then leave all the holes around and piles of mud lying around for drunken locals and unsuspecting tourists to fall into - safe heh!
We also visited a few refreshing waterfalls to cool off in. They are nice enough but not a lot of water as its not the rainy season. The tracks between the waterfalls were absolutely treacherous and are bad in the dry season and unusable in the wet season. Rob's moto had a couple of slow mo crashes, luckily we were able to hire helmets here and rob escaped with only a few scrapes and bruises. All good fun though and get to go through minority villages and see the slash and burn farming going on with the land.
When we got back to town we went to see the Zircon and Amethyst gem stones being fired, shaped and polished. We buy some that we will hopefully get made in Laos into bracelet/earrings, whatever takes our fancy. To the lake again where this time we go for a swim to cool off from the day. Its quite clear but as its so deep you can not see the bottom. End of the days trip. Back to the hotel where we sit and chat with people in the evening and a guy there books us in a taxi for the next day back to Stung Treng.
So, at 9am (we miss our original 8am taxi but will soon have filled up) the car turns up. Once we are in there are 4 in the back, 1 in the front and the driver. We know now that the norm here is 4 in the back 3 in the front so must be one more person to pick up. We stop at someone's house and in gets a woman and a little girl into the front. From here its to the pick up point by the market. Hang around for some reason for a bit and then when we leave we have 4 in the back, 2 in the front seat plus child and 1 plus driver in the drivers seat. Ummm. Stop again - what! no more space. Not really been able to keep track of who is sitting where or getting in but when we leave this time we have 5 in the back (1 is a girl of about 8 years old) 3 on the passenger seat (1 girl of about 3 years old), 2 on the drivers seat and 3 on the roof rack. So there you have it, 11 Khmers and 2 foreigners in a car. Mad. We have to stop a fair few times on the way to all stretch our legs, toilet stops by the road and a lunch stop. We get back to Stung Treng all in one piece though. Not sure how much longer the car will last though being treated like that on those roads!
We leave Stung Treng asap and get a boat to the Lao border. Its 20$ for the boat which can take 4 people but no one else around to share with. The boat ride is great, really fast small boat with sharp turns to avoid the rocks and banks! Takes about an hour and we stop (can no longer hear!) to get stamped out of Cambodia, 3$ each and its done. Boat along a little bit more and we get a truck thing with seats in the back to get stamped into Laos, 2$ each, back in the truck and we head to Don Khon island in four thousand islands in southern Laos, by boat and also motor bike.
Laos emails to follow! We have our 3rd new year to look forward to in a few days!
Hannah and Rob
Thursday 06.05.04 - Laos all in one email! New 11.05.04 [top]
Well we are getting very lazy at writing emails as time just seems to get faster everywhere we go!
We entered Laos in the south and spent a few days on four thousand islands on the Mekong river. Very quiet (we missed the back packer area as didn't realise it was there!) and no electricity on the island. From here we got the bus - well truck type thing - to Pakse and did a day trip to Wat Champasak, part of the Angkor temples and also to Bolaven Plateau to see villages, coffee (we are now addicted to Laos Coffee Shakes), waterfalls, markets.
We took the overnight VIP bus to Vientiane, which was not comfortable as we had the back seats and they switch the air con off half way, which is like a small town than a city. We check out a few temples (too many in SE Asia) and wonder round the city. We only spend 2 days one night here as we want to get to Luang Prabang for the Laos new year.
Everyone is trying to travel before new year (13-15th April) so we just turn up at the bus station about 5pm after being advised that more buses will be put on for demand. The bus that is in at the moment is full so we get on another bus sitting around. This doesn't seem to move and before long another bus pulls into the bus station for Luang Prabang. Along with everyone else we pile off the bus we are on and rob rushes to the ticket office. We get seats 35 and 36, quite near the back then. Seems to be loads of people waiting to get on, in the end the bus man calls out seat numbers in order and we all get on. Once the seats are full people have ticket numbers on the 50s, they are on the plastic stools in the isle. Thank god we did not get these as its hard enough to sleep on night buses as it is. A challenge to get off though as have to climb over the stools and on the seats. The journey took about 14 hours and was really windy roads up in the mountains. Great view when it was light in the morning though. We had already booked a hotel and decided to treat ourselves to mid range for my birthday and because places get booked out. Really comfy bed, air con, tv, fridge, phone, hot water... But I don't think it was really worth the cost but was nice and it meant we had somewhere to sleep as we met people that hadn't got accommodation and slept in guesthouse porches.
New year in Luang Prabang was fun. Its basically a big water fight for 3 days. People pitch a spot outside their home or shop and throw buckets of water over people walking, on bikes, motorbikes or on the back of cars/vans. Great fun. We invested in massive water pistols and wondered round! You also get talc powder or black stuff on your face from people ?!? There was events going on at the banks of the river, beer tents, food, sand stupas built, home made rockets being launched to see which can go the furthest or go at all! All great health and safety, the rockets are launched and people just wonder over the landing range, its very close to tents with people in, the guys doing the launching are handed frequent beer Laos and the bamboo structure often catches fire if it doesn't launch properly! The next two days had a parade going to a temple and the next day back. Had 2 characters in costume that represent the original tribal group that lived in the area when the Laos people arrived and a lion costume representing a great king of that people and lots of dancers and singers. Part of the celebrations is paying a tribute to the original tribe and their king for letting the Laos people live there. Not that big really as far as a parade goes but a lot of fun. We also saw a performance of Laos Traditional dancing featuring dances from the Hindu epic the Ramayana and some ethnic tribal dancing. The rest of our time there was just chilling and going to waterfalls, caves and seeing the temples. Its a nice place.
From here we back tracked to Vang Vieng, backpacker area! Back on the bus for 6 hours this time on the same windy roads up in the mountains. The bus left late as it waits to be full rather than go on time which is always really annoying! Vang vieng was a bit like the scenery in Yangshuo in China but with less character! The town is nothing special, just full of restaurants showing friends and movies. We biked to some caves and swam in a lagoon type thing that was nice to cool off from the heat. The caves again are an example of health and safety not existing in these countries. Left to wonder in on your own and its often slippy inside and steep rocks to climb to get to the entrance of the cave. Sometimes you get a torch for your head but no helmet and the guide if there is one just wears the standard issue flip flop! Amazing! We did a days trekking up hills but no good view as its all trees which is a shame and a half day to kayak to see if I like it (all very tame and the river is so low) and the rest of the day to float down the river in an inner tube with beer lao. Again the river is too low and you end up stuck on rocks! It also takes twice as long in the dry season so you just get bored and cold!
From here we went to Phonsavanh by local bus that took about 8 hours. We met 3 others on the bus, one girl Jo that we had already met in Seam Reap! a Dutch girl Arrianna and Erik, 19 year old American that spoke great Thai (similar to Laos) which was often useful! The road out to Phonsavanh backtracks part of the way towards luang prabang and then goes off on a road that is known for sometimes getting bandits which would explain all the people on the bus with their guns! Journey fine though, just the usual slow windy road through the mountains! Phonsavanh town is nothing great but we came to see the plain of jars which is a bit stone henge like. Lots of stone jars and no one know why or how they got there. There are lots of theories of course, my favourite being lots of giants sat and drank whisky and just left their cups!
All five of us got the bus from here to Luang Prabang, we have to break our journey here to go further north and also see the palace museum which was shut over new year. We all spent one day and then get the overnight bus to Luang Nam Tha.
This was one of the worst bus journeys, again because of the windy roads in the mountains but this time the road surface was bad as well. Unfortunately Jo took a sleeping pill that reacted badly with her so she and Arrianna got off at a food stop and stayed in a guesthouse to return the next day as their visas were running out. We arrive at 5am and check into a guesthouse that opens first and sleep! Not much to this town. Its very close to china so we get to have some of the food we liked there, the hotel owners speak Chinese more than Laos! The next day we go on a two day trek with erik and Gary (oz guy we met on the overnight bus). Also on the trip are an Indian couple that live in Singapore and a family from Alaska. The guy John is retired and looks like Santa and his party trick for the village kids is to take his false teeth out!!! (the look on the kids faces is funny!) his wife Linda is younger and still works 4 months of the year while their 16 year old daughter Heather goes to school. They travel for 4 months and the other 4 months is spent on their boat. What a life! They have been traveling for years like this and for Heather since she was about 1-2 years old! The trek was good fun, if not a bit hot at times! We end up in a village only accessible by the walk we have just done or by river. We go for a dip in the river to cool off/wash along with the village children and then take a wonder round. Usual houses on stilts, children carrying smaller children on their back. Pigs, chickens etc wondering around, I don't know how they know which belongs to who! We have food cooked for us by the villages and eat with the village chief who talks via our guide and we can ask questions. There is electricity in the village now as they have solar panels. After dinner its bed as there really isn't much else to do! We are all in one hut with bamboo and soft mats on the floor and mosquito nets. Saw a massive spider in there before that no one got rid of so felt quite brave that I stayed in there! (good protection from net though so can't land on your face!). In the morning we left about 9 and walked a path along the river. It had rained all night so the ground was wet and we had to watch out for leeches, got a few on our shoes but kicked them off before they got to legs. The guide at the back in flip flops would have had more trouble! We come to another village and take some pics. One of a woman with a massive rolled up joint in her mouth while she carrys her baby on her back! Also saw a 1 month old baby. We stop for lunch in a Hmong village and buy bags etc that the villagers sell. The children in this village do not go to school as its too far away. The rest of the trek is pretty hard going in the heat and really steep in places. Plenty of streams to splash your face though to cool down.
The next day we took a truck to Muang Sing, small town very near to china. Can do walks to nearby villages and hire bikes but I began to feel ill and had a really bad night. Think was the boiled river water we had to drink! Sleep the next morning then head back to Luang Nam Tha so bit of a wasted trip. We meet Gary back there also as he is not feeling good either! We get the bus to the thai border town of Huay Xai the next day, it should leave at 8:30 but as usual it leaves about 1-2 hours late! The road is really bad, not surfaced and windy in the mountains. Will not miss Lao roads! We get there as the border closes for the day so have to stay the night. Not much happening in this town either - We want a city again!!!
We are now in Chiang Mai which is smaller than we thought it would be but its still a city, we have Pizza but, boots, McDonalds, Burger King (with Veggie burger in - WOW never seen outside England) supposedly a Tesco as have seen bags for it, and most important lots of ATMs! Not done much yet as Rob has been ill but feeling a bit better now. I have done a Thai cooking course today which was really good, hopefully I will remember for when I am back at home in July!
Just want to head to the beaches and islands now!
Hannah and Rob xx
Thursday 13.05.04 - Cambodia Photos at Last! New 28.06.04 [top]
Not the best quality as I uploaded them the quick way, view as slides is best!
Hannah and Rob
Monday 14.06.04 - Rob and Hannah World Tour - New UK Dates Added New 28.06.04 [top]
Just to let you all know, if you didn't already, that Hannah and I are popping back to the UK for a few weeks from 18th July till the 9th August.
While we're back we'll be having a bit of a do at On Anon Bar (www.onanon.co.uk) in Piccadilly Circus for our "Welcome back to the UK Party", our "We're off again Party" and the "Rob hit 30 in December Party". The date of the party will be Friday 23rd July from 5pm (Happy Hour 5pm-7:30pm). I have yet to get confirmation on the section I have reserved but hopefully "The Study".
If you can't make the party and still want to get together drop us a line.
Rob and Hannah
Saturday 19.06.04 - We're still alive and currently in Malaysia New 28.06.04 [top]
We are spending 5 weeks in Malaysia and for the first time we have a time limit as we have the first part of our flight home booked for 28th when we fly to Bangkok and break our journey for just over 2 more weeks in Thailand where we meet up with Vikki and Chris for a bit - can't wait!. Therefore we are so busy trying to fit everything in (impossible) that I have not got round to writing an email. We spent 3 weeks in Thailand which I will write about in a Thailand email once we are back there, did not like it as much as I always hoped, I think the country is too travelled!
Right, we took the overnight train from Bangkok to Butterworth in Malaysia on 24th May and then the ferry to Penang Island town of Georgetown. Spent 2 nights here which was plenty, not too much to see and we didn't bother going to the beaches as there are nicer ones elsewhere. We noticed straight away that budget accommodation here gets more expensive and worse standard than Thailand/Laos etc. Visited a few Chinese temples, wondered round the town, went to a fort, colonial buildings etc. Unfortunately the funicular railway up a hill where you get great views down was closed as its broken!
We left here and took a coach to Kota Bharu (north east near Thai border again) which took about 6/7 hours and we should have taken this overnight as its the most comfortable coach ever, only 1 seat, isle and 2 seats, loads of space and it reclines with a leg rest! nice change from travel in Laos! We were on our way to the perhentian island kecil but had to break our journey here over night and get the boat in the morning (was a pizza hut close to the guesthouse so all was ok!, food not so great for veggies here as in Thailand) Loved the island, it was quite small with a few beaches with accommodation and restaurants and a footpath through the trees to the otherside of the island and another beach. No roads and no traffic. Unfortunately I was not very well when we arrived so spent the afternoon asleep, shame cos the beach and sea was gorgeous! Next day forced myself to feel better and we walked to the otherside of the island (10 min walk) to long beach and spent the day there. Sea was calm and clear and sand was white, this is what I have been looking for! However Malaysia has too much to see so we only spent 3 nights here, did a days snorkelling and saw small sharks and a few turtles but its not the same as diving, didn't think was well enough for that.
From here we got the overnight train to Kuala Lumpur and checked into a backpackers place in Chinatown which was ok but again we miss the nice and cheap accommodation we were used to! KL is massive and we got sucked into shopping malls galore again, the Times Square mall has a roller coaster in! We were just wondering around and could hear screams, sure it sounded like a fair ride and we looked up and there it was! A few other rides there also, we went to it a few days later. Rob eventually got an underwater housing for his camera after checking prices in loads of shops and its not cheaper than England, about the same, tut! Spent a while searching and booking flights on the internet and planning our trip to borneo Malaysia, there is a budget airline here which makes this possible!
From KL we went to Melaka for 2 days 1 night (fab guesthouse like home, lounge, kitchen, stereo, TV, friendly staff, could have stayed there longer) I was not particularly interested in the area but rob was, colonial history blah blah, will let him add a bit in here about it........ Melaka was a very important port/small kingdom in antiquity it was a trading place centrally located between lots of trading nations east and west. This trade made the port/small kingdom very rich. This wealth of course made it of interest to the colonial powers of Europe first the Portuguese conquered the area and later it was taken by the Dutch as they expanded their influence in the area. The British came to control melaka rather peacefully by taking custody of it when the Netherlands were controlled by Napoleonic France. They were given back to the Dutch briefly later but were traded back to Britain for territories elsewhere. This has left Melaka with a rich history and buildings shaped by many different influences.
Back in KL for 2 nights we tried to get up early and get tickets to go up to the bridge of the Petronas twin towers (that was in entrapment film for those that don't know) but the tickets are limited (but free) and go really early in the morning and so we were just too late, typical, bet its tour groups queuing and getting 50 tickets or something, they only allow 1500 people through the viewing area a day. We went up the 421m high Menara telecom tower which gave a great 360 view down on the city.
We flew out of KL on 7th June to Miri in sarawak (Borneo Malaysia). Spent 1 night here to get the early flight the next day to mulu national park (if you don't fly, which is cheap, then its 12 hr boat ride which would have been nice if time allowed).
We spent 5 days 4 nights here, the main reason was to climb a mountain to get a view of the pinnacles but we needed time to find other people to share the expensive cost. First 2 days was spent relaxing in the cafe area and visiting show caves which was nice but a bit boring and easy with walkways and steps compared to caves in Laos where there is no safety and you have to scramble through narrow parts in sandals and a torch and a guide if your lucky! Here to do 'adventure caving' it costs loads for the guide but sounds good, we just left it too late to book as we were hoping to find people to share pinnacles trip each day. On our 3rd day we got up and paid for the climbing trip and planned to leave about 10:30 or so having forked out the cost between just two of us. Luckily a flight landed and 2 people turned up who wanted to go, then 5 mins later 2 more so this was now split between 6, great!
We get a long boat for 1.5 hours upstream to the start of the trail to camp 5. The water is so low we spend most of the time in the water pushing the boat, if we had known then would have brought sandals, its a killer on your feet on the stones. The 8.5km trail began after this and its easy and flat with 2 wades through the river to follow the path. Camp 5 was ok, raised wooden area with mats to sleep on, luckily we took our mosquito net which you need, not for the mosquitoes but for the 100s of bees that get attracted to sweat! nice. Also a kitchen to make our instant noodles and showers, toilets etc. Nice area and view, its by the river and surrounded by forest and mountains.
Next day was an early start, we planned to leave about 6:30am and we were not far off. Its a hard trek to the 1200m peak. The first part was ok going up, through the forest so there are lots of steps from the tree roots and rocks, much harder coming down though! The last section was all ladders and ropes to pull yourself up and over rocks and gaps, quite challenging. We got to the top about 11am and stayed there for about an hour taking pictures and having lunch. It was quite a cloudy day which was good so its not so hot (made no difference to the amount you sweat, totally soaked, better than a work out in the gym!) the view was still ok as the pinnacles are level with us so cloud made no difference. Got back to camp5 about 4:30, legs shaking and the bees where instantly all over our bags and us, so quickly in the shower to wash clothes as well as us! Walk back to HQ the next morning and the boat again, downsteam so not as much pushing as before. Legs ache for about the next 5 days and stairs are a particular challenge!
From miri again we got a coach to Brunei, well coach to the border to get passports stamped out and in and then a car as only 4 of us. Brunei was ok but even more expensive. We checked into nice hotel for a change with a bath to soak legs!, also for the TV for rob to watch the football at 2am but he fell asleep!!! (Rob says it wasn't on as they were showing the Grand Prix followed by some 30 min Prog for Euro 2004, you try staying awake at 1 in the morning watching a grand prix 1 car, 2 cars, 3 cars Zzzzzz). 2 days is pleanty of time to see Brunei, Rob can explain the town as he wanted to come here...... Brunei another stop on the colonial tour. Brunei used to control the whole Island of Borneo, the name Borneo is believed to be a mispelling of Brunei. In history a very powerful kingdom and stop for traders travelling between the east and west. As technology advanced it got a bit left behind and was losing its influence because of Pirates enter certain British adventurers and entrepreneurs and Borneo was sliced up into Sarawak (Now part of Malaysia) and North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia) and a section that is now part of Indonesia and was controlled by the Dutch. This left Brunei as a tiny little country struggling to survive, it invited in a British Empire Representative to try and help it through the hard times, it wasn't a full colony though. Brunei was in pretty dire straits then they discovered.... OIL!!!! Everyone was happy again Brunei made loads of money, and still does, and dreads the day the black gold runs out. A lot of money has been spent in Bruneis single city and its quite a nice place they have spent stupid amounts of money building impressive Islamic Mosques and Palaces but hey they have the money why not. We also went to a Theme park there and seemed to be the only people actually going on the rides (pretty good roller coaster and log flume though!)
The second day we went to Temburong National Park which is in Brunei but you can only get there by boat as its not connected by land unless you go out of Brunei, back into Sarawak Malaysia and back into Brunei again which would be hastle if its possible at all! Booked on an expensive day trip as it seemed the only way because of permits etc. The main reason for coming here was for the tree top canopy walkway, which is a scaffolding type structure with ladders and gangways among the treetops. This gave a great view over the forest which is nice for a change.
From Brunei we flew again (this is what happens when you have a time limit, you fly everywhere rather than experience the country by road!) to Kota Kinabalu in sabah. Would love to have climbed Kinabalu mountain which is the highest in SE Asia and easy in comparison with the pinnacles, however no time and we chose the pinnacles over this because you need winter gear, hats, scarfs, wind proof coats etc because of the height, we left all our warm stuff in Bangkok and not worth forking out to buy more stuff ;0(! The afternoon was spent on sapi island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, nice beach clear sea! The next day we flew to Tawau (the reason for coming to KK was because of this flight) which is on the south east coast of Borneo Malaysia. Early flight at 6:10am to arrive at 6:55, we were picked up and taken to the dive office were we had booked a 3 day 2 night diving trip around sipadan area. To actually stay on this island it costs loads so we stayed on Roach Reef, a man made island about 45 mins away by boat which was more in our price range with all dives included. We did 2 dives on the way to roach reef, 1 at roach reef and a night dive. The next day was again 3 dives and a night dive around the island we were on and today we did 2 dives at sipadan island (world famous diving) and 1 at mabul island, again world famous for it. The dives were great, a lot deeper than we have been used to, 20-30m max each time. Saw lots of things we haven't before along with the usual colourfull reef fish. Drop of points where the sea bed goes vertical, 100s giant barracuda fish that circled us for a while as they are hunting and our bubbles attracted them, lobsters, octopus, Moray eels, Leopard Shark, Bamboo Shark, white tip sharks (small, we are bigger than them so not scary!) loads of turtles, stone fish, lion fish, puffer fish, box fish, scorpion fish, trumpet fish, flute fish...... lots of things, was really good! Rob got some use of his camera under water but not as much as we hoped as we left batteries and charger in the guesthouse in Kota Kinabalu so we only had batteries that were with us ;o(
Tomorrow we fly back to KL and plan to get the overnight bus to Mersing to get the boat to Tioman island for 3 nights, beach this time and possibly a few more dives with more batteries!
Sorry its so long, should be writing every week really but the time just goes....
See you all soon I hope!!!
Hannah and Rob
Saturday 26.06.04 - Laos Photos - Lots of them! [top]
Same site as before but Laos folder! View as slide show is best.
Hannah and Rob
Tuesday 29.06.04 - Malaysia Photos [top]
Site the same as before, Malaysia photos. Not so clear in some as its loaded the quick way again but better than nothing on the internet!
Monday 06.09.04 - New Address and a bit of an update! [top]
For those that may want it our new address is
2A Hancock Street
Unfortunately there is no landline phone in the house.
We initially flew into Melbourne but it was so cold and seemed to be more jobs advertised in the Sydney area that we flew here on 24th Aug. Spent 1.5 weeks looking for jobs and houseshares. Saw lots of houses in different areas, some really nice and some terrible. The one we have taken is mainly used by people like us, here for a short length of time while working and so there is no minimum length of stay and no bills on top of rent.
Finding work is harder than we had hoped, the work travel visa restricts to maximum 3 months in one job so IT work is very hard to get. People say to ignore this rule as no one ever checks but we have since heard stories of people being caught working longer and made to leave the country! Our only chance would be to get a job where the company is prepared to sponsor us for a work visa but not sure what our chances are on that! I had 3 days work last week and today and I have 4 weeks work with Commonwealth bank starting tomorrow, nothing exciting though, updating reports and spreadsheets. A friends sister is working here as a recruitment consultant so she has been handy to know by putting me forward for jobs! Depending on how much work we can find we will stay in Sydney till January and then begin the exciting bit of driving round in a camper van! (this working lark is not really me....)
Hannah and rob
Friday 08.10.04 - A few Sydney house pics...! New 05.10.04 [top]
See Sydney folder for few pics of us and house, will take some of lounge and kitchen and add soon.
Have to rush, off to an interview in a mo....