Yes, I am back...With a short but great stopover in London to see my friends( hello;), I made it back to Europe...Still going through culture shock, let alone weather shock...What was I thinking coming back to Europe in March?? I am freezing when everyone else is saying it's warm!
Anyhow, the past months have been the greatest adventure of my life...I loved every minute of it, the people, cultures, food, sights, adventures, surprises, wildlife, scenary..absolutely everything..I learned so much! About myself, people and the world...For me travelling wasn't and will never be about how many hostels I've slept in or how many km I did and how long it took..Those statistics are worth nothing in comparison to that little smile on your face that you get when a child smiles at you, when you see an animal that you have never before dreamed of seeing, when you learn something new, meet a new person and share an experience or adventure with sbdy...I've never been happier in my life, more motivated to get out of bed and never thought I would be capable of certain things..All the plans of finding out what to do with life and in life-well that didn't get anywhere:) The only thing I know is to smile and have fun:)
I've come back happier, more optimisitc, positive, smiling and of course for those who haven't seen me yet....blonder as well;)
Many thanks to those who have been checking out the blog..next time I promise to improve my IT skills:)
And no need to ask me if I would do it again because I am already planning my next trip...:)
Hello Everyone:)
Just very briefly this time...From Laos I made my way to northern Thailand through to Chang Mai, which is at the tip of the Golden Triangle..This region is up in the jungle mountains where I trekked to one of the local villages, saw various hill tribes including Long Neck and Long Ear ones..The women wear brass rings on their necks-very heavy from the age of 5 for the rest of their lives..I've tried one on and trust me it's not light! Done a bit of elephant riding again, this time sitting on the elephant's neck and even being picked up by one! They're so cuddly and delicate even though they are one of the most powerful animals on earth. We celebrated the local New Year's there with the tribe and I got a chance to try some of the illegal specialties of the Golden Triangle( most should know what that is;) In Chang Mai I also got to see panda's which are the cutest animals I've ever seen!:) They sit on their little wooden deck chairs and do nothing all day but eat bamboo leaves, which even makes their pooh...green..
Next I made my way down to Malaysia by train. Surprisingly I was the only tourist, only female and single blond female crossing the border on foot..Hmm that did attract a bit of attention..Only later I realised that the Sungai Kolok border is one of the most dangerous ones in Thailand at the moment..This is due to the Thai separatist and high risk of terrorist attacks in the south. And sitting on the train earlier I was wondering why there is so many police walking on the train with huge guns...
I think I prefered Malaysia to Thailand...less tourists, friendly people, more relaxed and easier communication..From Khota Bharu I went on to the Pherentian islands for some more tanning, relaxing, snorkelling and diving! The islands are great, very chilled out, it was end of low season so not very many people..The wildlife there is quite crazy..huge lizards walkign through the jungle, green turtles that I chased around in the water whilst snorkelling and reef sharks that are probably more afraid of people and we are of them:) I also tested my diving capabilities again now that I am qualified and confirmed that this is surely my new passion! Additionally the people I met( hi guys!:)) were fantastic and we had a fabolous time even though we ended up beingn stuck on the island because of torrential monsoon rains! To exit the island we were put on a slowboat, filled with over 50 people, crammed in lifejackets, looking like refugees:)
Cameron Highlands are where the biggest tea plantations are..Hilly mountains filled of green coloured tea plants wherever you look..You can also get the best strawberry sundaes in the world and some good local Rotti to end your day with!
Kuala Lumpur was like being back in another big city...Petronas Towers itself is impressive but the view not great especially that it was pouring...
Last of Singapore, after not having slept in a bed for a while I got on anothernight bus to this metropolis...Shockingly clean, no chewing gum allowed and fines and penalties for everything...But you kind find a bit if Asia there for yourself in China Town, Little India or even Littie Arabia..
And then...off I was...:(
Laos-hmm very very relaxed after hectic Vietnam. Even to the point that I don't know what to think of it cause it's just too much chilling out! Vientiane after chaotic Hanoi was stunning..not many people, everyone really friendly, wide streets, sunshine, just a pleasant place to hang around..
After that a bit more active time in Vang Vieng..famous for tubing which is a hell lot of fun! Basically you rent huge tubes, go a few km up the river by tuk-tuk and then hop on the tubes and float down the river along the mountain side..On top of that, you do it whilst stopping at shack bars along the way for a beer or cocktail bucket full of Red Bull and Laos Whisky!:) They play music at every bar so dancing is involved as well; you meet loads of crazy people along the way:) Additionally every bar has a huge swing, which is usually a rope with a stick, that you swing off and drop yourself from up to 5 or 6 meters into the river below! Not the safest activity in the world especially when after a few beers but an unbelieveable load of fun!! What's more, for those fans of beach volleyball-some bars have volleyball pitches where you continue to play endlessly, even though by that time you can barelly hit the ball anymore! Really, a lot of fun! The hard part is if you ,such as myself, decide to keep on floating down the river hoping for one more bar, when it's dark already..then you end up crawling over fields and barb wires in pitch black and then another few hours along the road to get back to Vang Vieng:) Unfortunately, as the so called dry-bag didn't pass the test in the first tubing experience, I have no photos at the moment, cause it was too risky to take the camera with you..otherwise it may never come back...
Luang Prabang in northern Laos is a lovely small town, with loads of temples, handicraft villages surrounding it making Laos whisky, paper..There are also caves and fantastic waterfalls to see..Also went to a Tiger and Bear rescue center where they keep a young tiger and numerous bears that have been rescued from poachers when they where just cubs..
Just to explain a bit more on how relaxed Laos is, we got on a local bus from Luang Prabang to northern Laos and it didn't leave the station for yet another 1,5h because the driver was in no need to hurry...Then with the journey being as long as it was already, we suddenly stopped at 5am in the morning in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road for a reason that no one knew..only after a bit of asking around, did we find out the purpose of the stop: the driver's wife decided to go to the early market in that particular village to buy a..rooster... that she then happily brought on board, tied it's legs up so it wouldn't move after which we enjoyed the rest of the night with a squeeking rooster and tacky Laos karaoke music playing loudly from the speakers on the bus...so much for relaxation...:)
Wow, what a few exhausting weeks...Of course instead of staying short as planned in Vietnam-I ended up staying quite a while..
Ho Chi Minh city was fantastic! I was absolutely mesmerized by the buzz, the liveliness, the tiny alleyways fill with locals all day long either drinking the famous vietnamese coffee or eating bowls of Pho Bo( rice noodles)..All on small children like plastic chairs, sitting, chatting and occassionally playing cards..Sometimes you would see them inside their houses staring at the tv wathing some novel tv series..It's an up and coming city with 3mln motorbikes and mental traffic.How do you cross a street in Saigon? Close your eyes and walk slowly..then at least you may have a slight chance of being seen by the driver and having him slow down before hitting you! You could just spend all day wandering around the streets and markets and never have enough..
Dalat was my first experience of cold weather since I've left Nepal...Dry season they say, hey??No way!It was pouring in the highlands all the time..still the mountain villages where nice especially given the opportunity to see the local farmers..
Mui Ne and Nha Trang were resort type of places with loads of kite surfers and divers..hoewever I found it barely warm enough to go to the beach so spend time at the sand dunes(Morocco in Vietnam) or wandering around the places..
Vietnam is also known for its tailors..Hoi An was a beautiful small town with old architecture, fantastic food-white rose, wontons, cau lau and hundreds of tailors..You get to make yourself a copy of a Burberry jacket for a few bucks..
Of course travelling wouldn't be the same without some little adventures...like ending up on a police compound in the middle of the night during the bus ride to Hanoi as a group of locals were smuggling illegal animals on our bus...these random things just make you love the country..:)
Hanoi was freezing..Thanks god for my great fake of course North Face jacket and the few jumpersI had with me...temperature between 5-10 degrees! I forgot what that meant! In Hanoi the people where going crazy with Chinese New Years preparations that are takign place about now. It was like Xmas all over again, with mandarince trees used as Xmas trees, tons of markets with little envelopes for good luck money, decorations everywhere, firework shows and other little performances..The city is crazy in every aspect that you can imagine, just one big hectic place..
Halong Bay was my last stop in Vietnam...it is supposed to be voted to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world..and I am certain it is beautiful with bluish waters and green colors..I'm sure it's like that..in the summer...As for now it was nice and misty, chilly and gray so you can pretty much imagine the fun of being on a boat in that weather...:)
Now after all those emotions, honking drivers and crazy vietnamese people..I arrived in laid back and relaxed Laos..:)
And it's a long way up to Saigon...I left Phnom Phen for southern Cambodia hoping to explore the wonders down there..I skipped Sihanoukville which is the main beach resort considering it too touristy for me..Instead I went down to Kampot which is a fairly small town by the seaside famous for its pepper..It is from here that a while ago(and probably still now) the best restaurants mostly in France but also other places got there black pepper from..It is also the place from which I headed of to Bokor National Park, wanting to explore a bit of nature and some abandonned former French colonial village up in the moutains..The trip turned out to be quite a success as our pick- up car broke down half way up the mountain. We managed to walk for about an 1hour but then we ran out of water and it was too hot..So we caught a ride up on the back of a lorry that was carrying barrows of petrol up(don't know what for)..As the road was bumpy and the tree branches quite low, we ended up having a blast whilst ducking from the trees..Quite an amusing and very dirty day for us..
I also went to Kep which is not far away from Kampot, known for it's fresh straight from the ocean crabs atthe local market..You come up to a lady who shows you a few live crabs jsut taken out from the sea and 10minutes later they land straight on your plate:)
If you remeber our adventures and feelings about Gili Islands, then I went thorugh a similar experience on Cambodia's Rabbit Island(off the coastof Kep)...accessible by longboat only, a small island with no electricity, tiny bamboo bungalows, hammocks all the way down the beach and walkable ìn 2 hours...No stores, no bars,no vehicles literally nothing..heaven:)
The most southern Cambodian-Vietnamese border just opened up 3 months ago and not many people know about it..it was probably the least attended border I have ever been to and as it is newly open, there is no info in guidebooks on what to expect on the other side..
I though that this will be an easy way to get to Saigon, but it's now day 3 and I am still on my way-very slowly...In Ha Tien-I stayed with a really nice family whose daughter showed my the local markets and traditional vietnamese food like the boiled fertalised duck egg almost ready to hatch..It's like killing and eating a little duckling:( but altough I was reluctant at the beginning turned out to be very tasty! Then on a few local buses,finally got to Can Tho where I explored the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta for a few hours at sunrise..Now in a small town Ben Tre trying to get to the coconut candy farm and sweeten my life up a bit:)
The country so far is quite hectic and noisy reminding me a bit of China. But the people I've met so far have ended up to be stunningly friendly so I am sticking to meeting more locals:)
New Year's Eve on Phi Phi Island in Thailand was probably the best New Year's Eve party I ever had. Spend at Hippies Bar, with a great bunch of backpackers, dancing away all night on the sandy shores of the bar whilst sipping cocktails from the famous Thai buckets.It was extremely fun, relaxing and had a lot of magic to it as well.Great times!
Then started reality again, having come to Cambodia. It's all down to corruption, scams and local buses again:) Siem Reap being the heart of Angkor Wat temples is lovely. French colonial architecture, local markets, delicious shakes, relaxed atmosphere and of course plenty of temples to keep you going from sunrise to sunset which is exactly what I did on my motorbike. Angkor Wat itself is stunning especially in late afternoon when the sun is on "the right side" so it's brilliant for photo taking. I was there at sunrise as well, but all you get is tons of people and the contours of the temple as the sun is rising on the wrong side. Next Bayan temple wioth over 200 carvings of faces lookign at you all over and last is the well known temple of Ta Prohm where gigantic trees are spreading out all over it. This is where Angelina Jolie's Tomb Rider was filmed so you may know it from there.
The 8 hour boat trip from Siem Reap to Battambang is breathtaking. Sitting on the deck you get to observe all the floating villages and local life and nature of the Tonle Sap river. All houses are built on decks on top of the river that sometimes you wonder how they manage to stand there. Great sceneray, good fun especially if your boat driver is young and inexperienced therefore ends up driving the boat into heaps of grass and other bushes.
Battambang is a ghost town. After 8 pm all shutters are down and the city is totally dead. During the day you can admire the great French architecture, or just as I did, take a motorbike outside of town to local villages and spend the day cruising around:)An entertaining part was hopping on the bamboo train for about 30 minutes which is literally a bamboo platform on 2 wheels generator run(before it used to be hand operated). The thing is there is only 1 track so whenever there is another train coming from the opposite direction, the lighter one has to take the platform and wheels off so the other can pass! Also at the local market I got to try some tasty local cuisine eating something that resembled a cocrach or cricket. I have to admitt though that it was actually tasty!A bit difficult to rip of the wings and stuff but once you have done that and start eating it's really crunchy and turns out to be a great snack!
Phnom Phen is another "big" city therefore itself not that entertaining if it wasn't for the history around it. The Killing Fields and the S21 prison from the Khmer Rouge era do make an impression and you learn a lot about the past. You can also chillout by the lakeside and watch tons of historical movies about the past in a hammock:) I also decided to try something a bit extereme and I'm not sure if entirely legal back in the western world- firing an AK 47 Kalashnikov! Hmm..maybe not the safest activity in the world especially if you get taught how to use it by a boy that looked under 15 years old! But I still have all my arms and shoulder so it wasn't that bad. I'd probably wouldn'tbe the best solder in the world though as I slightly missed some of my targets;)
The choices you have to make in life are really hard here...I mean do I drink a banana milkshake or a watermelon one?? Shall it be prawns or chicken for dinner?Do I go diving or snorkelling??Really I don't think I can handle that:)
On the last question- so far I chosen diving and hurray today I finished my Open Water PADi diving course that I was unfortunate not to finish in Indonesia due to illness..Now I am fully qualified and can dive down to 18m:)I'm really happy! It's funny that during these travels I had to either worry about altitude sickness in Nepal or decompression sickness in the sea. But now I'm thrilled! Done both and it couldn't have been better! For the 2nd question, I swap prawns with chicken every other day and as far as shakes go- I have 2 a day so the problem solves itself:)
The best part of diving, snorkelling or rock climbing(I am tempted to try that tomorrow!) is it's the best way to meet loads of people which is great! The down side is that the more people you meet, the more difficult it becomes to leave this island well or another island..So as for now, I think I'll stay here for a bit:) Happy New Years to all!:)