Hey guys, been trying to find internet connections and time to write what we've been up to, but been far too busy on our adventure!
Vietnam is an amazing place, but fast becoming a big tourist country..;;...a little like Thailand. But we're having a fantastic time. Hanoi is mental, crossing the road is an adrenelin rush in itself, there's 9 million scooters and bikes in the city, so....... look ahead, take a deep breath and go!!!
Halong Bay is mystical. The floating fishing village is an eye opener, how people live like that is truly astonishing. The Bay itself is awesome, a little like the Sounds in NZ but bigger.
Hue is smaller and quieter than the Hanoi. Been on a trip to see the sights including the tunnels from the war ..... we thought we got lost in them at one point (in the dark!). Food amazing, apart from the cafe where we saw the rat!
The people ar wonderful, except they try to extract as much money from you as they can. Even the kids in the minority village have learnt to say 'money'.
Thats all for today, my meal has just arrived! Hope to post pics soon xxx
August 2013 start:
So, both myself and Dave (Cochrane)decided we’d had enough of our jobs, in fact we had enough of the general grind mill called life – work, paying the bills, saving for our yearly holidays. Don’t get me wrong, our life is pretty sweet, moving from England to New Zealand over 8 years ago, living close to a beautiful beach and countryside, days or weekends away to some amazing places, kids left home, fantastic house, fantastic friends and kids --------- life ain’t bad! But, my job was getting stressful, Dave didn’t enjoy his, and we realised we’re not getting any younger. So ……. We decided to sell up and travel Asia for as long as our money would last!
So starts the emotional rollercoaster- I gave my noticein at work with great relief and went back to work on the casual pool at the psycho-geriatric unit (working here reinforced our decision to live our dream – I saw increasing numbers of people in their 50’s and 60’s with dementia); we put our house up for sale independently (how hard can it be to sell a house, and think of the money we’d save), and we started planning our trip away. We already had a trip to Ko Samui, Thailand, booked for our friends, Lee and Zoey’s, wedding; we could either incorporate the trip on our travels or make it the starting point of our trip. We then bought everything we needed for the trip – backpacks, water purifier, clothes, etc.
Excitement – we had someone to come to view the house the first few days we put it on the market – this must be it! Mmmm, she likes the house but doesn’t think the bedrooms are big enough for her furniture (buy new furniture we told her!). The next 3 months we waited for another viewing but none came L. Oh well, to the estate agents we go ……………. We chose a relatively new one who had a fixed fee, saving us potentially at least $16K, with great ideas. The viewing started slowly but we were excited. ‘It’s a great house’, they said, ‘should sell quickly’. To cut the story short, 3 months down the line and quite a few viewings later, it still hadn’t sold. There had been quite a few people interested but no offers. We were getting a little disappointed with the estate agent and thought they weren’t doing the hard sell. So we decided to speak to another agent to see what they could offer us. Throughout this 6 month period we had experienced excitement, disappointment and downright depression! It had also come to the point that we wouldn’t sell in time for our trip to Ko Samui, which meant we would have to come back to NZ. So, another agent told us he could sell our house through auction by the time we got back from Thailand – great news! We were just about to inform our agents that we were leaving them when they told us they had an offer for our house – yes! Unfortunately this didn’t work out, the offer was too low and they had an house to sell. After some discussion, myself and Dave decided we would go to the other agent. Lo and behold – when I phoned again to inform them they had someone else with an offer! This time the offer was a decent one and he wanted to settle on the 6th March – Holy Cow, that’s only 6 days after we get back from Thailand. We agreed to settle on the 12th instead!
For anyone that knows me they know how my mind works – pure panic and unable to stop planning. I now had hundreds of things to sort out
We arrived in Ko Samui at about 9.30pm on the 15th Feb after an extremely long journey though Brisbane and Singapore. Just like I can’t sleep when things are going on in my life, I also can’t sleep on planes or in airports. Maybe if I was bumped up to first class I’d have a better chance! So 26 hours after waking we arrive at our hotel – the cutest little place we’ve stopped in – and I literally drop my backpack, strip off my clothes and jump onto bed. 4.30am – wide awake! Aaagggghhhh!!!!! Decided to go for a stroll along the beach, Dave had also woken and come with me. A beautiful full moon lighting up the beach, amazing! After getting another couple of hours sleep we were up to explore Chaweng. Bloody hell, it’s Spain and Blackpool combined on steroids! There’s miles of shops, restaurants, bars and massage parlours all selling the same things; ‘Sir, you buy suit’, ‘Madame, massage?’, you come and eat at our restaurant’, ‘happy hour, 2 for 1’, ‘you want taxi?’. And the noise! If it isn’t music blaring out from the bars it’s vans trawling the streets repeatedly blaring out the message of an upcoming boxing match followed by the ‘Rocky’ theme tune. I swear if they come around again I’ll box their loudspeakers! We decided we would go and relax on the beach; luckily we had chosen to stay on the quiet end of the resort. What better way to relax than a massage, manicure and pedicure on the beach? Bliss!!
After lunch we decided to try the fish foot spa- little Malaysian fish nibbling at the dead skin on your feet. It felt like little bubbles around the feet. Dave was a picture with his size 13 sensitive barges! Did the trick of smoothing my feet, we’re now contemplating a full body fish spa!
Went in search of traditional Thai food for dinner and found a small night market with about a dozen food stalls – nothing too exciting. We had a spring roll each – exciting!! We were in bed by 9.30pm – living the high life!!
The following morning we rented a scooter. Now I know we promised not to due to the dangerous driving and fatalities on the islands’ roads, but it’s difficult and expensive to get around without one, and the thought of staying around Chaweng for a fortnight is a lot more dangerous! We had to ask for helmets (Hitler style) and petrol is bought in whiskey (or other appropriate alcohol) bottles by the litre – 40 Baht for one, 3 for 100Baht! Again scarey, as a lot of these bottles are stored in racks outside, in the blaring heat and sun. We set off south and stopped at the Lad Koh viewpoint, also known as ‘Zenith viewpoint’ at the extreme south of Chewang (Bon Chewang Noi), looking back towards the Chaweng Bay area. There is a small spirit house temple to the side, built in memory of the souls lost travelling on the Island ring road. Drivers honk their horns out of respect as they pass. Strangely, Dave wouldn’t go and look as he thought there would be vendors there trying to sell him something (there wasn’t).
Next stop was the Wang Soo Thong Waterfall which we found while trying to look for the Naumeng Waterfalls. We got charged (and ripped off) 40 Baht – later they were charging 20 Baht to park the scooter. We scrambled through the woods until we came to the falls – not too impressive as it had been dry for quite some time. Dave climbed up the rocks to get to the falls and stand underneath them; I then decided that to strip off to my nicks to do the same (realising later I had my bikini with me). It was definitely refreshing J. We then carried on up the hill on the scooter (very steep) which led to nowhere. On the way back down a van stopped in front of us as there were 2 large palm trees in the road and 2 scooters coming the other way. When Dave tried to stop the brakes failed and we only just messed crashing into the van. Dave later realised he had 2 brakes ……………… doh!!!!!
Haha, Dave absolutely hates me being on the back of him on the scooter – ‘slow down’, ‘stay to the left of the road’, ‘watch that car/ bike/ scooter/ corner/ dog’, and to top it off – I got off the scooter and told him I would walk (from the other side of the island) as he was dangerous – looking everywhere but the road in front of him and nearly crashed again! He was much better after this!
Anyhow – on to Naumang Waterfall 2. We had to pass a tourist circus to get to it, including elephant ‘safari’s’. Those poor elephants, lining up put tourists on their backs (the seats used damage their backs), being fed banana’s and having to perform. For those who don’t know, elephants are treat cruelly and punished severely to train to perform for humans. Thankfully, the mistreatment of elephants is getting more exposure and there are now elephant sanctuaries to look after these magnificent creatures. Before you book any elephant attraction please look at the issues surrounding this J I did upset a couple of people from the wedding group who had been on this trip – they were completely unaware of the issues. Now – off my soap box!
After a climb we finally got to the waterfall, there were lots of people and not much water (due to the dry weather) but it was pretty. A local showed us further up the falls to a pool with a small waterfall in a cave at the back. We were the only ones there and had a cooling swim- fantastic! A butterfly took a liking to Dave and persistently ‘fluttered’ around him! There were fantastic views below and we stopped at smaller falls for photographs. We gave the local 200 Baht for his assistance – it wasn’t an easy track and it was worth it.
After the waterfall we rode to Baan Taling Ngam, through the ‘Elephant Gate’, which was built by the head monk in 1979, and onto the beach. Baan Taling Ngam means ‘Beautiful shore’ which definitely lived up to its name – it’s the paradise beach everyone imagines – soft white sand, gentle blue sea and palm trees, bliss!! There is a spectacular view of the 5 Islands (Koh See Koh Haa) just off the shore. After a swim and a drink (while watching the sand crabs), we visited the Wat Kiri Wongkaram – a temple with a mummified monk (Loung Por Ruam who died in 1966). There are 2 mummified monks in Ko Samui, this is the lesser known one. Although the temple was nothing spectacular, inside was a man (possibly Pra Maha Jarn Ruan, the head monk) who gave me a sort of friendship bracelet, blessed it then blessed me – very humbling. I was upset when I later lost the bracelet in the sea. Again, Dave wouldn’t come anywhere near the temple – very strange (maybe he thought he might burst into flames?).
Travelling back to Chaweng we stopped at a French Bakery and made total pigs of ourselves – yum! We also chatted to a young couple from Hull, it was strange to hear the Yorkshire accent ‘live’ again! Talking of accents – when asked where I am from and after replying ‘New Zealand’, an amazing amount of people say they can hear the accent – what???!!!!!!
Last stop before arriving back – a motorbike shop! Got to admit, there were some good looking bikes at great prices, Dave was in heaven and I’m sure he would have bought one if we were stopping in Thailand for any length of time!
Later that evening we met with the Lowe family – Emma, Simon, Joe and Anna – who had just arrived for the wedding on Friday. We met in an Aussie bar, I know it’s corny but it was easy for me to remember!
Slept much better that night :-)
Tues 18th Feb
Ok, so I slept well but was still up for the sunrise! But then I missed the sun actually rising as I left the beach too early. A quiet, relaxing day on the beach – yes, you did hear right, I spent ALL DAY on the beach, the first time in my life. For those that don’t know me too well, I have a problem actually sitting and relaxing for any length of time. My friend Mel will verify this as when we went to Majorca I drove her mad with getting bored on the beautiful beaches after about ½ hour, and insisted we find an activity to do. So I’m either getting old or the last few weeks have caught up with me. The Lowe family came to join us after lunch and we all just chilled in the sun. During the evening we met up with some of the wedding party (at a British bar – eerrr, I chose it again!). Finally met Lee’s sister Theresa, who I felt I had known before meeting as we had sent so many messages to each other. Short but sweet evening.
Wed 19th Feb
Hired a scooter again. Dave took a wrong turning and we ended up where we started from – wouldn’t be the last time today – read on! Set off again and stopped at a town called Nathon for a drink, the café overlooked the beach and further along the road was the ferry terminal. After our drink we set off on the road again and spotted a local bird singing competition. I had read about these before coming to Samui so was excited to across one. The locals keep birds in cages (yes, I know!), and train them to sing. At the competition the bird cages are set on long horizontal poles and the judges listen and score their songs. The winner gets quite a lot of money and prestige. Dave didn’t look too impressed though! Travelled back to the hotel so we could get changed to go to the temples.
First stop was the Big Buddha temple. Yes, he was big, but I have seen bigger ;-) I wasn’t too impressed with this temple, far too touristy and not very pretty. There were lots of people willing to take your money off you – you could pay to sign your name on a roof tile, pay to be blessed by a monk (he looked very bored while splashing water over tourists),pay for incense, etc., etc……. Had some delicious banana and coconut pancakes though, yummy! Some very peculiar statues by the riverside too, not sure what they meant.
We then rode a little further up the road to Wat Plai Laem which was so much better. This is a Buddhist temple compound that features the 18 arm statue of Guangin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. A recently new temple, which is active by devotees to pay homage to Guangin and the Buddha (a much friendlier, laughing Buddha).
A rush back to the hotel for Dave to go and meet the boys for the stag night. I got ready to meet the girls, set off and waved down a tuk tuk (these are like large yutes with seats in the back, nothing like tuk tuks in other Asian places). The driver said he could take me to where I wanted to go (about ½ hour journey) and fixed a price and off we set. To cut a long story short, 45 minutes later I ended back at the hotel in the tuk tuk after he had picked up and dropped off about a dozen other passengers, including a couple he told he couldn’t take them even though they were going in the general area I was! He said he could still take me but I quickly got out and ran to the hotel room. When I eventually got to the area where we were meeting my phone wouldn’t work, eventually got Theresa’s hotel to phone her and arrived with the group about 1 ½ hours late! After a meal and 2 cocktails the girls wanted to go home, I had spent more time travelling than actually being out L Back to the hotel room to sterilise water! Dave arrived back at 5am – dirty stop out! We later found out that 2 of the guys got robbed on their way home, one by knife-point! They also think they were drugged – so bloody dangerous and crazy!
Thurs 20th Feb
Had my nails done in the morning for the wedding, beautiful hand painted flowers, then spent most of the afternoon in bed ( I didn’t sleep well the night before waiting for Dave to come home).
Fri 21st Feb
THE DAY OFF THE WEDDING – EXCITING!!!
Had a Thai breakfast, pork fried rice, very nice then went to the beach. Enjoyed another massage on the beach, (I could really get used to this!), had a dip in the sea and chilled. Went for lunch at our now local café (a small, simple place run by a Thai family, with amazing fresh, tasty, cheap food), then got ready for the wedding, wearing my new frock and hat. Set off in plenty of time to get to the Malati Hotel after the adventure of getting to the hen night the other night. Absolutely amazingly beautiful hotel when we arrived, it was no wonder we couldn’t afford to stop there! Because we were so early (some guests were still in their togs by the pool) we sat with our feet in the delicious cool water poolside, drinking beer. Once guests were ready and started arriving we all got drinks from the bar, Howard forced me to have his Black Russian cocktail (honestly, he had my arm up my back!).
We were called to sit as the wedding ceremony was about to start so made out=r way to the beach where it was to take place. Lee (in his Fred Perry polo shirt and shorts) stood nervously waiting for his bride, Andy (the best man) looked even more nervous as he didn’t want to lose the rings (he had his wife Chris look after them right up to the start of the ceremony).
Hope was the first down the aisle as bridesmaid, looking gorgeous (and later told us she nearly tripped – twice!). Then came the absolutely beautiful, smiling (grinning!), radiant bride – she really looked spectacular. The Reverend Rambo (yes, really!) started the ceremony and got their names wrong (I think he called them Michael and Sarah) – whoops!!! Amazing ceremony though, there was a point where Lee and Zoey embraced with their eyes closed for ‘a quiet, contemplating minute’, wonderful! A beautiful reading by Sara, very relevant then the exchange of rings, a kiss and they were married – yah!!! After signing the certificate Lee made a short speech, Zoey a shorter one and the partying began. Food delicious, drinks flowing and the dancing didn’t stop. Was just like one of our parties in the old days. An absolutely perfect wedding for them both, very impressed. Thanks for letting us share it Mr & Mrs Henley xxx
Oh,l I forgot (how could I?) - throwing of the bouquet - started with 8 ladies, ended with 3 middle aged women (myself, Theresa and Denise) practically rugby tackling on the beach for the flowers! Video now on you tube with over 1200 hits, sooo funny!!!!
Sat 22nd Feb
Hangover!!!! Spent most of the day in bed, getting up for breakfast and dinner then a short walk. Nothing to report.
Sun 22nd Feb
Hired a scooter again and headed to Thong Krut at Thong Tanote Beach. Found a local with a longboat and hired him to take us out (only the 2 of us). First of all we went snorkelling just off an island, feeding the fish with packets of instant noodles! Then we went onto the island where we had a walk around and a swim, first there was a small group on the island with us, but they went and we were alone, our own paradise island! We then went on to another island where mangroves grow, sailing around the outside of them – first time I’ve seen mangroves J The island is where the (captain?) was brought up and his father still lives there, owning a little shack selling food and drinks. We had lunch here then explored the mangroves – there is a boardwalk around and through in which you can see from 6 feet high. There were some amazing crabs living in the mud, magnificent colours (vivid blues/ greens/ yellows), and if you stood still you could watch them going about their lives, I could have watched them for hours. There was loud popping noises throughout the walk, we thought it could be the air coming out from the mud, but we later found out that it was the crabs ‘popping’ their claws – fascinating. We went back to the main island later in the afternoon, the sea was getting choppy and splashing onto the boat, but I was sat right at the top of the boat and kept dry. Great ride back! Amazing day out for very little money, definitely worth seeking out the locals to see the sights.
In the evening we met with the Henley’s and the rest of the group for an Indian meal at the Fisherman’s Village. An okay meal but the company more than made up for it. It’s great watching family drama’s when it’s not your family!! Headed back quite early as we were still on the scooter and didn’t want to be out too late in the dark.
Mon 24th Feb
This is the worse day ever! It started late last night – a message on Facebook from my daughter Simone saying she was in hospital. To all you parents out there you’ll know how worried I was being so far away. She had a cyst on her ovaries that had ruptured causing her immense pain. So, I didn’t sleep too well that night, probably got about 2 hours in total.
Dave was going on a diving trip (I’m unable to dive) and got knocked up at 7am, which woke me too. Off went Dave and failing to get back to sleep got up for breakfast. I took a walk to the other end of Chweng to book a trip for Wednesday, stopping to put in some laundry and buy a bikini on the way. Returning over 2 hours later, dripping in sweat, I put on my new bikini, got my books and enough money for a massage and lunch and headed to the beach for a relaxing afternoon.
Just as I got to the top of the steps I heard shouting from the sea to the right of me. At first I thought some guys were teasing a girl but then I saw they were dragging a guy out of the sea with the girl screaming behind them. The guy was unconscious and they dragged him onto the beach, just out of the sea. I threw my bag down and went to help. There was a guy doing compressions and a woman doing mouth to mouth. I initially helped hold the head back (opening the airway) and helped turn him on his side when fluid was coming from his lungs. I then took over the compressions, sharing this with another 2 people. I had to comfort one of the women with him, they were Russian but hugs are understood by everyone. Eventually the paramedics came, usually the sight of these brings great relief but they were a waste of time. They didn’t know how to put on the respirator mask, trying to put it on upside down and not getting a seal – we had to show them! The compressions they did were weak and I’m sure not in the right place. They didn’t even check for a pulse, I had to do that! People on the beach were having to take over the compressions too! They put they guy on the stretcher after about 10 minutes and took him away. I went back to my room in complete shock, then it hit me and I couldn’t stop crying. I stayed in my room until Dave returned later that afternoon; I’d felt so alone until then.
We went out for some dinner, on the way back I asked the receptionist if she could enquire at the hotel next door what had happened to the guy. She had already been informed that he had died. It hit me really hard, I was unable to stop crying. I was thinking that I might have been able to do more to help him, then I felt angry as I am sure the paramedics could have done so much more if they had been trained properly. Training must be diabolical here and I had been warned previously that if we had an accident or became ill on Samui to get help elsewhere ASAP. I really feel for that family of the guy.
I later looked on the internet and was shocked to see there had been numerous drowning’s on this stretch of beach. The ‘powers that be’ really should be doing more to prevent these, a few red flags scattered in innocuous places isn’t enough. Will be glad to end this day
A final note: Thanks to all my friends and family for the kind words today – they really helped me get through it.
Firstly, I apologise for not finishing the blog of Ko Samui, As you will soon read life has been hectic and time short. I will endevour to finish it at some point but I will have other adventures to write about too so it may be a shortened version! So, getting ready for our big Asian adventure:
Cambodia
Phew! What a mental couple of weeks. Won’t go into everything in detail but basically arrived back from Ko Samui on the 1st March and had 12 days to pack up the house, move our belongings into storage, pack our backpacks and say our goodbyes.
The packing was more difficult than I anticipated and we had so much rubbish hidden in various cupboards and drawers. Honestly, how many drinking glasses do 2 people need? Certainly not 2 shelves of a large cupboard full!!! So we sorted and packed and made numerous trips to the tip and charity shop. We finally emptied the house about 2 hours after the new owners started moving in, but they were cool and encouraged us not to rush.
Our packing for the trip was even worse. I thought I hadn’t packed very much but I couldn’t fasten my backpack! I managed to cut down my clothes by nearly half leaving only 2 t-shirts, 1 cotton top, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 long pair of pants, 2 long sleeve tops, bikini and underwear – for 2 years of travelling!! Think it could be all the extra’s taking up the room too, medications, power leads, etc. Hey well, will see how we go but have a feeling we’ll be dumping things on our way.
So, house emptied, packing sorted. Now for the hardest thing – saying goodbye. We had various dinners and drinks for friends and family, Dave had a leaving do at work and Simone and Kylie spent time with us (especially Simone, bless her, she was a massive help). Very difficult saying goodbye to everyone, so I tried to make it quick!
The day for leaving came along quickly. Simone and Mya picked us up from Marks house (where he was kindly letting us stay for a couple of nights) at 3.30am to take us to the airport (14 March 2014). We said our goodbyes and off we went on the plane. Wellington to Brisbane to Singapore and finally Siem Reap, Cambodia. Very good flights and times, with the only downside being the last plane giving me a bunged up right ear and sinuses, painful and causing me to be deaf!
So we arrived in Cambodia, late afternoon on Friday 14th March 2014. The tuk-tuk we thought was picking us up from or accommodation didn’t show (a common theme apparently) so we got a taxi to our guest house. First impressions of Siem Reap was a large, busy, dusty, poor city. Once at our accommodation we went to buy cold water then ready to go to bed – shattered!! Unfortunately we couldn’t get the mozzie nets up, no hooks for them, and Dave lying underneath a pile of netting wasn’t the way to keep them away. After some research though the mozzies pretty much stay away if there’s a fan in the room, which there is, so some repellent applied and into bed, bliss! Will start exploring in the morning :-)
15/03/14
Not a brilliant sleep, bloody blocked ear and cough kept waking me a few times, but felt much better when I did wake in the morning. Dave had already decided to leave me – doesn’t take long hey? He’d gone for a walk around the block and came back 10 minutes after I woke. Showered and dressed then outside for breakfast. The guesthouse (Sam So) is in a little courtyard away from the noise of the road and has 3 tables outside sheltered by a roof (am sat writing this here now). After brekkie we went for a walk around the city. It looks much better in the light of day after sleep. We chose to walk alongside the river, although I wouldn’t dare swim (or even put a toe in it) it was pleasant. Incredibly (and I have seen it in other cities) there are beautiful pagoda’s in the middle of slum areas, we found one and had a look around. The locals were still building in Parts of the grounds and Dave was fascinated with what they were doing. A lying-down Buddha had a great story behind it and the walls outside the temple where decorated beautifully.
We then came upon the touristy area and had a look around the market, great sights, smells and sounds. Firstly was the food area with fresh fruit, rice, eat, spices and fish – the fish were still wriggling! Along the back were clothing, shoe and general wares. We then stopped for an iced coffee and watched the world go by. We had a couple of beggars ask for money but they moved on when we said no. The upsetting part (and I knew it would be) was the children begging – they look so miserable and mistreated. But I stayed strong and said no (for those who don’t know, giving kids money encourages them to stay on the street and not go to charities where they are given education and support).
Just to backtrack a little – yesterday at Singapore airport Dave voiced being anxious around our trip, the insecurity of not having anywhere permanent to live. I felt the same on arriving last night, but we both knew we would have and both feel ok about our trip today. I suppose our emotions are going to be all over the place throughout these coming months / years. I think Dave was also worried about the poverty and harassment of parts of Asia, especially in the cities such as Siem Reap, and he had read some negative comments saying the same. But – it really is ok, the tuk-tuk drivers will ask if you need a ride but if you’re pleasant with a simple ‘no thank you’ they don’t hassle you. It’s a part of Cambodian (and Asian) life – they’re out to make a living so have to ask! The kids begging is still difficult to get my head around though!!!
So, on with our day – we walked around the more local part of the city, finding the drainage system – what we thought might have been fish bubbles initially probably were some nuclear wastage! Part of the system was blocked by a mountain of rubbish – not good. We then walked back along the river and stopped at a café for lunch, fried rice and a cold drink – drinking is so important here, you can very dehydrated quickly.
A siesta – it really was hot around lunchtime – then we hired bicycles to ride to get our tickets for the temples. It seemed a fantastic idea when we got the bikes and set off enjoying the scenes going slowly past me. But bugger me, cycling in 30 odd degree heat in the sun isn’t a great idea for a little unfit middle aged woman with a cold and bunged up sinuses!! We bought our tickets then on the way back stopped at a museum just to cool down – I found a fan and stood in front of it for a good 10 minutes! Will stick to walking or tuk-tuks in the future!
On arriving back at the guesthouse we were informed there was no electricity, so a cold shower (which was perfect) in the dark and sat outside in the shade.
Booked our guide and tuk-tuk for the morning to see the temples, now off to grab some food at the night market. Catch up soon xxx
16/03/2014 – Temples!
Up at 5am (been awake for at least an hour anyway) to go to the temples at Angkor for sunrise. We had booked a tuk-tuk and a guide and they were waiting for us early. We chose to go to a different temple than Angkor Wat for a little more quiet and less people. Srah Srang is set on a ‘Baray’ which is a lake. Although there wasn’t much of a temple there the view was beautiful when the sun rose. The sun was very red and rose very quickly, I had to be quick to get the pics!
From Srah Srang we went onto Ta Prohm, famous for the location for ‘Tomb-raider’., This blew my mind. The way that nature has taken over and the roots of the trees growing from the temples is magical. Photo’s don’t do it justice, you have to see it to appreciate it. We could have spent all day there but we had many more temples to see. I won’t bore you with all the details but the temples we visited were Preah Khan, Pre Rup (walking up nearly vertical, high steps made of stone to enjoy magnificent views), East Mebon (similar to Pre Rup), Ta Som (more amazing trees), Neak Peam (a small island temple, mostly closed off to the public), and a quick stop off at Bayan for a photo. As well as this we stopped at the moats and bridges, very pretty. Another highlight for me was watching a monkey with a calf, at one point they looked to kiss and then they followed each other around, the calf startling the monkey at times. Again we saw elephants geared up for the tourist rides – if only people knew how cruel it is! Like I said, I won’t bore you with all the details, you really have to experience it yourself, but it is absolutely amazing, or ‘Utterly Butterly’ as Dave puts it (he still can’t believe Angkor Wat isn’t butter!).
We returned at lunchtime in the sweltering heat – a high of 37 degrees today and had a little siesta, Dave’s much longer than mine! Out for a quick lunch then decided we would check out a neighbouring hotel’s pool. What a find! , You can either pay $5 each or if you spend $6 between you on food or drink it free (go figure). The pool is in a secluded spot, mostly shaded from the sun with about a dozen loungers around. The feeling of euphoria after jumping into the water was like no other. For the first time since landing in Cambodia I felt cool! A couple of drinks and even more hours we returned to our room for a shower and out for our evening entertainment.
We chose to go to a NGO school (Cambodian Children’s House of Peace) for under privileged kids who put on a performance of traditional Kymer dancing once a week, to practice their English and dancing skills. The show was brilliant, the kids were awesome and obviously enjoyed it, some giggling through the performance when they should have been serious. It was obvious the kids were well looked after (they receive food, safe shelter, education and healthcare). For those who are interested see santepheap dot org
When we headed away we were approached by a lass looking for someone to walk to the main road for a tuk-tuk with her. She was from Wales and had just arrived to volunteer at the school for a month, awesome!
Back to town, dinner, a beer while we watched some of the footie (didn’t go well) and back to our room for bed – we have to be up early again for another round of temples!
Oh, as a side note, although the guide was useful for the temples, and interesting to talk to about his life in general, we think one day with a guide is enough. You tend to feel a bit rushed and not able to explore as much as you want to. Be careful where you book too, we booked through our guest-house who charged us well over the going rate for both the guide and tuk-tuk. Tomorrow we have found our own tuk-tuk driver at a much cheaper rate!
Nighty nite all xxx
17/03/2014 – more temples and swimming
Not too much to report today. We got up at 4.45am to go to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. Although there was a lot of people there wasn’t as many as I thought there would be. I nearly missed the sunrise again as I was sat on the right hand side and the sun would have been hidden for some time when rising. Luckily Dave spotted it and we rushed to the other side. It was definitely worth waiting for, it looked spectacular and majestic. Angkor Wat itself is the main temple of the complex, big and grand. We enjoyed exploring it then went onto have some breakfast. Best meal yet – chicken and veg noodle soup, bloody delicious! And it kept me full for most of the day.
After leaving our tuk-tuk driver ‘Van’ (more about him later), we explored the Terrace of the Leper and then the Terrace of the Elephants. These are amazing walls with carvings of nagas, demons and mythological beings (Leper), and elephants and garudas (Elephant). The off to Bayon, an extraordinary temple compromising of 37 standing towers, most of which have four carved faces pointing towards the cardinal points. So, everywhere you went you was being watched!!! This was another of our favourite temples.
Once we had finished at Bayon we were so hot, sticky and wet. The temperature reaches the late 30’s which is HOT! We have probably spent most of our money on water, as soon as you drink a bottle you are ready for another. It’s incredible how much sweat pours out of you – and it does pour, all down your neck, back, legs, even your eyes! So off back to the pool in our neighbouring hotel!
A very lazy afternoon by the pool, snoozing, swimming, reading. Chatted to a lady and daughter from Ohio, USA, the former has been teaching in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. She’s very interested in teaching in NZ and is going to moved to Bangkok about 6 months ago. They come to Cambodia or Laos for the visa run but wanted to see the temples too. We meet some very interesting people on our travels!
In the evening we walked to the main touristy area, had banana and chocolate pancakes for dinner then found a bar with a giant fan, so happily sat there with a couple of 75 cent beers – magic J
As promised, a little bit about ‘Van’, our tuk-tuk driver (real name Sovann Khim). He has done various jobs to earn a living but couldn’t earn much due to not having much education or skills. He then studied with a monk at one of the pagoda’s and learnt to speak English (very well). He came to live in Siem Reap after he was married and has 2 daughters, one of which lives with his sister-in-law as she is unmarried and does not have children of her own. He drives a tuk-tuk as he can earn more money this way, although during the low season he sometimes doesn’t get any work for 4-5 days. His wife works in a hotel in housekeeping and earns $70 (USD) a month. Van is currently studying to speak Korean and goes to class every day from 6-7 am. He studies in his tuk-tuk while he is waiting for his rides to return from the sights. This appears to be common to the tuk-tuk drivers in Siem Reap. It’s a difficult life for them but they get on with it and appear happy with their lives. Oh, Van doesn’t like the Chinese tourists – he says they are too loud and want extra rides for longer for no extra money. He only accepts work from them if it is the low season and he is short of money!!
18/03/2014 – Last of the temples
A small lie in today, up at 6am to be ready to set off at 7.15am. We went further out today to see the Banteay Srey Temple which loosely translates to ‘citadel of the women’. We again got ‘Van’ to take us in thetuk-tuk, the journey taking about an hour, travelling through villages on our way. Banteay Srey is a small temple with beautiful, intricate carvings on the buildings. It was heaving with other tourists but we managed to find some quiet spots. 3 older Chinese ladies wanted a photo with myself and Dave so of course we obliged, much to their amusement (especially when I was puckering my lips next their cheeks).
From Banteay Srey we drove further out to Kbal Spean where we had a 40 minute walk up to a waterfall and river (more of a slow stream with it being the dry season). There are 1000 lingas in the river (Linga is a complex symbol of Hinduism associated with Shiva) as well as carvings of Buddha and Buddhist images in the river and surrounding rocks. At the bottom of the waterfall there were dozens of butterflies dancing in one area – absolutely magical. We nearly missed the main part of the carvings and the waterfall but just as we were leaving a local shouting to us and gave us a tour. He only had one hand, possibly the other being lost to the land mines (another common sight in Cambodia). He didn’t ask for money but we gave him a tip for showing us around. I don’t mind this, he wasn’t being a pest, providing a service and the money would stay with him, not go to some big bully.
On the way back down we stopped for a photograph of a big tree with incredible roots. Dave then spotted something on a tree – on inspection it was a lizard that was mainly brown but had a vivid blue neck and head. Of course I had to take some pics but it didn’t appear happy with this, bobbing it’s head up and down at me (I swear it was grimacing at me too). Dave seemed a little anxious and asked me not to get any closer. Got some good pics and left the critter alone.
On our way back we stopped at the Banteay Kdei Temple, he last one of our 3 day visit here. It was a beautiful one to finish on, most of which has not being restored so giving the authentic feel to it. Again, we hot and sweaty and headed back to our room. Very tired and slept for over an hour and half – best sleep I’ve had for weeks! Out for a quick dinner (delicious chicken and cashews) then back to our room again for a relaxing evening.
Speak again soon, nighty nite xxx
19/03/2014 – Silk farm, blood and BBQ
Had a bit of a lie in this morning, well, slept until I woke at 5.30am then lazied in bed until just after 7am. After breakfast we went into the market area to look for Artisan Angkor, an organisation that trains disabled and struggling Cambodians craft skills. Firstly we went to their silk farm which is a 20 minute bus ride (air con – bloody fab) from town. Here we were shown the process from start to finish, including the life cycle of the silk worm, on how silk is farmed and then made into garments. It was an interesting tour, and completely free, but they quickly ushered you into the shop. There were 5 of us on the bus and were told that the bus would be leaving at 11.30am. However, as we were not buying anything from the shop we went out to the lovely courtyard and ordered ourselves a tea and coffee. The other 3 in our group came out shortly and as soon as the driver saw us told us it was time to leave. It was on 11.10 and we had just ordered our drinks! Dave managed to gulp his down but mine was red hot. The lady at the café kindly put the tea into a takeaway cup for me.
On arriving back to the city we looked around the workshops where they made silk screen paintings, lacquer paintings on wood and sculptures from sandstone and wood., some with copper trimmings. The people are trained in these skills which take a year to complete. One group was deaf (and some dumb) and had sign language around the walls for people to use. We both really enjoyed the tours but felt a little pressured to buy something at the end of it. I would have preferred that there was a fee for the tours and not felt mean!
We grabbed a baguette filled with beef and a delicious salad for lunch from a street vendor then back to the guesthouse to rest from the heat. Again, sweat was running everywhere!
After our rest we got tuk-tuk to the Angkor Children’s Hospital where they provide free medical treatment for all children. This is a charity run hospital and they rely on donations. I was going to donate blood as it is in high need. There were so many families with young children waiting to be seen, both queuing outside and waiting inside in some sort of organised fashion on the floor. It was a sad sight. I was led to a room where they take blood donations and filled in a form then a prick from my finger taken to test for my iron levels. While we waited for that my blood pressure was taken which was fine. I chatted to the nurse doing all this; she has worked at the hospital for 13 years, 8 directly with the children then 5 years in the blood lab. My results were back – ‘sorry, we can’t take your blood, you iron is too low’. What? I have never had low iron in my life, even when I was pregnant with the twins! All I can put it down to is not enough meat this week and too much rice! I leave the hospital disappointed; it would have been a great way to help the kids.
After more resting at the guesthouse we go in search f food and find a Cambodian BBQ pretty much straight across the road from us. It isn’t like the BBQ’s we know, more like a ‘eat as much as you like buffet’ but you cook your meal on special burners filled with water at the table. The meat goes on top on an upside-down metal dish sort of thing and the veg and noodles cook in the water around the edge. Washed down with a bottle of beer it was delicious!
Mmmm, only problem now is that we’re back in our room, packing done for the morning and I’ve got the squits! It’s going to be a long night and we have to be up early in the morning to get a slow boat to Battambang, the boat being small and usually overcrowded, and because it’s the dry season with low water levels in the river, the trip could take up to 10 hours (sometimes more). Crikey, I hope my squits have gone by then otherwise my arse will be hanging over the edge of the boat!
With that thought (and a great mental image for you all), I bid you goodnight! xxx
21/03/2014 – 2 days – Boat to Battambang and the sights.
This is taken some effort to write tonight, after 2 busy days I am exhausted (didn’t write last night as I fell asleep at 8pm, approx. 5 seconds after my head hit the pillow!). So I will try to give you all the important details of what we’ve been up to.
Yesterday we were up at 5.45am to get ready to catch the boat to Battamburg. I was a little bit apprehensive about the boat as from the moment we booked it we were hearing tales of all sorts of horrors. We were told the normally 5 hour journey would take 10 due to the low river levels and the boat getting stuck, sometimes not making it at all! Anyhow, we had spent our good money on tickets so we were going, besides, isn’t this trip all about adventures? So, breakfast then we got picked up by a large tuk-tuk style vehicle and went on to pick another 6 people up, a bit of a squash with all the luggage too. A ride through a bumpy road to the river where the boat was – apparently they move the landing as the water levels rise and fall with the seasons. As we got off some chappie took our backpacks to the boat, great service I thought, but no, swindled again, he stood in front of us and proclaimed ‘you pay me for bags’. This happens to us frequently, we must have ‘mugs’ tattooed along our foreheads!
While we were waiting for everyone to board we could see a pair of legs and a broad northern English voice chatting away. When we first arrived in Siem Reap of the plane we chatted to a lass from Lancashire in the queue, very funny and entertaining. Anyway, me and Dave both looked at each other and said it’s got to be her, and when she came on board it was! I didn’t know her name but called her Deidre (as in Barlow). She was with a guy called Pete from Bristol, Deidre (AKA Gail) was from Accrington. Again, very entertaining and we chatted to them for most of the trip. Eventually everyone was boarded and off we set. Before long we were passing floating villages. These consisted of various sizes of houses in various states of disrepair; some looking well looked after, others about to crumble into the sea! The children on these villages were a delight, most waving and shouting hello. The river was deep and wide here so we had no problems getting through.
We stopped at a floating ‘shop/café’ style place and a few of us went to use the bathroom. The toilets (2 side by side) consisted of a wooden floor with a hole in the middle that dropped straight into the river. Now, at this point I have to tell you about one of the guys on the boat. I think he was German and he sat on the top of the boat (quite a few sat at the top). Just before we stopped at the café/shop he came back inside the boat wearing tight speedo type shorts. The look of everyone’s faces! Now, I could have understood if he was packing a big lunch away but I don’t think he could have had ½ bag peanuts smuggled in them! So this guy decided that when we stopped he would take a dip in the river. Like I said before the toilets went straight into the river, but not only did he wash his face after jumping in but he was sat about 5 metres away from where we were using the toilet. ‘Poor lad’, I can hear you say, but the best thing is he walked right past the toilets and knew what was happening there! And after he had his dip and washed his face he sat on the edge of the platform proudly as if to say ‘I’m just like a local’. Bet he was throwing up just like a fuckwit last night!!!
So we continued our trip. The river got narrower and more shallow and it seemed the villages became more run down. It’s incredible how some people live and manage to survive. Whole families living in what’s basically a floor with a roof on, no walls (so obviously no windows or doors), all sleeping together and eating together. They survive from the river, catching what fish they can. The fishing structures are incredible, built from wood which allows a massive net to be lowered and brought up. The fish we saw caught in them were very small, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the dry season or because they have been overfished. The kids appeared really happy though, swimming and playing in the water, shouting and waving at us as we went by (or ducking under the water just as we were about to take photo’s).
We did become stuck a number of times on sandbanks, but the crew knew exactly what to do to get us going again. We did become a little worried when one of the guys took a hammer to the engine, but again all was fine.
We arrived in Battambang at about 3.30pm, along a banking with narrow, steep steps going up to the road. As soon as the boat pulled up a swarm of guys came down with offers of cheap hotels and tuk-tuk rides. We grabbed one of the guys for a tuk-tuk (’50 cent ride to any hotel’), and got to the hotel in minutes. The tuk-tuk driver was pressing us to take a tour with him the day after, all we wanted to do was get into our room but we agreed to meet at 9am the following day.
The hotel was great, room with air con and a fan, fridge, decent bathroom with a good sized shower and, dadah ……… a pool! Bargain at only $21 a night for both of us! After getting to our room and changing into our togs we headed straight for the pool to cool off, it felt like heaven to jump in.
Small world again – not only did we meet the lass from the airport on the boat, but sitting by the pool was the American family we were sat next to at sunrise at Angkor Wat having a good old chat! An interesting thing about the guy – he earns his living writing a blog about sheds. Yep, sheds, not just small gardening sheds but the large ones found in Oz. He’s been doing it for 3 years and obviously makes a good living from it as they were talking about their travels around the world (along with their teenage daughter).
So, a splash around in the pool (great views of the city from it), then a shower and out for a bite to eat. We had some difficulty finding anywhere to eat. Usually there’s an area with café’s/ restaurants/ bars all clumped together. We were both very tired and hungry so we found a little café and ate there. Not too bad food but they used instant noodles! This is common practice but very annoying, and definitely not authentic Cambodian food!
As soon as we left the café once we finished we walked in the opposite direction from where we came. Would you believe it – not 2 doors down was the start of the café’s! Oh well, at least we were fed. Back to the hotel, straight to bed and straight to sleep – at 8pm!
Slept well for most of the night, getting up for the loo a couple of times, but waking up once freezing. Both the AC and fan were on and I was shivering. So I turned the fan off and pulled the covers over me. First time I’ve been cold here, and quite a shock!
21/03/2014 – Bamboo trains, temples and Killing Caves.
After a good nights sleep we were up and ready to go out with our tuk-tuk driver. First up was the bamboo train with stops on the way at points of interest, the old French Government house (the other 23 in the other provinces were pulled down by the Khmer Rouge but this was saved after protests and $6 million) and the statue of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung ( the man from the legend of Battambang) in the middle of a roundabout!
The bamboo train consists of a small motorcycle engine-powered bamboo platform that rides on the railway tracks. When it meets another bamboo train coming the other way the least laden train can be disassembled and taken off the rails in a minute or two allowing the other to pass. It is then reassembled and the journey can continue. The tracks are in pretty poor condition but its gret fun to ride on. We got the ‘delux’ train – a cushion each to sit on! I really wanted to have to be the train that had to stop for a passing one but unfortunately all the other trains stopped for us. At the other end we stopped at the ‘staion’ (about ½ dozen stalls) for 20 minutes before coming back. I had a wander further down the line and came across 2 kids sitting on an old bamboo train. I took a photo of them and showed then the picture, another kid then arrived so I took another pic, then another kid arrived. After taking their pics and showing them they were all in fits of giggles!
After the bamboo train we went to Pnom Banan, a temple that was once thought to be a prototype for Angkor Wat. To get to the temple we had to climb 358 steep steps in 40 degree heat. Jeez, I stunk when I got to the top! This temple isn’t as popular with the tourists as the ones at Angkor due to its location; there were only another group of 3 visiting at the same time. The walk down the steps was much easier!
On to Phnom Sampeou and the ‘Killing Caves,’ by a small local, very narrow and bumpy road. I really thought we were going to tipple into the ditch a few times! The tuk-tuk stopped in a little village full of roadside cafes and we were given the option of walking to the temples which takes approx. 2 hours (in the heat) or going on a motorbike for $4 each or a jeep for $10. We took the motorbike option and off we went. I would never had made it walking, it was very steep and quite a long way. First we went to the Killing Caves; this area was used by the Khmer Rouge who bludgeoned their victims to death then threw them over the skylight into a deep cave. There was a rusty cage made from chicken wire full of bones and skulls, this was once a memorial to the victims. Also in the cave was a lying down Buddha, a shrine for people to come and pray. Close to the caves are other temples, artillery (2 large guns), caves and a giant Buddha. In one of the temples was a monk who invited me to kneel down. When I asked if I could take a photo of him he replied ‘ no problem’.
Back to the hotel, again straight to the pool to cool down, then we went to the rooftop where there is setting amidst plants, very pretty. I’m sure they would make a good income if they put a bar up there too. 360 degree views of the city.
Off to find dinner – we found the place easily this time and after wandering around looked at some street vendors. One stall was serving something in a bowl, a local lad told us it was ‘a kind of porridge with veg in’ so we decided to have a try. I can’t say I enjoyed it, I sprinkled some ground chilli’s up to spice it and take away some of the taste but I couldn’t finish t. The best part though (besides getting my greens for my iron levels) was that it cost only $1.50 for both meals with an orange iced drink – bargain!
Back to the hotel to jump into bed and cool off again – we only have the fan going tonight! So, as I said right at the beginning, am absolutely knackered, so goodnight all. xxx
PS Dave says he still hasn't found his cake (Battenberg)!
22/03/2014 – Getting lost
Got up and had breakfast before going on a walk. We walked on the other side of the river, seeing an old guy wash the clothes he was wearing whilst in the river and kids swimming and playing in the river. It gets so hot here I was tempted to jump in too!
We stopped at Wat Sangker where the entrance was the heads like in Banyon Temple and elephants at the sides a in the Elephant Terrace. There were many other things with the Angkor relevance around the temple too. A beautiful Baya tree with flowers and fruit sat in the gardens.
We then walked over the old stone bridge, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to but a couple walked ½ way then back again on the opposite side. As Dave said, two halves make a full one, the equivalent of walking the whole way over so off we went.
We then went looking for the hotel where our host for the following 2 nights said he worked. We walked for a long time in the burning sun, sweat running down our backs and faces, getting seriously hydrated. We asked at a bank for directions, they told us ‘straight on this road then left’. So Dave walked on the road going down, not across as they said, and could not be convinced it was not the wrong way. By the time he realised (about another 45 minutes in the blistering sun), he was too stubborn to admit it. On the way back to the bank we saw an impromptu dance by some kids in costumes telling what looked like a folk lore story to a few people in a courtyard. I don’t know what the occasion was but it was great to watch.
Eventually we found the hotel, both of us hot, dehydrated and grumpy. We found Sarin, our host in the house next door where he lived as it was his day off. We introduced ourselves, had a chat and arranged to come back the day after. As we were leaving I saw a cute little bird, one I have not seen before; I asked Dave to stay still so I could take a photo but he just barged right past it, and he wonders why I get pissed off at him! He later said he did it on purpose as he didn’t want to wait for me to take photo’s!
On the way back we saw a shopping mall. It looked kind of grand and we thought might have AC s off we went to cool down and get a drink. Inside it looked just like a market with stalls selling toiletries, clothes, shoes etc. and a couple of drink type café’s. For those of you in Halifax think Bradford market upstairs. We found a pace that sold ice-creams and iced drinks but the owner wasn’t around (a local said he thought she had gone to the toilet) so we sat and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, with our tongues lolling along the floor we found another one just outside and got ourselves a delicious ice-cream each.
Back at the hotel we got a cold drink from the fridge and went to the swimming pool, bliss again! After spending some time on the rooftop we went out for dinner then back to our bedroom, trying to organise the next couple of weeks in Cambodia. It’s Khmer New Year on the 12th/ 13th April so we need to make sure we’re booked in somewhere as many places either close or get booked full. Not too much excitement today!
23/03/2014 – Sarin’s house
We had breakfast then made the most of our time left at the hotel by using the pool and chilling out. Then off we went to Sarin’s house. As it is Sunday the family were all there, except Sarin himself who is at work. We spent the first part of the afternoon chatting with the family and watching them going about their business. The daughter was busy washing clothes by hand in a bowl and bucket (washer and rinser!) and it was explained to me that the son has to clean the house on a Sunday as there is no school. School during the week starts at 7.30am but they have to set off at 6.30am to cycle there, it finishes at 11.30am then they go to another school at 1.00pm until 6.00pm. Then we had a walk and a lay down as it was so hot again (no pool to cool down in). After our kip Dave went for a walk and I chatted to Sarin’s wife. She told me her story of how her father had died when she was 9 yrs old, how her mother couldn’t afford to keep her and her 7 brother and sisters, having to work hard all her life, including going to Thailand as the wages are better there. She met Sarin whilst she worked on a farm and saw him every day. The story got lost a bit in translation but for some reason she had to marry Sarin, even though he was poorer then her, but she did not love him. Today she sometimes loves him a five (out of ten), sometimes only a two! Her mother died 6 years ago, whilst her mother was ill she looked after her and had to borrow money for medications. When both Sarin and herself worked they were able to pay the money back. They then bought more land where their house currently is and fixed the buildings up to be able to let people use them (such as ourselves). After her mother died she said she went crazy, but didn’t elaborate on it. Without sounding too much of a MH nurse, she sounds as if she suffers from depression. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough money in Cambodia to deal with physical ailments, never mind mental health issues. I couldn’t even imagine there would be any facilities available in this country, Sad.
A short time later Sarin’s daughter shouted us to go to their lake. Sarin’s son was collecting lotus plants from the lake and threw them to the side for us to collect. We were then shown how to get the seeds inside them. Pretty delicious. I had previously read that these are very good for you.
Because we hadn’t said we were going to be eating with them Sarin’s wife hadn’t got enough food from the market so we had to go out to eat. I was pretty relieved as they were having fish. Now I don’t really like fish at the best of times but I had seen these fish laid out on the garden to dry and there were flies all over them. I know they were washed before being cooked, but still …… We gave then some money so they could buy food from the market in the morning and we will eat with them tomorrow.
We ate by the river side, there’s loads of food stalls and street ‘café’s’ there. A young girl (probably about 12) enticed us to having fried rice and noodles with chicken. She really was a good sales-woman, getting us to buy a coconut shake too! We could never imagine the kids in NZ or the UK working (with a big smile) like these kids do.
Back to Sarin’s and to bed. Nighty nite xxx
24/03/2014 – exploring and circus
Well, not such a good nights sleep, kept waking with back, shoulder and bun ache! These hard beds really aren’t doing me much good. Had a really good stretch when I did get up then wet for breakfast. Sarin had made a noodle dish that reminded me a little of thick spaghetti in tomato sauce, along with coffee. The coffee here is very good.
After breakfast we discussed with Sarin using the motorbike for the day rather than going to hire one (better the money going to Sarin than to a French business owner). He made sure first that Dave could ride it as he has had guests say they can but can only ride the automatic scooters. We reassured him that we could both ride a motorbike. When Dave came to riding it he struggled a little as the bikes don’t have clutches and the gears are different to his bike but he soon got the hang of it.
First we went into the city to find the bus station then we bought tickets for the bus tomorrow. $5 for 2 tickets on a 2 ½ hour bus trip. We wouldn’t even get to the next train station for that in New Zealand!
We went out to the countryside on the road towards Pailin. It was fantastic seeing everyday Cambodian people going about their everyday business. We didn’t see another ‘tourist’ all day, brilliant. We found a pagoda that had various statues of animals around the grounds, including lions, a praying monkey and a large elephant. When we had nearly seen everything, a young lad appeared (about 10yrs old) and said the usual ‘hello, where you from?’.
He then pestered us for money, when that didn’t work he was asking for anything he could get, my sunglasses, and Dave’s Pappa Smurf! Politely we kept saying no and as we were nearing the gates he finally left us.
We found another pagoda with 137 steps up to the temple, as always we found it in the midday sun! We had to ride through a village to get here which was beautiful, small thatched homes on stilts and kids playing in whatever water they could find. At the top we had views for miles of the surrounding area and then we saw 3 guys lying in the shade, one in a hammock reciting something in Khmer from a book.
On the road we saw something on BBQ’s on a few stalls close together. When we stopped to look we found that they were rats, heaps of them! The woman asked me if I wanted one but I politely asked if she had any water and left.
Once we returned to Sarin’s house we showered then had a beautiful meal that his wife had prepared. Unfortunately she had made a sort of fish stew, even though I told her the day before I couldn’t eat fish, and I ate a piece of the fish. I later came out in a rash down both arms. She had also made a pork dish and a veg with chicken dish, both absolutely delicious.
After dinner we rushed off to see the circus. We only just made it as we had forgotten it was on a Monday and only remembered when Sarin’s family talked about it. I’m so glad we didn’t miss it, it’s the highlight of Battambang. Like so many other things involving kids, this organisation takes orphaned and disadvantaged kids in, looks after them and trains them o either do acrobatics for the circus or play musical instruments. It isn’t like a traditional circus but instead these kids tell a story through acrobatics. Tonight’s story was a comedy around the theme of ‘the lost bike’. Would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Battambang.
Off to bed but didn’t get to sleep until late as we were organising and booking hotels. Like I said previously, because of the New Year approaching we want to make sure we have somewhere to stay. Speak to you tomorrow, nighty nite xxx
25/03/2014 – Journey to Banteay Chhmar
We were up early as we had a bus to catch to get to Banteay Chhmar. Sarin went into a panic as he did not have any breakfast for us and rushed out to get some, amid our protests that we could get something on the way. He brought us baguettes and a small cake (tasted like madeira) and made us coffee. I can’t emphasise how generous these people are, even though they have very little. Sarin spoke again about his dream to have a homestay and provide tours for th tourists. We encouraged him to keep his dream alive.
After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Sarin (we earlier said goodbye to his children as they left for school) and got a tuk-tuk to the bus station. Here we were herded onto a bus and managed to get a seat with plenty of leg room, though that soon disappeared with the locals putting their bags, baskets and other belongings there. Another lot of tourists got on and set near us. They said they were going to Siem Reap so I got into a panic that we’d got on the wrong bus. Fortunately the bus takes everyone to the central station where we get on our own buses.
We boarded the bus to Sisiphon (the tickets were only $2.50 each). This took us through various small towns on the way and some countryside. After about 2 hours we stopped at another station where people started to get off. I went to the front and showed a lady from the station our tickets. She said ‘change’ so I shouted to Dave that we were to get off here. Once off the bus we waited for our next bus. I went to use the toilet where there was a queue of women (I think they kept scaring the men away!). They were chatting and laughing with each other, then when I turned to my right a woman was stood next to me comparing how much taller I was to her, then another woman did the same! They all looked after me and made sure no-one jumped the queue in front of me and held the door while I used the toile
We continued waiting for our bus, chatting to a girl from Canada who was catching the bus to Bangkok (at least 9hours). Suddenly, and I can’t remember why, I realised that maybe we were already in Sisophon; I asked the woman at the station and she said yes! She organised for us to get a tuk-tuk ($2.50) to the New Market where we could get a taxi. The tuk-tuk stopped at the market next to a few cars apparently the taxi’s. They were asking $20 for the taxi to Sisophon but we were asking for a shared taxi. There was only one guy who could only speak a little English so he telephoned someone who could. The guy on the phone explained that the share taxi would carry 5 passengers and that we would be squashed, it would cost $5 each. Ok, I said, I will talk to the driver, having decided the $20 option would be best. Having thought we had it resolved he emptied most of his boot out, leaving 2 big sacks of something, and put in our backpacks. We got into the back and he put some of the things from the boot onto the back window ledge. Then 2 girls climbed in the back with us and 2 lads into the front seat! Looks like we were having a shared taxi after all!
The road was very bumpy and extremely dusty, at one point it was so dusty we couldn’t see and the car had to stop until the dust settled a little. When a vehicle is passing any others hey peep their horn to let them know they are there. The driver peeped at a motorbike with 3 people on, it must have startled them because they nearly skidded and fell off! We dropped 2 of he people in the car off at a village, then another one later at another village. The last girl was dropped off at Bantreay Chhamar and we were dropped off at the CBT (Cambodian Board of Tourism) centre. This was like a big hut and there was nobody here. We waited for a while then I asked a local if he knew where everyone was. Although he didn’t speak English he understood what we were wanting and made a telephone call (it seems that no matter how poor people are in Cambodia they all have cell phones). Shortly after a guy arrived and took us to our Homestay.
The house where we are staying is in a little village surrounded by the other houses. It is built on wooden stilts with a big concrete floor underneath, the toilet and another room at the back and a large room with a small bedroom upstairs. It is very basic but at the same time beautiful. We were shown that our bedroom was the back one, with a mosquito net over the bed, and the mattress looked soft! We put our things in the room, filled out a form and went back downstairs where we sat in hammocks watching the village life go about its everyday business.
After resting we had a walk around the village. The village farms a root called Cassava which is cut up and laid out to dry in the sun before being sold off to China and Thailand. All the women in the village sit and chop this root, even some of the small children (they looked about 3 & 5 yrs old) had cleavers and were helping. These are then spread out on a plastic sheet to dry. I helped one woman (to her amusement) to put the dried root into a basket which was then transferred to a sack. Dave then came to help. She must have been impressed because after we had finished she gave us a water-melon, then later another!
We had a shower then went to the CBT for dinner. They put on a feast for us and we couldn’t finish. There were 7 tourists from France there too. After dinner they showed us how they ‘flatten’ rice, this involves pounding dry roasted rice in a large bowl with a large pole, a bit like a giant mortar and pestle. The pounded rice was then used as a flour.
We went back to our Homestay and sat on the hammocks with the couple who were putting us up (and the brother who was visiting). A couple of women came to chat but they couldn’t speak English so it was difficult. We felt so hot and tired we decided to go to bed at 8pm! There is only electricity between 6-11pm and we had a fan in our room but it was so small we couldn’t feel it. We both thought we were going to die from the heat, and we had sweat running down place we didn’t know we had! We eventually managed to get to sleep, myself at the other end of the bed to Dave!
26/03/2014 – Tour of Bacheay Chhmar
Woke early this morning (about 5am) and could already hear the villages getting up and going to work. Stayed in bed dozing until about 6.30am then got up (the whole village was up at this time). Went for breakfast at the CBT at 7.30 then met our guide Peat. He apologised for his bad English at the start although it was very good.
First of all we went to see the Bacheay Chhmar Temple. This is bigger than Angkor Wat though most of it is in ruins. There is some restoration going on but to tell you the truth it is much better seeing it in its natural state. We had to be careful to stand on the stones and make sure they were not wobbly. I won’t tell you the history behind it, it would take too long (you can always look it up if you wanted to!). The walls had been carved with figures depicting stories, for example, one wall told of the Khmers with their enemies fighting and losing the battle, the pictures showing broken arms and legs, then another battle in which they won (after crossing a river) then becoming friends together. We spent a couple of hours going around the temple and hearing the history behind it. Also saw some weird looking beetle type creatures, at one spot seeing dozens of the copulating in a group!
After the temple we had lunch – far too much, again it was like a feast and we had to leave a lot of it (we did ask for a small lunch). We had a break at the Homestay over the very hot period (jeez, it’s hot all the bloody time, we’ve spent a fortune on water and drinks) then went back to meet up with Peat.
Peat took us around the village explaining how things work and what people do. We went to the Pagoda and temple which is still being built. The monks live to the left of the temple and eat to the right of it. While we were in the temple a man came and asked if he could have his photograph taken with us, wich we obliged. He was the man who paints the pictures in the temple (very elaborate and colourful, telling the tale of Buddha). Just after that a group of school children came in (it was their break time at school) and I managed to get their photographs. They looked at us as if we were either pop stars or aliens!
From there we went around the village, seeing how rice wine is made, a bee keeper’s hive, the school and the market. Peat explained how everything worked, what people did and the different trees and plants around. The weather became quite dull and then windy and then – yes! Rain! It felt so much cooler and I looked forward to walking in it but Peat took us to one of his friend’s house for shelter. Bugger! While there he was telling us about some celebrations tonight and asked if we wanted to come and buy beer (he told us they get drunk), we politely refused – we can’t stand the heat sober, never mind with a hangover! We went back to the CBT base where we planned the activities for tomorrow. A girl came to stand close to Peat, he explained that her parents went to work in Thailand 2 years ago and left her with her Grandfather; that they are poor and this is the only way they can make money. It’s difficult to comprehend, having to leave your children for work so far away; again, we don’t know how lucky we are.
Again, the children are delightful. They love shouting out ‘hello’ and waving. We have managed to learn some Khmer language – ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘thank you’, and ‘see you later’. We shall see if we remember tomorrow! We came back to the Homestay to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was a feast again, enough to feed a group. We didn’t like the soup though, it had what looked like corn but when I tasted it, it was very bitter. We managed to eat most of the veg dish with the rice, and the pineapple for desert.
We went back to the Homestay; my stomach was really playing up, I had had a bit of the squits most of the day but now I felt as if I was going to explode! Now, let me tell you about the toilets here, most are squat down ones where there’s a hole in the ground which you squat over and do your business. Luckily, the toilet at the Homestay is a proper one that you can sit down. However, they don’t flush; you have to pour water down. I couldn’t get mine to go down, I used about 6 bowls full and it kept coming back up and floating! I felt really bad, 1st about using so much water, and 2nd for leaving a floater!
We went to bed early again, and tried to read, but the sweat was running everywhere. I out my head at the bottom of the bed, as near to the fan as I could, but it didn’t make much difference. Instead I just kept waking during the night disorientated. There was also a creature making loud peculiar noises throughout the night that kept waking me. The locals were having a celebration of some kind and we could hear the singing. If I had the energy I would have joined them but I was shattered.
27/03/2014 – Squits, temple and Baray
I woke in the morning ready to explode on the toilet again. Luckily the owners were out. After exploding and using copious amounts of water to flush it down I sat watching the sun rise and the villagers going about their work. It’s so magical sitting in a hammock watching this. A young girl (about 8rs old) at the side of where we were staying was already chopping the Cassava at 6.30am. Dave got up about 7am and we went for breakfast. Omelet with onions today with the very sweet bread, I could only eat a little but had plenty of coffee.
We were met by our guide and a Kudon, this is what most of the farmers use to plough their fields and transport supplies and crops. It has an engine at the front with a wheel then long bars coming up to the handlebars and what looks like complicated gears, throttle and brake. There is a seat for the driver and then behind a trailor for transporting (ours had seats down the side and was provided with cushions). We went along the very bumpy dusty road which was fun at first, but ion the return journey the sun was beating down, our bums were numb and the dust was getting everywhere, including our mouths. Anyhow, we set off and stopped at a silk factory where we were shown around. As soon as we arrived I needed the loo again. I was shown where it was and it was a squat down one, brilliant when you have the squits! I also forgot one important point about the toilets, you don’t use toilet paper, instead wash yourself with the water from the tank. Not great in my predicament! We continued with the tour but ½ way through Dave needed to use the toilet (for the same reason as me). They must have thought we were a right pair! The silk factory gets its silk from Thailand and China and they clean, dye and weave it. Like the other place we went to in Siem Reap they train the girls to do this, here it takes 6 months.
We were then taken by Kudon to the Bancheay Torp Temple which was about an hour away. The temple is small and mostly in disrepair, but what is left of it is charming. There’s a very tall tower that a Buda Tree has taken root at the top and I don’t think it will be too long before it tumbles down. There was a group from a university visiting, on the way they were cheeing and clapping at us from their minibus. When we bumped into them at the temple they were very excited, asking us lots of questions and asking for a photograph with them. Again, we were rock stars! Talking of being rock stars, every time we passed anyone they all waved, smiled and shouted ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, and sometimes ‘friends;, men, women and children alike. It is such a friendly place.
Back to the temple – we continued exploring it and came out at the other side. Dave spotted (again) a lizard on a tree. Of course I had to take numerous photos of it (to make sure I get a perfect shot) and as I was doing it started to change colour from brown to a greeny blue. We then went into the newly built temple for the locals to pray in. The umbrella painted on the ceiling was magic! When you walked around the outside of the umbrella the central point grew bigger and moved in the same direction as you were walking. We then had a quick look at the Temple’s moat and drove back to the Homestay. We had decided not to have lunch today, 1. They give you far too much, 2. We still had the squits! I also felt really washed out, probably a combination of the heat and the squits! We went to have a shower and a rest on the hammocks.
Later in the afternoon we met our guide who took us in his car to the Baray (man made lake/reservoir). This is known as the Pol Pot Baray as during the Pol Pot regime there were thousands of people killed here, again savagely. And again, this was a place of beauty from such a tragic place. The Baray was practically covered in Lotus flowers and leaves with nature everywhere. We parked the car up and walked along the road at the side of it. Further along there was a small wooden house where our guide stopped and asked the owner if we could go out on his boat. He agreed and got the motor out and off we set. The boat was a low, narrow, longish one and we sat near the front while Peat (our guide sat on some canisters in the middle. He confessed that he had never been out on a boat before and was scared! We also learnt that we were the first ‘tourists’ to go out on the boat. The journey was lovely, going through the lotus plants and seeing frogs, fish etc. Unfortunately it started to rain (not very hard) and though I was enjoying it the boat owner became afraid of being on the lake and headed back. Peat enjoyed the trip as much as we did and said he would bring his family back to do it.
We headed back to the car where Peat took out 2 hammocks and put them up in a shelter for us to rest while waiting for the sunset. Shortly after we heard rolls of thunder, one immediately above us. “Yes’, I shouted, ‘a thunderstorm’, but it cleared as soon as it started. It did rain again though, not very heavy but I stood out in it to cool down. Sunset came along and I took my usual photos. It was a little disappointing as Peat had built up this great picture of amazing colours, but I guess we’re spoilt with the sunsets in NZ and it didn’t compare. A strange thing about it was that it didn’t set behind the horizon like it normally does but disappeared before as if there was an invisible wall.
We drove back to the CBT Centre where Dave had his dinner (I still had a funny tummy so didn’t bother, instead getting plenty of fluids down me. We then walked back to the Homestay where I sat on the hammock in the dark writing this. Dave still has the squits but (touch wood) mine seems to have settled down. I really hope both of us do as we have a long journey tomorrow. We did want to go to Along Veng but it costs about $120 by taxi to get there, there is no public transport. So instead we are going back to Siem Reap via Sisophon. Once in Siem Reap we are going to chill for a few days, both in mind and literally in body – we are going to find somewhere with a pool and AC!
Nighty nite – off to sleep, if the daffy duck sounding creature will shut up! xxx
28/03/2014 – Back to civilisation
Awake at 4am, could hear some of the villages already working hard on chopping the Cassava roots. Managed to sleep again until about 6am through the noise of the people and animals of the village. Showered and after saying thank you and goodbye to our hosts (still find it strange that an English teacher speaks so little English) we took our backpacks to the CBT centre where we had breakfast. After breakfast we set off in Peat’s car to Sisophon.
At Sisophon we got the bus to Siem Reap. It took about 2 hours and was a pretty good journey. We saw a few ‘shared minibuses’ on the road in which people and luggage are crammed into and onto it (inside and on a ledge on the back). There are even people standing on the ledge hanging on for dear life. I don’t think we’ll be using that mode of transport!
Once in Siem Reap we got a tuk-tuk to the hotel we have booked for Sunday, hoping that they have rooms available for the next 2 nights. Very luckily, they hadn’t got any double rooms but upgraded us to a very nice twin room. After being in the village this felt like paradise. A large room with AC, flushing toilet and paper, a bath (yes!) and a pool outside. And best of all no animal noises throughout the night! Now don’t get me wrong, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the village, it was an amazing experience, but I felt so dirty (with the dust) and tired (not sleeping right in the heat and noise) and a little washed out (still have the squits), and it was great to be in a place where I could wash properly and relax. And that is exactly what we did – after having a really good shower and washing my hair we went to the pool and spent the afternoon there. It was fantastic to feel so cool and fresh. Then back to the room for a soak in the bath and wash my hair again (it felt so good after).
The best part of these experiences is appreciating the little things when you have them. Fortunately for us we can choose what we want to do and where we can go, for the villagers they have no choices, they stay in the village and work hard for the very basics. How very lucky we are!
After swimming and bathing and relaxing we went into the centre for some dinner. I was craving something substantial that I could get my teeth into so we got burgers and fries along with a pitcher of beer. It tasted sooooooo good. It’s true what I read, travellers reckon they stick to the local food, but REAL travellers know this is not the case and need to have western food at times. With my iron being low it’s also a great excuse for a piece of red meat!
After dinner we went to Charlies and had another couple of (cheap) beers. We got talking to a couple from Birmingham; he guy was a Leeds fan but Dave managed to be reasonably pleasant to him! The woman’s family is originally from India and she gave us a few good tips for when we’re there.
Back to the hotel where we had a good night’s sleep :-)
29/03/2014 – relax, relax, relax
Haven’t got too much to say today. After getting up and having breakfast we went to book our bus tickets to Phnom Penh. It was bloody hot again! Back to the hotel, in the pool to cool down, asleep on the pool loungers for an hour, more swimming, lunch by the pool, relaxing then shower and out for dinner!
My back had been playing up (sciatic nerve) possibly due to not wearing my insoles for 24 hours or the hard bed (most beds in Cambodia are hard). So after dinner I went for a massage while Dave watched football with a few beers. I asked for a Thai massage and was asked if I minded a ‘boy’ doing it. What could I say? He was very good though and pummeled my aches and pains away.
After the massage watched the end of the football with Dave and a woman called Susan from Manchester who was volunteering as an English teacher in a local school for 2 months. Then back to the hotel.
Ok, because I haven’t got much to say I’ll have a discussion. Why are the French so bloody miserable? They don’t smile, acknowledge a ‘hello’ or use their manners when ordering any sort of service (e.g. restaurant). When we were staying at Sarin’s house he said that there were 50% of the tourists who are French, and that 80% of these are miserable – that’s a lot of sad faced tourists! So what do they have to be miserable about? The Cambodian people have so much less than them but generally are happy, at least towards others. Maybe that’s what it’s all about, the more you have the more miserable you become? Or maybe they think they are superior to everyone else? Or maybe they don’t want to wrinkle their pretty little faces? What’s your opinion on this?
Ok, maybe another topic tomorrow, nighty nite xxx
30/03/2014 – More chillin’
Ok, pretty much a repeat of yesterday, up, breakfast, relaxing, pool, lunch, pool, dinner and bed!
So what can I say? While we were in the pool Dave suddenly jumped out shouting ‘shit’. There was a pipe behind where we were sat which was gushing water all over our belongings. Our bags and the contents were wet and we had to get them all out and lay them in the sun to dry. Luckily the computer didn’t get wet, just the cover.
Later, we were talking to a couple of Canadian girls by the pool when water came cascading down from a balcony above us, just missing the girls bags. The water was from one of the cleaners washing the balcony and rinsing it with water so it was full of detergent and muck. Not very good!
I also skyped Simone and Mya by the pool, sorry Simone, I know you were cold in NZ and wanted to be by the pool in the sun! Didn’t chat too long as the sound quality wasn’t too good and the computer was getting dangerously hot in the sun. It was fab to see and hear them both though.
Nothing ele to report so I’ll have another little discussion: Dave has decided we are going to start a little game called spotting the TWASH – Twats with a silly haircut. We have seen some very strange and bizarre hair styles, especially those who look like seasoned traveller. One of the strangest had to be a guy who had pretty much gone bald (not shaven) apart from the middle; he had grown his hair very long then turned them into dreadlocks then curled them around to sit on the top of his head. It looked like a pile of shit on top of his head (literally). So I want to discuss these hairstyles. Do people who travel a lot feel they have to have these weird styles to become a ‘proper’ traveller? Do they stay in such cheap places that they cannot wash their hair? Do they want to save money so badly they don’t get haircuts? Do they like looking like TWASHes? Your thoughts …………………
31/03/2014 – Off to Phnom Penh
Up early this morning, showered packed and breakfast. Then picked up for the coach to Phnom Penh. The coach ride took 7 hours with 2 stops on the way, one for lunch (at an overpriced roadside restaurant) and a short bathroom stop. My bloody back was hurting again, so much for the massage!
On arriving at Phnom Penh we were picked up by a tuk-tuk driver from the eighty8 backpackers and taken there. Got to say I was impressed with the backpackers, great communal area with a pool, bar, food, pool tables, TV’s with these sort of pillowed mattresses to watch them on. Our room is great too, basic but clean and with air con – fab! They also sort out visa’s and book trips/ bus tickets etc. Pretty much everything you need under one roof.
I was tired and had a lie down for an hour while Dave went for a walk along the riverside. We then went for dinner, the prices in PP are a lot more expensive than anywhere else we have been, but we found a lovely restaurant with good food. Back to the backpackers and bed!
01/04/2014 – Somber and emotional morning
After breakfast we gave the receptionist our passports to get our Cambodian visa’s extended, an easy process – give in your passport and a photo, pay and we then should have them back in 2 days!
We then went out with a tuk-tuk who’s driver was called Praydo, I think he has that name as he prays his tuk-tuk won’t break down and will actually go more than 20kph! He was very slow and his bike didn’t look as if it had much life left in it. However, it got us to our destinations.
Our first visit was to the Choeung Ek, the ‘Killing Fields’. This is a sight where Cambodians were taken by the Khmer Rouge soldiers to be executed and thrown into mass graves. We were given headsets for a audio description as we wandered around which was fantastic. As well as descriptions of the site there were commentaries from survivors (not many survived) and one the soldiers themselves. It was an emotional and humbling tour, especially when I heard what had happened to the babies and children, the most horrendous, disgusting, evil things anyone could do; sent shivers down my back and brought tears to my eyes. I just hope they are all resting in peace now.
We then went to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum. This was originally a high school but during the Khmer Rouge rule it was taken over by Pol Pot’s security force and turned into a prison, commonly known as the Security Prison 21 (S-21). Here, over 17000 people were tortured and then taken to Choeung Ek to be executed; those who died at the prison were buried in mass graves in the grounds. The museum was again emotional, showing photos of all the victims, their profiles and confessions (they were tortured until they confessed – crimes they did not do- then executed for the crimes). The tortures used were really barbaric.
Someone very recently asked ‘Who is more evil - the one whom commits evil in weakness, the one whom commits evil in ignorance, or the one who commits evil in full knowledge of the evil that they commit?’. After seeing both of these sights it is a difficult question to ask. The soldiers did commit these evil acts but what was the alternative for them? If they refused they themselves would be tortured and executed. The truly evil ones were the ones at the top, Pol Pot himself and his men at the side of him such as ‘Duch’. In my opinion too, the men who killed the babies and young children were also evil, I think if I was in that position I would have preferred to die than to do that. A difficult dilemma!
After we had seen the museum we went to see the Royal Palace, something to lighten our somber mood. The Palace and the buildings cover a massive area of ground and are magnificent. Built in 1866 by King Norodom the Royal palace is now home to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia,and Her Majesty Preah Reach Akka-Mohesey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the Queen of Cambodia. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the beautiful buildings and looking at the gold and silver artifacts (encrusted with diamonds). There was an absolute fortune here (while most Cambodians are very poor). We saw quite a few monks looking around too – though they went around very quickly. I shall have a discussion on that and the monks in general shortly!
We then returned to the backpackers and after changing into our togs we jumped into the pool to cool down (again we had sweat running everywhere!). Then changed and out for dinner. We looked at quite a few different places to eat, soooo expensive, and ended up at the same place as last night. Good food and excellent service. After a jug of beer between us we walked back to the backpackers, and managed to walk right into the red light district. We didn’t feel threatened or scared at any point though.
Once back at the backpackers we started talking to the owners, a guy from Liverpool and one from London who met in Russia! They were buying us drinks and we were having a right old chin yarn and before I knew it I was drunk! When we went to bed I couldn’t lie down due to the spinning room so went back to the communal area (I was the only one there) until I felt a little better. Finally managed to get to sleep in the early hours of the morning!
02/04/2014 – Hangover!
Woke up with a stinking hangover so had breakfast, a mug of tea and went back to bed! Dave went for a haircut and shave ($2 for both but he gave him $5) and came back a new man. I still felt hungover so Dave went for a walk while I went back to sleep. Managed to drag myself out of bed at lunch time and went to the pool to freshen up. Skyped Simone and Mya, always great to see and hear them, then had lunch. Lounged around the pool area until mid afternoon. Had a walk to find the bank but it closes at 3pm so continued to walk around the city. Found the Russian Market, a huge building with various stalls inside (and outside). The building is beautifully designed with the central piece being a very high ceiling with a round sculpture, then lowering into four sections. It’s difficult to describe it so you’ll just have to look at the pics instead!
After the market we walked along the waterfront and went to Wat Phnom which lies in the middle of a roundabout. It was okay but we have seen better Wat in the last few weeks. On the way back to the Backpackers we saw the fruit bats in the tree we pass daily; we’d seen them the night before flying around in the dusk. Back to our room where we stuck the AC on full blast; Dave pretty much fell asleep instantly, I finished my book and started a new one about a child survivor in the Khmer Rouge reign – very interesting start.
03/04/2014 – Tour of the city
Didn’t sleep well last night, awake at least every hour then wide awake at 3.30am. Read a couple more chapters of my book then decided to get up at 6am. I was starving and thirsty so decided to go down to the bar area and get some breakfast and a cuppa. No chance – it didn’t open until 7am! So sat and caught up with my emails and internet stuff; the internet here is rubbish during the day and evening due to so many people being on it. I’ve given up using it as it’s too much trouble, so it was really good to be the first person up and have a good connection. While I was sitting I looked out onto the street and saw a monkey walk across the electricity cables and high onto a balcony across the road. It was a pretty big monkey too!
Dave joined me at about 7am so we got breakfast then got ready to go out and explore the city of Phnom Penh more. We saw the monkey again on some different cables, and also some smaller one on a high balcony; they had obviously stolen some packets of instant noodles as they were sitting munching them!
Next stop was the bank where we were given a number and had to sit in a waiting area until our number was displayed, then had to go to a particular cashier – and all we wanted was to change some money! Next stop was the old train station. There were guards at the former entrance and when we asked if we could go in for a look they said we were not allowed but could take photos from outside. The ticket office and waiting room looked as if it could still be used, it was in very good condition, as was the station platform. We asked if it is used for anything, they did say one line ran but we couldn’t make out exactly what they said. They also said it should be up and running again in 2015 – we shall see! It would be a shame to see it go to waste though. A little further down it looked as if part of the station was used for military business with some army trucks parked there; we were denied permission to take photos of this when we asked!
Next stop was a café as we were getting thirsty (did I tell you it’s bloody hot here?!) and I needed a pee. We put in our order of two mixed fruit shakes and I went to the toilet. A dirty great big cockroach was right in front of the toilet, so instead of running I got the shower head and blasted it with water. Bleeding thing came running towards me instead of away from me! Eventually, after I managed to flush it down a drain and it came back up again, it hid behind a pot. I did the fastest pee ever before running out of the bathroom; bet they wondered what the hell I was doing in there! I must have distracted them because instead of getting two shakes we got a shake and a coffee!
Off next to the National Museum. This held artifacts from several sites around Cambodia including Siem Reap (Angkor), Battambang and several other provinces. Most of these were Hindu sculptures and statues but there were also objects such as headdresses and weapons. After looking around the museum we were ready for something to eat and drink. Lethal – not far away, by the Royal Palace, was an ice-cream parlour. We treat ourselves, Dave to 6 mini cones with a variety of flavours and a strawberry iced shake, myself to what were like profiteroles filled with 4 different flavours of ice-cream and a kiwi iced shake, yummy!
We ten took a stroll along the river front and up to another market. It was really crowded and motorbikes were going through it – ridiculous! There was a lot of fresh food stalls including meat (not sure I would eat it), fruit and veg, and fish – some of the fish were still alive and wriggling around, poor things, but I guess they were fresh! Very entertaining looking around!
Next we took a quick look at the post office, the building outside looks beautiful but all the beauty disappears once inside. There are many beautiful French buildings around the city, some have been looked after, others not so and are in a state of disrepair. Some of these are great to look at but it is hoped that someone will take responsibility to restore and look after them.
Back to the Backpackers, changed out of our very sweaty clothes into our togs and straight into the pool to cool down. After a relaxing afternoon we went to our usual restaurant for dinner. Some people really piss me off. The staff at the restaurant are fantastic. They are all Khmer, some speak English better than others but all of them try their best. A guy came in, plonked himself down and ordered a beer and drinks, using no manners. Then when one of the girls brought the basket of seasonings and a place mat he grabbed the salt and shooed her away with the rest of them. He then started to complain his food was taking too long. I was getting very irate and about to have a go at him when an older Ozzy guy started chatting to him and calmed him down. Why do people expect others in their own country to speak the language of foreigners and be overly nice to them when they themselves give them bad manners and shit? If I was waitressing I’d drop his food all over his lap, followed by his beer!
Anyway, an enjoyable meal with great service from some fantastic girls (and they were impressed when I said ‘see you later’ in Khmer!), then off back to bed. Up early tomorrow to catch the bus to Kompang Cham. Nighty nite all xxx
04/04/2014 – Spiders and rain
Didn’t sleep at all well last night, it started well – I could hear some monks singing, not sure if it was actual monks or someone playing a CD but it lulled me off to sleep nicely. Then I kept waking but managed to get back off. Until 3.30am when there was a blast of Khmer music from somewhere and didn’t stop for over an hour. Both myself and Dave were kept awake the entire time. Then we had to be up at 6am to get ready for the coach. Got ready and packed then went down for some breakfast. There must have been some party the night before as there were bodies lying asleep in some strange positions! Had breakfast then were picked up to take us to the bus terminal.
The bus was pretty ok. It cost $5 each for a 6 hour journey, had great air con and a TV (though we couldn’t understand any of it). Besides one woman from America who lives in Kompong Cham, we were the only tourists on the bus. It took us ½ hour to get out of the city with the traffic then we were flying. We stopped at Skuon for toilet/ snack break, though I passed on the snacks – the local delicacy is fried spiders (tarantulas to be more precise). There were plenty here, on stalls set up just off the road-side, piled high in metal dishes. A few people on the bus bought some and tucked into them with relish, one woman I looked at had the spider’s legs hanging from her mouth – ugh!!!
We continued our journey when all of a sudden it began to rain, not just drops but full on bomb out of the sky rain. Even though there were massive puddles over the road the bus didn’t slow down, sending large sprays into the locals’ houses. It felt good to see some rain and I was looking forward to dancing in it, but unfortunately it wasn’t raining in Kompong Cham. After getting a tuktuk to the hotel we went back into the town and booked our tickets for the bus on Sunday to Sen Monorom then had a walk around the town. Had lunch then a siesta before going out again for dinner. We ate at a café/restaurant that trains up underprivileged kids, great to see there’s so much of this around. Spent the rest of the evening chilling out in the hotel room. Nighty nite xxx
05/04/2014 – Lost – the series!
Got woke up at around 3am by an almighty clap of thunder above us, I initially thought another war had started (doesn’t help when the last thing I read before going to sleep was about the Khmer Rouge regime) but realised it was thunder. Dave nearly jumped out of bed too! Managed to get back to sleep and we woke at about 7am. After getting ready we went out for breakfast then rented a couple of pushbikes. The bikes are really old, they wouldn’t change gears and my mudguard fell off onto the chain as soon as I set off. Dave’s bike was stuck in 5th gear which was ok until he was cycling up hill. Fortunately the skies were cloudy so we didn’t have to cycle in the blazing sun.
We set off and went across the large permanent bridge to the other side of the river to see the Old French Lighthouse. This had a set of metal stairs climbing right to the top which I attempted to climb. Unfortunately, these stairs were very steep and just before I got to the first viewing point I became very scared and climbed back down (slowly). Dave then attempted to climb and got to nearly the second point, but he became scared and had to return.
We then went back across the bridge and set off towards the Bamboo Bridge. This is built every December, after the rainy season, completely out of bamboo. When the rainy season arrives it is washed away and the locals have to use the ferry instead. It is definitely a feat as cars, and horses with carriages (and I’ve heard truck, though didn’t see any) go over the bridge. We cycled over and the bridge moved under you as you went over it, a strange sensation. At the other side we had to pay $1 each and off we went to explore the island (Koh Paen). Dave was absolutely sweating with his 5th gear bike (it was also too short for him) so we swapped. We decided we would explore some of the smaller roads which took us through local villages amid the sounds of ‘hello’ from everyone (not just the kids). The older people thought we were highly amusing, especially when I said hello in Khmer!
We continued through the roads, then we ended up going through farmland, all the time following Dave’s directions – he thought we would come back out close to the bridge. After a couple of hours and still not finding the bridge, we came across a small ferry and thought it would take us back to the mainland near the town. How wrong we were! Riding through small muddy paths then over another small bridge we were still none the wiser as to where we were. We passed through more villages, all seeming more rural than before. As best we could, we asked the locals where the town was and they kept pointing the same way. We thought we must be getting close. Not a chance! And we wondered why they were laughing at us! At this point we were both very tired, our knees ached, and I have to tell you, poor Madge was suffering too (the saddles were very worn). We both got a little grumpy with each other and even the kids shouts of ‘hello’ were beginning to gripe – I just wanted to be left alone!
We managed to get a view of the Mekong and saw the bridge in the far, far distance. How the hell did we get so far away? So, we had to continue. You can’t call for a taxi or jump on a tuk-tuk in the wild! Eventually we came to the main road and found ourselves on the other side of the main bridge – what the??????? 6 hours after setting off we returned exhausted, aching, filthy, hungry and thirsty. We gulped down a can of 7up then ordered lunch and another drink. After we staggered back to the hotel and scrubbed ourselves in the (cold) shower before falling asleep.
After waking we went out for dinner and returned to the hotel (staggering both ways). Dave watched the footie with the commentary in another language while I wrote this. Am still exhausted so I will bid you all goodnight xxx
06/04/2014 – On our way to Sen Moromon
Had a good night’s sleep last night thanks to Mr Zoppie! Up, and out for breakfast. At the café we went to a Cambodian lad was trying his best to learn how to say English words correctly and kept asking us how to – Mmmmm, Yorkshire at its best! Unfortunately we are leaving Kompong Cham today but we would have liked to have stayed for at least another day. We missed some of the sights yesterday due to getting lost and this city (town?) has a really good feel to it. We’ve really enjoyed it here and think it could be a top destination in the future. They’re certainly putting money into the city and making the riverside look lovely. It’s also a very clean town, probably the cleanest we’ve seen in Cambodia. However, for us we have to move on ……
We booked out of our hotel, the Leap Mong Kol Hotel which was a great little place, only $8 for the 2 of us; the staff were really friendly even though they couldn’t speak much English (and why should they?) and the rooms were pretty decent (the bathrooms could have done with some updating). We got to the bus station at 11.15am for our 12.00pm bus (they sometimes arrive early and don’t wait!). I get very paranoid about catching the wrong bus or missing it completely so I was constantly asking Dave if he had the tickets and asking every bus that pulled up if it was going to Sen Monorom. Eventually ours did arrive (at about 12.15pm) ad we were directed onto it.
The bus took about 5 hours, an hour less than we thought it would, and we were met by a guy from the Happy Elephant Bungalows in his clapped out car. We were shown our bungalow once we arrived – it looked okay, on the edge of the jungle with great views, a bed with a mosquito net and a bathroom with cold shower and toilet. We booked in then had dinner and a couple of beers while chatting to other travellers there, an international mixture – Spanish, Danish, Swiss and Austrian as well as the guy who worked there (Cambodian who speaks fluent French). Once it had turned dark and the lights came on the bugs came out to play, a bit like a mixture of moths and dragonflies, yuk! A little later, the guy who works there came out with rice wine but we didn’t want any, we know how strong it is! He then came out with what we thought were boiled eggs, but when he opened them we realised they were foetuses of ducks, disgusting!, but ate them all!!! We retired to bed at about 9.30pm (I know, very late!) but couldn’t get the feeling that there were bugs everywhere (and there probably was!). Managed to get to sleep after reading for a while; it was quite cool as we are in the high hills – great!
07/04/2014 – bikes and waterfalls
Managed to have a bit of a lie in today, woke up t 7am and didn’t get up until 7.30am! Had breakfast then hired a bike from the place we’re staying in. Dave started the bike then went flying down the hill towards another bike, totally out of control and hitting it (not too hard thank goodness). The bikes have gears but no clutch, and you change the gears by pushing it down with your heel so it takes some time to get used to it. Thankfully, the only thing bruised was Dave’s ego as quite a few people had seen him.
We set off and went to the Bousra waterfall, which was surprisingly busy with the locals. It is quite a high fast waterfall and we had fun taking pics both in front and behind it. Some of the locals were fascinated with us and asked as us to have their photographs taken with them; we’re starting to feel like celebrities at times! We got wet through but didn’t mind as the sun was shining and we would dry out quickly.
We did dry out as we rode on the bike, but just as we did the rain came down and wet us through again! This happened a couple of times, the last time we managed to get under cover, and thank goodness because the heavens truly opened! It didn’t last for long though. We thought we would have missed the rainy season but was told it can start early.
We then stopped at a coffee plantation for ……. Wait for it ………….. coffee! And very yummy too. The grounds were beautiful with different fruit trees and plants around.
We went to another waterfall, but it was small and not very much there, apart from some really sad elephants tied up with seats on their backs and kids playing on them. It was obvious they were in distress and unhappy. You could also see a long chain stretched across the river which was obviously used to secure them. Sad to see this.
On we went to try and find a lookout over to the ocean, but we couldn’t find the road. Still, we saw some good views and villages on the way.
Back to the bungalows, wet and dirty – Dave’s white shirt was now a dirty red colour, he tried to wash it but it wouldn’t come out. Everything in this region is covered in red dust from the roads and ground. We both showered, it was freezing so only a short one then we went for a hot drink and chats with more travellers. The bugs were back in force at darkness, they got everywhere! Luckily I was wearing my hoody so that stayed up. The guys working here were catching them in large bowl; they later came out with them fried up! It didn’t matter how many people asked me to eat them I wasn’t going to, yuk!! Had a few games of ‘Uno’ with some girls then retired to bed (to write this). Am trying not to think about all the bugs around us (and probably in bed with us). So on that note I bid you bug free nighty nite xxx
08/04/2014 – Elephant Valley Project
About an hours sleep last night, maybe 2 if I was lucky – not sure what was going on but I was woken shortly after falling asleep (that took some time thinking of the bugs) with some almighty banging that continued for about 20 minutes, followed by very loud talking/ shouting for about an hour. After that I could hear the person in the next bungalow peeing and moving around. Then, mosquito’s had managed to get inside the net so we spent an hour squashing them (some leaving deposits of our blood on the sheets!).
Up early to go to the Elephant Valley Project. This is part of a Non Government Organisation (NGO) called the Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (E.L.I.E). E.L.I.E.’s primary goal is to improve the health and welfare of domestic elephants in Mondulkiri Province. The secondary goal is to work with the people and the problems that face them. (www dot elephantvalleyproject dot org).
After being picked up and taken to the project we were given a talk on what the project is about and the safety rules for the day. Briefly, the project is about providing a safe place for elephants where they can BE elephants, at the same time providing an income and health care for the people who owned the elephants (and in some cases still do). It is important to provide this support for the people as without it they would continue to work the elephants to provide them with the much needed income to survive. As well as looking after the elephants at the project they also provide routine healthcare for the elephants in the region – a vet and an assistant check and provide needed healthcare to these.
Then we were off to see the elephants. We were not allowed to get any closer than 5 metres, we had to watch and follow them from that distance. Firstly, we saw 4 elephants being brought to the river to bathe. One elephant was at one side of the river alone as she is unsafe to be near other elephants. She was taken into the river by her mahout and given a good wash (she’s also stubborn and needed a few nudges to get in). Each elephant has a mahout (handler) from 8am until 6pm; these mahouts ensure the elephants don’t get into any risky situations (such as going to the banana farms and eating the entire crop, which one of the elephants did!) and also to help those elephants that need it bathe. Some of the elephants don’t know how to bathe due to not having done this throughout their working lives and have to be ‘taught’ how to do this. Bathing time is the only time the elephants are rode, only by the mahouts, and only on their necks (the strongest part). So this elephant had its bath and got out so the other three elephants could get in for theirs.
After the baths the elephants got out and covered themselves with mud and dust to protect themselves from the sun and insects. Their skin is as sensitive as ours is and they feel every insect on them. If they don’t get protected from the sun they will get sunburn! Another reason for the bathing is to get the old mud off; if it’s left on it extracts the moisture from their skin; one case of neglect saw an elephant who had not bathed and when the mud fell off the skin came off with it too!
After the mud covering the elephants began going into the forest for food. Elephants eat for 18 hours a day, so the elephants that are used for giving tourists rides don’t get the chance to eat properly. We could see evidence of this in some of the elephants, the heads have fatty deposits near the top and when they are undernourished they lose these deposits and the heads have a sunken look to them. Just to talk a bit about the ‘tourists rides’, elephants can only support a tenth of their body weight which on average is 300kg (not a lot), so when the basket is put on, then a couple of tourists (sometimes 3-4, and not always light people!) they are carrying far too much weight which causes severe damage and pain to the elephant. This was evident in a lot of the elephants, their spines were raised and misshapen and they had scars where the baskets had sat. So, back to the forest – the elephants really made us work hard as they trekked uphill through the forest, we followed and stopped when they did to watch them being elephants. It was sometimes difficult to see them as the forest was dense in parts, but this was all part of the adventure (similar to being in the wild). Sometimes we had to backtrack if any of the elephants came towards us. After following them for the morning we returned to the base for lunch, which was very good, and a rest in the lounge overlooking the forest.
After our rest (Dave fell asleep and snored) we went to see two more elephants. These are a little more wild than the first ones so they could go to the river and bathe themselves, although they’ve figured out that if they lie in the river and stay still the mahouts will throw water over them! The first elephant to arrive was Easy Rider, though we were informed that she is probably the worse elephant to ride! She is a feisty, cheeky elephant with a sense of humour. Plodding along behind her was Gee Nowl, an elephant that was overworked in the logging business. Gee Nowl is a very tall elephant but thin, she has an eating disorder due to her previous working life and the staff work hard to find the best parts of the forest for food to encourage her to eat. She is a gentle elephant, despite her size, and gets bossed around (and looked after) by Easy Rider. After their baths we watched them while they threw mud over themselves. Easy rider then proceeded to scratch herself on tree trunk – apparently this is a favourite pastime for her. It was obvious she really enjoyed this, climbing over fallen logs to scratch them areas underneath, and between two trees that she could just fit through for a really good scratch. We watched these two elephants for some time then went to look for an elephant that prefers to be by herself – Milot.
Milot has a very sad history and is the most abused elephant at the project. She was owned by two villages and worked very hard, carrying both tourists and goods. Due to an ill-fitting basket she got bruising which then turned into abscesses. When she became uncooperative due to her pain she was beaten increasingly to make her work. As well as the scars on her back she has scars on her head where she has been beaten, her spine is misshapen and again she has the sunken upper head where she has lost the fatty deposits due to undernourishment. She became blind in her right eye when she was hit so severely around the head the retina detached itself. Her ears were cut from the bottom to sell to the Chinese for herbal medicine, her tail was cut off at the bottom as the hairs that grow there can be sold to the Chinese for a good price. She really hadn’t had a good life and came to the project afraid of people, vehicles and other elephants. She is now recovering but is only on ‘contract’ at the project. The owner could take her back at any time but the project hopes she will stay with them. It was good to see she wasn’t scared of people any more and she was really enjoying herself getting mangos of the tree, breaking large branches of to get to them!
This was the end of our day. It was fantastic to see these elephants doing what elephants should be doing and enjoying themselves. I could talk much, much more about the elephants and the abuse but I think you get the picture. Just be aware, elephant rides damage elephants! Oh, sorry, I have to say one other thing – to get the elephants to cooperate with the humans they are ‘trained’ from a very young age. To train an elephant they are abused and beaten to become afraid of the humans; can you imagine how much abuse these beautiful strong creatures have to be given to cooperate? Think before you climb onto that basket! For more information look at the projects website.
We went back to the place we were staying, getting caught in a downpour on the way. Once there the heaven’s well and truly opened; there was a massive electrical storm that lasted hours, the thunder was the loudest I’d ever heard. Unfortunately, when we got into our bungalow so had a giant spider that was sat on the edge of the bed, it was that big that Dave swore and shit himself! He managed to flick it between the floorboards onto the ground below us. But that put the bejeebies into us and we couldn’t sleep – first due to the storm and secondly due to the bugs around. At one point we saw a cockroach climbing our mosquito net! Aw well, off back to civilisation tomorrow. Nighty nite – I don’t think!
09/04/2014 – Back to Phnom Penh
Yep, didn’t sleep a wink again last night. Needed a pee badly but was afraid to go due to the insects; when I finally went pretty much didn’t look at anything and peed quickly, flying back under the mozzie net!
Up early, breakfast and ready to get the bus to Phnom Penh. The place we stopped at said they would give us a lift to the bus stop but I wasn’t expecting to go on a motorbike with our luggage. Now when I say a motorbike it’s more like a scooter with gears. My rider couldn’t get up the hill with my backpack and me on the bike so I had to walk to the top (no jokes please!), then once we were sorted he went like a bullet out of a gun! Pretty scary. Dave followed at a leisurely pace behind. The bus trip was uneventful and we got to PP in good time. We got a tuk-tuk to the backpackers, stopping for shampoo and toiletries on the way. Once back at the Eighty8 Backpackers I instantly jumped into the shower, washing my hair three times (it was filthy, full of red dust, muck and knots), sticking plenty of conditioner in then scrubbing the rest of my body. It felt bloody good – hadn’t felt clean in days and I didn’t have to have a freezing shower with a room full of bugs! Went down to the communal area where Dave was having a beer; sat and chilled there for a couple of hours, swimming in the pool and reading. After another shower and washing my hair yet again (still felt good) we went out for something to eat at our usual restaurant in PP (the girls are very friendly and the food great – might have already said this before?). We both opted for a bacon, cheese and beef burger with fries and a plate of onion rings between us – absolutely delicious and the perfect end to a day. We got a lift there from the owner of the backpackers on his motorbike, three of us – wasn’t that comfortable as I kept getting cramp (bloody middle-age!). He took us past the Ruffles Hotel and told us about happy hour – maybe tomorrow night?
Back to the backpackers and bed, hopefully will get a good nights’ sleep. Nighty nite all xxx
10/04/2013 – relax and pamper
Awake at the crack of dawn, typical! After lying in bed trying to get back to sleep for an hour I eventually got up and went down to the communal area. It’s lovely at that time of the morning (about 6.30am) as the staff are just arriving and there’s no-one else around; and I can get onto the internet without any problems! So I got a cuppa tea and caught up with my bits on the net. Dave followed me down shortly after so we had breakfast and another cuppa. We didn’t do very much for the next few hours, just chilled. Mid morning we went looking for a nail brush, shower scrunchy and super glue – luxuries we needed! After lunch I then left Dave and I had a manicure, pedicure and facial, all very good and I had the full attention of three ladies all at once!
Back at the backpackers it was pretty much chilling by the pool, having dips to keep cool. Then shower and changed for a posh ‘date night’. We walked to the Raffles hotel which is only a couple of blocks away and walked in like we were residents (we were told beforehand where to go). It was very posh and the ‘Elephant Bar’ had a piano player in. We ordered our cocktails (happy hour – half price) and was brought not only our cocktails but an array of snacks – crisps with a tomato dip, salted nuts and wasabi peas – yummy! After two cocktails we thought we better go before we blew the whole week’s budget.
We walked down to our local restaurant for our last meal there; unfortuately the girl who usually took our order wasn’t working that night, and the trainee who was brilliant left early, so we couldn’t say our thanks. But another nice meal (Khmer one this time) and a jug of beer. Walking back to the backpackers we took a different road and came upon part of the street closed off due to a wedding going on. We managed to get past it as we wanted to go to the shop there (Kiwi store!). Everybody was up dancing so I stood and watched. After a short while the people dancing were waving at us and encouraging us to join them, so I did (Dave stood back at first). It was really good fun and the people were very friendly (as usual). Dave eventually joined us and we had a few dances – some of these dances were like what we would have danced to – some sort of Northern Soul dance (Sue, you would have been in your element) and a salsa sort of dance – they were amazed when we could do this and one of the girls got me to twirl her around! Great fun but it was getting late, I was a bit tipsy and a very much tired so we headed back to the backpackers. A cup of tea before going to bed with a smile on my face! Nighty nite xxx
11/04/2014 – Bus to Sihanoukville.
Booked a later bus to travel to Sihanoukville so we could have a lie in – but guess what? Yep, wide awake early again! Got woken in the early hours by a couple talking, the walls and floors must be paper thin cos it sounded like they were in bed next to me! So awake and tired again, I really can’t remember when I last had a good night’s sleep. Downstairs for my cuppa tea and emails before Dave joined me and we had breakfast. We spent the morning lazing by the pool and packing then it was off for the bus. This was more of a mini bus than a coach but it looked pretty new and comfortable; little did we know there wasn’t much room for luggage so everything was stuffed under the seats – not much room for our legs. In front of us was the cutest baby who was fascinated by us. After 4 hours we arrived in Sihanoukville and got to our hotel. Bloody hell, what a find! It’s a little bit different ot the usual hotels as it is also a school to teach underprivileged kids the hotel business. It’s a beautiful building, the rooms are spacious and have everything, there’s a fantastic pool with an outdoor restaurant by the side of it and the service is top class. It’s like staying in a 5 star hotel for a budget price! We dropped our bags off, went for dinner then a shower and bed. We’ve decided we’re going to stop here for an extra two nights as we have to get our visa’s for Vietnam and it’s the Khmer New Year Monday – Wednesday, so stopping until Saturday; whoop whoop!! Hopefully will sleep well tonight. Nighty nite xxx
12/04/2014 – Beach!
Up for breakfast, showered and ready to go to the beach. There’s a free shuttle from the hotel as the town and beaches are a little out of the way so we got the 10am one (first one). We headed to Serendipity Beach then the plan was to walk to Octre Beach, but after walking for about 10 minutes we thought sod it and settled on a couple of sun lounges. There were loads of Cambodians, probably here on holiday to celebrate the New Year which starts on Monday (and goes for 3 days). It was pretty cool watching them, they are so much reserved than we are, swimming in the sea with their shorts and t-shirts on, and those not swimming in their new dresses and pants and shirts. They were obviously astonished that the ‘westerners’ wore bikini’s by their stares and I felt I had to run into the sea quickly to avoid their glares!
We stayed on the beach for most of the day; it rained just before lunch so we took shelter in the shack and got lunch and drinks. Later the sun came back out so we returned to the loungers on the beach.
I soon realised that Sihounkville is a bit of a seedy place as there were heaps of old, fat, ugly men with young Khmer girls (and boys) everywhere. I think it’s sad that these beautiful women have to resort to this to make some money. Some of the men treat them with no respect and talk to them like shit; it’s like they own a piece of jewellery that they drag around to show off with; grrrr, makes my blood boil! There’s also lots of begging here, both from mothers with babies, young children, children with their blind dads in tow and disabled men. Again, very sad that they have to resort to this and it’s very hard to have to turn them away. Some of the areas on the beach looked dirty too, we avoided these areas. A lot of the surrounding areas are full of rubbish, probably one of the worst areas we’ve yet seen. But, the people are still friendly and helpful and beautiful.
So, after the day on the beach, in and out of the sea to keep cool, we got a drink at ‘happy hour’, I had a Black Russian, fastly becoming a favourite of mine, while Dave had a beer. We then started walking back towards where we were going to be picked up, stopping for another drink on the way (I only had lemonade, honest!).
Back at the hotel we had a swim in the pool then showered and changed for dinner in the restaurant. The students are so polite and do a great job; it’s great watching them. A pizza, ice-cream and two glasses of wine later I was ready for bed. I read some of my book (Are you Dave Gorman? – very funny) before falling asleep. Nighty nite xxx
13/04/2014 – more beaches!
Best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks, didn’t wake until 5.30am and only cos I wanted a pee, then back to sleep until about 8am. Laid in bed for ½ hour before getting up and going for breakfast. We decided to go to another beach today (there a few different ones around) and walked to a beach called Sokha, a beautiful white sandy beach with clear water and not too many people there, right by a hotel complex. We sat on a lounger, swam in the sea and read. After a while a Cambodian guy asked me if I was stopping there; I tried to act dumb and said I didn’t understand what he meant but he didn’t give up. Because we weren’t stopping at the complex we couldn’t sit on the loungers! Bugger, it was obvious we were outsiders as we didn’t have blue and white stripy towels like they do (next time we’ll go into the hotel and ask for some!).
We walked further up the beach just past the complex and found some more loungers so sat on them. Again, while Dave had disappeared, a guy came and said we needed to pay $5 to sit there. Bugger that, there was a large rain cloud heading our way and I wasn’t prepared to pay to be there for 10 minutes! So we walked right back to the beginning (through the complex and got offered a lift which I refused but looking back should have taken), and settled down on the sand on our towels.
Bloody red hot, the rain cloud moved around us and the sun continued to beat down. In and out of the sea to keep cool then we moved under a tree for some shade. After a while we walked back to the beach we were at yesterday for something to eat and drink. The food was crap, the coffee even worse! Also had to put up with some fat guy talking to one of the beautiful Khmer ladies like shit; I so wanted to tell him what I thought of him! We walked back towards where we were going to be picked up and stopped in the ‘Monkey Republic’ bar. I wish we’d gone in earlier, great food, good prices and a great atmosphere. Dave even managed to get a can of Tetley’s here, not seen him grin so much in a long time! We’ll be back here sometime soon!
Back to the hotel, having to walk to be picked up in the rain (but felt refreshing). Once we got back we realised just how red we were, in fact totally burnt, and it hurt! Cold shower, lots of moisturising cream, 2 more glasses of wine with my meal and I felt better! Back into bed for another good night’s sleep. Nighty nite xxx
14/04/2014 – relax, don’t do it!
We’d booked for a trip to Ream National Park so was up early (ish – 7am) and ready to be picked up between 7.40 and 8.00am. I only had a cup of tea (Dave coffee) as the trip provided breakfast. We waited in the lobby but by 8am nobody had arrived. One of the receptionists asked us what we were waiting for and phoned the company to see what was happening; unfortunately, the company said their boat was working and would have to fix it, so the trip was rebooked for tomorrow.
I felt tired so we went back to our room and I got back into bed. At that point I decided I was going to have a really lazy day; so when Dave went to get himself some breakfast I asked him to bring me some croissants up, which he did. I’m not going to bore you with every detail of what I did and (mostly didn’t) do, but basically napped, read, watched TV and played on the computer. At around 3pm I decided I would go and see Dave down at the pool, had a cup of tea, sat talking to a lass called Janet from Preston for 10 minutes then returned back to my room!
I finally got showered and dressed and we went to go out for dinner in the town. We had invited Janet earlier and she decided to come along with us. We went to the Monkey Republic which is also a backpackers but has a great bar and even better food. There’s some of the British favourites so I ordered ‘The Big Kids Menu’ which consisted of lagre chunky homemade fish fingers, homemade chips and Heinz baked beans; Dave ordered sausage and mash (with peas) and Janet got a Thai curry. OMG, it was amazing, the fish fingers melted in my mouth and I could feel the fat in the chips mix with the beans! Dave’s sausage were perfect, large fat ones, nearly burnt and crispy on the outside but soft inside with buttery mash that slithered down your throat, kissing it on the way down! This was all eaten with the help of jugs of beer! After many beers my sugar craving crept in so I just had to order the chocolate cake with ice-cream; this didn’t disappoint either, velvety soft cake with silk ice-cream – I was in heaven!
After too many beers, far too much good food and some great conversation we found a tuk-tuk to take us back to the hotel. I will sleep happy and full tonight! Nighty nite xxx
15/04/2014 – A little bit more relaxing!
Pretty much a repeat of yesterday morning, up and ready to be collected for the trip to Ream National Park, we did have breakfast this morning (I woke up starving!), no show, this time the excuse was that the driver had gone home to his family as it was the Khmer New Year, back to bed for an hour, shuttle to town where we ordered our Vietnamese visa’s (after drawing money out of the ATM to pay for it), on the beach, snack and a drink, lounging around watching the world go by (in the sun as my sunburn still hurts), booked another trip to Ream for tomorrow, back on the afternoon shuttle at 2pm, in the pool (where I couldn’t get away from this Aussie woman- and she talked non-stop), back to the room, shower, dinner at the hotel then back to our room. Phew – big breath!!!
So, another lazy day doing not very much! Hopefully tomorrow the trip will happen and we will get to do something different, but whether we do or not, we have decided to go to the Monkey Republic for dinner, and Janet is going to join us.
At the end of this trip I am going to be so lazy and fat if I carry on, will have to do some trekking soon (after our island trip in Vietnam, maybe!). Nighty nite, see you tomorrow xxx
16/04/2014 – not to be!
Is déjà vu, déjà vu - déjà vu squared or déjà vu in circles??? Well it seems to be one of them – up early again, breakfast and tuk-tuk to the beach for our trip, and yes, you’ve guessed it – cancelled!!! This time because there is only 2 of us and there needs to be a minimum of 6! I told them how disappointed we were as they promised yesterday it would be happening but it didn’t change anything. I did persuade them to give us our tuk-tuk fare back though!
This was also the day that nothing goes right for us. After going back to the hotel we decided we would go to Ochtres Beach as it is supposed to be quieter than the rest. We booked the shuttle and off we went, only to be dropped off at Serendipity Beach, the beach we had been to the previous days! Oh well, we sat and watched the locals celebrate the final day of Khmer New Year and enjoyed that.
We went back to the hotel to get changed and go back to town to meet our new friend Janet in the Monkey Republic as we enjoy the atmosphere, food and cheap beer there. I got a burger with chips and enjoyed it, and had far too much to drink again. We played pool and had a good night, until Dave made some stupid comments putting an end to the night! Off back in a tuk-tuk. Nighty nite xxx
17/04/2014 – Sick!
Didn’t sleep at all well, had the squits for most of the night – serious squits! On top of that I kept getting cramp too, that served me right for drinking too much! By the time morning arrived I felt terrible, couldn’t keep off the toilet, ached everywhere, including my skin, and kept going hot and cold. Dave brought me some toast for breakfast but it didn’t help. So – I stayed in bed all day! I really couldn’t do anything else. I would watch a bit of TV and dose off, then read a bit of my book and dose off, all in-between squitting!! I tried a bit more toast for dinner but it didn’t do much good.
I was determined it wouldn’t spoil it for tomorrow, it would be our last full day here and we hadn’t been anywhere yet! So I got Dave to book for the 3 islands tour. Poor lad, he had to sit by the pool or stay with me all day hard life!! So, short and not so sweet day. Nighty nite again xxx
18/04/2014 – trip at last!
Up early, managed a little breakfast then got picked up for our trip where we were taken to a café for more breakfast (but I passed on that). My stomach was still a bit funny but had slowed down, I was hoping it would behave otherwise I would be spending most of the day in the boats toilet (and it wasn’t pretty). We had to wait for all the guests for the tours to arrive – Janet arriving last, before we were taken to the boats. There were 2 boats side by side and most people seemed intent on getting on the one furthest away for some reason, even when it got so full it looked like it could sink! We stayed on the nearest one with about 20 others. The full boat set off and we expected to have to wait until ours filled up. But no – it went with only us on it!
First we stopped at a small island where we could swim and snorkel. The snorkeling gear provided was terrible, I think they must have bought them from the 2 dollar shop – the edges to the mask were rough and didn’t seal on your face, completely useless! So we just went swimming instead. There was a Chinese family on the trip, mum, dad, grown up kids and a little toddler; none of them could swim! So they would go in the water with their life jackets and large tyres and enjoy themselves. The mum a one point was sat in a tyre with an umbrella up! Even though we couldn’t understand each other we had a laugh, they were great fun (especially the dad).
Island 2 was ‘Bamboo Island’, on the way we had lunch which was rice, fish and a baguette, I chose only to have rice, my stomach was still a bit dodgy but not doing too bad. Then we moored on the island and could explore or swim for an hour and half. The water was beautiful and warm, and clear. It wasn’t very big so not too much to explore, but we found a tree swing into the sea and had a little play on that. One guy got stung by a jelly fish so made us a bit wary of swimming too far out!
Island 3 was another small island that we moored just off land and could swim. Not too much to see here and the sea had very definite hot and cold patches, weird! We could see a storm coming our way and hear the thunder – exciting! So off back to base. My stomach was really beginning to cramp again, very painfully. I don’t know if it was because I had eaten or because of the sea?
Just before we got back to the boat terminus (not sure what to call it?) the heavens opened with cracks of thunder roaring from the sky (just like lions, hehe!!); we ran off the boat and under cover, eventually getting to the Monkey Republic for a drink and so we could pick up our passports close by (we had taken them to a travel agents to get our Vietnamese visa’s). My stomach was getting pretty bad at this stage so we decided to go back to the hotel. What I thought would be a good idea was to eat some potato wedges with bacon and onions – well, they were stodgy and would ‘bind’ me up wouldn’t they? Yeah right (a great Tui advert for all you kiwi’s), I spent all night on the bloody toilet again (once the labour style cramps let go of me). So, sorry guys, no nighty nite from me tonight! Xxx
19/04/2014 – saved by the drugs!
Still had the squits in the morning – where does it all come from? I had been drinking my Royal D solution during the night (electrolyte mix) but to no avail. I was worried, we were moving onto Kampot today and it would take 3 hours in total, mostly in a minibus; I had visions of having to stop the driver every half hour and squitting in a field in view of all the other passengers – nightmare material!!! Luckily Janet had arrived at the hotel to use the facilities and brought her drugs with her – one to stop the squits, the other to stop the cramps. I took them quickly then Dave did too – he had also started with the squits! I prayed they would work while we checked out and hugged Janet goodbye – we will be seeing her in Goa hopefully in a few months.
Thank goodness (and Janet), the drugs worked. A little twinge of cramp but nothing else, we managed to get to Kampot without any embarrassment. But let me tell you about our minibus – it was literally jammed packed full of backpackers and backpacks. We had to sit facing 3 other people with only enough space to put our feet down (as long as we didn’t move them) and Dave had to keep his small backpack, with his barged sized boots attached to them, on his knee. The air con didn’t really work either so here we were in a sweat filled pit of a minibus full of French and English tourists. I thanked the gods it was only a 2 hour journey!
We arrived at Kampot with the usual hordes of tuk-tuk drivers fighting for your custom, took one and got to our hotel. It looks very nice, quite basic rooms but clean and spacious, but with only a fan, no air con. We really need to start looking for air con when its 40 degrees outside! We had a wonder down the riverside – it looks lovely, they’ve really put an effort into making it look good, then had dinner at a little café – rice again for me, daren’t risk it yet.
We were going to sit outside with a drink (water for me) back at the hotel but the mozzies decided we were dinner tonight so we went to our room. It’s so hot, even with the fan on full blast. We laid on the bed, me on the computer (writing this) and Dave reading on his e-reader, when the electricity went out. No big deal, we could carry on. Then I heard a buzzing noise and something trying to get through the mozzie net, and it wasn’t small – eekkk!!! When the electric came back on shortly after we find the villain on the curtains, it was a massive, hard backed, flying sort of round beetle thing – not something I wanted to share my bed with! My hero (yes – Dave!) got the courage to et this monster and take it through 2 doors and downstairs to let it free (I don’t think it came in that way), then got attacked by another big bug on the way back!! We have a shared bathroom which is downstairs, so I am sat on the bad at the moment knowing I need the loo (and desperate for a shower) but not really wanting to go – but go I must, so I bid you farewell and hope you are all praying I don’t get eaten by the purple people eating insect I will face on the way! Nighty nite xxxx
20/04/2014 – Bokor Mountain
Ok, so a purple eating insect didn’t eat me, but when I managed to get the courage to go to the loo a black hard shelled jumping bug fooled me into thinking it was dead and attacked me when I was comfortably sitting on the said loo! Other than that, and the fact that Cambodian karaoke was playing loudly, along with our neighbours being very noisy, and it being incredibly hot and sticky, I slept pretty well.
In the morning, after sharing my shower with an army of ants, we decided to hire a scooter and explore Bokor Mountain. I was still feeling a bit squitshy so took some more drugs before we left.
Bokor mountain is about 32 km and 1,101 meters from the main road near Kampot. At the Mountain Hill Station there was once a small resort town but after the Khmer Rouge regime it was abandoned and is now a National Park. We paid our 2000 Riel (50 cents) to enter the National Park and started our ride up to the mountain. The road is the best we have seen in Cambodia, this is due to the new casino and resort that has been built at the top; they funded the roads! It was a great ride, great bends on an even road, something of a novelty! It would have been even better if we had a proper motorbike. About half way up we noticed a sudden change in temperature – it went from f*****g hot to hot (probably from about 40 degrees to 30 degrees).
First stop was the statue of Lok Yeay Mao (or Grandmother Mao) who legend says she protects travellers and hunters. The statue is 29 meters tall and because it was a Sunday there were many locals there too. After walking around and noticing some pretty amazing rock formations we stopped and looked at a house opposite. It was obvious it had been around for a long time (probably from the French days)and was really run down. We walked around the back and could see inside, it was like a shell with no windows or doors in but was obviously lived in as there were bunk beds, a table and clothes in one of the rooms!
Next stop was the old French colonial church. This was the place the Vietnamese held and fought against the Khmer Rouge soldiers who were in the old hotel and casino in 1979; one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge. The church looked great from the outside, very much abandoned but fantastic architecture. However, once inside it looked terrible, graffiti everywhere and mainly a shell. It still had the walls up, showing what rooms were there, and the bullet holes from the war. Outside, at the back, we climbed a short way to be rewarded with breathtaking views. Because it was a clear day (a lot of the time a mist rolls in) we could see the coastline and even Phu Quoc Island (the one we are visiting in a few days from Vietnam). From here we could also see the old hotel and casino, our next stop…..
I was looking forward to seeing the hotel and casino as I had seen it on ‘Intrepid Journey’s’ and it looked full of history and mystery. Unfortunately, when the Chinese rented the land to build the new casino they also plastered the whole of the old casino, making it look like just another building; the whole French look had gone, along with the bullet holes. We looked around the building, along with dozens of locals, some eating picnics in the main hall! Again, the views were spectacular (which will be why they built it there). An interesting fact – when this was being built, 900 construction workers died in nine months, due to the remote mountain location.
We moved on by foot to a few hundred meters up the road to see some of the old abandoned and run-down buildings from that period, thankfully they haven’t been plastered over yet!
Next we went to the new casino as we knew there would be decent toilets there! While we were there we also decided to have cake and a drink (be rude not too, even with a dicky tummy!). The casino (and resort hotel) looked very trashy chic and had more local people just looking than actual guests or people using the casino (we saw 5 people actually playing). Great cake though, and only $2.20!
Off we went again to the waterfall. Did I say waterfall? Sorry, I meant the trickle surrounded by rocks and rubbish! I’m sure it looks amazing in the wet season but it took us most of the time of find the trickle! Again, there were lots of locals having picnics and one family invited us to have some of their crab, but unfortunately I don’t like it and am allergic to it! We climbed down one layer of rocks but found no more water so gave up.
We then decided to go around the other road. We were really glad we did as the scenery was spectacular and we found a wat (Wat Sampov Pram). Wat Sampov Pram (Pagoda of 5 boats) was built in 1924 by King Monivong. The five oddly shaped rocks near the wat gave the pagoda its name. Again, great views to the coast and some fantastic rocks to pose on!
Back to the casino (we had to pass it) for another toilet break and drink before heading back down the mountain. The heat hit us again about half way down.
We went into town and booked for the a private room at a little cinema for tomorrow evening, then dropped the bike of at the hotel and had a rest for a while. We then went back to where the cinema is for fresh (they’re pulled in front of us) noodle soup and dumplings. I put only 5 small drops of chilli into the soup (a giant bowl) and it blew my head off – thank goodness I wasn’t greedy with the chilli’s! Both the soup and the dumplings were delicious, we might go back tomorrow!
So, back in bed, sweating like crazy and hoping I don’t need the loo during the night! It’s been great getting back out discovering places again after our ‘rest’. More to come tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
21/04/2014 – Flat tyre and pervy teen
Not too bad a sleep and up and ready to gout on the bike exploring again. We thought we’d go to the Pepper Farm, even though it’s nearer to Kep than Kampot. We figured if we did all the sights we could relax a little more in Kep. The road wasn’t as good as the one to the mountain; it was dusty and bumpy with no seal on it. Dust went everywhere when a large vehicle passed. It was quite a way to the area we were looking for, I think about 38km.
A long way from nowhere Dave pulled up and announced we had a flat tyre! What were we going to do? We had no way of contacting anyone (even if we had numbers we didn’t have a phone) and the road was nearly deserted with only a few little shacks alongside. We pulled into one of the shacks as there was a policeman there, as soon as we did he got onto his phone and turned his back on us, obviously not wanting to interact with us (community spirit hey?). Dave went to another shack across the road who told him there was someone who could help about a km further down; so off we went, slowly. We very nearly missed it, it was a small shack just down a bank. A teenage lad from the shack next door spoke to us and called the owner over who said he could fix it, phew! While we waited the teenager asked us to sit down and chatted to us. He was studying English at school and although he spoke very well he wanted to learn more. He was full of questions, asking about our country, what we thought of his country, the people, the politics, the future of Cambodia and how he could get a scholarship in New Zealand. He was such a delight to speak with and very respectful and polite at all times.
Tyre fixed for a princely sum of ……………. $3, you wouldn’t get that kind of service in most countries!
Off we went to the pepper farm, it was only another ten minutes down the road, then another ten minutes up a small lane. There were a few pepper farms on the way but the one we were going to did a tour. Kampot pepper is world famous with top chef’s loving to get their hands on it. The farm was a relatively small one but was organic (certified) which gave them an advantage. A guy named Panny (not Fanny as he pointed out) took us to the pepper plants – they are about four of them tied to an old stake (Dave said it was a peppered steak with chips around it!) as naturally they climb trees, but by climbing trees they take nutrients from it and change the taste. They are very tall, about 3 metres – I have never seen pepper plants before so hadn’t a clue what they looked like. The plants had peppercorns growing of them in bunches, green and red on the same bunch. It was explained that the red peppercorns are boiled for 3 minutes and the green for 5 minutes then left to dry. Some of the green peppercorns are skinned after boiling then left to dry, producing white peppercorns. We also saw a flower on the plant, this takes 6 months to produce the peppercorns. We were able to smell and taste the different coloured peppercorns; there was a real difference in them, but all delicious. During the tour it was explained how they take care of them, including getting rid of the pests without chemicals. A short but interesting tour. The farm also had various other fruit plants including pineapple and pomegranate. We would have loved to have bought some peppercorns but unable to because of our travels.
We set off to look for some caves but after going through a small but busy, dusty and dirty town (we think close to the border of Vietnam) we headed back the way we came. We took a small dirt road that looked as if there could be caves there; at the end there was a shack ad above it lots and lots of stairs which looked as if it could be a temple. Four dogs came barking at us then a guy came towards us followed by 2 very young monks from the shack. We asked about the caves but they could not understand us. They pointed towards a steep track and said ‘moto’ meaning we could ride the scooter up the track, but after some deliberation we decided it was too dangerous (dirt, stones and shingly). After taking a photo of the monks we said thank you and returned to the main road.
We fund another turn off towards some more caves (Phnom Sorseha), I think the ones most tourists go to. As we approached the entrance we were greeted by a group of youths, one of which said he would take us to the caves. I had some warning of this by reviews other visitors had written. What I wasn’t prepared for was what a little pervert our guide would be! There was a point in which the caves became very narrow and dark so it made sense we went one at a time; Dave went first while I waited for about ten minutes then the guide returned for me. He was getting very close to me which made me uncomfortable. Then at another point he said we needed to go separately; I went first and he took me to where bats were roosting. On the way I asked why Dave couldn’t come as well as there was planty of room and light but he didn’t answer. While looking at the bats he got right behind me, pushing himself into the back of me and trying to hold my waist. He kept trying to hug me, saying his parents had died and he had no-one. I felt very uncomfortable and a little bit scared (there were plenty of large, dark holes he could push me into) and managed to get back to where Dave was. When Dave went he didn’t show him half as much as he had shown me! The caves themselves were ok, though we were rushed through them and kept hearing how the guide was an orphan, taken in by the monks, and needed money for food and school. Dave spotted some monkeys in the trees but we were rushed past again without being able to enjoy them – obvious he was only after the money! At the end he hugged us both, he might be needing some affection but not from us!
We went back to the hotel as I wasn’t feeling too great, it was very hot and I think I had too much sun and heat (80% humidity too). After a sort of rest (the room was hot, there was a fan but didn’t really cool it down) and a cold shower we went for our date night to a cinema. The cinema was called Ecran and has private rooms which we got. This has a large matressed platform with heaps of cushions, air con (one of the reasons we wanted to come here), a 52 inch TV and you choose the film – we chose the Killing Fields as we thought it was fitting. It was an enjoyable night, snuggled up to Dave in a cool room.
After the film we were going to have more noodles and dumplings but they had just closed the kitchen – luckily we got t try them last night! We went to another restaurant where we had a beautiful meal and went back to the hotel. It was still bloody hot in the room!! Nighty nite xxx
22/04/14 – Onwards to Kep
A terrible night, up for most of it with the squits again. That wasn’t good when we had a shared toilet which was downstairs and quite often had bugs in it! I was literally shitting myself physically and mentally!! I felt exhausted and completely drained by the morning but had to get up and packed to our move to Kep, our last stop in Cambodia.
We had booked a minibus to take us and expected it to be full again, but there were only two other passengers on with us. The journey only took about forty minutes but on our way on the dusty bumpy road the bus hit a dog, ran over it and didn’t even stop! Not a great trip!
We decided that at our next accommodation we would upgrade to a room with air con if possible. We had booked a bungalow with a fan and shared bathroom but the way I was feeling I needed some relief from the heat. We managed to get an upgrade for not much more money. The place is beautiful. It’s set on a hill overlooking the sea and islands off the coast. It has a lovely swimming pool and gardens and the rooms are great. The most important thing – I don’t have to look for bugs in the bathroom, I can go in peace!
I spent most of the day on the bed, feeling cool, reading and mostly sleeping. I still have the squits (I think it’s now day 6) and feel absolutely drained. Dave had a swim in the pool and relaxed. Had dinner (rice again for me) and back to bed! See you all tomorrow, nighty nite xxx
23/04/2014 – Crab Market, Kep
Not too bad a sleep to say I’d slept most of the day yesterday. Only up to the loo twice and straight back to sleep. We got up at a leisurely pace and went for breakfast; we both ordered pancakes with banana but got pineapple, even though there’s heaps of banana trees around us! After breakfast we went for a walk.
Firstly, we walked to the Crab Market which is only about ten minutes or so away. There’s lots of construction going on, both the road and buildings with lots of holiday complexes going up. It was very interesting at the water front by the market; there were fishing boats moored and lots of crab baskets in the sea with women checking them, as well as others with full baskets on the side checking them for size and quality. At the market itself there were stalls where there was various seafood being cooked on BBQ’s, including whole fish, squid (some of them massive) and prawns. There were large jars of shrimps alongside jars of spring onions, dried shrimps and fish, fruit, pancakes and sea shell wind-chimes. It was delightful walking around.
We then walked along the coastal road towards the town and beach. There were a group of youths picnicking under the shade of a tree and they asked if we wanted to join them. We had already had breakfast and declined, thanking them; on hindsight we should have sat and chatted with them as I think that’s probably what they wanted to do. We also saw a group of monks by the water – I still have to discuss my views on the monks – later!
While we were walking towards the beach we could see that the sea water was very brown looking, definitely not swimming water! When we got to the beach it looked the same, there were a few people sunbathing and swimming, including locals and visitors, but not for us thank you (my tummy is upset enough!).
Once in the town we booked for our bus to Vietnam for tomorrow, it’s only an hours journey, seems weird that it’s just a short journey to another country. We passed a row of hammocks hanging underneath shelters so that people can relax in the shade, great idea. We walked back the way we came, stopping to look at locals who and been catching fish with nets; the fish were very small, surely not enough meat on them to eat? And probably too small for them to be sustainable? One of the lads did look a bit worried when I took photo’s! We saw more monks on the back of motorbikes, in fact quite a few – more of my views later!
Back at the bungalows we changed into our togs and spent the afternoon by and in the pool, what a life hey? We were chatting to a French couple who we had briefly spoken to in Kampot and it turns out they are going to the exact same places as we are next – Ha Tien and Phu Quoc then HCMC! They were a lovey couple who work seasonally in hotels in the South of France and the ski resorts, and go travelling for the rest of the time. They want to go to NZ to work for a year so we might see them again!
After an arduous afternoon by the pool we showered, had dinner then played cards for the rest of the evening. Oh, while we were waiting for dinner we had a game of pool when a big buzzing creature landed upside down on the counter, unable to upend itself. All of a sudden a very large gecko (I think a Tokay gecko) came shooting down the wall, along the beam and eyed it up, watching us at the same time. One of the staff saw the insect and swept it onto the floor with her hand. The gecko went back to the wall where the staff member saw it, screamed and ran into the back. The gecko ran down, grabbed the insect and scuttered back up the wall with it. Cool!!!
Good news – I haven’t been to the toilet today. While some of you may not think this is brilliant news can I just say that after 6 days of squitting it’s bloody fantastic! Nighty nite all xxx
24/04/2014 – On to Vietnam
Up, showered, breakfast and packed to carry on our adventures to Vietnam. The bus picked us up at 10.30am; Dave was piffing about a usual and I had to rush him along as a bus load of people and a driver were getting impatient with him! Once in the bus the driver drove like a lunatic – probably because he was late due to Dave?!!! We drove through the town of Kep, realising that we had missed half of it when we walked through yesterday – never mind, all we really missed was a giant crab and a statue of a lady! We continued through the villages until we came to the border with Vietnam. The driver asked us all for our passports and gave then to the Cambodian officials to stamp our departure; then off we drove to the Vietnamese side. We had to fill in a form then the official asked us all for a dollar each. One guy initially refused, saying it wasn’t correct and tried to get the rest of us not to pay, but hey, it was a dollar; if it had been 10 dollars or 20 then maybe we would have questioned it, but we weren’t going to argue over a dollar! Ten minutes later we had our passports and were in Vietnam! This is where my Cambodian story ends – follow the next episode of the Vietnam adventures! xxx
24/04/2014 – continuing adventures of Vietnam
So, to carry on from where I left off crossing the border to Vietnam – we were taken to a café area just over the border while our bus arrived (the other bus stayed in Cambodia). Dave was in his element – because it wasn’t yet after noon he could, and did, shout out ‘Good morning Vietnam’, he has been waiting months to say that! There was a casino on both sides of the borders, why do they always build casinos on borders? Once the bus came we were taken to Ha Tien where we booked our ferry for the next morning and got motos to our hotel.
The hotel was across the river on land that looked as if it has been recently bought for development. There were a couple of buildings and our hotel, the only one in the area, the rest of the land surrounding it was derelict. The hotel itself was lovely, the rooms clean. Great bathroom and most importantly, air con! And we were the only guests there! The town was only a ten minute walk away which wasn’t too bad.
We walked into town and through the fish market where there were an array of fish and seafood for sale, most of it still living. We saw a woman buy some catfish, they were put into a bag then beaten around the head – dead now! One fish managed to jump out of its bowl but it was soon caught again! Just outside the market was a woman selling chickens – these were alive too, their feet trussed up and laid out in a line. One of them was very brave and tried to make a dash for it, hopping on both legs, but it was no use, it was soon brought back into line. One of the chickens was sold and put head first into a plastic bag; I thought at first it would suffocate but a hole was put in it for its head. I’m sure it wouldn’t have lived much longer though!
We walked further down the ‘promenade’, passing an area that looked as if a vegetable market could have been; there was rubbish everywhere, including left over veggies. The Vietnamese (and Cambodians) aren’t very good at cleaning their rubbish up – it’s a big problem. We came to a boat that was now a floating café/ restaurant and went in for a drink and ice-cream. It gave us some relief from the heat, and the ice-cream was pretty good too. We struggled a bit with the local currency – the ‘dong’, but we’ll get used to it.
We went back to the hotel and chilled for a while then went back out to a café/ bar called ‘Oasis’. The owner from here had given me some good advice on one of the travel sights I go (Travelfish) and it also had some great reiews on Trip Advisor, so we went to give it a go. Although it was evening we ordered the English breakfast with extra black pudding and wasn’t disappointed, it was the best we have had for over 8 ½ years since we left the UK. And just to make it special we had a beer with it too! The owner wasn’t there, he had to go to Ho Chi Minh, but a local guy chatted to us, telling us about the history of the town, his family history (he fought in the Vietnam war, his brother was a pilot in it too) and talked about his children.
After our delicious meal we went back to the hotel, enjoying the AC and playing cards. We were both tired and grumpy so went to sleep! Nighty nite xxx
25/04/2014 – Beach at Phu Quoc Island
We had to be up early this morning as we were getting picked up at 07.30am to catch the ferry to Phu Quoc Island. I was already awake way before we needed to be as the bed was so uncomfortable I couldn’t sleep properly all night. A lot of the beds in Asia are like this, the mattress is only about an inch thick and very hard, doesn’t make for comfy sleeping!
We were picked up and taken to the ferry, the ‘Super Dong’, where we had allocated seats downstairs. I think we were the only tourists on the boat, the rest were locals. I don’t know why but we always seem to get a young toddler in front of us who stares for most of the journey. Of course I can’t help but make faces at them! The journey was uneventful, with both of us nodding off at different times and we landed at Phu Quoc in less than an hour and a half. After getting off the ferry we were ushered onto a mini bus (already paid for) with two local guys. We went to the end of the pier, turned around and told to go onto another bus which waited until another boat came in to fill it up! All the others were locals and were very friendly. We were dropped off at the end of the road to our guesthouse with a sign that stated ‘200 metres’. So off we trotted and about 400 metres later an arrow pointed to a side street that said ’50 metres’. The guesthouse looked ok and we were shown to a room that looked adequate. Unfortunately the electricity had gone off at the time but we didn’t need it just then. We were told that tomorrow we could mov into room with a balcony.
We changed into our togs and shorts and walked to the beach (it takes about 15minutes) then walked a little further on the beach looking for something to eat. Parts of the beach were filthy with litter everywhere, both on the beach and in the sea. I had read about this but was still disgusted to see it. The locals throw their rubbish anywhere without realising the long term implications. We came to a café/bar that is run by an Aussie that looked pretty good. We had lunch, drinks and lay on the loungers, swimming in the sea and chilling out. The sea here was beautiful, clean, clear and warm. We did, however, see a large jelly fish at one point – ugh!!
We went back t the guesthouse later in the afternoon for a shower and change. The electric finally came back on. The internet is crap- slow when it works! We put the AC on as it was very hot again, but it didn’t seem to do anything! We left it on while we went out for dinner.
We got a taxi to the night market and walked through it; it was only just setting up and there were tanks after tanks of fish, lobsters, shellfish and other seafood, most of it alive (we saw 2 lobsters fighting each other, sending water flying everywhere). We went down to the harbour, looked at the lighthouse near the rocks then sat in a café upstairs with an iced coffee watching the locals on the beach (again full of rubbish), and watching the sun go down, it was beautiful. There were some lads close by playing music (mainly drums and percussion, Vietnamese style) and we went to watch just after the sun went down, but just as we got there they stopped!
We went back to the night market for dinner. Surprisingly, Dave didn’t want seafood; when I asked why he said he didn’t know if the ‘crap’ had been taken out and how much of it he should eat. I was amazed as he usually loves seafood, and you couldn’t get fresher than this. We ate at a bust café which usually indicates its food is good, and it didn’t disappoint, our meals were yummy. We had a wander around the town, being careful not to tread on the cockroaches we saw scurrying around the streets! We then stopped for a couple of beers before getting a taxi back to the guesthouse.
When we got back to our room it was stifling hot, we started sweating as soon as we got in. Even though we left the AC on it obviously didn’t work. The light kept flickering off too, not good! We both showered again, just to cool down, but it didn’t last long. Strangely, about 2 hours later the AC sprang into life. I’m just hoping it keeps going all night; the bed is as hard as so if I’m sweating too I aint going to sleep. Oh well, here goes to trying! Nighty nite xxx
26/04/2014 – Beach life
Well, crap night’s sleep. The AC spat out less cold air than my farts do! The bed was extremely hard, even after we put the thin duvet thingy under us and we both sweat buckets all night. What made it worse was that in the morning, one of the guys who owns this place complained he was hot during the night even with 2 fans on him! Cheeky sod. We moved rooms to one with a balcony, and lo and behold, they have a fan there too! All we need now is some electric to power the thing.
Anyhow, back to the day’s activities – we hired a bike (scooter) and went to the south east of the Island to a beach called Sao Beach. We went on the ‘scenic’ route which consisted of a dirt road along the coast, very pretty you may think, and it was – when you could stop looking at the road for the bumps coming up! Sao Beach itself was absolutely beautiful, the typical image you have in your head when you think of paradise; soft white sand and clear aquamarine sea.
We walked a little further on the beach from where we had parked as there were quite a lot of people in that area. We came upon an area with rattan reclining loungers, they cost $5 each but we thought sod it and got one each – they did come with a bonus towel. We had a dip in the sea, it was so warm – I have cooler baths than this. The sea was also quite shallow for a fair bit out, and once we got to the deeper parts we could find pockets of cooler water. So, swims and soaks in the sea, laying on the loungers reading and snoozing and stopping all this hard work for lunch. It was such a tiring day!
We set off back before it got dark, we didn’t want to ride the roads with no lights, very dangerous. We took the main road back but a lot of it is still being constructed so is bumpy as hell and very dusty. Our clothes are filthy.
On return we found we didn’t have electricity again, but when we looked on the computer there was internet coverage – very strange. After a while I heard a TV on downstairs so went to enquire. One of the owners scratched his head and said to leave it with him; he came back a couple of minutes later and said the lever had been moved half way down – mmmm, the mind boggles, come to your own conclusions on this one!
We went back to the night market for dinner. While wee were waiting for our meal to arrive one of the waiters came with three lobsters in his hand followed by an Asian lady. They proceeded to drain all the juice from the lobsters on the table behind me (they were still alive) then kill them to put on the BBQ. I only know this because Dave told me, I couldn’t watch it myself, poor things. Only makes me NOT want to eat seafood even more.
Back to the guesthouse where the electric was sill on but was ‘weak’. How the hell do you get weak electrical power? Our lights were dimming then lighting brightly and the fan was running slow then fast, all very surreal. The AC was still only spitting out baby farts occasionally and might as well as been turned off. Hopefully we’ll sleep better tonight. Nighty nite xxx
27/04/2014 – It’s my birthday!
Had a pretty good sleep, apart from having to turn over every couple of minutes to relieve the bed sores! Then woke up another year older – it’s my birthday! Dave had wanted to get me a pressie and card but I told him it’s silly, what do I need that I haven’t already got?
So, we jumped on the bike and went to discovery the north of the island; there were a couple of beaches that we wanted to find. The ride to the first one wasn’t too bad, it was mainly a proper tarmacked road so was easy going on the body (and neck). We got to the beach where there was a group of people. Oh, before I go on I forgot to tell you about being photo bombed on the beach yesterday – I was trying to do the jump in the air shot while Dave was taking the photo, when two women ran either side of me and jumped with me! It was a laugh and they then went on their way as they had a bus to catch. Anyhow, the group of people turned out to be the two women with another friend and all their husbands. We chatted to one of the women and it turns out she is good friends with our friends in Hanoi (Dave worked with them in Wellington). Talk about a small world. We’re planning on catching up with them when we get to Hanoi.
We stayed on the beach for a while, although it was lovely it wasn’t anywhere as nice as the one yesterday. It was pretty scenic, there were fishing huts on stilts out in the sea and a fishing farm just around the bay. We could also see Cambodia from this beach. The sand felt a little muddy when we went into the sea but it was still clear water. We ate watermelon for lunch (given to us by the group) had a dip in the sea then moved on to beach number two.
The ride to this beach was again bumpy and dusty, right through the forest. It seemed to take ages as we had to ride pretty slow over the bumps and stones. We saw a beautiful blue bird fly in front of us and land in a tree; we stopped the bike to take a photo but typically, just as I was getting it into focus it flew off! When we arrived at the beach we were instantly greeted by a woman who was directing us to her table and chairs on the beach (with menus in hand). We sat down and ordered a drink. But no sooner than we had sat down we saw the little bleeding sand flies everywhere, biting our ankles and legs (and later found out they bit everywhere else!). We quickly drank up, paid and left. I think the beach looked ok, but we didn’t stay around long enough to find out!
We rode back on the main road into town; the road was that good I even had a turn riding! We got a bit lost going through the town but ended up in a little back street in a fishing village which was cool.
Back at the guesthouse we actually had electric, yahoo! But couldn’t really get onto the internet – boo!!! After resting for a while, showered and changed we went to one of the good beach resorts, The Veranda, for dinner. We sat upstairs on a (yes, you guessed it) a veranda (French style) overlooking the poo and gardens. The meal was absolutely divine; I had beef fillet with roast potatoes, veg, pinot reduction and topped with fresh peppercorns, Dave had lamb rack with all the trimmings. Then we had an amazing desert called ‘the volcano’, which consisted of a freshly made, warm gooey chocolate cake with ice-cream and a fruit sauce with tiny pieces of fresh fruit in. It certainly lived up to its name and exploded in our mouths! We washed all this down with a bottle of Argentinian red wine. It was bloody delicious, and great to get my teeth into a proper piece of meat!
After dinner we went to the bar downstairs. There was a live band playing (who sang happy birthday to me twice, once saying ‘Bev’, the other time ‘Beverley’) and we both had a couple of drinks; I was drinking local rum with coconut milk. We ten got talking to two couples from the UK, one of them from Leeds. One of the guys bought us a drink then at the end of the night paid for our drink bill as well, generous to a fault – but then he is a Yorkshire lad! A brilliant night to end my birthday on. Thank you all who sent me birthday wishes, I wanted to answer each one of them but the internet wouldn’t let me!
Back at our guesthouse we were pleased to see the electric was on and the fan going. Think I’ll sleep well tonight. Nighty nite xxx
28/04/2014 – Beach life again!
Had a great night’s sleep and didn’t wake until after 8am, late for me. We went for breakfast, banana and chocolate pancakes, our stable for the last 3 mornings. We then rode to Sao Beach again; this would be our last full day on Phu Quoc so we thought we’d chill on the idyllic beach. Not much more to tell you about that – we went, we chilled in the sea and on the loungers and idled our day away. If only Monday’s were like this at home!
Back at the guesthouse later in the afternoon we arrived to find there was no electricity – what a surprise! So we showered in the dark and went out for dinner, choosing a simple Vietnamese meal and a beer. While we were there the heavens opened and we got a little bit wet riding back to the guesthouse. We had electric when we got back but it was fluctuating like mad, the fan nearly stopping then sounding like a jet engine a minute later!
I was finding it difficult to sleep so caught up with this blog – the internet was also useless though I did manage to download a few photos. Off to Ho Chi Minh in the morning. Nighty nite xxx
29/04/2014 – Hi ho – it’s off to Ho Chi Minh we go!
Had a bad night, didn’t sleep much, mainly due to the thunderstorm that went on for most of the night, the hard bed and the bloody fan! Got up at 5am then snuggled up to Dave for a while until finally getting up properly at 6.30am. Showered, packed and ready to go at 7.15am; picked up by a taxi at the end of the street that we had arranged last night. Couldn’t wait to get away from the guesthouse (called B&B guesthouse, just to make sure you don’t book it) and be on our way to Ho Chi Minh City. Got the taxi to the airport then flew into HCMC. The city was bigger and busier than I had remembered from last year, but there were some places I recognised as we went through in the taxi to our next guesthouse (Madam Cuc 64), including the Starbucks that opened while I was there with Sue.
We got to our guesthouse, we had a choice – first floor with twin beds or the fifth floor with a double (no lift); after walking up to the fifth floor to loo we decided on the first floor – it was a long way up the stairs! The room is very small but clean, quiet, and most importantly has electricity with AC and a fridge. There is no window to the outside, only on to the hall way but that means less noise from traffic and less mosquito’s to get in. Talking of small biting insects – I am covered in sand fly bites – everywhere! I look as if I have a bad case of measles – they are red, angry, blister looking bites and my legs are covered in them as well as the rest of me – bloody things!
We dropped our cases in our room ad went out to explore the city a little, stopping in the large market for lunch, I had beef noodle soup and Dave had chicken fried noodles, both for only $5. It had become hot and I was still tired from last night so I went back to the hotel and sent Dave to the Bitexo Financial Tower Skydeck (I had been up it last year). I had a great sleep and Dave enjoyed his sight-seeing trip. Later in the afternoon we went exploring the city again, this time aiming towards the river. We found a great little temple which had some amazing sculptures on the walls and doors outside, on the inside there were a multitude of incense in many forms – sticks, giant coils from the ceiling and ones that looked like fireworks. It was great t look at but very smoky!
We carried on towards the river and I saw a guy who was having cupping therapy (or suction jar therapy); he had many marks on his body from this and a few jars hanging off him. I took a photo and got a right telling off from a woman sat with him! We got to the river and walked over a foot bridge, watching the traffic go by and under the tunnel. We then carried on along the riverside looking at both old and new buildings – the old are beautiful (French Colonial) an the new are going up at an incredible rate, all appear to be of similar design (tall and mirrored); shame really as the old buildings really had character. Dave loves this city and has already started talking about staying here a bit longer – I don’t mind as I love it too!
We walked through fresh food markets, past delicatessens, ice-cream parlours and bakeries – our mouths were watering! We eventually stopped at a coffee bar and treat ourselves to a coffee and a crème caramel between us. We then walked back to our guesthouse, had a rest then went out for dinner.
It had started raining, but not heavy – it was actually refreshing to be out in it. I chose to take Dave to a restaurant that Sue and myself loved last year, it’s nothing posh but the food is fresh, tasty and it’s cheap, plus a lot of the locals use it so has to be good. And it was! I had vermicelli with fried beef, Southern style, while Dave had vermicelli with pork and crab spring rolls – all absolutely yummy, and with a beer each the bill came to about $7.50!
We then sat at a bar with a couple of beers and watched the world go by – actually we watched a group of travellers across the road sitting on the pavement with beers, some of them sat on mats just large enough for their bums to fit on with their feet crossed. Some were TWASH’s with ridiculous clothes on – why????? Surely it’s more comfortable sat on stools or chairs at a bar than on a bloody mat on a pavement? Are they trying to prove something? Maybe you’re not a true traveller unless you have ridiculous haircuts and bizarre clothes? It makes me wonder how much travelling they actually do though – or do they just sit crossed legged on streets in cities and pretend they are fantastic travellers? Dave hit it on the head when he said they are like Neil from the ‘Young ones’ who never made it past the 60’s (even though they weren’t even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes). The mind boggles!
Rant over – back at the guesthouse catching up with things but Facebook won’t let me post any photos. You’ll just have to make do with the images in your head! Nighty nite xxx
30/04/2014 – Lost – the saga continues!
Not too bad a sleep, woke about 6ish but stayed in bed until about 7.30am. Went for breakfast – banana pancakes with chocolate sauce on with fresh fruit and a baguette, yum! We then sorted out our luggage to post back any items we didn’t need to make some room in our backpacks. Off to the post office we went but didn’t expect it to be open, it’s Independence Day for Vietnam and they have two days holidays. We walked to the post office, it’s a good 40 minutes’ walk but lots to see on the way; when we arrived there we found it was open, yah!
The post office itself is a beautiful old French building, both outside and inside, and attracts many tourists. Immediately across the road from it is the Notre Dame Church (exact replica of the French one). We enquired about our items at the post office and were told if we brought them in they sort out the box and package them for us – nice! Just as we were going to go out of the building the heavens opened. We stood and waited for a while but decided it wasn’t going to ease any time soon so decided we would get wet on go on our way. Oh, we did get wet, head to toe! We went to a posh shopping mall and stood outside until we stopped dripping then went inside to find some refuge. Now, as my close friends know, I hate shopping and shopping centres, so this wasn’t exactly a thrill for me, but we found a bakery and coffee shop and had a tiramisu and a coffee each. After a toilet stop we started walking back to our guesthouse to collect our belongings for the post office. We got totally lost again! And again I followed Dave’s directions – why do I do it? He goes in the completely wrong directions. I wouldn’t mind but last year when I was here with Sue we never got lost and when I told Dave we needed to go down a street he said it was the wrong way and went down another. Jeez, I’m not going to follow him again! So, a couple of hours later we found our way back.
After collecting what we needed we set off again to the post office, deciding we’d get a cyclo to take us. There were two cyclo’s in no time for us and told us they were 15000 dong to the post office. When we arrived (a few minutes away – they are not allowed close to the building itself), Dave took out a 200,000 dong note and the quickly said they needed another 100,000 dongs, took it and ran. No bloody wonder – they’d got ten times what we should have paid – they definitely saw Dave coming and ran before we could question it – bastards! But, we have to move on and to be fair, it isn’t actually that much in the scheme of things, but still …… bastards!
In the post office we filled out the relevant forms (lots of paperwork) and the guy packed our belongings in a suitably sized box. I was also supposed to post my Kobo back to the manufacturers as it is broken and needs replacing, but I have to take it somewhere else to get a certificate to say the inside components are what they should be before I can post it! The office isn’t open for the rest of this week due to Independence Day, it’s going to be such a farce getting it back. On the way out Dave was stopped by some young girls who asked very politely if they could have their photos taken with him – one at a time – he felt very special!
After the post office we looked around the monuments and buildings in the area, including the Municipal Building and the Opera House. We then went to a shopping mall that has a great little supermarket style shop in and topped up our toiletries ($1.50 for Sensodine toothpaste) as well as treating ourselves to a bottle of vodka ($3) and some goodies. Then off back to the guesthouse for a rest before dinner.
We went back to the same restaurant as last night for dinner and again enjoyed it. Then off to a show in one of the parks that was being put on to celebrate the Vietnam Independence Day. Even though we couldn’t understand what was being said or sung we got the jest of it and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were fireworks just as it finished by the river but we didn’t have time to get to it, we stood with the other thousands of people by a roundabout watching them from a distance. A lot of traffic had also stopped on the roundabout to watch!
Once the fireworks had finished, the roads went mental; there was so much traffic on the roads, probably more on the cities roads than the population of New Zealand! We walked to the bar we went to yesterday and had a couple of drinks while watching the world go by. We chatted to a guy who works at the bar (same one as yesterday) and he has offered to take us on a tour of the city on Friday. He says all the staff at the bar like us both because we are always smiling and are nice to them. Now this brings me to a point that’s been bothering me for a while. I have heard so many people say they don’t like Vietnam because the people are rude and arrogant. Now, I never had a problem with this last year and thought the people were beautiful and friendly, and since we’ve arrived this time we’ve had the same experience. What I put it down to is attitude. If you are polite and pleasant to others then they will respect that and treat you the same. An easy way to do that is to smile, it’s amazing what reaction you get just by doing that! On that note I bid you nighty nite xxx
01/05/2014 – Cu Chi Tunnels
Not such a good nights’ sleep, for some reason I keep waking up. Had to be up early too as we are going to the Cu Chi tunnels and getting picked up at 8.30am; really struggled to get out of bed. We don’t usually like to do the big tour thing but it was difficult to go here without being on a tour. So, we were picked up and put onto a large coach then picked up others around the city until the coach was full. Our tour guide, Mr Bin, proceeded to tell us about what would be happening during the day then continued to talk about himself for the next half hour; he obviously thought he was funny and loved the sound of his own voice but we weren’t impressed. Once we got to the destination we were ushered through the complex like a herd of cows. First we sat in a small auditorium type of place to watch a dvd of the history of the tunnels; it probably would have been interesting if we were able to see and hear it properly; unfortunately the sound was terrible (and low) and there were many people sat in front of us so we couldn’t see the small TV properly. We were then ushered to the next points but the group was so large that by the time we had got to them the guide was already half way through his talk. Before we actually got to the tunnels we were taking to an area where we could shoot guns – not any old guns but the great big ones used during the war. Now, everything around Vietnam that talks about the war describes the atrocities and suffering caused by the weapons, so why on earth would you want to shoot a gun for? For those of us who didn’t want to shoot we were left in an area selling sovereigns and snacks.
Now on to the tunnels – some of the original tunnels had been made larger for the tourists to go down, the original ones were made for 35kg short Vietnamese people so the western tourist would have no chance to get through them. We waited patiently in line to go down but as soon as we got to the entrance Dave panicked and couldn’t do it. So off I went, not too bad, there were lights guiding the way and it was pretty cool down there. But we had to bend down and by the time I got about half way my knees were killing me, so up I came (they put escape routes along the way for people who can’t make it). It’s amazing how the Vietnamese managed to live in those tunnels for all those years.
That was the end of the tour – we were ushered back to the coach and started our journey back to the city. Mr Bin again gave a talk for about ½ hour, mostly about himself again and told us how poor he is, how he is known as a puppet American, how the American government should be giving him a pension, tourists should give him tips as the government take most of the money; we got really pissed off listening to him! Finally the coach arrived back and we got off the coach and ran!
The trip could have been really good and informative if there hadn’t been so many of us in the group; unfortunately, like so many things, it’s all about bringing the money in and not the quality of the tour. We only got to hear about ½ of what was explained and rushed through most of the places. It certainly wasn’t as good as the tunnels I visited last year from Hue – that tour group was small and much more informative.
After arriving back at our guesthouse I had a sleep, I had felt tired for most of the day. After waking we showered, had a drink of vodka and orange and chilled out until it was time to go for dinner. We then went a few doors down to an Indian restaurant that was highly recommended in Trip Advisor. It didn’t disappoint, the food was delicious, the best curry since the one I had in Napier in January, yummy!!!!
Back to our room to play cards, Dave beat me yet again; he gets all the luck (yes luck, not skill!). He’s so proud of himself he says he’s going to keep all the scores in a book – sad man!
Just to note – it’s May already, we’ve been away for 7 weeks tomorrow, time really does fly when you’re having fun. Have got to say, besides the obvious missing of the kids and friends, I’m also missing being able to lie around the lounge and go and make a cuppa when I want, and also cooking – yes, I want to cook my own meals!!! Oh well, shall have to put up with going out for my meals instead, it’s a hard life. Nighty nite xxx
02/05/2014 - War Remnants Museum
Terrible night’s sleep again, not sure what’s going on but it could be the hard bed; I have to move regularly or else parts of me go numb and hurt. Got up for breakfast, ate said breakfast then went back to bed. Slept until midday then got rushed outside by Dave. Ate 3 bananas while walking down the street for lunch (they are very small bananas).
Stopped for a blueberry shake (Dave had a cookie and cream one) before going to the War Remnants Museum. This museum shows the Vietnamese war from a biased view of the Vietnamese. Although biased it showed some harrowing photographs of the war and what the Americans did to the Vietnamese, including many civilians (men, women and children). It also had a very good display of war photographic journalists with award winning photographs. There were many photographs of the continuing harm the chemicals used in the war still has today, with many people born with severe defects, especially after parents had been exposed to Agent Orange. The photographs of the war and its continuing effects brought a tear to my eye, it’s all very sad. Wars – there are never any winners, only many losers.
After the museum we walked to the market where I wanted to look for a dress to buy. As soon as we walked in we were continuously badgered to buy from the stalls; after 10 minutes I had enough – you just daren’t stop to look as you are thrown piles of clothes for you to buy. Get me out of here I’m not a shopper!!!
After that experience we found a little café that was recommended on Trip Advisor (great little tool). The café was quite difficult to find but once we did we enjoyed sitting on the first floor (or maybe the second?) on a balcony overlooking the market. We had more delicious drinks and watched the world go by – the streets were being transformed into the night market as the sun went down.
After spending about an hour people watching we decided we would treat ourselves to a massage so went to the posh side of town and found a spa. We opted for an hour of combined massages which included the masseur to stand on my back; I did feel good after though.
We was going to eat at the outdoor BBQ garden but we decided not to when we saw the prices; we had indulged enough for one day. So off we went to our usual restaurant where the food always delights us, and for a very good price.
Having satisfied our bellies we walked back to the guesthouse where we sat chatting to some fellow guests outside. One of them is from Tasmania, another from Canada and a third from Australia (though he seemed to spit out his dummy and went to bed). The other two guys were interesting to talk to and we sat for some time (the guys with beers) enjoying the company and watching the people go by. We then happened to see the German girl we met on the border and in Phu Quoc which was great. She’s a lovely lass and we enjoyed taking to her. She’s going home tomorrow so we swapped Facebook contacts. One thing I love about travelling is the different people you meet from all walks of life, and the friendships you make along the way. Feeling blessed tonight.
I left Dave chatting a while longer and went to our room. Dave came later and I bet him at cards (yes!). I’m not sure but I think we may be getting a bit pissed off with each other; maybe we need to be doing something separate for a day? It’s strange being with someone 24 hours a day for such a long period. We love being together and experiencing these adventures but I think it might be healthy to do some things on our own. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Nighty nite xxx
03-04-05/05/2014 – hot and lazy days
Ok, so I was going to write my blog every day but to tell you the truth we haven’t done very much to write about so I’m going to condense the last 3 days into one. One of the reasons we extended our stay in Ho Chi Minh was so we could relax and not have to rush about seeing the sights. So, we have seen pretty much all of the main sights and decided to just watch the world go by and watch the locals. We would go out for a walk after breakfast, before it got too hot (yeah right!) then go back to our room to cool down and rest then sit either outside our hotel (middle of the backpacker district where all the action goes on) or go out for walks and sit in the local parks.
On the Saturday night we went to a sports bar to watch the Man U match (yes, I know we lost, but – hehe, Liverpool drew their match last night!!), and we started chatting to a young couple from Birmingham. They had all the preconceived ideas about Vietnam as I did the first time I visited so we spoke to the about what Vietnam is really like as well as give them tips for what they might want to do and where to eat. They were a lovely couple and we arranged to meet the following evening to take them to our favourite restaurant. So, the following evening we met them and the guy chose a dish with pigs ears while the girl chose a beef and lime dish. Now it’s ok being adventurous but for your first proper meal in a foreign country you really should try something you know you will like. The pigs ears weren’t anything like he imagined (he thought they would be crunchy but they were chewy) and the girls beef was too underdone for her (though I tasted it and it was delicious), so they didn’t have the experience we wanted them to have. We suggested to them that on their travels they use the local and street vendors instead of the ‘touristy’ restaurants as they are both cheaper and authentic and fresher, I really hope they do!
In one of the bars we visited regularly, one of the staff, a young lad called Toān (or Alex Cheung), would chat to us and liked to practice his English, as most young ones do in Vietnam. He invited to take us around the city so we arranged to meet him on the Sunday. He wanted to take us to the Independence Palace but I had already been there and it wasn’t worth another visit with Dave, so instead we asked him to take us to a pagoda. The pagoda wasn’t anything too spectacular, and the temple wasn’t open, but we sat there for over an hour and a half chatting to two ladies there, through interpretation from Alex (I think they lived at the pagoda). They were telling us about the Buddha tree and the stories surrounding it, and that people aged 23 (Alex) were horses as they caused problems at that age, but we were goats at our age (not sure why). One of the ladies also spoke about me not getting on with my eldest daughter which was a bit freaky, and that Dave is going to cause problems this year and I will come into lots of money (probably Dave’s insurance money once I’ve killed him for getting into trouble!). Alex also went and brought us a cake made from banana and berries, yummy! On the way back we stopped for a sugar cane drink, Alex insisted on paying, very generous; so why do others talk of the Vietnamese being arrogant and unfriendly? We experienced nothing but kindness and generousity.
Keeping on the subject of Alex – he only has one night of a week at the bar, during the week he also goes to university to study. On his one day off he wanted to take us out to dinner so we arranged to go to the BQQ garden with him. We went there on the Monday evening; Alex also brought along his gorgeous girlfriend Hana who is also studying at university. We had a great meal and they spoke of us being like their parents and what a privilege it is to be having dinner with us. Both myself and Dave felt the privilege was on our side, that local people would want to be involved with us. Alex was even going to pay for our meal but I beat him (much to his dismay) and paid for theirs.
On the way back from the meal (we walked), we came across another concert in a park, again free. We only managed to catch the last part of it but it was great catching some more of the Vietnamese culture. Another park we walked through had couples dancing under wooden bandstand type structures, both young and old. Some were very good, dancing the cha cha, quickstep and other dances. We sat and watched them for about 20 minutes before moving on. You have to e careful in t parks though as there are quite a few ‘ladies of the night’ and they will badger any guy who looks as if he’s on his own. This happens on the streets too and Dave got propositioned a few times, once when he was sat outside a shop waiting for me!
On Monday we went to an office to have my Kobo checked and given a certificate to be able to post it back to Auckland. They have to check that it’s authentic (and I presume not filled with explosives). We dropped it off in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon. The whole process, checking, wrapping, sealing, certificate cost only about $2, amazing! Then off to the post office where it was wrapped securely in a box and posted off. We also managed to see the inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral, this only opens for a short time daily so we were lucky to find it open. You can only look from the back, the rest is fenced off unless you go there to pray. Not a bad little church.
The rest of our time we spent chatting to others, locals and travellers alike; sitting outside our hotel and people watching (very entertaining) and sitting in a café on a balcony 2 floors up overlooking the market, again people watching, and catching up on our sleep. We managed to move rooms and went from a 3cm mattress to a 30cm one which was great, but the only downfall was that we overlooked the street and the locals partied in the bar opposite until after 4am – not always too much sleep for us!
In summary – we’ve loved Ho Chi Minh City, its people, the places and the food. Somewhere you couldn’t get bored with!
06/05/2014 – Onwards to De Lat
Up early this morning to finish packing and getting ready for the bus to De Lat. We said our thanks to the hotel staff who have been amazing (Madam Cuc 64 Hotel) and the guy took us to the bus stop. The bus we caught is a sleeper bus which consists of 3 rows and 2 tiers of reclining sets where you have to put your legs underneath a ledge in front of you. This is ok if you are as small as the Vietnamese, but we have long legs and they didn’t fit properly! All in all though they were pretty comfy. BUT – I thought we were going to die! I had forgotten how mad it is on the roads and our bus was overtaking other buses and lorries with the same coming head on towards us, all the time horns sounding continuously. Our bus would just miss within inches, very scary. Just over ½ way into our journey Dave got the squits and had to stop the bus, much the curiosity of the rest of the people on the bus and the embarrassment of Dave!
We managed to arrive safely and got a taxi to our hotel, it seems lovely and for the first time on our travels we have duvets on our beds. The climate here is much cooler as it is elevated. I actually had to put on my thin fleece top when we went to look around the town.
We went to the sister hotel for dinner after the owner recommended it, but it was a let down. I ordered a chicken curry with taro but it was more like a stew and the taro was dry. Next time I will take my own advice and eat at the local restaurants! We had a wander around the town but we were both exhausted so went back to the hotel to bed. So nighty nite, speak to you soon with adventures from De Lat xxx
07/05/2014 – tour of Dalat
Up early and ready for our day trip (TM Brother Travel). Now I’m not normally a fan of organised tours but this appealed to me as it took in natural landscapes and minority villages, among other places. We were not disappointed. We were picked up in a minibus along with a French couple from our hotel and an Aussie couple from another hotel, so six was a great number for a tour. Luckily we got along with everyone, the French (who were about our age) didn’t know much English and I practised what very little French I knew, but they had a good sense of humour and joined in. The Aussies (in their 60’s) were a little strange but good fun and had lots of information about Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Our guide spoke fantastic English and was both informative and chatty.
Our first stop was along the road overlooking the valley and the terraced vegetable and flower farms with the mountain in the background. Dalat makes most of its economy from the flowers it grows (after tourism) along with farming vegetables and fruit (including strawberries, yum!). Because of its elevated position and cooler climate, and the fact that it wasn’t affected in the Vietnamese war by Agent Orange, the soil here is fertile and ideal for crops. The views over the valley were beautiful and I was tempted to hike up the mountain!
The stop was at a flower farm. All the flowers are grown in greenhouses so they can be grown all year round and are famous all over Vietnam. There are many varieties of flowers grown, including roses and orchids. We also stopped to look at a coffee plantation where we learnt of the different varieties of coffee, the smallest plant being the mocha which is also the newest and most expensive, the next was the Robusta and the tallest tree was the Arabica which is the cheapest. The coffee beans turn red when ripe then the shell is taken off and the bean dried in the sun. A little later in the tour we experienced a unique coffee called ‘Weasel’ or ‘Civet’ coffee. This is made by feeding weasels ripe coffee beans then extracting them from their droppings, taking the beans from the shells and roasting them. It is very expensive coffee and I have heard it can sell for $20 a cup in some places. We were lucky enough to try a cup for $2.50 and it was delicious, very smooth and tasty. The only thing I didn’t like about the farm we went to (and its really only set up for tourists to visit) is that the weasels were kept in very small cages.
Before we visited the weasel coffee farm we stopped at a cricketr farm. As the name suggests, crickets are mated and reared here to sell as food. Apparently it isn’t as easy as it sounds and the farmer we went to took many months to learn how to rear them properly. Crickets are a good source of protein and fat free so a great food; but when we were given a plate of them cooked up (with sauce on the side) I couldn’t bring myself to eat them. Embarrassingly I was the only one in our group that didn’t, Dave even managed to eat 2!
From there we stopped at a silk farm. We have previously been to two other silk farms in Cambodia but this one was much different. Firstly, the silk worms were white, not yellow, and secondly, machines did most of the work instead of everything being done by hand. What impressed me the most was the old French Jacquard loom that is designed to weave fabrics of intricate design whose control mechanism makes use of cards with holes punched in them.
Off next to the weasel farm which I have already talked about but also at the farm they make rice wine. We were taken through the process of making good rice wine (there are varieties on the market that contain methanol which cause blindness) and were able to sample some – smooth at first but the heat hit in the throat and chest!
We stopped at a minority village where there was only one original remaining hut, the rest were modern. In the original hut lived a woman with her eleven children and grandchildren (not sure how many), all of whom sleep on the floor together. The government provide food and education to them in compensating for not allowing them to cut down any more of the forests. Our guide explained that some of the men have now become lazy and spend most of their days drinking – sound familiar?
A short ride away we stopped to look at the Elephant waterfall. This is quite a spectacular waterfall with many litres of water rushing over the edge and we could walk down to about 2/3rds of the way over rocks (luckily they had put a handrail to help, before this it was dangerous). Unfortunately we could not walk to the bottom as it was too wet and would have been too slippery to go. From the viewpoint we went to the bottom of the waterfall was hidden from very large boulders; these boulders were beautiful though. There were many people here and our guide wanted to get us back onto the bus as he said rain was on its way so we didn’t get to see too much. At the top there were some ladies from a minority village in a hut hand weaving silk items. They tried to sell me a scarf by putting it around my neck, but even though it was beautiful and the colours suited me I wouldn’t have room in my backpack!
On we went to Linh An Pagoda which had a giant laughing Buddha at the back. An ok Pagoda but nothing too special about it. As we came out of the pagoda grounds we could see the rain clouds coming our way. We jumped back into the bus and headed back to the city. I didn’t mention at the start – to get to these places we first had to go along a mountain road that was still being constructed, so at times was very muddy, rocky and was like an assault course with the heavy machinery and road workers. What was amazing was that large granite rocks were being taken out of the hillside and the workers were chiselling these into small, perfectly shaped bricks, all by hand! The workers also slept in makeshift huts at the side of the road, very hard life for them.
Back in the city we stopped for lunch at one of the local cafes, we chose to have fried rice which was delicious. We weren’t that hungry as we had an amazing breakfast at our hotel (Dreams Hotel) – it is served on a communal table which is loaded with cereal, baguettes, an array of fruits, yogurt, ham, bacon, even marmite and vegemite, and they will cook eggs to order; it’s an absolute delight.
After lunch we went to a place called the ‘Crazy House’; it was certainly crazy and nothing like we expected it to be. The following extract is from their web site: ‘Otherwise known as the “Crazy House,” this Gaudi-meets-Sesame Street theme park is one not to miss. It’s a wild mass of wood and wire fashioned into the shape of a giant tree house and smoothed over in concrete. It sounds simple, but there’s a vision to this chaos; just ask the eccentric owner/proprietor and chief architect, Ms. Dang Viet Nga. Daughter of aristocracy, Ms. Nga is well heeled after early schooling in China and has a degree in architecture from university in Moscow.’ We explored the ‘house’, goin up and down and along crazy stairs that sometimes took you over roofs, looking in at the rooms which depicted a different animal, for example, the bear room, the termite room, the kangaroo room, etc. Some of these rooms can be booked to stay in, would be quite fun! The rain started as we were going into the grounds and became a downpour as we were looking around it, this only added to the ambience of the craziness of it all, though we couldn’t really have a good look at the garden.
From the Crazy house we went to the old railway station. This stopped running during the Vietnamese war and hasn’t run since, though there is a train that takes tourists a few kilometers down the track (we may do this another day). There wasn’t too much at the station, it was a lovely building with its original features and had an old carriage on the tracks which had been turned into a café as well as another carriage you could look in to. We spoke to a group of Kiwi’s who are cycling Vietnam on a 16 day trip, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City – mad!!!!
Back to our hotel, it had been a lovely trip and we both enjoyed the sights and the company. After a quick rest we went to get a coffee (and ended up with a hot chocolate!). Later that evening we went to a restaurant (The Wild Sunflower) that had been recommended on a travel site for dinner. I ordered sautéed beef with vegetables and rice. When it came it was tasteless and after Dave pissing me off I lost my appetite and only ate about ¼ of it. The waiter was concerned and after asking me a few times if everything was okay I told him it was tasteless; he practically forced me (in a nice way) to choose something else off the menu and wouldn’t charge for the original meal. Very good service, but won’t be going back for the food!
I felt very tired after dinner so we went back to the hotel. After falling asleep at about 11pm I woke ½ hour later thinking I had been asleep for hours, grrrrrr, getting so pissed off with not sleeping. So – I took a Zoplicone to make sure I would sleep! Sweet dreams, nighty nite xxx
08/05/2014 – bed!
Nothing exciting to tell you today. Have felt tired all day, not sure if it’s the effect of the Zoplicone or just all the sleepless nights catching up, so spent most of the day in bed! Got up for breakfast, amazing as usual, choosing to have a ham, avocado, tomato, egg and marmite baguette, followed by fruit and yogurt, swilled down with passion fruit juice and a hot cup of tea – delicious. I thought this would get me going for the day but no, felt exhausted. So while I went to bed Dave had a wander around the lake. I woke around lunchtime and got out of bed mid-afternoon, walked to a local bakery, had a cake and coffee, bought some strawberries and went back to bed! Got up for dinner, had dinner (found a reasonable local restaurant with tasty food) then back to the hotel, played cards and back to bed! Am hoping I sleep tonight and feel okay tomorrow. Fingers crossed, nighty nite xxx
09/05/2014 – Up and around Dalat again
Feeling much better this morning and managed some sleep, although Dave feels tired today; I think we might have picked up a little virus as my throat is a bit sore and we both feel a bit sniffly – but not enough to keep us in bed.
After another fantastic breakfast (ham, avocado, tomato and marmite baguette followed by honey yoghurt with banana and papaya, cup of tea and passion fruit juice) we got ready to go and explore Dalat some more. I was going to take the strawberries to nibble on but they were already going mouldy, yuk!
We got a taxi to the old railway station (actually the only station) for the train that takes you a few km’s (some say 5kms, others 7kms and some 8kms) to a town called Trai Mat. We were the only western tourists on the 2 carriages with others being from Vietnam and Japan. During the journey we went past many greenhouses of flowers and fields of vegetable crops and views of the towns on the way. Once we got to the station at the other end we were informed we had 40 minutes until the train set off back again; we didn’t have much time – we wanted to see a pagoda there and set off with the other passengers at some speed through the town.
We reached the pagoda (Linh Phuoc) and was amazed at what we saw. It was built between 1949 – 1952, renovated by the monk Thich Tam Vi in 1990 and more is being added to it today. It is in the Vietnam Record Book as the pagoda with the highest bell tower in Vietnam. The bell tower is nearly 38 meters high and houses a 4.3 meter, 8.5 ton bell..The pagoda is decorated with broken ceramic and glass bottles but in a cleverly designed way. The 49 metre winding dragon in the garden took 12000 bottles alone to decorate its scales. The Da Bao Tower is a 7 tiered, 27 metre tall tower which we walked up all 7 stories (with cloth coverings on our feet) and was rewarded with amazing views of the other buildings and temples as well as the scenery beyond. We quickly managed to see the temple and even quicker went past the Buddha made from eternal flowers to a carved Laughing Buddha in which I rubbed his belly for luck! It was such a shame we didn’t have time to explore this amazing place in detail, I’m sure we missed so much and in hindsight we should have got a taxi there so we could look at it in leisure.
After returning to the station in Dalat we walked towards the Xuan Huong Lake, stopping at a tiny pagoda in which they were getting a float ready for the upcoming festivals (at this time I am unsure what for but it is something to do with Buddhism, maybe Vesak?). Walking around the lake we saw other decorations being made for the celebrations, as well as men fishing in the lake (and the mud) and others having picnics. After a good walk we came to the Flower Garden and paid to go in. I had seen some good reviews of this but was disappointed with it – there were the same flowers all around the garden (albeit in different arrangements) and these flowers were ordinary ones that any of us have used to fill plant boxes and hanging baskets; I have even grown these so very easy to grow! It was quiet though, and there was some beautiful giant bonsai trees. One thing that upset me was seeing some horses that are used to pull carriages (but not often with few tourists around) tethered so tightly that they couldn’t move. They were obviously in distress and stamping their hooves on the ground.
Once we had looked around the garden we went to a café (Bich Cau) opposite by the lakeside; we were expecting it to be expensive but were pleasantly surprised at the quality and price of the food and drinks. I have to say, even though the gardens were small they were much better than the Flower Garden!
After lunch we got a taxi to Cap Treo Dalat (Dalat cable car) on Robin Hill which is the former battle field of Tan Lac. The cable car is 2267 meters long and goes at 1.5m/ sec. The cable car took us to Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest) Zen Monastery which is a working temple where they practice meditation. We saw monks and nuns walking around and chatted to one of the monks about New Zealand and his life at the monastery. The grounds are very peaceful and have beautiful tranquil views of the Tuyen Lam Lake and surrounding mountains. We walked through the grounds down to the lake where we saw quite a few Vietnamese teenagers fishing in groups with nets and showing off on their bikes, obviously a popular meeting area. There were the quirky pedal swans for hire to go around the lake and boats that would take you around too, we were too late for any of these and there was also a storm coming in from the mountains. We went back to the cable car for the return journey and enjoyed seeing the storm clouds coming in, taking hundreds of photos of them! Luckily, we only caught a little bit of rain and managed to find shelter, the storm appeared to have kept mainly to the hills. We walked to the bus station (about 10 minutes down a hill) where we got a taxi back to the hotel. Once showered and changed we went for dinner at the same café as last night and enjoyed our meal, we then sat outside a coffee shop watching the locals go past, Dave having a beer, myself a coffee. Back to the hotel for a game of cards and bed. Nighty nite xxx
10/05/2104 – Are we in Russia?
Why, why, why did I have that bloody coffee? After a full day out with plenty of exercise to tire me out I mess it up with a coffee (Vietnamese coffee is very strong too). It took me forever to get to sleep and then I only slept for about 3 hours, wide awake at 4am! Eventually Dave woke and we went for our last incredible breakfast (same as yesterday but I changed the butter for cheese spread) then packed ready to move on to Nha Trang.
The bus was very comfortable with plenty of leg space and after picking up a few people in the small towns just outside the city we headed for the mountains. The views were breath-taking, we could see down the valleys with many more mountains and plenty of waterfalls cascading down on the road besides us. The only problem was that the roads are very windy and the bus goes pretty fast. While I don’t normally suffer from travel sickness I did feel a bit queasy at times. There was no chance of sleeping either – when we tried we were nearly thrown over each other going around the bends or we were too much in awe at the landscape passing by.
Once we got to the bottom of the mountains we stopped at a little restaurant for a break. We watched a big pig cross the road at a leisurely pace then return, again leisurely. Not long after a storm came with thunder and lightning, winds and a massive downpour of rain. All of a sudden the pig went flying across the road, jumping the raised bit in the middle; it was so funny, I would have loved to have caught it on film! The rain continued to bounce down and the roads soon became flooded, but off we set again. On the road we saw trees that had fallen down over the road and we just managed to avoid them. It seemed as if we were chasing the storm and we eventually got ahead of it.
Once we arrived in Nha Trang we got a taxi to our hotel (Summer Hotel) and was given an upgrade – result! While I had a little nap Dave went for a wander then when he came back we went for a swim on the rooftop pool. There’s also a bar on the rooftop, very nice! After our swim we changed and went out for dinner. Nha Trang is absolutely swarming with Russians – they own most of the shops and restaurants and nearly all the doorways are adorned with Russian words – I honestly thought I’d been drugged on the bus and taken to Russia as some sort of joke! Now don’t get me wrong, I try to get on with everyone no matter where they’re from but the Russians are a law unto themselves. No matter how wide you smile at them they stay stoney faced and look down at you, they are arrogant and never use their manners, they are greedy and attempt to get everything as cheap as possible, even when they have heaps of money and the people they are buying off have nearly nothing and they think that everyone owes them something. Now, I am generalising here but in my experience this applies to most Russians I have come across. It’s going to drive me mad here!!!
We went to a lovely restaurant that was recommended by the hotel - good, tasty, fresh Vietnamese food and a beer. We then went to the beach front where there were locals practicing for the upcoming celebrations on a stage and saw a photo display along the walkway of various monks (including children) and nuns in different settings. Just as we had finished a storm started coming our way so we headed back to the hotel and the rooftop bar where we watched (and took more photos) of the lightning. After a game of pool (Dave JUST beat me!) we went back to our room. Looking forward to discovering Nha Trang tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
11/05/2014 – Waterfall, towers, pagoda and church
We hired a scooter today to see the attractions around Nha Trang. We set off to Ba Ho Waterfall with our backpack full of water, going along the coast road away from the city. The views were amazing, we went through fishing villages with their blue and red boats in the bays and along unspoilt coast with views of the mountains in the background and islands dotted around. After riding for about an hour or so, and taking one wrong turning (the locals were quick to point this out to us and sent us in the right direction), we went up a bumpy, rocky, muddy dirt road and finally came to the parking spaces. It cost us 32000 VND (about $1.50) to park the bike and enter the track towards the waterfall. There was loads of army transport at the beginning of the track and heaps of army guys the whole way along; some smiled and said hello, others just ignored us. I was dying to take a photo of them but felt too scared to!
At first the track was through some woodland which was pretty, and we got to see small lizards running through the bushes. After about 15 minutes we came to the river with massive boulders that we had to climb over, this wasn’t too bad at first but as we progressed the boulders got steeper and in some places there were iron hooks to grab onto – it wasn’t easy! We came to the first tier of the waterfall and felt quite disappointed; it was barely more than a trickle with a pool at the bottom. There were some teenagers swimming in the pool and jumping off the rocks into it, and the scenery was beautiful, but the waterfall wasn’t very good. Off we went to the second tier, guided by big red arrows. Again, we had to climb big boulders and again when we got to the second tier we were disappointed with the waterfall, but again the scenery was good. We decided that since we’d come this far we’d go to the third tier. At one point I was uncertain about continuing as it was difficult getting up the rocks and I was concerned about getting back down, but off we went! We had to wade through the river to get to the third tier, which was okay, but on the way back I stumbled and luckily managed to save the camera (think of saving a pint of beer when falling!).
At the third tier were again was disappointed with the ‘waterfall’, it was more of a cascade over rocks, but we were sweating buckets by this stage so jumped in (I kept my t-shirt on, firstly to give it a bit of a wash as it stunk, and secondly to keep me a bit cooler when I got out). There were a couple of Russians who managed to get the best spot which was actually under a little waterfall, but that was okay. After our soak we headed back to the scooter, the climb down wasn’t any easier! We had definitely come at the right time as because it was Sunday there were loads of locals going up with picnics and drinks. We also saw some tourists who were going up in just jandals (flip flops) and would have loved to have seen how they climbed in them!
We headed back towards the city to go and look at the Po Nagar Cham Towers which are a complex of towers built before 781 AD and belonged to the medieval principality of Khauthara, a small country near modern Nha Trang. If you hadn’t seen these sort of towers before you would have probably been impressed, but after seeing My Son last year in Vietnam and then the temples in Cambodia these didn’t impress us too much. The views from here were great though, we could see the local life and fishing boats on the Cai River and some of the city. We stopped for a drink and sat looking at the views then carried on with our tour.
Next we went to Long Son Pagoda which was founded in 19th century. The pagoda was first built on Mount Trai Thuy in 1886 and named Dang Long Pagoda. In 1990, however, it was damaged in a storm and then being rebuilt down the mountain to its present location. The new Long Son Pagoda is now the largest pagoda in Vietnam. It is dedicated to Buddhist monks and nuns who set themselves on fires to protest Diem regime. On the hilltop behind the pagoda, there is a huge Buddha seated on a blossoming lotus, there are 150 steps to get there, but about half way up there is an eighty meter sleeping Buddha. Close to the bottom is a hall that is used for prayers, we were lucky enough to be able to see the prayers being led by a monk, although I wasn’t allowed in as I was wearing shorts (I must remember to take my skirt when visiting religious sites). At the sleeping Buddha we sneakily jumped onto the platform and laid next to it to take photos, naughty but great pics! The views from the top were again great, with a 360 degree view over the city. There were quite a few people begging and trying to sell you something but we managed to ignore them. After we had finished at the top we felt very thirsty as it was f*****g hot (for a change) so bought a bottle of water from one of the vendors. She charged us 30000VND (about $1.50) and I never heard the last of it from Dave! Honestly, Carl Pilkington all over again (he keeps coming out with these gems) – ‘she’s robbed me blind, ripped me off, 30000 dong for water’ etc., etc. …… then when one of the beggars asked us for money he said to her ‘go and see that lady up there, she’s got plenty of my money’!
So, with Dave grumbling in my ear we made our way down to the bottom where we saw a school practicing for the festival and had decorated all their pushbikes, and across the road we saw a group of Vietnamese dressed up and looking ready to go in a parade – we waited for a while but nothing happened so off we set again.
Next stop was Nha Tho Nui (Nha Trang Cathedral), a Catholic church built in 1928 by the French. The church was beautiful and peaceful, sat on top of a hill and we made it just before mass (though didn’t stop) so had quite a few people in. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a Russian woman (young) go into mass with a tiny tight pair of denim shorts, a bikini top and a denim waistcoat that only just covered her bikini, across and down! I’m not religious but know that’s not respectful – I wonder what the priest thought?
We went back to the hotel after the church and had a dip in the pool to cool down. The pool is on the rooftop with fantastic views towards the mountains and over the city. After a rest we went back to the Lantern Restaurant for dinner then to the waterfront where we thought there was going to be celebrations for Vasek. When we arrived there was a monk on the stage so we thought we’d sit with the crowds, listen and wait for the show. After about 20 minutes the monk was still talking (continuously and in Vietnamese – obviously) so we went for a walk along the waterfront. When we returned about half an hour later the monk was still talking! A lot of people had seemed to have gone and we saw quite a few asleep. Dave, continuing from his Carl Pilkington moment earlier commented that he should have a catchword to get the crowd going, something like ‘3-2-1, bully’, and get the crowd up doing the Mexican wave. ‘He needs to get them involved, get the crowd with him’ he said – bloody mental (but hilarious!).
On our way back to the hotel we stopped to buy some water and got it for 10000 VND (about 50 cents) – well, Dave never shut up again! ‘I should go tell that other woman I get water 3 for 1 at this shop’!
Back to our room and bed. Nighty nite xxx
12/05/2014 – Beach and beers
Quite a lazy day – after breakfast we went to the beach which was full of Russians, we didn’t see anyone else that wasn’t from Russia! The beach at Nha Trang is clean and has vendor renting out sun loungers. The sea is a lot colder than it was in Phu Quoc and went very steep quickly, but it was great to get in and cool down. You can see the Island of ‘Vin Pearl’ and the cable car going across to it; Vin Pearl is a Russian owned island that has a resort, funfair and waterpark on it. We were going to go but after looking at the details I wouldn’t be able to go on most of the rides due to my vertigo, there would be too many crowds and queues, and it is expensive to go, so we gave it a miss. So, on the beach we sunbathed, swam and read a little then went for some lunch at our ‘local’ – the Lantern. After doing a little bit of shopping for shampoo, conditioner and milk we went back to the hotel where I had a kip and Dave went to the pool. After a very short kip (am sleeping as badly during the day as I do at night) I joined Dave by the pool.
In the evening we went back to Lanterns for dinner. The girls who work there are superb, great service but they always stop and chat with you; not like most places where they ask you questions then walk away without listening to the answers, these girls have proper conversations with you and you learn a lot about their culture and their views on current affairs and politics (they don’t like the Chinese!).
While we were eating our dinner we started chatting to a couple next to us who were from Manchester (Dawn and Chris). It seemed we had a lot in common as they love travelling and spur of the moment activities. They’re also going to New Zealand on a working visa and may end up living there, so any plumbers out there reading this give him a shout about work in NZ! We ended up chatting through our meal, getting a few more beers then going back to our hotel on the roof top bar and having a few more beers! We had to call it a night when the poor girl behind the bar told us she had to go home (we later realised she should have finished much earlier). We arranged to meet Dawn and Chris the next evening for dinner and went to bed. Dave pretty much crashed on the bed and snored straight away, I wasn’t too far behind him! Nighty nite xxx
13/05/2014 – Mountain motorbiking
Woke up with a stinking hangover, I did manage to sleep but obviously a drunken one! Dave wouldn’t leave me alone and nagged at me to get up as we had arranged to go out to the mountains on the motorbike (well, scooter). These were the mountains we had travelled through on the bus from Dalat and enjoyed them so much we wanted to go back and see them with no bus window in front of us and be able to take some proper photos. Having dragged myself out of bed we got our scooter and set off; it was beautiful day and being on the bike kept us a little cooler.
We rode through the city onto the main road and took what we thought was the road we came on in the bus. We soon came across a beautiful church and stopped for pictures; Dave thought we were on the wrong road but there could only be one road over the mountains to Dalat – surely they wouldn’t have built two roads through? So we carried on and passed kids coming out of school and little villages. We eventually joined up with the other road, apparently the one we was on was the old road and they built a new one.
After about an hour we started climbing the mountain road, great for bikes, quite curvy but wide. We stopped quite a few times for photographs though they couldn’t capture the true beauty of what we were seeing. We came to a set of waterfalls which also appeared to be a truck stop as there were drivers from tankers washing themselves in the waterfalls; I had to be careful at which ones I looked at as one had naked men scrubbing their bits! At the biggest of the three were some Vietnamese tourists who were very friendly and wanted their photos taken with us, so of course we obliged. All along the road we had locals waving and shouting hello at us, it was great! We came to the big waterfall we had seen on the bus, took photographs and climbed a little steeper to get the whole thing in the pics – it was a very steep and long waterfall. Along with this one was a very large, steep rock with lots of waterfalls cascading down; I would love to have seen it after a storm. Once we had seen this we set off back down the mountain.
About half way down we could really feel the difference in the temperature, it felt like we had rode into an oven it was that sudden. We got back to our hotel at around 2pm and went for a well-earned sleep!
I didn’t sleep for long (again!) and went to find Dave by the pool. There was a Russian lass on a lounger with only a cheese slicer on and shoving her arse in the air, and Dave says he hadn’t noticed her – yeah right! Another Russian couple came and got into the pool, probably about the same age as us, and they actually had fun – laughing, playing etc. it was great to see that some of them are actually human!
We met with Dawn and Chris at Lanterns again for dinner, although we all stayed on the soft stuff (cups of tea – grand!). After chatting for about 2 hours we decided to call it a day, I was knackered. Nighty nite xxx
14/05/2014 – mud baths
Got up reasonably early to go to the mud baths, we had arranged to be picked up by an electric car from the i-resort where the baths are (costing only $2 each way per person). We were the only ones picked up and felt like royalty, a great way to travel around the city though.
Once we got to the baths we were asked which option we wanted, starting form $10 for the use of the pools, up to $150 for a private bungalow, treatments and food; we opted for the $15 one which would give us a mud bath and the use of all the pools all day (the top option would have been lovely!). We were shown to the changing rooms where we were given a towel, a bottle of water and a key for our lockers, after which we were shown to our mud bath. Tis was quite a big bath just for the two of us and was filled with – well, mud! The mud was quite runny and hot, but it felt wonderful when we got in. I always thought you would sink in mud, even runny mud, but we couldn’t stop floating. It felt great rubbing the mud all over and feeling the softness of your skin underneath. We asked one of the lads who works there to take a photo of us, Dave lifted his arm to put around me, throwing mud in my eye as he did, so we have a great pic of me looking half blind and winking! No sympathy from Dave, even though it hurt like hell and took me ages to rinse it out.
We seemed to be in the mud bath for ages and saw some Russian groups asked to get out before us even though they got in after us – maybe the Vietnamese don’t like them either? After a good soak we were eventually asked to get out and go into the shower. The shower was in a circular hut and came on with sensors directing fast flowing water straight onto us. It took a while to get the mud from the crevices (of our swimsuits – what else!) and we went to explore the rest of what was on offer.
Firstly we went into a water cascade from the floor up, again with sensors, then we went into a ‘needle’ shower that came from all directions. After that it was water been shot straight from the floor into the air, as soon as I stood in it the water shot straight up my nose! On to the waterfalls, there were plenty to choose from with pools that were very warm to others that were cool. I think we tried them all throughout the day, some were three tiers. A trio of older Russian women were taking photographs of each other, two at a time; I asked one of them if they wanted me to take a photo of all three but she brushed me away with a grimace on her face – see, I keep trying but they’re miserable arrogant people! Well, I have to be fair, one lady did smile and attempt to talk to us (we couldn’t understand each other), and a family spoke to us on the electric car back to the hotel. I have to point out too – the younger ones love to pose, not fun poses like we would do but serious, professional poses where they push their bot up, tits out and pout between their strategically placed strands of hair. There wee dozens flying around the different water features doing this. Of course, this only encouraged Dave to do his poses; for those who have already seen the pics you’ll know what I’m talking about!
After the waterfalls we relaxed in a hot mineral pool, it was very pretty and serene, surrounded by a circular thatched straw roof with no middle for the sun to come through. After lunch we did a few more waterfalls then relaxed again until it was time to go. I was shattered! We went back to the hotel and had a rest, first picking up our laundry from a little shop across the road. For anyone thinking of travelling Asia, don’t give your laundry to the hotel, take it to a little shop. Our hotel was charging by the item, a t-shirt would have cost us 40000 dong, a pair of knickers 20000 dong; we got all our laundry (15 items in total) done for 60000 dong (about $3) and they were spotlessly clean, smelt great and folded professionally in plastic bags – bargain!
In the evening we met up with Dawn and Chris at an Indian restaurant that they had recommended. It was as good as they said and reasonably priced too, we paid 150 dong each ($7.50) for a starter, main, naan bread, rice and a beer. We had another enjoyable evening, said our goodbyes and went back to pack – off on the road tomorrow to Danang. Nighty nite xxx
15/05/2014 – Fly to Danang and bed!
We had to be up at 6am this morning as we had a car picking us up to go to Danang. We had decided to fly as we found some cheap tickets and it would only take an hour, instead of the hours and hours by bus or train. We had breakfast, finished packing and set off for the airport. The journey was unspectacular, though in the car I kept nodding off and also on the plane. When we arrived in Danang we got taxi (who ripped us off) to the hotel, booked in then I had to go to sleep, I just couldn’t stay awake. Dave went for a walk, woke me an hour later to get into the room, and I instantly fell asleep again. Dave later went back out, leaving me asleep. Each time I woke I couldn’t stay awake! I slept for pretty much most of the day, eventually getting up to go and get some dinner. It took us ages to find somewhere to eat, most places were coffee shops (and full of locals), but we managed to find a local Vietnamese restaurant. The food was okay (instant noodles!) and it was a bit pricey, but all I wanted to do was get back to the hotel to sleep! I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep during the night but I did, only waking to turn (the bed is VERY hard and I become numb, then have to turn to let my other side become numb!). I don’t know what is going on but that’s the second time in a week I’ve had to sleep – Mmmm ……….
16/05/2014 – Lady Buddha and Marble Mountain
Surprisingly I slept well last night and woke feeling better. We showered and dressed then went out to look for breakfast, our hotel didn’t do any. Walking towards the river front we were stopped by an ‘EasyRrider’. An Easy Rider was originally an organisation that takes tourists on bike tours, it was so popular that many others have jumped on the band-wagon, some good, some not so, but it’s difficult to know who’s who. This guy was friendly enough and spoke good English, we said we didn’t want anyone at the moment (after telling us his prices) and left with his card. 10 meters down the road we were stopped again by two other ‘riders’; at this point Dave’s blood sugar must have been low because he was very rude to them – when they asked where he was from he shouted ‘Argentina’ and stomped off – he just needed breakfast and coffee!!
We had difficulty finding somewhere for breakfast and ended up at quite a posh bar – great breakfast but posh prices to go with it! While eating breakfast we discussed what we were going to do that day and decided to get an Easy Rider to go to some of the sights in Danang. We walked the way we came but couldn’t find one anywhere – that’s karma for Dave’s rudeness! After walking along the waterfront for about 20 minutes we decided to go back to the hotel and phone the first guy.
Within ten minutes we had two Easy Riders and agreed to a price of $20 for the trip for the both of us. We set off towards Linh Ung – Bai But Pagoda which is also home to the 67-meter-high statue of the Bodhisattva of Mercy (Lady Buddha), on Son Tra Peninsula. The pagoda, which broke ground in 2004, is the third Linh Ung pagoda built in Danang City after the first at Ngu Hanh Son Mountain and the second at Chua Mountain. The statue construction has been recognized as the highest Bodhisattva of Mercy statue nationwide. It is 17-meters in diameter and has 17 floors. Each floor worships a different Buddha. The 17th floor has a flight of stairs leading to the statue’s head.
The ride was very comfortable, much better than the scooters we have ridden. The bikes are only 150cc but look much bigger, it’s amazing how much they can carry and where they can go. We went over one of the bridges over the river and stopped half way to look at the views. The rider explained that five years ago there was only one bridge, but since the new government there are now seven bridges. There are some spectacular ones, including the Dragon Bridge which ‘spits’ out fire and water every Saturday evening – unfortunately we forgot about this and booked to go to HoiAn on Saturday. Anhow, I digress – we continued over the bridge and along ‘China Beach’ towards the pagoda, climbing an hill to get there. Once at the top the bikes were parked and we were left to explore the grounds. There were a few other tourists there but not too many to get in the way.
The Lady Buddha is a spectacular view and can only be seen fully from a distance. There is a laughing Buddha on the edge of the courtyard that’s sits in front of the Lady, a great contrast for the photographs (and laughing Buddha’s are my favourite). The temple was being renovated at the front and was boarded up, but access was allowed around the edge of the board. We had timed it just right, as we got to the temple a group of five or six monks were walking around the temple singing their prayers – it makes the visit much more authentic. The courtyard in front of the temple has carved white marble statues with a man on an animal (dragon, lion, goat etc.). Other buildings around the grounds were also interesting and beautifully decorated. The views were spectacular, with Danang Beach and the Cham Islands in the background, the Marble Mountains and Hai Van Pass in the other direction. Although it was great looking around it was extremely hot (about 40 degrees) and we were getting sweaty and thirsty (even after drinking about a litre of water each within half an hour) so went back to the bikes. We stopped for more water from one of the street vendors on the way down the hill and continued on to Marble Mountain.
On the way to Marble Mountain we stopped at ‘China Beach’ (so called for the American GI’s during the war), otherwise known as ‘Non Nuoc Beach’, ‘My Khe Beach’. Just before are the ruins of a military base in the form of helicopter hangars that are easily missed unless pointed out. The beach was very quiet with hardly anybody on it, surprising as it is a lovely clean beach. This part of the beach is public but it runs for miles up the coast and most of it has been bought by private holiday villas and villages (which also appeared empty). We had heard that due to the disagreements between China and Vietnam this last week (disputes over part of the South China Sea) that many Chinese tourists had cancelled their holidays leaving the hotels virtually empty. We had the chance to have a swim in the sea but there was nowhere for us to change so we continued onto the Marble Mountain.
Marble Mountain is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son ward, south of Danang city. The five 'mountains' are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances (there are seven caves in total) and numerous tunnels, I think we managed to find all the caves (they were a relief from the sun as well as being dramatic inside). We were directed to a path that led to steps to ‘Heaven’, as the woman informed us; climbing these steps, in the baking midday sun, that seemed to never end, got steeper and had no shade, we decided they actually must go to hell! However, at the top (after we got our breath back) the 360 degree views were amazing, looking out over the other mountains, coast and the city. However, we were so hot the sweat was running down my t-shirt from my neck, from my stomach upwards (and down) and from my armpits – all meeting in the middle, as well as all over my back and running down my legs! Close to one of the smaller caves we were harassed by one of the local young men, telling us to go to different points for the ‘lucky Buddha’ – we told him numerous times we would look at our own pace, making it obvious we didn’t want him around. He became quite a pest and we had to get quite rue towards him to make him leave us alone; when we had finished in that area he had the cheek to ask for money – luckily some other tourists came along that took his attention away from us! Several Buddhist sanctuaries and Pagodas can also be found within the mountains with some fascinating buildings to look at. We spent nearly two hours looking around at all the sights but in the and the heat got to us and we returned to the bottom.
As we got to the bottom of the steps we were greeted by a woman who owns (or works) in one of the Marble shops (there are many) on her bike. She gave us a lift to the café where our riders were waiting and then gave us the hard sell to get us to buy something from her shop. I actually gave in and bought a little marble laughing Buddha, probably because I was so hot and tired and it was easier than arguing with her!
We told our riders that we were ready to go back to our hotel to rest, however, they stopped at a little coffee stall and while drinking our coffee they showed us a photo album of all their trips with tourists and a book of recommendations from the same, obviously wanting us to book more trips with them. Dave mentioned he’d like to do the Hai Van Pass so they said they could take us over it to Hue for $50 each. We didn’t commit to anything but told them they could take us to HoiAn the following day (at only $5 a day it was much cheaper than a taxi). They appeared happy with this and returned us to our hotel.
After having a rest and a shower and changed we went to look for a Thai restaurant that Dave said was only five minutes away. After trailing around the streets for 40 minutes, nearly collapsing with hunger and getting very ratty with each other we decided Dave didn’t have a clue where it was and made our way to the riverfront. We found a lovely restaurant, a bit pricy but the food was delicious. After our meal we walked along the riverfront to the dragon bridge, it is beautiful at night; all lit up ad changes colours every few minutes. The bridges on either side also do a light show. The front was crowded with locals and their children, the most people we had seen all day. We went back to the hotel and fell exhausted into bed. Nighty nite xxx
17/05/2014 – Hoi An bound
We went out to find some breakfast determined to get some street food and not pay the silly prices of restaurants as we did yesterday. We found a street vendor selling Bahn Mi which is a baguette filled with various fillings (eg Bahn Mi xiu mai is a baguette filled with crushed pork meatballs). We had a bahn mi with pork belly and salad which was delicious and cost 75 cents each! We then walked down to the riverside for coffee and found a café that sold chocolate iced donuts – how could we refuse? So what started as a cheap brekkie ended up slightly more expensive (another $3 on top). While we were sat in the café they were taking down a glass cabinet off the wall, it must have been there for a long time and was screwed on. One old guy attempted to lift it and there was a shattering of glass. Others went to help and then Dave got up to help. It took 5 guys in the end to move it.
We had a walk along the riverfront but it was very hot, even that early in the morning, so we went back to the hotel for a shower and to pack. The Easy Rider guys came to pick us up at 11am and off we went to Hoi An. The journey was pleasant and as we got close to Hoi An we stopped at a bridge, we thought to look at the views, but in reality it was so they could badger us for the trip to Hue with them. We told them we would get in touch with them when we were leaving. They were also badgering us to stop at their friends’ hotel even though we already had one booked!
We got to our homestay which looked great, it’s only just opened so everything is brand new. Our room is large with a king size bed, TV with cable, kettle (very important), AC (even more important) and a fantastic bathroom fully tiled with marble and a walk in shower. The homestay also has a pool with sun loungers and a lovely garden. We were greeted warmly and dropped our luggage, changed into our togs and jumped into the pool! After we had chilled by the pool for a couple of hours we showered and set off towards the Ancient Town of Hoi An; we were told it was about 3km away. Yeah right, 3km my foot – we spent a long hot, sweaty hour walking through the last of the sun to get to the town. We finally got there, walked through the market and past the dozens of people trying to sell you anything from a handmade fan to a boat trip and collapsed into a restaurant that had been recommended to us (Thuan Y). We ordered our meal and watched the day wind down on the riverside. I went to take some photos on the riverside and got badgered by a lady on a rowing boat to go out for a trip; I told her I was eating so she rowed close to the restaurant and kept her eye on me; when we had finished I had to make a quick getaway hiding at the side of Dave!
We walked through part of the town and went towards the Japanese Bridge which takes you to the Old Town. They started to charge tourists $6 to go into the Old Town a few weeks ago and there was a guard that was asking other tourists if they had their tickets as we walked towards to it. We attempted to walk past but he shouted towards us asking about our tickets – ‘oh yes’, I said, going to look into my bag then exclaim we had left them in the hotel, but as soon as I went towards my bag he said okay and let us continue. Once in the Old Town we walked down the street; I couldn’t believe it was the same street I had walked down last year with my friend Sue. Last year it was heaving with tourists, with the street lit up by hundreds of lanterns above and alongside. This time there was hardly anyone around, we probably saw twenty people walking down the street and back; a lot of the shops were also closed, nothing like the bustling street I had previously seen. I think part of it is due to it being the low season, but also partly due to the new charges. I’d be really pissed off if I was a vendor there as they must be losing a lot of business – the shops and restaurants on the other side of the bridge are no different, yet have far many more customers.
After looking around for a while we walked back to the main streets and got a taxi back to our homestay. We played cards for a while before watching the FA cup final between Arsenal and Hull – it was an exciting game which went to extra time, we so wanted Hull to win but Arsenal finally beat them. We eventually managed to go to sleep early hours of the morning, nighty nite xxx
18/05/2014 – Hai Van Pass
Today we decided to go over the Hai Van Pass. This was on Dave’s ‘have to do’ list since he saw it on Top Gear so couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We were initially going to do it on the way to Hue with the ‘Easy Riders’ but they wanted $50 each. Instead we hired the scooter for $5 from the homestay, put in another $5 of petrol and set off!
We had to ride through Danang again and took the road heading towards the mountain. That road had great views itself as it was alongside the beach. We stopped to go to a loo there and a took a few photos of the locals fishing and swimming in the sea (no tourists around). We headed to the mountain and started to climb it; our scooter was only a small one, probably about 100cc so we were going quite slowly. Around every corner there were spectacular views of the coastline, city and islands and we stopped to take photos at many of them. But – there are also the locals at every good vantage point trying to sell you something, coffee (they carry a thermos around with them) and trinkets; honestly, they appear from nowhere, I’m sure they must hide behind the trees!
At the top there is the old fortifications built by the French and then later used by the South Vietnamese and the Americans during the war. As we approached this we heard shouts from numerous vendors based at the top – ‘you come here madam’, ‘sir, coffee at my shop’, ‘madam, you buy here’, we were swamped before we even arrived! We ignored all the shouts and pleas, parked our scooter and had a look at the old buildings and the views.
Going down the other side was just as beautiful and we were beginning to wonder if the ‘Top Gear’ show had been edited to show other views rather than the end one as they were so spectacular. However, once we got close to the bottom we rounded a corner and in typical tourist style said ‘wow’! This was definitely the wow scene they had filmed on Top Gear, there was the beautiful, clear blue sea (I haven’t seen any sea as blue apart from in NZ) coming into a bay with 2 bridges crossing, a village surrounded by the sea with a stretch of beach where a couple of kids were playing, and the mountains as a backdrop. It truly was spectacular.
We crossed one of the bridges which took us through the town, we were looking at how to get onto the beach as it was very hot and we wanted a dip. There were holiday resorts along the road, most of them looked deserted but we didn’t want to risk going and getting turned away so we continued along the road. We came to a small side road which we took, and came to the beach. There were two parking areas in which two guys were directing us towards – we parked in one and went to his small café on the beach where we were given a ‘menu’ – 3 sheets of paper stapled together. The menu was obviously translated very badly as there were meals such as ‘ink drying oven’, ‘stone crab rang me’, and ‘almost grill’, unless they were exotic dishes we haven’t heard of! I really wish I had a translator with me so we could have made their menu legible for them. We had two cans of sprite!!!
There was one more couple at the café with us who changed and went for a swim; we soon followed. The beach was beautiful, the sea clear and cool, and it was deserted for miles both ways! After relaxing and cooling down for about an hour we set off back across the pass. There is a tunnel through the pass that the majority of heavy traffic goes through, motorbikes and vehicles containing flammable liquids are not allowed through, this makes the pass easier and safer to travel on by bike; before the tunnel was built the pass was a dangerous place to drive/ ride over. We had no problems at all and were waved at and shouted at (nicely, usually ‘hello’s’) by the locals.
Arriving back in Danang we stopped at a New Zealand ice-cream shop, proclaiming it was 100% NZ ice-cream. I’m not sure how it’s shipped all the way over without it melting ;-) It did taste good but it didn’t beat Kapiti’s ice-cream!
The road through Danang and back to Hoi An was quiet, probably because it was a Sunday. It made for an enjoyable ride and we were able to take in the sights and sounds (mostly weddings) on our return. Once back in Hoi An we went to the Old Town, parked our scooter and had walk around; again, it was deserted which felt really strange after the crowds from last year, but apparently it is the low season. When we got back on the scooter we asked one of the locals how to get back onto the road towards our homestay – she gave us simple directions and off we went. Of course, Dave thought he knew where he was going and took no notice of the directions given, and before long we were lost again! Dave’s excuse – ‘I only went where you told me to go’; I hadn’t opened my mouth!! We got a bit cross with each other and carried on, eventually coming to the main road into Hoi An, so took the long way round on the coast road which got us back. We dived into the pool to cool down; we were literally melting in the heat.
After cooling down, relaxing and then getting ready for dinner we went to a restaurant called ‘Son’ that had been highly recommended to us by a guy who does a food tour (more on that later). The restaurant was across the road from the river in a beautiful garden setting; we sat so we could see across to the river. We ordered traditional meals, I got a cassava noodle salad (bún sắn (khoai mì) tôm thị) - The noodle is made of cassava root by the highland villagers which is boiled and the noodle mixed with fresh boiled shrimp, slice pork, broken peanut and many kind of herbs; Dave ordered harvest cake (Bánh xèo) – a thin cake made of rice flour & egg, topped with shrimp, pork, bean sprout, and comes with rice paper to roll it in; served with many kinds of vegetable & fish sauce. Dave had to be shown how to prepare his meal for eating – the ‘cake’ had to be cut into strips then placed on rice paper with the other items and rolled tightly. It took Dave a few attempts to get it right but he eventually managed it in a fshion. Both meals were delicious and the service was perfect. My biggest treat though had to be ………………….. a very large cup of tea! It probably held about ½ pint of delicious tea with milk, heaven!
After a full and adventurous day we went to bed full and happy. Nighty nite xxx
19/05/2014 – Walking food tour - Hoi An.
I had to be up early this morning as I was getting picked up at 6.55am to go on a walking food tour. I was going without Dave as the tour was quite expensive and would have been a lot for two of us (I pulled the lucky straw). The minibus arrived on time and I was greeted by Neville, a retired Aussie who has lived in Hoi An for over 4 years with his long suffering wife Noleen (his words). His tour ‘A taste of Hoi An’ is very popular and gets fully booked daily. We picked up another seven people in the bus then met another six at a café we started from. There were a group of five guys from America and Canada then the rest were from Australia (two originally from Birmingham and another two originally from New Zealand). We started with a fruit and ice drink, the ice was mashed up with the fruit and gave us plenty of vitamins to start the day; it was very delicious – I would have loved to have said ‘yummy’ but in Vietnam it is a cheeky, saucy word and could get you into trouble with someone of the opposite sex!
I won’t tell you everything we tried, but to summarise, we walked around the market, stopped at various street stalls along the way trying the local foods; a couple of my favourites were the black sesame seed and water health elixir, silken tofu with ginger sauce and of course the coffee ice lollies! We stopped at a café for some tasters of dishes with explanations of each and stories of Vietnamese culture then we carried on and ended at a restaurant in the Old Town where Neville’s’ wife and helpers had been preparing dishes that take longer to prepare. All in all, the tour was interesting and I learnt more about the local food which is never a bad thing.
As well as the food we met some great characters along the way. First up was a bloke who lost a foot and has a strange looking ‘cup’ fixed to his leg. He loves meeting the people on the tour and will happily pose for photos with his toothy grin and ‘v’ sign. Secondly we met the ‘banh mi’ queen – banh mi is bread, usually the French baguettes; the lady here is well known for her delicious fillings in her banh mi’s and also loves posing for photos. Next we came across a ninety odd year old lady who was so sweet. She sat on a little stool and enjoyed people sitting next to her for a photo, and better still a little cuddle – of course I obliged! We also saw other characters along the way, in the market and on the street. One of the biggest characters was Neville himself, full of stories and wise cracks!
On my return to the homestay I found Dave say around the table having just finished his lunch that the owners generously provided for him. We sat and chatted with the owner, via translation through one of the staff, for a while then went for a rest.
In the evening we went to find a restaurant that again had been recommended by Neville, it was a seafood restaurant on the beach. We were told by the staff at the homestay that it was far away (about 5km) so instead we had a walk along the beach then came back to the restaurant we ate at yesterday. Again the food was delicious and service great. Again, my giant cup of tea made my night! Off to bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
20/05/2014 – Exploring the Old Town
We got up, showered, had breakfast then set off to the Old Town of Hoi An on the scooter to discover some of its old buildings. It was bloody hot again so we got there as early as possible to try to avoid the midday sun. The Old Town sells tickets for $5 which enables you to go into some of the old houses, assembly rooms and museums.
First we went to Phuc Kien which is an old Chinese assembly hall - Originally, the house was a thatched pagoda called Kim Son, which was built by Viet people living in Hoi An in 1692. The pagoda was dedicated to Buddha. Over the course of time it was damaged, and in 1759 the owners had to sell it to the rich Phuoc Kien traders from China who came to Hoi An, so that it could be restored. After the restoration, the pagoda was renamed “Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall’. The hall and grounds are decorated richly, with many animal paintings and statues. Just as we were going into the gardens at the back a group of French tourists went out there, so we waited in the cool hall until they had finished.
Next stop was a dash down to a building where there was a performance of traditional song and dance. We probably missed the first 5 minutes of this but what we did see was wonderful – the first ‘artist’ was wearing traditional costume with a long beard and painted face and did a fokelore dance. There were people on the back of the stage playing traditional instruments. We also saw a traditional type of flute being played, a group of 3 women dancers and a woman singing. A very pleasant ½ hour spent.
From there we went to go to a house but this was closed up; instead we found anther house - Tan Ky Old house which is an almost perfect example of a 18th merchant’s residence. The name Tan Ky, meaning “Progress Shop”, was given to the house by the second generation to express the owner’s wish for a prosperous business. In spite of the decline in business of the town and the huge devastation of annual floods, seven generations of the family have continuously strive to keep the house in good condition. Therefore though it’s not the oldest, Tan Ky is the most well-preserved in Hoi An. We were given a talk and a tour about the history of the house by a Vietnamese girl who spoke very good English then was left alone to explore further in our own time. It was interesting that every year around October/ November when the floods come they have to move the furniture upstairs through a smallish square hole in the ceiling – it must be incredibly heavy work as the furniture is made from heavy wood.
On we went to look for another house but the address given for it was a silk embroidery picture shop. We had a look in there and was amazed by the detail and work in the pictures. One that caught my eye was of an old man, approximately 180cm x 120cm; when I asked how long it would take to complete this I was told it would take 9 months – that was how much detail was in it. There were some amazing pictures, our favourites were the old people, but others were of flowers, birds, large pictures depicting a Vietnamese scene, and laughing Buddha’s with his cherubs. We were going home I would have been tempted to buy one of these!
Another place we visited was a gallery with photographs of Hoi An and it’s people; again this was very interesting, especially the pictures of the floods. We didn’t realise Hoi An flooded so much; there were photos of rowing boats going down the streets above the first levels of some houses!
We stopped for a cold drink by the side of the river as it was very hot and we were starting to wilt. It’s annoying sat by the river (and street) as when you are trying to relax you constantly get badgered by people trying to sell you something; I swear we had the same guy come around twice in 5 minutes trying to sell us some cards. We just want to be left alone!!!
The last place we visited was the history and culture museum which sounded interesting but in fact was very boring unless you were an archaeologist. There were a few display cabinets in which were some old pots and coins that had been dug up, along with photographs of the sights where they were found. I think we were so hot, sticky and drained by this time we didn’t have the energy to look and read the signs properly, so we went.
Dave went to buy a bottle of water, he said before he went he wasn’t going to get ripped off again; so when the woman told him it was 15000 dong (75 cents) he walked away – she called him back again and sold it to him for 10000 dong ($1). Haha, he’s becoming ruthless!!
We got to the scooter and managed to get back to the homestay without getting lost – only because we rode to the post office, turned left, parked up and did the trip in reverse – pretty good for us two! While we had the bike we went to look for the seafood restaurant that had been recommended to us by Neville on An Bang Beach, we found it by luck more than anything else. On the way back I got Dave to drop me off at a ‘spa’ to get my nails done – well overdue, I could have climbed trees with my overhanging toe nails!
Once back at the homestay we had a dip in the pool to cool down, a rest then got changed to go to the restaurant. When we got there we asked for the special ‘Neville’ set menu only to be told it was for 2 people – that was no good as I don’t eat seafood! We did get some incredible spring rolls though, and the main meal was delicious, but again, Dave didn’t get his big seafood meal. Oh well, bed with a full tummy. Nighty nite xxx
21/05/2014 – lazy dayz
We decided to have a lazy day today, the weather is so hot and it drains all the energy from you, so after a few days in the blistering heat we spent the day by the pool. Whenever we got too hot we’d jump in the pool, then we’d sit by the side in the shade (really – no sunbathing for us!) and read, do puzzles, play cards or simply relax.
Just after lunch one of the girls who works at the homestay (in case I forgot to mention its name before it’s called Garden Aroma) approached us and said they had a special cake for us at 3pm as a goodbye gift (we were leaving the day after). What a wonderful thought; they really have been fantastic here, very helpful and friendly, going out of their way to please us. Just before 3pm we went to put some clothes on and were directed to the table, before us was a feast! There were ‘white roses’ which is a Hoi An speciality – a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent dough bunched up to look like a rose, another type of dumpling and “Banh it la gai”, a sticky rice with green beans wrapped in banana leaf. We couldn’t believe how generous they were to us.
There was a lass who had checked in the day before sat by herself on a table opposite so we invited her to join us, which she did. What a mistake! She was from the Ukraine (nothing wrong with that), but everything we talked about she made into a negative. She had been travelling for about 5 months so you would have thought she had seen enough to be grateful for what she had. There wasn’t one thing we spoke about that she didn’t find something wrong with, it was hard going!
Not long after the Ukraine lass went and we were joined by a woman called Laura from the UK who was with her husband Dave – yes, another Dave! They are travelling for 3 years and have already travelled for a long time (I can’t remember exactly, think it was about 2 years?). We were having a really good chat with her and Dave got the rest of the wine out. Laura and Dave have got very similar views to us, in that life is short and you have to live it now before it’s too late. A little later we were joined by a German woman (Claudia) and her 5 yr old (nearly 6) son called Alexandria. They too had been travelling for about 2 years but had to shortly return to Germany as her son was starting school. It’s amazing how many people are actually travelling for such long periods of time.
After chatting for a couple of hours we decided we would go to the beach to get donuts for dinner. Unfortunately, we were too late when we got there and went to a little restaurant instead. The food was delicious and if you didn’t like your meal they would change it for another dish; if you didn’t like that they wouldn’t charge you! When we were asked if we liked our food we jokingly said it was terrible – she nearly swiped our plates and was ready to bring another one when we told her we was joking! Luckily she saw the funny side of it. Back to our room to chill a little more. Nighty nite xxx
22/05/2014 – Train to Hue
We got up for breakfast and ended up at the dining table for about an hour as we chatted to Claudia, Laura and Dave. A very entertaining and interesting conversation which evolved around Dave’s side line career; he’s a ghost writer and writes a specific genre, which I won’t say, but gave us lots of entertainment!
We eventually tore ourselves away to go and pack – we were moving on to Hue (pronounced Whey, not Who-ey) this afternnon. After packing everything but our togs and clothes we were travelling in we spent the rest of the morning by the pool (yes, again!). Laura, bless, came back around lunch time, said she saw donuts and was going to buy them for Dave but thought we’d already be gone. We do meet the best people! I had a chat with Laura while Dave was in the room then before we knew it it was time to go.
We had booked a car to take us to the train station in Danang. On arriving the station was packed full of people, the train to Ho Chi Minh City was running about 45 late (which isn’t unusual) so the waiting room was full of people for 2 trains. We chatted to a couple from Sydney, the guy was quite strange and the way he talked about train stations obviously a train spotter. His wife was originally from the Philippines, much younger, intelligent and very beautiful. We see it so much in Asia, sad women have to resort to that for any kind of life.
Eventually the train to HCMC arrived and 2/3 of the people left the waiting room. Our train was also late but only by about 25 minutes. I chatted to 3 young people from South America, 2 from Ecuador the third from Colombo. Once we got on the train we sat in our seats (these are allocated when you buy your ticket) and found that we were on the wrong side for the views – the train goes along the Hai Van Pass. The South Americans were also on the wrong side. As the train set off the South Americans found an empty seat at the back on the good side – damn, I should have been more nosey! I stood to see some of the views but this was made difficult by the locals pulling the curtains over the windows. Eventually, the SA’s waved me over to take the seat, but the best views were already past – luckily we had done the Pass a few days earlier on the scooter. Myself and Dave looked at the views while I took some photos (they didn’t come out too well as the window was filthy), then Dave sat back in our seats. One of the guys from Ecuador sat next to me and we had a really good chat about life and travel. This is one of the reasons I love travelling, it brings people together. I also had a brief chat with a local guy, he was going to Hue for business, his family run a stationary business and he’s the salesman for it.
We arrived in Hue and was bombarded with the usual taxi drivers vying for business. One driver told us he would take us to our hotel for $4 even though he didn’t know where it was, then it went up to $5! After some serious bartering we got the taxi for $3 and finally go to the hotel (Holiday Diamond Hotel). I had stayed in this hotel last year with Sue, and although it wasn’t posh it was clean with fantastic service. We wasn’t let down this time either, as soon as we stepped into the hotel our luggage was taken straight into our rooms while we were given a refreshing drink and fruit. We were given a map with directions to the main sights and informed of options for tours and transport (not pushy though). We were then taken to our room and shown around (didn’t take long, it’s not very big) and left to our devises.
We cooled down, had a rest then went out for dinner. We decided we’d like a burger as we’ve eaten Vietnamese food for weeks now and fancied a change. We made a bad decision as to the restaurant we chose (Le Garden), the burger was ‘plastic’, even worse than McDee’s, when we were asked if the meal was ok and we said ‘no, not really’, the girl just smiled and walked away! The burgers sat heavy on our stomachs all night. We then went to the ‘DMZ’ bar, one I went to last year, and had a beer. As we walked in a guy sat outside with 2 other guys greeted Dave like an old pal; Dave greeted him back the same way – unreal but funny! The DMZ bar has a great atmosphere and the staff service is fantastic. They are friendly and helpful with a sense of humour, unlike the restaurant we had just been to which was very false.
After a drink we headed back to our room, Dave was straight asleep at 8.30pm! Nighty nite xxx
23/05/2014 – Citadel - Hue
Dressed and down for breakfast – we were treated to a pho bo (beef noodle soup), what most Vietnamese have for breakfast and sets you up for the day. We followed this with some scrumptious fruit – papaya, rambutan, mangosteen, pineapple, custard apple, dragon fruit, passion fruit and sapodilla (we had his over 2 breakfasts, the fruit changes daily). All swilled down with a cup of tea.
After breakfast we set off walking to the Citadel which is about 25 minutes away. We set off at about 8.15am and as soon as we stepped outside we were sweating; after 10 minutes we were already drenched in sweat – 40 degrees with humidity at 45% - it was going to be a tough one! We walked along the river towards the bridge we needed to cross, along the way we passed two coffee bars/ cafes that were heaving with locals. I’m not sure if I’ve already explained this, and excuse me if I’m repeating myself, but the Vietnamese will buy a coffee (comes in a small cup) and with it comes unlimited amounts of tea (a delicious, refreshing tea), so they will sit for an hour, maybe two, with their coffee and drinks cups of free tea; they ain’t as daft as they look! We promised ourselves we would stop on the way back for a coffee.
We got to the Citadel, wet through and stinking, already having drank a litre of water. Unfortunately we got there about the same time as the tour groups, but we’re getting quite good at being able to avoid these. A little bit about the Citadel: The Citadel Complex of Hue, set up by Nguyen Dynasty from 1805 to 1945, is now one amongst the relics of the Hue ancient Capital – the World Culteral Heritage. The poetic and beautiful Hue of Vietnam was chosen to be the capital of the Southern Kingdom under Nguyen Lords’ Dynasty, and officially became the nation's capital under Tay Son Dynasty, King Quang Trung. The citadel palace complex is located on the North bank of Huong River (Perfume River). inside Hue city. It is a huge complex covering an area of 520ha and comprising three circles of ramparts, Kinh Thanh Hue (Hue Capital Citadel), Hoang Thanh (Royal Citadel) and Tu Cam Thanh (Forbidden Citadel). It was said to be protected by the two sand dunes: The Con Hen and Con Da Vien on the Perfume River, as "dragon on the left, tiger on the right".
Basically, the place is huge!!! We set off exploring the grounds, buildings, temples, gates and corridors. A lot of the place has been, and still is, been restored as it has been damaged through time by the weather and wars. We managed to avoid most of the other tourists and found some fantastic buildings along the side that tour groups don’t seem to go to. We had to keep stopping to rest and replenish our liquids; it was very tiring in the heat. Last year when I visited with Sue we dressed up in traditional royal family clothing and had our photographs taken, we wanted to do the same this time but didn’t as a) there were too many people in the hall, many of whom were dressed up themselves, and b) we were so sticky and wet with sweat we didn’t want to embarrass ourselves and ruin the costumes. Instead we watched an Asian family, children included, do the deed; it gave us some entertainment, the men were good at posing and acting like emperors, the children were extremely cute!
Once we had seen most of the Citadel we decided we would leave by the way we came in, when we got there we were told we had to go out of a side gate that we had just come from, a good ten minute walk in the sweltering heat – we wasn’t happy, especially as we had to walk back around past the main entrance to get back to our hotel.
We walked back the same we had come, with our sense of direction we didn’t want to get lost, and stopped at the coffee bar for an iced coffee (and free tea – 3 cups of delicious, cold tea). We then returned to our hotel for a shower, a lie down in front of the AC and a rest! We had a thunderstorm in the afternoon which cooled things down a bit (thank goodness).
In the afternoon we went out to look for a top for myself (two t-shirts just isn’t enough), an opticians for some cheap specs and some speakers for the computer. On the way we came across a temple called Thanh That Dao Cao Dai, which practices the religion Cao Dai - Cao Dai (also Caodaism or Caodaiism) is a new religious movement founded in Vietnam. It mixes ideas from other religions. Cao Đài is a syncretistic, monotheistic religion officially established in the city of Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam in 1926. The religion combines Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Confucianism and Islam. The full name of the religion is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (Great Religion of The Third Period of Revelation and Salvation ). When we first walked into the hall at the bottom there were two girls practicing their musical instruments, one a type of flute, the other a traditional Vietnamese instrument. We then went upstairs to the temple which was beautifully decorated, but the ‘eye’ always gets me – it’s watching us!!! Some good views from the top too.
We got to the shopping centre and had a look around, it wasn’t very big. It was obvious I wasn’t going to get a top here, the clothes are made for the locals who are super small. We did find a store similar to a small Warehouse that sold clothes, but it seemed that the womens were all pyjama type suits – maybe they do wear pj’s all day? When we went into the store I had to give the security man my bag who put it in a plastic bag and sealed it – different!
We started walking back, not an opticians in sight (what a pun!) but we did see two old guys standing by a lake swinging their arms to exercise. Of course, Dave had to make some quips – ‘you go first, no you…’, ‘after ten and we’ll both jump together’, ‘damn it, I can only count to five’, etc. etc!! I’ve got to say Dave’s humour has had me in stitches these past few weeks, from his rendition of the song ‘one man and his dog – woof!’ on the bike, to his Carl Pilkington impressions (though they’re not really impressions, it’s Dave been himself and sounding very much like Carl).
We did manage to get some speakers for the computer, now we can watch the films someone downloaded for us with sound! We went back to the hotel, got showered and changed and went out for dinner. I don’t know what’s going on but we didn’t make a good choice again tonight, the menu looked good but when we got the food the portions were tiny and the food medico. We did save a couple of girls stopping at hotel from eating there though! No beers tonight, trying to cut down. Nighty nite xxx
24/05/2014 – resting!
After we had got up and had breakfast Dave said he didn’t feel too good and was very tired, so we went back to bed; while Dave chilled I caught up with the blog and some reading. We stayed in bed until lunchtime, went to the nearest place for a quick lunch then returned to our room wet through with sweat – it doesn’t take long in this weather! We continued to rest in bed until dinner time, we went to a restaurant (Golden Rice) that was recommended by the hotel and though the food was tasty it had the same menu as everywhere else. I’m so wanting to try something different – take me back to HCMC to decent food!!
After dinner we went to the ‘DMZ bar’ which has a great atmosphere and is always busy. We sat inside at first as outside was full but managed to get a table outside later; we had a few drinks while people watching then back to bed! Nothing else to tell for today, nighty nite xxx
25/05/2014 – Tombs and locals
After another scrumptious breakfast of pho bo and fresh fruit (and 2 cups of tea) we rented a scooter and set off to explore emperor tombs. It was another hot day (40 degrees again) and it felt like stepping into a furnace as soon as we walked outside. We set off to see ‘Tu Duc Tomb’ first and after riding for about 15 minutes pulled over to look at the map. While we were looking a woman on a scooter pulled up at the side of us and asked us where we wanted to go. When we told her she said that the other two tombs were better and that she lived in between them both; if we followed her she would show us the way and after the first tomb would take us to her house for a chat. So, we set off behind her thinking how lucky we were to meet such friendly and helpful people. We got to the first tomb ‘Minh Mang Tomb’ and parked our scooter next to the ladies. She said she would wait for us to come out.
The Tomb is 12km from Hue, on Cam Ke mount, near Bang Lang fork, on the west bank of the Perfume River. In September 1840, the construction of the tomb began. In January 1841, while the work was being implemented Minh Mang was sick and passed away. Emperor Thieu Tri, his successor to the throne, continued this task according to his father’s plans. Emperor Minh Mang's corpse was buried in Buu Thanh on August 20th of 1841. The construction was fully completed in 1843.
While we enjoyed looking around the grounds and buildings (we couldn’t see the tomb itself – it is locked behind a gate in some grounds and only opened on his death anniversary), it was quite small. Having seen Tu Duc tomb last year I knew it was better than this one and started to have doubts about the woman’s honesty. After we finished looking around we returned to the scooter where the lady was waiting. She told us to follow her to her house – I told Dave we wouldn’t play cards (a big scam) and that I had an uneasy feeling about this. It’s terrible that we should have these thoughts, there are so many good people out there but there are also those who are out to make money of vulnerable tourists. We continued to follow but were wary and ready for anything. We rode by the side of the river which was beautiful and through the countryside, going down a little lane to her house.
She unlocked her house and apologised for it being small; we told her that apologies were not needed and her house was lovely (and it was in a simple, rustic way). The house was small, it had one large room with a double bed and a table with four chairs in, a small room that was curtained of to the right and further back another room. Herself, her husband and her two teenage children (17 and 15) all live in these rooms. It was spotlessly clean which she was very proud of. She made green tea and served it to us in tiny little china cups. We started to relax and chatted about our lives. The lady (sorry, can’t remember her name) then started to tell us how hard she works, she works on a farm, sometimes ten or twelve hours a day without a day off (today she had to go see her children’s teacher) and that they have little money. She then went on to tell us that it is expensive to send her children to school but she wants them to do well. We began to feel a little uncomfortable, then she apologised and said could we make a donation to help her children’s schooling. The atmosphere became a little strained then, we were at her home drinking her tea and she was asking us for money – what could we do? I told Dave to give her 50000 dong which he did, it wasn’t a great amount but something and gave us an excuse to leave. What a shame, we really did enjoy going to her home but didn’t enjoy that she did it for money. It’s also a shame that she has to resort to doing these sorts of things for money.
We made our escape and set off to see the Khai Dinh Tomb that was close by. Emperor Khai Dinh came to the throne in 1916 and he chose the slope of Chau Chu mountain (also called Chau E), 10 km from Hue, as the location to build his tomb. The construction of the tomb was started on September 4th 1920 and lasted for 11 years. This was also small, although the decorations were very elaborate; we enjoyed this and the views we got from the top of the many stairs we had to climb, The setting was serene and peaceful, a good stop to top up on our water.
After we had looked at this we set off to find Tu Duc Tomb and headed back the way we had come. We set off again and saw a pagoda and next to it some columns further back behind a field. We went on the scooter down a small dirt track, at one point having to get off the bike and push it up a rocky slope. When we got close to the columns we realised it was the Ming Mang Tomb we went to first and had sneaked in the back way! We made a hasty retreat before we were seen.
We continued on our way and saw a beautiful graveyard which we stopped and looked at, the monuments were spectacular. We then stopped at the ‘Temple of Heaven’, a garden area which had a round wall in the middle with steps on each side from the path, which led to a terraced area. Not very exciting but this was a sight where elaborate sacrifices took place every three years from 1807 until 1945.
We finally got to Tu Duc Tomb and was surprised at how many tour buses were still pulling up. Luckily, the tours appeared to do a whistle stop tour around the main buildings which meant we could wander in peace around the other beautiful buildings and by the time we got to the main areas the tourists were gone. This is another reason why we don’t like going on the tours, you don’t get to see everything and what you do see is rushed (and costs at least 5 – 10 times more). A little bit about Tu Duc Tomb: This tomb, constructed between 1864 and 1867, is the most popular, and certainly one of the most impressive of the royal mausoleums. Emperor Tu Duc designed it himself, for use both before and after his death. The enormous expense of the tomb and the forced labour used in its construction spawned a coup plot that was discovered and suppressed. Tu Duc lived a life of imperial luxury and carnal excess (he had 104 wives and countless concubines), though no offspring. I loved this place last year when I came, and enjoyed it just as much this time, though the heat got to us and we rushed the last ten minutes just so we could get back to a cold shower and air con, we were faltering quickly!
We set off back towards the city and stopped at the Black and White café where we went the first day. We sat in front of an enourmous fan and ate ice-cream and drank iced coffee (with the free green tea of course). While we sat cooling down we could see a large building on the other side of the river and thought it could be a shopping centre, so once we had finished we rode across to have a look. We went underground to a scooter park, given a plastic card as we entered and found a space (they park their scooters very close to each other). In the centre was a supermarket so we went to look and came out with 3 bottles of water (7000 dong instead of the 12-30 we have been charged), a large bottle of sprite (8000 dong, one small can costs 20000 dong in the cafes), a box of 3 in 1 coffee sachets, a box of teabags, cartons of HTU milk (4 cartons for 2000 dong, we were asked for 1700 for one yesterday), a box of pringles and 4 Snicker bars (guess who got them?). All for a grand total of about $17. When we went back to get our scooter there was a guy getting his next to us, even though he couldn’t speak English he let us know we needed the bottom part of our receipt to get out of the park free. He then gave us a wave on the road – I love the Vietnamese!!
Once we got back to the hotel we stripped off and I had a soak in the bath to get rid of all the sweat, then Dave had a shower then I soaked all our clothes (they all stunk even though they were clean on that morning). We asked for a recommendation for a restaurant and were sent to one where all the locals go to. We ordered 3 different meals, when they came the portion sizes were so small they all looked like starters. They were very tasty – pork ribs, chicken with ginger, and Dave got stuffed squid, all with rice, but after we had finished we were still hungry! Back to the hotel to eat a Snickers bar with a cup of coffee (decaf – want to sleep). Nighty nite xxx
26/05/2014 – Lost yet again
We set off this morning for the Alba Thanh Tan Hot Spring Resort as I had read on Trip Advisor that it was a great place to relax in the hot pools; Dave also wanted to go on the zip wire there. I’d been reminding Dave to look at a map for the past 2 days so we knew where we were going but just before setting off I had to find one and show it to him – I don’t know how he thought we were going to get there! Dave is very lazy at researching where to go and what to do, leaving most of it to me; he then says I’m always on the computer (while he’s reading his book or playing his games).
Off we set, we did well and found AH1 which is the main road out, then we turned left and followed the road along some beautiful countryside where we saw many farmers in the fields. After going about 6km along this road we decided it wasn’t the right one and set off back the way we had come. We went the other way at the junction and through a town, Dave then decided this wasn’t the right way and we again went back along the road, this time for about 10km and stopped at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. We had an iced coffee which was delicious and asked for directions – they told us to go back to the junction and keep going (left). We did this but still couldn’t find it so set off back towards the city. Just before we hit the city again we stopped at a petrol station – Dave topped up the bike and pretty much demanded me to get out my piece of paper with the name of the spa on and go ask a taxi driver (who was on the phone) – Grrrrr, he pisses me off sometimes (I am capable of doing this without being ordered to!). We got some directions of another guy and set back off. Instead of going left at the junction we continued through a town then over a bridge over the river where I said we had to turn left down a smaller road that ran parallel to the river. We turned off there, went about 4km before Dave said it wasn’t the right road! At that point I had enough and said we should go back to the hotel so he could look at a map properly and come back the day after; my bum was numb with sitting so long on the bike and sweat was pouring off me. So off we went back to the hotel where I looked on the map and found that we were on the right road and just needed to keep going! We had been on the bike for 4 hours searching, but I have to say we saw some beautiful landscapes on the way.
After getting back to the hotel we had a nice cooling shower (the sun had been beating down on us all day) and chilled. Later we went for an Indian, I really wanted to have something substantial, the meals we had so far in Hue were very small portions and I hadn’t felt satisfied for a few days. The Indian restaurant we chose (Omars) had a set menu which we both had, it was both delicious and we were both very full at the end of it, at last I could go to bed with a full stomach! Nighty nite xxx
27/05/2014 – Hot springs
We was up bright and early and set off to the Hot spring resort, now knowing which direction we were heading. It was another hot day (about 40 degrees again) so we were looking forward to spending the day in water. When we arrived at the hot springs we went to the reception and chose the combination zip line and pool option. We then went in a buggy to the bottom of the hill where the zip line was to collect our helmets and harness. After getting our equipment we got back into the buggy and set off towards a hill; at the bottom we saw a very steep road that seemed to go a long way and Dave made a comment of being glad we didn’t have to walk up it. Guess what? Yep – the buggy stopped and we were told we had to walk it! The sun was blasting down on us and it was incredibly steep; thankfully it wasn’t too far up but I did struggle a little (need to get more exercise). At the top of the zip line Dave pushed me first, I was harnessed onto the line and told to go – I didn’t need telling twice, off I ran and jumped. I had the camera on my stick so I could film the ride, but after putting it out I decided my hands were sticky with sweat so brought it back in (the video turned out not too bad). Unfortunately I ended up going down the line backwards so couldn’t see the end too well. When I thought I was near the end I stuck my feet up like I was told to do and nicely bashed the poor lad at the bottom on the head with my camera! Dave was next, he came down the right way and I manage to get a bit of his ride recorded too.
After we had finished with the zip line we dropped our gear off and went back to the reception area where we were directed to the pools. We asked a guy working there where the changing rooms were, we were shown to some shabby changing rooms where there were lockers but they didn’t lock! In the reviews we read there were decent changing rooms with lockers and you were given towels and a bottle of water. We got none of that! The pools around the area were full of teenage kids, one pool had a waterslide which was heaving so we kept well away from that; another pool only had a few kids in so we chose to go in that one – it was very hot! On the way to the pool Dave got accosted by a group of teenage girls for a photograph, they let me into it as an afterthought!!
The pool we was in was far too hot to stay in for any amount of time so we went to another pool which had cool water in, but was mainly a swimming pool, again with quite a lot of kids in it. The pool was filthy, there was algae floating around the top of it and big mounds of dirt on the bottom; I wasn’t impressed. We saw that there was another area behind some buildings so we thought we’d take a look, we couldn’t stay in those pools we had already been in.
There was an area with more pools, one that surrounded an island with relaxing chairs in the middle, another which looked like a lazy river but was divided into areas of different temperatures and a pool with a waterslide. Around the area was relaxing chairs under shades, at first glance it looked really good. There were changing rooms here – Dave went and came back with towels and water each. We began to think we had got the wrong tickets and shouldn’t have been there but we played dumb and walked with confidence. There were 2 western ladies sat in the chairs, no-one else; the ladies went after about 10 minutes leaving us alone. We went into the round pool, hot mineral water, but again there was lots of things floating on the top. When we were alone we jumped into the cool pool and had a few turns on the waterslide, not very big but great fun! Sadly, these pools were also filthy, the white tiles were now yellow with algae growing on them and bits floating around, the mineral pools had rubbish in them and didn’t look too clean either. We sat on the chairs under the shade to discover there were ants everywhere! Looking at the grounds we saw that it was pretty run down with weeds growing on the pathways and the gardens needing some TLC. It was such a shame as it could be a top class resort, the scenery surrounding it was definitely beautiful. We had a dip in the third pool and called it a day, it wasn’t somewhere we could completely relax. When Dave went to get changed he went into a cubicle to find a giant spider waiting for him – a great finish to the day there.
With our tickets came a voucher for 30000 dong each to use at the restaurant. We weren’t particularly hungry so spent our vouchers on drinks – a can each and water to drink there and the same to take away with us. We then set off back to the city. Once back in the city we went to the Thien Mu Pagoda, ‘Perfume Pagoda’, it’s a lovely little pagoda and houses the car that a monk used to drive to a square where he promptly got out and set himself on fire in the middle of the road. We wandered around there for a while then on our way back to the hotel we stopped off at our ‘local’ café for a coffee, then went back to the hotel. The hotel has been brilliant; whenever we come back from a day out they bring us a cold drink and a wet, cold facecloth – a perfect welcome back gift.
After relaxing and cooling down we went out to the gardens by the river, there are lots of statues around the garden by various artists which are cool to look at. There’s also dozens of tourist dragon boats along the riverside which are great to see but we did get badgered a little to go out for a boat ride. At this point we became very hungry so set about to look for a restaurant (we were nearly tempted to go for another Indian to fill us). We went to one called the ‘Hot Tuna’ which we had passed previous nights. I’m really glad we did go there, we sat on a little terraced area outside watching everyone go about their business, the staff were great (very chatty), the service good, but best of all the food was delicious and had decent portion sizes – halleluiah! It was just a shame we only found this on our last night, otherwise it might have become our local restaurant! We went back to the hotel as we had to pack and get an early night- we had an early start in the morning as we were going to Phong Nha. Nighty nite xxx
28/05/2014 – Phong Nha
I had a terrible night, slept for only a maximum of 3 hours, and that was on and off. We had to be up at 5.45am to do our final packing and go for breakfast before getting picked up to go to Phong Nha. Our hotel had booked a mini bus for us; the bus was taking other people on a tour to the caves in Phong Nha and would drop us off on the way. When they collected us there were already many people in the bus and we then stopped for another 2 girls, making the bus full. There wasn’t much room to put our legs and the air con was crap so we were hot too. They dropped 2 guys off at a town which made a bit more room but it was still hot and stuffy. About ½ way there we stopped at an old Catholic church which had some history from the Vietnamese war and was now some sort of shrine. We wasn’t given much information and only 10 minutes to look around and use the toilets!
After about 5 hours we finally arrived at the place where we were stopping (Phong Nha Lakeside Hotel) and got dropped off. I’m so glad I wasn’t on the tour; about 10 hours on the return bus journey to spend about 2-3 hours having lunch then being rushed around a cave. It’s no way to see the magnificent sights in this area and we made the right choice to do it the way we did. The hotel was beautiful, as suggested by its name it’s on a lakeside with a restaurant and bar on 2 levels and the accommodation below, just above the lake. Unfortunately they hadn’t finished building the pool when we arrived, but the owners have big plans for it. It would be interesting to return in 2 years and see what it’s like then. We were shown to our room then we went to the restaurant for some lunch (delicious cold spring rolls).
I suggested to Dave that we go for a swim in the lake, he said he would go take a look (why I don’t know, I was just going to get in it). While Dave left me sat on my own I happened to look over the balcony and see him having a beer while chatting to someone – bloody cheek! I grabbed my togs on and went to the lake. Dave had actually been talking to the guy who owned the hotel (he could have called me down), the guy is an Aussie (Tony) who has married a Vietnamese woman (Tam) after knowing her for some years. They lived in Australia for 4 years then bought the land on which the hotel sits; after commuting for a long time they have moved to Vietnam – they have 2 kids, a boy who is 7 and a girl, 6. I got into the lake, it was really warm but refreshing, then everyone else seemed to follow and do the same. In the end there was about 10 of us in the lake. We all swam to the island about 250 metres away, while we were stood there small fish nibbled on our feet! After about an hour in the lake we got out, showered and had dinner and a beer with Tony. There was also another guest, Simon, who was from England travelling by himself. He started chatting to us and told us about all the scams he had fallen for, including the milk scam – how on earth can any adult travelling to Asia not know about that scam? He was scammed by a family who befriended him and took him for dinner where he insisted to pay and got a bill for 4 times the amount, he then went on to say a girl in HCMC had been very kind to him so he took her to a very posh restaurant and spent 6 million dong on a meal (about $300). He clearly had ‘mug’ written all over his forehead – poor guy, he had a heart of gold but no common sense (and lots of money). He later gave one of the girls at the hotel an i-phone 5. The owners kids also mithered him constantly, oh dear! After our chats we decided it was time for bed, nighty nite xxx
29/05/2014 – caves
We got up early to get to the caves, hopefully before too many tour groups. After breakfast we set off on the bike we had hired and set off towards Phong Nha town. We wasn’t certain about where to go so went through the town and ended up going down a small road which turned into a dirt road which ran besides a beautiful clear blue river. We came towards the end of the road wit no sign of how to get to Phong Nha Cave; we knew you had to get a boat there and saw a small boat down a slip road so I went to ask the lady there if she could take us. She pointed us back into the direction of where we came so we set off back. We found the place easily, it was a big ‘tourist’ centre with cafes, sovereign shops and the ticket office. We bought our tickets for Phong Nha Cave and Tien Son Cave plus the boat and went to the boat dock. The boats used are called Dragon boats and seat about a dozen people; we were expecting to have to go with others in a boat but we had one all to ourselves! There were many other Dragon boats filled with tour groups going down the river so we felt blessed we could have the boat to ourselves and get the best views. The trip to the cave was a great experience in itself – we passed villages with boats and fishing baskets and watched some kids swim in the river.
We got to the cave where the engine of the boat is switched off and the two people on the boat got out the oars, one on the front and the other on the back. The cave was spectacular, made even more special by going through on the boat. There are lights strategically placed to show the stalagmites and stalactites and other formations which highlight them without making it too showy. After about ½ hour we turned around and stopped at a dock where we got off to see more of the cave on dry land. There were a lot of tour groups around but they rushed through and we went slowly, so there were times it was quiet. It felt very serene and peaceful when there wasn’t other people around. The formations were spectacular; it was amazing to think it had taken millions of years for these to form. Unfortunately, my photography skills and small camera meant I could not take photos that do this justice (although by the end of the day I had taken 500 photos!).
After coming out of Phong Nha Cave we were directed to some steps that went up to Tien Son Cave; it was close to midday so it was very hot with the sun beating down. We set off climbing the stairs and was pleasantly surprised to find that the stairs with the sun on them had a fine mist of water sprayed over the top to cool us down – nice! We kept climbing and climbing – we never seemed to get any closer to the top, I think there’s about 500 steps altogether, and we were sweating like mad. Eventually we got to the top and entered the cave. It was beautiful and cool when we got in. We were the only people in this cave, it seems that the tour groups don’t do this one which benefits us. We were able to walk around at leisure without being knocked out of the way and in silence which made the atmosphere even more magical. This cave had a walk way around it so we couldn’t get too close to the formations but that didn’t matter, it was awesome just to see them.
After we had been around the cave we made our way back down to the bottom where our boat was waiting for us then we were taken back to the tourist centre where we picked up our bike. We were feeling very hot and tired at this point so decided we would go back to the hotel for lunch and a rest.
While we were eating lunch Tony came to have a chat with us. He showed us on a map places we could visit, including a blue lagoon to swim in and the dark cave. He showed which roads to take and drew points of interest on the map. We set back off at about 2pm to find these places. Dave was certain he knew where we were going so I left him to it. We started on the main road then turned onto a side road; this led us through a small village at the side of the river, the opposite side to the boat dock. The road was narrow and rocky, it didn’t seem to be the right road but I kept quiet. We had to pass a van coming the opposite direction, there was barely room for us both and we just managed. The road then became a dirt track which led into a field. Dave stopped to check the map and I asked him if he was sure this was te right way to which he shouted ‘yes’! Mmmm, seems he thinks it might be the wrong way but won’t admit to it. The small track ended abruptly at a cemetery – yep, the wrong way! At this point Dave was in a foul mood which pissed me off cos it was his fault; why do I alwys trust him to take us the right way when every time he gets us lost? We made our way back to the main road, passing the village again with the cries of ‘hello’ from everyone (obviously they don’t usually see tourists!). After looking at the map myself I guided Dave the right way.
We finally got onto the right roads and came to the Dark Cave. It was 4pm at this point so we thought it was too late to go there; we would wait until the day after so we didn’t have to rush. Two girls had just finished it and told us it was the best thing they had ever done so we were excited to come back. We then carried on the road to look for the lagoon. This was at the ‘eco centre’ where we walked along bamboo bridges and over rocks to the large stream/ small river. Tony had told us that there was an area where the locals swim, but because most can’t actually swim they stay here where the life jackets are. He told us if we went further up we would come to the lagoon where it should be empty. Once we got to the local area we couldn’t see a clear way to go further so Dave decided to swim there. I was really pissed off, I only had my bikini with me and didn’t want to get in with that on as all the locals stare, both male and female (the females all swim fully dressed); I was hot, sweaty and tired and Dave just jumps in. When he finally realised I wasn’t getting in he decided we would look for the lagoon – so much for being adventurous! We couldn’t find the lagoon – further up the river there was heaps of algae floating on the top of the water and over the rocks so we couldn’t swim there. We gave up and started to make our way back to the car park. We went back to the hotel, both very grumpy with each other and both hot and tired. After having a shower we had dinner and went to bed. Nighty nite xxx
30/05/2014 – more caves and mud!
We got up early this morning, had breakfast and set off to the Paradise Cave, hopefully before the hordes of tour groups arrived – fat chance of that! Again the ride was beautiful, going along the National Park roads with the fantastic looking karsts surrounding us and the local farmers working in the fields. When we arrived at the cave there was already dozens of coaches there and queues for the tickets. We were able to get to the ticket booth quickly as the guides got the tickets for their groups at a separate booth.
There was a ‘buggy’ that you could take to the bottom of the pathway that led up to the cave entrance; because we needed the exercise we decided to walk. This wasn’t a strenuous walk, it was flat the whole way, but the heat got to us and by the time we arrived at the pathway we were already dripping in sweat, then we had to climb up to the cave entrance – 750 metres uphill! By the time we reached the top we were drenched, but approaching the cave entrance we felt the cold air flow towards us like air conditioning; we couldn’t wait to get in.
Once in the cave there was a flight of steps that seemed to go to the bowel of the earth with formations surrounding it. We walked down the steps with the masses of tour groups, having to wait at certain points while they took their photos of loved ones in front of points of interest. Once we got to the bottom of the stairs we followed the platform. At first it looked as if this was short and I felt disappointed the cave wasn’t too big, but it soon became obvious that this cave just went on and on. The platform goes on for 1km, but the cave is actually 31km long. The formations are spectacular, the cave itself, well, I can’t find the right words for it, magnificent, regal, grand, imposing, superb, exquisite, outstanding, amazing, massive – none of these words quite describe the splendour in front of our eyes. The ceiling was also spectacular and so high, in places the cave is 100 metres high, the colours, patterns and majestic cracks were fantastic, I could have laid down and looked at it for hours. The cave was lit with subtle lighting that highlighted the formations without giving it the ‘Disney World’ look.
We were able to lose some of the tour groups in parts of the cave and found that if we stood still for 5 minutes in a group they would quickly pass leaving us in peace to appreciate the splendour. It amazed us how quickly some people went through the cave and didn’t really look at it, they were either looking down at their feet, looking at it through a phone screen while videoing their walk or too busy talking to their companions. Why go in the first place? One thing really annoyed me – a guy kept coughing up flem and spitting it out onto the formations, both disgusting and disrespectful to the natural environment; the security guys didn’t seem to bother about it either. We were told that the price of the entrance fee will be going up next year to stop the locals going in as they don’t respect it and as well as spitting all over it they throw their rubbish over it too.
A little bit about Paradise Cave: The Vietnamese name for it is Thien Duong. It was discovered in 2005 by a local man and opened to the public in 2010. Before the recent discovery of the Son Doong Cave, Paradise Cave was the largest and longest in the national park, and one of the largest in the world.
After we had ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ for about 2 1/2 hours we made our way back to the entrance and out into the searing heat, you could literally feel where the cold air stopped flowing and the heat started. We climbed down the steps (about 500) to the bottom and this time opted for the buggy back to the scooter.
Once we had got our scooter we went on to the ‘Dark Cave’, paid our money and got kitted up in a life jacket and helmet with a torch on; we were told we didn’t need our shoes on, and because it was wet and muddy in the cave we couldn’t take our camera (big shame). We walked down to the Chay River with our guide and got into an inflatable double kayak, with our guide in a kayak leading the way. The kayaks are very strange to paddle and go first left then right, nothing like the direction you paddle! We got to the platform by the cave entrance and hauled ourselves onto it. We walked down the short platform into the cave and followed our guide through shingle and up a slope (it wasn’t comfortable underfoot). The slope was quite slippery and there was a steep drop at the top which made me uncomfortable but I soldiered on. The guide showed us some fossils of fish and shells in the wall from millions of years ago, pretty neat. We then slipped back down the slope and went deeper into the cave which was as its name suggests, dark! The cave became quite narrow and muddy under our feet, with the mud squishing through our toes – loved it! Then the mud became deeper, reaching our calves, then our knees then our thighs; it was a strange sensation. We had to climb over mud banks at times with steps being made in the thick mud; Dave had to make the steps twice as big for his giant feet! At one of the banks our guide told us to go first and once we reached the top we were told to slide down the other side; when we reached the bottom we were sat in a pool of mud! We both sat there and smoothed the mud all over ourselves, it felt glorious, soft and cool, and knowing it was a natural resource that was good for the skin. After about 5 minutes of this we were told to turn of our light on our helmet and we sat in complete darkness, it was both eerie and serene at the same time. Dave decided not to answer me when I spoke to him, making out he had left me alone in the cave – yeah right!
Once we had finished wallowing in the mud like contented pigs (or water buffalos) we walked back through the mud and took a turn to a lake in the cave. Just before the turn 3 guys and a guide came through, the only other tourists we saw in the cave. Here we swam in the lake for about 100 meters, admiring the formations on the walls and ceiling; although it wasn’t as splendid as the Paradise Cave it was awesome in its own unspoilt way. We returned to the opening, jumped into the kayak and went back to the platform we started from. After taking off our jackets and helmets we jumped into the river. The river is the most amazing blue and very clear; it was also refreshingly cool. The backdrop was spectacular, with karsts and jungle on the banks. It reminded us a little of the river in Queenstown from when we did our body boarding. We couldn’t believe this cave doesn’t attract more tourists, but it’s still early days for tourism in this part of Vietnam and I’m sure it will grow very quickly. If anyone is thinking of visiting Vietnam, go to this region, and go NOW!!
After we tore ourselves away from the river (we jumped back in 3 times after deciding to get out) we made our way back to the hotel, stopping to take photos along the way. We were both pretty knackered and did nothing else for the rest of the evening, apart from grin every now and again at the fantastic day we had. We went to bed pretty early as we had to get up early the next morning, pack and get a train. Nighty nite xxx
31/05/2014 – Train to Ninh Binh
After not sleeping too well through the night (what’s new?), we got up early, had breakfast and packed for our onward journey to Ninh Binh (I love this name!). We were taken to the train station in Dong Hoi by Tam, Tony’s wife, in her car and boarded the train once it arrived (on time for a change). The seats are pretty comfy but when you’re as tall as we are (compared to the tiny Vietnamese) it became a bit cramped. We couldn’t stretch our legs out properly and when I tried to use the laptop I could only do so with one hand and that was at an angle! We travelled for about 9 hours like this, and were relieved to be able to get off. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast either so was absolutely starving. Just to add, the scenery was gorgeous on this train journey, going through farming communities and still seeing karsts on the way. What was disappointing was that a lot of these karsts are getting quarried for their rock, hopefully they will leave enough around for the landscape not to be affected too much.
The hotel we were stopping at was on the other side of the train tracks, we had to walk for about 10 minutes to get there which wasn’t bad. Once in the hotel room we put on the air con, freshened up and went out to look for somewhere to eat. We found a lovely local restaurant which was run from a family home; the 2 daughters were at the front entertaining the diners and taking the orders while mum and dad cooked in the back. The meals came in various sizes from small to extra-large so I chose a medium sweet and sour chicken. Boy, it was big enough for the two of us! I could only eat about half of it and felt bad for wasting it. Dave got a small and could only just eat his. We were given free local homemade snacks while we were waiting for our meal, and free fruit afterwards – awesome!
We went back to the hotel to find the air con and light we had left on had been switched on; the owners had obviously been in our room while we were out, not impressed! The bed was rock hard, I think it was made from hard wood. When we looked in the fridge for the mini bar we were confronted with an empty fridge apart from the filth sitting in the bottom of it. We got into bed and tried to go to sleep. Nighty nite xxx
01/06/2014 – Tam Coc, Bich Dong and Mua Cave
What a night! Hardly slept a wink, firstly the bed was so hard I would wake up every half hour numb and sore on the side I was laying on and would have to turn over; secondly, the trains went straight under our window and would blast their horns (there are no restrictions during the night), so I didn’t even sleep for quite a few hours (there are plenty of trains coming through at night). I felt like the walking dead.
We went for breakfast which was included in the price; this was pretty good, I had the pho bo (beef noodle soup) and Dave had the banana pancake (he struggled to finish this). We asked our hotel if we could hire a scooter but they didn’t have any available so were directed to another hotel (Queens) around the corner. The owner and staff here were brilliant; they gave us more information (with a smile) than our hotel did. Now, to be fair, the young guy at the hotel we were in did try his best. He was the son of the owner and the only one in his family who could speak English, and it appeared he was left to run the place. His father ignored the guests, his mother and sisters tried to stay out of the way!
After getting the scooter (it only cost $10 for 2 days) the owner took us to the petrol station and made sure we were okay getting the petrol. We then set off to find the attractions, not sure which ones we would end up at first with our sense of direction!
We managed to find the Tam Coc caves, parking our scooter in the shade and paying for the privilege (you have to pay for everything in Vietnam, including using the toilets), bought our tickets and got into a small boat with a woman who rows it, not with her hands, but with her feet! Rowing this way leaves her hands free to do other things, like hold her umbrella. We set off down the river with karsts and rocks all around us, and rice fields made in the water along the sides. Because we had got there early there wasn’t many other people around, we had beaten the tour groups! The ones that were there were curious about us and many wanted to take photos; most of them shouted ‘hello’ as they passed. We felt very relaxed as we made our way peacefully down the waterway towards the caves. Tam Coc literally means 'Three caves' and is actually a combination of three caves. The rocks have been eaten by sea water over thousands of years and carved into a series of caves here. Although the sea is far away from the locality, now the caves remain. Rainwater has helped to polish the caves and start up underground rivers. We rowed under the caves which was an eerie experience. At the end of the third one we were greeted by hawkers trying to sell us items and drinks; when we refused they try to make you feel bad and say the drink is for the lady rower who is thirsty after her hard work. We were forewarned of this and given a good tip – take your own drink with you and give it to your rower. The drinks sold by the hawkers are 3 times more than you pay in the shops. We gave our lady the drink, she was happy with this but the hawker wasn’t!
We set off back, going back under the caves and watching the farmers in the rice fields. I could have stayed there all day, it was magical. Close to the end our rower opened a metal box she had in the boat which was full of nik naks and tried to sell some to us but we flatly refused. A short time later she asked us for a tip, we had also been warned about this and told a dollar a person was sufficient; however, we thought she did a great job and it was a long way (we were out there for nearly 2 hours) so we gave her $5. We all left happily at the end!
From here we went to Bich Dong which is a grotto not too far away. Bích Động is a pagoda on nearby Ngu Nhac Mountain dating to 1428, comprising three structures: Hạ, Trung, and Thượng Pagodas, in ascending order. W climbed some stone stairs and came to a cave in which was another pagoda and more stairs through the cave. It was very dark here and I had to keep using the camera for some light. Once at the top we came out at the rock and saw a sort of path leading towards the top. We followed this path and had to climb over hard jagged rocks; this wasn’t easy as the rocks were very hot in the sun so we would burn our hands when holding onto them. We climbed to the top and was rewarded with spectacular views, though at one side I was clinging on for dear life – it was a shear drop! After having a rest and about a gallon of water (sweat was running everywhere) we made our way back down.
As it was lunchtime we found a restaurant not far from the boats. We were greeted warmly and sat down. There was a tour group of Vietnamese in too, and they stared at us, smiled at us and talked about us, they mustn’t see many westerners where they live! Lunch was really good, we had a ‘special’ sandwich each with chicken, cheese and eggs in a baguette and an iced coffee. Once we had finished we asked the girl who served us (it turned out she was the owner) where Mua Cave was; she gave us directions but suggested we came back later as it was too hot to climb the stairs in the sun. We went to look at where we needed to go then returned to our hotel for a rest and cool down.
At about 3.30pm we set off to the Mua Caves, we weren’t going to see the caves as apparently they were not worth seeing, but there are steps (about 450 of them) up a karst with breath-taking views at the top (and on the way up). It was beautiful at the top, overlooking the waterways we had rowed down in the morning and the hills and city on the other side. There were 3 lads there when we arrived but they went back down leaving us alone for a short time. We both climbed a few more jagged rocks to get a look at the dragon that climbed over the ridge at the top. Again, I felt quite unsteady at the top and the sun was in the wrong position to get decent photographs. More people came up which we chatted to. We spent about an hour and half up there, just chilling and chatting and enjoying the views, it was great.
We came down just before the sun set and went back to the restaurant we had been to at lunchtime. There were only two young lads at the front this time and no-one else in the restaurant. The lads couldn’t speak English very well so it was a struggle to get across what we wanted, but it was amusing at times, with us all laughing at each other. We enjoyed our dinner and went back to the hotel feeling shattered but happy. Nighty nite xxx
02/06/2014 – Bai Dinh Pagoda
Another terrible night, kept awake by the trains again, I honestly wanted to go and ram them down the drivers neck!! So I was extremely tired and grumpy; Dave didn’t make it any better by refusing to change hotels, he said it was for only one more night so we might as well stick it out – I remember thinking I’ll ram the horns in him where the sun don’t shine! So, we were up early, had breakfast and set off to find the Bai Dinh Pagoda.
We headed in the opposite direction on the highway from where we went yesterday and turned off about 7km towards the countryside. There was a big gateway that welcomed delegates to the Veska conference in May that we went under and continued on, enjoying the views around us. We came to a place where there were a few tour buses so we stopped to ask if this was it. It wasn’t, it was something very similar to the Tam Coc Caves, somewhere we said we would visit in the afternoon; we were told to continue on the road – at least we wasn’t lost!
We finally saw the Pagoda complex from the road and made our way towards it. We parked our scooter and met a Polish/ French girl who had just pulled up on her scooter. There was an electric buggy that we were directed to and went and sat in it. A couple who we had met on the train to Ninh Binh also got on the buggy, he was from Poland originally and she was from Germany; they had been travelling for 3 years!!! The buggy took us to the kiosk to pay then carried on to the entrance.
A little bit about this pagoda: Bai Dinh is the biggest pagoda in Vietnam with an area of 700 hectares. This is a large complex which includes many structures built over several phases starting in 2003 and finally completed in 2010 (in fact it wasn’t finished when we visited). This pagoda has been granted with 12 national records by Vietnam Record Books including the largest bronze bell (36 tons); highest and heaviest gilded bronze statue of Buddha Sakyamuni (10m high, 100 tons) and the largest set of three gilded bronze statues of Buddha.
Sounds impressive? Well, it started off interesting; we walked up a corridor where the back wall was full of small gold coloured Buddha’s in shelves, not a few but hundreds of them, all the same. In front of these were cheap casts of Buddha’s in different poses, again, hundreds of them lining the corridor. We walked past these, quite impressed but at the top we turned the corner and there were more corridors with exactly the same thing! We eventually came to a courtyard where the bronze bell (there was actually 2 of them) was housed. Great views from the platform but nothing else spectacular. We saw a temple with the three gilded bronze statues in and walked through the sun to see the large Buddha at the top of the hill. My impression of the whole thing at this point was, well – tacky! Everything was made big and broke records, but it was all made cheaply and was ‘same, same’. It was the worse pagoda we have been to, and we’ve seen quite a few now!
We walked back to the entrance, at this point we were steaming hot and even more tired. We paid yet again for the buggy (what a rip off – there was no way you could walk but there was plenty of space for parking scooters) and sat in it waiting to go back to the car park. The staff weren’t very interested in us, it was around lunchtime so the hottest point of the day and we were the only 2 people there. It took them a good 10 minutes to be bothered to get up and return us!
At this point all we wanted to do was have lunch, go back to the hotel for a rest and cool down – I was exhausted and Dave wasn’t too flash either. We set off on the scooter and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. The place was full of locals, mainly males, and were drinking beer, lots of it! 2 guys on the table next to us had a beer tower and a few snacks to eat. We ordered our meal– there was a bit of a language barrier but our waiter was great, we managed to order chicken and salad and 2 cans of coke. When the meal came it was coated fried chicken pieces, I thought they were very tasty but Dave wasn’t keen; there was however a chickens foot which I passed on. While we were eating the two guys next to us kept looking our way and would obviously say something about us. Our waiter spoke to them then told us they were wondering why we weren’t drinking beer. We replied that we don’t drink at lunchtime, especially while driving. It was scary to think that these people drink copious amounts of alcohol then jump onto their scooters!
After lunch we went back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling then went out for dinner. We went to the same restaurant as we did the first night, again the food was good and the portions large, even though we ordered small ones. At the end of our meal we were given a gift of a box of green bean cakes, how lovely and kind. Back to the hotel where I put my earplugs in and prayed for a night’s sleep. Nighty nite xxx
03/06/2014 – Moving north to Hanoi
Got a little sleep last night, used the earplugs which were quite uncomfortable but they kept a lot of the noise out; instead of hearing a blare in my ear it was muffled – I still woke up, but not with a start and was able to get back to sleep. I was wide awake at 5am though and we got up at 6.30 to get ready to leave for Hanoi.
We had breakfast, packed our bags and went to check out. The son at the hotel was very helpful, he gave us a cold bottle of water for our trip then took us to the train station in the car; I felt a little guilty for complaining about the hotel – but only for a minute, it was still terrible!!
We waited for the train, first of all outside the station where there were dozens of people waiting for the train Southbound, then once they had boarded we went into the waiting room where there were fans to cool us down (it was only 8am but still stifling hot). While we were waiting the Polish/ French girl that we met at the pagoda joined us, then a few minutes later an Aussie guy who had been stopping in the same hotel as us. We talked about travelling – well, the other two mostly talked about their travels as they have travelled extensively! The train finally came, 45 minutes late, but apparently that’s normal for Vietnam.
The train ride was uneventful, getting us into Hanoi 2 hours later. We came out of the station to the usual parade of taxi’s and motorbike riders and got a taxi to our hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel I knew we had made a good choice – it was lush! (We had paid a bit more than we usually budget for but we were ready for some luxury). We were taken to our room, magic!! It had an enourmous bed, 2 doubles joined together, a comfortable chair, wardrobe and drawers to put our clothes (haven’t properly unpacked in weeks), all mod cons including a kettle – yes! And a fantastic bathroom. Let me tell you about the toilet – we love the spray pipe at the side of the toilets here, very hygienic and refreshing, but the toilet in the hotel is more of a combined bidet so we don’t splash all over – it’s the little pleasures in life!
We unpacked our things, made a cuppa and chilled on the lovely, supersoft bed. We dragged ourselves away from the room after about an hour to go and get some lunch. We didn’t want too much and found a little café where we could sit and watch the world go by. We had fresh spring rolls, only one portion between us, which were delicious; memories from last year and the amazing food in Hanoi came flooding back – this was what I had been waiting for! After lunch we went to rest back in our room, having a shower immediately on our return – the humidity was bad and we were wet through. We didn’t move again until dinner time where we found an amazing street café (red plastic tables and chairs on the street) and enjoyed our dinner (fried vermicelli with beef, Dave’s with chicken, and a beer) while talking to a girl from Canada who was doing a 3 month intern at a school, and an Indian guy who had come away for a few weeks because his kids were on school holidays (no, he hadn’t brought his family along, he left the kids with his wife in India!). Again, this was what I like about Hanoi, there’s so many different people to meet and chat to, love it!
After dinner we came back to our room and chilled again in the lovely bed (did I say how big and comfy it was?). Nighty nite xxx
04/06/2014 – Chinese Embassy
I had the best nights’ sleep I’ve had on this trip, it was glorious! I even slept until 7.30am as the room stays dark in the morning, so I wasn’t woken at 5am as usual. I felt fantastic and full of energy. We got up and had breakfast then got a taxi to the Chinese Embassy to get our visas. We had already got all the paperwork needed the day before and thought it shouldn’t take too long.
As we walked into the embassy a security guard asked us what we wanted, when we said we wanted a tourist visa for China he said we couldn’t get one! We stood there stunned, from the posts we had read on the internet it was a simple process. As we stood there the guard ordered me to stay where I was and told Dave to go to another room. I sat and waited for Dave, feeling a bit more confident about getting a visa. After about 15 minutes Dave came out and told me we couldn’t have one, they will only give visas to Vietnamese residents. Bugger! We walked back to the Old Quarter and found a travel agent and asked if we could get visas for China through them. After taking our details she made several phone calls and gave us the news that they couldn’t. Apparently, because of the recent conflict between Vietnam and China the rules had changed; not very helpful for us!
We went back to the hotel to drop our paperwork off and decide what we would do next. After some thought we decided we’d go to Japan instead, then later decided we would stop off at Hong Kong for a week or so on the way! So more research and planning to do.
For the rest of the day we spent most of it in our room, looking at what we could do and chilling. We would go out for lunch (cold rolls again), come back, then went out for dinner. As we had been in our room all afternoon we didn’t know that it had started to rain when it was time to go for dinner. We managed to get to a restaurant (we were going to go to the street one but the rain put a stop to that) just as the heavens opened and the thunder boomed down (making the girl in the restaurant run away screaming). The storm was brilliant to watch and we could see the locals getting everything in from the street before they were blown or washed away. The women here are great business people and within minutes they were out selling umbrellas and rain coats!
Unfortunately we had to sop and have an extra beer while waiting for the storm to pass – it’s such a hard life! More chilling back at the hotel before going to sleep. Nighty nite xxx
Oh, just remembered – ordered some reading glasses; I got my eyes tested before we left New Zealand and brought my prescription with me. Instead of paying around $800 I got a pair for $250 – bargain!!
05/06/2014 – Haircut and meeting friends
After breakfast we set off to find ‘Toni & Guy’ hairdressers. We had the address, found the street on the map and set off to the other side of the lake. We actually did well and found the right road straight away. As we got to the address given we found that they had moved out to a new address; a lady there very kindly showed us on the map where it was (further around the lake). Just across the road from the old shop was an ice-cream place that I had heard great things about, unfortunately we were still full from breakfast but promised ourselves we would be back. Just at the end of the road was the Opera House, something we would have probably missed if we hadn’t had to go that way.
We set off towards the new premises and miraculously managed to find it – we were doing well today (and I was reading the map, not Dave!). When we got into the hairdressers to find that the staff were young males, apart from the receptionist. After explaining what I needed doing they sent me off to wash my hair, Dave also decided he was going to get his hair cut there even though I told him he would be better off getting it cut from one of the street barbers (and cheaper). The hair washing was amazing – it must have took nearly ½ hour with a good scrub and massage, it would have cost a fortune to get something like that in a spa. My hair was cut just how I wanted it, then I had 2 guys straightening it for me, pampered or what? It felt and looked so good, all my split, dry ends gone and the first time it has been straightened since we’ve been on this trip. Then I looked at Dave – his hair had gone, all but about a quarter of an inch! When he explained what he wanted they said they would hand cut the top of his hair, but when they came to it they took the clippers and shaved the top of too! Dave didn’t complain as he’s wanted it like this for a long time but I’ve always managed to persuade him not to. When it came time to pay we were told that as it was their only second day opening in their new premises there was 20 percent off – yes!!
We decided that we wouldn’t have lunch, instead we would wait for the banh xeo; these are only made from about 3pm onwards and we were like dogs on heat waiting for it to open, we kept prowling past the shop in anticipation, I’m amazed we weren’t arrested for loitering! We had arranged to meet Kristina, a lass that Dave used to work with in Wellington and now lives in Hanoi with her finance Rob (who also worked with Dave). They both work at the NZ embassy for the Ambassador. I wanted to try to keep my hair straight for going out so didn’t want to go out in the humidity, so we stayed in the hotel for most of the afternoon (apart from our ravenous gorging of pancakes).
We met Kristina at 5.30pm at the hotel and went for a beer first; it was great to see a familiar face after all these weeks, and great to catch up with what Kristina had been doing since moving to Hanoi. We then went to a restaurant, going up to the top floor (4 floors) and outside onto a balcony. Rob joined us for a short time but unfortunately he had to go to a meeting. The short time he was with us he absolutely stunned us – he ordered our meal completely in Vietnamese as well as chatted and joked with them – he was fluent!! He had taken an intense course for a year, 5 hours a day, to learn the language, impressive! We had another tasty meal and a couple more beers then back to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
06/06/2014 – Lazy, lazy day, food and drink
Dave wasn’t feeling too well during the morning so we stayed in the hotel room. I decided to go for a walk mid morning and went down to the lake where I saw a woman making sweet lollies, very difficult to describe but fascinating to watch. I walked around to where we first looked for the hairdressers and treat myself to an ice-cream, apparently one of the best in Hanoi. It is a coconut flavoured one and tasted delicious, and only cost 12000 dong (about 60 cents). I walked back towards the hotel and stopped to stock up on toiletries, it’s so much cheaper here, I must remember to stockpile Sensodine toothpaste before we go home!
Dave felt a bit better in the afternoon so we went for a walk around the Old Quarter, finding our way to the street where they sell coffee. We stopped at a little street coffee shop (sitting on very small stools – our knees are knackered!) and ordered a weasel coffee, though I really don’t think it was the genuine stuff as we were only charged a dollar each for them! We sat and watched the world go by (my favourite pastime) sipping our wonderful coffee.
For dinner we tried a street ‘BBQ’, we sat at a table on the pavement (small seats again), in the middle of the table was a small BBQ type tin box, we ordered the beef and were given a plate full of beef pieces, onions, spring onions, tomatoes, chillies and garlic. A piece of tin foil was put over the flame on which we put some oil then once it was hot we put the food on to cook (about a quarter at a time). We are also given a small dish with (am guessing here) salt, pepper and sugar and some tiny little lemons (or limes) that you squeeze into the mixture and stir it all together. Once the food is cooked you dip it into the sauce and eat – it’s mouth-watering good! A beer with the meal and we were ready for bed! Nighty nite xxx
07/06/2014 – Halong Bay
We had to be up quite early as we were getting picked up to go to Halong Bay. Now when I say early it’s not the 5am, middle of the night early, like I used to have to do when I was working; instead it was 6.30am, take my time to wake and then wash before sauntering down to breakfast (already made), pack and relax until our mini bus arrived early! I don’t think I can ever work again!!!
The bus picked us up and off we set. A little bit about the tours to Halong Bay – there are numerous tour groups that do these with large variations in prices. The cheaper boats are notorious for not being very safe (a boat sank a couple of years ago killing 11 people) and also for giving its passengers food poisoning. There are 3 types of trip – a day trip, a one night two day, or a two night, three day trip. We had people telling us that they weren’t impressed with Halong Bay but after quizzing them it turns out they only did the day trip. This consists of being sat on a bus for 7-8 hours and spending a couple of hours cruising close to port with hundreds of other boats. I did the one night, two day trip last year, and while I enjoyed it it did feel rushed. So we opted for the two night three day trip with a decent company. It wasn’t cheap by Vietnamese standards but we wanted to make the most of this trip.
We stopped at a shopping type of place on the way, they made hand embroidery pictures and sold lacquer ware, silk clothing etc. Nobody was interested in buying but we had 25 minutes there. We just had a coffee in the café and a pee! Then we set off again to the Bay.
Once at the bay we waited until the boat was ready then took a small boat out to it. The boat was lovely, we were upgraded to second floor room for the first night, it was very comfortable with a good bathroom. We were served a welcome drink then given the keys to our room. Once we had settled in we had lunch – jeez, there’s no worries of going hungry on here, it was a feast and would have been too much for dinner never mind lunch. While we were eating lunch we set off sailing into Halong Bay and around the limestone islands to the Sung Sot Cave (Amazing Cave). We were transported again in a small boat to the beginning of the steps. There were quite a lot of steps up (we always go to places with steps!) but we were rewarded with beautiful views over the bay. The only thing that spoilt it was the amount of boats in the bay and the vast tourist groups – it’s impossible to find a quiet time there.
We got to the cave and walked in line behind the other tourists; our guide explained important parts of the cave and we had a short time to take photographs, but we were pushed along in the tourist line. On the other side we were again rewarded with views.
Back on the boat we headed out to Soi Sim Island where there is a climb to the top for spectacular views and also a beach. We climbed to the top (lots of steps again) along with more tourists; once at the top we were surprised to find that the steps just stopped, there was no platform or standing area, we all had to scramble to get a good vantage point. The views were as good as we were told though. Once we got to the bottom we were ready for a swim, it was very hot and we were extremely sticky from the climb. However, once we got to the sea we realised it wasn’t very clean, so we had a very quick dip to cool off and came straight back out. We were horrified to see 2 American girls doing handstands in the water – ugghh, the bacteria that they must have ingested!
Halong Bay is very polluted from the floating villages, the fishermen and the tourist boats. It was worrying that while we were sailing around these magnificent Islands we could see all manner of debris floating past. The government is making attempts to clean up the bay and have brought out a scheme to move the floating village residents onto land – our guide told us this could be the last year the floating villages would still be around. There’s mixed feelings about this, first the villagers will get money and jobs from the government which is a good thing, but secondly, for those villagers who have lived all their lives on the bay it will be very difficult for them. The villagers have also struggled recently as due to the pollution it has killed off most of the fish in the bay, therefore killing off their food supply. Somebody else spoke of Halong Bay being closed down for a year while it is cleaned up properly. I’m not sure what the answer is, but something needs to be done quickly – this is a UNESCO site and needs protecting!
After the beach we returned to the boat and sailed into a bay in time for sunset. We were welcomed to the deck with watermelon juice and fruit, Dave turned his fruit into false eyes with very strange lashes – can’t take him anywhere! We had a shower after our fruit and came for dinner – again a feast – the seafood was especially spectacular and even though I don’t eat it myself, Dave thoroughly enjoyed it (as did the other guests). After dinner we played a game in which we were given a puzzle to solve, it was much more difficult than it looked and we didn’t win (a free beer for the winners). After dinner there was squid fishing but a Malaysian family took over all the fishing lines so we went to bed instead! Nighty nite xxx
08/06/2014 – Halong Bay alone!
Day 2 on Halong Bay. We were up early (just after 5am) to see the sunrise but unfortunately the boat was moored in a bad position and we didn’t get to see it properly. We participated in Tai Chi at 6am which only showed me how unfit I am – my calves ached for the rest of the day! After our breakfast we got ready for a smaller boat to pick us up. We were the only 2 doing the 2 night cruise so the others went off to do their activities. When the boat arrived I was amazed, I thought it would have been quite a small one but it was relatively large, probably big enough for about 20 people comfortably. The boat had a sun deck on top with sun loungers, a covered area on top and a large dining/ lounge area on the bottom. We had our own crew of 4, our captain, our guide, a chef and a deck hand. We felt like royalty!
We set off to Lan Ha Bay which is further away from Halong and so much quieter; we hardly saw any other boats apart from the local fishing boats. There was less pollution here too and the sea was much clearer. We moored up in a small bay and went kayaking through caves into bays and looking out for monkeys (we did see a few). For the 2 hours we kayaked for we only saw about a dozen other tourists – this was so much better and what we had expected Halong to be like. There were some large jelly fish in the sea, approximately a meter wide and tentacles reaching a meter and a half, they were great to watch but didn’t fancy swimming with them! The limestone islands were amazing and you could see how they would have been formed all those millions of years ago. It felt so serene and relaxing, being able to float around at our own pace taking in the scenery and nature without hordes of other people. One woman spoilt it for a few minutes by shouting at the monkeys in the trees as she passed (we were sat in our kayak watching them). She shouted ‘ you bloody rabid infested flea bags’ amongst other things – why come to a place like this if she doesn’t like it?
After our kayak we went back to the boat, we saw the French girl we met in Ninh Binh on another boat – small world again! We then sailed to another bay where there was no-one else but a small fishing boat and had a swim. I was a little apprehensive at first because of all the jelly fish, but the crew reassured me that if we didn’t swim too far away they could see any coming. We swam and jumped off the oat for about ½ hour then boarded the boat for a BBQ lunch. Yep – another feast. There were 10 different dishes for us – some seafood which I couldn’t eat, but more than enough food to feed at least 6 people comfortably!
After lunch we went up to the top and put the loungers under the shade then had a sleep for ½ hour! Once the crew had finished their lunch (they would only eat after we finished) we set off to see a pearl farm. This was very interesting and they explained the process of how they cultivated pearls. I won’t spoil it for anyone who’s going but there are over a million oysters in the farm, 3 different types for the different pearls, and all at different stages. They then showed us the pearls and pearl jewelry for sale (of course), the most expensive pearl being $12000 USD in their shop. They did say that if we didn’t enough money on us we could buy it and pay the boat when we got back – yeah right!!!
We set off back to the main boat where there would be a new set off people that had been picked up. We had the option of going back to the beach we went to yesterday but chose not to, instead waiting on the boat. When the others arrived back 3 guys came up to the top deck where we were sat, they were from England and total knobheads! Later they were joined by another 3 knobheads from England. Apparently they were medics, or training to be medics – God help the UK if these are the people out saving lives, I wouldn’t trust them to save my drink if it fell!!!
We sat down for dinner, the boat was at full capacity today with some large groups. We were sat with a young couple from the UK, while they were a bit eccentric they were great to chat to, and then we had 2 young women from Malaysia; we really wanted to chat to them but couldn’t get a word in edge ways because of the 2 Brits! We did get to chat to them properly the day after and found them witty and interesting. When it came time for the game we were at a big advantage but couldn’t let the crew know we had helped the rest of the table. We put the 2 hardest pieces in and let the rest finish it. Then we won the beer – yah!!!!! After a few beers we were ready to go to bed, it had been a very energetic day but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Nighty nite xxx
09/06/2014 – Third day on Halong Bay
We missed Tai Chi this morning, choosing to have a bit of a lie in instead. It was nice to lay in bed and watch the beautiful scenery float by outside, what a way to wake up! After breakfast we were taken to some kayaks and had 40 minutes to explore the cave and bay. It was beautiful and we saw a least 20 monkeys running and jumping around the trees. 40 minutes wasn’t enough though, it felt really rushed and we were going back to the boat before we knew it.
Back on the boat we had to pack our belongings and take them out of our rooms so housekeeping could get the rooms ready for the next intake, it really is like herding cattle! We were ushered into the dining room and given a cooking demonstration – well, there really wasn’t any cooking involved! Firstly, there were the ingredients already prepared for cold rolls, all we had to do was roll them dip them and eat them! Then we had a demonstration on how to cut vegetables into shapes such as a flower and a swan. This could have been really good except I was in one of the three seats where the only view we got was the back of the chef so I’m none the wiser! We then had lunch which was followed by us all having to pay our bill. We were nearly back at the terminal at this point and could see hundreds of other boats leaving, it really is a circus. I think for the pollution problem to become resolved they would have to limit the amount of boats going out to Halong. It can’t be good for the environment, the rubbish and waste being put into the sea and the amount of oil and diesel going in too. We were taken to the terminal by a small boat and put onto a mini bus for the journey back.
The journey back was a nightmare, the air con wasn’t working and it was 40 degrees outside! We were all melting and feeling faint, it wasn’t pleasant! After the 3 ½ hour journey back it was great to get back to the hotel. We were even more thrilled when the hotel upgraded us to the VIP suite; it had a bedroom with its own TV, a lounge with another TV, and a balcony which overlooked the street. We had a cold shower and chilled until dinner time.
We had our dinner at the outside restaurant, again very good food. After having a beer we went back to our room to enjoy our upgrade. Nighty nite xxx
Oh, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it earlier, but if you’re thinking of going on a cruise to Halong Bay definitely do the 2 night one, it makes such a difference. And take your own drink – we took a small bottle of vodka – the drinks on board are very expensive!
10/06/2014 – Meeting with friends
Quiet morning, put our laundry in a one of the street shops, went for a walk around some of the streets, around the lake and went for another delicious coconut ice-cream then chilled for the first half of the afternoon. We then went to meet with a couple we met in HoiAn (Laura and Rik) who had arrived in Hanoi earlier that day. We walked around to the temple on the lake, stopping to get a homemade lollypop from a woman at the side of the lake.
Once we had met Laura and Rik we took them to try the Banh xeo and fresh rolls. I don’t think they were as keen on them as we are! We were going to go for a drink in a bar but just before we left the heavens opened. Instead we ran around to our hotel and enjoyed a couple of beers each in our suite lounge (sounds posh hey?). We could hear the thunder and rain outside. After they had left we got ready to go and meet some other friends, Kristina & Rob and Cheryl & Ian (who we had met in Phu Quoc). We got a taxi to where Kristina had told us to go which took about 20 minutes to get to the area; we then realised how much more of Hanoi we had missed – most tourists, including ourselves, stay around the Old Quarter but there’s a much bigger modern city. As the taxi turned down a street by the side of West Lake we saw Cheryl and Ian standing on the corner; we called out to the taxi to stop and got out thinking it must be where we were meeting. Unfortunately it wasn’t – Cheryl had got confused and we were about a 15 / 20 minutes’ walk away. We eventually found where we were going after Kristina came looking for us on her scooter! We had an enjoyable evening with good company, good food and beer then went back to the hotel. Hopefully we’ll be able to catch up with Cheryl and Ian when we visit Canada (they are moving back there next week). Great day – nighty nite xxx
11/06/2014 – Ethnology Museum
Spent the morning getting ready and packing for our departure this evening. We were catching the sleeper train to Lao Cai but had to be out of our hotel room for 1pm. We picked our laundry up, packed our case then after checking out left our luggage at the hotel and went for some lunch. Because we had about 6 hours to kill we decided to go to see the Ethnology Museum. This was about 30 minutes out of town and we got a taxi to it.
The Ethnology Museum has displays and describes the various ethnicity groups around Vietnam and South East Asia. We were sat watching a video of a celebration with females (lots of old ladies) with one ethnic group which was very interesting when a young lad came and started chatting to us. It was obvious he wanted to practice his English, but he was also interested in our way of life too. We didn’t mind chatting to him even though we missed the video; shortly after 3 girls joined him and although shy at first started chatting too. Before we knew it there was a group of about 10 teenagers around us asking us questions and answering ours. I think they would have stopped there with us all day but eventually we told them we had to move on!
We continued around the museum and made our way outside where thy had a display of different buildings used by minority villages. We looked inside some of the buildings, at one stage I nearly knocked myself out by banging my head on a very short doorway – I had a lump on my head that hrt for the rest of the day. The whole museum was interesting and gave us a good insight into some of the minorities we would be seeing in Sapa.
We got a taxi back to the Old Quarter, went for some banh xeo (of course) then dinner – we reckoned the banh xeo was just a starter! We chose to have a BBQ again as we enjoyed it so much before. It was then off to the hotel to get a taxi to the train station.
Once at the train station we were greeted by a lad who asked to look at our tickets – he took us to another waiting room for the Sapa train and said he would be back when the ticket office was open (we had vouchers that needed to be changed to tickets). After getting our tickets the lad took us to the train, carrying our luggage (under protest) up and down stairs and showed us where our cabin was. He then wanted paying (surprise surprise) and argued about the amount we gave him – cheeky bugger! There’s always someone around trying to get your money off you!
I took the top bunk in the cabin (I think Dave is too old and knackered to get up there) and got ourselves comfortable. Shortly after a Vietnamese woman with an 18 month old boy and a girl about 5/6 yr old came in. I thought they would have had the other two bunks and offered that Dave took her top bunk so she could have the bottom 2 for herself and the kids, but she refused. And no wonder – not long after a lass came in who took the top bunk – the woman had booked only one bunk for herself and her kids! The bunks are very small and narrow, we only barely fit onto them, so it couldn’t have been comfortable for her (though she did seem to manage). The lass who came and took the top bunk was from Bolton and travelling alone – had a good chat to her before settling down for the night. Nighty nite – choo choo!!! xxx
12/06/2014 – Rain in Sapa
We got to Sapa early in the morning; the trip was quite uneventful even though we were rocked around all night. The side effect of it was that we all felt dizzy for a day or two afterwards, a bit like getting your sea legs back after being on a boat for a few days.
A guy came around the train informing us he had a bus to Sapa for 50000 dong (about $2.50) so we said we’d take it and followed him once we got off the train. The mini bus was full (we didn’t expect anything less) with lots of different nationalities on board, one guy actually tried to get the price down – really??? We set off for Sapa on the windy mountain road; the views were incredible – terraces after terraces up the high mountainsides with a river thundering through the bottom. I was mesmerised – this is what we had come to see and I was seeing it just on the bus trip to the town!!
We arrived at Sapa town and all of us were dropped at a hotel/ café, even though none of us were stopping there. It had started to rain and nobody knew where their hotel was; after we asked for directions we were given a nudge in the right direction and sent on our way. Sapa town has some very steep streets (due to it being on a mountain) so we dragged our backpacks up the street (in the rain) not sure where we were going. Luckily, a local pointed us in the right direction – another steep street, a set of steep steps then turn right up another steep street! We got to the hotel both wet with sweat and wet with rain. I’ve got to say though, even though we were sweating from the walk the climate was much better here – because it’s elevated it is cooler and not humid. Once we arrived at the hotel we were given breakfast then had to wait a short time for our room.
The hotel (Sapa House Hotel) was great, the room was large, clean with the softest bed yet in Vietnam (and Cambodia). The views from the window were supposed to look out towards Mount Fansipan and the ranges but all we could see were clouds. We had a rest as we were still tired from the train journey then set out to explore the town. It was lucky I had bought the raincoat in Hanoi (even though they were half the price in Sapa!) as it continued to rain.
As soon as we hit the top of the main street we were bombarded from the tribes’ people trying to sell us their wares. They are very practiced at this and will start to chat to you asking where are you from, what is your name, how many children do you have; then comes the ‘you buy from me’, ‘ you buy small thing from me’, ‘maybe later, you come back to me, don’t you forget me’. They would follow you around the town for miles hoping for a sale. They look beautiful in their costumes, there are different tribes in Sapa but mainly two tribes sell in the town (one of them being the dominant ones). It’s quite sad as I really wanted to chat to these ladies (and girls) and hopefully take some photographs, but you couldn’t as they would want you to buy something. We had lunch then went back to the hotel.
The rain didn’t clear up in the afternoon so we had another stroll around town then dinner before making our way back to get dry and comfy for the evening. The guy who owned the hotel told us that usually the weather is rain in the morning but clears up in the afternoon. From this information we booked a trek for the day after. Nighty nite xxx
13/06/2014 – trekking in Sapa
We got up and ready to go on our trek. We were collected from the hotel by a guy and taken down to the town to meet up with the rest of the group. It was still raining but we had hopes of it clearing up later in the day. At the town we had a group of the tribe women with us, I had read and been informed that they will walk most of the trek with you in the hope that you’ll buy something from them at the end. We set off and turned down towards the villages on a path and through the terraced rice fields. Because it had been raining the path was very muddy and slippy, the mud being like clay. The tribes’ women who had been chatting on the way down were a great help and would support us along the slippy parts. There was a couple with us who had the most ridiculous shoes on for trekking – small canvas plimsol types and decided not to continue with us – they met up with us later when we had got onto a concrete path!
The scenery again was breath-taking, even though we could only see it when the clouds parted briefly. The terraces had been dug into the mountain hundreds of years ago after clearing the forest on them; it must have been some feat as it was steep and full of rocks. Even today it is hard work as the machinery used has to be carried onto the terraces and the workers have to climb to farm them. Each rice plant is individually hand planted with the same space between them. There is only one harvest a year of rice in Sapa due to the climate, they have to wait until the rains in summer; it is too cold in winter (they can get snow). The rice is for their own personal use as they do not produce enough to sell on. They also grow plums, corn, sweet potato (and other produce) and in some areas grapes for wine! They try to sell their wares to supplement their income, although sadly, most of what they sell is bought from China and not their authentic products.
We continued trekking through the terrace and fields until we came to one of the villages. Here we were shown how the water is used to pound the rice and how the women make material from hemp, how they dye it using natural plants and how they make the patterns on the material using wax and tools. This was interesting and at the same time sad that they have to sell imported goods instead of their own, individual products.
We stopped for lunch at a shelter with lots of tables and chairs for tourists, obviously used for this purpose (they were all full). At this point streams of tribes women and young children surrounded us asking us to buy their goods. We couldn’t eat our lunch in peace! I actually gave in and bought a small woven bracelet much to the dismay of Dave – it was only $1!!!
After lunch we continued through another village, this belonged to a different tribe and their women took over from the other tribe walking with us and trying to sell to us. It all got really annoying; we wanted to enjoy the walk and the scenery but were continuously getting badgered! Towards the end of the trek we saw some guys preparing their cockerels for a fight, one guy was forcing water down a cockerels neck, its leather straps on its feet ready for the blades – I’m really glad the fight hadn’t started, this kind of thing is barbaric to me, even though it’s a way of life to them. Myself and Dave stopped at one of the houses to use the toilet, while I waited for Dave 2 women were sat next door with babies – one of the babies obviously had hydrocephalus, but she was the most gorgeous thing I have seen, her mother looked very proud when I told her this – beautiful! We walked a little further up the road then were picked up by a minibus to take us back into the town. Even though it had continued to rain, and we were bothered by the tribes’ women throughout, it was a great day that we both enjoyed. We went back to the hotel to wash the mud off our boots and dry out. We then had dinner and chilled for the evening. Nighty nite xxx
14/06/2014 – more rain and trekking
We woke to rain yet again, well it was more low cloud with the damp mist it brings with it, but undeterred we had breakfast and set off to another valley for a trek, this time on our own and not in a group. We were followed by just one tribe woman who I chatted with (Dave started totally ignoring them, and while I can understand I thought it was quite ignorant – it is their country that we are visiting and they are only trying to make a living, no matter how annoying they can be). The women was actually entertaining and I told her from the start that I would not be ‘shopping’ from her, but she carried on chatting and we had quite a laugh, she insisted we had a selfie together and she made me a little dog (or donkey?) from some of the grass stems. She finally left us alone as we came towards the village. We had to walk down lots of steps which were very slippery, the steps had limestone rocks in them which didn’t help as these became very slippery when wet (there’s a song there somewhere!). At the sides of the steps were small types of huts with more things to buy – they were everywhere, and the same thing in every one of them (even in the town the women set up at the side of the road, selling the same things – with the cover of umbrellas in the rain). We got to the bottom of the valley where there was a waterfall, not very big but it was pretty. The rain kept coming, the fine stuff that wets you through – but again through the gaps in the cloud it was beautiful. Now that we were in the valley there was only one way to go – up! Lots of stairs alongside the river; again amazing scenery. Once we got to the top of the stairs there were around a dozen guys with bikes asking if we wanted a lift, obviously a lot of people get tired here and want the easy way out, but we’re tough Yorkshire people and carried on!! The road was steep but not too difficult, and the scenery made you forget that out were out of breath with buggered knees! We were also given the answer to that old time question – what do they do when their bikes break down – put it on the back of another bike to take it to the garage – simple (though we couldn’t believe we saw that!). We stopped for lunch near the top of the hill then made our way back to the hotel, just as the clouds got thicker and the rain heavier. We then spent the rest of the day chilling and eating! Nighty nite xxx
15/06/2014 – motorbike, sun and more climbing
Yah! Today the sun came out!!! We hired a bike and set off exploring going down towards a village in a different direction from where we had already been. We passed the turning without realising at first and continued down the road (it was the road we came up on when we arrived), stopping numerous times to take photos of the fantastic scenery. We came back up the road and found the turning – this led us through farmland, fields and more terraced rice fields, the road sometimes turning muddy or rocky in parts.
We came to some ruins of a monastery which didn’t look too bad from the front but when we later explored the back it was in a total state of disrepair with large holes you had to be careful you didn’t fall down. We were told it was built the same time as the church in the town (which was still standing and used) so it was a shame this had been left to rot – I wonder what happened to the monks here?
As we got more towards the villages we started seeing the tribes women, these were the Red Dao tribe who wore red hats that looked like santa hats! They would be sat on the side of the road in groups and as soon as they saw someone coming they would jump up and try to get you to stop to buy their wares – they would practically run after you! We went through what must have been the community part of a village as there were dozens of women sat around together chatting, it was quite intimidating going through them as I thought they might all jump up at once and want you to buy there things!!
We got to the end of one road where there was another group, mainly children this time; they said there was a cave and they were equipped with torches for you to buy to explore the cave; we politely declined and turned around!
This ride through these villages was much better than the treks for the simple reason that the women couldn’t follow you and bother you on bikes. We were able to enjoy the scenery in peace (though one woman popped up from nowhere at one of our stops!). We set off back towards the town, then the problems started!
I told Dave to stop somewhere for lunch – not a difficult request, or so I thought (I usually have to choose where to eat). He rode around the town twice, passing at least 50 restaurants, then said he couldn’t find anywhere! I wasn’t going to give in and choose for him so told him to choose one of the many we had passed twice – so where does he stop? At a coffee bar – lots of drinks but no food; when I point this out to him he continues and stops again – at another coffee bar! I was fed up by now so said to him ‘okay, we’ll just stop for coffee’, at which point I start to climb off the bike and Dave starts to ride away causing me to bang my knee on the bike! Now I was totally pissed off so I start to walk away – Dave soon came after me and said we’d go to a restaurant. Cutting a long story short, after walking the length of the street and Dave following on the bike we finally get to a restaurant for lunch, it was a pretty quiet lunch though! Honestly, how can you not find and park next to a restaurant in a town full of them – he really needs to start making more decisions instead of leaving it to me!
After lunch we go back to the hotel for a rest, but only for a short time as the sun is out and we don’t want to miss it. We set out walking and go up to the lookout that we can see from the hotel. This is situated on the top of the town, you have to climb numerous steps (honestly, my next trip will be somewhere like Holland) and go through lots of beautiful gardens and a bizarre section with statues of animals, including Mickey Mouse (we think they were supposed to represent the twelve animals of the Chinese horoscope). Not too far from the top was a building in which regular shows were put on – traditional dancing and singing, which was great. We then found our way to the top lookout which had phenomenal views of Mount Fanzipan (cloud was still on top of it), the mountain ranges and the town and valley below – absolutely beautiful and worth the climb. There was another lookout we wanted to go to further down and set off to find it.
After searching through different parts of this park, through more gardens (with the biggest butterflies I have ever seen), through rocks and lots of stairs we came to what we thought might be steps to the lookout; we started down them and passed a woman busy with plants in a nursery – she looked at us but didn’t say anything. We continued down the steps and after going down about 200 of them we realised this was the wrong way but didn’t want to climb back up, so we continued on. After a while we could hear other people, then we saw them and realised they were coming from the lookout – the only problem was that we had a wall and a small stream separating us from them! We had obviously gone the wrong way! Oh well, we continued down finally coming to the back of some houses and venturing out through an alley way to the beginning of our walk. At least we can say we didn’t go on the tourist route!
My knees were really hurt at the end, must be middle age creeping up on me (and the bash from the bike)! We went for dinner then fell into bed tired but happy. Nighty nite xxx
16/06/2014 – Waterfalls, sunshine and rain
We watched the clouds rise from the ground to the mountains this morning before we went for breakfast. It’s an amazing sight and we had a fabulous view from the hotel. Because the sun was shining we wanted to get out on the bike early to see as much of Sapa as we could; after the rain we were excited!
We set of in the opposite direction from yesterday, towards the Silver Waterfall. As we rounded a bend on a main road there was a sign along a smaller road that said it was to the waterfall so we turned onto it. It was pleasant at first, with grand views over towards the mountains, but as we continued it became very rocky, then muddy, then we came to some road construction works. By this time I was pretty scared, the bike was slipping and we were close to a very large drop over the mountain! Luckily Dave’s riding is pretty good and we got through it safely, only to come out to the main road we had originally been on!!
We continued on, passing small wineries and the still amazing rice terraces; it doesn’t matter how many times you see them they still blow your mind! The main roads were great to ride on, smooth and winding. We got to the Silver Waterfall, parked our bike on the road and paid our 50cents each to climb the steps besides it – yes, more bloody steps!!! The steps went to about 1/3 of the way up the waterfall, it was large and steep. There’s something about waterfalls that are mesmerising, this one was fast with a large volume of water coming over – beautiful. We took the obligatory photos and made our way back to the bottom (there was a bridge that you crossed to get to the other side of the waterfall to go down).
We continued on towards Tram Ton Pass, more great riding roads, and parked up to go to the ‘Love Waterfall’, sometimes known as the ‘Golden Waterfall’. This is in a large national park which has lovely paths to follow through. We started down the steps (yep – steps!) to the bottom of the valley where we came to a small river/ stream and followed the signs to the fall. There were quite a few locals too, mostly younger than us. We walked along the stream and walked up – yes, steps – to the bottom of the waterfall where there were about ½ a dozen girls taking photos of each other, holding their arms on heart shapes above their heads and over their chests. We finally managed to get in for our own photos. On the other side there was a viewing platform, as we climbed up to it there was a group of young locals; one of the guys asked us to join the girls for a photo before we had even stepped onto the platform! After posing for a few photos we continued down the other side. What we didn’t realise (well, Dave did mention it), was that we would have to cross the stream to get back onto the path. Dave managed no problem with his long legs, but I managed to get one of my feet wet. Just as we crossed it started to rain, we put our rain coats on and continued. The rain started to get heavier so we took shelter under a building along with lots of other people. Once the rain started to subside we made our way back to the carpark. We started to ride aroud the mountain as it was supposed to be magnificant, but the cloud was getting low and we were driving into it, so we turned around and rode back into Sapa.
Sapa had completely different weather, it was still sunny and clear. We had lunch, dropped our backpack off at the hotel and set off to see the valley we went to the first day (trekking in the rain). I wanted to see it in its sunny glory. We parked at the far end of the village and set off walking through it, but after only a few seconds we had one of the tribe girls attached to us asking the same questions – we were both tired at this stage and just didn’t want the hassle, we just wanted to enjoy the views. When another tribes’ lady joined us we decided to get the bike and ride through the village – much smarter choice – no hassle and we could stop to enjoy the views when we wanted to.
After enjoying the village we rode back to our hotel, had a rest then went for dinner. We both got shitty with each other – 1. Because we were tired and 2. Dave got shitty about the plans for Japan even though I had spent hours trying to organise it. In the end I told him he could plan an itinerary, got back to our room, got my book and left him to it. I was asleep in about 15 minutes, at about 8.30pm! Nighty nite xxx
17/06/2014 – Chilling and journey back to Hanoi
We were going back to Hanoi this evening on the sleeper train so spent the morning in our room packing and looking at what we can do in Japan (yeah, Dave hadn’t completed an itinerary!). We had to check out at 12pm so left our luggage in the hotel and went for some lunch in the town. We then just sat in the hotel reception, still planning our Japanese trip, going out for an early dinner and buying some snacks for our journey. We were picked up at 4.30pm by the minibus where there was a group of Vietnamese tourists getting dropped off at their hotel. One guy shook our hands as he got off even though I had only been sat next to him for 5 minutes!
We thought we would have made our way straight to the train station, but in the typical Vietnamese way we couldn’t go before they picked up more rides. After a few phone calls and waiting around the square and streets they managed to get a few more people on the bus and off we set. We had to stop ½ way down the mountain as a little lad was sick – it was no wonder really, the roads are very windy and even we started to feel a bit travel sick!
We got dropped off at the car park and made our way to the station where we were directed across the road to change our vouchers for train tickets. Then we had a short wait until we boarded the train. In our cabin (of 4 bunks) was a woman and her son, both from Sapa and couldn’t speak English. We managed to tell each other where we were from and that she wasn’t travelling with her son, just seeing him off. I think she was asking us to look after him, much to the embarrassment of the son! We also had an American guy in with us who was in the forces deployed in Afghanistan but on 3 weeks leave at the moment. We all had a chat for a while then settled down to sleep, or attempt to sleep with the rocking and rolling of the train! Nighty nite xxx
19/06/2014 – on to Hong Kong
We were up early for breakfast before getting a taxi to the airport. Our plane was delayed for a short time but we made it to Hong Kong only ½ hour later than we should have – we must have had a good wind pushing the plane! Yes, we were in Hong Kong – our third country on the trip.
Once we had cleared immigration and customs we found the information kiosk (or rather they found us – very efficient) and got some information on the travel along with maps. We then went to get some cash out of the ATM and our train tickets and passes. We bought what they call an ‘octopus card’, it’s credit card sized and you put on prepaid money. This allows you to use the trains, buses and in some shops and saves you carrying money around, which is handy as the buses require the correct change. We also bought tickets for the express train from the airport into the city.
The train into the city was super-fast and smooth, the totally opposite of the trains in Vietnam (and New Zealand!); they are also very regular, every 7 minutes. We arrived into the city in 24 minutes and pondered on what we should do. We had to meet our couch-surfing host at 8pm in Flaning which gave us 5 hours to kill. We decided to walk to the ferry terminal and waterfront in the central district, stopping for a cold drink. It wasn’t too hot but the humidity was quite high and we were lugging our small backpacks around (we had put our big backpacks in the left luggage).
I couldn’t believe the amount of sky scraper buildings as we walked around, they were everywhere. We walked past the ferry terminals and came to a park area where they had installations from a university. We walked around them, very interesting, and continued to another area with different installations under some of the buildings. Just as we finished looking at them it started to rain. We made our way back to the train station and got our backpacks then started our journey to Flaning. Flaning is north of Hong Kong town, not far from the Chinese border, so we had quite a way to go. Luckily, the train service extended this far but we had to figure out how to get to the right line. This wasn’t too difficult, the maps are very detailed and we set off. We got one train for a couple of stops, got off and had to walk (or stand on the escalator) for quite a while before getting another train to the correct line. The trains run every few minutes so we didn’t have to wait too long. Because we got on at the start of the line for Flaning we managed to get a seat; this was great as we had been on our feet for a few hours and had quite a way to go.
We reached Flaning with an hour to spare so we decided to go for something to eat. A lot of the menus were in Chinese but we found one that had English too. We ordered a beef dish and sat down to eat it – it was pretty horrible; the beef was mainly strings of fat which was sat on top of rice with onions that tasted also of fat. We both had a few mouth-fulls then left it. We went to wait by the 7-11 for Iris, our host for the week. She arrived not long after us and said we had to wait for an Aussie guy who was staying with us too. After checking her messages she realised he didn’t get into the airport until 7pm so the earliest he would get to us would be 9pm; we went and waited in a café with a coffee.
Iris is a wonderful woman; she has travelled quite extensively ad couch-surfed herself. She works for the Department of Health in the city and has a 1 ½ hour commute each way every day. She lives in Flaning as it is cheaper than the city. The prices for rent are very expensive and you only get a very small space. Iris lives with her dad.
We waited until 9.30pm then when the Aussie guy hadn’t turned up we set off to Iris’s home. We caught a bus, again very reliable, big and comfortable, and made the 20 minute journey to her village (this was more like a large town). Until we got close to the village where Iris lives there were still lots of high rise flats everywhere – space is a premium in Hong Kong.
We arrived at the house which is the bottom of a 3 storey building and met George, Iris’s dad. After settling in and bringing out our mattresses we sat and chatted to George – and can he talk!!! He’s 70 year old and spends most of his day alone, so I think when he gets company he makes up for it. He loves talking about politics and religion, not my favourite topics as it usually gets me into trouble, but I didn’t have to worry, George didn’t give us much chance to talk ourselves!
The house consists of a living room, 2 small bedrooms, bathroom and a tiny kitchen. We were stopping on mattresses on the floor in the living room. When it got to about midnight I politely told George that I was tired and needed to go to sleep; Iris came out of her room and I think she told him in Chinese to go to bed and leave us in peace!! We settled down and went to sleep. Nighty nite xxx
20/06/2014 – Hong Kong City
We woke early in the morning and got ourselves ready. Iris had already gone to work (she had to be up at 5am, bless her) and there was no sign of George. We made a coffee and waited; we couldn’t get out of the door as it was locked and there were no keys! We didn’t know if George was still in bed or had gone out. So we were stuck in the house when we really wanted to be out exploring Hong Kong!
George came out at about 10am then made us tea (while talking lots about everything). We asked him if we turned left to get to the bus-stop and he said he would walk with us and show us a different way. We walked for over an hour, getting lost and listening to Georges’ stories of politics, religion and war! Finally we got back to the house and went to the bus-stop (it was about 12pm). We got the bus to the station and was starving, so we got a pizza slice from the bakery to keep us going until we got into the city.
Once in the city we found a sports bar with specials on for lunch, ate lunch while catching up on the world cup on the TV. We then went to explore more of Hong Kong. I was still in awe of all the high rise buildings, they were everywhere and I was getting a cranked neck looking at them all! We made our way down to the ‘Avenue of Stars’, a walk along the waterfront where there are various statues of the movie industry and hand prints of Chinese movie stars in the pavement. There’s also a statue of Bruce Lee which is very popular.
We stopped and sat in one of the view-point stands, both of us very tired and just wanting to rest – unfortunately Iris’s house is over an hour away on the train and bus and once we’re there we can nip to bed for a siesta as we’re sleeping on the floor in the living room where her dad sits during the day! Once we’d had a rest we continued looking around, finding lots of artistic installations in various places including a set of 6 metre high footballers from around the world to commemorate the world cup and some cartoony fat people in various groups. We soon realised that there are shopping complexes everywhere, you can step out of one and straight into another one; there’s also a shopping centre at each train station! There’s lots of money in Hong Kong, both being made and spent; the shops were mainly top quality ones (Cartier, Vivienne Westward, Ralph Lauren, etc.), ones that we can’t afford to shop in! Iris said the people of Hong Kong work all week and shop all weekend!
We went to buy some electronics – I needed a smart phone, Dave a tablet as his e-reader had finally broke completely. I needed a phone to be able to get information when travelling, I’ve resisted getting one for so long but now is the time – I just hope I don’t become like all the zombies on the trains and streets, not talking to each other as they are too busy on their phones!
After walking around for most of the day we went for a drink in ‘Murphy’s bar’; Dave was in his element as they served Boddingtons, and we managed to get 2 drinks in during happy hour. We treat ourselves to dinner there, Dave having a cheese burger and I had a Cajun chicken burger – yum!! At about 6 .30pm there was an influx of financial workers in the pub, all in their club ties and talking with Oxford/ Cambridge accents; the scary thing is though is that they all looked so young, a sign that I’m getting older????
After our dinner we got the train and bus back to Flaning where we were greeted by George – luckily he wasn’t as talkative tonight and we managed to get to sleep without too much trouble! Nighty nite xxx
21/06/2014 – Our personal tour guide
It’s the 100th day of our trip!!! After getting ready we set off with Iris into Flaning for breakfast/ lunch (we were a bit late getting ready); she was taking us to a local market for a traditional one. Dave wasn’t feeling too good and his stomach was playing up so when we arrived he went straight to the loo while we went to order. The market was an old building with food stalls at the bottom level – fruit, fish and meat, including bowls of chicken feet; while the cooked food was the next level up. It was like a huge concrete hall with various different stalls all selling traditional Chinese food. Iris ordered dishes from two of the stalls and we sat at tables reminiscent of a school dining room.
The dishes arrived which included what I thought was fried pork skin, I took a piece and dipped it into the sauce provided but it didn’t taste too good; being polite I finished it and was told it was dried fish skin! Onto congee with ‘1000 year old eggs’ which was actually fresh eggs injected with some chemicals and buried underground for 10 days to give it it’s colouring and flavour (black jelly yolk and a jelly type whites); I was brave and tried it (before I was told it wasn’t 1000 yr old) and found it wasn’t too bad, though I couldn’t eat a lot of it. We also had rice rolls, one with bbq pork which was my favourite and delicious, although the other was good too, and we had a kind of beef soup, again very tasty. Dave hardly touched anything, it was a bit annoying as Iris had gone out of her way to bring us here, but I guess if he wasn’t feeling too good it couldn’t be helped.
After breakfast/ lunch we got the train into the city where we firstly walked through the flower market, rows of shops selling a large array of flowers and plants then through a long row of pet shops selling turtles, tortoises (some of which were on their backs struggling to turn around, Samurai fighting fish in little plastic jars, cats and dogs which were in the smallest of cages; I could have taken them all home with me just to let them escape from their prisons! After walking through these streets we reached the ‘Ladies market’, named as women are better at bartering than men and there are hundreds of stalls for them to barter at! The market climbs up a steep hill and sells all sorts of products aimed mainly at tourists; I bought a case for my new phone!
22/06/2014 – More from fantastic Iris
We got up a little late again, from sleeping really well at the beginning we aren’t sleeping too well now, mainly because George gets up when we’re sleeping and climbs over us to get to the kitchen, knocking our feet and occasionally our heads!
After showering and getting ready iris took us to the shopping centre for a local breakfast/ lunch again; this restaurant is massive and is very popular with families on a Sunday for valuable family time. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before we could get a table. Dave still wasn’t feeling too good and spent a long time in the toilets again. It’s such a shame when there’s so much local food to try.
For lunch we had: dumplings (fluffy and tasty), veg (healthy and tasty), squid (Dave managed to eat these), bbq (becoming one of my favourites), tofu (good but not as good as Sapa), noodles (delicious) and black sesame soup to finish off with (this had gone cold and wasn’t as nice as it should have been, but still tasty). This was all swilled down with green tea. Dave managed to eat bits but he missed a fantastic, delicious meal. Does it sound a lot to you? Yeah – I don’t know where they put it but the Chinese eat loads, not getting just one dish for a meal but many to share; I would love to know their secret on how to eat so much and stay so slim. Iris did say that the Chinese are obsessed with their weight and will do anything to stay slim, not very healthy in both body and mind!
After lunch we got lots of different trains and buses, passing through an area where there are ‘curse women’, women who you can go to if you want to put a curse on someone; they will go through a ritual, you pay them your money and the deadly deed is completed. Be warned though, it is said if you put a curse on someone then a curse will eventually come back to you! Luckily I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted to put a curse on – I must be mellowing!
We eventually got to Times Square (HK, not NY) where there was a display of Batman memorabilia; the Bat-Mobile, another car and bike were parked up to see and take pictures. Batman was standing next to the clock tower and there were large picture displays that if you took a photo at the right angle would give a great shot. There were large crowds bumping into each other so we decided we would come back during the week to look at it in closer detail.
After wandering around Batman we stopped into the Lamborghini showroom where there had 3 classic cars on display; they were very nice but I’m not sure I would buy one if I could (I would have one given!). We then made our way on the bus to the Prison Museum which is situated in Repulse Bay on the West side of HK.
The museum was once a working prison (and part is still a correction facility) and hd many interesting items on display including the gallows. There was a video explaining about the history and the present, how prisoners are treat and integrated back into society as well as training given to the staff (which is intense). After enjoying about an hour here we walked down to Stanley Square; we passed an area where there was dragon boat racing taking place but we were unable to get down to it – shame, it would have been good to see that. Stanley Square is on the waterfront and appeared to be where a lot of Europeans lived and spent their spare time. There was a free concert going on, with youth doing a few songs, which attracted a lot of people. We had a coffee and looked in a pet shop – they sell all sorts of items for dogs, clothing, boots, puzzle games, special beds, play pens, even nappies! – it was ridiculous. We then had a look in an old temple where there is a skin from a tiger displayed – the tiger was shot by a police officer when it prowled around the town (I think it was back in the 60’s). The skin didn’t look too great, it hadn’t been preserved very well and the stripes had disappeared leaving it looking black and tattered.
We made our way back into the city on the bus where Iris left us to meet a friend. Again, we are so grateful to her for showing us another side of HK we wouldn’t have seen without her. We took a tram to Victoria Park; as we approached we could see hoards of Muslim women sat on the pavements, over the bridges, on the steps, everywhere! When we got off the bus and walked through the park there were women sat in any available space where there weren’t any sports being played. We later learnt that these women are nannies who all meet on their off (Sunday) to catch up with the gossip and meet friends. It’s sad to think that they have to sit on the streets etc. to do this, again, so little space for the crowds!
We got the tram back and caught the ferry to the HK side to see the light show, there were so many people out to see it, it was difficult to get good vantage point; when we thought we had a guy in front of us stood up to his 6’5’’ height right in front of us!! The light show was a bit of a let-down after all the hype of it, the sky-scraper buildings lit up and there were some lasers flying around but it was nothing erth shattering – I think I was expecting more of the ‘Jean Michel Jarre’ light show!!!
Afte fighting through the crowds we made our way back towards our MTR (train) station and stopped in a local restaurant for dinner. We had bbq pork ribs (see- a favourite) with noodles and beef with black pepper with spaghetti and cabbage with bacon. It was very tasty but again we couldn’t finish it, there was far too much. We saw locals order twice as much as us and polish it off – where do they put it?
We got the train back to Fanling, making sure we got back in time for the last bus back to Iris’s home. Another great day. Nighty nite xxx
23/06/2014 – not a good day!
I was very tired this morning after not getting much sleep last night. It’s great that we are couch surfing but it isn’t so good that w have to sleep in the lounge on the floor. George was up until late watching a video on the TV, he kept falling asleep on the sofa but wouldn’t go to bed. When he finally went to bed and we got settled he would get up to go to the toilet (having to pass the top of us) or go into the kitchen leaving the light on. I got very little sleep and was in a foul mood!
We set off to the city as soon as we were ready and stopped in the mall in Fanling station for a donut to keep us going, we can’t get breakfast at the house. Once in the station we got breakfast and a coffee then made our way back to Times Square to see the rest of the Batman exhibition. We saw Batman and Robin climbing the walls of the shopping mall, a large walled display of past Batman comic covers, an area at the bottom of the mall where you could take some cool photos (I got a good one of Dave dangling upside down from the Jokers fingers) and a display of past Batman toys and memorabilia; it was kind of fun!
After we had finished I asked Dave what he wanted to do next, typically he gave me the ‘I don’t know, anything you want’ answer. I said we could take a tram and on to another area at which he replied he would think of something to do. So, I left him to make the decision, but once we got off the tram he was back to saying he didn’t know what to do! Being really tired and Dave not making any decisions AGAIN got me into a foul mood so I ignored him and carried on without him. After getting lost a little we made our way up to Hong Kong Garden (a great song by Siouxie Sioux too!) with me still ignoring Dave, I really just wanted to be on my own. At the entrance Dave sat on a bench so I left him and went up some steps towards a small lake. It really was an oasis in a concrete jungle. A guy appeared to be following me, if I changed direction he would too – just what I needed, another man to annoy me – aaggghhhh!!!! After a few turns and changes of direction I managed to lose him.
The garden was a lot bigger than I first thought, there was a conservatory which housed exotic plants, the Olympic circle, a memorial garden for the victims of SARS, including the health care staff who contracted the disease and died after caring for victims, and an aviary with lots of exotic birds. I was thoroughly enjoying taking photos of the birds when my battery ran out – Dave had the spare ones with him – damn!!!
I made my way back to where I left Dave but he wasn’t there, that wasn’t a problem (apart from my batteries) as I would make my way back to Iris’s house by myself and was sure Dave could manage that too (wll, not too sure!). I went to look at the lake and the waterfall behind it when I heard lots of whistling, when I turned to look Dave was at the top of the hill in a lookout furiously waving his arms at me, bugger, I was so enjoying my time by myself! When he came down to me he said that there had been a prostitute propositioning him 3 times around the park!
We went back to the restaurant we went to yesterday for some dinner, sharing a meal between us this time, there was still plenty. We went back to Iris’s, still in a bad mood and very tired. George was again watching TV so I got out my laptop to catch up on some things on the net, George got up and pressed something on the router and next thing the internet wasn’t working! So I just got out the mattresses and after a shower got into bed, I was very ready for a sleep after today. Nighty nite x
24/06/2014 – Madam Tussauds
Not a good start to the day – during the night I was again woken and decided to try the internet, I was expecting an important email. It still wasn’t working so I pressed the wifi reset button on the router which got it started again and I checked my emails. In the morning Iris asked me if I had done anything with the internet as the password had disappeared leaving it open for anyone to use – I told her what I had done and she wasn’t happy, whoops! I still think though that George had done something as resetting the wifi button shouldn’t remove the password; I didn’t say this to Iris and apologised profusely. It was getting a little bit strained in the house now and we still had a couple of nights to go!
We got up and ready and set off on the train to the city, getting the ferry over to Hong Kong Island and then the bus to the Peak, stopping for breakfast on the way. Dave’s stomach wasn’t good again and we had many trips to the toilet on the way which took up a lot of time; we didn’t get there until after lunch. It was much quieter today than it was on Sunday. We went to Madam Tussauds, getting our tickets which weren’t very cheap then going into the room which had a mixture of Western and Chinese stars in. Then we turned a corner which pointed to an exit sign where there was a queue of people; we weren’t happy, we paid a lot of money to see a few waxworks! But – the exit was to the next floor down where there were heaps more displays! We had fun going around and posing with historical figures (Shakespeare), artists (Pablo Picasso), politicians, both western and Asian (we got to take a call for the USA president, chatted to the Chinese PM etc.), royalty, religious figures (Ghandi), TV hosts, movie stars (Marilyn Monroe and Johnny Depp – phoar!!), pop and rock stars (Freddie Mercury, Beatles, Madonna etc.), sportsmen (boxing with Mohammed Ali) and playing with cartoon characters. We were like big kids and loved it! There was also a ‘thrill attraction’ in which a group of us had to walk along dark corridor while horror characters jumped out at us, similar to the ‘Passage de Terror’ at Blackpool, or the ‘Amazing maze’ in NZ, but smaller.
After spending the afternoon at the Peak we made our way back to the bottom and caught the ferry over to the other side, stopping for dinner before going back. Iris was absolutely fine when we got back and we chatted about our day and showed her our photographs. Iris is going to Siem Reap at the weekend so we gave her some information on which temples to go to and when, as well as other attractions. I felt pleased we could offer her some help after what she had done for us.
George went to bed early tonight so we got to go early too. Nighty nite xxx
25/06/2014 – Museums
Wednesday in Hong Kong has free admission to the museums so we took advantage of this. First we went to the Art Museum where there is a large purpose built building close to the Avenue of Stars. There was a special exhibition of Chinese art which we had to pay a small fee. We spent a couple of hours here looking at the traditional Chinese art and the modern contemporary art which had some interesting pieces and displays, including a video of how people live and their views of living in small spaces together (a big topic in HK). The special exhibition had lots of silk screens with drawings on from 100’s of years ago, these were beautiful but I have to say they all looked very similar even though they were done by different artists and over a couple of hundred years apart. They also had some gorgeous works of bowls, ornaments etc. though some would be controversial today as they were made from rhino horn and ivory.
We stopped for lunch part way through the Art Museum and found a great café just around the corner that sold good cheap food. After replenishing our energy we finished at the Art Museum and went to the Space Museum. Unfortunately we went at the wrong time and it was full of kids that had just finished school. We looked at the displays (all about space travel) but didn’t want to queue for the rides as they were all at least 30 minutes long. Instead we went to see a film about Monarch butterflies in the big observatory screen (like the one in Wellington). This was a great film but at times made me feel really dizzy so I had to close my eyes; Dave closed his eyes and slept through half of it!!!
We went to Marks and Spencers to buy some chocolates for Iris to thank her for what she had done for us. When we got there there was a sale on for the clothes so I treat myself to a t-shirt. There were some snobs in the store who looked me up and down to see what labelled clothes I was wearing, while I was waiting to go into the changing room but I just smiled nicely at them and lifted my head up high! It might sound sad but it felt great to be in a British shop again, especially M&S as I love their clothes (and miss my presents from Dave’s parents – they nearly always send me a M&S blouse or cardi).
We went for some dinner then back to the house for our final night there. We managed to chat with Iris for quite a while but George seemed to want to keep out of our way. Once again, when we had just fallen asleep George came out to the kitchen, clipping the top of Dave’s head and nearly standing on my feet; after waking us I wasn’t able to get back to sleep – it was a long night!
26/06/2014 – Move into the city.
We were up early this morning and packed our belongings ready to move to the city for the last 2 nights. After washing the bedding and hanging it out to dry we said our goodbyes to George; he appeared surprised we were going! We went earlier than we were going to in the hope the hotel room would be ready for us early.
After arriving in the city we set about looking for our hotel, eventually finding the lift for it in the middle of a small cheap shopping centre. It was like a maze finding the right place but we managed – it is a tall building with various guest houses, hostels and residential flats. Luckily our room was ready and we were taken to it. The room was very small, even though we had been upgraded to a triple room, but it was comfortable and had everything we needed, and most importantly it was private!!! We both had a sleep as we were knackered from the night before. It felt really good to have our own space, don’t get me wrong, we are grateful to Iris and her father for having us but we couldn’t relax, have a sleep during the day (or even a lie down) or any sort of privacy. Now we could do wht we wanted at any time.
After a sleep we set out to find the 1600 pandas – these are paper mache pandas that represent all the pandas left in the world – not very many of them! They have toured Japan and places in the city and now are at a centre for a week or so. They were great, different sizes and poses but it really brought it home how little are left. We could have queued for 30 minutes (always 30 minute queues!) to go onto a grassed area to pose with some of the pandas but we didn’t bother; it was good enough to just see them and take photos.
After seeing the pandas we walked down to the ‘Soho’ area where the bars and restaurants are. I had seen a pub called the ‘Yorkshire Pudding’ so had to go and check it out. We had already decided we were going to treat ourselves for dinner and boy, did we have treat! We had a great big roast dinner which included pork, beef, roast potatoes, veg and Yorkshire puddings – bloody fantastic!! It came served on a big wooden platter. To swill it all down we had a pint of larger each. I was in heaven. After we hd finished I indulged even further – we went to Marks an Spencers and bought 2 chocolate eclairs – these were my absolute favourites in the UK and I had missed hem too much. I waited until we were back in our room to eat these, one in the evening and the second for breakfast in the morning – they were as good, if not better, as I had remembered them – small things hey?
We went to bed happy and full that evening. Nighty nite xxx
27/06/2014 – Cable car, Buddha and dolphins
Our last full day in Hong Kong so we had to get out and do as much as possible. We set off to the West o Hong Kong, the only side we hadn’t done yet. We got the train to a city that had a cable car up to the Big Buddha, we could have taken the bus which would have been cheaper but as Dave said, we would only be once so had to try it. There were lots of tourists queing to get tickets and as we stood in line we realised that there were many different options starting from a one way trip in the cable care to full tours for the day. We opted for the one way trip as we wanted to save as much money as we could and also if you do things independently you usually see and experience more.
The rip in the cable car was great, it went on for miles with fantastic views over the freight airport, coastline and mountains. The only thing that spoilt it was 2 Russian girls who stood up in front of the camera when I was trying to take pics – they have no manners!!!!
At the top of the cable car there was a little village type place with shops selling traditional wares (we had a look at the chop-stick shop and I was very tempted to buy some, they were beautiful) and cafes; you could also have stage make-up applied and star in your own role – we passed on that! We carried on walking and came to steps (yep, again!) up to the Big Buddha; it was hot and we felt very sweaty!! At the top were statues and great views of the mountains. We stopped and took in the atmosphere then walked back down and on to a walkway towards the Wisdom Path. This is a path that has large wooden columns with calligraphy of the ‘heart sutra’ inscribed onto them. The path is in the countryside amongst the mountains and hills; not many tourists came to this area (not sure why as it’s much more beautiful than the Buddha) which we didn’t mind as it gave us time to pause and soak in the peace. It was a beautiful place and I felt very calm here.
After seeing the Wisdom Path we walked back down to the bus terminal and took a bus to the village of Tai-O. Here there are floating villages and boat trips where you can see the White/ Pink Chinese dolphin if you are lucky. We got one of these boat trips as soon as we got there; firstly it took us around the floating village for few minutes then we were off out of the bay to seek the dolphins. There were a few other boats out too and at first we saw nothing. Then all of a sudden we spotted one, the white nose was coming out of the water and we all got excited!!! I managed to get a photo of it and we saw it surfacing twice more – then the boat started to go back to the village!! Jeez, I know the trip was a 20 minute one but surely if we had just spotted the dolphin we could stay a while longer. I would have gladly paid more to stay and watch it for longer. Sadly, we went back.
Once back at the village we went for a walk through the houses and shops towards the pier. From the boat this didn’t look too far but when we walked it was very long! The houses were tiny and looked as if most of them were made from aluminium; they had their dimensions wrote on the outside walls, for example 20 x 8 x 13. We were able to see inside some of the houses and it showed to us just how much little room you need to live in. We passed a place that made shrimp paste, there were lots of plastic barrels with pink ‘goo’ in them that smelt terrible, and a lady selling the paste in jars from her home. Apparently this is a famous place for the paste even though it’s only a small cottage industry. We continued on, past larger houses, one of them with the garden wall full of bonsai trees, and towards the end a large posh hotel. On the rocky shoreline were 5 women collecting something form the rocks, first we thought it could have been cockles but then we noticed they were digging underneath the rocks so wasn’t sure what they were looking for. Once at the pier I looked to see if I could see the dolphins out to sea again but had no success. We then walked the long hot path back to the bus terminal, passing through the shops selling mostly fish products (fresh and dried) and tofu dishes. One guy was advertising his pearl necklaces at around $10 each – genuine of course - bargain!
We got the bus back to the terminal in the city then the train back to Kowloon. Once we were back there I was on a mission t get to Kowloon Park to try to find the old school that was there. One of my friends went to school there and I wanted to take some pics for her before it got too dark. Once we arrived at the park we instantly came across the ‘Cartoon Avenue of Stars’ which was a walkway with statues of famous Chinese cartoon characters on each side. We went in search of buildings that could have been a school but couldn’t really find anything; it must have changed dramatically since my friends’ school years. There was a swimming pool in one part of the park, both indoors and outdoors, and I was tempted to jump straight in. I took some photos of parts of the park then we continued walking towards Temple Street, famous for its market and eateries (and later in the night its prostitutes!). We found a street café to stop at for dinner which had great food, I had sweet and sour pork which would have beat any in the Chinese takeaways in both the UK and NZ. After dinner we had a wander around the market buying an umbrella (I didn’t realise how useful these really are, in the sun and rain), and badges for our next trip (I’m sewing badges of flags of the places we visit onto my backpack). We then had a sneaky look in one of the sex shops (well, when in Rome and all that) and found a couple in which the female was highly embarrassed of the toys around her. Sadly Dave wouldn’t let me spend my money here ;-)
We made our way back to the hotel and settled down for a good night’s sleep in a proper bed – in fact we slept in separate beds for extra comfort!! Just as we were dropping off a group of young people came into the corridor and started talking loudly to each other – again!!! I went out and asked them to be quiet, there must have been at least a dozen people there, some right by our door! Again I didn’t get much sleep – bastards!!!!!!! Nighty nite xxx
28/06/2014 – Manila, Philippines
We had to be up early to get to the airport for our flight out of Hong Kong. We were on our way to Japan via Manila, Philippines. Unfortunately we had messed up when we booked our flight and ended up with a 17 hour stop-over in Manila. We booked a hotel quite close so we could at least get some rest and sleep. The reviews of Manila airport were terrible so we didn’t want to stay in there. We spoke to a lass from Manila while we were in Hong Kong and she advised us not to go into the city and that it wouldn’t be advisable to go outside on the streets! So, we got a taxi to the hotel (probably charged far too much) and saw lots of small metal buses (a bit like large tuk-tuks in Thailand), motorbikes with large side-car sort of things for passengers, lots of slums and poor people, LOTS of people in general and what looked like chaos. It was the first time I have felt unsafe in a place and wasn’t keen to venture out of the hotel (though there would have been great photo opportunities). The hotel was okay, basic but clean, and it had a pool on the rooftop. We went up to the pool for a swim and a sunbathe (not very comfy loungers). The views from there were pretty good, you could see the skyscrapers of the city behind the really poor houses of the suburbs. I had a swim then went back to the room for a sleep. We then had room service dinner – not brilliant and went to sleep, we had to be up and ready to go back to the airport in the early hours of the morning. Nighty nite xxx
29/06/2014 – Philippines airlines
We got to the airport super early, I had read reviews that you need plenty of time as there are massive queues to get into the airport and through immigration/ security. When we arrived there was nobody waiting and we were straight through! The reviews of the airport were definitely correct; it was basically a long room with hard metal seats attached to the floor. There were about 4 places selling food and drink (only one café, the others just tiny shops) but we had no money to buy anything (we had to spend the last of our cash on airport tax – something we didn’t expect, and there were no cash machines – yep, none in the airport!). We sat on the hard, cold chairs and got blasted by cold air from a massive air con machine – I was freezing! We had to wait about 2 hours before we could even start to board the plane, life was miserable at this point and we vowed never to come back to Manila! We eventually got on the plane, it was full of mainly business people, and settled back for the flight. The service was terrible – there were 6 stewards/ stewardesses and they all serviced one part of the plane at the same time. As we were sitting at the back we were the last to be served with food, so when they got to us we had no choices and the food was cold. Later I was very thirsty and asked for a drink of water – when the stewardess passed I asked her for some but she held up an empty bottle and shrugged her shoulders. She then got new bottle and went straight to the middle of the plane; this happened 3 times!!!! We will avoid Philippines airlines in the future, terrible!!
29/06/2014 - Japan
We arrived in Tokyo, Japan and was pleased to see a civilised country after being in Manila. We sorted out getting some cash out of the ATM and got a 3 day pass for the metro system. We then got a train (very, very fast!) to the city and found our hotel (the locals were exceptionally helpful with directions). The hotel was lovely, the room was only small (if we wanted to pass each other one of us had to stand on the bed) but it was clean, very comfortable and had all the amenities we needed. The bathroom was again small, the bath short but it was very deep (I thoroughly enjoyed my soaks in the bath). We left a message for Russell, a friend of ours who now lives and works in Tokyo, and went to explore the local area. We made our way down towards the river side and were surprised at how quiet it was. We were expecting lots of people and traffic everywhere but didn’t see them. Maybe it was because it was Sunday? (though during the week it was also pretty quiet. We also noticed how clean everywhere was, no rubbish on the streets at all. If we stopped to look at our map or maps on the tourist boards we were usually approached by a local asking us if we needed any help, where else in the world do you get that (errr, we have had that in NZ when we first arrived there!).
We looked at the local sights, seeing an extremely fast ferry come in to dock then went to find some dinner. We got a bit stuck here as most of the menus are in Japanese, though a lot of the eateries have pictures and even plastic made dishes to represent the dishes they sell. We settled for a dish that is difficult to explain – it’s a kind of omelette pancake filled with rice and covered in a sauce of your choice. I had a creamy shrimp and asparagus one while Dave opted for the potato and bacon (the bacon was delicious). We chatted to an American family who came to sit next to us, had a beer then went back to the hotel. While I was soaking in the bath Russell phoned so I passed the phone to Dave who made arrangements to meet him for breakfast the following morning. We got into bed contended and happy. Nighty nite xxx
30/06/2014 – We love Japan!!!
We got up and went to meet Russell next to the hotel he works in (APA Tokyo Intercontinental), it was great seeing him again. We had breakfast at one of his favourite cafes and had pancakes. Jeez, they were so filling; I couldn’t eat all of them. Russell explained that the bananas on top were a luxury as fruit is rare in Japan, and when you do buy it is expensive. Luckily there are lots of veggies around! We caught up with what Russell had been doing (he’s just got back from a trip to North Korea) and told him about our adventures then he had to go to work. We met him again in the hotel where he gave us heaps of information on where to go and what to do in Tokyo, along with maps and brochures – it was like having our personal concierge!
We set off with all the information in hand and got the MTR to Asakusa where there is a the Sensoji Temple. As we got off the MTR and out of the station there were a group of men trying to sell trips on rickshaws, they looked pretty cool (and sexy) in their traditional outfits, but unfortunately we couldn’t afford one and carried on by foot. To get to the temple we had to walk through some lovely streets with little shops selling traditional food and wares (Nakamise shopping street). We came upon a group of people, two of who were dressed as cartoon characters, who were going to each shop and doing a kind of ceremony which involved clapping your hands in a certain way and saying some Japanese words; the shopkeepers then got a gift. One of the guys got Dave to join in with the clapping and afterwards gave us a token each – I’m not sure what they’re called but it’s like a tile with a picture on and a little bell all attached with a piece of string. There are many different ones and each represents something, such as good luck or prosperity, and some even more specified such as good luck for your driving test and health for your new baby. Anyhow, it was gracious that he gave us one.
As we continued down the street towards the temple we passed lots of food shops. As we were looking a guy told us to try the cucumber from the shop in front of us as they were delicious; he kept going on about them so we bought one. It was a small cucumber on a stick and when we tasted it that’s what it tasted of – a cucumber!! We were given a drink of green tea with it and had to eat it in front of the shop; between us we could only eat about half and drink about the same amount of tea. We had to throw the rest away.
We continued on to the temple, there were lots of people around and the sun was shining, we were smiling and enjoying the atmosphere, we were loving Japan!!! As we approached the entrance to the temple there were many things to do which involved religion and superstition, for example – you could but a piece of rolled up paper, set it alight and put it into a large bowl in the middle of a small structure, you then fanned the smoke towards you, another involved washing your hands from a rectangular stone structure with metal ladles, another one is where you shook out a stick from a metal cylinder then opened a drawer with the corresponding number on – I think this told your future but I’m not sure what the others represented. Once at the temple we had a look around, even though they are petty looking I have to be honest and say they are not as decorative as the ones in Cambodia or Vietnam.
After looking around the temple and grounds we headed towards a fairground we had spotted over the rooftops; we had seen a ride with houses spinning around in the air and one of those rides that shoots you upwards fast. Once we had found the entrance (through a shop) we decided not to go in as there was an entrance fee and the rides looked as if they were mainly for kids. Instead we looked inside a 2 storey building that looked interesting and found it was full of fruit machines (pokies to you NZ’ers), not just a few but hundreds of them, and very different from the ones we know, these were very bright and very loud – we couldn’t hear each other at all! Once we had seen this one we saw loads more buildings like this everywhere – the Japanese must have some gambling problems!!
We carried on walking around the streets including Kappabashi Dogugai Street, they were beautiful and again we noticed how clean everywhere was. Apparently the area we walked in was once popular with entertainers, especially street entertainers and there was a photograph displayed of some of these from many years ago. There was also a cute looking theatre which had Japanese comic shows in them but as we don’t know a word of Japanese it would have been silly to go in! We also passed a corner shop that had 3 fish tanks outside, all containing tropical fish including a conger eel! The tanks looked very clean and looked after – but a conger eel? Surely that should have been in an aquarium?
We left Asakusa and went on the MTR to Ueno where there is a large park (Ueno-onshi-koen Park) containing many things to see. We stopped and had a coffee sitting outside to watch the people go by. There was a woman being photographed in a gas mask (and wearing a pretty dress), and we saw many old people asleep on the benches – it must have been their siesta time! After our coffee we had a look at the Kaneiji Temple which had an interesting tree in its grounds – it had been manipulated so the trunk had grown round! We continued walking through the park, passing a pond with lots of Koi Carp in and 2 ducks sitting next to them! There was also a lake with swan boats on it – what is it with these boats in Asia? After walking for some time we came to an area we had been looking for but couldn’t find the right street; we asked an elderly man for directions and he practically took us there – again the Japanese are so helpful and friendly. The street we were looking for was called Yanaka-Ginza Street which has old shops lined on both sides and at one end is a staircase famous for its stray cats. We only saw one cat at the top of the stairs, an elderly guy was stroking it and the cat would follow him every time he tried to leave. We did see one other cat further down the street and lots of statues and figurines of cats throughout the place!
From Yanaka-Ginza Street we caught the MTR to Akihabara District which is better known as the ‘Electric City’. This is a large area full of tall shopping complexes selling mainly electronic and electrical appliances. There are lots of lights and colourful adverts on the buildings as well as some superb paintings on the walls of cartoon characters. We wandered around in amazement and soon came to the ‘maids’ from the ‘maid cafes’ trying to tempt you into their café. We had heard about these and were told they were on the ‘must do’ list so we went into one. We were shown to a table by a girl/ young woman dressed in a costume with a full frilly short dress meant to represent a maid. There were 3 others in the café too, all looking after other customers. Our maid had a tiny plastic candle and told us to count to 3 then blew on the candle which miraculously lit up! She then gave us the menus and tried to explain it as best she could in very broken English. We finally got what she was saying which was basically $56NZ for an ice-cream, a drink, a key ring and her ‘services’; suffice to say we got up and left; we could entertain ourselves much cheaper!!
After being awed we moved on again by MTR to Shimbashi, a district well known for its food. When we stepped out of the metro station we were met with streets full of beautiful looking restaurants and bars. We wandered up and down some of them looking at the different food (most of the menus were in Japanese) and finally chose a restaurant we liked the look of. We were seated on a large central rectangular table/bench that seated approx. 12 people. The food was delicious, we had pork, chicken, noodles, more chicken and beer, they also gave us free prawns and cucumber, yummy! After dinner we caught the MTR back to the hotel and went to bed contented. Nighty nite xxx
01/07/2014 – Sunshine City
Feeling quite tired this morning but we got up, grabbed something from the bakery for breakfast (I’m really missing my muesli) and made our way to Ikebukuro which is another suburb of Tokyo. Once in Ikebukuro we made our way to the Sunshine City complex which is a massive complex housing an aquarium, shopping centres, a theatre, a hotel, a business centre, and the place we were heading for – Namjatown!
Namjatown is a theme park created by the Namco (video game) company (they made Pacman). It’s mainly aimed at kids (though the adults appeared to be enjoying themselves) and has lots of different games (which we couldn’t understand but looked fun and weird at the same time) and had lots of different places to walk through. What we really came here for though was the ice-creams; ever since I heard about it I was eager to go and try them So what’s so special about the ice-creams I hear you all shouting. Well – besides the delicious fruit flavoured ones there’s also some weird and wonderful ones to try. There was a selection of about 50 flavours which including vanilla, citron sherbet, rum raisin (all sounding yummy), beef tongue, white shrimp, eel (errr, not so yummy); we chose to have a sampling tray of Indian curry (typical curry powder taste but strange in an ice-cream), Haskap (Japanese Berry) and chocolate (very nice), Dracula the Premium (no smell garlic) (quite tasteless but creamy), wasabi (my personal favourite but I love wasabi – Dave didn’t like this), Mediterranean blood orange sherbet (nice) and Dave’s favourite of them all (and it was delicious) strawberry milk of Benihoppe (Japanese strawberry). Looking back, we really should have tried more of the unusual ones, but the experience was great.
We looked at going into ‘J-World’, another theme park based on Japanese cartoon characters, but it cost quite a bit to go in and we more than likely wouldn’t have understood any of it! Instead we had a look around the complex then because I felt really tired and washed out we went back to the hotel for a rest. We went back to Shimbashi for dinner, again enjoying our meal, then settled back in our room for the night. Nighty nite xxx
02/07/2014 – Kyoto
We got up early and had breakfast in the hotel, it was mostly typical Japanese food so we didn’t have too much (bit of a waste of money really as it wasn’t included in the hotel price). We then made our way to the train station to catch the train to Kyoto. Because we have a rail pass we can’t catch the super-fast bullet trains (the ones we can catch aren’t much slower), but instead catch the other fast ones (Shinkansen). Some interesting facts on these trains: Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h, the Shinkansen is known for punctuality (most trains depart on time to the second), comfort (relatively silent cars with spacious, always forward facing seats), safety (no fatal accidents in its history) and efficiency. If the trains are for some unusual reason delayed by 5 minutes then people on their way to work receive ‘delayed certificates’ to give to their managers to explain why they are late; if they are delayed by an hour or more it typically gets onto the news. How NZ could learn a few lessons from these!!
Once we arrived in Kyoto we had to find our hotel. We had booked a ‘love hotel’ just outside of the city as 1. The prices were he cheapest we could find, 2. The rooms were massive (more like suites than rooms), and 3. It had great reviews on Agoda. The great thing we have found about Japan is that people want to help, so we managed to get information on which train to catch to the area we were staying in, then a guard at the local station pointed us in the general direction of our hotel (with very limited English). We wasn’t sure where to go at one junction so Dave popped into a local shop where they google mapped the directions and printed it out for us, such kindness. We walked towards the hotel (the route was actually straight forward once we knew) and turning a corner we saw a complex of about 10 love hotels! We found ours and checked in. The room was beautiful, not at all sleazy like some people imagine (the hotel was tasteful throughout), with a giant comfy bed, a massage chair, a settee and table, desk, a very large TV, fridge, kettle etc.; the bathroom had a large deep, oval bath big enough for 2 people with a TV and all toiletries, a separate room with a basin, including hair care products for both men and women, facial products and other products and a separate toilet with all the singing and dancing facilities! We could have had a holiday in this room!!!
Once we had looked over our room we went back into the city to see the sights. One of the first things I saw was a woman with a stroller for her dog; it had a separate matching bag and lots of doggie toys attached to it, but to make it even more incredible she was carrying the dog over her shoulder while pushing the stroller! It wasn’t a small dog either, it looked like some sort of boxer. Madness!
We walked to the Higashi Honganji Temple which I close to the station and had a good look around. Part of it is covered with scaffolding as they are renovating it, so we couldn’t see all of it. The Grand Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world and although simple it is very beautiful. We went inside and sat for a while, contemplating life and taking in the peaceful atmosphere. We also saw a large bell, a rope made from human hair (from followers) that was used to transporting and hanging the huge beams in the halls and a wooden sledge that was used to transport huge pieces of timber from the mountainous areas of Japan through thick snow. There was a water spout outside with the water going through a dragons mouth into a receptacle for rinsing your hands (I must find out the significance to that). A beautiful temple without too many tourists (difficult to understand why).
From there we walked to a district called Gion which is famous for its Geisha girls. I was looking forward to seeing this area and particularly the cultural show given by Geishas and Maiko early evening (to be served by Geisha or Maiko in traditional restaurants is very, very expensive). The walk was quite long and as we got closer we walked through traditional Japanese streets, spotting a couple of women in kimono’s going about their everyday business. We also passed many small temples. Once in Gion we both felt really shattered, I don’t know if it was the last few bust days catching up with us or we had picked up some sort of virus. We stopped and rested in a beautiful little shrine off a main street, watching a local woman going around the shrine praying in different places. After a short time we had a wander along the street looking for somewhere to eat; most of the shops along this street made delicious Japanese sweets, the restaurants we saw there were all in Japanese and expensive. We eventually found a small place which was very quirky and had lots of cartoony figurines and such inside and out. We ordered a type of pancake filled with rice, meat and eggs and sat down to wait for it. There were 2 guys opposite us but they were hidden behind a pillar, they were both drinking and laughing and I thought by the sound of them that they were young guys, but once I saw them I realised they were about our age if not older! The pancake thing was okay; it filled us and didn’t taste too bad. Once we had finished we both felt drained. We decided to get a train back to the hotel and get an early night. A shame really as we wanted to experience more of this area. We arrived back at the hotel, took a soak in the wonderful deep bath, had a massage in the chair and fell into bed. Nighty nite xxx
03/07/2014 – a ‘nearly’ day!
We got up this morning determined to have a good day and set off on the MTR towards Arashiyama. The plan was to go on the Saga scenic railway along the Hozu river then walk through the bamboo groves, up to Monkey Park Iwatayama, finishing with going to Toei Uzumasa Eigamura (Kyoto Studio Park). As we pulled up to the station at Arahiyama it started to rain. We foolishly hadn’t brought our raincoats or umbrella with us so when we got off we started to get wet. We walked along the road following a group of other people thinking they were going to the scenic railway station and found ourselves 15 minutes later in a small town. By this time the rain was coming down harder so I bought an umbrella. It was at this point we realised we didn’t have much cash left, and the small towns of Japan don’t really use visa, so we decided to walk through the bamboo groves as we were next to them then go back to the station in Kyoto to get some cash (it was about a 20 minute ride away).
Once we had got back to the station we had some lunch after getting some cash then decided we would go straight to the studio as we thought the scenic train ride wouldn’t be too scenic in the rain! We made our way to Uzumasa where the guide books state it’s a 5 minute walk to the studio. The rain was bucketing down when we walked out of the station and we only had one small umbrella between us both of us. We walked through a pretty village with the rain wetting us through, our feet were squelching they were so wet! After walking for about 15 minutes we came to a sign that pointed us in the direction of the studio – we still had some way to go. We decided that we wouldn’t go as most of the studio was outside and we were already drenched; instead we went back to the hotel, soaked in the bath and ordered room service!
A day of nearly – we nearly went on the scenic railway, we nearly went to the monkey park and we very nearly went to the studios. Instead we really did nothing much and ended up out in the rain all day! Oh well, nighty nite xxx
04/07/2014 – Hiroshima - Peace and baseball
We were up quite early and set off to the station to go to Hiroshima. After the last couple of days we were praying for some good weather and some good health! Fortunately the sun was shining and we got to our hotel just before lunch time. After dropping our bags off we went for some lunch; we chose to go down a shopping street and found a little Japanese café that we went into. We got a kind of soup with noodles and mine had fried tofu and spring onions in it while Dave’s had pork, beansprouts and spring onions. While mine was okay (it had a bit of a fishy taste to it) Dave again had chosen the best dish!
After lunch we headed out to the Peace Memorial Park which was close by. The Peace Memorial Park is 120000 square meters and was the commercial heart of the city before the atomic bomb dropped on it in August 6th 1945 (08.15hrs). It was decided afterwards that this space would be devoted to peace memorial facilities.
The first building we came to was the A-Bomb Dome which is a one of the few buildings to remain standing after the bomb hit. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was amazing to see a building that withstood the power of such a force from the bomb; a lot of the walls were still intact, the dome remained on top of the building and the staircase was still there, even though it was bent and buckled.
I am not going to describe each and every monument we saw in the park, there are far too many of them, but while we were walking around and looking at each of these a kind of peace fell over us. Knowing about what the bomb had done and the devastation it had caused to so many innocent victims, it was humbling to see that the Japanese people had committed so much to remembering this event without too much bitterness; in fact they are hell bent on the world becoming at peaceful place. The Japanese themselves are such humble, friendly, helpful people and should be proud of what they have achieved.
While we were walking through the park there were groups of school children from grade 6 who were interviewing people. We were approached on numerous occasions by usually a group of 4 saying ‘we are from ---- elementary school in grade 6 and we are practicing our English. Can we ask you some questions?’ We were then asked about 4 questions such as (always the first question) ‘where are you from?’, ‘what is your favourite sport’, ‘favourite animal’, ‘favourite season’, ‘how many Japanese words do you know’ (to our embarrassment – none), and the one that stumped us ‘what is your favourite Japanese culture?’. The kids were really cute and couldn’t understand some of what we said, especially ‘rugby’. They gave us each a tiny paper crane to thank us.
As we continued around the park we came across a large group of older Japanese men sat playing a board game. As we approached them one of the guys explained they were playing Japanese chess, there was a chess board with white tiles which had Japanese symbols on them. The guys looked to be really enjoying themselves, not just playing the game but the whole socialising part of it as well.
We went back to the hotel t get ready to go to ----------- tra la ------------- a baseball game!!! Our friend Russell in Tokyo mentioned we should see a game if we had chance, not really for the game but for the atmosphere. So, we saw that there was a game on this evening and off we went. We caught the tram towards the main train station, there was a guy with his young son on the tram with the baseball teams gear on so it was a good guess he was going; so we followed him, getting off at the stop he did. Very shortly afterwards we came upon a large crowd going towards the stadium. We grabbed some cooked chicken on the way and ate it as we were hungry. At the stadium we got tickets and made our way around to our seats. The home-team were the Hiroshima Carps and had a big following, there were hoards of people everywhere in the team strips and carrying inflatable baseball bats which they clapped with. The trams came out and the crowd cheered. When the game was going particularly slow the crowd would chant a song and stand up and down in turns, one lady had a baby strapped on her back and the poor baby would bounce along with her, clinging on for dear life! The atmosphere was great, but it would never beat the English football crowds. About 2/3rds into the game a young lad from a group besides us was shoved towards us at his embarrassment with a balloon for us. We blew the large red balloon up and all of a sudden the whole crowd had them and let go of them they all swooshed all over the place. Again, great generosity from the Japanese to help us become involved with them all. We got s terrible steak roll with ‘plastic cheese’ across it for something to eat and a couple of beers, some from the beer girls - lasses with tanks of beer strapped to their backs going through the crowds – no need to say Dave loved them!
After the game had finished (the home-team won and I learnt a little about the game) we walked to the city with the crowds and took a tram back to the hotel. All in all it was a great day. I have a really good feel for Hiroshima, my favourite city so far. Nighty nite xxx
05/07/2014 – Hiroshima Museum and Japanese theatre
We had a little lie in this morning before getting up and going to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This is located in 2 large buildings connected to each other in the Peace Memorial Park. The museum starts with the history of Hiroshima, especially the area around what is now the Memorial Park, the part the area played in the war, the dropping of the atomic bomb and the devastating aftermath of it. It was a very emotional visit (we were there for about 3 hours) and there were times I could have shed tears at the atrocities of it all. The following statement from a photographer immediately after the bomb wrote: ‘I fought with myself for 30 minutes before I could take the first picture. After taking the first, I grew strangely calm and wanted to get closer. I took about 10 steps forward and tried to snap another, but the scenes I saw were so gruesome my viewfinder clouded with tears’ (written by Yoshito Matsushige). Another display showed an old rusty tricycle that a father had buried with his 3 year old son killed by the bomb as he thought his son was too young to be buried alone. There were many stories and photographs that would have brought tears to even the hardest of people; a very difficult visit but one that was essential. At the end there were displays of striving to rid the planet of nuclear weapons and become a peaceful world (unfortunately unlikely to happen) and a display of letters written to presidents and PM’s around the world from the current Mayor of Hiroshima every time a nuclear bomb is tested by their respective countries, asking for them to abolish their nuclear weapons. Wouldn’t it be great if this would happen?
We were going to go to the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, but after the visit to the museum I was too emotionally drained to see any more. I would have loved to have spent longer in Hiroshima so that I could have visited this too.
We went for some lunch – a friend, Yuri, had recommended we try out the Okonomiyaki meal and there was an area in Hiroshima that was famous for them. We found the place and went up the stairs, there were actually a few of them on the same floor – I will try to describe it to you! There is a rectangular bench which you sit around, immediately in front is a small wooden area on which your drinks and chopsticks etc. go on, then there is a wide metal area which is actually a hot plate and in the middle of all this is the chef (or chefs). As I said there were a few of these and we wasn’t sure which one to choose, this decision was made easy when one of the ‘chefs’ urged us to sit down at his ‘range’ and proceeded to describe what we do. We were given a menu which is basically a variety of the same dish ‘Okonomiyaki’. I chose the green onions and Dave the shrimp and green onions. First of all a batter is poured onto the hot plate and spread fairly thinly, this is cooked through, cabbage is then added, along with beansprouts, spring onions, bacon (other things I can’t remember), flipped over and cooked, then noodles are added and topped off with an fried egg; a sauce is put on top along with your choice, and if you like mayonnaise or cheese can be added too! It’s like a full meal on a pancake! We really tried to finish it but there was so much of it, we had to leave about a third each. A group of women came for a meal and ordered a small one between 2 of them – if only we had known!
After lunch we made a quick stop back at the hotel then headed towards the main shopping area for a look around while we were heading towards the bus stop. We caught the sightseeing bus as we could use our JR rail pass on these. We had a couple of hours to pass until our next treat (wait and see!) so decided we would get off at the Museum of Contemporary Art. We were going to look in the museum but there appeared to be enough around the area to have to pay to go inside! We looked around outside where there were quite a few installations then walked along a road. We saw a guy on a bicycle stopping to feed some feral cats (all white); he had his own bowls with him and stepped back for the cats to eat once he had filled them. They would run off at any sound but soon come back for more food! Further down we saw an old woman (she looked at lest 80) doing her stretches and exercises next to a set of stairs – she was definitely fitter than me! After looking around the area we made our way back to the bus stop and went to the main station.
Once we had got to the station we had about a 20 minute walk to our next destination – a Japanese theatre! I had seen this on Trip Advisor and thought it would be worth seeing. It’s called the Shimizu Gekijo Theater and it went like this: we found the building and took the lift up with a couple of older ladies and what looked like one of their daughters. At the top there were a few seats which had a few more older ladies sat waiting, all very excited. We had to pick numbers from the ticket office and wait. At 6pm the ticket office opened and the women excitedly bought their tickets and went to get the best seats in the theatre. The theatre was quite small but looked authentic. The women had their dinners with them which they got out and ate, then out came the memorabilia of the actors, fans, keyrings, posters, photographs etc. One woman in front of us kept getting her camera out to check it was working and looking at her previous photos. We sat the third row from the front and waited for the fun to begin. Another English couple also came in and sat a couple of rows behind us. There were also a few older guys in the audience and two women came in with their two young children!
Then the fun started! The ‘show’ involves mainly men dressing up in kimonos, the first part was a play, but as it was all in Japanese we couldn’t understand a word of it – although it looked highly amusing and hearing the women laughing out loud it probably was. It was still entertaining to watch though. The second half was a kind of Japanese burlesque performance in which the guys dressed in some fantastic looking kimonos paraded around the stage giving their best pouts and smouldering looks. If any of the women took a fancy to any of the guys they would tip him by pinning money onto their kimonos. It was a weird but wonderful show, although some of the men couldn’t look more masculine even with the make-up and clothes on! The women were whooping and shouting and having a grand old time; my favourite was a little old lady who looked like she could have been a school teacher – she was raring to go!!! Of course, the ‘actors’ all played on this and in the interval sold all sorts of paraphernalia to the ladies. One woman very proudly let us look at her book with all the actors in it. After the show we left the theatre, the actors were there to shake your hand and have their pictures taken with them, it was all good fun and friendly. A great night out. Nighty nite xxx
06/07/2014 – Miyajima Island
Today we were on a mission; we wanted to go to Miyajima Island before we caught the train to Kumamoto. So we got up early, packed our belongings and left for the train station. Once at the train station we put our luggage into the lockers and got the train to Miyajimaguchi to catch the ferry to the island. On the train Dave had a panic attack and we had to get off and wit for him to calm down before getting the next train. He doesn’t know why he had one or what set it off – he’s getting me a little bit worried. We finally got to the ferry port and boarded (we could use our JR pass on here). On the ferry we could see Miyajima clearly with the Ohtorii Gate clearly seen on the beach. The tide was out so there were people all around the bottom of it. Dave spent most of the journey (it was only about 15 minutes max) in the toilet, something is not right with him!
Once the ferry docked we got off and walked towards the town area, as soon as you are on the streets you see deer everywhere. They are supposed to be wild ones and you are asked to not feed them or touch them, but they certainly didn’t seem scared of people and quite often approached them. I’m sure many tourists would feed them. One poor deer had a very damaged antler which was hanging off and all bloody (you could see the flesh hanging down), another one looked as if it’s leg was broken; you would think that the locals would provide some sort of vetinary care for them, wild or not.
We decided we would go up the ropeway (cable car) first to the peak of Mount Misen , this involved a cable car in which 6-8 people could sit in, then ½ way up we had to transfer to another one (funicular type), this was a large one which could carry approx. 30 people, a few sitting, most standing. Dave thought he was going to have another panic attack on that but managed to cope. Once we disembarked we made our way up towards the summit, stopping to take in the views. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and had started to rain so the view was quite misty and we couldn’t see too far into the distance. As we continued we passed various large rock formations and had to under one (Kuguri-iwa – ‘Duck-under rock).
Once we got to the summit the rain started to come down heavily. We got to the top of the observatory (the undercover part was closed for renovations) and trying to shelter under just one umbrella we watched the clouds coming in from every direction, including upwards! We decided it would be best if we came back down!
On the way down we stopped at ‘Lover’s Sanctuary’ the ‘Kiezu-no-Reikado Hall’ (the eternal flame). The hall houses a flame that is said to have been burning for 1200 years after Kobo Daishi used it as part of his religious training. It is said if a candle is lit and placed in the hall then a couples love will be forever strong – guess what I caught Dave doing? Yep, he lit a candle for us! We looked at a few other halls around the area and were amused by the small stone statues of what might have been little Buddhas, dotted about the place. Most had little accessories added to them such as sun glasses, hats, shawls etc. and were at the bottom of tree trunks, in-between rocks, on the stairs; they were really cute!
We decided to make our way back into the town as the rain was getting heavier and the views quickly disappearing. We got the cable-car back (we were originally going to walk back) and went in search of some lunch. The area in-between the cable car and the town is beautiful, it’s like a little wooded area with a stream running through it and Japanese bridges every now and again. There are ryokans (traditional Japanese houses) to stay in which we would have loved to but they are far too expensive.
Back in the town we searched the streets for something for lunch. Because it’s a coastal town there are many seafood dishes, which is no good for me. We found a place that sold Okonomiyaki, but learning from our earlier experience of the size of this dish we ordered a kiddies portion each! Even this portion was large to us and we only just managed to eat it. We saw a couple who had a full size portion each, but the amazing thing was that they had a child with them who looked about 3 year old and he finished off one the same size as we had! Feeling pretty full we had to go and try out the ‘fried maple cakes’ as suggested by our friend Yuri. The maple cakes are a delicacy that are made in Miyajima and appear to be famous for them, but the queues were outside the shops for the fried ones. So, you have a maple cake shape like a flower, filled with chocolate or custard or black beans then deep fried in batter. We got a custard and a black bean one with a cup of coffee and were lucky to find a seat to enjoy them (they were pretty good).
After totally pigging out and feeling very full we decided we would make our way back to Hiroshima as the rain was pelting down and it made it difficult to do anything else on the island. We had booked seats on the train for around 6pm but arrived back there about 2 hours earlier. We were lucky enough to be able to change our tickets for an earlier train so set off to go to Kumamoto.
When we arrived in Kumamoto the lady at the information centre gave us directions to get to our hotel (for anyone travelling in Japan, the information centres at the train stations are a god send- lot of information and maps in English) and we caught the tram to the area we were staying in. As we got closer the rain got heavier, it was coming down in buckets! Luckily we found our hotel quickly and settled in for the night. There was a huge thunderstorm in the evening – hopefully the weather would get better for tomorrow! Nighty nite xxx
07/07/2014 – Kumamoto
We had a lie in this morning as we had been feeling tired. Breakfast was included at this hotel so we went to the restaurant. Jeez, I really wish I knew what things were! We settled for scrambled eggs on toast, the only thing that we recognised. I’m sure we’d have a much better Japanese experience if we tried the food, but we don’t want to get s plate full to find we don’t like it and waste it. This would be the only positive of being on a tour.
After breakfast we set off for the castle. We wanted to go to see a volcanic crater but unfortunately there was a dangerous amount of activity going on so it was closed. The weather looked as if it would rain, so armed with our umbrellas we set off. Not long after the clouds scurried away and the sun came out! Typical Japanese style I got out my brolly to shield me from the sun (I hadn’t brought my sunglasses as I thought it was going to rain).
We got to Kumamoto Castle and started to walk through the grounds. The walls were massive, with big stone steps going up the side of them. The buildings looked very regal as we worked our way up to them. There were a few members of staff dressed in the traditional Japanese costumes of the time; we managed to get photographs with 2 of them. We looked through the different buildings, including the castle itself. They were beautifully built with some amazing decorations in the royal quarters. The staff were very helpful, and when they could they would explain things in English to us. We visited the castle for about 3 hours. It’s difficult to explain everything we did and saw (and I would probably bore you all!) but we had a lovely time.
After the castle we went to find somewhere for lunch and came across a café with what looked like a lunch special. We looked at the menu and asked if the creamy looking soup had fish in it, initially the waitress said no so I ordered it; Dave ordered what we thought was tomato soup. Shortly after the waitress came back and explained the creamy soup was in fact chowder, so I ordered salad instead (what a good girl!). When the dishes arrived Dave received a very large bowl of minestrone soup with 2 slices of homemade bread and a large portion of salad. I received a small plate of salad with2 slices of bread. What was going on? You get more salad with soup than you do for a main portion? Why does Dave always seem to be able to order the better of our meals? Anyhow, the salad was tasty and I ate ½ of Dave’s too; the bread was also delicious (and warm).
After lunch we went to find the post office to get some cash out of the ATM – we didn’t want to find ourselves short of cash again. There’s not that many places we can get cash from the ATM’s in Japan, most of the Japanese banks don’t let foreigners use their visa cards to withdraw cash so you have to make sure you have plenty on you if you’re not in any major city. The ATM’s at the post office allow you to withdraw money; make sure you know the exchange rate before withdrawing – the first time we didn’t know and guessed and only took out about $20 (with a $7.50 charge from our bank and a small fee from the Japanese bank). The post office was in a quiet area of the town that had a tram line running through it. There was a ‘pet café’ close by – these cafés have pets, usually cats or dogs, that you can pet if you love animals but aren’t able to have your own. You can also adopt one if you’re keen! There were also statues of what we think were cats scattered around the town, they were very strange looking things, and we didn’t notice until we looked at our photos later, but the balls on them were gigantic!! I must look this up to see what the relevance is.
We went back to the hotel for a rest before we went out to find something to eat. We found an area full of shops, arcades and restaurants but again we had the same old problem of knowing what was on the menus. We nearly settled for a restaurant that we thought sold beef (or steak) by the photographs but luckily we spotted a drawing of a horse on the menu board; we then realised this area was well known for its horse meat dishes! We carried on looking, seeing lots of ladies in kimonos walking around the town; if they saw us looking at them they would give a coy smile and wave.
We were looking in one restaurant/ café at what was on offer when one of the staff came out and said he had a menu in English, halleluiah!! It was only a small basic looking place and once we’d chosen what we wanted to eat we had to put money into a vending machine to get out a ticket for our meal! It turned out the meals we had ordered were ‘ramen’, a kind of soup with noodles and whatever else you wanted. I ordered a pork one and Dave got a shrimp one. Along with that we ordered a beer each. Firstly – the beer glasses came out of the freezer – super cool, then we were given a free starter, it was kind of a shredded salad in sauce (yummy), then we were given a complimentary drink on ice, we think it was a plum liquor which is famous in that region, then our ramens came – these were absolutely delicious! My pork one was creamy and porky tasting with loads of noodles in (not much pork but what was there was perfect); Dave said his was just as delicious. Again, massive portions, we couldn’t manage to eat half of it, such a waste. We asked what the drink was called that they gave us, they then appeared with a very large bottle (about 3 times the size of a normal wine bottle) and filled our glasses up! They wrote down the name of it in Japanese, I will have to find out what it is, it’s delicious. We thanked all the staff profusely for our dinner and service and waddled back to the hotel to lie down!! Nighty nite xxx
08/07/2014 – Kagaoshima and being in a very small world.
We had our scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast then set off for the train station where we were heading for Kagoshima (I always want to sing ‘kagagoo goo goo’ when I hear that). We had a few things planned that we wanted to do there and looking forward to it. We arrived at the Kagoshima-Chou station and caught the local train to Kagoshima thinking this was the station we needed (the hotels’ address was Kagoshima). The station was very small and there was no information centre there. We couldn’t figure where we needed to go to get to our hotel so we did the one thing we’ve avoided doing so far – we got a taxi! The taxi driver double checked with another driver where he was going and we set off. And guess what? We went back in the same direction we had just come from! When we pulled up outside the hotel we realised we were only a few blocks away from the Kagoshima-Chou station!
We left our bags at reception – we couldn’t check in until 3pm (they are very strict about this in most hotels) and went out explore. Firstly we walked to the station to find out the local information (the hotel gave us a local map but it was all in Japanese). Loaded with info we set off walking to the waterfront for a ferry (the info said it was a 7 minute walk away). After about an hour with aching legs and smelly armpits (it was very hot and humid) we finally got to the waterfront. We had just missed a free dolphin show that is put on daily, although I don’t like dolphins in captivity and made to perform for people. While we were looking in the water we saw some very strange fish/ mammals – they looked like dolphins without their tails – very Jurassic looking!
We found the ferry and boarded it for Sakurajima Island. While we were sat on the top deck we saw and heard a couple in which the woman had a northern accent. I asked the guy (the woman was somewhere else at the time) where they were from. He said he was originally from Eastbourne but his wife was from Sheffield; when I said that we were from Halifax originally but lived in New Zealand he said that they had also lived in New Zealand! When I asked which part he replied ‘Waikanae’. Now for those of you who don’t know, Waikanae is the town right next door to Paraparaumu where we live (and where Kylie lived until recently). Now all of that’s a coincidence but it gets better – the lady (we now know her as Bernice) came back and her husband told her what we had just discussed. We then got on to where we worked, Bernice had worked for Capital & Coast (where I worked) and knew many of the same people as I did, including my bestie in NZ, Nadine and my very good friend Julie. What a very, very small world! We continued talking once we got off at the station and missed the bus we were going to get! Fortunately they were getting the same bus and there was another due soon.
The bus we caught was a sight-seeing bus that went around part of the island below an active volcano. It stops at various points of interest on the way and at some of them stops for 5 minutes or so, so that you can take photographs. It also stops at an observatory for 15 minutes at the nearest point to the volcano that you can get to (375 meters), so we could have a good old gander there. One of the places we stopped at was an installation called ‘Portrait of a shout’ which was carved out of lava rock and has a head shouting, surrounded by the tops of guitars; it looked pretty cool. This was created after an all-night concert which was attended by 75000 people. The people of Sakurajima Island mustn’t get out much hey?!!!
After we had arrived back at the terminus we went to find the beach, it had seems a long time since we had been on one. Unfortunately the ‘beach’ was a strip of rough sand with lots of rocks and driftwood on, about 10 meters long, so we gave that a miss! Instead we went to the outdoor foot spa which is (I think, will have to check) the longest one in Japan (or maybe even Asia/ the world). It runs along the waterfront and is sourced from natural hot spring water; there are wooden seats to sit on while you dip your feet into it; the volcano serves as a back-drop. Dave must have been feeling really tired because he lay down and fell asleep!
After soaking our feet (mine are getting very sweaty and smelly even though we are wearing open trekking sandals) we headed off back to the ferry, bumping into Bernice and her husband again – they were watching a group of stray cats after being fed by a local. While we were getting on the ferry an ambulance came aboard with its lights flashing, though in good Japanese fashion the ferry didn’t set off until it was scheduled – I hope the patient wasn’t in too much of a hurry to get to hospital!
We caught the bus back to the hotel and freshened up to go out for dinner. Again we had the same old problem of finding somewhere to eat as all the menus were in Japanese. We settled on a little place and went and took our seats at a counter by the kitchen area. The chef who was there spoke only a little English and mentioned pork – yes please, pork will do nicely. We waited eagerly for our meal to come out, our mouths salivating at something new – then out it came, another bloody Okonomiyaki! While we enjoy this dish we are sick of it, how many times do we have to have it? We have realised that Japanese food, while very delicious, does not have much variety – there’s noodles, noodle soup (ramen), the above mentioned meal, sushi (which I struggle with most as it’s mainly seafood, seafood (struggle!) and fried chicken! We ate our meal with drooped shoulders, said our thanks and dragged ourselves back to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
09/07/2014 – Dave’s birthday and Typhoon Neoguri
Happy birthday Davey boy! Dave is the same age as me today, for another 9 months he can stop telling everyone he is younger than me! While he laid in bed I went out to get us breakfast – I had seen a cake shop yesterday and wanted to surprise him with breakfast and a cake but unfortunately the shop was closed (as was the whole street of shops). It was hissing down too – Typhoon Neoguri was on its way and the rain was showing us how bad it could get. So, I came back with sandwiches, banana’s, dripping wet clothes and no cake.
The plan today had been to go to Ibusuki, have a ‘sand bath’ on the beach (covered with hot sand), a proper bath at one of the onsens (natural hot spring pool) and go to Cape Nagasakibana. The rain had put a damper (excuse the pun) on this so it was off to the aquarium instead! We got the lovely little sightseeing bus to the aquarium where we had to pass through the ferry terminal then outside to the aquarium. We waited a while at the terminal as the rain and wind was lashing down – unbelievably the ferry was still going. We made a quick dash to the aquarium, getting there with very wet feet (we brought our rain jackets with us this time).
The aquarium was a pleasant surprise – apart from them having a whale shark in a relatively small tank and a dolphin show. There were some beautiful fish and coral on three floors with a ‘lab’ that explained about some of the sea life; unfortunately this was all in Japanese so we didn’t understand most of it, even though the assistant there tried her best; the Japanese passed this by without a glimpse which was sad (in fact, most pretty much ran through the place taking a few photos here and there).
After spending most of the day at the aquarium we returned to the hotel to have a rest and get ready for the evening – I had booked a restaurant for Dave’s birthday, a traditional restaurant with a localised speciality. We set off in the rain with our brollies, the name of the restaurant wrote down in Japanese, and attempted to find it. It only took one stop to ask for directions which was amazing for us. The restaurant looked very posh, typical Japanese style in which rooms were sectioned off for diners; we had one room to ourselves, though it did have 3 tables in it. A lady in a kimono came to serve us; we ordered the dish ‘ Satsuma Kuro Shabu’ which is Satsuma Kurobuta (Black pig) and enjoyed ‘shabu shabu’ style – boiled in a soup (I think I have all that right). So, some of the black pig (pork) which is cut very finely (and the first pieces arranged to look like a flower) is firstly put into the soup and then eaten – this was absolutely delicious – it melted in your mouth and tasted like no pork has ever tasted before; then some soup is put into your bowl an egg cracked into it and beaten before more pork is cooked, dipped into the egg mixture and eaten – again very delicious. After this, a plate of vegetables (cabbage, various mushrooms, spinach, something that looked like spring onion but big, tofu and something else that we’re not sure about!) was gradually put into the soup with the pork and was supposed to be enjoyed slowly – but greedy bugger that we are polished it off quickly! Finally, we were given special noodles to boil in the soup. It was all delectable. For desert we chose to have the Japanese one instead of ice-cream and were given a rice bun filled with black bean jam stuff. Although it was nice we think ice-cream might have been better! To swill all this down Dave had a spirit made from potato (can’t remember the name) and I had some of the delicious plum liquor (so delicious I ordered another glass). The meal was the best we had yet in Japan and although it would be great to be able to have this regular it didn’t come cheaply; so back to the usual tomorrow! Enjoyable day despite the rain. Nighty nite xxx
10/07/2014 – rainy day and meeting new friends
We got up early this morning to pack and set off for the train station – we were heading for Nagasaki, somewhere we were both looking forward to. We walked to the station even though it was raining, it was only a ten minute walk up the road and it wasn’t too bad. Once we got to the station we realised it was very quiet and went to the ticket office to enquire about going to Nagasaki; we were informed that the trains had been cancelled because of the typhoon! The weather must have been bad somewhere for the Japanese to cancel the train service – it was unheard of. We booked our tickets for the next day and we went trudging back to the hotel; as we had booked our hotel with the same group we thought they could have transferred the booking back to them. No chance! It was far too hard for them to do that (that was after some considerable time trying to explain what we wanted), and even more frustrating they said they could not telephone the hotel in Nagasaki to let them know we weren’t coming today. Fortunately, we were able to book the same room we had and didn’t have to wait until 3 O’clock check in time (which they are very anal about).
We decided to have a rest day as there wasn’t too much to do in Kagoshima on a rainy day (apart from museums) and we felt we needed a rest. In the evening we went out to look for some dinner, it was getting to be a mission to find something we liked and a menu we could understand! We looked at a few places with no success then stopped to look at some dishes in a window. The lady came out and tried to help us, so we pointed at a couple of ramens and went in to eat. We were shown to a table upstairs, next to 3 Japanese ladies. The ramens came out, they didn’t look too appetising and had a black egg in them; we started eating and I tried the egg – it was very sweet tasting but ok; the ramen wasn’t that good, not much taste (and we’re sick of noodles). Dave hardly touched his, something is still not right with him, and I ate about half.
The ladies on the next table ordered 2 bottles of beer and when they arrived they came to our table and filled our glasses with beer. We were deeply touched by this and said cheers to them, clinking our glasses together. They then gave us some potato spirit and more beer! We had to return the favour so bout more beer and filled their glasses up; Dave got a telling off for trying to fill his own glass as it is the custom that someone else fills tour glass. They spoke a little English, asking where we are from, talking a bit about rugby and asking what we drank in NZ (beer and wine). So, after refilling each other’s glasses a few times, one of the ladies gave me a phone in which another lady on the other end spoke English; she said that they wanted to buy us some wine and would we go with them. Of course we said yes, so followed them a block down the street to a very posh looking restaurant (I think it was French) which was full of posh looking Japanese people. We were ushered to a table in the middle of these people and the lady on the phone sat with us, interpreting what was being said and throwing lots of questions at us. It turned out she lived in England for about 3 years which is why she spoke such good English. We were given a glass of wine and enjoyed the company of these beautiful people. One of the original ladies was a hoot, she teamed up with a guy (I think they were best friends) and they were a laugh a minute. The guy bowed his head at us and brought it down on a wine glass, cutting his eye lid! We had an enjoyable time (they even got me to eat a snail) and once we left the restaurant they asked if we wanted to go somewhere else for a drink; I was keen but Dave quickly said ‘no’ – he definitely isn’t right if he’s turning down a drink! We had a big group hug, bowed a lot, said thank you even more and went back to our hotel. Very, very gracious, friendly, beautiful people and would love to meet them again. A very humble nighty nite xxx
11/07/2014 – Nagasaki, at last
Finally managed to get a train to Nagasaki. We were a bit disappointed that we would only have one full day here, having missed one due to the train cancellation. We don’t normally book too far ahead but had a mad splurge of booking a week ahead so we couldn’t even extend our visit here. We arrived at the station, got a tram close to the hotel and checked in. At first I was getting annoyed because they said we couldn’t check in until 3pm; I explained we had paid for a room the night before so the room should be available at that time. The receptionist didn’t seem to know what she was doing and kept running into the back. Finally the manager (or we think he was) came out and explained he was trying to get the previous night refunded from Agoda. After a phone call, in which I had to confirm to Agoda I was who I was, the money was refunded. Yah for the manager! (he studied in NZ – Palmerston North).
One of the things I really wanted to do in Nagasaki was to take a boat tour around the Hashima Island. This island was once a coal mining community owned by Mitsubishi, and had housing, a school, community hall as well as the buildings for the mine (the mining was under the sea bed). Once the coal dried up the people left the island and it has been left to deteriorate naturally since (1974). The manager of the hotel rang through to the tour company to see if we could book for the following morning; when I spoke to them they said the tour was full the day after but could we get there this afternoon (it started in ½ hour). We said yes and pretty much sprinted down to the waterfront (luckily we didn’t get lost, for s change!). We just made it and after paying boarded the boat.
We passed many sights on the way, including the Mitsubishi cruise ship factory, where they build cruise ships. There were 2 cruise ships being built when we passed, one looked nearly completed, the other was only half built, literally, one end looked as if it was nearly finished, the front not even started; it looked as if a ship had been cut in half, awesome! Many of the other places we passed were ship yards or factories, many owned by Mitsubishi. Apparently they are the leaders in ship building (so their cars must be pretty good too hey?).
We got to Hashima Island and sailed around it – it’s not very big but they packed a lot of buildings onto it. There were mainly big multi storey concrete buildings, all of which looked eerie and cold. It was explained (by an a personal audio system which was rubbish) that the school was built with extra wide windows to let in more light. It’s very difficult to explain what it looked like and how I felt, but it’s something like being curious of the dead and you have to see it – does that make sense? Usually the tours allow you to step onto the island (though only a short distance, you can’t wander around) but we couldn’t this day as the typhoon had damaged the landing platform – we could see the metal railing twisted and damaged; but never mind, at least I got to see the island.
We sailed back and we went to the hotel where we were eventually allowed to check in (I did say they were anal about the times). After freshening up we had a wander around the local vicinity looking for something to eat, there was a ‘China Town’ straight across from us which sounded promising but when we went down there it was disappointing – very quiet with not many shops or restaurants. We decided we would go to the observatory instead and look for something to eat around that area.
We got a tram to the area where the observatory was and walked to the rope way (cable car), getting lost for a short time as per usual! The cable car was one of the large ones and we went up with a couple of other families. At the top you could walk around the outside and look at the views over the city – the only problem was that is was very cloudy and we couldn’t see very much at all. On a clear day you can see right to the sea and the islands beyond, we saw only the immediate area below us, and that was hazy. On a clear day you can see the mountains and the sun setting behind them into the sea, we could only see a hazy blur in the clouds and the outlines of the top of the mountains. Then it began to rain! We went inside to where they had a restaurant overlooking the city (clouds). We decided we would eat there; I ordered a curry with rice, Dave had a turkey spaghetti sort of meal – weird but it tasted better than mine. The curry was like one you get out of a tin, but it filled a little corner.
We made our way back down to the city and back to the hotel where we were ready for bed, it had been a long and busy day. Nighty nite xxx
12/07/2014 – Dutch Museum and Nagasaki Peace Park
We got up early wanting to make the most of our time in Nagasaki. First we visited the Dutch Museum which told the story of when the Dutch lived in Nagasaki and how they integrated with the Japanese. It was built like an old Dutch village and was very interesting although we rushed around to see it (something I don’t like to do). We then picked up our luggage from the hotel and caught a tram to the train station where we put it into a locker. It was then onwards to the Peace Memorial Park.
. For those that don’t know, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on the 9th August 1945 – 3 days after the one in Hiroshima, killing and maiming thousands of innocent people. This park wasn’t as big as the one in Hiroshima, but it was still as emotional. There were statues along the paths of the park that had been donated from countries around the world as a symbol of peace; strangely, the American one was one of the best!
While we were in the park we bumped into Bernice and her husband again, this time I got her FB account so we could keep track of each other! After an ice-cream (vanilla and green tea double) we then went on to the Peace Memorial Hall for remembrance of the victims of the bomb. This was a very peaceful place in which you could sit and think about the victims and their families; there were 3 ‘liquid’ screens which showed photographs of all the victims. There was a memorial right by the ‘zero ground’ which was a very tall glass case holding the volumes of names held in a register that perished at the time of the bomb and since (it is updated yearly). We were able to make our own message of peace on a computer that is saved for 10 years and is able to be viewed by anyone visiting. A lovely, well done memorial site. We didn’t have time to visit the museum but I’m guessing it would have been similar to the one in Hiroshima. Again, we were disappointed that we couldn’t spend longer in this city; we knew we had missed so much. We caught the tram back to the train station to make our way to Osaka.
We arrived in Osaka relatively late, it was about 9pm when we got into the main station. We then had to find our way to another station to go to the area we were stopping in. First though we had to et out of the gate at the man station, we couldn’t find a manned one and when we tried to go through the others we were blocked with an alarm sounding (we have our JR passes, not cards that swipe). A local woman on the other side of the fence saw us struggling and came to our rescue, running down to look for a railway employee and running back to point the way for us. Again, such helpful people who go out of their way for strangers. To get to the other station we had to go through underground streets, it was like a city in itself with shops and restaurants, amazing! We stopped to look at our map to make sure we were going in the right direction when a young man asked us where we were going to; when we told him he proceeded to take us there, again we were blown away by the Japanese helpfulness, and they give it so sincerely.
We found the right station and got the train close to where we were stopping. We managed to find the hotel without getting lost –2 local trains in the city with walks in between - yah!!!
I haven’t spoken about food and what we have eaten, and for a very good reason – I can’t remember! We tend to get a lot of sandwiches, bananas and fruit juice, especially when we’re travelling, and because we know what we’re getting. I’m really over trying to find food we like in Japan, it’s a minefield! My healthy eating has gone to pot – shame as I had been doing so well. Oh well, nighty nite xxx
13/07/2014 – Osaka and being unwell
We got up in the morning and set out to see Osaka; this is a big sprawling city (3rd largest in Japan) and we wasn’t entirely sure what we wanted to do here. We had picked a museum to go to (it sounded very interesting) and after Dave studied the map we set off. First mistake – I let Dave study the map! It was only supposed to be about 30 minutes away, but after about 40 minutes Dave decided to ask a policeman for directions – it was at least an hours walk in the opposite direction! We had walked through some shopping arcade type of streets with typical Japanese shops and restaurants, all looked great. We saw some people who we presumed were still out form the night before (this was after 10am) as they were dressed up and drunk! We went to the underground to look for a train to get us to the museum when I came over all strange again, light headed and weak. We decided to go back to the hotel. I have been feeling like this on and off over the last few weeks but it seems to be getting more regular; also, my hair is falling out at an alarming rate, I only have about ½ of what I used to have. With Dave getting sick so much as well I’m wondering if we’ve got something, and Malaria springs to mind! We have been to some rural areas in Cambodia and Vietnam and been bitten in both so it’s a possibility. We’re going to get a blood test once we’re back in Tokyo and get checked out. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.
Anyhow, we went back to the hotel where I slept for most of the day. Dave went out and brought us back some food – sandwiches, fried chicken and salad. So much for seeing Osaka, I have only really got to see the inside of a hotel room. Not good. After eating I went back to sleep. Nighty nite xxx
14/07/2014 – Toyama
I woke up feeling better this morning, although still quite tired, but determined to carry on and enjoy as much as possible. We got the shuttle bus to the train station, seeing some of Osaka and feeling sad that we missed most of it. At the station we saw a lot of people in the entrance to a department store that had a sale starting; in front of the people were the store’s staff all looking at their watches. At precisely 10 O’clock (not a second before or after) the staff bowed at the customers and let them into the store, where the customers politely walked in. It was interesting to see, nothing like the stores in NZ or England where they are opened when the staff are ready to and the customers are trying to barge past everyone else!
We boarded our train and headed to Toyama, this is the place that Dave really wanted to come to and after seeing what’s in the area I was excited too. We were finally getting away from the cities and into the countryside. The journey was quite a long one (we really hadn’t planned our trip here well) and we arrived at 3pm – checking in time! After leaving our luggage in our room we went out to look around the town/ city and headed towards the Matsu river and sculpture park. This was a small river in which there are sculptures all along the path (both sides of the river). It was a pleasant walk and we saw a few white herons with their beady eye on the carp fish (I was hoping one would catch a fish while we were watching but it didn’t). The sculptures were a surprise – most were of either semi-naked or naked women in various poses – very saucy! We also walked through the grounds of the castle which was just opposite our hotel, and had a wander through some of the streets coming across some interesting looking glass buildings.
We went back to the hotel, freshened up and went out to look for something to eat – this is becoming a mission! After passing various restaurants that had either full Japanese menu’s or some that had ridiculous prices (eg, a French restaurant) we came across what looked like an Italian restaurant so decided to go there. Once we had gone up the stairs and entered we realised it must have been more for the younger generation, there were photos of young couples all over the walls and on the TV was a program with boy and girl bands on. However, it looked clean so we sat down. After trying to figure out the Japanese menu for over 10 minutes and trying to order from the woman there she brought out an English menu! Not much choice, not even a Carbonara ! So, Dave ordered a salami pizza (and got a cheese and tomato one) and I ordered a mushroom risotto. The pizza was small but tasty (even without the meat) but the risotto was only just passable and again a small portion. We had a beer each and called it a night, not hungry but not quite full! Nighty nite xxx
15/07/2014 – Kurobe Gorge.
This was the one thing that Dave really wanted to see, and I was also excited too. We got up early and set off for the train station, catching the shuttle bus up to it. There are 2 stations side by side, one for the JR trains, the other for the local trains. We had to go to the local one; we could have got a JR train part of the way there but it meant changing trains 3 times and walking between stations, so we chose to pay for the local train that took us straight to where we wanted to go.
We bought our tickets and got onto the train, the locals ones are really basic compared to the big JR trains and don’t have toilets on them; I could see Dave was worried as soon as we got on. We set off and Dave closed his eyes to sleep. About half way there he woke up and had another panic attack – he wanted to get off at the next station but I managed to calm him enough to stay on (the trains aren’t very frequent on this line). He sat down but I could tell he wasn’t relaxed. As we came towards another staion he panicked again and walked up the train towards the exit; again I managed to calm him enough to sit back down and attempted to distract him. I gave him my phone with a numbers game I had downloaded on it; this worked a treat and we got t our destination without any more incidents; very worrying again though.
We headed up the street towards the ticket office for the sight-seeing train and bought our tickets for the Kurobe Gorge. We had to book our time coming back which was difficult as we didn’t know what was at the other end and how long we would like to stop there; we booked to return after about 2 ½ hours. Also, there were 2 other small stations on the way but to get off you had to book single tickets with the times stated; again we didn’t know what there was to see there or how long you needed, so we opted for the one station at the end. If anyone is going there I would suggest you do lots of homework first! The train was very small with an engine pulling 2 sorts of carriages – the first were the ‘cheap’ ones which were a metal frame with benches along them, no windows, the second were proper seats with windows; we preferred the cheap ones going as you got a much better view and experience, but on the way back we wished we had the proper seats as our backs were aching! The journey took about an hour and twenty minutes, going through the most beautiful scenery – fast flowing clear rivers, mountains, cliffs, forests, dams and bridges – my camera was working overtime!
We arrived at Keyakidaira and set off to see the local countryside. First we walked across one of the famous red bridges of the area and then came to a large overhanging rock called Hitokuiiwa which had a nickname ‘man-eating rock’, as it looked as if it was about to bite down on you as you walked under it! We then followed the river, the path was about 20 meters above the river and we passed waterfalls, some natural, others man-made. Around us were forests and mountains, some of the higher mountains still had snow on the tops of them. By the river Dave spotted a large piece of snow, about 6 meters across by 3 meters wide, then another smaller piece just above it; it’s amazing how the snow can last through the sun beating down and the water flowing past. We stopped for our picnic lunch at the only bench we found on the track which was next to a lovely looking house with an onsen in it. We then made our way back towards the station area where there was a foot spa. Once we had climbed down the steps (lots of them) we came to a platform just above the river; we then realised how fast the river was and how clear and deep it was – I don’t think you’d have survived if you’d fallen into that. We went to soak our feet in the lovely hot spring water to find it was empty, bugger! A guide there asked us where we were from when we said NZ he got very excited and told us he had been to Mount Cook. We asked him where the water for the foot bath was and he told us it is emptied at 2pm (it was 2.15pm). We made our way back to the station and waited for our train.
Back in the town we went to the train station to get back to Toyama; Dave reached it first and was looking to see where we could buy tickets and which platform we got on at. An inspector there totally ignored him, offering no help, and by the time we had figured it out, got our tickets and got to him, he had closed the gates and crossed his hands – we had missed the train! Dave wasn’t very happy and this was the first time we had come across someone who not only wasn’t willing to help but was downright nasty about it – I suppose there’s always one!
This was a blessing in disguise really because we went for a coffee and found a lovely little ice-cream bar. We had the 6 mix and chose 6 wonderfully flavoured ice-creams; they were all so good we couldn’t choose a favourite. After finishing we got the train back to Toyama and went back to the hotel. We relaxed for a while then went to the onson. After scrubbing and soaking ourselves we went to the restaurant for our free ramen – it was made from instant noodles and wasn’t the best, but it saved us trawling around the town looking for something to eat – and it was free! Nighty nite xxx
16/07/2014 – The Japanese Alps – white-out!!
Another early morning to set off and get the train to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route which is a unique route through the Japanese Alps. We caught the train from Toyama to Tateyama where we had to take a cable car to Bijodaira then hop onto a bus that took us to Murodo which is 2450 meters high. We were excited about seeing the scenery as we travelled and planned to do some hiking in the area.
The train journey was scenic and although there were a few high clouds there were blue skies poking through and we were confident it would clear. The cable car was very steep and takes only 7 minutes to get to its destination. It was very busy with tourists and many had to stand. When we got onto the bus a Japanese couple who had been sitting in front of us on the cable car (and again sitting in front of us on the bus) offered us a chocolate almond and then asked where we are from. They were helpful on the journey up, explaining parts of the scenery on the way. We slowed down at points of interest on the way – a waterfall that was 30 meters high (I think!), an old large Japanese Cedar tree and then, as we got nearly to Murodo, the snow corridor. During winter the snow can reach 20 meters high, in spring a route on the road is cut through the snow leaving the snow corridor. At this time of year a lot of the snow has disappeared but there is still enough left to be impressive. It was at this point we realised the clouds had come in around us!
So, we got off the bus and went into the terminus where there are shops and restaurants then up to the top where you can go out onto the observation platform and the hiking trails. Most people were wrapped up in warm, waterproof clothing and hiking gear; we had on shorts and t-shirts and I had brought a thin long sleeved top. We went outside to be blasted by the cold wind blowing the clouds through! We couldn’t see very much, about 2 meters in front of us! We went to have a look at the snow corridor, freezing our little bits of at the same time (it was 11 degrees but felt colder with the biting wind) then rushed back inside; there would be no hiking for us today! It was very disappointing; we were expecting flower filled meadows, volcanic craters, amazing coloured ponds and fantastic views of mountains and valleys. What made it even worse was that this trip had taken us 2 ½ hours to get to each way and had cost us the most of any trip in Japan and we couldn’t see/ do anything!
We waited in line for the bus and could see the live cameras of the areas on a TV screen – Murodo’s screen was totally white with the clouds! Off we went back to Bijodaira where we planned to do a little walk in the area, but when we reached there it started to rain quite heavily; it was not meant to be! We caught the cable car then the train back to Toyama where we warmed up, had a rest then went out to eat. We managed to find a Mexican restaurant (although the chef was Japanese) and had a tasty meal of salad with bacon and mushrooms, deep fried prawns with chilli sauce and fried chicken with spicy sauce, made a change from noodles and soup! Dave had a beer with his meal; I had a glass of very lovely red wine. Nighty nite xxx
17/07/2014 – Travelling to Mishima (Fuji)
Got up this morning and packed to go to Fuji. It was difficult booking accommodation for the Fuji area as there really aren’t many hotels close to Mount Fuji, so we chose a place called Mishima. When we booked our train tickets we asked to go to Fuji, not realising Mishima was a different town. When we got close to Fuji we realised we could stay on the train for another two stops and get directly into Mishima.
We soon found our hotel which was at the far end of the train station. We were stopping in the Dormy Inn again, we love these hotels. I’m not sure if I’ve spoken about these before, and my apologies if I have; these hotels have an onsen (hot spring bath) free to use, have a laundry (washers are free) and give out free ramens for supper. As well as all this the hotels are comfy, clean, have great wifi, are usually centrally located and usually one of the cheaper hotels. We’ve stopped at these throughout most of Japan and would definitely recommend them.
Once we had unpacked and had a cuppa we went to find a supermarket; first stop was the information centre to get a map of the town. We wandered through the town, a nice little place (yes, I used the word nice, it’s appropriate for this town) and found the supermarket. We were looking for something fresh, veggies, fruit, but there was only a small section for these and what was there was expensive, melons were selling for about $17, apples for about $4 each; we managed to find some small peaches reduced in price, got some bananas and kiwi fruit, bought yogurt, bran (all for breakfast), fried chicken, salad, corn on the cob, prawn rolls and something I don’t know the name of but were delicious! We used the microwave in the hotel and made ourselves a great dinner!
After dinner we went for an onsen then settled down for an early night, busy day tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
18/07/14 - Climbing Mount Fuji
We got up early and made our scrumptious breakfast, though this was a great feat; I had to chop the fruit with a very small pair of scissors! We then set off for the bus station to get the 7.30am bus to Fuji. This bus was quite expensive but we thought we were going to get dropped off at station 5 which is the starting point for climbing Mount Fuji. We got on the bus and arrived about 2 hours later, but not at station 5; we were dropped off at the bus station where you get another bus to station 5 (and more expense). We managed to get the next bus (with hoards of other people) but had to stand as the bus was full. It took us another 40 minutes to get to station 5 and when we arrived it was heaving! It’s the most popular station on Mount Fuji, has lots of restaurants, shops and touristy things, so many people come here, take their photos, buy their sovereigns and go again! Then there’s the people who are climbing the mountain, again plenty of them (us included); a lot of them were buying wooden sticks, some with bells on, others with flags (or both), it appeared like another tourist scam as they weren’t much use for climbing (those who needed assistance had already brought their own proper walking sticks). What would you do with the sticks after? You wouldn’t get them on the plane!
We bought some water and set off climbing the mountain; we didn’t expect to get anywhere near the top, there wasn’t enough time and we hadn’t really come prepared for it (we had left our hiking boots in Tokyo!). The clouds kept rolling in and out and we got glimpses of the peak; it was pretty good for climbing, not too hot (until I worked a sweat up with the exercise!). There were quite a few people climbing, ranging from a group of young school children to an old man on his own, slow but steady. We got to the point where we were handed out information leaflets on how to climb safely and carried on climbing.
After walking for a while we stopped to have a drink and a little rest. While we were sat a guy approached us and informed us he was a warden and that we should take care with the shoes we were wearing (they’re Keens) and that coming down rather than up could be problematic due to the small volcanic rocks; we thanked him and assured him we weren’t going too far and we would take care. Onwards and upwards we went, passing Station 6; the climb hadn’t been too bad so far, there had been paths and steps made which helped. Gradually I started to become dizzy and feel nauseous, signs of altitude sickness; I carried on but was mindful of my symptoms. Not too long after I started to get a headache, another symptom of altitude sickness. We stopped to rest and to see how I felt after 10 minutes; the symptoms were still there so I didn’t want to risk going any further, I didn’t want to risk my vertigo coming back and not being able to enjoy the rest of Japan. So I stayed where I was and sent Dave onwards; I think he was secretly pleased as he walks faster than me! He said he would get to Station 7 then come back down.
I sat on a wall and ate my lunch, we had managed to make ourselves a salad sandwich with what we had bought at the supermarket and had also brought a tuna salad with us. I watched Dave climbing as far as I could see him, trying to get past the slow groups (he gets frustrated when they don’t move for him) and navigating around the rocks. After a while I searched Station 7 for him and thought I saw his red t-shirt so started waving; No-one waved back. It wasn’t until I had waved half a dozen times with no response that I realised it wasn’t a t-shirt but a red board!! Finally I managed to spot Dave and we waved at each other. He then continued to climb – where was he going? He climbed and climbed until I saw him at the Red Gate Torii (a symbol of a gateway to a Shinto shrine) which is on the way to Station 8! At this point I was dying for the loo; there wasn’t any bushes or hideaway places to go so I had to climb back down to Station 6. The climb down was more difficult than going up, with the small volcanic stones slipping under my feet and getting into my shoes, but I took it slowly. A large group came towards me, there were steps which took up most of the pathway and I was on the very slim part at the side of the steps. The group decided to come the way I was leaving no room to get past, even though they had about a metre wide step to walk on, so I had to stop and wait for them all to get past me – very rude! I went to the loo and sat and waited for Dave; when he arrived (surprisingly quickly) he said he was worried I wasn’t where he left me – bless!!
We walked back to Station 5, had a hot chocolate (first ones we had seen in Japan), wrote postcards to the grandkids so we could get the special Fuji Mt post stamp on then caught the bus back to the bottom. At the bus station at the bottom a guy was selling peaches – 4 for $36 – needless to say we didn’t get any! We managed to just get the earlier bus back to Mishima where we relaxed in the onsen then had our free ramen at the hotel in the evening. An excellent day, nighty nite xxx
19/07/2014 – Quiet day
We didn’t do much today, I think we’re starting to get a bit burnt out with all the rushing around we’re doing. So, we spent the morning in the hotel room relaxing (there was a thunderstorm outside too). Early afternoon we had a walk to the supermarket in the rain and bought some food for dinner. We then stopped at a restaurant for lunch, from the menu outside it looked great, steak, burgers etc., but once we had ordered we found that we got very peculiar combinations – Dave had a burger, a piece of chicken, spaghetti, fried potatoes, salad, rice and a soup; I had the same except I had a piece of steak (cheap cut) instead of the chicken – weird! We had a beer with the meal and went back to the hotel.
Later, Dave went for an onsen; when he returned he said that as he sat in the bath looking out of the window, the clouds parted and he saw a fantastic view of Mount Fuji; he was very excited about it! I then went for an onsen, mainly to see Fuji, and wasn’t disappointed; it looked spectacular with the storm clouds clearing away from it, it was exactly as you see it in the pictures. It was lucky that we saw it this afternoon as we didn’t get another look at it again while we were here.
We had our dinner, heating up our food in the communal microwave and settled down for a beer. After a few sips Dave looked at the can to see what it was as it had a peculiar taste – he had only gone and picked out non-alcoholic beer! Oh well, another 4 cans left for Dave to enjoy – hehe!! Nighty nite xxx
20/07/2014 – Hakone Yunessan Hot Springs
We went to Hakone today, a place I have wanted to visit since we knew we were coming to Japan. We caught a train to Odawara Station where we had to get a local train to the hot springs. This railway is Japan’s oldest mountain railway with small, old carriages that wind through a narrow valley, over bridges and through tunnels. The great thing about this is that there are three switchbacks in which the train goes along the track, stops (usually waiting for the train in the opposite direction to pass) then carries on in the opposite direction on another track climbing up the mountain. The train was packed and we had to stand; the views were beautiful with hydrangea plants in full bloom along the tracks. Unfortunately, Dave started to have his panic attacks again, but he was able to manage to get to the station we wanted.
At the station we asked the station master which way to go to the hot springs and he pointed us to the other side of the tracks; we made our way down some stairs that appeared to be part of a block of apartments and made our way to the main road. We followed the road down but couldn’t see anything resembling what we were looking for so we asked a group of Japanese people who were stood by a building. Luckily, one of the women spoke great English and told us it was up the road but we would be better to get the bus as it was quite a way up; the bloody station master had sent us the wrong way!! We caught the bus (it was just coming along the road) and 10 minutes later we arrived.
On entering the building it was obvious we had come on the wrong day (Sunday); it was heaving with families! We got into the line to pay and eventually managed to get our tickets. After changing in our respective changing rooms we met in the middle and went to the hot springs. Now, the thing that attracted me to coming here was that there are various ‘flavoured’ pools, red wine, green tea, coffee, sake, and the pictures on the web site showed a couple (sometimes 4 people) enjoying a soak in these pools; it looked both quirky and idyllic. The reality was very different – the first pool we came to was the coffee one, we must have just arrived after they had poured real coffee into it (4 times a day), and it was full of people. We managed to squeeze our way in and have a little soak before moving on to another pool. We passed the red wine pool, not even contemplating going in as it was so full the people could not sit down, instead standing crowded together with nowhere to move; we realised that this pool was the next to be filled with red wine and the people were waiting eagerly for it to happen. We managed to get into the green tea pool (Dave reckons it was more green pee than tea!) and actually managed to sit comfortably in it. Not long after we herd shouts and cheering and watched as staff were pouring red wine into the red wine pool – actually, they were pouring the red wine over people as they couldn’t see the pool! The people were going mad for it, even though they only got a splash or 2 of wine each. We continued around, having short soaks in the sake pool (couldn’t smell anything), the rock pool (speaks for itself), the hot coal pool and a few more. We saw an empty pool which was a bit puzzling until we realised it was cold! We finally managed to get into the red wine pool which wasn’t too spectacular. After all this we went for a proper onsen, gender separated as usual but even these were busy. If anyone is thinking of visiting this place, don’t come at weekends or holidays!!
After we had dried and dressed (fighting through the crowds in the dressing rooms) we had the most delicious ice-cream – ½ vanilla and ½ cream soda, it was one of the best yet; we then went to a restaurant for a cool beer, fortunately this wasn’t too busy and we could relax. We went to catch the bus back to the main station and luckily there was one just pulling into the bus stop. We thought it might be quicker than walking to the train station and getting the small train down, but we were very much mistaken! The road was blocked with cars obviously all returning home after a day out. It took us over an hour to get to the bottom, and then we got off at the wrong stop and had to get a train to the main station! We finally managed to get back to Mishima, had dinner and went to bed – another busy day tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
21/07/2014 – Fuji-Q Highland
We were up early to get the bus to Fuji-Q Highland, one of the theme parks in Japan. We were very excited about coming here as we hadn’t been to a theme park since leaving the UK. The bus got us there for about 9.30am and after we got our tickets we went straight for one of the big rides, Fujiyama, which was the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster when it opened in 1996. It has a maximum speed of 130km/h (81mph), a maximum drop of 70m (230ft) and a maximum height of 79m (259ft). We waited in line for about an hour and a half, the adrenalin building as we got closer and finally we got to the front of the line. Luckily, the family in front of us decided they didn’t want to go on the front so we got the front seats – bonus ! We were strapped in, and off we set, high fives on the way past the staff. We climbed the track, very steep and very high, it reminded a bit of the ‘Big one’ I Blackpool, but much higher. The adrenalin was pumping through my body, love it! We eventually got to the top and slowly made our way to the edge of the downward track then we were off. Wow, it was amazing, fast, steep, and curvy; I was screaming and laughing the whole way around. Unfortunately though I started to feel dizzy and sick about ½ way around but I managed to hold on and loved the ride.
Once we got off the coaster I wasn’t sure what to do next, my vertigo had definitely been triggered by the ride and I was feeling dizzy and sick, but I still wanted to go on the rides. Could I risk going on more and hope my vertigo didn’t get any worse (when I have a full attack I can be laid up in bed for days), or did I just watch Dave enjoying the rides without me? The queues for the big rides were between 1 ½ - 2 hours long so I decided to queue for the next ride and decide how I felt before we got to the front.
The next ride was Dodonpa, launching you out of a tunnel at speeds of up to 172kmh (111mph) in 1.8 seconds then racing around the park at tremendous speeds. We stood in line; I still felt pretty ropy and wasn’t sure I’d make it, but by the time I got to the front I thought ‘sod it’, and went on it. This would be the last theme park I would be going to so better make the most of it! Again we got the front car, fate must have realised this was my last big ride, and we were buckled in tight. After the high fives from the staff on the way into the tunnel we sat in the dark with countdown lights ahead of us; the adrenalin building again we counted down and we were off. Shit – I have never been so fast on anything ever, my face felt like Grommits, cheeks back and a grimacing grin on my face; I thought we were going to take off we were going so fast. We continued around the track and as we went down a steep slope I thought we were going to come off the tracks – it couldn’t be possible to go that fast and stay on them!! Unfortunately the ride came to an end. I loved it but my vertigo wasn’t happy with me, I felt dizzier and sick.
The other 2 big rides both spun or went upside down, I couldn’t risk going on them as I knew it would knock me out for days. I felt very disappointed, I love theme parks and big, fast rides, but I knew this was the end of my theme park days – very sad. I watched Dave as he went on the ‘panic clock’, a ride that turns you upside down and around very fast; I felt dizzy just watching! We then went on the ‘Mad Mouse’, very similar to the ‘wild Mouse’ in Blackpool. After having lunch (slice of pizza) Dave went on ‘Tondemina’ , a ride that spun you around as it went high into the air. Then we went to go into the ‘Haunted Mansion’ but the queue was over 2 hours long so we decided to go to the ‘Ultimate Fort’, this involved solving clues to g nto the next level through a warehouse. We queued for an hour and a half, got into it along with about another 20 people, were given clues to find and then after 5 minute we were all thrown out as we didn’t find all the clues – what a total f******g rip off!!
I persuaded Dave to go on another big ride, he didn’t want to leave me but it was his only chance to go on these rides. He chose to go on ‘Eejanaika’, a fourth dimensional coaster that is described as ‘enjoy unprecedented thrills and a feeling of liberation as you experience three different kinds of spins, "the spinning of your seat forward and backward," "loops and flip-flops through the air," and "spinning with twists in it," while you race down the track! As an added bonus, you'll hang there with your legs dangling, so you won't be able to plant your feet anywhere to steady yourself. This will send a strange sense of being hurtled through the air coursing through your body.’ I left him in the queue (nearly 2 hours) and went for a walk. I decided I would go on the log flume, I had been watching it and it looked fun, lots of water sprayed up at the end of the drop. I got in the queue, bought my waterproof hooded poncho and waited excitedly. This time I was in the back of the ride, I was sat with a Japanese couple who were messing bout and holding up the ride, then she wouldn’t shut up complaining to him. The we were off, it wasn’t a long ride but the drop was pretty good, again I couldn’t help but laugh, even though I was by myself!
I waited for Dave, once he got off the ride and found me he was buzzing. He said it was the best ride of his life; I’m really glad he went on it. He talked about it for ages but we had to make a dash out of the park and to the bus stop for our bus.
Once we got back to Mishima we went to an Indian restaurant and had a beautiful curry with great naan bread. A perfect end to a fantastic day. I will remember my last day at a theme park with affection, though it is tinged with sadness at it being my last one. Nighty nite xxx
22/07/2014 – North to Nikko
We packed our things and got the train to Nikko this morning. This would be our last stop before going back to Tokyo for our last week in Japan. We had to change trains n Tokyo for a local train to Nikko, there were lots of tourists on this train, the most we have seen throughout our trip in Japan. I think Nikko is one of the places most tourists start with. Once we arrived in Nikko we followed the directions to our hotel that we had been given by the staff at the train station; it was quite a long walk up a hill and very hot. We eventually found it, it was down a lane surrounded by fields and trees; when we got close to it we saw about 6 monkeys in the field crossing towards the trees (we were later told we were very lucky to see them). The hotel was very different to any we had stopped in, it was a large house that had been converted and had more of a homely feel to it, although the bed seemed unsteady set on planks of wood!!
We dropped our cases off, had a shower and decided to explore the town before it got too late. The hotel owner was very helpful, highlighting points of interest on the map then he gave us a lift to the shrines – nice! Because it was getting late in the afternoon we only had time to see one of the shrines so we picked the most popular one – Toshogu Shrine. This shrine is the final resting place of Tokugawa leyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Toshogu was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 1600s. The lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen buildings set in a beautiful forest. Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan. Toshogu contains both Shinto and Buddhist elements.
The shrine was beautiful with many intricate wood carvings on the buildings (the most famous one being the ‘see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys – I hadn’t realised these were so old). The shrine itself is away from the buildings, up many stairs (of course!) in the middle of a wooded area, very serene and peaceful. One of the buildings had been designed so that when blocks of wood were sounded together it echoed around the hall; it would only echo with the wood and only in a certain part of the hall, very clever. This was the best shrine we had seen in Japan and we were glad we had managed to see it.
After rushing around the shrine (they kick you out at 5pm sharp) we walked down to the main road on a beautiful little lane. By the main road was the Shinkyo Bridge (sacred bridge) which is ranked as one of Japans finest three bridges. We were too late to be able to walk across it (though I’m unsure we would have as you have to pay a fee) but it was beautiful to look at. The river running below it was a beautiful blue colour with pure white splashes over the rocks, very clear and clean.
We continued walking towards the town in search of food. We came across a restaurant that served more ‘western’ type food at cheap prices so we went in very excited! I got 2 pieces of chicken with fat chips, 2 pieces of carrot, 3 pea pods and a sauce (veg still scarce here!); Dave got a burger, a piece of chicken, a sausage and the same veg. It was absolutely yummy, and the beer was cheap! We went back to the hotel (the owner showed us a quicker way to get there) and relaxed for the rest of the evening – great day. Nighty nite xxx
23/072014 – Tobu World Square and Kanman Historical Walking route
We got up and went to the dining room for breakfast; we had ordered our breakfast the day before. The owner wasn’t around but a guy who we had seen around the place was (we wasn’t sure if he was staff or the owners lover!). He came out of the kitchen, saw us, giggled and went back into the kitchen, we thought to make our breakfast. Twenty minutes later we still didn’t have our breakfast and we were eager to get off; the guy came back out of the kitchen and we told him we were waiting for our breakfast; he giggled again and returned to the kitchen. Luckily the owner returned and we got our breakfast which was pretty good ( I got muesli at last!).
The owner very kindly gave us a lift to the train station (I got the feeling he didn’t like been stuck in the hotel) and we got the train to Kosago station, having a very quick change at another station on the way. Once we arrived at the station (a very quiet unmanned one) we walked towards the Tobu World Square; this was another place on my list of things to see. Tobu World Square is a theme park in Kinugawa Onsen that exhibits 1/25th scale replicas of famous buildings from around the world. The models include ancient monuments, cultural treasures and UNESCO World Heritage Sites which are reproduced with great detail all the way down to cars, trains and miniature people populating the sites, and with gardens that change with the seasons (Dave pointed out that all the miniature people are white, except for the president outside the White House!).
We started in the Modern Japan zone which featured famous buildings from around Japan, including The Diet Building, Akasaka Palace, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Station amongst others. The buildings were fantastic with so much detail in them. The strangest thing we saw in that area had to be a middle aged couple with a pushchair each containing miniature poodles – the dogs were on leads IN the pushchairs and they had their own bags matching the pushchairs. The couple spent more time fussing over the dogs than looking at the buildings, bizarre, especially a fully grown man!!
Anyhow, we continued around the displays, coming next to the ‘USA’ area where there was the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and the World Trade Centre (sadly no longer there) amongst other famous buildings. Next stop was Egypt with the usual pyramids, sphinx and The Great Temple of Abusimbel. We then had a break in a café with a refreshingly cool ice-cream with Europe as our backdrop!
Onto Europe with many famous and beautiful buildings from the Colloseum in Italy to St Vasilie Church in Russia (beautiful building) to the famous sites in Paris and London to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and many more. Next was the Asian zone with famous landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, the Forbidden City and of course the Great Wall of China. We took some pics of the Great Wall of China to make it look as if it was the actual wall and posted them on Facebook; we managed to fool some of our friends into thinking we were actually there, great fun!! Lastly we came to the Japan zone which had many temples, castles and Onsens; at this point we were very hot and tired and didn’t take in as much detail as we did with the other zones, we hurried around and went to find refreshment in a café.
After being refreshed we thought we would have a wander to see if we could find the maze we had seen on one of the internet sites. We walked in the opposite direction from the train station towards the town but couldn’t find anything but residential areas. We decided we find the train station in the town and go back to Nikko; after walking sme considerable distance (in the heat) we eventually found it and was lucky enough to be in time for the next train (they only run every hour).
Once back in Nikko we decided to do the Kanman Historical Walking route which started with The Gravestones of the Self-Immolations, a beautiful cemetery (in my eyes), past shrines and monuments, along the Daiya River which is beautiful – fast flowing amazing blue water, which flows through the Kanmangafuchi Abyss. Along this gorge are the famous stone statues of Jizo, a Bodhisattva who cares for the deceased, again, beautiful to look at in my eyes (they all wear red hats and bibs). There are 70 of these statues along this part of the gorge but there are many more in parts of the walk we did. We came across 2 more cemeteries which I found strangely fascinating, they are very different to western ones and I found them again beautiful in their own macabre way. It was a beautiful walk that took us about 2 hours, and because it was quite late n the afternoon there wasn’t many people around, it wasn’t too hot and the light made it spectacular.
We walked back into town when we had finished the walk and ate at the same restaurant as the night before (we’ve got fed up with exploring Japanese food, we just want something cheap, cheerful and filling!). We walked back to the hotel and settled down for a good night’s sleep. Nighty nite xxx
24/07/2014 – Back to Tokyo
Up and packed again ready to go back to Tokyo. We really enjoyed Nikko and wish we could have had longer here, there’s so much to see and do, we only scratched the surface of it. But we could say that about most of the places we’ve been to (and have!).
Once we got back to Tokyo we checked into the hotel – we were fortunate enough to have a friend in Tokyo who works at the Intercontinental and got us a cheap stay at the Tokyo Bay Hotel. Fortunately, our room was ready and we were able to check in even though we arrived early. Or room had a beautiful view over the river and towards the city skyline; we could see the ferries and ships coming in, the containers being loaded and unloaded. We were happy just to sit by the window and watch. But – we wanted to get a blood test each to make sure we were okay, Dave has lost heaps of weight, I’m still losing my hair, and we’re both getting tired easily, possibly all due to travelling, change in diet, weather, etc, but better to get checked out. The local clinic didn’t have anyone who spoke English so we asked the Concierge at the hotel to find us one where they did. We were given details and directions for a clinic and off we set on the metro subway. When we arrived the clinic was in a large glass building and looked very posh; we were asked to wait and a doctor came to peak with us. When we told him what we wanted and that we wanted to rule out malaria he gave us details of another clinic as they didn’t test malaria there. So off we went again and ended up at a place that looked more like a hospital. The receptionists didn’t speak English so we had to talk through an interpreter on the phone. I then had to speak to a ‘physician’ on the phone and describe what we wanted and our symptoms. She told us that if we didn’t have a fever it wouldn’t be malaria and that the clinic is now closing so we would have to come back in the morning! We decided that because we probably didn’t have malaria we wouldn’t come back – we had already wasted most of the day and didn’t want to waste another.
We went back to the hotel, got changed and went out for an Indian close by. It wasn’t very good, more like gravy with 3 pieces of meat (I kid you not) throw in. The naans were very good though. Back to the hotel and in our very comfortable (twin) beds for a good night’s sleep. Nighty nite xxx
25/07/2014 – Hot weather, hot tempers and Robot Restaurant.
Dave had said he wanted to walk across the bridge to Odaiba today and had looked into it, he said you were allowed to walk across and that there were great views. You can see the bridge from the hotel room, which stretches right across the wide estuary. We had breakfast (egg sandwiches) and set off, first going to the post office to draw out some money from the ATM. I had googled where the post office was and told Dave it was at the end of the building block where the hotel was – but Dave had other plans and took us to the other side of the wharf, when he couldn’t find it he crossed the road and was going to go in a totally opposite direction; so I ignored him and went back and found it exactly where I said it was in the first place! The sun was baking down on us and it was at least 35 degrees. I told Dave I didn’t want to be walking in the sun for too long and that maybe we should get a train as it looked as if the walk across the bridge would take about an hour and we still had to get to it. We had a ‘discussion’ on paying for train tickets and getting there and eventually (after voicing I didn’t really want to spend time with him in this mood) we set off walking to find the bridge. We walked for nearly an hour with no sign of the start of the bridge in sight, at this point I was wet with sweat, very thirsty, hot and light headed, then we came to a dead end! When I asked Dave if he knew where we were going he admitted he didn't, ’e hadn’t even looked at which roads we were supposed to be walking on to get there! That did it, I needed to get away from him and go back to the hotel to cool down (in more ways than one). I started walking to find a train station to take me back with Dave following me, I couldn’t lose him! I found a station but it was a private line and I wanted a MTR so I could get a day ticket to use later. Dave stopped in that station and I went to look for a MTR which I found shortly afterwards. Dave then turned up, we had words and I told him I really didn’t want to be with him at that moment as we could seriously fall out! I made sure he had enough money and we parted ways. I got the train back to the hotel.
Once I got back I showered and changed; I felt so angry and frustrated I couldn’t stop crying. This made me even more frustrated as I was going to go out and explore by myself but couldn’t in that state. So I stayed in the room and felt sorry for myself! Dave arrived back about 1 ½ hours later – he had walked back!
We eventually started talking to each other and got ready to go to Shinjuku; we had booked tickets earlier that morning to go to the ‘Robot Restaurant’ where they put on a show, it was another thing on our list of quirky things to do. We caught the MTR to Shinjuku and looked for the Robot Restaurant so we could find it at the right time. Once we found it we looked for something for dinner and found a restaurant selling pizzas and cheapish beer – great! Shinjuku is a big district with lots of tall colourful buildings, and is home to a large entertainment (of many kinds), business and shopping areas. It has the world’s busiest railway station which sees about 2 million people passing through it daily. It was great, busy, noisy and exciting!
After dinner we went to the Robot Restaurant and was told it didn’t open until exactly 7pm (it was 6.50pm) so we had a walk around the block. When we returned there was a queue a mile long – buggers could have let us stay the first time! We queued and watched a ‘robot’ (actually a guy in a ridiculous outfit) play the guitar for us, while on the walls were photos of many famous people who had visited, including actors and pop stars (Coldplay were once here!). Once we had paid we were led to the ‘lounge’, everything from the floors to the walls to the ceilings were covered in coloured glass, decorations or mirrors (not just the lounge but the whole building, including the toilets). We were sat at a table with a young couple from Sydney with a very cute toy dinosaur on our table! There was a ‘robot’ band playing on a stage – mostly ½ dressed girls in bad robot costumes, but Dave took a liking to them and took lots of photos without even being asked to –strange that hey? After a couple of drinks we were led down to the area where the show would take place. I don’t want to say too much about the show in case anybody goes to it, it’s best seen without too much knowledge (ask me if you really want to know, I will attempt to describe it); but bloody hell – it was fast, mad, crazy and totally didn’t make sense, but it was great fun and very quirky! And the guys loved it – lots and lots of scantily dressed girls performing in front of them – was nearly pornographic! Great night out, well worth the money (quite expensive). We went back to the hotel in a great mood. Nighty nite xxx
26/07/2014 – Yokohama
We had to leave the Intercontinental Tokyo Bay hotel today and go to the Intercontinental Yokohama as the one in Tokyo was full. Yokohama is Japans second largest city and is only about ½ hour away by train. When we got there we were lucky enough to be able to check in early; we had another room with an amazing view – right across the pier and waterfront and further out across the city. We left our luggage (we didn’t bring much, left most of it in Tokyo) and went out exploring.
Firstly we looked for the concierge in the hotel to find out information of what to see and do in the area, we were sent to a desk which was empty then told that they were at lunch! (Dave would have been sacked if that had happened in Wellington). We were given a map and off we went. We had a look around the funfair then got some lunch from a bakery which we ate in the food court – yummy! When we had finished we saw a sushi restaurant where they had just brought in a BIG fresh fish (probably tuna) and were about to cut it up. We think the customers were bartering for the first fresh pieces of it as they were shouting, lifting their hands and clapping. The fish was cut up clea
27/07/2014 – Cosplay, chicken and karaoke
We got up pretty early, had our cup noodles for breakfast and set off back to Tokyo. After dropping our luggage off at the hotel (we were too early to check in) we caught the train to Harajuku Station and made our way to Yojogi Park where we were informed there would be lots of youth in cosplay outfits. We couldn’t see any in the park so we made our way to the city centre and down Harajuku Street. We saw 3 young people dressed up, one guy who looked very strange with various pink items of clothing, a mask and a fluffy animal looking hoody/hat along with two girls who looked pretty cool. Apart from these three and another girl who wore cute pink clothes there wasn’t really any more people, a let-down really as that’s what we had come here to see. There were plenty of shops that sold clothing for cosplay but where were the people who wore them? We later learnt that this area got so popular the people who dressed up found another area! Some of the clothing in the shops was what I dreamt of owning as a teenager – tartan pants, sex pistol t-shirts, zippered and bondage type clothes – I would have been in paradise if I was 14 again!!! There were also outfits that all New Romantics from the 80’s would have killed for too, I could have had a ball buying fancy dress outfits here if I had the room to carry them!
Next stop was Kiddy Land – apparently very famous though I’ve never heard of it. I wanted to buy the rest of Mya’s birthday presents and a little pressie for Aaliyah. Dave wasn’t interested in coming with me (I don’t know why?) so I left him sitting on a wall while I went shopping. There were four floors of toys so I spent quite a while looking for the right present, I wanted something Japanese style but had to be quite small and light to post. I finally found the right gifts, got them gift wrapped and went back to find Dave. As I got outside the sky darkened and thunder started ringing overhead – I waved Dave over the road and we decided to get back to the train station. Dave told me that while he was waiting a woman in a Kimono agreed to pose for photos for and with him – he had a ball!! As we were making our way to the train station the storm really began to come in with loud rolls of thunder and bolts of lightning – it was great!
We made our way back to the hotel and checked in; we had another room with a great view looking over the waterfront. We watched the colourful ferries coming and going and saw lots of women in Kimonos. We got ready and made our way to the train station; there were Kimonos everywhere but I was too shy to ask for photographs! We caught the train to Shimbashi for dinner and found a chicken restaurant (Gaburichicken). The menu was all in Japanese so we didn’t have a clue; the waitress and the staff were super friendly and tried to help as much as they could, in the end we told them to bring us what they thought we would like! We had a feast – first they brought us a chicken salad and in a separate bowl some raw cabbage with a sesame seed dressing (this was surprisingly simple and delicious), we then had some fried chicken pieces followed by marinated chicken and all swilled down with beer! It was delicious and we were ready for popping!
We were meeting Russell for some drinks but he was stuck at work so we decided to go to the hotel bar and wait for him, it was getting quite late by now so we thought it would be a quick drink with him then bed. But oh no! Once Russell arrived we caught a taxi back to Shimbashi as he was hungry (he has a massive appetite – his meal would have fed both me and Dave with left-overs) and we had more beer. We saw another part of Shimbashi that we hadn’t seen, lots of corners hiding from us! We were at a local restaurant and the locals were very friendly; I was also getting very drunk at this stage. Then finally – what I had been waiting for since we arrived in Japan – karaoke!!! It wasn’t what I imagined it to be, I thought it would be a big bar with a large screen and all the locals along with the tourists singing badly together. But – apparently the Japanese are very shy when it comes to karaoke and it is done in private rooms. So, myself, Dave and Russell booked a room for 2 hours, got our very large beers, tambourines and shakers and headed to our karaoke room! We keyed in the songs we wanted (with Russells help as it was in Japanese) and sang our little hearts out – well, I actually shouted my little heart out as the video later showed!! Haha, not one of us could sing but we had a fantastic time trying! At one point a very druk guy came into our room; I was all for him joining us but Russell got really pissed off with him and told him to go. The 2 hours went extremely fast; we made our way back to the hotel (though I don’t remember how!) and said our thanks and goodbyes to Russell. Now this should have been nighty nite – but those who know me well know I don’t go to sleep when drunk, so on to the next morning …………….
28/07/2014 – drunken tour and hangover
So – carrying on from last night – we returned to the hotel where Dave collapsed into bed, but I got onto Facebook and started chatting to my lovely friends. Dawn was starting to break and I had the most beautiful view over the water. I then had a great idea – I should go to the fish market – you have to get there very early and seeing as I was still awake I might a well go (my friends all agreed with me). So off I went towards the train station but somehow I got lost and went on a beautiful path with lots of flowers (everything is beautiful when you’re drunk at that time of the morning). I managed to get to the station and bought a ticket and caught a train to where I thought the fish market was; there was only one other person on the train so I was guessing it must have been one of the first of the day. At the other end I found myself in a large district that was deserted; I wandered around for about ½ hour, realised I was in the wrong place, caught the train back, walked to the hotel (without getting lost) and fell into bed!
I paid for my little jaunt – I was in bed for most of the day! Once I dragged myself up we caught a train to Akihabara where we had burgers for dinner then we bought a new camera; our other one was playing up all the time and we were missing some great photos. After we bought the camera we went back to the hotel and caught up on some sleep. Nighty nite xxx
29/07/2014 – Odaiba
Our last day in Japan so we decided to make the most of it and go across the bridge (this time on the train) to Odaiba. We could see this district from our hotel room and there were lots to do there. One of the buildings we could see was the Fuji TV building which had a giant steel ball in the middle of it which we were keen to explore. Odaiba is a man-made island that was developed from lots of small man-made islands in the Edo period to protect Tokyo from the sea and war. It is now a popular shopping and entertainment centre.
We caught the train which took us on an overhead line and over the bridge giving us fantastic views. Unfortunately the train was packed full on the way there but on the way back we managed to get right to the front with the best view.
Once we arrived we walked through the Toyota Mega Web which had lots of displays and activities around the Toyota cars, but it was not open at this time (we were early). So, we went on the Ferris wheel – Dave wanted to face his fears! The Ferris wheel is 115 meters and one of the world’s largest with views of Tokyo and Odaibo. We picked a glass bottom cabin which was very brave of Dave. He did get a little bit wobbly at one point but managed to calm himself down and enjoy the views.
The next stop was back to the Toyota Mega Web where we played a driving computer game in a car – it was the exact same track as Dave used to play on the PlayStation but he still managed to crash! I don’t think either one of us won the best times but it was fun trying. Onwards towards Diver City Tokyo Plaza (they have the weirdest names) where there’s a giant ‘Gundam’ robot statue outside where I took pics of Dave standing underneath (I could hardly see him). On the way we saw another woman with a bloody dog in a stroller – what is it with the Japanese and treating their dogs like babies? We then made our way to the Fuji TV building, bought tickets for the observatory and made our way up in the lift (super fast). The observatory itself was a disappointment as it was full of electronic, noisy games and promotions for printers (we did get a free photo printed though). The views were amazing from here, and because it was a clear sunny day we could see for miles. We looked around the building which was full of Japanese cartoon stuff and both won a pack of tissues!! Once at the bottom we got fried chicken and fried new potatoes for lunch – yummy!! We then went to another building and sat outside with a coffee with a view of the Statue of Liberty!!
We treat ourselves to a new watch each, mine was pretty much knackered after 10 years and Dave didn’t have one (he got his super cheap after buying mine). We met a clown on stilts (with the most disgusting teeth ever), walked through pots and pots of sunflowers and took in all the sights. There were cartoon characters everywhere! We finally made our way to the Telecom Centre where we had a sit down in the gardens. There was an exhibition on faeces and sewerage at the exhibition centre but we gave it a miss, not because of the subject (it looked quite interesting) but because it was full of kids! We then got the train back to the hotel, had a rest, got some dinner and packed.
We walked to the train station to get the train to the airport. It was sad leaving Japan behind, we had enjoyed every part of it and would have stayed longer if it hadn’t have been so expensive. But thank you Japan, you were a fantastic host! To summarise:
The positives:
The negatives:
It was sad to say goodbye to her and hope one day we can return. We love you Japan!!!
We boarded the plane to Bali, via Singapore; tomorrow we will be in our 6th country! Nighty nite xxx
30/07/2014 – Arriving in Bali
The journey to Bali was very long and tiring; we flew from Tokyo to Singapore where we had to wait for a few hours in the early hours of the morning before getting our flight to Densapar in Bali. We arrived at our hotel at about 11am, our room wasn’t ready and we waited by the pool, exhausted and hot (we were wearing our travel clothes). After waiting for about 3 hours I asked the reception how long our room was going to be as I had now been awake for over hours and desperately needed some sleep; we were given or room shortly afterwards.
I slept for a few hours (instantly falling asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow), got up for about an hour then returned to bed where I stayed for the rest of the night. Dave had a wander around the town – he told me it was terrible – worse than Chaweng in Ko Samui – so much for our little paradise relaxing break! Nighty nite xxx
31/07/2014 – 14/08/2014 – Bali
I’m not going to bore you with a day by day activity of Bali, we didn’t do very much and relaxed as much as possible which was the main aim. The hotel that we stayed in was a lovely hotel with a great pool area but was spoilt with mainly obese, drunken Australians, as was the rest of the area we were staying in (Legian/ Kuta Beach). We would see Australians roaming the streets from 9am until late at night, wearing vests and shorts and having a beer bottle glued to their hands. There were streets lined with cheap, tacky shops selling cheap, tacky tourist wares only broken up by ‘spas’ selling massages and beauty treatments and restaurants and bars. There were two large shopping centres with designer shops in them; it appeared the tourists here were interested in either shopping or getting drunk. The people were in their own little worlds and would only converse with others if sat in a bar half drunk. This isn’t what we imagined Bali to be like, and it certainly wasn’t the Bali we had seen in the pictures on the internet when we had booked it. To make it worse, the beach wasn’t the calm, gentle waters portrayed in the photographs, instead being a surfers beach where the waves pounded onto the beach, knocking you off your feet if you were more than a foot from the shore. To say I was disappointed was an understatement and I did have some days where I felt utterly depressed and couldn’t stop crying, no matter how much I told myself that we were lucky to be here at all. But we tried to make the most of it – here are some of the highlights and tales of our time in Bali:
I got my nails ‘manicured’ and polished on the beach, they looked pretty with painted flowers on an azure blue background, but the lady ‘Madam Loco’ cut my big toe nail too short and I ended up with a painful in-growing toenail for 2 weeks! While I was having them painted a large wave crashed into the beach and soaked all our belongings through including our towels and book! We tried to have a swim in the sea but were constantly knocked off our feet so we gave up on that and returned to our hotel to relax by the pool.
The pool was sometimes a great place to relax if the right people were around, but at times there were noisy, arrogant people who spoilt it; also the bar/ restaurant next to it played ‘house music’ a lot of the time, not the sort of music to relax to. Another bug bear of mine was that people would put towels on the loungers then go out for half of the day xpecting their loungers to be kept for them when they returned. Only once did we see the staff remove he towels that had been there for hours to make way for others. I know I sound to be constantly moaning abut this place but it really was a let down after the images we had in our head. The room was large and well equipped and a place we could relax in until we got noisy neighbours. I swar the room above us had an evil spirit in it as twice we had people stay in there who returned from a night out to shout, scream, throw belongings around the room, smash items (the second lot had to be moved into another room while repairs were being carried out) and finally sob uncontrollably (a man the first time); this carried on all night into the early hours of the morning – I was exhausted the day after. Besides that there would be people coming back from nights out and shouting as they made their way back to their rooms, or arguing and jumping into the pool; again, not our vision of relaxation. So I spent two days in the room catching up on lost sleep, and another two days feeling depressed and not being able to stop crying. It was only Dave who made me feel better and helped me to relax.
On Kuta Beach was a turtle sanctuary, where volunteers stayed up all night waiting for turtles to come onto the beach to lay their eggs, they would then take the eggs and place them in a specially made place to let them hatch safely. If they were left on the beach then the locals would take them and eat them (they would take the adult turtles too if they could), or because of the amount of tourists on the beaches the eggs would become damaged and the baby turtles would die (what are baby turtles called?). When the eggs hatched the baby turtles would be released into the sea – all good you say, and we thought so too, but seeing how this took place wasn’t too good. At 4.30pm people would gather around the headquarters of the turtle sanctuary, kids would be at the front (which is great), a talk about the organisation and the turtles was given (again great – education needs to be given to help the turtles), then the people, kids first, would be given a plastic container with a baby turtle in it. These would be taken down to the beach where a line would be drawn in the sand and everyone stood behind it; on the say so the turtles would be released and would run to the sea. All good? No! The people would run with the turtles, some picking them up (I saw one boy squeezing his) and running into the sea. The turtles would go into the sea but when a wave came in they would be swept back in, some under the feet of the people in the sea. The organisers would shout for people to keep still but not everybody listened. I’d hate to think how many were killed in this way. There is only one out of every thousand baby turtles that survive; maybe that one was squashed under somebodies foot? The work this organisation is trying to do is fantastic, but it needs to be better organised.
We hired a scooter one day and went to Uluwatu which you get to crossing a bridge over a large estuary (amazing engineering). On the way we came across a small temple which we stopped at, it was difficult to know if it was old or new but it looked pretty impressive. The place we were aiming to get to was Blue Point Bay but google maps were useless and we ended up figuring out the way ourselves as we went. We found it by following some touristy looking people on scooters and luckily they were going there too! Blue Point Bay was beautiful, we had to wander through little terraces and down steps (some very steep) until we came to a small bay with large rocks and formations. It wasn’t a beach as such but the water was clear turquoise blue with reefs at the start then after the reefs large waves where the surfers were. We found a little part of the bay to ourselves and dipped into the sea; you couldn’t really swim in it as there were too many rocks but it was glorious to just sit in the beautiful water soaking up the fantastic views. On the beach Dave spotted a large lizard which I managed to follow for a while and get some photographs. Once the tide started coming in the waves got too strong and swept us in and out so it was time to leave. We had found a little bit of paradise at last, a great day.
The day after we hired the scooter again and set of for Ubud, a city that was recommended for us to visit. We set off and probably went the long way round until we found ourselves in another city. The scooter started to feel strange and we realised we had a flat tire so we pulled off the road (we were in the middle of three lanes at traffic lights at the time). A local pointed us to a place we could get it fixed and Dave pushed the scooter there, having to risk our lives crossing the road! The puncture was repaired and the man pointed out that the tyre was completely worn down and ‘no good’, something we should have checked before we agreed to hire it. We decided that it was too much of a risk to carry on and turned back. Just on the outskirts of Legian the bike again felt strange and we again realised that we had another flat tire. This time Dave had to push the bike further to find someone and the sun was beating down. When we found a ‘garage’ and he took the inner tube out he found that the valve had completely come out; we had to buy a new inner tube. Once it was fixed and we got back to the hotel we complained to the guy who had hired the scooter to us, surprise surprise, he said the owner wasn’t around to see us until later! Long story short – we got the money back for the inner tube, but not for a full tank of petrol, a puncture repair or for our wasted day out where we didn’t get anywhere!
The rest of the time in Bali was spent either by the pool, or when the waves weren’t too harsh, by the beach. We did relax over the 16 days we were there, but not in the way we imagined. I was quite relieved to be leaving – we think we have found the place we were originally looking for to relax in our next destination. Nighty nite xxx
15/08/2014 – Labuan Bijo
We got up early (the first time we’ve had to put our alarm on for weeks), had breakfast and got the hotel taxi to the airport. The domestic airport at Denspasar was a joke, we had to queue with only two people in front of us for ages then once we got to the counter we found we were overweight (only 10kg limit) and had to pay extra; for most of the time at the counter we had a local guy stood right next to us! By the time we had finished there was a queue about 15 people long, maybe they should get computers! We were flying to Labuan Bijo which is on the island of Flores on the east of Indonesia. The flight should have taken an hour and twenty minutes but with the wind pushing us it took only about an hour.
We were met at the airport by a car from the hotel and taken straight there. The hotel was great, the room big with everything we needed, but most of all it was in the middle of nowhere, right on a beautiful beach with a great pool overlooking it all; this is where we should have come to start with instead of Bali. We asked at the desk about trips to Komodo National Park and were taken into town to one of the tour operators (a local with an office – everything is basic here). We booked a trip to Rinca Island for the following day after speaking to the owner on the phone, it was very difficult to understand him and we wasn’t sure what we had booked!! We returned to the hotel in the car (the hotel provided a car and driver to take guests in and out of town when they liked – for free!) and changed into our togs then spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. The rest of the guests were all foreigners, most of them appeared to be French, but they seemed to be a friendly lot even though we couldn’t have a chat with them – jeez, I’m getting desperate to have a good old chin wag with someone; being with Dave 24 hours a day doesn’t give us too much to talk about as we’ve both experienced the same things.
We stayed by the pool, occasionally wandering down to the beach to look at the view, until sunset. I sat on the beach taking photos of this, it was magnificent, setting on the sea just behind the islands, and it looked so big and red, awesome!! Once the sun had set we went to our room to get changed then back to the beach area where the restaurant was; a great setting but full of insects flying around! The dinner we ordered wasn’t brilliant but it filled us; we had a beer then went to bed – up early again in the morning. Nighty nite xxx
16/08/2014 – Rinca Island and Komodo Dragons
The alarm went off at 6.20am – aarrgghhh, not been up this early twice in a row for months! After waking up properly we had breakfast and got the hotel car to the town where we had to meet. We were late and the last ones there (which I was mortified at) as Dave decided he needed to sit on the loo for ten minutes when we were setting off, and we were five minutes setting off to start with. He’s doing this a lot lately, he decided he was going to the loo when we were called to board the plane yesterday, then looked for the loo furthest away instead of using the one next to him; I seem to spend a large part of my day standing outside toilets waiting for him in a panic! It’s not that he needs the loo, its that he always wait for the last minute when we have important things to do or go; why can’t he go ten minutes before, instead of ten seconds?
Anyhow, my moan over with – we arrived and given our snorkelling gear and taken down to the harbour with four other people and the ‘crew’. The boat was a very small, old wooden one that had a bench with a wooden table in front of it, a cushioned plank of wood behind and two wooden deck chairs in front; we sat on the deck chairs. There were no life-jackets or fire extinguishers in sight and we had no talk on what to do in an emergency. It seems that Flores isn’t up on health and safety and an accident is waiting to happen.
We set off towards Rinca Island where we hoped to see some Kimodo Dragons. These creatures live on only three islands, Rinca, Gili Motang and Kimodo Island (all within the Komodo National Park); there are also a small number in the north of Flores. The Dragons are an endangered species (there were 3336 in 1990) and highly protected by Indonesian law. With us on the boat were a youngish couple from Belgium and two guys from Indonesia; we all got on well together.
The journey was interesting with fantastic desolate small islands, some with mangroves alongside or surrounding them, others with yellow sandy beaches, coral and turquoise seas; there were villages dotted along the coastline that were cut off from the mainland and only accessible from the sea, and fishermen out in their tiny boats fishing for their livelihood. At times the sea got a little bit choppy and we would be splashed by them as the boat cut through them.
We arrived at Rinca Island after about two hours and the boat was tied up onto another boat (there were quite a few at a small jetty) and we got off. There were quite a lot f monkeys on the small beach and a couple on the jetty itself, and we could see a lot of small fish swimming along and under the boats. There was very little organisation and we wasn’t told where to go, what we had to do and how long we had so we all set off down the track hoping it would become clear. We were met by a guide and taken to a very small village where the office of the Island was. Here we had to pay to be on the island and also for having a camera. This wasn’t a problem but we were not informed of this when we booked the trip; luckily we had brought some money with us. After paying we were met by a second guide and set off on the trail to look for the Komodo Dragons.
I spotted a small Komodo Dragon only two minutes after setting off; it was walking close to the village and after asking were informed it was probably about 2 years old. Yah, I beat the guides to spotting it!! Shortly afterwards we came across 2 more laid next to a village hut; apparently they come to the village as they can smell food but the villagers don’t feed them. The Dragons rise early and come out of their burrows to look for food between 6 and 10am and then 2-5pm, during the midday sun they rest in the shade; we were there during the resting period so only saw them laid down and not walking (apart from the small one). We continued on the track, seeing water buffalo, deer, monkeys and fantastic views, as well as about another 3 Dragons. One of the dragons who was lying under a tree kept lifting his head and looking at me while I was taking photos, which made me nervous as we had been informed that humans are also on their menu and they can run very fast (up to 20 mph). We came across an area full of large piles of buffalo poo – apparently made by only two buffalos – a very busy toilet area!! Just a little further on we came across an area with the Dragons burrows and were told that the female would have recently laid her eggs in these and would be in the area protecting them; they asked us if we could see her but we couldn’t. The mother was pointed out to us, she was only about 5 meters away under a tree, very well camouflaged (as they all can be). Only one of the burrows contained the eggs, the other burrows were decoys for predators such as monkeys (and if they did come close the mother would usually catch them and eat them!). Once the eggs hatched they were left on their own to survive; they would do this by climbing trees and feeding of insects, geckos and birds eggs, staying out of the way of predators including bigger Dragons! They will live in the trees for about 5 years; Komodo Dragons will live for approximately 50 years. Another interesting fact about Dragons that I want to share with you is that when they kill a big animal such as a buffalo they do this by giving it a bite, usually tearing a bit of flesh from them, then they leave them. Why, you may ask – well, as they bite they leave their saliva in the wound which is full of bacteria and a little bit of venom; this kills the buffalo but very slowly (about 2 weeks) at which point the Dragon will follow it. The smell of the rotting meat attracts other Dragons and once the poor buffalo dies they will feast on it for 3- days. Smaller animals, such as monkeys and deers, they will kill outright and eat immediately; they will eat the whole of their animal including the bones, which come out in their faeces as a white mass. They usually eat every 2-3 weeks. Fascinating animals hey?
After our tour we were taken back to the village and left, we wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do then so we (the six in our group) followed the track back to the boat. Once aboard we set off for an island where we could snorkel. I remembered passing the island on the way there and it was deserted; when we arrived on the way back there were about 6 other boats there (and another 4 arrived after us). We put n our snorkel gear and went into the beautiful clear water. The coral was beautiful, as were the fish (we spotted Nemo after only 5 minutes) but there were some black fish and then some white ones that kept coming towards us in an aggressive manner; this reminded me of the fish in Rarotonga that bit me as it was baby fish season, so it put me off and I went back to the beach to sun bathe and dipping in the sea to cool off. Dave also got a bit put off and came back quite quickly.
We stayed on the island for about an hour and a half then set off back to the mainland. Once back we dropped off our snorkelling gear and got the hotel car back. We lounged around by the pool until we got too lazy to get changed to go out for dinner; instead we ate at the restaurant, again the food wasn’t very good. Oh, we met a couple (Rob and Alice) from the UK by the pool; he was originally from Manchester but now lives in London. We had a chat and they went off for dinner; it was great to be able to finally chat with someone who understands us and has things in common (including our sense of humour). It was then a shower and bed. Great day, nighty nite xxx
17/08/2014 – Lazing by the pool
Not too much to tell you today, we got up quite late (about 8am), had breakfast and lazed by the pool for most of the day, having a cooling dip and a swim when we got too hot. We actually chose to stay in the shade for the most part, it was very hot and we didn’t want to burn, we just wanted to relax. We read our books and did our puzzles. Some of the locals came with their young children which got a bit annoying, not because of the kids but because the parents didn’t watch them properly and would shout and laugh when they nearly jumped in the water and sea (obviously too young to swim). The pool area got busy early in the day but later became quiet. I had a little chat with a girl who lives in London but is originally from Germany, then a little later a couple who had just arrived at the hotel who were also from Germany but spoke excellent English (and had a great sense of humour). A little later the English couple arrived and we had a few great conversations with them. A great relaxing, sociable day!
In the evening we made the effort and went into town to a restaurant called the ‘Little Italy’ which strangely enough was an Italian restaurant! We had to climb loads of very high, steep steps to get to it and then we had to climb onto a very high 2 seater seat which was by a large table that seated about 16 people in total. Once we had managed to climb up we looked up and saw the Belgium couple we had been on the trip with yesterday opposite us; they were as surprised to see us! Then we were joined by two men who were sat at the end of the table; we also got chatting to them and found out they were from a catamaran that they were sailing to South Africa. The food was delicious, we started with a cheese board with 4 different cheeses and accompaniments, then I had spaghetti with pork cheek and cream sauce, Dave had prawn ravioli; Dave finished with a tiramisu which was to die for (well, I had to taste it!). A couple of beers and we were more than satisfied. We then went next door to the ‘Sky bar’ in which we had to climb even more high steep steps – you would think that the people who live here were giants, not tiny short people! The Sky bar was a small bar on a roof top terrace that had large padded seating around and overlooked the harbour area, a beautiful place to sit and relax. We had a drink then got the hotel car back. Another great relaxing day. Nighty nite xxx
18/08/2014 – A jaunt around Labuan Bijo town.
After dragging ourselves out of bed just in time for breakfast we thought we’d have a look in Labuan Bijo town this morning and enquire about a dive for Dave (and a snorkel for me). The car dropped us off and we got some money out of the ATM then went to a café/ restaurant for a drink and to use their wifi. The wifi at the hotel doesn’t work at all, even though they advertise it as having speedy wifi. I managed to catch up on my messages and found out that a boat travelling from Lombok to Komodo Island had sank in a storm the previous day with two people still missing. Just goes to show what I said about the boats being unsafe around here!!
After a leisurely drink we had a walk around the town, it is very basic with a dusty old road running through the centre of the street. We walked up to the harbour and close to the market, we decided not to have a look around as the smell was nearly unbearable from the outside! We saw a guy who had a large cage of chicks on the back of his scooter – not too incredible I hear you say – but these chicks were lots of different colours – red, green, pink, yellow! We asked the guy how he got them this colour and he signed that he sprays them, poor little buggers!
We carried on through the town and came across a dive centre that had been recommended to us; it was run by a Belgium family and only opened in June. We spoke to the woman and Dave explained that he got panicky when he initially goes under the sea but after coming back up and then diving again he is fine. She totally understood this and reassured him the diver with him would go back to the surface and talk him through it. We were happy that it would be safe and a good company so we booked for the following day to go on a 3 dive trip. Dave tried on a wet suit and boots for fitting – the boots were the biggest they had and had never been worn by anyone before as nobody had such big feet – Dave would be christening them! Because they were a new company they didn’t have the facilities to take a credit card so we gave them most of our money as a deposit. We then went back to the ATM but it had run out of money! We just had enough to get another drink at the restaurant while we waited for the car to pick us up. We must have just missed the car because after we waited for over half an hour in the midday sun we phoned them back – they said they had been for us but we weren’t there – they then came back for us.
We spent a couple of hours chilling out by the pool, I chatted to another woman from England who was with her son from Hong Kong (Caroline and James). We then got changed and went out for dinner, returning to the restaurant we had our drinks in earlier – the Mediterranean; another tasty meal, and we were sat next to Caroline and James! We shared the car back to the hotel with them and settled down for an early night. Nighty nite xxx
19/08/2014 – Diving and snorkelling in Komodo National Park
Another early morning, up at 6am and a veggie quiche for breakfast that we had bought yesterday. We then got the hotel car to the town to meet the group in the dive shop. After everybody had arrived we walked down to the harbour and got on the boat; fortunately this was a proper big boat that looked much safer than the previous one we had been on; though there was no mention of life-jackets and we didn’t see any. We boarded the boat and went up to the top deck where we were given instructions (well, the divers did, I was the only snorkeller). We were provided with donuts and bananas for breakfast with unlimited tea, coffee and water throughout the day.
We set off across the beautiful blue sea, the colour of the sea was amazing, a fantastic blue, not turquoise as most seas seem to be, and so clear that you could see the coral below as we sailed over it. We passed fantastic islands, some inhabited, most of them not, large, small and tiny ones, most with white beaches or mangroves around them, many with coral reefs surrounding them – paradise indeed!! I sat on the sun lounge watching this incredible world go by while Dave was having his briefs about the dives and safety.
After just over an hour we came towards the first dive site, Sebayur Kecil, and Dave went and got ready for his dive; I was pretty much left on my own and once the divers had gone into the water I was able to get in with my snorkelling gear. The site was amazing, there were lots of different coral reefs, many that wasn’t too deep so I could see the life below. I snorkelled around the reefs, catching glimpses of the divers every now and again. Suddenly I saw an octopus, about half a meter long and black, swimming fast across the coral with 3 fish chasing it; it then suddenly changed to pure white and dashed to a rock which it clung to. One of the bigger fish chasing it tried to attack it, the octopus then changed a motley colour to camouflage itself perfectly with the rock it was clung to; you would never have known it was there if you hadn’t seen it; but the trick worked and the fish left it alone. A little further along I saw a ray (I was told later it was an eagle ray and I was lucky to have seen it) which had dazzling blue spots on its back. I suddenly realised that I was swimming in the middle of thousands of microscopic fish, there were some tiny ones I’d seen earlier but these were about half the size again, it looked as if they had just hatched – fantastic! I saw many other wonderful tropical fish and coral and before long it was time to get back onto the boat.
Dave arrived shortly after me and had a good dive, he hadn’t panicked when he initially got in either which was great as he usually does. The dive masters were fantastic and made him feel safe and secure; he told me they were the best ones he has ever had, both safety wise and confidence wise – we had made a good choice in the diving company we had picked. Back on board the divers had their debrief and I continued to watch the scenery pass me by while I was sat in the sun. Now, I have to admit I felt a little sad at this time, simply because I wanted to go diving and can’t; I have to admit I feel very jealous of the divers, but I can’t go diving so I have to get over it!
We continued onto the next site, Makassar Reef, which is off the Komodo Island, and Dave once again went to get ready for his dive; he was panicking this time as there was a drift current which he had never dived in before, but he went ahead and did it. One of the dive masters, a girl from Sydney, talked me through the site and told me what to do for the best snorkel and to keep safe – she is the first person to have ever taken an interest in snorkellers which was fantastic. I jumped into the sea after the divers had left and was immediately taken by the drift current – this was steady so all I had to do was watch the life below me, make sure the island was on my right and enjoy it – I didn’t have to do any work!
This site wasn’t as interesting as the first, the big draw here is that it is where Manta Rays are seen, but the sea bed is made up of volcanic rock with only a few small coral reefs here and there. I was told that there was a coral garden at the end of the drift but I didn’t find it, shame really as the divers said it was great. I didn’t get to see any Manta Rays either, but only about half of the divers did get to see only one – they must have gone out to feed that day. I did see something that looked like a giant fluffy spider on the sea bed but it could have been anything; it was quite deep and the drift took me past it before I could look at it properly. Back on board the divers arrived back; Dave had seen a Mata Ray and a turtle, and he hadn’t panicked when he got in the water – result!!
Once back on the boat we had our lunch – a veggie soup with rice, sausage and salad. The divers then had their debrief and was briefed about the next site which we very close to. This was called Batu Bolong which means ‘rock hole’. As the name suggests it is a rock with a hole in it (on the surface) and it is surrounded by a wall of coral that gently slopes down to the sea bed. The girl from Sydney again told me about the site, she was brilliant (and I made sure I told her and the owner of the dive club). After the divers had gone I jumped in, another girl following me this time (her ears hurt and she didn’t want to dive) and made my way to the reef. It was beautiful with so many fish – I was literally swimming through them! There was a strong current coming in about half way around the rock so we had to stay on the calm side of the rock. I could see the divers below, sometimes mistaking them for a rare colourful fish! The first time I surfaced the other girl asked if I had seen the shark, I swam fast to where she was but unfortunately had missed it. The sharks here are mainly white tipped reef sharks, sometimes there are black tipped one too, and are completely harmless (we have swam with them in the Barrier Reef before). Again there were many fantastic fish, my favourite being the unicorn fish – this has a human looking face with a very large nose protruding from the top of its head – brilliant!!!
After snorkelling around the reef I boarded the boat and once al the divers got back on we set off back to the mainland. Dave had trouble with his ears on his way down on the last dive and now were hurting him, he couldn’t get them unblocked either. On the way back we were provided with water melon and waffles – they had certainly fed us well on this trip. Dave had his debriefs and filled in his diving book, again I was left out. We then chatted to a couple from Spain, she is a doctor but is finding it difficult to find work (the recession is still hitting Spain) and he is an architect. We told them about our trip which got them thinking but their travel dreams – whoops, we’ve done it again, that amount of people we talk to about our trip and they start to think about doing something similar!
We arrived back at the harbour and went back to the office to pay; it was chaos with so many people there; we chatted to a few people and finally got to pay. I’ve got to say that this company (Mata Rhei) was great, the only negative things being: 1. They never once asked Dave for his diving certificate (anyone could have gone diving without any training), 2. No life jackets as I mentioned before, and 3. One of the owners daughter who was on the boat with us was a miserable sod, she didn’t talk to anyone unless she had to and spent most of the trip sunbathing on the deck, not a good promotion for the company. Otherwise they were excellent, as I have said before Dave felt they went the extra mile to make him feel relaxed and safe, the briefs and debriefs were in depth and not rushed, with each individual diver given feedback. And I can’t say enough about the little Sydney girl who gave me so much information for snorkelling, fantastic!
We went to the ‘Made in Italy’ restaurant for dinner which again was good; Caroline and James followed us in again! The phones were out in the restaurant so we went to the bar next door for a drink and asked them to phone our hotel for a ride back, but their phones were out too. So, we went down the steps to look for a taxi but as we got to the bottom a young man asked us if we needed a ride, once Dave said yes he ran down the road to his friend who gave a shout of glee and we jumped on the back of their bikes! Now, it was quite reckless of us as they had helmets but didn’t provide us with one, and they were only kids looking for a quick dollar so not really safety conscious; but we desperately wanted to get back to our hotel. Going through the main road of the town (there’s only one road) two backpackers with huge backpacks crossed the road in front of us; they took up the whole of the road leaving us nowhere to go; the lad on the bike sounded his horn continuously but they ignored us completely and carried on! We only just stopped in time – stupid tourists!!!! We carried on along the road; I was a little but scared for my life on a couple more occasions but we arrived at the hotel safely. After giving them $2 each (they were very happy with this) we got back to our room, had a cuppa and went to bed. A great day. Nighty nite xxx
20/08/2014 – Another relaxing day
Dave woke up dizzy, the dive and his ears must have affected his middle ear and his balance. We went for breakfast then back to the room to chill out. Dave sorted through his luggage but kept going dizzy every time he bent down. We pretty much spent our day in the room sorting out photos and packing for the following day. We showered and got dressed and went into town for dinner; we’d had enough of Italian restaurants and went to ‘The Lounge” for dinner – this is a local restaurant/ bar and we had enjoyed the atmosphere here when we had been for drinks. I ordered home-made fish and chips with peas, Dave got the calamari fritti. My goodness, it was delicious, just like I make at home, but the peas were spicy (think they had some wasabi in them; tasted great). There was plenty of it too, we couldn’t eat any more afterwards (even with tiramisu on the menu!
We got the car back to the hotel, this time with 4 other guests; one couple told us that a diver died today in the national park, a 20yr old girl, they didn’t know the details but it was very sad (and shows how dangerous diving can be). Back to our room and bed, we move on tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
21/08/2014 – back to Bali
We got up, had breakfast and packed the last of our things; I swear our backpacks get smaller each time we pack! Then it was off to the airport, our flight was 08.50am and we planned it so we would be there over an hour earlier to check in. When we arrived at the airport we checked in, paid our excess baggage (low allowances on the small planes) and looked at our boarding card – it said 11.20am! When we enquired we were told the plane had been delayed – we could have stayed at the hotel in comfort if we knew! There was nothing at the airport apart from toilets and a glass display case selling crisps, biscuits and bananas – I chose to have a banana. Then we settled on the hard metal chairs to wait for our plane.
Lots of other people came in to the airport at around 11am for their flight on another airline carrier (there’s only three to Labuan Bajo); we thought we would be away before their flight was ready, but no, they checked in, their plane arrived, they boarded and off they went! Our plane eventually arrived just as they were boarding. We finally managed to get into the air at about 12.15pm.
Once at the airport in Densapar we were lucky that our luggage was one of the first out. There had been a couple (I think they were French) who had to be first at everything – on the plane, off the plane, off the transfer bus) and for some inexplicable reason they annoyed me and I wanted us to get our luggage and beat them out of the airport! They got their luggage at the same time as us but as they were leaving they were stopped to have their luggage checked against their receipts – we got into the taxi line 3 ahead of them – sweet (but sad I know!).
We arrived at the hotel – the Fourteen Roses – and were asked to wait while they ‘prepared’ our room. This consisted of going into the room with two big cans of insect spray and spraying the shit out of it! We weren’t very happy with our room, it was very basic and falling apart, there was no complimentary water or coffee making facilities, and we were choking on the insect spray. I immediately sent a message to Simone to see if I could skype, it was Mya’s 6th birthday today and I wanted to wish her a happy birthday; unfortunately Mya was fast asleep and the internet connection was probably too slow for skype – one of the downfalls of travelling. We left to go and get a small bite to eat and a coffee. As we walked along the sea front I realised that I had a big dislike for it; I wasn’t happy to be back, even for one night (we had to stay one night for the plane out of there). We had a snack, bought pies for breakfast the next morning, had a coffee and went back to the hotel. On the way back the dislike for this place was reinforced by a group of guys in just shorts and beer bottles in their hands jumping out in front of a horse and cart and doing a stupid dance – fucking idiots!!!!
Once back at the hotel I went to the loo to discover it wouldn’t flush so we informed the desk and they said they would send someone to fix it. We waited for nearly an hour then decided we would go for dinner. We went to ‘Mozzarella’ , a restaurant we had been to twice before and thoroughly enjoyed (but this time we went to their sister restaurant in a hotel) and had steak and surf n turf – delicious. When we returned to the hotel the toilet still hadn’t been fixed and there was no hot water for a shower. Dave went down to reception and told them our room was a load of shit (a couple in the restaurant were pissing themselves) and that the toilet hadn’t been fixed and there was no hot water. After some discussion they changed our room. It wasn’t much better but the toilet worked and we had hot water (they also supplied us with hot water to drink but no coffee/ tea or even mugs). I had a shower and went to bed, it was going to be an early start to the day tomorrow. Night nite. Xxx
22/08/2014 – Flying to Yogyakarta
Didn’t sleep too well last night, awake on and off for most of it. Fully awake at 5.15am but had to be up at 5.45am so not too bad. We got up and had a pie/ sausage roll for breakfast, swilled down with orange juice. The it was off to the airport for our flight to Yogyrkarta in Java. On the way the taxi driver bumped into a scooter rider from behind, it wasn’t hard and it looked as if no damage had been done, but the driver was more concerned about getting past him than stopping to see if he was ok (he actually looked really angry!). We managed to get to the airport in one piece and checked in – this was very quick compared to the smaller airlines the previous two flights (we flew with Air Aisa). No delays this time and we were in Yogyarkarta before we knew it. We got a taxi to the hotel but because it was only 9am our room wasn’t ready. We grabbed a map and set off to find the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta, or the Kraton as it’s also known. When we got outside we had a few men with becaks (cyclo’s) approach us; we got one with the rider calling himself Bruno and set off. Brunos English wasn’t brilliant but he was able to keep asking us if we wanted to go to the sovereign shop after the palace, or a tour around the market and other places! We agreed he could wait and take us back to the hotel when we had finished at the palace.
At the palace we paid our entrance fee (about $2.50 for the two of us) and stopped to watch a guy pray in a tiled floored covered platform that had lots of traditional musical instruments stored behind him (I’m very bad at describing this). We then carried on through to the main area of the palace where there were many impressive buildings. There were lots of palace staff around, mostly men, dressed in their traditional outfits and with knives tucked into their belts at the back. After looking at some of the buildings we came to a gate that looked as if it was an exit, but when we looked a guy came to us and said he was a staff member and that the palace grounds stretched for a total of a square mile. The area beyond the gate was where the palace staff lived and where they made traditional crafts. He took us to the area where they make the traditional shadow puppets (Wayang Kulit) and left us with a guy making a puppet and another guy who explained all about them. The puppets are made from buffalo leather and intricate details are chiselled into it. All these patterns represent something -the four elements, emotions, the heart and knowledge; the shape of the puppet is also very important, it doesn’t represent a person, but instead melds human with nature (for example – the large looking ‘bottom’ is in fact the earth and the shape at the top of the back represents a bird). As well as the shape of the puppet and the patterns, the colours are also very important; these represent emotions and intellect just like the colour of a person’s aura. As well as the Wayang Kulits they were wooden puppets and masks, all decorated beautifully and again with meanings behind the decorations and colours. It was all very fascinating and I could have spent all day there listening to the details about them. Hopefully we can see a puppet show before we leave Yogyakarta.
After the puppets we went into a batik shop; the mother was sat outside making these batik (batik is a piece of art that is made through a series of delicate processes involving wax and colour). These were beautiful and took a long time to make. Of course the guy tried to sell us one but we explained we were travelling and didn’t have an house to put one! From there we were shown a ‘civet’, a type of wild cat that is used to make expensive coffee, just like the coffee in Vietnam with the weasels. The poor cat was kept in a small cage and the coffee was $13 so we passed! It was then back to the palace to continue looking round the buildings and memorabilia.
After looking around for a couple of hours we returned to the hotel, courtesy of Bruno, where our room was ready for us. It was very basic but has everything we need, and its clean. I felt really tired and had a sleep for a couple of hours; Dave had to wake me. We then went out for dinner at a local restaurant which was decorated with some great posters and photographs. The waiter was very knowledgeable about New Zealand and said he enjoys knowing about countries and studies at university. The meal was delicious, even though it was spicy; I had a vegetable with rice and fried egg, Dave had a chicken with rice dish – I think lots of chilli was in them both!
After dinner we were very naughty and went into a bakery we spotted, buying apple pies and chocolate pies, we then went back to our room and while I took a shower Dave took our laundry to be washed. We booked a trip for tomorrow – we have to be up at 3.15am to be ready for 3.45am; I may regret having that sleep this afternoon. Nighty nite xxx
23/08/2014 – Temples
After not sleeping very well last night we had an extremely early morning, up at 3.15am, dressed and down to the reception for our transport to arrive. We were supposed to get an early morning wake up but it didn’t happen, we also ordered a breakfast box but when we got to reception we couldn’t find anyone. Just as our car arrived one of the staff came out with our brekkie boxes and off we set. It was an 8 seater car, there was a lass already in the front sea and we were put in the very back – good call as we picked up another couple (a miserable French couple) who sat in the middle row, then a single girl (from Japan) who squashed up next to the couple – so we had the back to ourselves!
The driver was mental! He went at hair-raising speeds and nearly ran into other vehicles numerous times – I made sure I had my seat belt on and that Dave put his on too. We headed for Punthuk Setumbu Hills just outside of Borobudur and arrived there with dozens of other tourists in their vehicles. We parked about half way up the hill, paid our entrance fee and trekked the rest of the way to the top (about 400metres high) in the dark. We were beaten by many of the other tourists who had taken the best spots to see the sunrise coming up over the valley and the Borobudur Temple but we managed to find a reasonable spot with just a tropical jungle tree blocking part of the valley view.
It started to get light and birds were starting to sing and fly around for their breakfast. The valley was covered in an eerie mist with hills peeking through; we could also see the top of the temple in the background just above the mist. After waiting what seemed like hours (but was probably only about 40 minutes) we saw the corner of the sun in the sky – it mustn’t have been clear enough for us to see it come over the horizon, instead it was teasing us through the mist and cloud – it was a fantastic red and rose quite suddenly, appearing fully after a few minutes then hiding again behind more cloud. The valley looked mystical, especially with the temple rising above the mist.
We all set off back down to the car where I sat and ate my breakfast – well, I had been up for about 4 hours and not eaten! The French couple looked at me in jealousy, I guessed that they had ordered breakfast with their trip and thought they had been forgotten! We set off to go to Borobudur Temple which only took a shot time to get there and parked up. The others in the group went to have their breakfast at one of the ‘café’ stalls outside of the temple while our guide took us to get our tickets. We were given a free coffee and off we went to explore the temple.
This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java. It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 m2. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s.
The temple was fairly quiet as it was still very early and we first of all explored the base; Dave sent me up to the next floor to get some photos of my head on an headless Buddha then he did the same! There were some beautiful, intricate carvings in the stone work which told a story and Buddha’s set in alcoves all around the tiers. We worked our way to the top where there are stupas containing a statue of Buddha inside – there were three of the stupas only built half way up revealing the statue inside. The early morning light made the colouring of the temple amazing and we took lots of photos – so many in fact that our battery ran out and – horror – we hadn’t brought our spare! We have two batteries for our new camera and our old camera with six batteries and we hadn’t brought any of them! Luckily I had brought my phone so would have to make do with that.
On our way back to the car park we were accosted by many of the locals for photographs. At one point there were dozens of teenagers asking us for photos – it took us about 15 minutes to get free – it was like being a famous pop star! We must have our phot plastered around hundreds of Asian homes by now.
We set off from the temple with a change of 2 people – we swapped the two single ladies for a young German couple, they seemed friendly enough but didn’t get much of a response from the French couple when they got into the car so stayed quiet. We set off to go to Prambanan Temple at neck-breaking speeds again, over-taking bikes, cars and wagons on stretches of road and corners! We arrived after about an hour and a quarter, my nerves frayed and hair gray!
Built in the 10th century, Prambanan is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Rising above the centre of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.
As we walked through the entrance we were approached by two girls who asked if they could give us a guided tour for free – of course we said yes! The girls were studying tourism and wanted to practice both their guide skills as well as practice and improve on their English; I have to say that their English was probably better than ours! They took us around the temples and explained the history and relevance of the temples and carvings; they explained that there were originally 240 temples in the complex but due to earthquakes (the latest in 2010) many of these were destroyed – there are 6 main temples, the largest being the temple to Shiva, the next two large ones to the Gods Vishnu and Brahma and with 3 smaller temples in front of them as ‘vehicles’ of the gods represented. There were also 2 smaller ones in the complex with many small ruins around.
The girls were very knowledgeable and gave us a fantastic tour which lasted about an hour; we had our photos taken with them, said our thanks and went to take more photos (not as good with the hone). Again we were stopped by many people to have our photos taken with them – we should have charged a small fee – we would have been rich by now!
After the tour of the temple complex we headed back to our hotel dropping the others on the way. Once we were back in our room I had a sleep as I felt exhausted; Dave woke me after nearly two hours – I think I would have carried on sleeping all night if he left me! We went for dinner then back to the hotel (we’re such party animals!); after sorting out the photos and playing Angry Birds I took a sleeping tablet to make sure I got a good night’s sleep – something I haven’t had for a while now. A great day, nighty nite xxx
24/08/2014 – Trick Eye Museum
Great night’s sleep – yah!!! Chilled in bed for a while in the morning, something we don’t do enough of even when travelling then went for breakfast. We relaxed a while more (lazy Sunday) then went for a walk along the road around the corner from us; this is a tourist area with cafes/ restaurants/ tourist information and a beautiful antique/ collectors shop that we went in (Moesson Antik). It was like an Aladdin’s Cave full of old puppets, furniture, masks, telephones, lights, typewriters, clocks – just about everything! It could have been turned into a museum; I would have happily paid to look. We spent easily ½ hour in there, I would have spent much longer but Dave got fed up and stood outside and the staff started eying me up suspiciously as if I was casing the joint for a future heist (mmmm, tempting!).
After looking at the shop we stopped at one of the cafes for lunch, sharing a club sandwich. Dave then dragged me into the bakery to get his chocolate mousse pie so I just had to get a little cake – would be rude not to! We went back to the hotel then after looking at what we could do decided we would go to the 3d De Mata Trick Eye Museum in XT Square. We got a taxi to the square and found it quickly and aid our entrance fee (about $7 for the both of us). As soon as we walked in there was a couple of chairs which we could take photos in – making us look as if we had no legs or a pair of women’s legs. We then went into the main area where there were lots of rooms with special effect pictures on the walls (and sometimes part of the floor as well) so that when you stood in a certain area and took a photo it would look, well, funny or bizarre. There were lots of these and we spent over 3 hours going around and having so much fun. Some of the photos had to be taken standing in certain poses; it was like a workout at the gym, especially as Dave takes forever to take a pic and I had to stay stretching my muscles!
We were the only ‘tourists’ in this place and the locals were amused at our antics (for anyone who knows Dave you’ll know why!). Towards the end we had a group of young women asking us for a photo with them (I think it was more with Dave as they pushed me out to the side) which led to more groups of people asking; my ears were hurting with too much smiling and we actually walked very fast when we saw another group coming towards us!
Once we had finished we had a drink of coffee and went out to the road to look for a taxi; we had to walk a considerable distance before we found one (we wasn’t bothered about the distance as it wasn’t too far, we didn’t want to get lost, especially in the heat). We got back to the hotel, showered and changed and went for dinner, choosing to go to the restaurant we went to the first night as it was tasty and cheap. Then it was home to bed, another early morning tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
25/08/2014 – Mount Merapi, very sad news and shadow puppets
We were up early today as we had booked a tour to go to Mount Merapi. Initially I had wanted to climb it which involved climbing during the night to be at the top for sunrise and then climbing back down (a total of 7 hours climbing) but when the brochures said ‘arduous’, ‘extreme’ and ‘very difficult’ I decided I probably couldn’t do that and went for the easier option. So, we were picked up by a car at 8am and set off to the mountain; we were the only people on the tour which was great. We arrived at the volcano after about an hour and a half, this time our driver was sensible and didn’t race to get there!
We were very lucky in that it was a clear day with no clouds; many people have commented on how disappointing it was to get there and the volcano would be hidden by cloud, but we had a fantastic view of it. Mount Merapi is an active stratovolcano (my favourite type – the cone shaped) and literally means ‘fire mountain’. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548, the last time being in 2010 and erupted with such force that it changed the shape of the volcano. It also erupted in 2006, shortly before the large earthquake that hit Yogyakarta (they didn’t have much luck that year!).
Once we arrived we were taken on a jeep tour, this involved being in the back of an open jeep with face masks given to us to protect us from the dust. The driver didn’t speak great English but enough to tell us about some of the history. The villages that lay below the mountain were all destroyed by the last eruption and 353people died as they would not leave their homes (they were afraid others would steal their belongings and livestock). We bounced along the tracks, passing stone quarries which were busy with workers and past a large, deep ‘lava river’, a large gorge running from the mountain made by the lava flow. I have to say, my boobies were tender and with all the rocking, rolling and bouncing I had one hand alternating between holding the roll bar to stop me falling out and trying to take photos, and my other hand holding my poor babies close to my chest – it was agony!
We came to a stop by the ‘museum’, this was a half destroyed house with items in that had been recovered from the eruption – at the entrance there were two full skeletons of cows (I think, could have been horses?) along with parts of other animal and bird skeletons. Inside were items such as tools, household items including a bunch of cassette tapes and DVDs melted together, a large stereo, TV and computer, all mostly melted, crockery which amazingly didn’t show much damage, clothing, pots, and outside a motorbike and pusbike. There were photos on the wall of the eruption, 3 of which showed a ’face’ in the smoke clouds (though you can make faces in a lot of things with imagination).
We carried on and made some stops to take photos of the volcano, smoke could be seen to be rising from one side but this was normal. We stopped at a bunker which had been built for eruptions and still laid intact. We past by deserted, damaged villages and then stopped at a large rock that had been blasted down from the volcano; again they reckoned they could see a face on it but both myself and Dave thought it looked like Donald Duck then realised they weren’t even pointing to that place! If you put your head to one side and jumped up and down five times I suppose you could have seen a chin and a nose in the corner! We then continued along the track until we got back to the base.
Our car driver suggested we go to the museum which we said we would like to, however, just before he got there he realised it wasn’t open on Mondays. We stopped and looked at it anyway, it looked an impressive, modern building with the volcano behind it.
On the way back to our hotel our driver didn’t stop talking, he wanted to practice his English (which wasn’t too good) and went on and on – again, as it has happened so many times around Asia, he wouldn’t listen to what we had to say. He did get a bit animated when I asked him what religion he was – he pointed out that he was Islamic as are 90 % of the population in Java, but not like the ones in Israel; he made this point many times and said the Islamic population here are peaceful and accept anybody with different religious views. Phew, wished I hadn’t asked, I was only trying to make conversation! I was in the position where he could see me in the mirror so I had to look interested all the time – Dave was sat looking out of the window occasionally grunting “great’, ‘wow’, ‘amazing’ – he sounded so condescending! When we finally got back to our hotel I felt exhausted!
Back in our room I checked my messages on Facebook and had a message from a work colleague informing me that a beautiful woman who had been team leader at the dementia unit had suddenly dies in hospital. This news completely shocked me and it took a while for it to sink in properly – I had only been chatting to her on the internet a few days before and she was fine. Once it sank in the tears started and they wouldn’t stop – it was such devastating news and a very sad loss for so many people, she had helped so many (including me) and touched many people’s lives. RIP Betty xxx Dave was really good and comforted me. It put a stop to us going out in the afternoon though, and we had room service for lunch.
I finally managed to stop crying enough to look half respectable for dinner and after a shower we went for a meal and a beer. I had to ask Dave to keep distracting me as I could feel the tears starting again – I’m such a big softy! After our meal we went to the Sonobudoyo Museum on a becak (cyclo) for the shadow puppet show (Wayang Kulit). We had heard so much about this and after seeing the puppets being made we were eager to see them in action.
After arriving at the museum and paying our entrance fee we walked into a big hall where there was local people with traditional instruments and a large white screen with puppets at the side. All this was in the middle of the hall so that we could walk around and see both the shadow puppets as they should be on the screen and also how the puppets are manipulated and the ‘orchestra’ playing their instruments. We first of all sat to see the puppet show from the screen – the play started (traditionally the shows would be 8 – 10 hours long but they are broke down into ‘episodes’ for the tourists – we were seeing the scene based on Romeo and Juliet – so we were told). Two puppets came up on the screen – you could see the details that we saw the other day, then another four puppets came up, all standing so close to each other it was difficult to make out individual ones, they all melted into each other. Then a voice started speaking but it was in Indonesian (which we expected) so couldn’t understand but guessed it was explaining the story. Then the voice appeared to be taking on the roles of the puppets but the only movements of the puppets was an occasional lifting of a hand; then came a banging noise after each sentence but still no movement fro the puppets. After about 15 minutes of this I went to look behind the screen to see what was happening – there was one guy who was manipulating (very occasionally) the puppets, doing the narrating and voices of the puppets and making the banging noise with what looked like a stone against wood. The musicians were all sat around gossiping and eating together! They did eventually make some more music but after sitting for half an hour and nothing else happening we had had enough and left. We still had our packing to do and had a very early morning so didn’t want to waste any more time.
Our becak rider looked as us knowingly and grinned when we came out – I think he knew how boring it actually is! We think he understood English well and had a sense of humour because when we made a joke about something he would laugh and have a twinkle in his eye – great guy! We got back, packed and went to bed – up at 4am tomorrow to go to the airport. Oh, and I got nominated for the Ice Challenge – cheers Sarah Clark! Nighty nite xxx
Summary of Indonesia
I should do this with all the countries really, it’s good t summarise the country so that those intending to visit has some idea (though remember they are my personal views, could be completely different for others).
So, first – Bali – I’m sure you all know my feelings on this place already! It’s shit!! Ok, so we only really went to Legion and Kuta Beach (with the exception of Blue Point Bay which was beautiful, but not a swimming beach). The pictures and description of this place should be prosecuted under the Trade Description Act, we saw nearly empty beaches with calm sea with descriptions on a place to relax and re-energise. The truth is that it is loud, busy and very tacky with street after street filled with bars and tacky cheap tourist items. There are three types of people come here – 1. Surfers, the beaches are definitely surfing beaches with the big rolling waves. These made it dangerous to swim in most days and when we did go in we had to be very careful we didn’t get knocked off our feet and dragged under. 2. Retired couples from Australia, these people sat by the pool all day then went out in the evening for a meal and a drink. 3. The worse ones – loud obnoxious Australians whose only goal was to drink as much as they could from breakfast time – they were walking the streets with beers in their hands, being very rude to the locals and kept everyone awake all night with their shouting and fighting! The only time they didn’t drink was when they were buying the cheap tacky items from the shops! This is the only place on our travels so far that I have truly disliked and I will not be back.
Flores – a beautiful idyllic region with paradise islands and dreamy coral reefs. Labuan Bajo is a little town that most people use as a base to sight-see or dive. It’s very new to tourism so still quite ‘real’ but I thik that will change in the near future with the opening of the new airport making access easier. Because the area is relatively new to tourism it can sometimes be disorganised and not very safe (there’s no health and safety here. You have to be careful who you book your tours with as they can be cancelled at the last minute or you can have a dodgy boat/ car/ bike. It might be charming to sail off in a small wooden boat with deck chairs to sit on but when that baby comes apart in a storm there’s no life-jackets or other safety gear (yes, we did take one of these boats, luckily we survived but another larger tourist boat sank the day after in the area). This is the place to relax at – beautiful blue seas and islands surrounded by reefs and mangroves. The diving and snorkelling is excellent but again, be careful who you book with, we saw small boats crammed full of people, very unsafe (and I’m sure uncomfortable) and there have been many divers drown over the years in this region. This is the only place to see Komodo Dragons – they live on 2 of the islands in the Komodo National Park, Komodo Island and Rinca Island; you have a better chance of seeing them at Rinca. I loved Flores and would definitely return.
Yogyakarta – A large city on the Island of Java. Again, many people use this as a base to sightsee the surrounding area though there is much to see in the city itself. We underestimated Java and realised how much there is to do here. Yogyakarta is full of culture and history; it’s not a particularly modern city but it does have character, and the street art is fantastic. The people are friendly without being pushy and they love westerners – be aware you will be swamped with requests for photographs! The temples are worth a trip out to see, the volcano was also great to see but we were lucky and had a clear day, often it is covered in cloud; if you have the energy it could be worth the climb during the night to be on the top for sunrise – but it’s a strenuous climb and only for the fit (which is why I decided against it).
There’s so much to do in the rest of Indonesia, unfortunately we didn’t have time – our visa was only for a month and we wasted a large chunk of it in Bali – damn you again Bali! If we knew what we do now we would have got a tourist visa before arriving which gives you 2 months instead of the one month with the visa on arrival, and visited many more places, completely missing out on Bali. To be fair though, we came across people who enjoyed the north of Bali. Jakarta doesn’t appear too great a place – we were advised a few times not to bother going there, the traffic being a big problem and not very much to see apart from chaos.
Food – great! Obviously Bali had Indonesian food but also food from every other country. Labuan Bajo – lots of local food but most tourists tended to eat at the 2 Italian restaurants – us included on 3 of the night we stayed there. Yogyakarta – we ate traditional Indonesian food every night and loved it.
Oh, forgot to say – take cash with you to change into their currency; the ATM’s only let you withdraw 1000000 IDR (about $100 or 50 quid) at a time. It cost us a fortune in bank fees as they charge $7.50 each time we withdraw money, whether it’s $10 or $1000. Some of the ATM’s only let you have 500000IDR ($50).
Another country on my list of places to return to one day!!
26-08-2014 – Singapore
We had another very early morning, this time we had to be up at 4am, though I was already up and awake – I didn’t sleep well again last night, bloody menopause! We got dressed and finished the rest of our packing and got a taxi to the airport with our breakfast box we had ordered. The roads were relatively busy at that time and got busier at the airport.
We checked in which was quick and easy and went to sit in the lounge – but it didn’t open until 6am! So we were in a big hall at 5.20am with hundreds of other people with only 8 chairs to sit on; I sat on the floor and managed to scurry to one of the chairs later when someone moved and ate my breakfast – fried rice and fried egg! Eventually we went through to the lounge (after paying our departure tax, going through customs and security) and sat waiting for our plane.
Once the plane arrived we managed to get on pretty quick, something we don’t normally do, and couldn’t believe the size of some of the ‘carry on’ luggage people had. There were 3 people who looked as if they belonged to a religious organisation (they were wearing the same white clothing) and they each had a large suitcase that filled one of the overhead spaces – this was supposed to service 9 people! Others had 2 large bags or boxes; it amazes me, most of the stewardess’s time is spent trying to squash luggage into the cabin; it’s about time the airlines put a stop to this – they’re just too lenient and people are taking the piss and it’s getting worse. I know I sound like a moaning old woman but it really does piss me off (and being tired didn’t help); in fact the more I fly the more things do piss me off – people taking off their seat belts before the plane has even touched the tarmac – peoples phones ringing the minute the plane has touched down even though they are requested not to turn them on until they are in the terminal, and then people rushing to jump up and get their (overlarge) luggage and push to get off the plane first (and these are usually the people pushing to get on first). Life was simpler when flying was an adventure and not a matter of course!
Anyhow, we got to Singapore with no problems and after getting some money out of the ATM and buying a MTR card (for the trains) we found the train and got to the area where we were stopping. For once we found our hotel easily and didn’t get lost! The hotel let us check in early so we dumped our luggage and went out for some lunch. There’s so much choice, everywhere there’s what looks like food courts with local food. We chose to have Vietnamese cold spring rolls and a noodle soup (still one of my favourite meals). After lunch we went back for a rest; I tried to have a sleep but even though I was exhausted I couldn’t sleep. So – instead we asked the hotel staff if they could help us to do the ice challenge; I thought this would be a strange request for them but he informed us they had a few people already do it! So, after buying some ice – yes, it’s an ice challenge, (grumpy woman coming out again) most challenges I’ve seen lately have been a small amount of water without ice (and I’ve been informed they don’t donate either), but I had two packs of ice. The hotel got us a bucket Dave put in the ice (it filled it ¾ of the way) and topped it with water and we had a hotel staff member filming (he was enjoying it far too much!). The challenge took place in the pool on the rooftop, somewhere a little different, and Dave poured the ice water over me – it was bloody freezing! We had a swim afterwards then showered and changed. After putting the video on Facemuck and donating my money we went to explore Little India which wasn’t far from us.
Little India wasn’t what I expected, there were lots of beautiful buildings which had been turned into shops or restaurants; I was expecting an outdoor market type of thing (I don’t know why). We had a look around, going into a massive store called ‘Mustafa’ (he looked to have the monopoly on most things in this town) for some toiletries and coconut oil for my hair, then Dave started to feel a little unwell so we went back to the hotel.
In the evening we walked back to Little India and had an Indian meal for dinner – chicken tikka, chicken curry and naan bread and rice. We got a beer each and tucked in. The meal was delicious; it was so good to have a decent curry again. Dave started to feel bad again so we left for the hotel – he must have been bad because he left half of his beer! Once back at the hotel Dave went to bed while I caught up sorting my photos and blog. Nighty nite xxx
27/08/2014 – Dave’s sick and Gardens of the Bay
During the night I woke with Dave feeling like a hot water cylinder (he was scary hot) and dosed him up with paracetamol and water. He still wasn’t well when we woke this morning – he had a temperature and is full of cold. I went out to the supermarket and hawkers stalls to get him some breakfast (chicken & rice and a soup type dish) and supplies for the day (oranges, yogurt, juice etc.). After breakfast and making sure Dave had everything he needed I set off to the Gardens of the Bay, a famous landmark in Singapore. I went on the MTR with a plan in my head on how to get there, but of course I changed it en-route and took the wrong line (which later I found I could have taken) and had to double back on myself. I got to the Gardens and firstly took a look at the large ‘Supertree Grove’ high vertical plant displays, then walked around the Skyway which is 22 metres high around the groves. A kind retired couple took some photos of my there – it’s strange being without Dave and not having anyone to share the experience with – but I was enjoying it.
After the Supertrees I walked along the outside gardens until I came to the indoor attractions. There are 2 large ones but I decided to only look in one as I thought I could come back with Dave once he is better. I chose to go into the ‘Cloud Forest’ which has a 35 metre man-made mountain and waterfall – it also appealed that it was cooled by moisture, I was so hot outside! In the Cloud Forest you start the tour at the top level and work down. There are many orchids, one of my favourite flowers, and at this point I was glad I was alone as I took some considerable time looking at these and taking photographs. It was beautiful with many different plants and I felt very at peace with myself as I made my way down. At the bottom is the ‘secret garden’ which takes you along a small stream with various plants until you come to an auditorium showing what earth will be like in 2050 if we keep polluting it – very scary stuff!! There was so much more to the Gardens but I won’t tell all in case you go to visit. At the end my glasses broke, a small screw had made its way loose and my lens came out – I couldn’t see much close up and struggled a little. I decided I’d go back and see how Dave was and get my glasses fixed.
Dave was still sick when I arrived back; he’d been sleeping all day and was surprised it was the afternoon. He managed to get out of bed and we went for another curry – this one was even better than yesterdays – bloody scrumptious! Off back to our hotel where Dave went back to bed, still not well. Nighty nite xxx
28/08/2014 – Chinatown
Dave was feeling a little better this morning so we decided we would go to China Town. We got the MTR there (easy!) and walked through the stalls and shops. We went into one shop to look for a sew on flag (I get one from each country to sew onto my small bag pack) and when we came out it was bouncing down – where did that come from? We decided we would have a coffee and wait it out – we didn’t want to get soaked and end up sick again. Once the rain stopped we walked to the Indian Temple – we had to take our shoes off and leave them outside, and it had started to rain again! The temple was beautiful, so many colourful, intricate statues and carvings, especially on the roof tops of the buildings, and so much detail in the paintings on the ceilings. At a building at the back were Indians having a free meal, an Indian guy was stood by a table dishing out curry and rice and hey would go into the building to eat it. The guy offered some to us but I was too shy to take it (looking back I should have and mingled with the locals – doh!). It looked as if the prayers and offerings had just finished around the temple (it is a working temple) and we could see the Indian Priests? (sorry, don’t know what they are called) in their traditional outfits clearing up.
The rain had stopped again so we went out and collected our wet shoes and carried on further down the road to the ‘Buddha Tooth Relic Museum’. This is a Buddhist temple with a museum on the 3 floors above it and a garden on the rooftop. We looked around the temple with its many Buddha’s then took the lift to the top; the garden was beautiful and housed a large bell in the middle of it. We then looked at the museum, going down the levels. One part is where ‘Buddha’s Tooth’ is kept on display, it is a very peaceful large room and there were 2 people meditating on ledges at the side – I don’t know how they kept so still and quiet but would love to learn how to. There was also a Buddhist Monk who was talking and praying with a couple. Unfortunately we couldn’t take photos in this part. The floors below housed various relics of Buddha from around the world and told the story of Buddha. It was very interesting and there were some beautiful pieces; we spent a long time in here and still didn’t see everything.
We had something to eat at the Maxwell Food Centre – this is a well-known place in Singapore where there are many local food stalls selling fresh local dishes at a very cheap price. I got chicken with rice and veggies and soup, all for $5 while Dave chose to have a curried chicken and plain chicken pastry roll; we both had a fresh juice drink (very cheap). Dave was feeling washed out after all this so we went back to the hotel for him to have a rest.
Later in the afternoon just before dinner we decided we would go to see the Indian Temple in Little India – this was quite similar to the one in China Town but had much more decorative statues around the temple. This temple was dedicated to the Goddess Kali who was a vicious, ruthless Goddess with many faces and killed people horribly – I know it’s very naughty but I couldn’t help thinking how aptly named a Kali I know was named!! Again this temple was a working one and we were there for the prayers; there were worshipers walking around the temple (I think they have to walk around 3 times clock-wise), Indian priests in their costumes walking around and offering the worshipers their blessings (while putting the coloured powder on their heads) and people praying to the Goddess. It was fascinating to watch. I did realise that I need to read up on Indian traditions before I get to India!!
We had dinner at a restaurant chain in a shopping centre – not brilliant but it filled us and went back to the hotel to relax. Nighty nite xxx
29/08/2014 – Change of hotel and exploring Singapore
We changed hotels today, the one in Little India couldn’t offer us the price we booked at to extend and we found a cheaper one in China Town, so we packed up and off we went on the MTR. Once in China Town we walked for about 20 minutes looking for the hotel and then realised it was straight across the road from the MTR station! The room was great – very big with views across the area, including the houses that are preserved by the government (these houses were built after WW2 and are owned by the government so that they cannot be sold and demolished by developers, there are many of them and they are beautiful). After settling in we went for a tour of the city, specifically to find the Raffles Hotel. We got the MTR to Raffles Square which we thought would be close to the hotel but we were wrong! In that area were tall business buildings, shopping centres and different installations, a little further out was the river with old buildings alongside it and grand old buildings such as hotels, theatres and churches. We continued looking for the Raffles hotel, taking us past Parliament House and past roads that had been made ready for the upcoming F1 race next month. We came to a cathedral and having not found Raffles Hotel we turned around and went back. It was a great walk and we saw many interesting things – but no hotel; maybe if one of us had a sense of direction we would have found it!
In the evening we went to the Gardens of the Bay so Dave could see the Supertree Grove, and I could see it lit up in the dark. Before it got dark we went to the Flower Dome, the second of the indoor gardens I didn’t get to see when I visited by myself. The Flower Dome has many fascinating trees, including the strange looking Baobabs, as well as lots of different cactus and regional semitropical garden areas. Again, there were displays of orchids. Once it was dark we went to the Supertree Grove and was hoping to walk around the Skywalk, but this was closed. The Supertree Grove looked magical when it was lit up, it really is a feat of engineering. A storm was coming in so we decided to get back to the hotel before we got caught up in it. We went for dinner at the Maxwell Food Market where it bounced down as we just got there, and stopped in time for us to walk back to the hotel! Nighty nite xxx
30/08/2014 – Sick!!
Just as I thought I’d being spared from Dave’s bugs I woke up sick – aching and tired and feeling very sorry for myself. We had so much to do that I decided to get up and we would go to Sentosa – lots to do there including Universal Studios, the Trick Eye Museum and beaches. We got the MTR and changed stations to go to Bayfront but after walking towards the train I felt terrible – very weak and light-headed – so we decided to go back to the hotel. So I stayed in bed while Dave went out and explored. Dave came back and told me where he had been and what he had seen – The Parkview Square Building which he said was incredible, back to the cathedral we went to yesterday and then around the corner to the Raffles Hotel (yes, he found it!), Fort Canning Park, Clarke Quay amongst other places. I felt very frustrated, it sounded great, but I was in no state to go out. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
31/08/2014 – Sick again
So, woke up this morning and still feeling under the weather. Another day in bed while Dave goes out exploring. Dave went to the waterfront where he saw the pit lanes for the F1 race next month, then he walked to the Bayfront and the Esplanade before coming back to the hotel. Again I felt frustrated that we were in this incredible city with so much to do and see but yet I was too ill to do anything. We decided that we would stop in Singapore on our way to another country some time, maybe on our way home? It has to be inevitable that we’ll be sick on some parts of our journey, unfortunately we fell sick in a country that is expensive to stay in; if it had been somewhere cheap like Cambodia we could have extended our stay and rested before continuing our sight-seeing, but Singapore isn’t cheap.
Anyhow, once Dave got back to the hotel I decided that I wanted to see and do something, we were leaving in the morning and I had hardly seen anything. So we decided to go to the Trick Eye Museum – we had enjoyed it so much in Yogyakarta and the one in Singapore looked just as good if not better. It would also give us a chance to see Sentosa. We got the MTR to the monorail to take us to Sentosa, passing Universal Studios. Sentosa is a large tourist area with so much to do, somewhere we had planned to visit over a couple of days. We went to the Trick Eye Museum; this wasn’t as good as the one in Yogyakarta – for a start it was expensive to get in, it was smaller and all the displays were crowded in together so it was difficult to get photographs (which is the point here) and people were getting in each other’s way, the displays weren’t as effective and there wasn’t as many of them. On top of all that there were no toilets, and if you went out to use another one you couldn’t get back in without paying again! We did enjoy it to a degree though, but at the end of it I felt very tired, so we went back to our hotel, stopping for something to eat on the way, and back to bed. Nighty nite xxx
01/09/2014 – Kuala Lumpur
We were up, packed and on our way to the airport after breakfast to fly to Kuala Lumpur. I was looking forward to seeing this city after hearing so much about it and thought it would be similar to Singapore. We were going to get the train from Singapore to KL but left it too late to book, so we managed to get a cheap flight (Malaysia Airlines have lots of cheap flights at the moment). A couple of statistics – this will be our 8th country we have visited and our 50th hotel – phew!!!
After landing at the airport we got the express train to KL Sentral where we thought we would be able to get a train to close to where we were stopping, but on arriving the only option appeared to be a taxi – there wasn’t any clear information anywhere. We got a taxi to the hotel and luckily were able to get into our room early. The hotel was pretty good with views over the city, including one of the towers of the Petronas Towers (the other was hiding behind it).
We had a walk into the centre, around the Petronas Towers (it was closed and guarded), through the large shopping centre stopping Marks and Sparks for some grundies for Dave then sat by the lake where there was a water show with the fountains. We spoke to some of the locals (all friendly) then went to the supermarket for supplies. After relaxing in the afternoon we went to an Irish bar for dinner – we looked for something more local but only found a few street market stalls where there was a terrible smell and 2 squashed rats in the road, so we ended up at an Irish bar where I had steak and ale pie, yummy!!! Back to the hotel after a beer where we ordered tickets with the concierge to visit the towers, it costs more but they do the queuing for the tickets and it means we can visit tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
02/09/2014 – Petronas Towers and bird park
We got a phone call from the concierge to say the tickets had arrived and we were to be there for 9.45am. On arriving we were given coloured visitor badges and ushered through to the lift by a police woman. We arrived at the bridge that links the two towers and given a short tlk about them then given about 10-15 minutes to have a look around. We were then called back to the lift where we went up to the 84th floor, given another talk and another 15 minutes to look around. The visit was okay but not very exciting; it was similar to other high buildings we have visited but the views were nothing spectacular. I suppose it’s just something you just have to do in Kualar Lumpur! It is also very regimented and strictly guarded, something we haven’t come across before on such visits – usually you pay your money and up you go to take as long as you want (usually with a café at the top).
After our visit we caught the train to the other side of the city to see the Bird Park – it is advertised as the world’s largest free-flight walk in aviary which appealed to me as I don’t like to see any creature stuck in cages. On arrival it all seemed good, there were plenty of big birds flying and walking freely, some nesting in the trees with young ones; but after walking through here we came upon an area full of cages with birds sometimes on their own or with no trees/ bushes, or both. There were birds clinging to the cages desperately looking to get out, and other birds that didn’t have the room to fly. Also in this area were two terrapins in a plastic bowl of filthy water, struggling to get out but falling back in – we questioned this with one of the staff but he laughed and said they could get out if they wanted to! A little further on we came across an area called the ‘Feathered friends photo booth’, this consisted of an array of birds that had been tamed to sit with people for photographs – bad enough but the worse was that there were four owls on the perches – nocturnal birds forced to sit in bright sunlight and stay awake. There were a few people who had their photos taken with them – sad to see. Further along we came across an area where it looked as if there should have been a small lake, but it was nearly empty and stunk of algae and bird droppings. There was a guy cleaning it but he spent more time on his phone than doing his job! Some parts of the park were okay, but I felt very guilty for visiting and supporting this sort of park – definitely wrongly advertised.
In the evening we went to find China Town, I had google mapped it and it had given us directions including which monorail stations to go to. So – we hopped onto the monorail and went to where it said, to find ourselves in a place with no other tourists and looking a bit dodgy, but we persevered and looked for somewhere to have dinner – nothing to be found! We got back onto the monorail and eventually figured out where we should be going – the other side of the city!! Bloody Google maps – don’t ever trust them, it’s not the first time it’s told us the complete wrong direction.
We eventually got to China Town and found a local restaurant where we sat on the street and had our dinner – very tasty and cheap. Dave then reckoned he knew a faster way back and took us to a train station where we found it was not only longer but we would have to change stations – so we walked back to the original monorail putting another 40 minutes walking time on again!! My toe was very sore (did I mention I have an in-growing toe nail?) and I wasn’t feeling to well again, so I wasn’t too happy. We eventually got back to the hotel and went straight to bed. Nighty nite xxx
03/09/2014 – Sick yet again
I woke up feeling not too clever again, I think I probably over did it from being sick in Singapore and didn’t give myself chance to recover, so I stayed in bed for most of the day – and slept! I managed to get up and go for dinner – we chose to have an Indian (hoping the spices would kill off my bugs!) then back to the hotel.
I have to say I wasn’t too disappointed at missing out on more of Kuala Lumpur, I didn’t get a good feel for the place, it appeared to me to be soulless, no character, with large concrete buildings everywhere and more being built (it looked as if the old buildings had been pulled down to make way for these). I couldn’t find anything appealing about it at all – lots of shopping malls (the world is going mad for shopping – get a life!!), and shiny buildings in the centre, but otherwise there’s nothing much. I won’t be in a hurry to come back here! Nighty nite xxx
04/09/2014 – Kuching
We were on the move again today to Kuching in Sarawak, Borneo. Our flight wasn’t until 2pm so we took our time getting ready and got the monorail then the express train to the airport. Kuala Lumpur airport is relatively small with not much there to entertain you, but we found a place to get some lunch then boarded our plane.
Once we arrived in Kuching we were picked up by the hotel and taken there (Citadines). It was very hot so after dropping off our luggage we decided to have a dip in the pool, but when we got there it was pouring down! We realised we were not in the city centre and that there was no public transport either. We asked the receptionists about getting into the city tomorrow and getting a bus out to Bako National Park, but they didn’t know and instead gave us a brochure on a tour there; this would have cost us around 160 MYR each so we decided to look into how to get there ourselves. Once we had organised that we had dinner and an early night as we had to be up early in the morning. Nighty nite xxx
05/09/2014 – Bako National Park
I was very excited this morning, even though we had to be up relatively early. We got a taxi to the city centre where the bus ‘station’ is – a square with an undercover area housing hawkers stalls (food stalls – we ate here a couple of times later in the week, it was delicious and very cheap) in the middle. A guy directed us to where the bus would stop (number 1) so we stood waiting. Soon after we saw another couple waiting and guessed they must be waiting for the bus too so started talking to them. He was from South Africa, she was from the UK and they both lived in London together. We agreed to share the boat at the National Park, along with the costs (as advised on sites on the internet). The bus came along and we got on, paying our fare – very cheap at only 3.5 MYR (just over $1).
The ride on the bus took us about an hour. When we arrived we had to register and pay for a permit to get onto the National park (20 MYR each) then get a boat to the main office on the National Park (15MYR each way), they had changed the rules with the boats – we had been advised it was about 90 MYR for a boat whether it was 1 or 10 people, so we didn’t need to share with the couple on the bus (but obviously did as we were there the same time).
Once we arrived at the main office (having to paddle through the sea off the boat onto the beach) we had to fill in a form to say which tracks we were going on and then book our boat back – we chose to go on the last boat at 4.30pm. Just as we had done this a staff member told us there were monkeys around the back of the building up a tree; we went to investigate and found a Proboscis Monkey up a very tall tree although we couldn’t get a very clear view of for the branches and leaves. For those of you that don’t know, the Proboscis Monkey are the ones with the very peculiar looking noses, they use these to attract mates. They are endemic to the jungles of Borneo and will stay close to rivers, mangroves and swamps. Unfortunately, due to their natural habitat being chopped down for (mainly) palm plantations they have become an endangered species. Again, humans are destroying nature and the beautiful creatures in these environments for money, it gets me really angry!! These monkeys are fascinating to watch, and are my favourite species.
After watching this monkey for a while we decided we would go on the Teluk Paku trail as it is the most popular one for seeing the Proboscis monkeys and ends at a beach. Just as we were about to set off we saw a large Bearded Pig walking towards us just off the path – its face looked very strange with a large forehead then a very long snout with long hairs falling from the sides. We set off and before we even got to the start of the trail we saw some monkeys in a tree, but again they were too far up to get a clear view of them. We carried on, walking on a walkway above the sea level, spotting a lizard walking towards some bush, some mud skippers in the mangroves and mangrove crabs. Once in the forest we walked slowly, having to keep our eye on the ground so we didn’t fall but also looking into the trees for the monkeys. At one point we heard some rustling and saw the tree tops move, but we couldn’t see the monkeys. Eventually we did get some glimpses of them – it was so exciting to be in the wild, in their natural habitat, searching for them! We got to the beach where we sat on the rocks in the shade to cool off (it was very humid – we had already drank litres of water and was sweating profusely). We set off back towards the main centre, again catching glimpses of monkeys but nothing clear. We did see a huge army of large ants going up a tree and what looked like a tunnel through the bark – fascinating.
Back at the base we decided we would go on a short but steep track called Tanjung Sapi. Dave really struggled up this, not because of the terrain but because of the humidity – we literally had sweat dripping of our faces! Once at the top we were rewarded with fantastic views Telok Assam, the South China Sea and Santubong. There was a bench with cover over it giving us some shade, and there was a gentle breeze that cooled us down nicely. I laid down for a rest then woke up an hour later! It must have been the exercise, fresh air and especially the feeling of calm that made me sleep like I did – I felt great once I woke up. We made our way back down to the bottom, not seeing any wildlife unfortunately.
Just as we got back to the centre there were a group of Macaque Monkeys causing mischief, some old ones, some young and some with babies with them. They were climbing the large walls and playing along the tops, then the younger ones got bold and tried to get food from the café and get into cardboard boxes. Although they look cute they can become aggressive, so we stayed a safe distance to watch them before they disappeared into the forest.
We went for a drink in the café and because we got earlier than we thought we changed our return boat to the one before. As we sat drinking we saw another Bearded Pig, not quite as ugly as the first! When it was time to get the boat we started to ake our way down to the beach; suddenly a Proboscis Monkey appeared in a tree so I ran to take a look at it and managed to get a clear view. Unfortunately the guy from the boat was shouting for me to get on it so I had to leave. Then – as the boat was pulling away from the beach we could see a Proboscis Monkey sat on the beach; it was as if it was waving us off – bloody typical, we should have stayed the extra hour! In fact, if we had done our research properly we should have stayed overnight, that way we could have done some of the longer treks and seen the nocturnal nightlife, as well as have more chance to see more monkeys. Next time!
Once back at the mainland we had just missed a bus – you would have thought they would have been timed with the boats (only every hour) so we sat and waited for the next one. A local guy came around and asked if we would like to go to the city in his minibus for not much more than the bus fare would have cost, so we accepted along with 2 other couples. He was very entertaining and got us back safely.
As we were in the city we decided to have a look around and have dinner there. There was a Dragon boat regatta going on that weekend and some of the races (or practice, not sure which) were taking place on the river. The city appeared an exciting place with lots to see and do; we were a bit disappointed that we were stopping so far out and decided that after our booking with the hotel came to an end we would move into the city itself. We treat ourselves to dinner in a restaurant by the waterfront before going back to our hotel by taxi. An amazing day in which I was in my element – wildlife does it for me every time!! Nighty nite xxx
06/09/2014 – A day in the city of Kuching
We got the free shuttle from the hotel into Kuching City (it only runs at 11am and only into the city, not back again). The city was heaving with people and various markets/ stalls; we were lucky enough to be there for many different fairs – the food fair, the craft fair and the Dragon boat regatta. We walked around the city, going through Chinatown and the Old Bazaar, walking along the waterfront watching the Dragon boat races and soaking in the atmosphere and walking through the various food and craft stalls. We stopped to look in at 2 of the Chinese Temples and walked up to the Old Mosque with its old cemetery in front of it.
For lunch we decided to have some of the chicken on one of the street stalls – these were pieces of chicken that had been marinated in various sauces and put onto wooden skewers; we chose 4 different flavours and sat in the grassed area by the waterfront to eat them – 2 of them were delicious and tender, but the other 2 were full of gristle and was tough to eat (the flavours were good though) so we left them. We rinsed this down with a cool fruit flavoured drink. Still peckish we went in search of something else and found the most delicious pancakes at one of the stalls – these had coconut, chocolate and (I think) some condensed milk in them – absolutely amazing (so much so that we went back for more later!). Fortunately we didn’t know where to get them away from the food fair otherwise I would have left Kuching obesely fat!!
We continued walking along the waterfront, watching the Dragon boat teams limber up (though we spotted the Aussie team sitting around doing nothing!) then went to the Hilton hotel for a rest in their lounge and to ask them where the Orang Utan murals were (they don’t know we weren’t guests!) and decided to have a cuppa there. We used their tour operator to look for some tour information we wanted then continued around the city. We went to one of the big marquees used for the food fair for dinner, first of all starting with some Vietnamese spring rolls then choosing to have a laksa and another dish (can’t remember the name) which was delicious (and very cheap).
We were getting excited at a parade they were having in the evening, it’s the first time we’ve managed to be somewhere when there’s been celebrations going on, and went to a great spot by the Hilton (using their toilet facilities) in plenty of time. In the Hilton there were lots of young girls dressed in traditional costume that looked amazingly beautiful – so much so I asked for their picture and then got asked if I wanted one with them – talk about a thorn between roses!! We went outside and waited for the fireworks and parade but it started raining, so we went back into the Hilton and found a spot to watch from inside (they must have thought we were guests by now!). The rain came down in buckets, along with a strongish wind, but they set off the fireworks – not the same watching them through a rain streaked window! Finally the rain abated and we went back out to watch the parade, but it was short lived, as the parade was due it started raining again – we decided we would watch it outside, but as the parade started the rain got heavier – we went back into the hotel but gave up as you couldn’t really see anything in the dark and rain. Because we had got wet we decided we would go back to our hotel and call it a night; very disappointing we missed the celebrations (as I’m sure the people participating in the parade were too).
We went to another big hotel (The Pullman) for a taxi – hey, you get better service at these places! – and got back to our hotel wet and cold. After a hot shower we fell into the bed tired. Nighty nite xxx
07 & 08/09/2014 – Vertigo!!
Not sure if it’s because we got wet through last night or its just one of those things again, but I woke during the night with vertigo – I do get this quite regularly but haven’t had it for a while. So, a day in bed for me! For those who don’t know what vertigo is (it’s not a fear of heights or going dizzy at heights) it’s where the middle ear is affected causing you to go off balance (I have fallen over with this) and dizzy – not pleasant. There’s nothing you can do about it, I’ve seen specialists and physios but nothing can be done.
Dave had a relaxing day, swimming in the pool and reading. We got pizza for tea, from Pizza Hut – first time I’ve had it in years as the ones in NZ are terrible, and absolutely loved it!
Woke up the next day still with vertigo, so another quiet day for us, poor Dave!
09/09/2014 – Wetlands River Cruise
We had a lazy morning as there were other guests that had kept me awake for half the night and I felt tired. We spent some time by the pool then for the afternoon we booked a tour to the Wetlands. We were picked up and taken to the office in the city (we wanted to pay by credit card) then picked up by another mini bus with 2 other couples in it. We drove to the Santabong Boat Club jetty where we got out of the bus and waited. At first we got a bit worried, the jetties all appeared to disappear into the water and some of the boats looked a bit dangerous, especially the half sunken one! But we had no need to worry; we got onto a small, well equipped boat (life-jackets had to be worn) from a safe point on the jetty. We managed to get the seats at the front – I was very excited and wanted the best position to see the wildlife (I can be a kid at times like this). We set off and were advised that it was high tide so we probably wouldn’t see any crocodiles, but they looked for some anyway.
We headed out to the Santabong and Salak river estuaries passing vast and beautiful mangroves. We were told that Borneo would unlikely be affected by a tsunami as the mangroves stopped any tidal waves pounding into shore, and in fact were unaffected in the terrible 2005 tsunami. We passed a floating fishing village where they have only recently got electricity and running water (the government provided this as well as education for the children).
Out close to the National Park itself we started searching for Irrawaddy Dolphins, these dolphins are one of the few that can survive in fresh water and are closely related to the Orca (they look a little more whale like than dolphins. They surface every 70 – 150 seconds for air but usually only the head, sometimes the body can be seen above water. Their conservation status is classified as vulnerable as there are only about 6000 left in the wild. There were 2 other boats out looking and I managed to see one first! It poked its head out of the water and we set off in its direction, the other boats following. We managed to see about 5-6 dolphins in total, but not very much of them – mostly their heads, and on a couple of occasions we saw a tail as it dived down. I loved it – very special wildlife that I was so lucky to see (it cannot be guaranteed to see these on this trip). We would have stayed longer to see these beautiful creatures but it was starting to get dark and we had to go in search of Proboscis Monkeys!
As we sailed back towards the Mangroves the sun was starting to descent to the horizon, giving off amazing rays through the light clouds (we were being extremely lucky as there had been rain most afternoons, but it had stayed off this day). We got to the mangroves and it wasn’t too long before we found the weird but fantastic looking Proboscis Monkeys; they come down to the mangroves to feed in the evening and to nest for the night. We were quite close to them and could see them very clearly, sitting on the branches and jumping from tree to tree – I was in my element and could have sat there all night! As well as the monkeys there were White-bellied Sea Eagles flying around looking for their supper. We stayed for as long as we could watching the monkeys but the light was starting to fade so we set off for the last part of our tour – fireflies!
While we were sailing towards the mangroves with the fireflies, the team were still looking for crocodiles for us, using a great big flashlight; unfortunately we didn’t see any. Once we had got to a bunch of trees with fireflies on I was mesmerised; I had never seen fireflies before and hadn’t realised how magical they were. I can only describe them as miniature Tinkerbelles, or tiny Christmas lights on a Christmas tree. One of the team managed to get a few separate ones on his hand, passing them to us and then watching their mesmerising lights float away back to the trees. Again, I could have sat and watched them all night!
Unfortunately we had to go back and we set off with the sun completely gone but had been replaced with a bright orange Super Moon (apparently the largest of the year). It was like being in a dream floating down the river with this beautiful moon lighting up our way. I felt so relaxed and contented; again wildlife had taken me to another world.
We got back to the jetty where we were taken back to our hotel in the bus. We had our dinner and fell into bed completely satisfied. Nighty nite xxx
10/09/2014 – Move to the city and cake!
We moved hotels today (Harbour View), although we love the one we’re in it is too far out of the city, especially with no public transport, so we’ve moved to the heart of the city, right across the road from a Chinese temple. The room isn’t as nice and there’s no pool to cool down in, and the staff service is terrible, but it’s convenient.
Once we’d moved we went to the information centre then walked around the city looking for the Orang Utan murals, apparently they are difficult to find but are worth it; we did eventually find them but not until I had walked past them, then we realised there were only 2 of them (they were good though). The artist Ernest Zacharevic painted these in April 2014; Ernest has painted street art all across the globe, we saw some in Georgetown without realising he was the artist! We took some pics, had some lunch at the local hawker market (laksa, delicious and only about $2) then went for another walkabout.
We came across a hairdressers so Dave went to get his hair cut; it was a small saloon with 2 middle aged women running it, the one that appeared to be the owner did Dave’s hair giving him a side parting and not quite the short back and sides he asked for (she spiked his hair up on top). I then asked if she could trim my fringe and persuaded me to have a trim all over; although she did a good job she took a little bit more than the split ends off and proceeded to curl the ends of my hair – we both looked as if we were going out to an 80’s nightclub!!!
From here we walked to the river and caught one of the small traditional Sarawak ferry boats across to the other side. These boats are ‘driven’ by locl old guys who start an engine with a tug of a rope (they are stood on the front, the engine is at the back) then turn it off seconds later as the boat starts across the river. At the other side (it is only a short distance) they use oars to both brake and steer it to the landing platform. The fare for this is 50 Malaysian cents (about 20NZ cents) each way and is a fantastic way to get across the river (I went across a couple of days later when the river was really fast and the guy had to use his engine for most of the journey). We were sat with locals going across to their village and one young guy asked us if we’d tried the specialty cakes, we had seen them but not tried them. He said the ones in the village were far superior to the ones in the markets so we decided we would look for them later.
At the other side we made our way to the newly renovated and opened Fort Margherita which was built by Charles Brooke in 1879 to protect the city from pirates, and named after his wife. The restoration has been done very well, using original materials. Unfortunately we could only see the main building, the courtyard was not open but we could see through the slits in the windows.
From the fort we walked back into the village and found a large cake shop. These cakes are layered or patterned (some very intricately) with different colours, each colour a different flavour (my favourite being the fruit) and the layers ‘glued’ together with jam. We were able to taste a lot of the cakes which were delicious and we had a difficult choice deciding which ones to buy. We eventually chose a date and fruit cake (this wasn’t layered but contained fruit and tasted similar to Christmas cake) and a layered cake with different coloured flavoured berry flavours.
We walked through the village watching the locals sing on karaoke in an open air food market and made our way back to the ferry. We had cake and coffee for afternoon tea then after dinner went to bed – we had an early morning the day after. Nighty nite xxx
11/09/2014 – Orang Utans and cultural village
We were picked up early and taken to the Semengok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where they take care off and rehabilitate Orang Utans. While we waited for the staff to give us our talk we looked at the information on the Orang Utans, the biggest and obviously the boss being Ritchie. There were also 2 crocodiles in small cages with little murky water – not good! Once it was time for the talk we were informed that we had to be quiet and that it was probable the Orang Utans would not come to be fed as it was fruit season in the forest and there was plenty of fruit for them to eat there (we knew this beforehand).
Once we had our talk we set off down a path through the forest towards the platforms where we could see the feeding platform. There were many people (maybe 50+) and some of them wouldn’t stop talking – not even whispering but being loud and laughing – one of the other tourists told them to shut up (yah!) but once at the platform others continued to talk and make noise – why do they come to places like this? We waited for an hour, the ranger making noises for the Orang Utans to come, but they didn’t make an appearance. It was disappointing that we didn’t see them, but at the same time it was good to know they can take care of themselves in the forest independently. We did see a squirrel and a giant centipede!
We went back to the hotel, had some lunch then was picked up later to go to the Cultural Village. Known as the 'Living Museum', the Cultural Village was set up to preserve and showcase Sarawak's cultural heritage, it is also the setting for the Rainforest World Music Festival which is very popular and attracts many musicians every year.
First we walked over a natural bamboo bridge to a traditional ‘longhouse’ – these can be up to 50 rooms long in which families live in them and are connected by communal areas in which they would entertain each other. At the beginning of each longhouse would be the ‘head-house’ where traditionally the warriors would hang the decapitated heads of their enemies to dry out and shrink – the more heads these contained the more afraid their enemies would be! We were given a short dance by a lady in traditional costume with others in costume playing traditional instruments before moving on. We saw other longhouses of the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu, a Melanau tall-house and a Chinese farm house among others. We were shown how to split the rice from its husk the traditional way, how clothes were made from the bark of trees (beautifully soft), how traditional weapons were made and were given a chance to shoot a poison blow dart (minus the poison) – I managed to hit the target – yah! After a look around the village we went to the theatre where we were given a performance of traditional dances from the many ethnic groups – beautiful costumes and performance. We really enjoyed this tour but felt it was rushed and that we missed out on seeing much more – I would recommend coming independently so that you can take your time.
Great day, even though we didn’t see the Orang Utans. Nighty nite xxx
12/09/2014 – Museums, aquarium and orchid gardens.
We had booked extra days at the hotel through Agoda and went to reception to inform them – they told us we would have to change rooms as the one we were in was bigger than the one we booked. When we got to the other room we found it was the exact same size, if not a little bigger – wankers! The service at this hotel has been dire, you feel as if you are causing an inconvenience to the receptionists when you ask for something and they stand preening themselves, checking their eyeliner and hair, and that’s just the blokes (I kid you not) and then they stand giggling at the guests! Anyhow, we moved rooms then went out to see the cities museums.
The museums are advertised as one of the finest in South East Asia so we were excited to see what they had on display, however once we arrived we were bitterly disappointed. Some of the buildings (or part of buildings) were closed for renovations, but what was available to see was sometimes unbelievable. There was an area which had a few pieces of old machinery but no explanation to what they were, then there was a display case with toy plastic dinosaurs in that stated the length of them and that they were from the Jurassic period! Next were glass cases with very badly taxidermy animals in them, again with no information on them. The only interesting part of the museum was the history of the ethnic groups with traditional tools, weapons and carvings.
Next to the museum was an ‘aquarium’, this was a series of small tanks with different fish in them, quite interesting but the tanks were far too small. We had a walk around the grounds then walked back into the city for a coffee.
After our coffee we again went across the river in one of the small boats (this time a bit further down) and walked past ‘Astana’, the palace of Kuching where the Governor of Sarawak resides (we couldn’t go in) and went to the Orchid Gardens. The gardens were beautiful with many types of orchids, some specialties of Sarawak. We started in the ‘cool house’ (which was 28 degrees!) then carried on through the outside gardens. We would have spent much longer but it was so hot and humid – our clothes were wet through!
After cooling off and having a rest in the hotel we went for a drink in a cool little bar then went on for an Indian curry (yes another!), but this wasn’t very good. We could see a big thunderstorm coming towards the city so we went back to the hotel for the night. Nighty nite xxx
13/09/2014 – Mayors birthday celebrations
We went to see if the post office was open, which it wasn’t (it was Saturday), and instead noticed some big celebrations going on in a park area. When we went to investigate we found out that it was the mayors’ 78th birthday celebrations; there were groups from various organisations and groups in their uniforms or traditional dress and school children at the back wearing t-shirts with ‘78’ on them and waving enormous foam hands about. We had missed the main celebrations which was a great shame but it was fun to see all these people. When I started taking photographs of them they would pose in their groups for me and even ask us to join them for photographs with them! Then we were asked to do a short interview for the local TV station – they asked us what we liked about Sarawak – well, I had nothing but praise for them! Dave made me do the talking – wimp!!
It was really hot and humid again so we went back to the hotel and had a lazy afternoon! Nighty nite xxx
14/09/2014 – Kayaking
We were picked up early in the morning and taken to the start point for kayaking (Sungei River), stopping on the way for some photos. Initially there was only the two of us but we were met by nine other people who had gone to the Orang Utan conservation centre first. We were all in double kayaks apart from one lady who was on her own – I would have gladly let her go with Dave as he is useless at kayaking and gets me very frustrated!
We kayaked down the river, stopping at a small waterfall then at the village where the guides live for lunch – very tasty Kolo Mee, curry puffs, coconut pancakes and fruit. We then had a tour of the village where they showed us local fruits and herbs grown and what the medicinal use for the herbs were. We then set off again down the river – we didn’t see much wildlife but the views were spectacular with large limestone karsts as the background. Close to the end (11km in total) we stopped for a swim in the river. The current was very strong so we stayed close to the bank.
We really enjoyed the day and the guides took photographs throughout the journey (when we got ours we realised that the guide at the back should have been taking ours but hadn’t taken many). We had a simple dinner and went to bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
15/09/2014 – Another shot at seeing Orang Utans
We had spoken to a lass the other day (from Jamaica) who said she had been to the Orang Utan wildlife centre during the afternoon and had been lucky enough to see some. So we thought we would give it one last go – this was our last day and our last chance to see them. We had a quiet morning then went out to meet the mini bus. There was another lady on the trip with us who we got chatting to, she was from Germany and had been travelling with friends but at the moment was travelling alone. She has travelled extensively throughout her life and had some interesting stories to tell.
At the wildlife centre we had the talk from the ranger then walked to the platform. Again, there were people talking loudly and children shouting and laughing – I don’t blame the kids, they’re excited then bored, but when the parents laugh at them instead of explaining why they should be quiet it makes me very cross!! The adults who were talking loudly were mainly Asians and it was later explained to me that they think the rules don’t apply to them! Anyway, we waited at the platform for another hour but the Orang Utans didn’t arrive – disappointing again, but again pleased they were looking after themselves. We went back to the hotel here we packed ready to fly out to Penang VERY early the next morning. Nighty nite xxx
Summary of Kuching and Sarawak
Well, we LOVED Kuching and Sarawak. The city itself is great, so much to see and the people are beautiful. It still retains its old history and charm while slowly modernising parts for both its locals and for tourists, but without ruining its appeal. Sarawak is amazing for its wildlife with beautiful National parks and conservation centres, with wildlife endemic to the area (which we were lucky to see most). There’s lots of accommodation to choose from for every budget, the food is delicious with so much choice – probably the best in Asia and there is so much to see and do, either by pre-arranged tours or independently (much cheaper independently). The only negative I can find is the lack of public transport from outside the city – if they want to retain the charm of the city and keep the big hotels on the outskirts they will need to come up with a solution of getting people into the city cheaply. We would have happily stayed at our first hotel if we could have got into the city cheaper.
Would love to come back and visit and go further afield in Borneo.
16/09/2014 – Penang
Had to be up in the wee hours to get to the airport for our 7.15am flight to Penang, via a 2 hour stopover in Kuala Lumpar. At Penang airport we got a taxi to Georgetown, a popular destination for tourists. We booked into our hotel (Chulia Mansions) which was great – the rooms are modern and very clean, the beds firm but very comfortable.
We had a walk to the waterfront passing some beautiful buildings, some of them grand from the colonised days, others old small shop/home buildings (shop at the bottom, home on the top). A lot of these buildings were in a sorry state and obviously needed some attention, I just hope they aren’t left beyond disrepair then demolished and high rises built on them – the city has its charm because of these buildings. Once we got to the waterfront we could see the bigger area full of large condos (very expensive and owned by foreign investors) and to the right the Chinese jettys. People were fishing of the rocks and there was a hawkers market. Further down was a promenade which we walked down, full of local holiday makers.
We made our way to Fort Cornwallis; this is a star fort that the British East Indian Company built in the late 1700s. It is named after the late 18th century Governor-General of Bengal, India, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquis Cornwallis. It is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. In its entire history the fort has never engaged in any battle; the cannons are known as ‘virgin’ cannons as they have never been fired. We had a walk around the fort and came across some youths practicing their traditional instruments for some celebrations later in the evening; it sounded pretty impressive. We had to stop for a drink – it was so hot and humid and we were dehydrating quickly.
After the fort we decided to go back to the hawkers market for dinner. Dave chose to have a laksa and I went to look to see what I fancied but realised it was all seafood. So I went back to Dave to wait until he had finished so we could go and get something for me somewhere else. Unfortunately, the laksa was completely different to the ones we had in Sarawak and Dave wasn’t enjoying it, so he left it and we went in pursuit of something we both liked!
We made our way to Little India, stopping for some chicken samosas at a street vendor – best ones we’ve ever had and incredibly cheap! We then carried on up the street and found a local Indian restaurant, didn’t look at all posh, a bit on the shabby side, but the food looked good. We ordered a chicken curry and some roti canai (these are beautiful, but very fattening, flaky Indian breads). The curry arrived but it was cold so we asked them to heat it up (they did – in a microwave), it was still only just warm when we got it back. Oh, but the taste – it was delicious, and with the red hot canai it tasted even better. A delicious meal for not very much money.
We walked back to the hotel, taking photos of the art work around the city along the way. After relaxing for a wile we went to the rooftop bar for a drink; the views overlooking the city were spectacular. One drink then we settled to bed. Nighty nite xxx
17/09/2014 – Tour of Georgetown
We got up early and got ready for our ‘free’ tour of Georgetown. It wasn’t exactly free as we had to pay 20MYR, but we got vouchers in return to spend at 2 of the places we were visiting. The hotel put on this tour which was brilliant; we would have paid a lot to do this.
We got on the coach and was greeted by our tour guide, a local Georgetown woman. The coach picked up more guests at its sister hotel and then we were off. Most of the guests were Malaysian with a couple coming from Austria and ourselves; the guide spoke in both languages. She was very fluent and knowledgeable about the places we visited.
Our first stop was Fort Cornwallis, but this was only a short photo stop (which was okay as we visited it yesterday); we could see across the bay that there were large black storm clouds coming our way. We then we made our way to Chew Jetty is the more well known of the eight clan jetties of Pengkalan Weld where early Chinese settlers built these villages on stilts.
Our next stop was the Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Temple, otherwise known as the reclining Buddha Thai Temple. It is the largest Thai temple in Penang and was built in 1845. The reclining Buddha is 108 foot long and is said to be the third largest one in the world. The temple itself was beautifully decorated and inside had many different type of Buddha’s along the walls as well as statues of dead monks.
Just across the road was Dharmikarama Burmese Temple which we visited next. This is the only Burmese Buddhist temple outside Myanmar and was built in 1803. On the grounds is a Boddhi tree, a wishing pond and apartments for monks. The temple houses a large standing Buddha. Again, this was beautifully decorated and there was a lot to see but we didn’t have too much time and rushed around a lot of it.
Next stop was the Chocolate and coffee museum. We were given a tour through the museum showing how chocolate was made but (as Dave put it) the girl giving the tour must have been on speed and red bull because she went through so quickly we didn’t have time to see anything or hear most of it! We were given different chocolate to taste and then let loose in the shop with our vouchers (which would have only bought a small chocolate). We chose to buy a box of various flavours as we couldn’t decide what we wanted!
Next stop – the Botanical Gardens, also known as the Waterfall Gardens which was established by the British in 1884 on an old granite quarry site. The garden was, and still is a site for research and education; however it is more popular for recreation activities. We had a walk around the gardens, drinking litres of water a it was very humid. Back at the car park we saw lots of Macaque monkeys, some with babies; they appeared to be as interested in us as we were of them! Very cute – at a distance.
Our last stop was a shop selling local specialty products including natural insect repellents and ointments for various ailments, food and drinks. We saw a cabinet full of birds’ nests (these are swifts nests and they make them with their spit – wouldn’t fancy eating them!) – the prices were ridiculous! With our vouchers we bought some lemongrass and peppermint tea – Dave really enjoyed this and drank most of them himself!
That was the end of our tour which we really enjoyed and gave us a good glimpse of what Georgetown had to offer. We went back to the hotel then out for dinner, choosing to eat at a small local restaurant. Great day. Nighty nite xxx
18/09/2014 – Street art
We spent today looking around the city for the street art – the coloured paintings round the city started when Penang’s council hired London-trained Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic and charged him with breathing new life into some of the atmospheric Chinese shop-houses around the inner city. An effort to spawn awareness of the rich history of the streets, the project was a success with Zacharevic turning certain areas into thriving tourist destinations that also became the much-talked about object of attention among locals. As well as these are the welded iron wall caricatures which tell the history of the area that it’s in. One of them shows the area where Jimmy Choo started his apprenticeship, later to become one of the top shoe designers worldwide.
The city provides a map with most of the street art, though we found other art hiding in unusual places – we had to keep our eyes peeled as sometimes it was hiding behind us or down a small alley way. It’s a great way to explore the city and see the sites as you’re going around. We came across a Chinese temple where the people were going through a traditional ceremony to move some of their artefacts – this involved someone banging a drum while following the person/ people carrying the artefacts – fascinating.
Great day exploring, even though it was hot and humid – lots of water consumed again! Nighty nite xxx
19/09/2014 – 3D Museum and storm
Hehe, we’ve found more 3D museums!! Actually, we’ve found 2 in Penang, the first is part of the Pinaon Time Tunnel where it tells the story of Penang through photos and displays going back to when the British first discovered the island. At the finish is an area with 3D pictures that we had fun with, taking photos that made it look as if we were sitting half way up walls and levitating above a bed, among others. Then we made our way to the ‘Made in Penang Interactive Museum’ where there were even more 3D art to take phots with – we clung to towers and looked through a mirror to see a different reflection looking back at us (I had a few photos taken with a local girl which we both found to be great fun). We LOVE these places!
After cooling down and relaxing back at the hotel we caught a bus to a different part of the city, we were looking for Guerney Drive but jumped off the bus when we saw some hawker stalls. We ordered a pork dish which was a soup with different parts of the pig in it and mushrooms as well as rice with crispy pork and some crispy type of batter that you soaked in the soup (a bit like mini Yorkshire puds). It was delicious, though I enjoyed it more than Dave did. As we waited for our food the rain started to come down, then the thunder and lightning started. Just as we thought it couldn’t get any worse – it did – and then got worse again! The heavens well and truly opened and the streets started to turn into rivers. We waited for quite a long time for it to stop but it didn’t, so we put on our disposable rain coats (thank goodness we brought them) and set off back to the hotel. Unfortunately, the bus route was along a one way system so we didn’t have a clue where to catch the bus back; by the time we realised where we were, and a long walk later, we were nearly back at the hotel. Some of the streets were flooded and our exposed parts were soaked through (especially our shoes). We back to the hotel safely, had to wade through a deep puddle to get into the entrance, had a hot shower and fell into bed. Nighty nite xxx
20/09/2014 – Penang National Park
We decided we would get out of the city today and go to the Penang National Park. The public bus stopped nearly outside our hotel and took us right to the entrance of the Park, all for a couple of dollars for an hours ride. The bus driver was a bit mental with his driving though, but he was very helpful and friendly.
We got to the National Park and filled out a visitors book to get our permit; you have to let them know where you are going and sign back in when you return. We decided we would walk to Monkey Beach; we had wanted to go to Turtle Beach but was informed it wasn’t safe to swim in the sea as it was steep and full of jellyfish. Shame, as it sounded the better option with more to see.
We set off towards Monkey Beach, firstly through a jungle area right on the coastline with views of the coast. The pathway here was man-made so easy to walk along. The path then got rugged and we had to climb over tree roots, rocks and trunks. We then came to a beach that we had to walk across, sometimes having to go through the sea to pass large rocks. The only wildlife we saw was a small bird, probably a wren type and some ants; this was disappointing as there is supposed to be lots of different wildlife here. The heat and humidity was high and making us sweat profusely; we drank litres of water on the way. We eventually arrived at the beach after about 1 ½ hours expecting a beautiful clean beach with clear water but was disappointed to find a beach with vendor stalls all along and murky water. We also saw a large jellyfish washed up on the shore which put us off swimming. But – we braved it, changed into our swim wear (hanging our sweat laden clothes on a hut to dry) and got into the sea – not too far though. I became aware that I was in a bikini with lots of Muslims around, including a group of young lads and started to feel uncomfortable so sent Dave to get my sarong so I could get out of the sea!
We sat on the beach for a while but didn’t want to stay too long (there were no monkeys around either) so started to walk towards the entrance of the jungle. A local guy asked us if we wanted a ride back in a boat so we discussed it and decided that it would be better than sweating (the walking didn’t bother us). We settled on a price and as we sat on the boat a group of people asked if they could get on the boat too – not a problem (and the cost was shared). It was good to see the route we had taken from another view and we passed floating villages and fish farms.
Back at the entrance we signed back in and changed in the toilets then went to get the bus back – it was the same driver as we had coming! Back at the hotel we showered and changed and after a rest went to look for something for dinner. Dave fancied a curry so we walked to Little India and settled on a restaurant (a proper one this time); the meal was okay but not as good as the smaller places (and more expensive).
On our way back to the hotel we came across a road closed off to traffic and a scene for a film being filmed. There were the lighting crew at one end with the filming crew at the side; the stars of the show, an oldish Indian guy and a young boy of about 9, were standing at the side of the road and when ‘action’ was called they would walk out into the road, the young boy would point at something, the older guy smiled and held his hand up to the traffic – we saw them do this about 5 times before it was a ‘wrap’. It was good fun to watch and hopefully we will see more when we reach India.
We got back to the hotel, had our free drink on the rooftop bar and got into bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
21/09/2014 – day of rest
My Achilles tendon was hurting today so I decided it was time for a day of rest (we’ve realised we need to have these regularly to keep us well). So I stayed in the hotel reading and trying to catch up on my blog (it’s getting more difficult as time goes on and I’m actually writing this day over 2 weeks later Sri Lanka). Dave went out to find the rest of the art work we have missed so it was a quiet morning. Around lunchtime we went across the road to a local restaurant (very basic open air) where lots of people were queuing for Chinese pork, chicken and rice; most of the tables were also full. We got in line and had to wait for about 15 minutes before we were served (the rain started at this point) and put in our order of pork, rice and veggies. We managed to find a table to sit at (basic plastic table and stools) and waited patiently for our meal to arrive. We were the only tourists there, everyone else being locals, so we knew we were in for a good meal. When it arrived – Wow – we weren’t expecting something so good. I love pork and have had some fantastic tasting cuts before but this beat every one of them hands down; it was the most amazing, tastiest pork I have ever had – no wonder the locals came here in droves.
While we were eating the rain came down in force, but luckily it had nearly stopped when we had finished and we got back to the hotel dry. Nothing else to report for today, continued to relax, went out for dinner and then packed most of our things ready to move on tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
22/09/2014 – To Langkawi
We had breakfast, finished our packing and set off to the bus station to take us to the airport. The walk to the bus station took about 15 minutes but it was very hot and we tried our best to keep in the shade (very difficult when the pavements can’t be used as they are full of scooters and shop wares). Luckily we arrived just in time for the next bus to the airport, paid our fare (again only a couple of dollars) and arrived about an hour later. The flight was the shortest we have had yet – a mere 25 minutes, so no sooner had we taken off and climbed than we were descending again to land! We chose to fly as it was pretty much the same price as the ferry and the ferry takes 2 ½ hours of a choppy crossing.
At Langkawi we got a taxi (all the same price so no need for haggling and no rip offs) and booked into our motel. It was pretty basic but had everything we needed including AC and a kettle (essential!). W then walked to a nearby café and got a very large baguette sandwich to share for lunch before going to the beach.
We struggled to find an access road to the beach so chose to go through a posh hotel to get to it, then cheekily used their loungers (no-one questioned us) We even bought a bottle of water from their bar and Dave used their toilet; I was tempted to use the pool but thought that would be pushing our luck! The sea wasn’t as clear as I thought it was but it was warm and inviting; unfortunately I saw a large jellyfish, even though it was in a cordoned of area of nets so I was wary and couldn’t relax as I would usually have done. We saw a smaller one a little later too.
After relaxing on the loungers and soaking up the sun we walked to another beach area where this was used by most of the tourists and had jet skis and paragliding. Strangely, the sea looked clearer here – I would have thought the hotels would have picked an area where the sea was better for swimming. Afte our afternoon on the beach we went back to our motel, showered and went out for dinner. We found a small local restaurant (again open air and plastic tables) and had a really tasty meal with a bottle of beer that cost a dollar! We said we would return here for most of our dinners but unfortunately it was closed for most of the time afterwards (it was the start of the low season and a lot of businesses close until it gets busier).
That brings me to another point – we chose to stay at Pantai Tengah instead of Pantai Cenang as the reviews we had read said that Pantai Cenang was the busy tourist resort, while Pantai Tengah was much quieter. We envisaged Tengah being like Ko Samui so thought we’d give it a miss. In reality, Cenang was pretty quiet and is only a small town with mainly shops and restaurants along with a few bars along the main street; Tengah was very quiet with a few restaurants and small grocery shops dotted around. We actually walked into Cenang most evenings to eat and find some life! Maybe it’s different in the high season but it’s nothing like Ko Samui and couldn’t imagine it getting rowdy at all.
We wandered back to our motel and fell into bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
23/09/2014 – Laundry and rain on the beach
We got up quite late and got ready then took our laundry to a local launderette before going into town for breakfast. We chose to eat at a café called the ‘English tea shop’ and ordered toast with scrambled eggs, beans and mushrooms and a pot of tea. The food was ok but there wasn’t much of it but the pot of tea was excellent! It came in a china teapot with matching china cup and milk jug; the tea was proper tea leaves with a strainer – fantastic. The breakfast was expensive for what it was but I was happy with the tea.
We decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach in Pantai Cenang and found some loungers that we paid $10 for the day for (for 2). We settled down on the lounger then went for a swim, the sea here was much better than close to the resort we went to the day before. Not long after we had got out of the sea and sat on the loungers, a strong wind started picking up and there were black clouds in the distance making their way towards us. We realised a storm was coming along and this was confirmed when the locals started taking their belongings inside. We had only been on the beach for about 40 minutes and realised we had to leave quickly. We packed up and made our way to a local hotel where we used their toilets to change our clothes. Because this area is small there isn’t much to do (apart from an aquarium we weren’t keen to visit) so made the decision to get back to the motel (about a 15/ 20 minute walk). Unfortunately the rain started to come down really heavily and we got totally wet through, it didn’t make matter any better when a car passed and splashed a great big wave on us from a large puddle!
Back at the motel we stripped off our sodden clothes and showered then chilled out for the rest of the day. For dinner we went to an Indian restaurant where I finally found my favourite dish – Bhuna Gosht – it was the best I had for many years and enjoyed it tremendously. Dave also enjoyed his meal and after a beer we went back happily contented. Nighty nite xxx
24/09/2014 – Golf club, waterfall and octopus
It was raining heavily this morning so we waited until it started to subside and dashed a couple of doors away to a tiny café for breakfast. There were a family of 4 and another couple there, leaving a small (and very low) table for us to sit on. We put in our order (omellete for myself, boiled eggs and toast for Dave and a drink each) and waited. We chatted to a couple from Holland who were stopping in the room next to us at the motel, then another couple came in but were going to go as they wasn’t a spare table – but we all shuffled up and made room for them. They were also from Holland and were catching a flight in the next couple of hours (as were the other couple!). We sat around chatting about our travels and waiting for our breakfast – and waiting, and waiting! The family eventually got theirs and we continued to wait, and wait, and wait (ok, you get the picture!). The second couple eventually cancelled their order as they needed to pack and get to the airport, then the first couple eventually got their breakfast. Everybody ate their breakfast and left, leaving us in the café still waiting. We eventually got ours – over an hour later; Dave’s boiled egg was only barely cooked. The positive about this is that the rain had stopped by the time we had finished breakfast (which was nearly lunchtime at this point).
We hired a scooter (checking it was safe to ride first) and set off to find a waterfall we had read about. After riding for about an hour (occasionally going on a wrong road and turning around) we rode past the waterfall (not knowing it was the one) and came to a golf course and a couple of large hotel complexes that didn’t allow access to the bay below. The golf course was Ernie Els’ golf club and Dave said we should see if we could a drink at the restaurant. I wasn’t keen at first as we were in our scruffy shorts and t-shirts and it looked very posh but we went anyway. They were only too happy to let us go into the restaurant and we sat on the beautiful sofa overlooking the course. We decided to order a sandwich to share for lunch (large club sandwich) and settled to watch the monkeys being chased of the golf course by the green-keepers!
After lunch Dave was cheeky enough to ask if we could have a look around the course (if you don’t ask you don’t get) and the guy went to ask. We were so glad we asked as they not only let us look around but they gave us a golf buggy to go around on – on our own! You should have seen Dave’s face, he was grinning from ear to ear the whole way around. The course was beautiful; it had no bunkers but plenty of streams running through it. Some of the holes took us to the bay and the beach which was gorgeous. We probably spent nearly an hour going around each hole, Dave still wearing his silly grin and watching the monkeys run around the course. At the end we enquired about the price of a game there, it was quite reasonable for a top course but still out of our budget.
We set back off and realised the waterfall we were looking for (Temurun Waterfall) was only a short ride from the golf course. We parked up the scooter and walked through a small woodland area coming to some pools where locals were cooling off in (the women still keep their clothing on – all of it). We walked up some steps and came to the waterfall – it was very high and had a deep pool in the bottom where there were some young lads swimming and jumping in from the rocks. Dave was brave and got into the water (it was very cold); I wasn’t as keen, mainly because there were so many males around and there wasn’t any changing rooms. Dave had a swim and tried to climb the rocks to jump off but he couldn’t get a hold and kept falling back in (at this point I didn’t want him to climb as I had visions of him slipping further up and causing some serious damage to himself).
After his swim we set back off on the scooter and went to Tanjung Rhu Beach. This beach is accessed next to a hotel complex and you have to sign a form that gives you instructions, such as not to enter the complex or use their loungers, to come of the beach if asked to, amongst others. We got to the beach which was beautiful; the tide was out and the sea parts leaving a sandy walkway to one of the small islands close by (you have to wade through parts of the sea to reach it fully). We walked along this walkway but realised the tide was starting to come in so didn’t quite make the island, but we saw some amazing marine life – hermit crabs, anemone (beautiful blue shades), a large shell fish (the name escapes me but on researching it I thought it was a highly poisonous one found in Australia, but it’s actually one the local fishermen like to catch, eat and use the shell to bail the water out of their boats) and a small octopus. Now let me tell you the story of this octopus – Dave first spotted it climbing out of a shell hidden just below the sand; it then sat in a pool of water. Cruelly I splashed the water next to it and it started to change colour to white – cool! Then a group of local girls came past and saw it – one of them tried to pick it up then threw it in fright which made it turn white with black spots then totally white again. The girls left leaving me to watch this creature in fascination. I continued to splash the water around it with my foot but eventually I must have really pissed it off cos it puffed itself out and fired itself at me! Luckily it was small and didn’t go a great distance, I’m sure if it was a big one it would have got me. At this point I was videoing it and it started to walk away but it kept watching me and throwing itself at me making me jump – loved it, it was fascinating!
Dave was sat patiently waiting for me on the sand, when I eventually finished we got on the scooter (spotting White-bellied sea eagles I the trees) and went to a restaurant called ‘Scarborough fish shop’ which we had read great reviews about. We sat on tables and benches outside (covered) and ordered battered dory with chips; when it came it was huge, and there was vinegar available too – heaven. The fish and chips were as good as the reviews said but I couldn’t finish as I was far too full.
We set off back to the motel and ended up riding in the dark. The roads aren’t too bad but poorly lit in places but we arrived back safely. A great full day out, loved every bit of it. Nighty nite xxx
25/09/2014 – Gunung Raya Mount
We had rented our scooter for 3 days so decided to go and explore the island a bit more. We went to a place called Gunung Raya Mount which was the highest point of the island and covered in dense jungle. There is a road that takes you to a tower lookout at the top – this was disappointing as it was in quite a bad state of disrepair (there’s a hotel complex that isn’t used) and the views are over the jungle towards the coastlines (which we couldn’t see due to the haze). The jungle is said to be home to White bellied eagles and Hornbills but we didn’t see any of these, even though we stopped a few times to look. I later read that there are poachers who shoot these beautiful birds for food and are now becoming rare.
We did stop to look at some monkeys on the roadside (Macaque monkeys) and to take some pictures. There were some females and adolescents sat on a large water pipe and a male close by. I took quite a few photos and then the flash popped up and made some of them jump. I went to take another one, again the flash popping up, when the male charged towards us with his teeth baring and screeching; luckily we were on the scooter and Dave managed to make a quick getaway, I would hate to think what would have happened if we couldn’t have got way – he looked very terrifying with his sharp teeth and claws!
During our ride down we also spotted Monitor Lizards, a couple of them slowly crossing the road (we later saw some squashed ones on the roads – guess they are too slow!). These are beautiful creatures and a bit like mini Komodo Dragons but I think are harmless towards humans.
Once we had ridden to the bottom we were going to go back to Tanjung Rhu Beach but it looked as if it might rain so we decided we would go to the Mardi Agro Park. This place grows fruit and undertakes research in agriculture and farming and takes tourists around the place in a purpose built open bus. We had to wait for the tour to start and loaded up on the bus – there were 4 Russians and 2 locals with us. First stop was an area where we could try the fruit in season – yummy! Then we made a whistle stop tour around the grounds, only stopping briefly twice to see some of the fruit; this was disappointing as there was so much to see with information boards displayed next to eat fruit – we didn’t get to read these as we went past too fast!
After we finished here we rode back to Pantai Cenang and stopped at the English tea shop for tea and scones – the tea was great again but the scones not so good, dry with sickly jam in it. We later had dinner at a local restaurant. Nighty nite xxx
26/09/2014 – Cable car and Seven Wells Waterfall
We set off to go to the Seven Wells Waterfall and on the way decided to see if the cable was open (we were informed it had been closed for maintenance earlier in the week). The cable car is located at the ‘Oriental Village’ where there are many shops selling local wares (and cheap duty free). We were very lucky and found that the cable car had reopened so bought tickets to up on it.
First there is a ‘6D’ movie to watch – because of my vertigo I couldn’t go into this as it would have made me very dizzy; Dave went though and enjoyed it. We then went to the base station and got into a cable car with a family of 4 to the middle station taking in the fantastic views around us – we could see the waterfall from here looking quite small in the hills. We got off at this station and took in the breath-taking views, again we were lucky that the weather was clear and we could see out to the coast. We then made our way to the top station with even more amazing views. There is a ‘Skybridge’ that you can walk out over the mountain on but unfortunately this is closed due to maintenance, although it looked as if they are rebuilding it completely; shame but another reason to come back!
After the cable car we rode around to the carpark for the waterfall which is close by. There are 638 steps altogether to the top but you can stop part of the way up to the base of the waterfall. We did this and climbed over the massive, slippery rocks to get to the pool at the bottom of the falls then took a dip which was great as we were so hot and sticky. There were quite a few people here but not overly crowded. After cooling down and nearly breaking our neck getting down the rocks we made our way up to the top of the falls. Here there were a few pools to sit or swim in and also a set of smooth rocks to slide down. These pools dropped at the end over a steep drop (making the waterfall) and had a fence across it.
We had a dip in the pool – there were only 4 young women and a family of 4 there (the son screamed coming down the slide causing his dad to run towards him, slip and fall in the water – he didn’t hurt himself but I think his camera went into the water). After the dip Dave went down the slide while I stood at the bottom filming him – he went to the wrong side of the slide and ended up in a pool that he struggled to get out of! I then went down and showed him how to do it to the delight of the young women watching, but on Dave’s second attempt he went over some rough rocks hurting his bum! We sat and swam in one of the larger pools, not daring to go down the slide into the pool close to the edge – well, Dave wanted to but I wouldn’t let him! The young women left so we had the pool to ourselves for a while – it was like a natural infinity pool- bliss! We stayed in these pools for quite some time, relaxing and soaking up the natural beauty of the place. At one point a group of monkeys came, raided the bins and left. Shortly after more people started coming and soon it got quite busy so we decided to leave.
When we got back to the carpark I saw some monkeys in a tree so took some photos then we set off back. On the road not far from the falls I spotted a strange looking monkey in a bush and told Dave to stop. I had seen pictures of these monkeys and couldn’t believe I was seeing them. They are called Dusky Leaf Monkeys (or go by various other names such as the Spectacled Leaf Monkey, Spectacled Langur, Dusky Langur, Spectactled Langur) and are black with strange white fur around their eyes. We managed to see a few of these beautifully strange creatures (who are much shyer than the Macaques) and got some good photos of them. I felt very lucky and privileged. Later when we looked at our photos we realised the monkeys in the tree in the carpark were also Dusky Leaf Monkeys.
After getting back to the motel we changed and went to town for dinner. We chose to go to a Mexican for a change – the meal was okay but a little expensive, the beers even more so! We then went to an Irish bar (owned by a local) to watch the golf. We spoke to 2 couple there, one couple lived in Australia (the guy originally from the UK many years ago) and the other couple from Scotland who was holidaying with the Aussie couple (the 2 men were school friends – now retired). Great day again. Nighty nite xxx
27/09/2014 – Iron man, Kuah Town and beach
We thought we’d go and see Kuah Town today, the largest town on the island. We set off on the scooter enjoying the scenery and quiet roads along the way, but as we came close to Kuah the traffic got really heavy and there were queues along all the roads into the town. We’d picked the wrong day to visit – it was the Iron Man competition so they had many roads closed or reduced to single lanes for the competitors running and riding their bikes. We managed to through the traffic and parked in a carpark but there wasn’t really anything interesting to see so we decided to go to the ‘jetty’ thinking it was a tourist attraction. Again, after battling through the traffic we finally came to the ‘jetty’ to find it was the ferry terminal! We turned around and decided to get out of this town and head somewhere quieter; it took us along time to get through the traffic.
We decided we would head up to Tanjung Beach again, hoping the tide would be out so I could do some beachcombing. Just before we arrived at the beach we stopped at a food stall at the side of the road and had fried banana fritters covered in coconut and a full coconut each, simple but delicious and cheap. Once we got to the beach the tide was fully in so we sunbathed and relaxed in the sun for the afternoon. A family had got their car stuck in the sand along a track so Dave went to help but they couldn’t move it (they eventually got it out with about 8 burly men helping). The sea here wasn’t brilliantly clear but it was great to get into to cool off. I went for a walk along the beach coming to the rivers estuary; the current looked really strong here but the scenery was fantastic.
After chilling on the beach for the afternoon we rode back to our motel, changed and went for dinner at a local restaurant (sweet and sour chicken with rice and noodles). Nighty nite xxx
28/09/2014 – Tanjung Beach again
We decided to go back to Tanjung Beach again today, Dave had looked up the times for low tide and said it was 10.30ish, so we got ready and rode up there. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found the tide was in and after asking a local when low tide would be he informed us it was at 7.15am. Bugger!! So we sunbathed and relaxed on the beach again, this time a little further around. We decided to go for lunch and just as we were leaving the beach the rain came – good timing!
We went back to Scarborough fish and chip restaurant for lunch, this time ordering one meal to share; again it was delicious. We shared our table with a guy from Dubai who was in Kuala Lumpar on business and had come to Langkawi for the weekend; he was with 2 guides who were showing him the highlights. Nice guy who talked about his grandchildren.
After lunch we rode to the Oriental Village to buy some duty free; Langkawi has some of the cheapest duty free in Asia (maybe even the world?). We bought vodka (2 X 1 litre and 325ml) and a bottle of Khalua, all for $49 (about 25 pounds). We’ll keep most of this for Christmas when we’re in India with Mel and Becca – serious celebrations!
We rode a little further up to where we saw the Bay Leaf Monkeys the other day, hoping of another glimpse of them, unfortunately there was no sign of them, maybe the rain had kept them away. Oh well, I suppose we were lucky to have seen them at all.
Back in Pentai Cenang we stopped to look at some Ducati bikes on display which Dave liked and probably would have liked to buy one; there was also an Indian bike which to me looked beautiful and I wouldn’t have minded buying that for myself (though I have been told they are only good for riding straight and looking pretty!). Oh well, we can’t afford them anyhow!
After looking at the bikes we had dinner in a local restaurant – noodles and veg then back to the motel. Nighty nite xxx
29/09/2014 – rest!
We had a rest day today, doing absolutely nothing! We walked to a nearby café for a sandwich for lunch, Dave had a walk later in the afternoon and we went out for dinner (another delicious curry). That’s it, nothing else to report!!
30/09/2014 – Arriving in Bangkok
We set off for our flight to Bangkok this morning, at a reasonable time for a change. Our flight was via Kuala Lumpur, somewhere I don’t really want to return to but the flights are cheaper through here, and we do only see the airport.
Once in Bangkok we get the Skytrain to close to the city then have to change to another train that takes us close to our hotel. It’s a big change coming from Langkawi to Bangkok – so many people and cars and bikes and buildings and noise! We didn’t have to walk far to get to our hotel (The Mermaid Hotel) and it was set a little back from the main road which kept the noise away. The hotel was good, clean, comfy, modern and spacious with a pool.
We had a rest and shower then went out for dinner. We chose a small local café and had rice with chicken, Dave preferring noodles, and a plate of stir-fried veg; basic but tasty and cheap. We then had a walk through the red light district very close by – a street with bars on each side with the ‘girls’ (and sometimes lady boys). We only had a walk through, deciding we’d come back here on a proper night out! Nighty nite xxx
01/10/2014 – Operation on toe
One of the reasons for coming to Bangkok was to get some new specs for me (I’m getting more blind), try to find some cheap hearing aids for Dave and get my ingrowing toe-nail sorted out – it was becoming a problem and looked as if infection might have started, as well as being painful. First we called into a medical centre but after seeing the doctor there she explained there was no specialist there that could fix it and suggested we go to the hospital. We set off for the Skytrain station (the hospital was a couple of stops away) and on the way called into an opticians and made an appointment for the afternoon.
Once at the hospital we gave our details, filled out a form, had my passport photocopied then went to wait in a cubicle. I was expecting to wait for a good while like we do back at home but within minutes a doctor was there by my side! After examining my toe he informed me I needed minor surgery to remove the offending nail and part of the nail bed and that he could do it now. I agreed and the nursing staff went to get everything ready.
Once ready the doctor gave me a local anaesthetic, one in each side of my toe to numb it – bloody hell, it hurt, Dave nearly had his hand crushed! Once numb the doctor set to work to remove the nail that had ingrown; when he pulled it out he showed me how much had gone in – it was huge, no wonder it hurt do much. He then removed part of the nail bed (down the side the nail grew in) then put 2 stitches across my nail to hold it together until the bleeding stopped. After the nurse put a dressing on we were taken (in a wheelchair) to the pharmacy and payment centre where I got antibiotics and painkillers and the bill (this was relatively cheap, approx. $217 for everything). From walking through the door to leaving after having surgery was less than 1 ½ hours, fantastic service!
I hobbled, with Dave’s help, to the Skytrain and we got the train back to the hotel where I rested my toe. We picked up some spring rolls on the way back for lunch. When it was time we went to the opticians for my eyes testing, though it wasn’t a very good test. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) there wasn’t enough time to get new glasses ready as there was the weekend coming up and we left on the Monday. Oh well, maybe I’ll get some specs in India? We didn’t really look properly for hearing aids – Dave keeps putting it off even though he’s as deaf as a door knob!
After resting again we got ready to go out – I decided if I had to rest my toe for the next couple of days I might as well have a few drinks so it didn’t matter if I was hungover the next day! We ate at the same place as the night before then went to a bar in the red light district for happy hour – this bar wasn’t really for the prostitutes, it was more a tourist pub with live music and pool, but we sat outside people watching – watching old retired men walk along with their 20 year old (or younger) girl on their arms. I’m never quite sure what to make of this, I know it serves a purpose and both parties benefit from it in some way, but still – yuck!!
After a few drinks in the bar we moved further down the street to another one where again we sat outside with our drinks people watching. A little later we sat inside where the girls were dancing on poles; it was still relatively early and there weren’t any other customers in. The girls motioned for me to join them, so of course after having a few drinks I did! I’ve got to say, I still have the moves and danced my little heart out around that pole and with the girls. After finishing I sat back down with Dave and the ‘Madam’ put drinks on our table telling us we had bought them for the girls; we politely told we hadn’t, that the only drinks we had bought were our beers, and she took them away. I bet they get so many people like that, especially when they are really drunk.
After my dance we went across the street to another bar, I was really drunk at this point, but happy drunk, not sicky drunk! We realised pretty quickly that the bar we were sat in was a lady-boy bar and they were parading in front of us (and other customers). Some of them looked pretty convincing and had really good figures and looks.
We went back to the hotel after our drink in the lady-boy bar, drunk but happy. A great night out. Nighty nite xxx
02/10/2014 – Day of rest
So, a hangover and a sore toe with stitches in, a perfect excuse to relax and do nothing. I stayed in the hotel trying to catch up on this blog – again way behind, and read my book. Dave went out and got his back waxed then came back with spring rolls for lunch. He went out again after lunch and on return a few hours later he said he had walked for miles, got lost but managed to find his way back. He looked very hot and sweaty!
In the evening we went to a Dutch bar/ restaurant; I got ribs with a jacket potato and Dave got Aussie lamb chops with potatoes and veg – one of the best meals we have had in a long time. I even had a glass of red wine to go with it! We returned to the hotel very contented. Nighty nite xxx
03/10/2014 – Back to the hospital
I had to return to the hospital today to get my stitches out, thankfully as they were really starting to cut into me. Again we didn’t have to wait long, the doctor was there within minutes and took the stitches out, wrote me a script for sterile water and iodine and kindly wrote a script for Dave for his prednisone tablets. We got the train to the Siam shopping centre to look for some Keen shoes, but after walking around we realised it was more of a designer shopping centre so left. There are shopping centres (or malls as most people call them) everywhere in Bangkok ad more being built all the time. We got the train back to the Terminal 21 shopping centre for some lunch – I had a Vietnamese beef pho (delicious) while Dave had Pad Thai.
We chilled out for a while, Dave went for a swim (I couldn’t because of my toe) then we set off to go to a night market. We had researched the night markets on the internet and went to the one that was supposed to be the best. We were looking forward to walking through the stalls along with the local people, bartering if we wanted something and eating food from the street stalls.
We got the Skytrain to Siam Shopping mall then changed trains to go towards the river. At our stop we got off and walked down to the river where there was a free ferry to the night market (the market is called Asiatique). It was lovely going down the river with the city lit up in the background. The boat pulled up to the market and we got off, but we thought we must have been in the wrong place; there were no stalls and crowds of people pushing through, instead there were proper restaurants and shops, all very modern and civilised. We had a walk around but wasn’t impressed so made our way back to the ferry and train to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
04/10/2014 – River ferry
We decided we would do some proper sightseeing today so after breakfast we caught the trains to the river and bought a day pass for the tourist ferry that stops at about 8 docks along the river. Our first stop was the Wat Arun Temple which has many monuments in the grounds. The main temple is very high with very steep steps that we climbed to near the top (the last steps were nearly vertical. The views at the top were magnificent as we could see across the river. These buildings are decorated with pieces of Chinese ceramics and are very colourful. History (thanks to Bangkok dot com): Wat Arun was envisioned by King Taksin in 1768. It is believed that after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya, which was taken over by a Burmese army at the time, he arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking. He later had the temple renovated and renamed it Wat Chaeng, the Temple of the Dawn. It used to be the home of the Emerald Buddha, before the capital and Palace was moved to the other side of the river. This can now be seen at the Grand Palace.
The central prang was extended during the reign of Rama III (between 1824 and 1851), and is now one of the most visited sites in Thailand. It was also Rama III who added the decoration of the spires with porcelain, so that they glimmer in the sunshine.
Next we went to the Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), or Wat Phra Chetuphon, which has the largest reclining Buddha in Asia (and the world?). The highlight for most people visiting Wat Pho is the Reclining Buddha. The figures here are impressive: 15 metres tall, 46 metres long, so large it feels like it has been squeezed into the building. The Buddha's feet are 5 metres long and exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious 'laksanas' (characteristics) of the Buddha. 108 is a significant number, referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection (Bangkok dot com). As we entered the complex we went into a small building with displays and photographs of visitors, and guess who’s photo we saw – bloody Donkeys (John Key for those outside NZ)! I suppose it keeps the bad spirits away! I had to put on an overall dress type garment, as I was deemed too sexy in my clothes, before we went to see the Buddha.
After seeing the Buddha we looked around the rest of the grounds, again very decorative buildings; I loved the green coloured ones. Some of the sites include four chapels that contain 394 gilded Buddha images, long lines of golden statues from different parts of Thailand sitting in the lotus position. Although the intricately detailed murals that cover the walkways around Wat Pho will require a book or guide to decipher, the exquisite murals are so detailed and intricate that even if you don’t understand all the imagery you can still appreciate the artwork. Finally in the courtyards at Wat Pho Temple are some comical looking Chinese statutes that were once uses as ballasts on ships and 91 chedis (or stupas) decorated in ceramic pottery flowers and colourful tiles.
After looking around the temples we got the ferry and headed to an area famous for its street food; after wandering down the long road with stalls all along we settled on pork, fried chicken and rice with a chilli sauce, very cheap and very, very delicious.
After lunch we headed to the Sirraj hospital where there is a museum; there were 3 areas of this open as the other 2 were being renovated. We had an audio guide as most displays were in Thai. The first area showed how the heart and lungs worked with displays of diseased organs. There were also displays of foetus’s and new-born babies with very bad deformities where they had no chance of surviving. These were real babies that had been preserved in jars, interesting but sad.
The second area showed the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami and the work the hospital did to help (which was tremendous). It was interesting to learn that a large percentage of injuries were caused by wounds filled with debris and sand causing deep infections; the majority of the operations in the first days were to clean these wounds before septicaemia set in. The surgeons and nurses worked for 24 hours operating on these people before another team came to take over – incredible work.
The third area was all about forensics, there were many photographs of people who had died in crashes or murders – again gruesome! There were also lots of skulls and bones showing the injuries causing death and they even had preserved bodies of two murders! This was a large area and Dave got tired so said he was going to sit down (I thought he said outside the entrance) so I continued then went to find him. I searched the building outside the area and checked that he hadn’t signed out then searched some more, this time outside in the hospital grounds – no sign of him. I was getting worried and thought he might have been taken sick. I asked at the reception area if they had seen him but they hadn’t; they looked in the toilet but he wasn’t there, then he had an idea and went to a waiting area just outside the forensics area – there he was relaxing! At least I found him safe and well.
On return to the area we were stopping in we decided to have pizza for dinner; we got this from the food court in the mall (so much better than the food courts in NZ). We had to wait over half an hour for the pizza so bought a couple of bottles of beer from the supermarket to drink while we waited (the supermarket opens the bottles for you). The pizza was worth the wait – authentic Italian, yummy. Nighty nite xxx
05/10/2014 – The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
We set off back to the ferry to go to see the Grand Palace which included the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The palace complex, like the rest of Ratanakosin Island, is laid very similar to the palaces of Ayutthaya, the glorious former capital of Siam which was raided by the Burmese. The Outer Court, near the entrance, used to house government departments in which the King was directly involved, such as civil administration, the army and the treasury. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is located in one corner of this outer court. The Central Court is where the residence of the King and halls used for conducting state business were located. Only two of the throne halls are open to the public, but you'll be able to marvel at the exquisite detail on the facades of these impressive structures. The Inner Court is where the King's royal consorts and daughters lived. The Inner Court was like a small city entirely populated by women and boys under the age of puberty. Even though no royalty currently reside in the inner court, it is still completely closed off to the public. Despite the proximity of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, there's a distinct contrast in style between the very Thai Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the more European inspired design of the Grand Palace (the roof being the main exception). Other highlights are Boromabiman Hall and Amarinda Hall, the original residence of King Rama I and the Hall of Justice. Wat Phra Kaew contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century and is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand.
There were many buildings across a large area which took us most of the morning to see, then we went past the actual palace (behind locked gates) and the palaces buildings. There were guards at various places which tourists stood next to (including me) to have their photos taken with them; these guards couldn’t stay looking forward like the ones at Buckingham Palace much to our amusement! The Temples again were beautifully decorated and there were open corridors with painted murals on the showing the stories of Buddha. Some of the buildings were closed to the public due to people being there for prayers – I was fascinated watching one woman put on her makeup in a hand-held mirror while those around her sang their prayers (guess she wasn’t that interested!
After we had finished our tour we went to a local food stall/ café for a late lunch; the food was tasty and cheap – just how we like it! We then went back to the hotel for a swim but as we got there it started to rain (again), so we relaxed in our room.
As it was our last night in Bangkok (tomorrow we fly to Sri Lanka) we decided we would have a treat so went back to the Dutch restaurant where I had steak (perfectly cooked medium/ rare) and Dave had lamb chops again. We ate this while watching Man United play Everton and won 2-1, a perfect end to the day. Nighty nite xxx
06/10/2014 - To Sri Lanka
We had to be up at silly O’clock to be packed and ready for the taxi to pick us up at 4.30am to take us to the airport. As usual I didn’t sleep much and was wide awake from 2.30am.
We arrived at Colombo airport after first flying into an airport at the bottom of the Island to drop a few people off and pick up a few others. There are only these 2 airports in the country. We had arranged to be picked up by the hostel we were staying at but when we got into the arrival lounge we couldn’t see anyone with our names. We looked around (it’s very small) then sat and waited hoping someone would arrive. After about 15 minutes we were picked up and taken to a taxi – this was a tiny car with no boot, so our luggage had to sit on the front seat while we squashed into the back.
After an hour and a half we arrived at the hostel in Lavinia Mount, this is out of the main city of Colombo and close to a beach (the best one in the area the reviews say). We were greeted by the owner who took us straight into the lounge area and gave us a book to write our details in; she then showed us a room with 3 single beds in and told us the room we booked wasn’t available so we got one with a private bathroom. She then said the key to the room was lost but we could lock it from inside (great, we have to leave our belongings in an unlocked room when we go out). The room was terrible, it was really damp (which showed on the walls and smelt), the beds only had a bottom fitted sheet, no top one; there were no towels or toilet paper. We asked a guy who had been stopping at the hostel for some time if we could get sheets, towels etc and he suggested we ask the lady who works at the hostel who would be in later. The owner had already gone back to her house, no niceties or smiling.
After a short sleep we walked down to the beach to get some lunch, we had to cross the railway line and go down a little alley to get to it. It certainly wasn’t what I imagined and looked quite dirty with large waves crashing in – if this was the best beach I’d hate to see the rest! We settled for a beach front restaurant for lunch, it looked pretty clean and reasonable. We ordered cheese and tomato toasties with fries. When they came we were very surprised to find the toasties and fries were cold (with the toasties having a slice of processed cheese instead of fresh). The tea and coffee were hot but it was powdered milk and made the drinks look like wallpaper paste! There were chipmunks running around the place, we were to see many more in the coming days, there’s so many of them!
After finishing our meal we started to walk back to the railway track as we wanted to know where the station was. On the way we saw a monkey wearing pants tied to a tree, it was jumping around from the tree to the wall with little rope to let it go far and making screeching noises, obviously in distress and frustrated. A man approached it (probably its owner) and grabbed it, squeezing its neck tight making the monkey cry out in pain. The man continued to torture the monkey, the monkey screaming and crying; it was absolutely heart-breaking to see and I wanted to grab the man of the monkey, but what can you do? Not a good start to Sri Lanka – surely it could only get better?
We walked along the track towards the station, lots of rubbish and used condoms shrew around the area; when we got close an old woman ushered us through her garden – a short cut to the station! We got close enough to know where the station as and made our way back to the hostel.
Back at the hostel the lady who works there had arrived. She was a very helpful, friendly woman and gave us sheets, towels and toilet roll. It was obvious that she ran the place; the owner let her and sat like the Queen in her house.
For dinner we went to a place called ‘Food corner’; this was a small concrete hut with a garden with tables and chairs in (covered). There was an old guy and his grandson that owned it and they cook everything from fresh (we had to wait about ½ hour but that was fine). We had the Sri Lanka curry with rice, poppadums, chutney, dhal and an onion, tomato and chilli salad. It was delicious. The guy kept asking if everything was okay and offered us more rice or curry if we didn’t have enough (there was heaps). He chatted to us about Sri Lanka and how appreciative he was for what the British had done then gave us free ice-cream with honey. When the bill came we were surprised at how cheap it all was – great meal!
We went back to the hostel and showered (thank goodness the shower was okay) before getting into our damp feeling beds. Nighty nite xxx
07/10/2014 – Immigration office
The main purpose of our visit was to get our visas extended for 3 months so we could travel the country without rushing. We got up early and caught the bus into the city. We didn’t know where to get off so we jumped off at a McDonalds as Dave needed the toilet (he’s beginning to worry me again with his bowel problems, he can go to the toilet up to 15 times a day – definitely not normal). From McD’s we got a tuk-tuk to the immigration office. We made our way to the correct department, filled in our forms, got given a ticket and waited. We had to have an interview with an official; he looked at our form, asked if we had an ongoing ticket out of the country and when we told him we hadn’t as we wanted to get an Indian visa, he stamped our forms and told us to back out and wait. After 3 hours we finally got our visas; what a complete bureaucratic waste of time – it would have been just as easy to see one person with our forms, answer the questions, give them our money and be issued with a stamp in our passport!
When we had finished we went to the exit to find the rain was bouncing down so we waited until it eased and got a tuk-tuk to take us to the train station so we could buy our tickets to Kandy. After getting our tickets we went for some lunch at went to a local café having some samosa type things and some veg rice; we are pretty certain we got overcharged by heaps but it was partly our fault for not asking the price first.
After lunch we went for a walk along an artificial waterway lined with shops and cafes, nothing too interesting here but we did see pelicans sat on top of the tall streetlights, a monitor lizard in the water and a Kingfisher that sat on a tree and let me take some great photos of it! We stopped for a coffee at a café at the end and ended up with a coffee milkshake made with 3 in 1 sachet coffee!
We returned by bus to Lavinia where we were stopping and bought some potatoes, cream cheese and baked beans to make some jacket potatoes for dinner. Dave made the dinner but the taste of the cream cheese was terrible and it marred the whole potatoes and beans; I ate what I could but didn’t enjoy it (Dave wasn’t keen too). The potatoes were also kind of hard, though I didn’t tell Dave as he might not cook again!
A boring day but at least we got our visa extensions. Nighty nite xxx
08/10/2014 – Rest day
Because there wasn’t much to do around this area we decided to have a rest day, so we did nothing! Had a pie at a bakery café for lunch then ate dinner at a local restaurant – nothing special. We also learnt that the lovely lady who works here slipped and fell during the night fracturing her back – poor thing; I hope she recovers soon, she is such a sweet, kind lady. Nighty nite xxx
09/10/2014 – Train strike
I wasn’t speaking to Dave this morning, I can’t remember what he did/ said wrong but he definitely was in the wrong! So we sat around the hostel in silence. The owner of the hostel asked us to vacate the room at 11am (checkout time) so she could get the room ready for the next people which was fair enough, so we packed our belongings and popped them in a corner. The wicked witch didn’t even go into the room, never mind clean it – we could have stayed in there and rested!
We went for some lunch at the Food corner, having noodles with chicken and veg; the portions were humungous – enough to feed a family of 6, so we had the leftovers boxed up and took them back to the hostel for anyone who wanted them. We asked the owner to phone a taxi for us to take us to the train station in Colombo, 10 minutes later a tuk-tuk pulled up, how was we supposed to get all our luggage and ourselves in that; the owner played dumb and said she thought we had asked for a tuk-tuk not a taxi. We did manage to get everything in and squeezed ourselves in next to the luggage to get to the station.
Once we arrived at the station we made our way through to the platform to be told the trains were on strike. The options we had were to stay in Colombo and hope the trains would be running the day after or get the bus. We decided on the bus as there was no guarantee the trains would be running the day after (and they wasn’t) and we had already booked our accommodation in Kandy. We made our way to the bus station and found the right place for the Kandy buses but had to wait for the third bus as they said they couldn’t take our luggage. On the third bus we had to pay for a seat to put our luggage on. The bus was more expensive and less comfortable than the train (though it was still cheap - $10 in total for a 3 ½ ride).
We arrived in Kandy at about 7pm and made our way to our accommodation, Mango House; this was a small house next to a large one with 2 bedrooms for guests and a lounge area; we were the only guests so had the place to ourselves. The host who lived in the big house was the owners’ father and was very friendly and helpful. The house was up a hill away from the city and very peaceful, lovely! We dropped of our luggage and walked to the Hilltop Hotel close by for dinner; not the cheapest place to go but reasonable and we didn’t have to find our way in the dark to the town. During dinner we were serenaded by a local musical group singing local ballads, cute! A nice end to the day. Night nite xxx
10/10/2014 – Temple of the Tooth
After having a good night’s sleep we got up and went to the house next door for breakfast. They put on a great meal and after filling our stomachs and chatting to the owner (he has some interesting political views and loves to talk how the government is corrupt) we set off to the Temple of the Tooth. We walked a short cut to the main road which was past local houses. We got a tuk tuk to the Temple which dropped us off just outside.
The 17th century Temple, also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. The Temple attracts white-clad pilgrims bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani every day.
We had to remove our shoes and leave them at the gate as well as being inspected for proper attire; I was prepared this time and had my legs and shoulders covered. We had arrived in time to see ‘Puja’ which is the offering and prayers given and the heavily guarded room housing the tooth is opened. You don’t actually get to see the tooth but the ceremony is great with traditionally dressed men playing the drums and some sort of trumpet. This lasted for 90 minutes so there was plenty of opportunity to get a good position and some great photos!
After looking around the Temple we went to a café close by called ‘Natural Coffee’ for coffee and cake. Dave chose a coffee with brandy in it that had to be lit and we had a beautiful chocolate cake. It was very modern and a contrast to most of the other places around.
After our coffee break we had a short walk around part of the lake but it started to rain. We then went to the supermarket for a few things before going back to our accommodation for an afternoon rest. In the evening we walked to the main road where we chose to go to a family restaurant and went upstairs. We soon realised this was the bar area where the adults came to drink – the family part was downstairs. There were a few groups of men who all ordered not glasses of spirits but bottles of them! A group of 3 next to us managed to get through a bottle of whiskey between them while they ate their (small) meal. Another group of 4 had 2 bottles of vodka on their table. I’d have been flat on my back or dancing on the tables after that lot!!! The meal was tasty and after finishing we got a tuk tuk back to our place (it is very steep and dark!). Nighty nite xxx
11/10/2014 – Botanical Gardens
After having another great breakfast and conversation with the owner (his wife has gone to babysit the grandchildren in Colombo so their daughter can go to see Lionel Ritchie) we walked down to the main road to get the local bus to the Botanical Garden. The bus was brilliant – very old and rickety with great big seats, and only about 30 cents (about 15 pence) fare. The locals couldn’t stop staring and smiling at us and the conductor was friendly and said he would let us know when we got there. The conductor stands on the step of the open door and shouts out the destination to passengers waiting at the bus stops. On our way we went past a school in which hundreds of new scooters were lined up in the grounds and a very long queue of locals stood around the fences. We later found out the government was selling these at an incredibly low price with good payment options – another of his bribery campaigns for the upcoming election. Sadly, the locals did not seem to realise that they ultimately pay for these through the very high taxes they are charged.
We arrived at the Botanical Gardens and queued with both tourists and locals to get in. This place is massive with a lake the shape of Sri Lanka. We were lucky enough to see a Kingfisher and a Monitor Lizard swimming and climbing onto the bank. We looked around the various gardens, admiring the trees and plants and had to stop a few times while the locals took photographs with us. We stopped at the café for a sandwich and drink then looked in the orchid house then onto the spice trees including nutmeg and cinnamon.
After having an enjoyable morning at the Gardens we got the bus back to the city and wanted to stop at the train station to get tickets to Ella in a couple of days. We wasn’t sure where the station was and we couldn’t get the attention of the conductor. After going through a market area and bus station which was packed full of buses and tuk tuks we realised we had just passed it! We asked the driver if that was the station and he said it was and stopped on a busy road to let us off. We managed to walk back safely and got our tickets. We knew we wasn’t too far away from our accommodation but after trying to find the right road for about 15 minutes we decided to get a tuk tuk – we realised we were only 5 minutes away!
After a rest and freshen up we got a tuk tuk to the City Hall to see the Kandyan Dance Performance. We were dropped off by the Temple of the Tooth and as we started to walk along the side of the lake we were approached by a man who said he would escort us to the hall. At first we thought he was trying to sell us something or was part of a scam but he was in fact making sure we bought the proper tickets and not the scammed ones! We initially sat downstairs but the front 6 rows were reserved for coach tours, so we went upstairs – there was hardly anyone there and the view was brilliant! The show was great; I had read reviews saying it was poor and amateur but for the small cost it showed traditional dances and costumes which were beautiful. The show ended with fire throwing and fire walking. A great evening. We were stopped by locals again for photographs on our way back towards the city!
After having Sri Lanka curry for a few days we were eager to have something western so opted for Pizza Hut (there isn’t too much choice for western food). The pizza was okay but not the best, but it satisfied my appetite. Nighty nite xxx
12/10/2014 – Nature walks
Another great breakfast with interesting conversations before we set off to get a tuk tuk to the Udawattakelle forest reserve. There is a small entrance fee and then a walk through the forest where if you’re lucky enough you can see animals, reptiles and birds. We were warned about leeches so we kept to the dry parts as best we could. We had a lovely walk through here and managed to see a long black snake that slithered away from us, as well as a deer, butterflies and quite a few monkey’s. It was really quiet, giving us a break from the busy city, even though it’s not far away.
After our walk we got a tuk tuk back to the city and was dropped off close to the Temple and lake. We went to see the Kandy Garrison Cemetery which has 163 graves going back to colonial times. Most of these people were British and died from what we now think of common diseases which can be treated easily, including sunstroke and malaria; one poor bloke was trampled by an elephant! We were shown around by the groundkeeper’s grandson who knew the stories behind every grave. He was very informative and interesting. We then met with his grandfather and the manager of the cemetery, a friendly but pompous English guy (obviously educated at private school). We left a donation for the upkeep of this interesting cemetery and walked towards the city.
We had lunch at one of the local cafés, the food was very cheap and tasty. We then walked around the lake where we saw a Monitor Lizard eating a fruit bat (he was struggling to get the large wings down). When we looked up we saw that there was a large tree full of bats, the lizard obviously had found the right spot for its meals! There was also another fat lizard close by, a definite picnic spot. As well as the lizards we saw Cormorants, a Pelican and lots of other birds. A lovely walk that ended with seeing lots of monkeys jumping on top of a bus for food that was thrown there!
Back in the city we treat ourselves to coffee and cake again, well, we have to get our treats when we can! We managed to get the best seat in the house – upstairs overlooking the Temple and the stalls outside.
Back at our accommodation we ate leftover pizza for dinner and packed ready for our onward trip to Ella tomorrow. Nighty nite xxx
13/10/2014 – Train to Ella
We were up early this morning and had our beautiful breakfast before getting a tuk tuk to the train station. We bought supplies for our lunch and some snacks and waited with other tourists and locals for the train to arrive. We relaxed in our seats and watched the scenery pass us by, firstly passing towns and villages then getting into the countryside until we reached the tea plantations. There was so many of them, tiers and tiers of tea leaf plants on each side of the tracks.
The train was an old one but the seats were comfortable with plenty of space. We got the chance to sit by the open door and dangle our legs over the side as we went along, although I was quick to pull them back in going through the tunnels (there really wasn’t much space). At one point the door came away from it’s catch and banged right into the back of me nearly shoving me out onto the track; health and safety would have had a field day in NZ!!
We arrived at Ella well before our destination time and was met at the station by the usual people trying to get a fare. One guy with a people carrier wanted a really silly price to take us to our accommodation, even though he didn’t know where it was. We found a tuk tuk driver who took us for less than half the price of the first guy. The accommodation was on a hillside overlooking an amazing valley with beautiful hills and peaks climbing each side, and we even had a waterfall on the hill opposite us. We had a room on the upper level with a balcony overlooking this amazing scenery where we would eat our meals and relax. The owners were very friendly and brought us a cup of tea – in a real teapot!
Once we had settled in and unpacked and freshened up we went for a walk to the town. This was a tiny little place consisting of one street with restaurants and shops along it. I managed to get persuaded into having a massage in a tiny little building, though the massage was more of a rub and did nothing to ease my aching neck. It took us about 5 minutes to walk the length of the town but it was very quaint. There were a lot of tourists here, probably the most we've seen in Sri Lanka in one place - but it is tiny! On the way back we passed a ‘temple’, a building with a Buddha statue in which people stopped to prayer as they were driving past.
Once we arrived back at our accommodation we sat on the balcony taking in the views until our dinner arrived; it was a typical Sri Lankan curry (3 different dishes with a dhal) which would have been delicious if it hadn’t been drowned in salt. Another cup of tea and it was bedtime. Nighty nite xxx
14/10/2014 – Ella’s Rock
We had breakfast on the balcony, watching the waterfall and the birds flying around with the sun climbing over the peaceful peaks – it doesn’t get better than this. We then set off to climb Ella’s Peak, we could see this from the balcony and it looked magnificent and regal. We were told to go along the path, climb some steps and go along the track; however, once we got to the top of the steps we were faced with another set of steps or a track to the left. There was also another couple who were as puzzled as we were. There were monkey’s in the trees which were watching us and I’m sure I heard them chuckling! A local appeared and told us to take the track, so off we went.
A little further along we were again faced with different directions to go, and again a local popped up and pointed us the right way. This happened a few times and I’m sure they wait at these junctions to show us where to go. Eventually a local guy tagged onto us and showed us the way, we would never have found it on our own as we had to walk along the train track, go through farmland and through wooded areas. He gave us tips on how to keep snakes away and pointed out different plants and fruit as well as telling us tales of the area. We knew we would have to give him some money at the end but it would be worth it, it was so much better than a tour from a company.
We stopped at view points on the way, looking over the valley and down deep ridges. I felt something on the top of my foot under my shoes and thought I’d got a stone caught so swept my finger under; a short time later it was still hurting so thought I must have got a thorn stuck in it. When I took my shoe off there was a leech stuck to my foot! The guide took it off and threw it away. Sneaky bugger managed to jump and get under my shoe; it wasn’t as big as I thought it would be either, but it hurt.
We got to the top of the peak where there were a few other people, including an American couple we had met on the train. She told us about the ‘guide’ who showed them the way and said she had given him about $5 and he wasn’t happy; I don’t blame him, stingy bugger, these people have hardly anything and actually make the trip so much better with their tales and help; I felt really sorry for him. We also met a couple from Israel who were very friendly and spoke great English.
The views from the top were spectacular; we climbed over large rocks and peered over the edge and looked out over to another peak – Little Adams Rock. We could see the sea in the far distance, steep hills and peaks and tea plantations in the other direction. We stopped to eat fruit before we started back down.
On the way back we stopped at the waterfall, standing on top of the rocks watching the water flow over the edge. Dave climbed a bit more and stuck his feet in the flow, refreshing his big smelly feet! We got back onto the train track and said our goodbyes to our guide, giving him $30 for his help; he was very happy with this and said he would go to town to buy his daughter some books. As we set off a train came along and the driver and passengers all waved at us as it passed.
We walked into town and stopped at a café for lunch, choosing to try the local Sri Lankan ‘Hopper’ which is a type of pancake, usually made with rice flour and coconut milk. We had coconut and banana with them and they were very tasty. We went back to the accommodation and rested on the balcony. Shortly after the rain started, and then the clouds came rolling in. We could see the clouds starting to cover everything in the distance then they rolled towards us; not long after we couldn’t see anything, even the fields immediately in front of us. As quick as the clouds rolled in they rolled out again. It was a very eerie experience.
We went into town for dinner and chose a restaurant that looked reasonably modern but when our meal arrived it was disgusting. I had fried rice with chicken and Dave chose noodles with chicken. They were both dry, salty and the chicken was like string. We left most of it and went back for an early night. Nighty nite xxx
15/10/2014 – Tea factory and Little Adams Peak
After enjoying breakfast on the balcony we walked into town to find a tuk tuk to take us to the tea factory. We agreed a price and set off through a village and started climbing a hill, stopping at a plantation to take photographs. The drive was very scenic and we could see the locals working in the fields.
When we arrived at the factory and started walking towards the door a most delightful smell hit our nostrils; it was the smell of the freshest, most delicious tea leaves EVER!!! The smell got stronger as we walked through part of the factory to the reception area, it was as if we had fallen into a giant pot of tea, it really was heavenly. We had to wait for the guide to finish showing another couple around so we took in the views over the plantations and the town from the balcony, as well as enjoying reading about the factory and seeing some of the old Ceylon signs.
When the guide was ready he took us on the tour, showing us the process of drying, sorting and crushing the tea leaves. We were lucky that part of the factory was still running as they start very early in the morning and finish early. It was fascinating to see the process, and even better to have the smell around us. Unfortunately we were unable to take photographs of the tour. At the end of the tour we returned back to the reception area where we were given samples of tea to taste. We then bought a cup of tea to drink and looked at the many tea products we could have bought (and would have if we knew we were going home).
After lunch in the town we set off to walk Little Adams Peak. As we walked along the road there was a market being held – the locals were at the side of the road with canopies over them selling fruit and veg. We got to the bottom of the peak and Dave needed the toilet so asked a guy at a local outdoor café type place. While Dave was at the loo the guy tried his very best to sell me anything he could, from coconuts to drinks and asking for cigarettes; he then spoke to 3 ladies who had just come from picking leaves on the plantations in his own language. They approached me and asked if I wanted a photo taken with them; it was obvious the guy had told them to ask me and ask for money to do so. When I said I didn’t they got very cross with the guy which pleased me. The Sri Lankans are always trying to get money from you and are very blatant about it which disappointed us a lot.
When Dave returned he complained of not feeling too well but said he would still go on the walk; I insisted he returned to the accommodation and rest as he didn’t look too good. He eventually agreed and returned while I started the walk. It was a pleasant, easy walk, winding through the tea plantations and then up lots of steps to the top. As I reached the top it started to rain lightly, so I ran to the peak where I met the Israeli couple, got them to take photos of me to proof I had made it (and took some of them) then started to make my way back down. At the bottom the rain started to become heavier but I decided to continue to walk back. I don’t think it was a good decision – the rain became a heavy downpour and I got absolutely soaked through. The locals were looking at me very strangely from under their shelters but I continued; the roads became rivers and I was dripping from everywhere! Once I finally arrived back at the accommodation the rain was stopping and I felt cold so got a hot shower and changed into dry clothes.
A little later another storm came through. Along with the storm came thousands of flying bugs, something in between a moth and a small dragonfly. Unbeknown to us the woners had opened our window while we were out and these bugs invaded our room; Dave was trying to catch them while I was hiding under the mosquito net! Unfortunately there were too many to catch so Dave asked for insect spray and sprayed the room – the smell was overpowering so we had to leave the room. But – the balcony was also full of these bugs, what was I to do, they were really freaking me out; I ended up having to sit in the tiny dark corridor in between the room and the balcony! Dave and another guy tried their best to get rid of the bugs on the balcony and the bug spray can was emptied. The storm eventually passed and the bugs went with it, very strange, but the balcony and our room was littered with hundreds of dead bugs; Dave shovelled them up and threw them over the edge.
We eventually managed to sit down for dinner, choosing to have it at the accommodation. It was very tasty again but we were getting fed up of having the same thing – the Sri Lankan curries are all the same and are quite bland. But we were full and ready for bed. Nighty nite xxx
16/10/2014 – Udawalawe
Had breakfast on the balcony, soaking up the fantastic views for the last time as we were moving on. The owners brother was going to drive us to Udawalawe for the same price as the taxi would have done, as he works as a teacher in the village. We set off mid morning, stopping at highlights on the way – more amazing views, waterfalls and temples so that he could pray (and give money) for a safe journey. Some of the temples were very interesting with one having stone monks line a path behind the temple.
I have to say at this point that Buddhism is really disappointing me more and more; I see ‘monks’ with modern, expensive gear and lots of money, taking money of very poor families and giving them prayers while looking very bored doing it (and sometimes sat with their mobile phones). We even saw a mobile temple going out to the people who couldn’t afford to get to the temples to collect money of them! I am sure Buddha would be turning in his grave if he saw what was going on – this isn’t what he wanted.
Back to our trip – we stopped in a town for a drink of tea, the locals clearly amused about us being there, and stopped for fresh coconut milk from a stall at the side of the road – there was a beautiful little girl there with the most gorgeous eyes; she was as curious of us as we were of her.
We got to Udawalawe and our driver phoned our hotel to find where it was, it was just off the main road close to the entrance of the National Park. We made arrangements for our driver (sorry, I can’t remember his name) to pick us up the day after and settled into our room. It was a lovely room, spacious and clean with fruit trees behind us and a garden with more fruit trees in the garden. I felt very tired so went for a sleep. Later I didn’t have an appetitie so passed on dinner; Dave ate another curry made by the caretakers of the hotel and said it was the best meal he had had in Sri Lanka, he really enjoyed it; typical!! We got an early night as we had to be up very early the day after. Nighty nite xxx
17/10/2014 – Safari
We had our sleep interrupted last night with banging noises on the roof – we think they were monkey’s running around up there! We were up very early and ready for our jeep to pick us up for the safari, I was so excited about this, the main thing I wanted to do in Sri Lanka. The jeep picked us up and we set off to the National Park; there were thousands of those funny flying bugs everywhere again, but luckily they flew over the jeep and not in it (it was an open one). We arrived and paid our fees and picked up our guide then were in the park. We immediately saw a herd of wild elephants, my heart was pounding with excitement – these are magnificent creatures in their natural environment. We watched them for a while until they wandered off and continued on. The guide was brilliant and could spot the smallest creature at a great distance. We saw jackals, Samba, wild cattle, lizards, chameleons, monkeys, more elephants with a baby and lots of different birds including hundreds of peacocks (they mainly stay in the trees and screech out), eagles and even an endangered species (Lesser Adjutant). The last herd of elephants got very close to us and I began to get worried they would charge at us but the guide reassured us they wouldn’t. It was a fantastic experience that will stay with me forever.
We returned to the hotel and ate a hearty breakfast. We then had a walk around the village where we saw more beautiful birds and lizards. There were lots of dogs which kept barking at us and the dog from the hotel which had followed us got attacked by 2 of them, I felt very bad about it. The locals were very friendly and again very curious about us. One guy tried to sell us a blue lobster! We returned to the hotel and waited for our driver to pick us up.
We were on the road again towards Tangalle. We stopped at temples again to pray for a safe journey and finally got to our hotel. We had picked this hotel as a bit of luxury to chill; it had a swimming pool and the rooms were large with a private balcony and a bed/ lounger on it. We said goodbye to ur driver and made ourselves comfortable.
We had a walk to the beach which was straight across the road then chilled out for the rest of the day. We ate at the hotel but didn’t enjoy it too much, we had carbonara but it was dry and had a funny taste to it. Oh well, chill out time! Nighty nite xxx
18/10/2014 – Tangalle
After an enjoyable breakfast we had a walk around the town. It is very traditional and not really touristy. We bought some supplies from the supermarket and took the road towards the beach on our way back. As we passed a church I saw a tiny puppy on the wall trying it’s best to walk; it was shaking and obviously in a lot of distress. On closer inspection the puppy was soaked through and looked as if it would collapse very soon. Dave was stood talking to a local guy in a wheelchair at his door so I picked up the puppy and took it over, asking the guy if he knew who it belonged to. He thought it was from a house further down the street but I couldn’t find anyone; I also couldn’t just leave the poor little thing. I saw a nursing school (it was in a house) so I went there and asked if they could help. They gave me a towel to wrap it in and sent for some milk. I asked them if they could keep it and look after it, they said they would so I left happily. Later someone told me that once I left they would just throw it over the wall – I hope they were wrong and that they looked after it well.
We continued around the road, passing the harbour and the navy headquarters. There was also a beach where the locals swim as it’s sheltered and calmer than most beaches there. As we were nearing the hotel I heard a rustle in the trees and saw some Grey Langur Monkeys. They were very wary of us, especially the mothers holding their babies but I managed to get some good photos; I was wary too after our experience with the charging monkey in Malasia!
We spent some time by the pool then went to a restaurant by the beach – this ‘restaurant’ was a shack type building with a kitchen in the back and run by one guy. His restaurant was completely washed away in the tsunami and he rebuilt it. The food there is amazing though; fresh seafood which I am usually reluctant to try, but I had a plate full of grilled prawns with garlic and French fries with a salad; Dave had squid. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, sat at a table on the beach watching the sun set and the waves crashing in. It’s no wonder it has rave reviews. We went back to the hotel happy and contented. Nighty nite xxx
19/10/2014 – market
Dave wasn’t feeling well again today; I was very worried about him and could see he was losing heaps of weight; he looked skeletal. I left him in bed while I went to the market in the town. This was fantastic, the sights, sounds and smells wrapped around me. First I walked along the street where there were guys selling fish; they called out to me to buy some but what would I do with fish? I then went into the main market where there were concrete blocks that the locals sat in the middle of with their fruit or veg around them and large weighing scales next to them. There was also lots of fresh spices and I was very tempted to buy some cinnamon but again wouldn’t know what to do with it without a kitchen to cook in! I took in the atmosphere and walked around; it was magical.
I chose to walk back on the coastal route again and once I got close to the navy headquarters I found a great spot to sit and relax looking out over the sea. I was only sat for about a minute when I had a couple of navy guards rush up to me and informed me I couldn’t sit there as it belonged to the navy. I smiled nicely and walked on; what a shame.
After checking on Dave I had a walk down to the beach by the rocks and sat watching the crabs and funny rock fish climbing and jumping over the rocks, while the sea was crashing in over them. I love being on the beach when it’s like this, it’s so dramatic.
When I got back to Dave we had a discussion about him seeing a doctor; it was obvious we couldn’t go on like we were and I was afraid for his health. I gave him the option of seeing a doctor in Sri Lanka, going on to England to see someone there or returning back to New Zealand to see his own doctor and specialist; he chose New Zealand. Although it was sad not to be continuing our adventure at this time, it was also a relief to know he would be getting some help. We had pizza for dinner and went to bed happy with our decision. Nighty nite. xxx
20/10/2014 – Quiet day
We had breakfast and booked flights to New Zealand, we only had a week left in Sri Lanka so wanted to make the most of it. I really wanted to do another safari in Yala as this is where leopards can be seen. We arranged to go the day after and spent the rest of the day by the pool chilling out. We went back to the restaurant by the beach for seafood and had an early night as we had an extremely early start the day after. Nighty night. xxx
21/10/2014 – Yala Safari and Mirissa
We were picked up at 4am for our journey to Yala National Park. The hotel provided a packed breakfast for us and we set off in the dark. We stopped at a homestay where our jeep picked us up; it was much bigger than the jeep in our last safari. We headed towards the National Park and as we got closer we saw more and more of these giant jeeps with only one or two people in them. At the entrance there were loads of them and we paid our fees and set off. We managed to get to be on our own with no other jeeps around us and all of a sudden the driver stopped – he had spotted a sloth bear in a bush! We sat and watched the bear and within a couple of minutes there were at least a dozen jeeps around us. The bear appeared oblivious to us all and even walked in front of the jeeps to go towards other bushes. It was great to see it so close.
We continued on and saw some Samba, jackals and a few birds. All of a sudden the jeep turned around and went dashing along the track – a leopard had been spotted and we were racing towards it. When we arrived there was heaps of jeeps again and they were all jammed. We managed to crawl to a point where we could see the leopard, it was lying down and enjoying the sun, but there were so many people trying to see it that we only got a glimpse of it before we had to move on to make way for others. This really spoilt the experience and I’m sure the wildlife kept hidden due to so much traffic. It would be better if they filled the jeeps and used less of them instead of having 2 people in a jeep that could carry ten people. I hope they learn soon before it’s too late.
I enjoyed the safari but the one at Udawalawe was much better. We made our way back to the hotel to pick up our language and go on to Mirrisa. We stopped at Matara on the way to see the coast and take some photos. When we arrived at the hotel they appeared shocked to see us. They said they hadn’t received our booking from Agoda and the room with a private balcony wasn’t available but they had another room and would sort it out the day after. They appeared friendly, though the man of the house was already trying to sell us trips! The room was very basic but clean and we could sit at the balcony on the top which had a lovely view over the sea. We sat there and enjoyed a pot of tea. We then went to the beach to top up our tan and have a swim in the sea. The beach was a narrow strip with local style fishing boats along it; we found a gap in between these to sunbathe in peace.
After a shower we sat on the balcony and had another curry for dinner, again it was okay but we’re so fed up of them!!! Nighty nite xxx
22/10/2014 – Whale watching
We were up early to go on a whale watching trip, this was another experience I was looking forward to as I had seen the pictures of the blue whales seen on these trips. We were picked up by a tuk tuk and taken to the harbour where we boarded a boat and given a boxed breakfast (not that good) and a life jacket. We set off and looked out to sea excitedly to try to spot the whales. After what seemed a long time the crew started getting excited and pointed in the distance; nobody else could see anything but they insisted there was a whale out there. We all stood at the front of the boat and strained our eyes to see it; the staff kept shouting that it was surfacing; we all began to think it was a scam and they were having us on! Eventually I saw a mist of water that the whale had blown in the air and I became excited again. After about another ½ hour we came close to the whale but we couldn’t get a good look at it; it would only surface briefly then would dive under again. It didn’t help that there were half a dozen boats following it. Again, tourism has spoilt the wildlife experience and they need to learn how to do it properly. We also learnt it wasn’t a Blue whale but a Right whale. We set off back to the harbour quite deflated.
We had a quiet afternoon just chilling. We still didn’t get our room with a balcony, the owners making noises and excuses; I wasn’t happy! For dinner we walked into the town where most of the choice was curry. Luckily we found a kebab restaurant that had opened only that day and ate there. The kebab probably wasn’t brilliant, but it tasted fantastic after eating nothing but curries, and the home made chips to were to die for. We treat ourselves to a beer with our meal and went back to our hotel contented. Nighty nite xxx
23/10/2014 – Lazy day
Still no room with a balcony, very unimpressed as that’s what we paid for! We had a lazy day spending time on the beach and just chilling. It was getting closer to our departure date and we had a mixture of emotions. Back to town for a kebab for dinner! Nighty nite xxx
25410/2014 – Fort Galle
We packed and ordered a tuk tuk to take us to Fort Galle. The owners of the hotel graciously waived our food and drink bill for the lack of a room with a balcony, I wish they’d have said this earlier so I wouldn’t have got so angry with them. We set off and drove along the south coast which was beautiful. The driver stopped and a beach area and asked if we wanted to take some photos of fishermen on the Sri Lankan poles in the sea so we said yes. As soon as we got out about three guys came to us and said they wanted paying for any photos taken; they then asked if we wanted to sit on one of the poles for a photo but wanted a lot of money for this so we declined. We gave then some money for the photographs (reluctantly) and got on our way. We later learnt that this is another scam and they aren’t even real fishermen! Our driver attempted to stop at another place but we told him to keep driving on.
We arrived at our hotel in Fort Galle, a quaint little place, but our room wasn’t ready so we went for a walk around the Fort. We were very surprised at Fort Galle, it was unlike any other place we had visited in Sri Lanka as it was modern and very clean. The town is surrounded by a wall (the Fort) that goes along the coast. We walked about ½ of it then went for lunch. There was a lot of choices to eat with new modern restaurants everywhere; we chose one that had opened only that day that offered a great choice in western food. We felt very contented when we had finished. We got back to the hotel and settled into our room; it was very small but comfortable and we could see over the street. After cooling down we changed into our togs (and my pj’s for respect) and went to the beach where the locals were. We had quite a lot of stares and a muslim girl asked if she could have her photo taken with me as she thought I was beautiful! I paddled in the water and didn’t really want to get my pj’s wet but a large wave came in a wet me through – I decided I might as well go swimming!
After having a shower and changing we had another look around the town before going for dinner; another tasty western meal, yum! Nighty nite xxx
26/10/2014 – Negombo
I forgot to mention – there was a family from NZ stopping at our hotel, we got to speak to them last night. The older couple (probably about 60ish) owned a retirement village in Palmerston North and they come to Sri Lanka every year and bring their grown up children and 2 grandchildren. I wasn’t impressed with what they told me, they don’t like to employ Kiwi’s, preferring to employ Filipino’s (cheap labour and they work lots of overtime without complaining). From what they said and reading between the lines it sounds like they’re only interested in making lots of money and not actually bothered about caring for their clients, which is a typical story in this industry. They were bragging about how much money they have and all the expensive material possessions they own, as well as spending 3 months of the year in Sri Lanka. They said they are also taking a Sri Lanka chef back with them. This always makes me sad, old people should be cared for with respect, not as a way to make an easy buck with sub-standard care; it happens all too often. Anyway ……………..
We got up quite early to get to the train station back to Colombo; a guy who works at the hotel said that the train goes at 9.30am so we wanted to be there in plenty of time to get the tickets and find our seats. We got to the station and went to get our tickets but because it was Sunday the first train didn’t leave until 11am which would mean we would have to wait at the station for 2 hours. We decided to get a taxi instead and came to an agreement for a good price. The journey took about 3 ½ hours, most of it on a highway to Colombo, the first decent road I had seen in Sri Lanka. We got to the hotel and the driver asked for a tip; we told him if he came back for us in 2 days to take us to the airport then we would give him a tip then.
Just on the point of tipping and giving money to the people of Sri Lanka – we were told that the people of Sri Lanka think that all western people are very rich and a lot of them are jealous of us and think they are entitled to get as much money from us as possible. This is sad and spoils going to Sri Lanka for some part as the people are continuously asking for money and trying to scam money out of tourists. They don’t realise that we have had to work very hard and save even harder to do a trip like this. The tips can actually add up to more than you spend on services, and it isn’t that cheap in Sri Lanka, especially compared to the rest of Asia. It certainly irritated us at times, and we don’t mind tipping for good service we don’t like to be continuously badgered for it. Shame, as it would put us off going back to a degree.
Anyhow, back of the soap box – the hotel we had booked was lovely, a good pool and right by the beach, although the beach wasn’t very clean. The rooms were large and modern and had a kettle – yah!!! We had lunch then went to relax by the pool for the afternoon.
For dinner we walked along the road looking for something a bit different but could only find Sri Lankan curry, so that’s what we had. Again it was okay but again, all the curries taste the same. Oh for some variety!
Back at the hotel there was a wedding reception going on; it was lovely to see lots of people in the traditional dress and the bride and groom looked beautiful. We watched the reception from our balcony for a while then relaxed in bed. Nighty nite xxx
27/10/2014 – last day by pool
Today was our last full day in Sri Lanka. We were getting excited about seeing our family and friends back home, and having some decent food. We had a short walk along the beach, had a quick dip in the sea but then realised it wasn’t too clean, so spent the day at the pool side. We decided to have dinner at the hotel as we didn’t want to get an iffy stomach on our way home but the food wasn’t that good. We ate enough to take the hunger away and went back to pack our belongings. Nighty nite xxx
28/10/2014 – Back to NZ
Finished the last of our packing, showered, breakfast then picked up to go to the airport. We gave our driver a good tip as promised, which he was pleased about and went to get our flight. It was sad to leave Sri Lanka without seeing everything we wanted to but we felt relieved we would be getting Dave the help he needed; he was wasting away to nothing. We’d spend all the rest of the day, the night and most of the day after travelling home. So goodbye Sri Lanka – hello New Zealand!
29/10/2014 – 16/12/2014 – Back home in New Zealand
So, we’ve spent the last 7 weeks back in New Zealand. It’s been lovely to see everyone again (although we didn’t get to catch up with everyone we wanted to, the time just flew) and especially great to see our family.
We got Dave sorted out, he saw his GP, specialist and psychologist and has put heaps of weight on, he looks like a different person. It was definitely the right decision to come back, I think if we would have stayed Dave would have become very sick. Ironically, I saw my GP and asked to be checked for low iron, the results showed I have high iron levels which explains why I get so tired and sick so often. I have to be careful of my iron intake and especially careful of my alcohol consumption – I don’t drink much to start with so this really sucks, I do like a glass of wine with a meal and sometimes a blow out for something special, but this has to stop so I don’t damage my liver.
We’ve refreshed ourselves, changed our clothing (though I had to bring back my favourite pink t-shirt) and sorted out our backpacks, getting rid of a lot of things we didn’t use. I also treat myself to a new dress which I can wear ten different ways.
We had an early Christmas with the kids, having a Christmas dinner; the grandkids got a phone call from Santa and got their pressie early; it was beautiful to see their faces light up. We also took them to the Santa Parade so we had a fab time with them.
We’re now all packed and ready to continue our adventure. We fly out to India early tomorrow morning. I’m itching to get back on the road and experience life around the world. Catch you all soon, nighty nite xxx
17/12/2014 - Long journey to Kochi (or Cochin)
We stayed at our lovely friend’s house, Zoey, in Wellington the night before we flew as we had to be at the airport for about 4.30am. Zoey had made us a beautiful meal the night before and we settled to bed at 9.30p , but of course I couldn’t sleep; I didn’t nod off until way past midnight then slept on and off for about 3 hours. Zoey very kindly dropped us off at the airport and our adventure was beginning again.
Very disappointed with Air New Zealand and their booking in system; it’s all automated now so we checked ourselves in but had to find staff to verify our Indian visa’s and issue our boarding cards. Our boarding cards showed that our seats from Sydney to Singapore were not together; when we asked about this we were told we would have to see the Singapore Airline staff in Sydney! Then, we realised our luggage was only going as far as Singapore, when we enquired about that they said there was nothing they could do. It would have been much easier and quicker to have had a real person booking us in from the start.
After breakfast we boarded the plane to Sydney, no hassles on that leg, apart from the price didn’t include food, drink or entertainment (and the tickets weren’t cheap). Once in Sydney we searched for Singapore Airlines staff but couldn’t find any until about 1 ½ hours before our flight (we had a 5 hour wait). It was worth the wait though, we were upgraded to the top deck with seats by the window. The plane (Airbus 380) was massive, and the seats were the best we had been in. There were 2 by the window side, 4 in the middle and another 2 on the other side. We had plenty of room, the seats were comfortable and we even had a little shelf at the side of us for our bits and bats. The service is impeccable, the food delicious and the entertainment great; Singapore are our favourite airlines to fly with and all of this made our longest leg feel comfortable and went relatively quickly. – oh, apart from the turbulence, how can I forget that, it was the worst I’ve felt on a flight and I was sure we were going to be plunged towards earth pretty quickly – I kept grabbing Dave’s arm as if that would stop me crashing into a messy death!!
We arrived in Singapore, our second home on our adventures; I’ve lost count how many times we have been here! After sorting our luggage out we had a cuppa and waited for our final leg to India. We were both very tired at this point; I had actually managed to sleep for about an hour on the last plane which is unusual for me to sleep at all, but the lack of sleep over the last few nights was definitely catching up with me. We eventually got onto our last plane, over ½ hour late. It felt small and crowded compared to the last plane but we were nearly there! We were sat next to a guy who is originally from Cochin but now lives in Hamilton, so we had a good chin wag with him before settling down for some shut eye. I must have been exhausted because I actually slept for a large part of the journey; I can never usually sleep on planes so this surprised me. Even so, the leg seemed to take forever.
Once we arrived in Kochi we had to fill out our arrival form and stand in a long line to go through immigration; this took about 40 minutes. We collected our luggage (it arrived, yah!) and bought some brandy for our host tomorrow from the duty free. We got a taxi to the hotel and was ripped off again – do we ever learn! We were charged about $10 to go to just past the entrance to the airport; we could have walked it in 15 minutes at the most. A quick shower and straight into bed. Nighty nite xxx
18/12/2014 – Waterfalls and elephants
After a fairly decent night’s sleep we went for breakfast which was mainly Indian food and cornflakes. We were then picked up by Stephen who I work with at Te Whare Ra Uta, and who was in Kerala with his wife and children visiting their families for Christmas. Stephen had got one of his brothers’ friends to come in a people carrier and had brought along his wife Juby, his daughter Angel and his son Jehiel.
We set off through the towns of Kerala and firstly went to Athirapally Waterfall. We had to walk down a stone path with monkeys alongside it, they were very cute and cheeky. The waterfall was magnificent; it fell down over the rocks in a great force in 3 different places. There were warnings not to swim in the river as there were many drownings. Instead we went over the large rocks and found a place to sit and dip our feet into the cool water. The children loved this and paddled out with their parents holding on tight to them.
After cooling off our feet we went back up the path; there seemed to be even more monkeys than before. We made our way to the Vazhachal Waterfall which wasn’t as steep or long but very pretty. We walked along the river that had islands of bamboo trees through it. There were local houses at the side with monkeys jumping on the roofs and through the window! Some of the houses looked very poor, and one of then looked as if it had been ruined by a fire, but there were still people living in it.
From here we drove back towards the towns and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. We had a beef curry, chicken curry, biryani and 2 types of breads. We then set off to Kodanadu where there was an old elephant training centre where they keep the elephants that were there for trained forestry and other works. They were kept in a ‘Kraal’ which are small wooden enclosures and were kept there until the trainers had them under control. There were 6 elephants there, 2 of them were very big and had massive tusks; they were all chained at one of the front legs and one of the back legs which made it impossible for them to move – this upset me greatly, especially as one of the elephants was rocking back and forth, obviously going mad!
We walked down to the river, stopping for a coconut on the way, drinking the milk then eating the flesh. The river was beautiful; some men were bathing in it and the sun was slowly going down. After taking in the views we set back off to go to Juby’s family house where we were staying; the town is called Areekara.
We were greeted by Juby’s parents who made us feel very welcome. We were then given dinner – curries and biryani and breads – I am going to get so fat in India!! After dinner we felt very tired, neither me nor Dave could keep our eyes open, so we went to bed. Dave lay on the bed and fell instantly asleep with all his clothes on, I had to wake him to go shower and undress. Nighty nite xxx
19/12/2014 – Areekara
We had a wonderful sleep and hopefully have recovered from our jet lag. I dressed and went into the kitchen where Juby and her mother were preparing breakfast; I was asking questions and watching, trying to learn how to make Indian dishes but was too late for most things – I did manage to learn how to make coconut chutney though. I will have to get up earlier tomorrow! We had breakfast, more curry, the coconut chutney and an Indian bread.
We spent most of the day playing with the children, kicking a ball around and badminton. Angel took us for a walk around the village, there is a road that passes the houses in the area, and we had a quick visit to her great grand-parents’ house. Angel said she was scared to go there and when we arrived they couldn’t understand who we were; as we were about to leave Stephen arrived on his motorbike and was able to explain to them. They are very old and I’m not sure if the grandfather may have dementia. During our walk Angel showed us a plant that folded up when touched, we also spoke to some of the neighbours who were very interested in what we were doing and where we were visiting.
After lunch (more curries and rice) we went into the town to get a SIM card; this was quite a feat as you have to have 2 photo ID’s, one with an address on and a passport photo. Our passports don’t have our address and neither do our driving license, but Dave had his UK driver license with his old parents address on so we managed to use that. After getting the documents photocopied and then getting a passport photo taken we were given a SIM card, but this won’t be activated until the day after, at the time of activation Stephen will get a text message saying it will be activated, then I turn my phone on, call the service centre who will ask for verification details then if they are happy will activate it! All this needs to be completed as terrorists and criminals were using SIM cards and throwing them away making them untraceable.
We looked around the land of the house, Stephen explained what was grown in the garden – amongst other things are ginger, curry leaves, papaya, tapioca, bananas and pepper – their own spice and fruit garden which is really cool. There are also hens that roam freely and lay their eggs. We saw some birds in the trees which had 2 long quills with a feather on the ends of their tails, very beautiful but we really need some binoculars to see them properly. We also had a visit from one of the neighbours with her very large goat which the kids loved picking leaves and feeding to it.
We were given some boiled tapioca (it wasn’t what I thought, it’s a bit like a potato) and a chilli sauce which was delicious (I got the recipe Joy Peters!). This was a ‘snack’ before our dinner which was a curry and chapatti’s followed by a milk dessert with cashews and raisins; I’m going to be putting on so much weight here. Oh, and we were given some Indian sweets earlier too!
I still have some jet lag – I had to have a bit of a sleep before lunch and was tired again at 8pm. It’s great being here though where we can relax. We are being very spoilt here and are very grateful to Stephen and his family. Nighty nite xxx
20/12/2014 – Walk around the village
After another delicious breakfast we relaxed around the house for a while then went for a walk around the village. We walked along a very small path in the grass and came to a house where the woman knew Stephen’s family. She had children who were very shy and would only peep from the house. The woman very kindly offered for us to have some food at her house but we declined and went on our way. All the locals were fascinated by Dave and myself; they would stop and stare, some would talk to us, others came along on their bikes to see us and then turn back quickly!
We walked along the local and and lanes, past pineapple fields, rubber trees, coffee trees and cocoa trees, amongst others. It is very laid back here and Stephen explained that the locals would do as little as possible – for example, there used to be lots of rice fields but they are now gone and replaced with the rubber trees as they are much easier to manage. We came across a pump for the bore water; when Stephen tried to pump water up all he got was dozens of ants running out! We then saw some presses that are used for the rubber; they looked a bit like the old wringers from the washing machines.
We continued on until we got to the town; we stopped at the local church where Stephen and his family go; we then got an auto-rickshaw as little Jehiel was tired and wanted a ride. We got the auto-rickshaw for about half way up the hill then continued to walk the rest of the way. Not long after we had set off again we came across a large group of youth playing football in a space with trees in – not very easy to pass the ball amongst trees and small hillocks! Once they saw us they stopped playing and rushed over to wave, some of them coming to chat and introduce themselves. They were all very well behaved and very curious; they loved it when I took a photo of them. Not long after we had arrived back at the house.
We had lunch (another feast) then relaxed for a while. Myself, Angel and Jehiel were watching the ferral cat and it’s kittens that were in the wood pile; the mother was both scared and wary of us, the kittens curious but wary too. Later in the afternoon we went to Stephens parents’ house in an auto-rickshaw which is about 5km away.
We arrived at the house which is on the side of the main road and sat in a room with Stephens’ father and mother. His father has the start of dementia and also cataracts which limits his quality of life. He used to like going out and walking, then when he was unable to go out he would sit outside watching the world go by; now he can’t see well enough so is stuck in the house. After a while he got a little anxious of us being in the room so we went to sit in the living room. Stephens’ mother made us some tea and brought us some snacks that were like coconut biscuits, they were very crumbly and I got crumbs all over me when I bit into it!
Stephens’ mother was so cute, she is very short and has these large gold earrings in the top of her ears; she also had the cheekiest smile. Stephens’ brother and sister-in-law were also at the house, his other brother was out at work – he’s a bus driver and works 14 hour shifts, 20 days on, 10 days off, and earns 500 rupees a shift (about $10 – 5 pounds).
We chatted for a while then sat outside; again the locals were very curious and would stare at us when they passed. There was a family across the road whose children would stand at the door, giggle and run back inside; after a while they would wave at us. When we were leaving they came across with their father and introduced themselves, they were very polite and spoke good English. We got an auto-rickshaw and before heading back to the house we went on a tour of the countryside in the local area; the roads were hair-raising at times, especially when he did a 3 point turn on a narrow stretch with a huge drop at the side.
Later in the evening we were visited by Juby’s aunt and cousin; her cousin had just won the regional finals for a dance competition and was now going on to the state competition. After some convincing we got her up to show us some of the dances, she was really good and we enjoyed it. A little later they asked us to give them a song so we sang them ‘Ilkley Moor Bah Tat’; they loved it! They then got me up dancing and in good spirits I danced the Indian one with them. As they were getting ready to leave they asked if we would like to go to their house for dinner; Stephen said it was too far and too late to go safely; a shame as we would have enjoyed it. They left, the niece riding the scooter ad as she went down the end of the road she fell off; luckily she was okay, just wounded pride and off she set with her mum on the back.
We were treated to another feast for dinner; I really don’t know how these people stay so slim, I’m eating the same portions the children have and am twice as fat as any of the adults. After dinner we rested on our bed and then went to sleep. Nighty nite xxx
21/12/2014 – Feast for lunch and meeting Mel
We got up early and had another wonderful breakfast then packed our belongings; it was the day for us to move on and leave Stephen and his family. We felt sad at this as we had had a fantastic time and had been treat like royalty; Angel said she would miss us and didn’t want us to go, bless her (we promised we would go to see her in NZ once we returned). But first we had a little trip ahead of us – we were going to stop at a friend of Juby’s who she had done her nurse training with for lunch, along with another friend who had also trained with them.
On the way we stopped at a church which was beautiful. We arrived at the friend’s house and were given a drink and cake; at first I thought this was lunch but we were in for a big surprise! We were taken for a walk by the river by Harold, the friends’ husband, Stephen and the kids and told about the land and the traditions. Once back at the house we were shown the wedding albums, first the brides and then a much bigger one which was the grooms (Hindu’s have an album each). We sat and waited, watching the ladies preparing food – it seemed never ending. I was starting to get impatient, not because I was hungry or fed up, but because this was the day I was meeting Mel and I knew she was at the hotel waiting for us – I was excited at meeting her again after 9 years. Time was getting on and eventually we were seated at the dining table while a huge feast was brought out – all this was made in our honour and preparations had started the day before (this made me feel guilty about feeling impatient). We sat and ate with Stephen and his children while the rest watched us, apparently it is tradition to feed your guests first. We chatted with the friends, I got another recipe (Indian fried chicken) and then we took photos; then it was time to leave. What wonderful people, I am very grateful for what they did for us. Now to see Mel – yippee!!!!!
It took us about an hour to reach Fort Cochin and another 15 minutes to find our hotel. Stephen and his family waited downstairs while we went up to the room; Mel answered the door and we hugged then looked at each other in astonishment – it was really weird to be seeing each other again. Mel kept touching me as if she didn’t believe I was there in the flesh! Mel came down to meet Stephen and Co and they then went on their way. It was sad to see them go.
Me n Mel chatted and caught up on some of the years we hadn’t seen each other then we showered and went out for a look around the area and dinner. There was an art festival on and we saw Indian bands playing, art displays and also managed to see part of a carol concert in one of the many churches here (they are everywhere). Fort Cochin is very touristy with lots of tourists wandering around; usually I don’t like stopping in places like this but it had a good vibe to it and more importantly I was with Mel. We had dinner, went back to the hotel and after some more chatting retired to bed. Nighty nite xxx
22/12/2014 – Becca arrives
I was awake at 6am so got up, showered (the water takes a good ten minutes to get warm) then washed some clothes. Eventually Dave and Mel got up and once ready we went for breakfast. We found a café (after getting lost and wandering for half an hour) that had been recommended which also doubled as a bit of an art gallery; the food was westernised but we didn’t mind as we were ready for something that wasn’t curry! We all decided on an omellete and myself and Mel got a fruit platter thinking the omellete would be a paper thin one. Well – the omellete came – it was massive, about 2 inches thick and full of tomatoes, onions, cheese and a beautiful creamy sauce; this was accompanied by two slices of delicious bread. We were so full that we couldn’t eat most of the fruit so we took it with us.
When we returned back to the hotel Becca had arrived and was sleeping in bed, she had travelled from the UK and was seriously jet-lagged. We chilled out while she slept then once she was awake we walked back into the main centre of Cochin so Becca could get something to eat. We decided we’d get a snack to keep us going until dinner. We found our way to the beach area, definitely not a swimming beach, there was a massive refinirey plant a little way out and large container ships were continuously passing. There were lots of locals milling about and some little food shacks along the front. We chose one and ordered 2 lots of onion pakoras, a curry with chapattis for Becca, chappati’s for Dave and a drink each. We got our drinks pretty quick but had an extra one, then we had to wait an hour and a half for the food. We were told after about an hour that there was no chappatis so we ordered more pakoras and rice; then when the meal came the extra pakoras didn’t! Bless, it was one young guy doing the cooking from fresh while another one was obviously running around trying to find chappatis. It was fun sitting and people watching though.
Once we had finished the sun was setting so we walked towards the Chinese fishing nets; these are a big attraction and quite a sight to see; unfortunately we missed the sun setting as it went behind a cloud. We were stopped frequently by traders trying to sell their cheap wares, including spyrograph wheels! We stopped under a tree to look at the view when all of a sudden Mel shrieked – she had been pooped on by a bird in the tree and it hit her just above her eye. So what did we do? Rush to her aid and cleaned her off? No, we got the camera out and took a photo of it!!
We carried on and found a restaurant/ bar so popped in to use the toilet, and of course had to get a beer each! We chatted to a couple from the UK who were on their honeymoon, she was from Skipton and he was a southerner. After our drinks we looked for somewhere to eat and found a little local restaurant. We sat in the back corner with all the locals watching us and ordered a chicken curry, a veg curry and lots of different breads. The food was delicious and when the bill came it cost us 290 rupees which is the equivalent of $6 (or 3 pounds). We gave our lovely waiter a 100 rupee tip which he was delighted with and quickly stuffed it into his pocket!
We walked back to the hotel, played Uno which was fun then sorted out a day trip with the guy at the hotel. He’s so helpful and friendly. Becca looked completely knackered and wandered off to bed, we all followed a little later. Nighty nite xxx
23/12/2014 – local buses, fishing village and school
We had a slow morning; I was up first again and cooked some porridge and made tea. It took us all about 2 hours to get showered, dressed and ready to leave. We asked the guy at reception (I really should get to know his name) about going out to a small town on the local bus. He suggested we go to Chellanam via Thoppumpady and said there was a church and school there which we could visit as the owner of the hotel chain sponsored these. It sounded like a good plan so we said we would go; the guy said he would phone ahead and let them know we would be coming, that we would be able to have a rest at the church house.
We walked into the centre and found a small local café where we had an omellete and paratha bread; the guy who owned the café told us he had been in the merchant navy for 35 years and had pretty much travelled the world, the list of countries he reeled off was very impressive. We started walking towards the bus station when we noticed lots of runny poo on the floor, probably from a goat as there were lots around; when we checked our shoes Becca found that she had poo inside her sandal – yuck!!! She washed it off with her bottle of water and finger (yuck again) then cleaned her hands, and off we set again.
We found the bus station and managed to find the right bus with the information our receptionist had given us. We set off and very soon the bus was full, we were thankful we had got on at the first stop and got seats. The locals were looking at us strangely; I don’t think they are used to tourists getting on the bus. The conductor and one of the passengers told us when we had reached Thoppumpady and we jumped off then asked a guy for directions to our next bus stop. The Indians are very helpful and will always help when they can. We crossed a very busy road, dodging the traffic and found our next bus at the other side by reading the destination in Indian – clever hey??!! On we jumped again, but this time we had to stand for quite a way as it was already full. We noticed that the women were sat at the front and the men at the back, when we asked about this we were told this is the way and we then noticed the men got on the back of the bus and the women at the front.
We eventually got seats and watched the towns turn into a rural area (there are no windows, just shutters to pull down if you like, and it gives a beautiful breeze). Mel noticed that we had actually passed the place we were going to next. When we got off the bus there was a man waving for us to come over to him at the opposite side of the road; I wasn’t sure if he was trying to sell us something or was from the church so we went across to see. He motioned for us to follow him and he took us to the church and around the side to a 3 storey building where we went to a room at the top. The room had a bed in it, a bathroom and views out to the ocean but with bars on the window. He left us there mumbling something about someone else but we weren’t sure what he meant. It was quite strange and it felt like we had been left in a cell!!!
After about 15 minutes 2 ladies and a man came to the room and introduced themselves as teachers from the school; they said they would show us around and then take us to the school where the children would be having their Christmas celebrations. We went back down the stairs and to the main road where we caught the bus for a couple of stops then walked through a fishing village until we came to the harbour. There was a nearly life size model of a ship that had been built as a shrine in which the fishermen and their families prayed for a safe journey while out at sea; it looked very strange with a large figurine of Jesus at the top.
We then went to the harbour itself and walked along some rocks to the end; there were some dolphins swimming close by but every time I looked I couldn’t see them and every time I turned away Dave would shout that they has surfaced – it was just like the Kit Kat advert with the dancing pandas! I did eventually get to see them though and the teachers said they were a common sight there. We saw the fishermen and their boats and a couple of kids who had made model boats from polystyrene and masts made from odd ends of things, very imaginative.
From the harbour we walked through the area where the fishing nets were kept and maintained and through a small village to where one of the teachers (and acting principal) lives. She very kindly took us to her home, introduced us to her family and gave us a mango drink and cake. After chatting for a while we set off to go to the school, catching the bus again to get to it. The school was a beautiful 3 storey building with stain glass windows. The acting principal explained that it was a charitable school and that they took in the poor kids who would not otherwise get an education.
Once at the school we were taken to a classroom where there were a group of 15 year olds dressed in very smart uniforms. The classrooms are quite small but class sizes are also small, approx. 15 children in each one. We all introduced ourselves and the kids stood quietly and shyly; their teacher then had to coax them to introduce their selves to us. We were then taken to an office and given another drink of mango juice. Shortly afterwards we went to another classroom where the Christmas celebrations were starting; this comprised of cutting a large cream cake and opening their presents (one each). Dave was asked to cut the cake along with the teacher – it looked as they were just married and cutting their wedding cake! We were given a piece of cake each and then taken to the classroom we first went into. Here there was another cake, this time the honours were given to me to cut it, and we were given another piece to eat! Each classroom had their own cake; I was starting to think we would have to eat a piece from each one and then I’d throw up everywhere! The kids in this classroom had music playing and were asked to dance (they were playing One Direction), Dave and Mel started to do some sort of dance but the kids didn’t join in so Mel found some Michael Jackson and was just about to show them her ‘Thriller’ moves when we were ushered to another classroom (Mel did manage to get the zombie dance in quickly).
Another classroom, another cake; this time it was Becca’s turn to cut it, but we declined another piece to eat. We were then taken around the school where the kids were very happy to see us and would rush to the windows shouting ‘Happy Christmas’ and wanting to shake our hands. We were asked numerous times what our names were and Dave got really into the hand shaking; he thought he was a top celebrity! After a tour of the school were returned to the entrance where we gave the acting principal a donation for the children (she didn’t ask for any and we are sure they didn’t expect it) and left after giving them our great gratitude. It was a fantastic tour of both the village and school and one we didn’t expect.
We got the bus back to Fort Cochin, having to change again; the second bus driver was a bit mental and drove very fast. I was sat next to an older Hindu lady and took a photo of the front of the bus; she appeared very interested so I took a selfie of us both – when I showed her the photo she covered her mouth and giggled, it was obvious she didn’t know what I was doing – very sweet!
We got back to Fort Cochin and went for dinner, we all chose something completely different and shared, it was delicious. We then walked back to where the Chinese fishing nets are where the sun was starting to set. It was very busy with both local and international tourists and lots going on – fishermen bringing in their catch (large Kingfish) stalls selling toys and food and a local artist who had painted pictures on the wall; this artists is well known in these parts and paints pictures relating to local issues. We sat and watched the sun go down then returned to our hotel where we freshened up, had a drink then finished our game of Uno (Becca slightly won in the end) before retiring to bed. An excellent day. Nighty nite xxx
24/12/2014 – Day trip to Munnar
We were up before the sun this morning as we were getting picked up at 6am to go to Munnar and the tea plantations beyond. We had booked a 7 seater car so that we had more room and off we set. Even though it was so early and still dark the streets were busy and the locals were setting up their stalls or already in the churches. We went through many towns then it started getting more rural. Our driver, Manish, kept taking the wrong turning or small road but he would ask the locals and get put on the right track. It’s one of the things about India, if you need to find out something you just stop the car and ask a local, they all expect it.
We stopped for breakfast in a ‘restaurant’, I tried the vegetable dosa, a thin Indian bread filled in the middle with a vegetable curry, while the others stuck with omellete. We set off again and came to a waterfall by the side of the road. This was a lovely waterfall that cascaded down the rocks and under a bridge – on the other side was a drop where it looked like a lorry had once crashed over and had monkeys running all over it. The monkeys were quick to run up to the road once there were a few people around.
We carried on and stopped at some view points along the way, unfortunately it was quite misty so we didn’t get the full effect of the beautiful hills surrounding us. We stopped at a small town where there was a ‘rose garden’ and stalls along the roadside selling food and tat to the tourists. I made a fast dash to the gardens as I badly needed a pee. The gardens only had a few roses in but there were other plants, mainly the common garden variety that we are used to, but the Indians loved them. We didn’t stop long and went out to get a fresh coconut to dehydrate us. Dave, Mel and Becca also got a grilled sweetcorn each that had a spicy coating on.
We continued on to the Madupetty Dam, there was a bridge that both cars and pedestrians had to cross on and a traffic jam had formed; we got out of the car and crossed it while our driver slowly got over the bridge. It had a high fence on each side which spoilt the view, but there was also many people and vehicles; this is something we are going to have to get used to in India. Once across the bridge we carried on and our driver was going to stop at an elephant park but we urged him to continue; none of us could bare the thought of seeing those poor elephants, and by the look of the amount of people going in they would have been working very hard. It’s such a shame that this is still happening but it’s all about education.
We came to part of the dam that had some lovely trees around it and boat rides if you like to (we didn’t). Again there were a few stalls around selling local wares (we bought chocolate and cardamom tea). We walked through the woods down to the dam (it looked more like a lake) and relaxed for a while. Me and Becca went to the toilet, while we were waiting outside I spotted a beautiful bird sat on a line but I didn’t have my camera with me; I went to find Dave but he was too far away – the bird was still sat there. After we had been by the dam, through the woods and bought from the stalls I took another look and it was still there (birds never sit still long for me). I got my camera and poised to take a perfect picture and just as I was about to press the shutter it flew away!! It had been sat for over ½ hour and chose to fly away at that point – typical!
We continued on, driving up curvy mountainous roads; the traffic scares me to death, there was so many times it looked as if we were going to crash head on into traffic coming the other way only to pull to one side at the last minute. We stopped at a large tea plantation that you could see for as long as our eyes took us; the bushes were beautifully manicured and made a fantastic pattern along the landscape. Unfortunately the clouds were starting to roll in but we could still see enough. We all had our photographs taken stood in the tea bushes then saw 4 ladies walking towards us who had obviously just come out of the plantations. We drove a little further up when I spotted a lot of ladies who had sacks of tea leaves by the side of the road; I quickly asked the driver to stop. The ladies were weighing the leaves and a lorry was loading the leaves onto the back. I asked if I could take photographs and one lady loved it, posing and waving. All the leaves were taken out of the sacks before being loaded loose onto the lorry. We were very lucky to have seen this and timed it perfectly.
Our next stop was the Top Station; this was an historic shipment point for the transportation of tea leaves via a rope way carriage constructed in 1924 and was spread over 3 stations. The clouds had now come so far in we couldn’t see anything more than 2 metres in front of us. We came across lots of people from different countries and places in India including a group from Germany who were cycling around Kerala. We stopped at a small fruit stall and got a giant avocado for a snack.
We got back to the car and set off back down the mountain/ hill road. Not long after we came across a car that was upside down in the middle of the road; our driver asked the people standing around if anybody was hurt but they said they were all okay. A little further down we came across 2 buses, either one had run into the other at the side or one of them had scraped all the side along a wall – it’s really dangerous on these roads!! Not much further we were flagged down by a car that had overtaken us and driving at a mad speed; when we stopped the driver said he had a lady fro the car accident that needed to get to hospital and could we take her (his car must have broken down). We made room in the car for the lady and her companion and set off; I don’t think she was seriously injured – she was complaining of pain in her neck and kept wincing but she could still move it – it looked as if it was probably whip-lash but you never know. We managed to find the hospital (after telling our driver to go really carefully) and dropped her off; the hospital didn’t look too modern and the beds were crammed into a room together.
We stopped in the town of Munnar for a drink and set off back to Cochin. We hadn’t realised just how far we had come and how long it takes; it was already getting dark and we still had at least 3-4 hours left to go. We stopped at a small restaurant for dinner (I had a beautiful mushroom masala) and continued back. We were all tired and aching and managed to have a little kip each; we eventually arrived back at about 9.30pm, had a drink and went straight to bed – it’s exhausting all this travelling! Nighty nite xxx
25/12/2014 – Christmas Day
I got up at about 7am and was greeted by Mel with a hug and a Christmas tree hat! Shortly after we got Dave and Becca up, Dave had a Christmas stocking hat while Becca had a tree one like ours. Mel was very excited and jigged around to Supercalifragilisticexpilaligousus (however it’s spelt!). We got ready and set off for breakfast at a local café. After spending quite a while in the café (it ran on Indian time as most do) we went to get the ferry to Vypin Island. The locals loved us with our Christmas hats on, a lot of them waving and taking photos of us. The ferry takes vehicles and foot passengers, the fare for us costing 6 cents (3 pence) each! The crossing isn’t long, it took no longer than 10 minutes, and after getting off we got a tuk tuk to take us to Cherai Beach.
We wasn’t sure what to expect of the beach, we had heard both good and bad things about it and the 2007 issue of the Lonely Planet had said it was a hidden secret. On arriving it was clear it wasn’t a secret any longer – there were hundreds of people on the beach. We walked towards some sun loungers we had seen and when we got to them we realised there were all westerners on them; most were in bikinis so we didn’t feel too uncomfortable at first in ours. We got a lounger each and set to have a relaxing afternoon. We 3 girls had a dip in the sea, it wasn’t perfectly clean but it didn’t look too dirty although I was consciously not trying to get any water near my mouth. During the next couple of hours we sunbathed and had a dip in the sea. Unfortunately, the local men would pass in groups and stare and take photographs, then later they became even more brazen and would stand in groups taking photos; it all got very uncomfortable and after 3 hours we had had enough. We got a tuk tuk back to the ferry and crossed again for our 6 cents fare.
After stopping at a bar for a beer we returned to our hotel, showered and got our Christmas feast ready. This consisted of samosas, bhajis, spicy tapioca (a bit like potato), papaya, paratha bread, crisps, fig and walnut salami (from Napier), honey, Indian cake, Christmas cake and chocolate (I think there was other things too), and of course wine, vodka and khalua. We had our mish-mash Christmas meal then played some games – charades, banana mash then ‘guess who’ where we were all given a name to put on our heads and had to ask questions to know who we are – Mel got given ‘God’ which totally confused her! After a great evening spent with fantastic friends (and it’s still surreal to be with Mel) we retired to bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
26/12/2014 – On the move to Alleppy.
We all had a little lie in this morning; Mel had been up during the night not feeling well and wasn’t feeling her best this morning. Becca was up and making eggy bread for breakfast and I made a fresh fruit cocktail with melon, apple, banana, kiwi fruit and pomegranates. After breakfast we slowly got ready and packed. We left our luggage at the hotel and went into town so that Becca could do some shopping; we sat in a café while she potted around. We had a drink then when Becca arrived we had lunch. On our way back to the hotel Becca wanted to go back to a shop for a pashima scarf; it was beautiful but she’s terrible at bartering – the guy had said 800 ruppees and Becca said ‘will you take 700?’ – of course he snapped her hand off! Still, it’s a bargain at $14 (7 pounds).
We ordered a taxi once we arrived back at the hotel and set off to our next destination – Alleppy. It took us about 40 minutes to get there, it’s very close to the village we visited a few days ago, and pulled up in the backwaters. We had to wait by the water while a guy in a row boat came to collect us and our luggage to take us across to the island we were staying on. I was a little apprehensive as to what our accommodation would be like but I needn’t have worried, it was beautiful – a cottage type room with a bathroom and A/C, a balcony with relaxing chairs and the best of all – we were overlooking the backwaters. We sat and soaked up the views and watched large storks, Egrets and other birds flying around. Just as the sun was setting Mel and Becca went for a row on a boat on the waters. A little girl had her crisps stolen by a crow who then managed to make a whole in the pack to eat them. We had a frog sitting by our chairs and when it got dark a lot of flies came out – froggies dinner! Later we saw lots of frogs around the grounds.
We relaxed and gave our order for dinner then went for our meal later in the evening. The food was delicious; we all tried each other’s and decided we would try a different dish every night. It’s a little bit more expensive than some of the places we have been to but at about $4 for a curry we can’t complain. We had a few games of Uno after dinner and then retired to bed, another early night. I think we’re going to enjoy it here. Nighty nite xxx
27/12/2014 – Cycling the Backwaters
After dragging myself out of bed, showering and having breakfast together we chilled for a short while (chilling for me meant taking photos of butterflies and frogs). We then got the boat across to the road to collect our bicycles for our ride around the area; unfortunately my bike had a flat tyre but it was quickly replaced with a better one.
We set off and decided to explore the small paths around the backwaters; these are beautiful waterways surrounded by palm trees and many types of birds including large white storks, egrets, terns and many more that I don’t know the name of. We cycled along, passing local houses with many having nativity scenes outside and the locals shouting ‘hello’ and waving; they are all friendly people and have the most beautiful smiles.
We turned onto a main road (full of large pot-holes) and cycled along the water until we came to a town then cycled along the road there. We passed a group of people and as I waved and said ‘hello’ I realised I recognised some of them – they were the teachers from the school. We stopped and had a chat with them, it felt great to know someone in a small town in India! We then set back off. Not long after we heard drumming but couldn’t see where it was coming from; we stopped and looked in the general direction and was greeted by 2 boys who ushered us over and behind a building – there were a group of teenage boys practicing on their drums, 4 large ones and 2 small ones. They shyly put on a display for us, gaining confidence as they played more. Villagers began to arrive to watch us, more arriving every minute. Mel then asked if she could try one of the smaller drums to the amusement of the locals – she played really well and attracted even more people! After about ½ hour we thanked them and carried on our way.
We passed the local churches, temples, houses and shops, included many butchers that had nearly bare carcasses of animals hanging up, and came across a clothes shop with some beautiful dresses outside; I had been looking for something like this since I arrived in India. I tried a few of the dresses on that I liked but only the extra-large ones would fit me – luckily it was the 2 that I liked; these were only $5 each and very pretty. Mel got another I liked but it didn’t fit me. I got the leggings to match the dresses, Dave got the local men’s’ ‘skirts’ that they wear and I got some earrings. The total cost of this was $26 (13 pound); it would have cost about 4 times as much in Fort Cochin. Mel and Becca bought a few things; the lady in the shop was very happy – she gave us ladies a gift of a necklace and earring set each. Oh, I nearly forgot – a bird dropped a lovely package of pooh on Mel again – she really is lucky!
After our shopping expedition we went to a tiny café across the road for one of the delicious Indian teas (we’re getting addicted to these). The lady gave us an Indian sweet each but when I started to eat mine I thought it had a mouldy taste to it so spat it out, this also put the others off eating theirs and we discretely wrapped them in tissues and crisp packets!
We carried on the road for a while, crossing a bridge with beautiful views of the river with Chinese fishing nets and local fishermen peppered along it. We then decided to turn back and return the way we had come. After cycling through the town and turning off back towards the small paths we stopped for a break by the water – our bums were getting sore and needed a rest. We had brought fruit with us and sat watching the local life and goats while enjoying our snack.
On our way back to our hotel we were stopped by a group of children, one who was dressed as Santa (with a scary Santa mask on) and the group holding a plastic bar across our path. They asked for money to let us pass but we refused and they soon let us through. Another couple of kids also asked for money further up; we told them they were richer than us as they had a computer and Mel didn’t!
We had a snack and tea before having a rest. One of the guests, an Indian guy from further north of India began to talk to us – he was very arrogant and kept asking if we had any currency from our country; he didn’t take any hints to leave us alone and actually brought his brandy to drink while talking to us! His poor wife – she seemed very nice but it looked as if he treat her as a second class citizen. He eventually left us alone.
We played some cards, had another delicious dinner, played Uno and retired to bed. Another great day. Nighty nite xxx
28/12/2014 – Boat trip on the Backwaters
Nothing much to say about the morning, after breakfast myself and Mel relaxed around the resort while Dave and Becca went out on the bikes to the harbour.
Later in the afternoon we went on the complimentary boat trip on the backwaters. This took us through the small villages and past the Chinese fishing nets (which were much better than the touristy ones in Fort Cochin). As we approached the fishing nets the guy driving our boat would sound his horn and the nets would be brought up. Most would have small fish caught in the side of the nets that the birds (mostly storks) would peck off. We saw many birds including lots of beautiful Kingfishers. The locals on the banks would wave and smile at us, the kids doing dances and blowing kisses. It was great to see the different homes along the way, shanty looking huts next to 2 storey houses, and watch the locals going about their daily business.
We moored at the end of the waters by a bridge nd were taken to the Andhakaranazhy Beach where there were mainly Indians enjoying the water (we saw one group of Europeans). We had a cold drink and paddled in the sea; some of the locals were very curious and we had a few that chatted to us – it’s usually the same questions – ‘what is your name’, ‘where’s your house’, ‘how many children’, bt it’s great to just socialise with them. On the way out of the beach area we came across 2 Royal Enfield motorbikes, they are very well looked after in India and we have seen quite a few. Dave has tried to take photos of everyone we’ve seen and usually ends up chatting with the rider. This was no exception and it turned out one of the guys works on ships and has been to NZ quite a few times – Auckland, Wellington and the South Island.
We returned to the resort where we had another delicious dinner (the food really is incredible), a game of Uno and retired to bed. Nighty nite xxx
29/12/2014 – Cycling to the harbour
We wanted to get our transport sorted out for our journey to Varkala the following day; initially we wanted to go by boat down the Backwaters but this proved too difficult to organise so our other options were the bus, train or taxi. One of the staff at the resort was very helpful and rang around for us; he finally got information that there were seats on the train but were non A/C and that we would have to go to the station to book these as their systems were down. He ordered a tuk-tuk to take us and said the driver would help us at the station. Dave decided he would stay behind and read his book.
We set off and before long we came across a lorry with a load of large and very heavy rocks; just as we approached the lorry began to topple onto its side! Luckily it didn’t topple all the way over as only one of its wheels were stuck in a ditch. After our driver moved another tuk-tuk that was in the way we continued and reached the station. This station was quite small and after talking with the guy in the office and waiting for ten minutes he informed us the computers were down so we would have to go to the next station which was the main one in the area.
After driving through villages and a town we came to the main station and had to fill a form in; they wanted all sorts of information including our names, ages, sex, address and phone number – all for a train ticket! We finally got our tickets, 300 rupees ($6 or 3 pound) for all 4 of them and returned back to the resort. When we passed the lorry there was a digger by its side – they don’t mess about in India!!!
After lunch Dave decided he would have a relaxing afternoon while us girls went to the harbour on the bikes. It wasn’t far and as we cycled the main road and turned off down a sandy track my bike lost its grip on the sand I down I fell. Becca was close behind me and managed to jump of her bike and over me instead of crashing right into me! Luckily I wasn’t hurt, though slightly embarrassed as some of the locals were watching (they did looked concerned though). We continued to the harbour, pushing our bikes, and on arriving we saw a group of about 20 women in a line starting at the beach and ending over the wall; they were shovelling sand into metal dishes and passing them along to the end where they made a pile. I later sat with them and asked why they did this; they use the sand to clean the floors of their homes – I suppose like hay is used in barns? I chatted for a while with the ladies while they were having a break, one of them wanted to come back to NZ with me!
We sat on the rocks at the harbour, Becca paddling her feet, Mel laid catching the sun and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of dolphins, then we went to the beach area where Mel paddled while I chatted to the ladies, then we all had little paddle. We cycled back to the resort, had a girlie afternoon of doing our faces and nails, had dinner, packed and retired to bed. Nighty nite xxx
30/12/2014 – Train to Varkala
A very early start this morning, we had to be up and ready for the taxi before 5.30am, although I had been wide awake since 2am – 3 hours sleep at the most! Mel also hadn’t slept well and we both felt like zombies.
We got the taxi to the station and waited on the platform with dozens of other people. When the train arrived we ran frantically down the platform looking for the right carriage (the train is very, very long). We found it and jumped on board – the seats were high and sat 3 people on each; we found our seats, put our luggage on the racks above and settled for our 3 ½ journey. At the next few stops more and more people got on, some trying to squash up onto the seats with others and then standing in-between those seated as well at the sides – they were everywhere – obviously there weren’t enough sets and people were crammed on wherever they could find room. The seats themselves were hard and after a while my bottom started getting numb, then it started cramping – but there was nowhere to move! It was a very uncomfortable ride.
We chatted to a guy on the train who explained it was busier than usual as there was a festival in Varkala for one of the saints which everyone was going to; a lot of the ladies were dressed in yellow for the festival. At our stop Dave had to fight through the crowds to get to our luggage and pass them back to us, then we had to fight to get off the train. We got a tuk-tuk to our accommodation which was lovely. The owner, Katrina, was born in London and brought up in Spain, her partner Esther is Spanish too. Katrina got us settled into our rooms and made breakfast for us (we were starving). Myself and Mel then decided we were going back to bed for a couple of hours and Dave and Becca went exploring.
I must have been tired as I didn’t wake up until about 2pm; Mel was still in bed and when she surfaced later she said she had been sick; she promptly went off back to bed. Myself, Dave and Becca had a walk to the beach for the last 2 hours of daylight; the beach was fairly crowded but had a good feel to it; importantly there were no Indian gawkers stood around watching. Me and Dave had a paddle while Becca booked her train ticket for Saturday to the airport (sad). We then all sat on the beach people watching and watching the sun go down. We saw the Indian life-savers run into the water with their budgie smugglers and vest on to help out someone, not quite the Hoff!!
As darkness began to fall we went to a restaurant overlooking the beach and managed to get the last table with views. Becca ordered a pizza (which she enjoyed) and me and Dave got a curry each. We were very disappointed in the food, it didn’t taste like a curry at all, our first bad curry in India! After dinner we returned to our rooms; Mel was feeling a little better and had managed to eat some toast, we showered and retired to bed. Nighty nite xxx
31/12/2014 – New Year’s Eve in India!!
Mel still had a queasy stomach but managed to eat a big breakfast which was a good sign she was recovering; once we were ready we made our way down to the beach where we chilled out for the day, swimming in the sea (the current is very strong and the waves big), reading and people watching. We returned to our accommodation about 6pm to prepare for the evening. We had dinner at the accommodation (okay but not the best) and got ourselves ready while having a couple of drinks.
We were all ready apart from Mel just after 8pm. Again Mel said she wasn’t sure about her stomach but had a drink to ‘kill or cure’ her. We ended up not going out until 10pm. We made our way down to the cliff where there were hundreds of young Indian guys, all in high spirits. At first all the bars and restaurants looked pretty quiet but we found a place that looked okay and sat down ready to order a drink. As we were looking at the menu it started to rain and as we were seated outside we had to run to somewhere under cover. Unfortunately, the place we found was packed out with diners from the outside coming in from the rain so we were stood by the door for ages. We tried to order a drink but they refused to serve us! A couple of kind Italian women invited us to sit with them and we chatted to them, but still we were refused drinks. We had to wait there for about an hour before the torrential rain stopped.
We carried on and were taken to a place that looked like a bookshop. We sat at a large table with 4 Indian guys in their 20’s – there wasn’t any other people in the place’ or any music. We managed to get a beer there and chatted to the guys for a while then carried on further on the cliff. At this point it was approaching midnight so we found a bar upstairs with music and went onto the balcony – we didn’t see anywhere we could get a drink. Fireworks started which we began to watch – then when more people came onto the balcony it felt as if the whole thing was going to collapse, so we scrambled inside. There wasn’t a countdown to midnight so we had to guess at when the New Year came in! At this point myself and Dave had had enough and we decided to go back.
Walking back along the cliff the young Indian guys were full of spirit (literally!) and their testosterone was fully loaded – I kept getting groped as I passed them and we saw a fight which got nasty (we got past as quick as we could). Because it had rained so much there were deep puddles on the road back so we got our feet very wet and muddy. We eventually got back and went to bed. Not the New Year I was hoping for – one drink the whole time we were out, and no time to find somewhere with atmosphere and to join in the celebrations with others. Oh well, there’s always next year!! Nighty nite xxx
01/01/2015 - New Years Day
One of the good things about not getting drunk is no hangover! So when we woke this morning we felt great. Katrina, who owned the place we were stopping at (Casa Eva Luna) informed us that the festival at the temple would be finishing today and it would be good to go in the morning. So, after breakfast we ordered a tuk-tuk and all 4 of us set off through the town and to the festival. The festival was in respect of a guru and most people came dressed in yellow (they came from far and wide). When we got there we drove down a road which was lined full of stalls selling food, snacks, jewellery and toys. We were pleasantly assaulted by all 5 senses – the noises, smells, sights, tastes of the food and feeling of the items being sold. We had a little wander around but after a short while Dave wasn’t feeling too good and decided he was going back; Mel then decided she would go with him, leaving myself and Becca on our own.
We paid 20 cents to go into a large tent which had more stalls and an ‘agriculture’ display which consisted of a water tank being hit with hammers to show how strong it was! There was a display about drug use and the effects, which was good, and then we came across lots of beautiful puppies in cages that were for sale. Becca got straight onto the young guys at the stall and asked them why the dogs didn’t have water in their cages; she then made them get a bowl where we used our water and they placed in front of one of the pups. Instantly the pup threw up, so Becca helped clean it up then told them they had to offer each dog water – good on her!
We walked down to the bottom of the road where we were lucky enough to see the parade come along – firstly women, then men, dressed in their yellow sari’s and Dhoti (Indian male skirts) with yellow umbrellas passed us by – brilliant! I loved the displays of the coloured powders they use at the temples for their foreheads and the dazzling containers for them and managed to get a fantastic picture incorporating both. We walked back up the road where we bought a book each and given LOTS of posters and small pictures of the guru – it seemed they couldn’t get rid of them fast enough!
We finally found the temple (it was right behind where we were first dropped off) and went for a look around. We had to take our shoes off but they wouldn’t let us carry them with us so I made the guy guard them! Must remember to take a bag to put them in in the future, we can’t afford to lose our shoes! I was given holy water in my hand which I drank then a white creamy substance was put into my hand; I asked if I should also eat this but they looked at me funny and said it was for putting on my forehead! We continued around the rest of the temple complex then made our way out. We saw lots of people queuing in what looked like cattle grids, all squashed together; when I mentioned this to Becca a young boy told us they were queuing for food – it looked a hot and long wait for this and we didn’t feel we wanted to try it!
We decided we had seen enough and got a tuk-tuk back to our accommodation where Dave and Mel were feeling much better. After a rest we went to the beach and chilled for the afternoon. We walked along the cliffs at sunset – it looked absolutely stunning – and went to a restaurant that Mel had eaten at before and said had good food. I ordered pakodas to start and then a creamy pasta dish, with a cup of cardamom tea. Everybody’s drinks came except mine (Dave was pissed off cos they didn’t have any beer), then everyone’s meal, except mine – I was beginning to think they would finish their dinner before I even got starters. Then my tea came followed by dinner then about ten minutes after my starter! The tea was good but the food was very disappointing. The pasta had a peculiar taste and the pakodas not much taste at all. I only ate about a third of it. I wasn’t having much luck with food in Varkala but was determined to go to a restaurant tomorrow that was recommended by a woman who visits regularly. Nighty nite xxx
02/01/2015 – staying in my room
Didn’t feel my best today, my stomach was queasy and I had to use the toilet a few times. I decided to stay in bed and ride it out. I didn’t eat anything all day but made sure I drank plenty of water. My mood was quite low too so being on my own was what I needed.
Dave, Mel and Becca went to the beach; Dave came back just after lunch to check on me and keep me company. Katrina, the owner of the homestay, kept an eye on me too and asked if I needed anything, which was sweet. I did feel bad that it was Becca’s last full day with us and I wasn’t part of it, but I’m sure she understood.
Nothing else to report for today! Nighty nite xxx
03/01/2015 – Car ride to Kumily
Felt much better today. We had breakfast and packed our belongings as we were on the move today. Myself, Dave and Mel were going on to Kumily while Becca was flying home (sad to see her go). Our car arrived at 11am, we said our goodbyes to Becca and set off. As soon as we set off our driver began trying to sell us trips and services; he then began showing us things on his phone and then would stop at trees and explain what they were! All this time he was driving slowly and sometimes wouldn’t look where he was going, veering towards pavements and walls – not a good start! It took us quite a while to get out of the town.
We eventually set off properly but he would still keep stopping at trees and plants and would be very proud of showing them to us. He was a nice guy, we just wanted to get to Kumily as it was a 5 hour drive and very hot. We went through a town where there was a festival being held and lots of men in black dhotis, decorated with coloured paint on their bodies, walking towards and away from the temple. They were in high spirits and would wave at us as we passed in the car. Our driver explained that the festival lasted for 57 days, which only males and women who did not menstruate (young girls and old women) could attend, though we only saw men, and that these men would walk 45km in bare feet with a bundle on their heads to get there. It was an incredible sight and we would have liked to have stopped to soak up the atmosphere, but I guess we were too young s females!
We started to climb a windy mountainous road and could feel the temperature begin to lower – thankfully! The roads in India are mental, with cars overtaking on corners; our driver was even worse as he would still use his phone, finding photos for us to look at, while driving these bends – I was having kittens in the back! We eventually made it to our hotel; this was in the main street of a small but busy (and noisy) town. The hotel was basic but okay, and we wouldn’t be in it too long.
We had a wander around town, there were many shops with giant deep pans full of red hot coconut oil with banana slices being deep fried, and lots of spice shops – the smell was incredible. We found a local restaurant where we had a lovely dinner of various curries and Indian breads, and of course the delicious cardamom tea.
While Mel stayed in the room in the evening myself and Dave went to see a show – Kathakali (Mel had already seen one in Cochin), which is a story play or a dance drama with colourful, billowing costumes, ornaments and make-up. Men quite often play the role of the females, though lately women have started to be involved too. Movements of the face and eyes are used throughout the show which looked both bizarre and fascinating at the same time. Speech is not used, only facial/ eye movements and dance. We really enjoyed the show, it was entertaining and humorous.
We went back to the hotel and packed our small backpacks in preparation for the day after – we were getting picked up in the morning to go on a trekking safari. Nighty nite xxx
04/01/2015 – Trekking into Periyar Tiger Reserve
We got up and rushed to get some breakfast before we were picked up to go to Periyar Tiger Reserve, the entrance was only a 5 minute drive away. We had booked the trip through Kalypso Adventures and they had everything arranged. Once at the office at the entrance we had forms to fill out which you have to do wherever you go in India; we were then given leech socks which were nothing like I imagined – these were thick big canvas socks that didn’t fit your feet properly so parts were tucked into your shoes/ boots. There were a couple (Raika and Andrew) from London who were coming along too making a comfortable 5 in our group.
We set off with our leech socks on and our backpacks on our backs (where else would they be?), a guide in front showing us the way and the gunman at the back (there has to be a gunman in case any wild animal attacks – but the gun is normally pointed towards the sky to scare them away). Most of the guides are from the tribes who live in the forest and most of them are ex poaches – they now guard the forest and protect the wildlife.
We walked through an area that had signs saying what the trees were and ones with pictures of birds and details on, it appeared quite touristy but we continued on. A little later we could hear a road running parallel to us which we found strange, then a little further we crossed a ditched, climbed a wall and found ourselves in a highly populated touristy area by a lake – it was heaving! We wondered what the hell was going on and soon realised the guides had taken us there so they could get breakfast! We all had a cup of tea and watched the monkey’s play all around us. After a while we set off again and went down to part of the lake; we had to get a ‘ferry’ across which consisted of a bamboo raft with a rope attached – we had to stand on the raft while the guides pulled the rope, and us, across to the other side; my balancing isn’t too good and my calves ached with the tension in them. We got to the other side and saw a Nilgiri Langurs in a tree; it was black and had ‘growling’ looking teeth, though it was very shy; these are an endangered species.
After continuing for about an hour we came across a herd of wild elephants under some trees; they were about 200 metres away and enjoying eating the grass and scrub around them – I swear they were smiling! Mel was in her element, this was the first time she had seen elephants in the wild. It’s an amazing sight to see wild elephants and watch them doing what they should be doing. It’s still heart-breaking to see elephants chained up. We sat and watched them for some time then went on our way. We were shown different trees, one which a tiger had used as a scratching pad – the scratches were massive and stretched to about 7 feet up the tree. Other trees were spice trees such a cinnamom. One rotten tree trunk had hundreds of spindly spiders climbing all over it – it was like a horror film! We also saw various birds but they were fast and high and most of the time we just got glimpses of them.
We came to another lake where our guide whistled across to some other guides to come and fetch us on another bamboo raft, thankfully this had seats on, but my feet got wet through when the water lapped at my feet. Across the other side was our camp for the next 2 nights. The camp had a rough building in which the kitchen, dining area (a table and 5 chairs) and the sleeping area for the guides was. Above this area were 3 tents on concrete bases, they were very basic with a thin foam mat for us to sleep on (with sleeping bags). All around the camp was a dry moat which was about 12 feet deep and 5 feet across at the top – there were 2 bamboo bridges across. This moat was there so that the wild animals, especially the elephants, couldn’t get across; the guides continued to dig it and clear it of weeds as they said an elephant fell down when feeding (I don’t know how they got it out).
After a couple of hours rest out of the heat of the day we went on another trek. Not too far from camp we came across another herd of elephants and stopped to watch them for a while. We then went through some thickish bush and near the end of it we were told to keep back by the guide. As we were at the back we couldn’t see what was going on, but Mel looked very excited and pointed to a gap on the right. Then in front of us was a wild Indian Guar (similar to a buffalo but without the large hood of hair around it’s neck) eating grass. Myself and Andrew thought there was a tiger in the clearing and would come out to pounce on the guar right in front of us. It turned out that there was more guar in the clearing; our excitement soon disappeared (although it was great to see the guar).
We went to another lake and walked around the edge of it, it was very difficult walking as it sloped quite steeply (I ended up with blisters on the side/ bottom of my feet). Around the lake were footprints of a tiger and the remains of one of its meals (lots of bones), but no tiger. We came across a large rock that blocked our way so the guide climbed a little and hacked away at the bush so we could go through it, again not easy as we had the bush snagging us while at the same time we had to watch we didn’t slip over the edge. We got to the other side and continued around the lake which was beautiful, especially in the colours of the late afternoon sun. We made our way back to camp, had a game of Uno together, ate a wonderful dinner of various curries that the guides had made and sat watching the full moon rise; it was very light and made the surroundings look mystical. We all retired to bed happy. Nighty nite xxx
05/01/2015 – Elephants and a giant python
We woke early and went to see the beautiful view of the early morning mist lifting over the lake. We could hear the trumpeting of an elephant in the forest across the lake, a very surreal sound. The guides also said they had heard tigers across another side of the lake during the night. We were given what we thought was breakfast – a plate of dried bread with a small carton of pineapple jam and a small pack of biscuits (for 5 of us). We all sat for a while expecting something else to come out of the kitchen, maybe eggs, omellete, curry, something? After a while we realised that was it so we ate a little and got ready for our next trek.
Oh, forgot to mention – yesterday evening we saw 2 large porcupines close to our camp, they were much larger than I thought porcupines were but very cute.
Mel’s heels had formed lumps on the back so she was unable to put her shoes on properly, so she trod on the backs and tied the rest to her feet – this didn’t work well and shortly after our walk started she had to take her leech socks off and put her shoes on properly. We walked along an open area with scrub surrounding it and a largish crater with some water in it. Just as we started to pass the crater the guide stopped in surprise and whispered loudly ‘python’. In the corner of the crater was a giant python, it must have been 12-15 feet long and another foot in diameter. We gingerly walked around to take a closer look at it; it had remarkable colourings and patterns, quite similar to a leopard. It must have seen or sensed us because it started to slither away into the bush. The guides said we were extremely lucky to have seen it and the last one spotted was over a year ago – much rarer than the tiger!
We carried on, the guide asking us to be silent in case there were any tigers in the area, and walked past some trees. Suddenly Dave spotted a herd of elephants to our right, only about 20 feet away; as soon as the guide saw this he beckoned us away quickly then explained that because there was a baby elephant in the herd and we were so close they could have charged at us; he later explained that one of his friends had been attacked by an elephant – it had got hold of him with its trunk and had thrown him around. Although the elephants are beautiful to see in the wild they are also extremely unpredictable and dangerous.
We walked through a forest area, our guide explaining about the trees and digging up spices such as turmeric and wild garlic. We then came to an area where lots of thick vines/ climbers were hanging from the trees, one perfect for sitting on and swinging – so the ladies did – myself, Mel and Raiki; it was great fun!
We continued on, climbing up a steep bank and after about an hour reached the top. The views were breath-taking; we could see 360 degrees all around us, mountains in the distance, natural lakes, forests and a herd of gaur. We sat and rested , taking in the sights and eating biscuits. Mel suddenly saw something on her sock and when she lifted it realised that a leech had managed to get inside; it was sucking on her foot when her sock came off!
After our rest we walked back down the way we had come. When we passed the clearing the guides had noted that there were fresh prints of a sloth bear in the mud – we had just missed it! There were also tiger prints from the day before, so the tigers were definitely in the area. We got back to camp where they gave us a meal – apparently the proper breakfast – we were all ready for it!!
After our ‘breakfast’ we were given time to rest as the sun was at its highest and very hot. After a while we decided to go for a dip in the lake – we were all sweaty and smelling and there were no showers or water to wash with. The lake was quite cool but once in it felt great and we felt much cleaner afterwards.
Later in the afternoon we had lunch (we asked for a small one) then set off for our final trek. First we went over the lake on one of the bamboo rafts then trekked through a forest area and onto an open area with 2 lakes. We sat and watched the wildlife – a deer who made a very loud noise before going into the forest, a wild boar and lots of butterflies and birds. We then walked around one of the lakes where we watched a pair of kingfishers put on a dance in the air before diving into the lake for fish. Dave found a porcupine quill but besides that we didn’t really see anything else significant.
Back at camp we had a rest and a drink of tea then played Uno until our dinner was ready. The food that the guides had prepared for us throughout the trip was delicious, and all cooked over an open fire. The guides then built a fire outside for us as it was a little chilly. We watched a herd of elephants across the lake enjoying the water and showering themselves, then the light went. We retired to bed around 10pm, tired and happy. Nighty nite xxx
06/01/2015 – Trumpeting elephants and back to noise.
What a night! At about 1.30am I was woken by an enourmous trumpeting – it wasn’t Dave snoring but an elephant right by our camp. I dashed out of the tent and found Mel just coming out of hers. We were both very excited. One of the guides came to us and said the elephant was just in the trees close to us but we couldn’t see it clearly (though we could hear it). We waited for a while but couldn’t see it so went back to bed. At about 4am we were woken again by another loud trumpeting right next to us – unbelievable there was only me and Mel that woke and went out to investigate. There were elephants in the trees (again we couldn’t see but could hear) and then we heard an elephant in the lake by us; we could see the water moving but the elephant was just out od sight; we were desperate to go across the moat to see them but knew it was too dangerous. We watched for about 20 minutes then went back to bed yet again.
We were pretty tired in the morning, but happy – how many people are kept awake by elephants? We had breakfast, packed our belongings away and got ready to set off back to civilisation. We had enjoyed our trip so much we didn’t really want to go and would have happily stayed a few more days given a chance. But – off we went! We returned the way we came stopping by the lake and seeing a red mongoose (Striped necked mongoose) which came very close to us before seeing us and scarpering into the forest. Once we got to the tourist ferry area we were picked up by a car to be taken to our hotel; it was sad to say goodbye to our guides, they had become friends over the last 3 days.
Once back at the hotel we all had a good hot shower (well, a large bucket full of hot water poured over us). It felt good to be clean again. Myself and Dave tried to have a sleep but after having only a quick snooze we found Mel downstairs and went for a cuppa and a snack. The noise of the town seemed to have amplified and we missed the quiet of nature. We chilled out for the rest of the day then later in the afternoon walked down to the touristy area where we ate a delicious dinner.
After dinner we went to see a show – Kalaripayattu – which is an ancient martial art. The show was a mixture of yoga, gymnastics, martial arts and fire dancing. It was very good and the young men were amazing athletes and show men. At one stage they asked for volunteers – Mel was straight on her feet and running down the steps (even though a few kids had excitedly put their hands up) – they wanted her and another volunteer to stand in a line with 4 of the guys and bend down while one of the performers jumped over all of them into a somersault. The show ended with a fire dance and the performers jumping through 2 hoops on fire. A good end to the evening. We returned to the hotel and went straight to bed. Nighty nite xxx
07/01/2015 – Back to Cochin
We were picked up at 8am to make a journey back to Cochin where we would be spending the next 2 nights in a hotel close to the airport. We chose this hotel (Flora Airport Hotel) as it had a pool and looked a little bit upmarket; this would be the last 2 days for Mel so we wanted to relax in style. The journey seemed to take forever, going down the winding mountain roads – we stopped for breakfast at a beautiful spot that overlooked the valley and had many colourful birds flying past. We continued our long and hot journey and finally arrived at the hotel.
The rooms were beautiful, the bed big and comfortable with big fluffy pillows – just what we needed after our trekking and camping in the jungle. The pool was on the roof and lovely and cool. We had a rest then some lunch then relaxed by the pool. Later in the afternoon I had an ayurvedic massage in which special oils are used. First I had a head massage, followed by a body massage (the oils reminded me of freshly baked parkin – yum!) then I was put into a steam room for 15 minutes followed by a shower; it was bliss and I felt so clean and relaxed afterwards.
We had dinner then we retired to our wonderful beds. Nighty nite xxx
08/01/2015 – chill, chill, chill.
I won’t bore you all with the details of today – we basically chilled in our rooms and by the pool. Mel had an ayurvedic massage, we had dinner and a game of Uno then we said our goodbyes – Mel was flying back to the UK in the early hours and we were flying to Chennai. I hate goodbyes so we made it short. Nighty nite xxx
09/01/2015 – Chennai
We got to the airport at 5am for our flight at 6.15am. What a palaver to just get into the airport. The guards wouldn’t let us in without a ticket, even though we showed them our flight details (so much for paperless ticketing), so we had to go to the airline desk and have them print one out; going through to the airport we had to go through security twice and put tags on our bags, then when we were boarding the plane security had forgotten to stamp one of my tags so I had to go back and have it stamped before I was allowed on the plane! Once on board we were told we had been delayed due to fog, luckily it was only for an hour and we were off on our way.
We landed in Chennai and got a taxi to our hotel; when we checked in they said that we had been given an upgrade to a deluxe room which we were pleased about – until we got to the room! As soon as we walked in the smell hit us – it was like ammonia, and as the room was at the front there were the loud noises from the main road coming straight through the window. We had been given 2 single beds instead of a double, and no towels. We had a short rest then the electricity went out, making the room very hot without a fan. We went out for a walk and when we returned the room still didn’t have electric even though the hotel did. Dave went to complain about everything and we were given what should have been our original room – so much better!!!
After moving our luggage we got a tuk-tuk to Marina Beach; this had been described as a popular beach for relaxing and picnics. When we arrived there we found it was a good kilometre from the start of the beach to the sea so we started walking. Of course, we had come at the height of the day so it was red hot with no shadows to keep us cool. Walking down the beach we realised that there was rubbish everywhere, and this got worse as we got to the sea. The sea itself looked black and dirty so even if we wanted to we wouldn’t have gone in. We walked back to the road and along the ‘promenade’ but realised there wasn’t anything interesting enough for us to stay in the sun so we turned around and went to the central area. Here there were many sculptures and memorials, some of them modern looking. Unfortunately there were lots of dogs, some that growled as we passed them – there was one that ‘played dead’) laid on its back with its legs in the air) when someone approached then once they had passed it would jump back onto its paws – funny!!
As we stood by the main road deciding what to do we were approached by an elderly western guy who started chatting to us – he was from Canada and said it was part of his job to travel and that he had a contract for 5 years to travel different countries. He could not, or would not explain what exactly he did. We had a pleasant chat to him then said we were going for something to eat, could he recommend somewhere? Instead of telling us he latched onto us and took us along the main road saying that there were good restaurants further down. He forgot to say it was 2 km away!! We passed the port of Chennai where a river flowed to the sea, this was highly polluted, the water like black tar, and the smell was horrendous. I really struggle with these smells and there are many areas like it around the city. It’s also very frightening that all these waterways are so polluted and how it effects the environment.
Dave was getting really pissed off with the guy who had latched on to us and he wasn’t taking any hints of going. We eventually got to the area with the restaurants and I said we would go down a side street, took the guys hand, shook it and said thanks for showing us, then quickly disappeared down the street! The area we were in was the high court, so the big lawyers came here for lunch. We wandered down the street where locals were selling lots of different wares from their stalls, then back up another one, and found a local restaurant for lunch; they were good at recommending what to have, although I didn’t really enjoy the dosa they brought me (it was a good dosa, I just don’t like them – 2nd one I had tried).
There were some beautiful buildings around Chennai that we had seen, the high court being one of the best with lots of turrets that reminded me a little of the Russian churches. Madras University also has beautiful old buildings, and there are many large churches around the city, amongst the poor run down areas (no doubt the money to build them coming from the poor).
We went back to the hotel after lunch as we were still tired from our early morning. I found that Mel’s flight had set off okay but 2 ½ hours into the flight the plane had engine failure (scary!) and had to return to Cochin. To cut a long story short it took her in excess of 40 hours to get home, 2 more than it should have!
We went to the train station to try and get train tickets to Pondicherry on Monday; after going to different areas and returning twice to the station we were told it would be just as cheap to get a taxi! We had a walk around the Egmore area in the evening, it seems to get busier as it gets later, then we went for dinner at a restaurant that was on a busy corner. We sat upstairs at a table that looked out over the streets – a perfect place for people watching (and I was fascinated with a balloon seller). The dinner was delicious (mushroom masala and paneer masala with rice and naan) and the waiter was very helpful. He was really pleased when we left him a tip! Back to the hotel and to bed, nighty nite xxx
10/01/2015 – AVM studios
We decided to go to the AVM studios this morning; I had seen it on the Chennai tourist web site and it said you could wander around the film sets (Bollywood style) and watch the films being made. We got a tuk-tuk who actually put us on the meter (first time ever) and set off. On the way we saw a temple with a massive statue of one of the gods sat beside it. When we reached the studios the tuk-tuk driver took us into the studios and down the main road; after asking the security man where the films were made the driver dropped us off at that point. A lady approached us and asked if we would like to watch a short film, we eagerly said we would and were shown into a cinema which was very dark – we had to shuffle to the seats. The film had just started, it was in the Tamil language so we couldn’t understand a word of what was being said, but we got the gist of the film – a young man out on revenge for his girlfriend who had died of an acid attack by 3 young guys – he killed them all in the end!!
After watching the film the lady asked us for our views, we then went to explore the rest of the studios. We walked down the road and came to the car that the founder had at the beginning, an old 1948 Vauxhall (I think), it was in pristine condition and beautiful. We carried on down the road and came to a TV station; after asking if we could go in we were told ‘no’ so we carried on our way. Next we came upon a large gate, an entrance way to some beautiful large gardens adorned with statues, beautiful trees and exotic lamps which sat in front of a house. As we walked in staff started to approach us and indicating we couldn’t come in, so we left. That was it, nothing more to see! At least we had got a small tour of some of the city in the tuk-tuk to get there (oh, and the fare was really cheap – 140 rupees).
We decided we would go to a big shopping centre we had seen, the Citi Centre, and got another tuk-tuk there. It was quite big and modern inside and we managed to find some binoculars (not top notch but pretty decent and cheap); and I got some casual Indian clothing which are both cooling and respectful, especially for the temples. We had a subway in the food court (I know, but it was something different from the curries we have 3 times a day!) and a fruit juice then went out to get a tuk-tuk to take us back to Egmore.
Back in Egmore we had a rest in the hotel then went out once the sun had got lower (and it was cooler) to go and see a couple of the churches close by. The most elaborate of these was the busy Sacred Heart Shrine which was beautiful (but where do they get the money from to build these? I suspect the poor parishioners), then we went across the road to a more respectful small church.
We decided to walk around a bit more of the neighbourhood and went down a small lane where there was a small but elaborately decorated Hindu temple; again, where does the money come from? At the end of the lane and across the main road was a narrow but long area used as a park so we decided to go and have a look. It was a cool, relaxing place to rest, as some people were doing, with a small playground at the end. Unfortunately, at the other side where there was a big fence, was the river, which looked as black as tar and very heavily polluted – the smell from it was horrendous. I shall say it again – it is very scary the amount of pollution we have already seen, and we have only been to a small area in the south; I am sure there will be plenty more – what effect does this have on the environment for the country, and the rest of the world?
Three young boys approached me and asked for me to take their picture, which I did; then another boy came along so I had to take another picture; they loved looking at themselves in the camera when I showed them! We finished our walk around the park and walked back to the main part of time just in time to see the sun set over the main street. We went back to the restaurant we ate at the day before (Vasanta Bhavan) and were given Kuzhi Paniyarams (spicy ones); these are a little like dumplings that you dip into sauces – our favourite was the garlic and chilli one, but it was hot!! We had another tasty meal, although our waiter kept standing over us while we were eating (I think it is a cultural thing but made me a little uncomfortable); we then went back to our hotel. Nighty nite xxx
11/01/2015 – Kapaleeshwar Temple
After a relaxing morning we got a tuk-tuk to the Kapaleeshwar Temple in Mylapore. When we arrived there we were dropped off by our tuk-tuk driver to find out it was just closing and not opening again until 4pm! We didn’t want to go all the way back to Egmore so after walking round the small market area we decided we would go to another shopping centre we had seen on our way. We got a tuk-tuk – our favourite mode of transport around the city as you get to see so much of it at street level – and arrived shortly after at the centre.
This centre was bigger and more modern than the last one, it had 4 floors and we noticed it had a Marks and Spencers!! We started from the top floor where there was a cinema ( we had just missed the Hobbits latest release) and worked our way down. Eventually we came across M&S; I was ecstatic as my old faithful bra had eventually let me down (literally) and I needed a new one – where better to get it from? I treat myself to 2 new bras and some knicks, luckily there was a half-price sale on as the prices were very expensive (even to UK costs).
We treat ourselves to a piece of cake with ice-cream and a delicious drink then carried on around the centre. We tried to get some leech socks from an outdoor shop but the assistants looked at us stupid when we asked if they had any and pointed us to flight socks!! We carried on and came across something called ‘dialogue in the dark’; when we asked the assistant what it was she said it was different experiences in the dark – we thought we may as well give it a go as we still had plenty of time left. We paid our money and waited to go in with a young Indian couple.
When it was time we were given a white cane and let into a door; once the door shut behind us we were in pitch black. We had to follow a man’s voice, with a wall on our right and with the aid of the cane we came to an area where the guy told us to sit and listen. We could hear noises of a waterfall and different species of birds, which he asked us about. Next we had to follow his voice and went through a door into a different area; here we were taken one at a time to the other end of the room and given a cricket bat; we had to place this on the floor and then was bowled a ball that had bells in it so we could hear it coming. The young girl with us missed all 3 of her balls; her boyfriend hit 2 of his – one of them for a 6; I hit 1 ball (amazingly) and Dave hit 2 good ones! Don’t forget, this was all in the pitch black dark. Once we finished we went into another room where we were given little canister each and asked to smell it – the guy said it was a spice that we had to identify; I thought I would recognise the smell and wouldn’t remember the name but when I took a sniff I was in my element – one of my favourite smells – fresh tea leaves!! Dave also got one of his favourites – coffee.
As we came towards the end we were told that we had to make a dash across the room, one at a time, to avoid the ‘land-mines’. The young guy went first and got blown up twice! Luckily, the rest of us managed to get across without blowing ourselves up. We were let out of the door into light and could see again! It was a great experience and makes you appreciate how lucky we are to have our sight – I have always said that the one disability I wouldn’t like to have is being blind – and this experience had reaffirmed that. We had our photo taken by the company and the young couple and we went out to find s tuk-tuk to take us back to the temple.
The tuk-tuk driver said he wanted 300 rupees – what a joke – it was half the distance we went to the temple from Egmore and he wanted twice as much money – we told him we wouldn’t pay that and he said 250 rupees. We told him to forget it and walked away; he came after us with excuses that it was a one way road and would take longer but we kept walking – eventually he agreed to take 120 rupees and we got in the tuk-tuk. I know it isn’t a massive amount of money but if we don’t stick up for what is right then other tourists will also get ripped off.
We got to the temple and put our shoes into safe-keeping with a guy in a hut full of shelves for the shoes. We then went into the temple and started to look around, taking photos as we went. A guy approached us and said we needed to pay 25 rupees to use the camera – no problem. He then said he was studying at university and could he give us a guided tour; we had the same experience in Indonesia where students were practicing for their tourism diploma’s, so we agreed. This guy looked a bit rough around the edges, a black eye and cuts and a plaster on his face, but he was informative, although quite fast. Half way around he started talking about a donation to the temple and asked us to give him 20 euros; at first we thought he said 20 rupees and Dave got out that amount, but he looked disgusted and repeated 20 euros. Now we knew this was a scam, so Dave told him he would give a donation but to the right people from the temple, not to him – he didn’t like this! Towards the end of the tour he began to ask us for 500 rupees each for the tour – we told him he had no chance, that he told us it was to practice for his studies, at this he changed his storey and said it was to fund his studies. We gave him 200 rupees and told him to get on his bike; after a lot of complaining he finally left us alone. We continued to look around the temple, going around again at our own pace. When I came to the area where the sacred cows are kept (they looked well looked after) the guys working there said the man who had pretended to be a guide was a ‘bad man’ and he shouldn’t be given any money as he was a con man. We felt much better t this information and carried on.
Anyway – a little about the temple – it is over a hundred years old and is repainted every 10 years by 50 men who take a month to finish the job. There is an open hall where marriages, dancing and concerts are held (the ceiling is beautiful). Sacred cows are well looked after and are milked so the milk can be offered to the God Shiva. Members of the public are allowed into the temple, apart from a special part in the centre where only Hindu’s are allowed. The temple feeds surviving family members of the 2004 tsunami who lost their families in the tragedy (about 300). The temple is elaborately decorated and includes many peacocks that are vehicles for the Gods. There is a tree that couples visit if they have been unable to conceive over the last year; they tie a little wooden crib to the tree in the hope of becoming pregnant – I told Dave I was keeping well away from it! Single people can also tie a ribbon around it in the hope of finding their partner. Please forgive me if I got some of these facts wrong! A very interesting place to visit.
After the temple we wandered around the streets that were now full of stalls selling all sorts of wares. I got some henna patterns on my hand; after it had dried and I took it off it didn’t seem to dark, but it got darker over the next 24 hours. There was so much going on around us, it felt great to be in the middle of it. One oldish couple were selling banana leaves on a stall, when I asked if I could take a photograph the lady beckoned me over, so I went to sit beside her and gave her a cuddle – she was so sweet – she blew me a kiss as I left. It’s the small things like this that make my day.
We went back to Egmore where we went to our usual restaurant and were looked after by our favourite waiter – he gave us a few more things to taste. He looked disappointed when we told him it was our last visit but was happy with his tip! Nighty nite xxx
12/02/2015 – Scary journey to Pondicherry.
After breakfast we packed our luggage and walked to the train station to get a taxi to take us to Pondicherry. We set off after agreeing to a price; it was very slow getting out of the city. They are building a metro train service which should take a lot of pressure of the roads once it is complete. Once through the city we reached a motorway type of road and the driver set off at a pace. The road became a dirt one but the driver still sped ahead, overtaking anything in his way.
At about 2/3 of the way the driver pointed to an area to the right and explained there were temples there; we couldn’t understand everything he said but before we knew it we were coming off the road and towards the town. We had to pay 40 rupees to get into the town, then another 20 to park. Our driver then told us we had to pay 250 rupees each entrance fee, as well as 10 rupees for him – and still we didn’t know what we were seeing!
Finally we got to see what the attraction was – it was the coastal town of Mamallapuram (also known as the town of sculptures). It has various historical monuments built largely between the 7th and 9th centuries and classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We went to see the monuments – by the sea were temples built from rock; they reminded me a little of the ones we saw in Indonesia but on a smaller scale. There were also smaller temples and monuments a little further inland and carvings in a large stone wall with cave like rooms built further back which were the bedrooms for the king. Our driver loved taking photos of us both together in front of the monuments; we have never had so many together!
We set back off through the busy town onto the main road towards Pondicherry; our driver must have been in a great rush by this point as he was driving like a maniac, up to 120kph, and around corners! I thought we wasn’t going to make one corner and as we went round it the car did skid at the edge. I tried not to look at the road as I was having full grown cats, not kittens, at this stage! A group of youth on bikes came flying past us, very dangerously going in and out of cars, slowing down then speeding up again; our driver pulled up alongside them, rolled his window down and told them off – but he was doing about 80kph while doing this!! Fortunately, the bike riders slowed down to a sensible speed, but we sped up again!
We arrived in Pondicherry and I put my navigator on the phone to find our hotel, but this was a waste of time as the driver completely ignored my directions and went the opposite to where I said; we eventually got to the hotel after he listened to me. The hotel (Paradise hotel) was surprisingly good, especially as we only paid $23(12 pound) a night for it; it was modern, clean, spacious with a good shower.
Once we had settled into our room we went out for something to eat; we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We went to a bakery/ café where Dave had a quiche and I had a toasted cheese, tomato and basil sandwich – it was delicious. We then walked down to the promenade, passing some beautiful old buildings. Pondicherry is an old French colonial town that was also occupied by the Dutch, Portuguese and British through its history – but it is predominantly French (the street names all begin with ‘Rue’). At the promenade we walked along, with a refreshing sea breeze making it very comfortable. There are statues along the promenade, the main one being of Ghandi; there are also a couple of memorials to the men who died in the wars (1st and 2nd).
The coastline isn’t suitable for swimming in as it is lined with large rocks; it is lovely to sit and watch the waves crashing in though. There are small carts selling wares along the main stretch, mainly food and drink, and we were asked to buy cheap souvenirs from children and men on the pavement – they didn’t bother us too much though. We watched about 10 men play French boules (2 separate games); it was a pleasant way to enjoy the warm evening.
After walking along the promenade for a while we came across an expo in which local people had stalls selling their wares – most of these were cheap plastic items but there were a couple of interesting stalls, one which sold leather puppets, lamp shades and wall pictures. There was also an exhibition outside of an artist who made large pictures of famous Indian people from recyclable objects; these were pretty cool.
We walked back to the hotel, had a shower then went out for dinner; we chose a Chinese restaurant (Wangs Kitchen). The food was good but typical Indian style the food cme out in dribs and drabs, not all together – so the first dish out was my main meal, but no noodles to accompany it, then the starter of spring rolls arrived; after nearly finishing the spring rolls Dave’s main dish arrived, then finally the noodles – my dish was nearly cold at this point but still tasted good. This has been typical of the restaurants in India – we rarely get our starter first and never know when we will get our dishes! Dave had a beer, his first one this year. After dinner we went back to the hotel, watched a bit of TV and went to bed. Nighty nite xxx
13/01/2015 – more of Pondicherry
We were woken by the doorbell to our room at just before 8am – our breakfast had arrived! This consisted of an Indian breakfast of various curry dishes and breads. We just couldn’t face it, although we love curries, having them for breakfast is too much. So, we drank our tea, dropped our laundry off and headed to a bakery where we had pancakes (chocolate for Dave, coconut for myself) and another cup of tea. The best part of being in a French colonial town is that there are some beautiful bakeries with good bread, pastries and pancakes.
We walked to the Aurobindo Ashram which was founded in 1926. I felt disappointed in this as it was sold as one of the highlights of the town, but inside there was a stone monument (or his grave?) of Sri Aurobindo, a place you could sit and meditate, and a book shop. Dave bought a book on meditating which he found very interesting – did you know it is not true meditation if you do it in a group or in public? So much for all those people in Varkala on the beach meditating in large crowds!!
We spent the rest of the day exploring the town, stopping to look at the beautiful Sacred Heart Church, the Lady of Angels Church, the Joan of Arc statue and more of the beautiful buildings around. We went back to the hotel in the height of the day and asked the staff if we could extend our stay for another 3 days; unfortunately it was fully booked so we had to find somewhere else. We did manage to book another hotel but not as cheap as this one.
We walked around the town in the afternoon and then went to see where our hotel that we had booked was; it was on the other end of the town and it looked very nice. As we continued walking I saw men working on sewing machines then some men ironing (with the old heavy irons) – it’s good to see men doing ‘women’s’ work!
We went through the market and bazar to get back to the hotel; the market was full of stalls selling beautifully fresh fruit, veg and herbs; it was delightful to walk through. On the streets we saw many cows wandering around and foraging in the rubbish along with the dogs; the cows looked healthy and looked after whereas the dogs were mostly thin, hairless pitiful sights. We did see a woman (I think French) who fed about 8 dogs from a large bowl that she had brought on her bike on a street corner.
During the evening we went to a restaurant called Surguru; this was in a large looking hall and when we walked in there was no atmosphere. We sat and ordered our meal and watched more customers arrive. I was very surprised at the number of middle aged women that were travelling alone, and most of them appeared to be eating here! There were about 8 waiters, most of which stood around watching one poor guy cleaning all the tables. The food was delicious and we polished the whole lot off. Back to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
14/01/2015 – Making plans
We had asked for a continental breakfast instead of an Indian one and were woken at 8am with 4 slices of cold toast each along with some butter and jam that only spread on 2 of them! So, we got dressed and went to the bakery for breakfast – an apple pie and a chocolate croissant to share along with a coffee. We went back to the hotel and began searching for somewhere to stay in Goa; this took much longer than we thought it would as there wasn’t much available and it seemed to be either top end expensive resorts or cheap and nasty places. We decided we would treat ourselves to something a bit better than a dump and finally got one booked after about 2 hours searching!
After making our booking we went to get a tuk-tuk to take us to a place called Auroville, an experimental township in which people from all nations can live together in harmony (I will write more about this once we have visited it properly). The reason for going was to get a pass to be able to go into the Matrimandir chamber for ‘concentration’; we managed to get a pass for the coming Friday. I am not going to expand on anything about this at this moment as I am trying to keep an open mind about the whole thing – watch this space for the 16th!!!
Having got our passes we had a cup of tea with our tuk-tuk driver Kanyon (he was desperately trying to sell us a day tour with him, bless!), then set off back into town. We stopped at a temple on the way; it was in the middle of a field with ginormous statues of Indian gods, elephants and cows – very colourful. There were wild goats shading under the cow statues. Our driver, Kanyon, kept telling us that a man had been murdered the night before in this area; we had read something about it in the paper that morning and it seemed he was killed by a gang; the locals then started rioting until the police told them they would look for the gang members. The murdered man’s photo was all over posters along the village, very quick!!!
Back at the town we relaxed until early evening, had a walk around town (we only walked because Dave wouldn’t listen to my directions to get to a certain street for restaurants – an hour later he listened and we found it immediately!). We decided we would have a change from curries and had a pizza instead; the ‘restaurant’ was more of a café but the pizzas were delicious – proper wood fired pizza oven and thin crust pizzas with fresh topping on. The small pizza was the size of a medium in the big fast food chains, and the prices were reasonable. We left with full stomachs and tired – time for bed, night nite xxx
15/01/2015 – Paradise Beach and the wanker
Firstly, I forgot to say about yesterday evening – after dinner we found a shop that sold Indian menswear; Dave had been looking since we arrived in India for a pair of long white pants and a long tunic; he managed to get the pants, a white tunic and a red one. I also got a pair of Indian pants and a red tunic (mid length). They look very beautiful and we can’t wait to wear them somewhere special! Back to today:
After being woken up with cold toast and melted butter (which we didn’t bother eating), we got ourselves ready, packed and got a tuk-tuk to a new hotel. The hotel we were already stopping at was full so we had to book a new one; this was the Anantha – A Heritage Home. When we arrived we were surprised at how beautiful it was; it is an old Tamil house with lots of wood. As we entered the large reception room we were greeted by a woman who put a Bindi or Tilak on our foreheads (a cream mark followed by a red dot). The owner of the home registered us and showed us our room – it was beautiful, a large wooden bed with wooden furniture, large (but low) solid wooden doors (the key was massive!!) and a separate bathroom with a hot shower – the windows had large wooden shutters on them. The whole building was grand, the reception area had lots of beautiful wooden furniture, areas to sit in (one with a chess board), an outdoor garden area downstairs and upstairs a dining area in a courtyard with another area to sit in overlooking a temple; it was truly wonderful.
The owner gave us breakfast, even though we arrived after 10am; we had a masala omellete, brown and white toast, croissant, banana, melon juice and cardamom tea – nothing like the cold toast at the other hotel!
After breakfast and settling into our room we set off to look for a tuk-tuk to take us to the beach (we decided on Paradise Beach after consulting the owner of the home). We were taken on a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride through the town to the ‘Boat House’; here we had to pay an entrance fee (10 rupees!) and a fee for the camera (20 rupees) then go to another kiosk to buy tickets for the boat to take us across to the beach. The boat was packed full; the trip was lovely though as we passed backwaters and palm trees lining the banks. We arrived at the beach area (it was over a sand bank of the backwater) and walked to a quiet part of the beach. It’s very strange but the Indians always seem to stay together in one small area, making it crowded. There was a long stretch of beach so we found a good spot and settled down.
The beach was probably the cleanest one we have seen so far in India, there was very little rubbish floating around the sea and it looked clear. The beach dropped suddenly going into the water and there were quite large, strong waves coming in, so not really suitable for swimming in. I did paddle up to my thighs (going out to just before the drop), which cooled me down and felt refreshing. Dave settled on the sand to read his book, sitting cross legged and looking like a guru!! There was another couple about 80 metres away (I think German from the book they were reading); while we were lying in the sun Dave looked up to find the guy was wanking while looking at the Indian crowds on the beach – he also looked towards us and knew we were looking too. His wife just carried on reading her book, although she must have known what he was doing. He didn’t take long, threw his ‘muck’ onto the sand and carried on reading – dirty bastard!!!
After enjoying the sun for about 3 hours we headed back to get the boat to the main road before the crowds decided to go back; there was already a queue for the boat and true Indian style we had a lot of people pushing in – we couldn’t fit onto the boat there and had to wait for the next one. While we were waiting a speed boat pulled up with some policemen and what were probably dignitaries who left the boat and walked towards the beach. Rather than send the boat back empty they put myself, Dave and a French couple on – we sped right past the boat with the people who had pushed in – ah!!!
We negotiated a tuk-tuk (we had to walk away again before they stopped ripping us off) and went back to the hotel, showered (Dave put his new white gear on) and ordered our dinner which was freshly cooked by the chef. While it was being prepared we took a walk down to the promenade where there were crowds of people enjoying Pongal (the Indian version of Harvest Festival). This goes on for a few days and today was the day families donned their new clothes and celebrated with their families. We walked back, watching the celebrations in the temples as we passed (musicians outside with drums and a large horn type instrument, and the ‘priests’ doing a ceremony with the visitors of twirling a long braid in front of them).
We had dinner – it was okay but not the best we have had, played a game of Uno and retired to bed. Nighty nite xxx
16/01/2015 – Auroville and Matrimandir
Ok – so an early start, breakfast and then a tuk-tuk (the one we ordered didn’t arrive but we got a better one) to Auroville for our visit to the Matrimandir. I will try to explain a little about both of these:
Auroville – this is described as a Universal town where people from different nationalities, faiths and beliefs, can live in peace and harmony. It is an attempt to realise a new society as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother; it was inaugurated on 28th February 1968 with representations from 124 countries. Nearly 2000 people from 35 countries live here (40% Indians).
Matrimandir: At the very centre of Auroville one finds the 'soul of the city', the Matrimandir, situated in a large open area called 'Peace', from where the future township will radiate outwards. The atmosphere is quiet and charged, and the area beautiful, even though work continues in the Gardens. The Matrimandir will be the soul of Auroville. The sooner the soul is there, the better it will be for everybody and especially for the Aurovilians. ‘The Mother’.
Even though Auroville started in 1968 and building started in 1971, only the Matrimandir and some of the gardens surrounding it, some residencies, hall and the visitors centre (which consists of a hall with information and lots of café’s, restaurants and shopping boutiques) have been completed. Only 2000 people live there, whereas the vision was for 50000 people, and a large majority of these are Indian. It doesn’t appear to have made great progress in 44 years!
However, we went with an open mind to see what it was like. We arrived with about 100 other people who had managed to get passes to the Matrimandir, watched a video about Auroville and Matrimandir and got on buses to take us to the ‘peace area’. Before we could go into this area we had to give all our possessions – bags, phones, cameras etc. to the office. We then waited in the ‘peace area’ where many people chatted to each other (so much for being silent, and no-one asked them to shut up). From where we were stood we could see the Matrimadir, a large golden sphere (which to me looked a bit extra-terrestrial!). We could also see in front of us a snake skin which was far more interesting to me!
We had a talk about what Auroville and Matrimadir meant and walked through the gardens towards the sphere. After waiting a while we were told to proceed to the opening (again, a couple of Indians had to push past us even though were lining up single file – I really don’t think they can help it) and take our shoes off before entering. Once in the sphere we had to put on white socks then proceeded up a large, wide spiral walkway until we came to the Inner Chamber, a round hall with 12 white columns and in the centre sits a pure crystal-glass globe which suffuses a ray of electronically guided sunlight that falls on it through an opening at the apex of the sphere. This luminescent globe radiates natural lighting in the Inner Chamber. We all sat on cushions around the chamber; I tried to sit crossed legged but got cramp after a short time! Once everyone was sat we had 10 minutes to ‘concentrate’ – I stared at the crystal and tried to let my mind go blank but people were coughing and sneezing and distracted me (I really need to work on my meditation). After our time was up we walked back down the spiral walkway and lower down to an area with a large stone lotus flower in the centre with water cascading down; again we sat around it and ‘concentrated’ (fat chance – there was a girl about 12 years old running around and chatting while her brother ran after her to try to keep her quiet!). We then went back outside and could sit in the garden where the large Bayan tree was (this is at the very centre of Auroville and is very impressive with many large trunks supporting the long and wide branches). We sat there for a while then made our way back to the visitors centre.
So, what did we make of it? The Matrimandir was an impressive building and did feel peaceful when there was little noise. But, meditation can be done anywhere and doesn’t need a large golden sphere to enable this. The whole concept of Auroville – mmmm, it seems like it hasn’t developed much from the early 70’s when ‘communes’ were very common; I get the impression this is just another commune that has managed to survive the hippy years. It isn’t a bad idea – who wouldn’t want to live peacefully with people from other countries, without politics and religion (though to live there you need to reach the state of the divine consciousness and believe in the ‘Mother’ – which to me is just another religious belief?). You have to give up all your material belongings and pay a sum each month to the township, as well as work for the basic necessities. Maybe the people living here are happy with that, or maybe they are hiding from the real world and its faults? Me – I’d rather work on helping others in the real world and hope that one day there will be peace within the people of this world. It’s all very complicated and confusing – we came away with more questions than answers! However, I would like to try to learn how to meditate properly – for relaxing purposes, and maybe practice yoga – it wouldn’t hurt to stretch my old muscles so they don’t cramp!!
After returning from our trip I felt exhausted; I don’t know if it’s my iron levels, the menopause or the ‘concentration’ that’s made me tired – but I slept for over 3 hours! We went for a meal at Surguru, our second visit there; we had a Channa Batura which is a large Poorie (looks like a giant round Yorkshire pudding), with a chickpea (Vella Kadala) gravy – bloody gorgeous, then a baby sweetcorn masala, again delicious. Back to the hotel for a shower, beauty night and a relaxing evening. Nighty nite xxx
17/01/2015 – Temples of Pondicherry
Our last full day in Pondicherry, so we decided to go and see the temples – there are many of them but we concentrated on 3 of them. First we walked down to the promenade and sat in the shade people watching. As we sat there an Indian guy tried selling us some jewellery but we said no; he ‘set up shop’ on the pavement by us and continued to try to sell them to us every now and again. I chatted with the guy and looked at his photograph of himself and his wife – she was very beautiful. As we left I sat next to him on the pavement, chatted a little bit more and had a pic with him before moving on.
We made our way to the first temple, Manakula Vinayagar Temple; this temple is about 400 years old and has the life story of the God Ganesha in several fresco paintings. This temple was a small one by a market covered overhead by stonework to the opening of the temple and with stalls selling flowers for the temple. There wasn’t any other tourists here and the locals appeared to enjoy watching us look inside the temple. Once we had looked around the temple we made our way to the second one but it was nearly midday; the temples close at this time and it was very hot so we decided to go back to the hotel for a rest and continue later.
After a rest, and beating Dave at chess, we went back to the temple, the Vedapuriswarar Temple. This was built in the 18th century and has 4 pillars in the main hall which exhibit the various poses of the dance of Shiva. As we walked around I was taking photos of the beautiful colourful statues of the Gods on the buildings; when we came near to the end I was told I wasn’t allowed to take pics – oops! An Indian lady asked us for some money for a cup of tea (she appeared to be goaded on by 2 of her friends); we refused and a guy shortly after told us not to give money to these women.
We went to the 3rd temple – Varadharaja Perumal, the most famous and one of the oldest temples in the town and is dedicated to Lord Vishna. Because we were told we couldn’t take photos in the last temple I presumed we couldn’t in this one too, so I was sneaking them as we went around! Again, this temple was adorned with beautiful colourful statues. Both of these temples were in the process of being repainted and were covered in large straw matting to protect both the buildings and I presume the workers from the sun.
We walked back down to the Promenade where there were many locals. It was the last day of Pongal and it seemed they were enjoying the cooling breeze and atmosphere – it certainly seemed a happy seaside place. All of a sudden we saw a couple with a baby, the guy was wearing some traditional outfit of a long red dhoti with a shorter yellow skirt over the top which was decorated with scarves, belts and bells at the top; he also carried a large whip. He had lots of bells on his ankles and was bare chested. His wife wore a sari and carried a large bag on her head and a drum in her arms; the man carried the baby. All of a sudden the man lashed his whip on the floor making a loud noise and causing people close by to watch him. He did this a few times while walking on the elevated part by the sea then placed the baby down on a mat and started lashing his whip faster then did a strange dance. He then did something with a knife – I think he was showing he could slash the knife across his arms without cutting himself. While he was doing all this his wife was beating the drum and the baby just sat on the mat. Once they had finished they picked up the baby, asked people for money then walked further up to start the procedure again!
While we were sat watching the crowds (it was a perfect place to people watch) 3 young girls asked if they could have their photo taken with me; of course I said yes. After the pic was taken I was suddenly bombarded with their whole friends and then their ‘aunties’; I did enjoy it though, it’s great to be able to have fun with the locals.
We walked into the town and ate dinner at Surguru, again having the Channa Batura; unfortunately there wasn’t any pea masala for Dave so we had chappati with a curry to go with it instead – it was delicious but only small portions; although the whole meal came to $2.60 (1.30 pounds) including drinks! After our dinner we stopped in at the bakery for a cake and drink!
Back to the hotel and bed as we were moving on in the morning. Nighty nite xxx
18/01/2015 – The long journey to Goa
We were up early, showered, had breakfast and packed. We were originally going to set off to Chennai at 9.30am but our taxi driver said we needed to go at 8.30am as there would be lots of traffic. We set off and got to Chennai airport far too early – there had been no traffic at all on the roads and we got there super quick. We went to check in to be told our flight was delayed – we had 4 ½ hours to wait! We spent our time drinking coffee, tea and lemonade and eating sandwiches and reading – we both finished our books before we got to Goa!
We eventually arrived in Goa and stood in the long queue for a taxi. We eventually got one and shared it with a Russian guy who was going the same way (there are some nice Russians after all); we chatted about where we had been in India and he asked us to write them down for him, he then gave us a couple of places to visit, one of which is Hampi which we might go to next.
We got to our hotel about an hour later (11 hours after setting off from Pondicherry), dropped our luggage in and went for dinner. The resort was full of British – most of them pensioners, with lots of bars, restaurants and tatty souvenir shops – my worst nightmare!! We ordered a curry for dinner, Dave had his pea masala which was delicious; I got a local Goan curry which was terrible – it was like a gravy with curry mix thrown in and chicken pieces to finish it. I ate about ½ and left the rest. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed – it had been a long day. Nighty nite xxx
19/01/2015 – A bad day
After showering, dressing and having breakfast I got very upset – it started with Dave not making his mind up about what he wanted to do and making excuses for not going to places. I think it’s probably my stupid bloody hormones again but I felt depressed and decided I wasn’t going to go anywhere. Without going into too much detail, I spent the day in bed, had a banana and a packet of crisps for my dinner and took a sleeping tablet to make sure I slept all night! Definitely one of my bad days and a feeling I detest. Nighty nite xxx
20/01/2015 – Geocaching in Goa
I still felt very low this morning, for no particular reason, but after a cry I decided it wasn’t going to help if I stayed in the room, so we decided we would go geocaching. For those of you who don’t know what geocaching is, there are hidden items, usually boxes with a log book and sometimes other items, which are hidden in places. You are given the GPS coordinates and clues and off you go to find them; Becca had introduced me to this and she said you get to see places you didn’t know existed and off the beaten track, so we thought we would give it a go. I had signed up to the geocache site, downloaded the app onto my phone and off we set.
We had hired a scooter and had to ask for 2 helmets (we were offered none). Our first cache took us to the north of Goa to a place called Arambol; to get there we had to go through Calangut – a very busy touristy area – then we went through small villages, over a bridge and on the coastal road past some lovely beaches. We found the place where our first cache was, this was across the road from a café (The Worlds End) and we had to climb a hill with small volcanic rocks (very slippery underfoot). At the top the views were great, we could see the coastline and a coconut plantation to the side. We searched for the cache and eventually found it – yah, our first one!!!! We looked at the contents, signed the log book and sat to watch the Black Kites circling above.
We rode to the beach close by, had a snack and drink at one of the shacks and then a stroll along the beach. The beach was relatively quiet with beautiful golden sand and clear blue sea but unfortunately we hadn’t brought our togs with us, so we had a paddle. There were lots of hermit crabs, crabs and starfish scurrying along the tideline and burying themselves, they were fascinating to watch, especially the hermit crab that dashed from one shell to a larger one! After our walk we set off to find our next cache.
We found the coordinates and drove very close to them but there was a wall between us and dogs barking close by – we guessed there was a different entrance and rode further around the village. Sure enough the entrance was clear – we walked up some steps to a hill and found a small temple with a Bayan tree to the side of it. Unfortunately there were some people already there and one of the rules is that you can’t retrieve the box when members of the public are around (or muggles as they are called). There was a couple sat on the temple steps, a European guy dressed like some sort of monk walking around the temple and chanting, and 2 women close by playing violins! After looking at the great views again and looking around the small open temple we sat and enjoyed the breeze blowing through. While we were sat there I spotted a monkey in the trees; it was sat very relaxed looking out over the valley and appeared to be contemplating life (I think it was a langur) and looked very cute; there was also a dog that was sat watching the monkey!
We waited and eventually the couple went, then the guy who had been chanting sat and started meditating (then fell asleep), then the 2 ladies disappeared; we were able to look for the cache. I found this easily in the tree; it was in-between some branches and in a film canister; after signing the log we put it back and left. On the way back I spotted a garage that fixed Royal Enfield motorbikes so we stopped to have a look – there were some old ones there and some that were just frames – great to look at. We set back off to Candolim and after getting lost a couple of times managed to get onto the right road.
Once back at our hotel we showered, changed and went out for dinner. Dave had been told about a restaurant that sold British food so we went to try it out. Bloody fantastic – I had steak pudding (proper suet pastry), chips (home-made) and the real deal mushy peas – the first I have had for over 9 years – it was super duper delicious!! Dave had chicken and mushroom pie with mash potato and veg, again delicious. Dave had a beer with his meal but I stuck with water – it sometimes stinks this high iron malarkey and not being able to drink. To make it even worse the water came in a ‘Fosters’ bottle, so looked like lager! We went back to the hotel after a satisfying day and an even bigger satisfying meal. Nighty nite xxx
21/01/2015 – More geocaching and incredible finds.
We decided to go south today, there were a few caches that sounded interesting. The first one was only 3 miles away from where we were stopping but first I needed to top up my internet data to make sure we could find the coordinates. When I asked to top up in a shop he told me I couldn’t as I had bought the SIM card in Kerala and they were different plans – he sent me to the ‘Elephant’ shop ( a popular place for tourists) to ask them. When I got there the guy said the same then he managed to top me up with 100 rupees (very confused).
We continued to go to our next cache; this took us through some small towns and then off onto a small track road through a village. We stopped outside a house and was checking the clue when a guy came out of the house and asked if we were looking for something; when we said what he invited us into the garden and pointed to the garden next door. As we walked to the next garden an old lady came out and invited us to look, pointing us in the right direction. We found a slab of concrete with a stone on top by the side of a small tree and after Dave moved the slab (avoiding the large red ants on it) we found a large box with a log and some items inside; we signed the log and returned the box into the hole. We thanked the lady and went to go to the scooter; as we walked past the first house the guy invited us in for a coffee; we accepted. Over coffee and Indian snacks he told us his brother had started the cache but now lives in America (he is a doctor). The guy himself works for a steel company and this takes him all over the world, mainly China, but he gets lots of time to sight see – great job. The old lady next door is his mother-in-law. The family appeared to be rich (both houses were large and he had another up the road) but he was friendly and didn’t brag. Nice guy, and a lovely quiet village.
We carried on southward, first through villages and small towns then got onto the main road. Driving in India is mad, the rules are that the bigger vehicles have right of way, you do your best to stay out of the way of other traffic – pretty scary but Dave rides carefully and safely (though he’s an expert at finding the big holes and bumps in the roads). We rode for about an hour and eventually came off onto a smaller road; from our coordinates we took a small side road off which led us to a dead end by a beach (close to Bogmolo Beach but this was called Goa Beach and said it was private one on the map). We parked the scooter up and walked to the beach; the clue said we had to ask Pete for the next clue – there was a shack right on the beach so I asked the guy there if he was Pete; when he knew what we wanted he pointed us into the back of the shack where we found our next cache – 4 out of 4 in 2 days – great fun!!
After signing the log book and returning the cache we ordered a cold drink then went to relax on the beach (we had our togs this time). The beach was awesome – practically deserted – there was a couple on sun loungers just above us, a couple further up but we couldn’t see them and then nothing but the lifeguards for as far as we could see. We were amazed to see lifeguards there but India appears to be very safety conscious and has lifeguards on most beaches (a lot of Indians can’t swim).
We spent the next few hours chilling on the beach, the sea was cool and clear and I wandered down the beach watching the seabirds and Kingfishers. I couldn’t believe this beach was here, especially after Dave telling me the resort beaches were so full. We watched jets fly into and out of the airport – it is a military as well as a commercial airport (and you are not allowed to take photos in the airport). We left in time to go for our last cache which was close by and get back before it got dark.
The next coordinates took us across the road and up another side road; we stopped by some steps and walked to the top – there was a beautiful church with views to die for; another place we wouldn’t have found without geocache. The clues said the tin was in an old Bayan tree which we found; unfortunately there were a few ‘muggles’ around so we couldn’t look for it. We had a look around the grounds and the view out towards the sea and down to villages in the plantations then sat and waited. ‘Muggles’ came and went but we couldn’t find ourselves alone. At one point the people went to the other side of the church from the tree so we climbed up and looked for it; Dave climbed quite high but couldn’t find it. We didn’t have long to search for it as the muggles came back. Looking at the logs for the cache it seemed like the tin had been placed far too high and most people hadn’t found it. Never mind, we enjoyed finding the location.
We set off for the hotel and found ourselves in rush hour traffic so Dave too extra care to get us home safely. We got back, showered, had dinner (a delicious mushroom curry at the hotel restaurant) and went to bed. Nighty nite xxx
22/01/2015 – day on Candolim Beach
Dave wasn’t feeling his best today – he had a sore throat, aching and felt tired – so we decided to relax on the beach. First I went to book tickets for a bus to Hospet for Sunday (unfortunately there were no train tickets available) then we went to the beach. It was busy (this was the first time I had seen the beach in Candolim even though we had been here 4 days already) but we got a sun lounger each and settled down. I soon realised we were in the middle of the Russian tourists but that was okay. The sea was cool when we went in but it was refreshing. We spent the day reading and dipping in the sea then we showered and went out for dinner – a delicious curry. Back to the hotel and bed. Nighty nite xxx
23/01/2015 – The Royal Enfield
We decided to hire a Royal Enfield motorbike for the next 2 days; these are an Indian legend, and beautiful bikes (with a fantastic noise to go with them). We set off to go to Old Goa, through the towns and onto the main road which was quite busy. We had looked to see if there were any geocaches in the area and there was one so we made our way to that first. This geocache took us away from the main area of Old Goa, up a hill to a small quaint church called ‘Our Lady of the Mount’; this wasn’t open but the outside was pretty and the views fantastic – we could see over the river and down to Old Goa with all of its magnificent churches. We searched for the geocache but couldn’t find it, apparently when we looked at the internet site it hadn’t been there for some time, so it wasn’t us not looking properly. After looking around the church grounds and the views we set off back to the Old Goa Town but the bike wouldn’t start! Dave managed to jump start it (luckily we were on a steep hill) and off we went.
At Old Goa we first stopped at the Church of St. Cajetan; this was built between 1656 – 1661 by the monks of the Thatine Order who adopted St. Peter’s in Rome as the model for this church. Dedicated to Our Lady of the Divine Providence, it is designed by Italian architects Carlo Feranini and Francesco Maria Milazzo. The church was beautiful, probably one of the best decorated in the town with a high domed ceiling at the alter and large wooden carved structures around the church, the grandest being the one at the altar. There weren’t many tourists here and it was lovely to be able to look around it without too much hustle and bustle. After enjoying the church we went back to the bike to go to the next one only to find it wouldn’t start again – luckily Dave again managed to bump start it!
The next stop was St Catherine’s; this was a large white church but simply decorated compared to the rest (there were still some beautiful carvings and statues). There were some beautiful old decorated walls that were underneath the plaster and exposed in places. WE had a wander around, again not too many tourists, we then went to the ‘museum and art gallery’. This had items from the churches which had historical significance and there were paintings depicting Jesus (most of them badly painted); the most comical was a model of Jesus with the cross but he had long ginger hair and long ginger beard!
We moved on to ‘The Basilica of Bom Jesus and its sacred environs; the church was built between 1594 – 1605. It is the only church in Goa whose exteriors are denuded of plaster (which in my opinion makes it look more historical and dated and real!). Dominating the interior is the high alter that fills the back wall of the barrel- vaulted sanctuary. A small statue of Bom Jesus occupies a place on the base of the pedestal bearing a giant figure of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuit order. In the right transept is a chapel which holds a two tier mausoleum of St. Francis Xavier; on this marble mausoleum is set the silver casket in a crystal urn lie the Relics of the Body of ST. Francis Xavier who died on December 3rd 1552at Sanchuan. This church, and the mausoleum, are what most people caome to see in Goa so it was very busy. It’s a shame really that they only come to see this and then go again as the other churches close by are just as (and sometimes more) beautiful with lots of history. At the back of the mausoleum were had to walk through a garden – this had been ‘decorated’ with paper mache models of Jesus and scenes of heaven and hell, one showing men in a bar with beer, women and gambling and signs stating it is the way to hell! These models must have been made by either children or people who had no artistic skills whatsoever, they were terrible!! After stopping for a drink and ice-cream we went back to the bike – and yes, you’ve guessed it – it didn’t start again!!
We tried to bump start the bike down a slight decline but to no avail; a family passed us and they tried to push the bike too but it didn’t work; we thanked them and they went on their way. Dave then pushed the bike towards a small hill that led down to the ferry and tried to bump start it from there, yah it worked – BUT when he came to get me the bike stalled again! Off Dave went to the hill again but this time he couldn’t get it going. A group of guys were waiting for the ferry, they very kindly pushed the bike then when it didn’t start again they got on the bike and got it going – we were off!!
We decided we would be better going back to the hotel than risking stopping somewhere else and the bike not stopping. We rode through the towns and villages again and onto the main road coming to a busy roundabout which we had to stop at. The bike stalled again so we had to push the bike across a very busy dual carriageway and got to a spot where the police have a stand. The police came to help us and lo and behold, when they used the kick start it started immediately!
We finally got back to the hotel, showered, changed and went to meet our friends for dinner. We met Janet in Cambodia and kept in touch; she lives in Goa so we arranged to meet with her boyfriend Dave (another one!) for dinner. We had a lovely meal, a good chat and a few drinks. It was good to see her again. Nighty nite xxx
24/01/2015 – Dudhsagar Falls
We set off on the Royal Enfield to go to the Dudhsagar Falls today. The falls are on the eastern border with Karnataka and are the second highest in India at 603m. We went through lots of towns and villages and it took us about 2 hours to get there. On arrival to the town we had to get a jeep to take us to the falls. We waited until there were 6 of us so that it didn’t cost as much (400 rupees each); there was a girl from Belgium (very strange) and 3 guys from India (one said he studies in California). We had to pay 30 rupees more to get a life jacket which was compulsory. The reason we had to get a jeep is that the terrain is very unsteady, a clay type of road with lots of bumps and rocks and we had to pass through streams. The area is also protected so only authorised vehicles can go through. We had to pay more money once we got to the check-point – 20 rupees each and another 30 rupees for the camera (camera phones were free which was unfair).
We finally arrived at the falls and had to walk along a walkway, down steps, across a couple of small bridges and over large boulders until we finally saw them. They were magnificent – from the top they dipped under a large bridge which had the train track on and cascaded down to a large pool at the bottom. There were quite a few people around, mainly Indians, and were on the edge of the pool (I think I’ve said before that most can’t swim), some were waist high. We decided to be brave and got into the pool (we kept our life-jackets on) – it was bloody freezing!! We quickly got used to the temperature and it began to feel pleasant after a while; we swam up to the bottom of the falls and enjoyed the spray. After coming out and sitting to dry in the sun we noticed that a lot of the people had got into the pool – even the ones who couldn’t swim were being helped in by those that could – we must have started an avalanche of swimmers!!
We were only allowed to stay for 1 ½ hours at the falls so we made our way back to the jeep; we had to wait for the others (even though we told the Belgium girl it was time to go back) and our driver had to go and find them. When we were all back we set off and took a detour to a place called Devils Canyon; this was beautiful with large rocks and a very deep river flowing through the forest. There were hundreds of large fish in the water (it is forbidden to fish here, as is swimming) and the water was very clear. 2 movies had been filmed here, and I could see why. We stayed for a while, taking photos and admiring the views; I managed to see a mongoose and then we caught a glimpse of some langurs, but they scarpered quickly once they saw us. We headed back to the town where we got an ice-cream and then set off back to Candolim.
We had no trouble with the bike today, it didn’t start at times but could be started with the kick start. We rode all the way back without stopping; by the time we arrived back and stopped at the bridge to watch the sun setting my bum was numb and I had seized up! My face was covered in dirt, only the area around my eyes was where my sunglasses had been were clean; our clothes were filthy too – it’s so dusty everywhere! We showered, changed and went for dinner, we chose to go back for more pie and mushy peas! Nighty nite xxx
Oh, Janet got in touch and asked if she and Dave could come along to Hospet with us, of course we said yes. They are trying to get tickets for the bus tomorrow night.
25/01/2015 – Sleeper coach to Hospet
We had to check out of the hotel at 11am today but we weren’t getting the taxi to the coach station until 7pm, so we left our luggage in the reception and sat by the pool all day. The pool area was occupied by old Brits and al they did was moan, moan, moan – ‘the toast isn’t straight and it’s too hard for the butter’, ‘one day there’s tomatoes then the next there isn’t’, ‘the pool is too cold’, ‘the sun umbrellas are bent’ etc., etc. – it was driving me mad!!!
We chilled out, swam in the pool and read our books then we went for a walk, topped up my phone and went for dinner – this time we chose to have a Sunday lunch, complete with Yorkshire pudding (I had roast pork – scrummy, Dave had roast beef). We had word from Janet that she couldn’t get tickets for the coach tonight but had managed to get some for tomorrow so we would meet her at the hotel.
We got the taxi to the bus station and we all piled on once it arrived; there were mainly tourists from all around the world. The ‘beds’ consisted of 2 plastic coated thin mattresses with a tiny pillow attached side by side; I don’t know how you would get on if you were travelling alone and had to share one of these, they were very narrow and had to sleep close to each other. After lots of rearranging we managed to get comfortable (as much as we could) and settled down for our long overnight drive. No chance of sleeping for the first part though – the bus kept stopping and starting, mainly picking up other passengers from various areas of Goa, but then it kept stopping very regularly. I later found out that a young guy with mental health problems had taken some acid (very silly) and thought he wanted to go to Hampi to be with his friends; once on the bus he couldn’t decide and wanted to get off then back on. It got to the stage that the coach staff had enough of him and kicked him off, but the guy clung to the side of the bus when it set off!! Eventually they got him off the bus and drove off – I could see him running alongside with his backpack and guitar; it was very sad – but drugs are bad, especially when you already have mental health problems!
We finally managed to fall asleep, cramped with our bags all around us. Nighty nite xxx
26/01/2015 – Indian Republic day
We arrived at Hospet at about 7am; as soon as we got off the coach we were bombarded with loads of Indian guys trying to get us to take their tuk-tuks or have a tour of Hampi. We chose a guy called ‘Rambo’ who dropped us off at our hotel and arranged to take us to Hampi once Janet and Dave arrived.
The hotel was terrible – the room was large but looked filthy; there were mosquitos flying everywhere and big ones squashed on the wall; I managed to get one in my hands and lots of deep brown gunge splattered everywhere – yuck!! There were 2 single beds with thin hard mattresses on, one sheet and a manky blanket. The bathroom looked even worse; the floor and lower half of the walls looked filthy, but I think it was concrete that hadn’t been cleaned properly when it was built. The toilet wasn’t the best, the sink leaked and the shower was crap, plus no hot water! It was definitely in the top 3 of the worse hotels we have stopped in!
The first thing I did was to phone Simone and Kylie up – it was their birthday today so we sang happy birthday to them and chatted a little bit to the girls; I do miss them. We had a cup of tea and a rest before we headed out and looked around Hospet; we chose to eat breakfast at a nice looking hotel close to where the coach had dropped us off. We had a lovely poori and some fruit juice then made our way back. We then decided we would go to Hampi to look around the town. Hampi is a town that was built in the 16th & 17th centuries with lots of temples and buildings for the royal family. It is surrounded by giant boulders and a river, the Tunga-Bhadra, with lots of hills around. We got a tuk-tuk who dropped us off at the entrance to the town itself.
As we walked around the streets we realised it was a big tourist area with most of the shops and cafes geared towards the tourists. We had a wander around the streets then made our way down to the river. Because it was the Indian Republic Day there were lots of Indian tourists too and it was busy. There were people washing their clothes by the river, bathing in the river and sitting by the river. We went to the little ferry and made our way across; there were many statues of cows all the way across. The ferry also carried motorbikes across which were interesting to watch as the ferry was very small, but they managed. Once across the ferry we found a lovely restaurant which we stopped at for lunch then we continued to look around the town before heading back to the hotel. We didn’t want to see the temples today as we wanted to wait for Janet and Dave to arrive.
Back at the hotel we had a little rest before going out to find somewhere to eat for dinner. We searched for quite a long time and finally found a restaurant we had seen on Trip advisor, but it didn’t open until 7pm. We have realised that Indians don’t eat until late but we like to eat at ‘tea time’ (being typical Brits). We carried on looking for somewhere and found a small local café type place and went in. All the locals were looking at us strangely and we were seated across from a guy. He didn’t look at us or speak to us and left before he finished his food; I hope we didn’t scare him off!
There were no menus here and were told what was on offer, so I picked a poori again as I know I like them; Dave chose the same. As we were eating we had most of the café looking at us and sometimes laughing. We then had a couple with their teenage son sit opposite us; they were very friendly and asked us where we were from and how we like India – they were chuffed to bits when we said we love it!! We had a cup of masala tea and paid – 81 rupees ($1.60), our cheapest meal yet – though to be truthful it was only an Indian snack, something they eat to tide them over until dinner – but it satisfied us! We went back to the hotel and went to bed; we were shattered from the lack of sleep on the bus the night before. Nighty nite xxx
27/01/2014 – Hampi temples.
Janet and Dave H arrived early this morning; they had a rest for a couple of hours then we went on our way to Hampi; we went with the rickshaw driver who took us from the bus to the hotel (Rambo). Because there were 4 of us (and none of us small) I had to sit in the front of the rickshaw – this was pretty cool and I had a great view. We got to Hampi, passing villages, herds of cows, herds of goats and lots of oxen pulling carts loaded with sugar cane. Once we got to Hampi we went to book our train tickets for Mysore and Bangalore then went to ‘The Mango Tree’ for breakfast.
A little bit of the history of Hampi: in 1336, Telugu prince Harihararaya chose Hampi as the site for his new capital, Vijayanagar, which over the next couple of centuries grew into one of the largest Hindu empires in Indian history. By the 16th century it was a thriving metropolis of about 500,000 people, its busy bazaars dabbling in international commerce, brimming with precious stones and merchants from faraway lands. All this however, ended in a stroke in 1565 when a confederacy of Deccan sultanates razed Vijayanagar to the ground, striking it a death blow from which it never recovered. (Lonely Planet 2009).
Rambo had been replaced by Samir (we called him Sam) as Rambo had to go to a festival in his village. So off we set - the first temple we visited was the Kadlekalu Ganesha (Bengal gram) Ganapathi Temple which houses a 4.5 metre high sculpture of Ganesha which was carved out of a single boulder and is dated to the 15th century. Just behind the temple is a mantapa for Ganapathi called Sasive Kalu (mustard seed) Ganapathi. This houses a statue of Ganesha that is 2,4 metres high, and again carved out of one boulder and was built in 1506.
Next we went to the Krishna temple, this consisted of a temple, an area that was the bazar (500 metres long) and a sacred water tank which had steps leading down to it all the way around. This area was beautiful. We were told the actual temple had carvings of Kama Sutra on and we looked around avidly for them but couldn’t see any. A security guard motioned for us to go into a darkened area in the middle of the temple so we followed him, putting on the torch on the phone as it was pitch black inside. He took us around an inner temple which had lots of bats on the ceiling and pointed out carvings on the wall; I took photos of these and couldn’t really see them, but after looking at them on the computer we still can’t really see any Karma Sutra ones! The guard stood around for a tip after too – probably another of the Indian cons (there’s lots of them). However, the temple was worth looking at.
Next was the Badailing Temple which houses a 3 metre Shiva linga which sits in a bed of water in a shrine. It is said if you throw in coins and make a wish it will come true; while we were there we saw an old Indian gentleman in a dhoti (and nothing else) in the water, splashing onto the linga and we think collecting the coins. Next to this is Lakshmi Narasmiha Temple which has a 6.7 metres sculpture of the God of the same name (which is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is seated on giant coils of Adishesha, the sacred guardian snake of Vishnu, its seven hoods acting as a canopy. I like Narasmiha as it has a cheeky face with an even cheekier grin!!
Next was Prasanna Virupaksha (underground Siva) Temple; the roof of this is level to the ground and the temple underneath the ground. We couldn’t walk the whole way through it as there was water on the floor (with lots of mozzies around) but we managed to see most of it. Myself and Dave hid from Janet and Dave H hoping to frighten them to death as they came close, but they didn’t come near us, bugger!
Next was the Mohammadan Watch Tower, the Band Tower, and Mosque, obviously a Muslim settlement, but we were not given any information on these and there were no signs with information on. We did see a young lad herding his goats who wanted me to take his photo and pay him for the privilege – it goes without saying I declined (politely of course!).
Next was the Hazaramama Temple which is the only temple to be situated in the royal enclosure. This was a beautiful temple with amazing carvings adorning it, especially in the dancehall. By the time we had finished looking around this temple we were nearly templed out and decided we would go to the big main temple by the entrance then call it a day.
The main temple is called Virupaksha Temple with the tower at the entrance being 165 feet tall, 150 feet wide and 120 feet long (sorry, haven’t got metric for this) and has eleven stories. It is not known who built it or when but there is evidence it has been repaired many times. Once we had taken off our shoes and walked through the main gate we came into an open area called a prakara; flat stones are used to cover the floor and were very hot on our feet! There is a canal that flows through it (covered with stones) and rest houses for people who visit from afar. We passed through another tower into more temples including the Virupaksha Temple which belongs to the Hoysala period, and here there are many buildings with idols in which locals come to pray to (it is a working temple), and lots of monkeys, one of which was very young and small, and very inquisitive! There were also lots of langurs which were not frightened by the sight of humans; in fact these were all around Hampi which surprised me as they are usually very shy creatures.
After seeing this we were taken to an area where there was a small temple on top of a large boulder with lots of other boulders around. We climbed over these to the edge (we were very high up) and to wait for sunset, but Janet wanted to go further in to feel safe. We sat on the boulders watching a European guy in traditional Indian dress sat on the tallest boulder playing a sitar type of instrument and waited for the sun to set. It looked very beautiful overlooking the coconut plantations and rice fields and seeing the giant boulders for as far as the eye could see.
After the sun had set we went to a restaurant back in Hospet; this was behind the coach station where we had been dropped off. It was a large outdoor place and the lighting was terrible. We all had a curry each; it was okay but not brilliant (they sold beer though which Janet and Dave H were pleased about – they do like their drink!) and then went back to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
28/01/2015 – More temples at Hampi
We were picked up this morning by Sam and taken to Hampi where we had breakfast at a great restaurant overlooking the river. The temple elephant was having its daily bath in the river and the locals were washing and bathing it in too.
After breakfast we continued our tour of the temples – I’m not going to bore you with the details, firstly because I’m way behind in my blog, and secondly if you really want to know about them you can either google or ask me!
So, the first place we went to was the Zanana Enclosure; there was a group of tourists that followed us in which had 2 Russian women with them – these were doing their usual super model poses around the complex, including laying on the grass; both Dave’s decided to imitate them which was very funny, then I managed to get Janet to join in for some modelling pics – hilarious!
We continued to the Lotus Mahal then the Elephant’s Stable which was an enormously long building with domed chambers for the state elephants, the largest and most decorated being in the middle. We then carried on to a building that housed a museum with various sculptures in and a courtyard in the middle surrounded by arches. Again, the Russian women were there taking photos in the most ridiculous poses – it must be very entertaining to see their photo albums!! Finally we looked at the Queens Basement, or what was left of it. All these buildings were surrounded by a decorated wall (sculptures of elephants, people and fish) with watch towers placed in the corners.
Once we had finished we looked at another museum with sculptures, taking photos of each other over the headless ones (replacing the heads with our own), and myself and Janet looked in a building with some art, including some beautiful colourful Indian doll-like models, some on animals, others with musical instruments.
We jumped into the tuk-tuk and continued on to the Royal Enclosure which contains a pillared hall and a decorated hall which contains an underground secret council chamber, the Kings Residence, halls and many public baths including a beautiful stepped tank – it was amazing to see the stone structured aqueduct around the tank to collect the water and bring it to the tank, an ancient plumbing system! Dave H played tour guide and had us follow him while holding his water bottle in the air J As we left the enclosure there were 2 large stone decorated doors on the ground – these were the ‘Elephant doors’ and were so heavy that could only be opened by the elephants pushing on them.
Our next stop was the Queens Bath which was housed in a beautifully decorated building and had changing rooms and a large deep pool in the centre. It was amazing again to see how they had inlets and moats to ensure there was a clean supply of water for the baths. I took the first step to go down to the bath but was stopped by a woman with a whistle – we were not allowed to go down there. A short time later a young guy in a group went to do the same and actually got to the bottom; the woman gave him a right bollocking (in Indian) and pointed at me when doing so as if to say ‘I couldn’t let her go down so you’re not allowed’!
We came out of the baths to see our tuk-tuk turning a corner with a stream of Dave H’s toilet roll following him from the back! We jumped in (after putting away the toilet roll) and went on to the Vitthala Temple; we got a golf cart up to this temple as it was a bit of a walk and the sun was beating down; on the approach to the temple was a large and long bazar (only the columns were left of it). This temple has a beautifully decorated stone chariot and lots of different halls – it is one of the largest temples in the area. The halls were beautifully decorated with pillars containing sculptures of gods and animals and dark underground chambers which had beautiful decorations on. Dave thought it was hilarious to sneak up on me in the dark to make me jump and made me pee a little! There was a fascinating twisted tree in the centre and dozens of college art students all around the complex drawing various aspects of the temple.
This was the last place we visited and we jumped into the tuk-tuk to take us back to Hospet. By this time Janet and Dave H were desperate for a beer so we went to the restaurant behind our hotel which also served beer. We gave Sam a tip then he asked us if he could join us for a beer so of course we said yes. We bought him 2 bottles of beer then later we ordered food; Sam went home shortly after. When we got our bill we were angry to see that Sam had also got himself some cigarettes and put them on our bill; it wasn’t the price of them that bothered us (as they were cheap) but the fact he did this – he already had a good tip AND a couple of beers from us. We went back to our room to pack and get ready for our onward journey to Mysore; we were going on the overnight train and were very pleased we didn’t have to stay in that hotel for another night!
We got tuk-tuks to the station and once the train arrived found our bunks; they were all top ones and we all struggled to get up (old buggers!). There wasn’t much room (and I did bang my head on the ceiling) but we were supplied with sheets, pillow and a blanket. We settled down to sleep for the night. Nighty nite xxx
29/02/2015 – Mysore
The overnight journey on the train wasn’t too bad; we all managed to get some sleep though myself and Dave were awake from about 5am. We arrived at Mysore station and found a taxi (or rather he found us) and asked him to take us to somewhere we could get the internet to look for a hotel. The driver of the taxi said he knew where there were some good hotels and would take us around to look so we agreed. The first hotel (Viceroy) was close to the Palace, myself and Dave H went inside to have a look, liked what we saw and I managed to get a good price – easy! We arranged with the taxi driver to be picked up later for a tour around the city then we went for a rest.
After resting we had some lunch in the restaurant then started our tour around the sites of the city – first we went up Chamundeshwari Hill where we saw a large statue of a colourful man holding a sword in one hand and a snake in the other (no idea who he was), then we walked onto the Chamundeshwari Temple where we had to take our shoes off, pay (a small fee) to get in the ‘quick queue’ and went into the temple. There were many people, a lot of whom had baskets with coconuts to offer the Hindu God. We wandered around the temple (pushing through the crowds) and just before we came to the exit we saw a large cage in which were about a dozen people counting money, lots of it, which we presumed came from the donations of the people to the temple. Religion pays!!
We walked back to the car, passing lots of yellow painted) cows on the way; what’s that all about? We drove a little down the road and stopped at a lookout for great views over the city; unfortunately it was a little misty but we could still see quite a lot including the racecourse, and palaces that had been turned into hotels. We stopped a little further down to see the giant bull temple; a large statue of a black bull decorated which people come to pray to.
We continued down to the main road and stopped at the ‘sand museum’ which contained many sand sculptures made by a young woman (and has won many awards). Some of the sculptures were: Laughing Buddha, eco-friendly Ganesh, wildlife, marine-life, ancient civilisations and tribes of the world amongst others. They were beautifully created, especially for someone so young, and hopefully it gave me some ideas to do some with the grandkids when we get home!
Our driver wanted to take us to some other places but I had read bad reviews about them so we declined. He took us through the ‘British market’, though I’m not so sure why it’s called that as there is nothing British about it at all, it’s just a road full of small run-down buildings selling things we didn’t need. Our driver stopped at an ‘oil’ shop which sells many different fragrant oils; we didn’t get out of the car but the people from the shop came out and tried to sell us some of their wares – persistently! We stayed firm and didn’t buy anything then asked our driver to take us back to the hotel.
Janet and Dave H went to the restaurant for a drink while we went for a rest and a shower before dinner; we then met them at a roof-top restaurant a couple of doors away – the food was okay but fairly expensive. Nighty nite xxx
30/01/2015 – Mysore Palace.
We spent the first half of the morning relaxing then after some lunch went to see the Mysore Palace; we got a tuk-tuk there and again I sat in the front; the driver was a youngish chirpy guy and he let me drive the tuk-tuk down the long road towards the palace.
We paid our entrance fee and got our free audio guides (we had to leave some ID for them) and set off around the palace. There was not supposed to be any photos taken inside but we saw many people taking them, mostly Indians, so myself and Dave H started taking some too. I had people stopping me and asking to take my photo, sometimes with their family. The palace was magnificent and the audio guide was very useful, giving the history of the palace and the family that lived there. There was a hall upstairs that was beautifully decorated in splendid colours with many pillars, chandeliers and stained glass windows, so I took a few photos of it. When I got around to the other side and took another photo I heard a whistle and a female staff member came to me and gave me a right telling off! Just after this, Dave H was stopped by a security guard and his phone was confiscated as he had been taking photos on it; the guard took him to one side and told him he would have to go to court the next day but if he wanted he could ‘sort it out’ now – he wanted 1000 rupees; Dave managed to get away with giving him 200 but he was really angry as again the tourists are targeted as being easy prey for money.
We finished the tour of the inside of the palace and went to look around outside. There were 2 elephants on display with mahouts on their backs to make them perform their tricks for the public (when someone gave them money the elephants would pat them on the head and give the mahouts the money). I hate seeing this, as anyone who knows me understands, especially seeing as the mahouts had bull hooks and kept prodding the elephants with them. The elephants did look well looked after though, and there were more at the bottom end of the palace grounds that Janet and Dave h looked at and said looked well too (I couldn’t bear to see them).
The outside of the palace was just as grand as the inside with enourmous gates and temples in the corners. We sat at one end (tourists stayed away from the further reaches and it was quiet) watching about a dozen kites flying around and a small herd of yellow cows passing us!
We decided we would go to the Philomena Church and went to get a tuk-tuk. Again, the locals tried to rip us off and offered to take us for a ridiculous price, but when we refused and started to walk away they offered a much more reasonable one. We got to the church and had a look around, there was a concert happening later in the day and everything was getting set up outside. Inside the church there were no photos allowed and we were watched by an eagle-eyed assistant, but to me this is a challenge, and of course I managed to get a couple of pics! The church was very grand outside and simply decorated inside. After seeing this we went back to the hotel, got some dinner and later bed. Nighty nite xxx
31/01/2015 – Karanji Lake Nature Park
We packed our belongings and waited for Janet and Dave H to get ready; jeez, they take ages! Once we were ready we left our luggage at the reception and got a tuk-tuk to Karanji Lake Nature Park. Once we arrived there we got a surprise – it was very clean and an oasis in the middle of the city; they have a policy that if you take in a plastic bottle you have to pay 10 rupees, get a sticker and have the money reimbursed once you leave – brilliant!
Once in the park we split up from Janet and Dave H; myself and Dave headed for the lake and got a pedal boat to explore the lake, island and the other side. We managed to see a few birds, one of which looked very much like our own Pukeko, only slightly different. Dave did the paddling (I ain’t daft) while I watched for the birds and tried to get some photos of them. After our time was up we returned to shore and continued walking around the lake.
There were many young couples around all vying for prime spots – benches, behind trees, by the lakeside etc.; obviously a popular spot for young lovers. We found a lookout and climbed to the top which gave great views over the lake and some sightings of birds, then we continued round. A local guy came down a side road driving a couple of oxens from a cart; when he saw me taking photos of him he stopped and invited us to get onto the cart for photos. I hopped on first and Dave thought I was going to drive it so stood waiting to take a video of me – I was unaware and thought he’d taken lots of pics so got down (he had only taken one pic in the end); once Dave got on I took LOTS of pics of him then we gave the guy a tip and he went off happy.
We managed to see quite a lot of birds including cormorants, herons, egrets, and painted storks (these were my favourite and after taking lots of pics of a couple of them realised there were dozens in the next tree!). There was also an enclosure with lots of different birds in, mainly different types of hens and peacocks, but all beautiful.
After looking around the lake e returned to the hotel for our luggage and tried to get a taxi – unbelievably we couldn’t find one, and the tuk-tuks were trying to rip us off big time, but we eventually managed to get a tuk-tuk each and went to the train station to get our train to Bangalore. After getting something to eat we boarded the train and off we set. The journey was uneventful and we stopped in a place called Maddur which is famous for a local Indian dish – locals got off the train in large groups to buy this from a vendor on the platform. Once in Bangalore we got a taxi to our hotel – the Museum Inn, washed, changed and had a Chinese meal in one of the restaurants then bed. Nighty nite xxx
01/02/2015 – Lost in Bangalore
We had our breakfast brought to our room then after waiting hours for Janet and Dave H set off without them to look around the city (we were going to try to catch up later). We set off in the direction we thought we had come in the taxi the night before but nothing appeared familiar. We stopped at a café which had wifi and after buying a drink found out the wifi didn’t work. We set off again and managed to find a shopping mall, let Dave H know where we were and looked around as I needed some pants. The mall was on 4 floors, one each for women, men, children, and the last being sports and traditional dress. I couldn’t find any pants though – the mall wasn’t actually that good!
We went back to the hotel for a rest then set off to look for the Cubbard Park with the aid of Google maps – were so bad at this, we got completely lost again! We asked a policeman who sent us the wrong way then we asked another guy who eventually sent us in the right direction – it turned out it wasn’t too far from the hotel! The park was sprawling and full of locals having picnics and relaxing (and throwing their rubbish all over); there were bamboo trees all over and a miniature railway on one side. We walked through and found the City Courthouse behind a large wrought iron fence – it was a lovely large building but was closed due to it being the weekend. I had forgotten to bring the camera and was getting a headache so we decided to go back.
We then got a phone call from Janet to say they were in the Hardrock café so we went to meet them; they had had a much better day than us, apart from a taxi driver had hassled them then grabbed hold of Dave H to threaten him! They had been to the palace and enjoyed it so we decided to go the next day. On our way back to the hotel we stopped for some street food – I think it was also managed to find a cheap Lonely Planet guide at a lovely little book shop. Nighty nite xxx
02/02/2015 – Bangalore Palace and BMW
We went to the Bangalore Palace this morning; as we walked along the road I managed to get my foot caught in a hole and I fell hard on the surface on my hands and knees – ouch! An Indian lady came to ask if I was okay – bless. We continued along the road and was approached by a guy who said he was a tuk-tuk driver and offered to take us to the palace for a cheap price; however , once we had sat in his tuk-tuk he wanted to take us to some shops ad when we were adamant we didn’t want to go he told us to get out – charming! We got another driver close by who gave us a reasonable price and off we set, but he was constantly talking about going to shops – we told him NO firmly! He pulled up to a place that he told us was a museum but when we got out it was obvious it was a shop shelling rugs and materials so we headed straight back to the tuk-tuk with Dave telling the staff that we had been brought under false pretences! We eventually got to the palace and told the driver not to wait for us – we had had enough of him for today.
The palace was a strange place, it cost more to get in than Mysore Palace and they wanted 700 rupees to use a camera (we didn’t bother). The palace started life as a school for boys and later renovated into the palace; it wasn’t very big for a palace. A large part of it was in disrepair and we kept wandering into rooms that were empty apart from the odd pieces of furniture that needed repairing (and a couple of old toilets). It could have done with some renovations and improvements – for example – one room had cupboards with glass doors that stored the clothing from the royal family – these were all squashed up and we couldn’t see them – they would have been much better putting them on proper display.
We finished the tour of the palace and sat in the garden to get a sneaky photo of the building – it certainly looked much grander from the outside! We then got a tuk-tuk from the road – this time we weren’t hassled about going shopping (it seemed like this guy wasn’t used to getting tourists). We got back to the hotel in time to spend an hour with Janet and Dave H before they went to the airport – they were flying back to Goa to sort out some business.
I had managed to get a virus on my phone (don’t try to look at videos that show squeezing blackheads!) and it wouldn’t let me unlock it, so we had to go and get it sorted out. We went to a shop that was recommended but they were unable to fix it and gave us the address of the Samsung service centre. We managed to get a tuk-tuk without any hassles and found the service centre quite easily. They had to reconfigure my phone and said I would lose all my info and that it possibly might not work – eek! Fortunately they sorted it for us, all for about $5 (could you imagine how much that would have cost in NZ or the UK??
Once we got back we decided to walk through the park towards the area we thought was the shopping area. We passed some lovely buildings, some old, others modern, but the only shops we found were the very expensive ones so we passed them by. We wandered the streets hoping we were going in the right direction when suddenly we came across the BMW showroom where there were 3 motorbikes – Dave just couldn’t resist going in! We were approached by a guy who made us feel very welcome and answered Dave’s questions; he then insisted we sit down and have a coffee. We had quite a long chat with him about bikes, BMW’s, prices of cars, the big divide between rich and poor in India and a few other things; he explained that they love westerners coming in – hence the welcome! Once we had got back to the hotel Dave checked the price of one of the bikes and was surprised to find it cost twice as much as it does in NZ!
On our way back to the hotel we stopped for another snack (pani puri) then later went out for dinner – we were wanting a really tasty curry and walked all the way down the road around the corner from our hotel and then came to a junction where there was a very busy street full of western shops, bars and restaurants – but not a proper curry house in sight (we could have had McD’s, Domino, KFC, pasta’s, pizza’s etc.). We walked back to our hotel and found a lovely Indian restaurant right on the corner from our hotel! We had a beautifully tasty curry, much better than the touristy bars and restaurants and at least half the price. We went to bed satisfied – and tired! Nighty nite xxx
03/02/2015 – Mumbai (Bombay).
What a morning – we had to be up very early and out of the hotel by 6am to get to the airport. When we came down to the reception we found ALL the night staff asleep and had to wake them up. Then they didn’t have change for our bill – then they couldn’t – or wouldn’t call us a taxi, but they did ask one of their ‘friends’ asleep outside in his battered car to take us, only he wanted twice as much as a normal taxi. Fortunately Dave managed to get a taxi for the proper price and we were eventually on our way.
Our flight to Mumbai was uneventful; at the airport we got a pre-booked taxi and set off to our hotel. It was quite a distance away and the driver had some difficulty in finding our hotel (apparently most people do); the price we paid for the taxi seemed ridiculously cheap so when we eventually got there we gave the driver a good tip – he was thrilled and went away grinning!
The outside of the hotel looked terrible – a run-down old building with lots of Indian guys outside small snack bars – but when we got inside and went up to the 2nd floor we were amazed – it was clean and very modern. The staff were welcoming and helpful and brought us a cup of tea while checking us in. It had taken us about 2 days to find this place on the internet – Mumbai is the most expensive city for accommodation in India and we wanted something reasonably priced but clean. The rooms were brilliant too, small and without windows, but modern and clean.
We settled in and freshened up then went to explore the city. We got a tuk-tuk to the ‘Gateway of India’ which is a large monument from the British Raj days on the waterfront. Alongside this is the Taj Hotel – a very large 5 star hotel that we only dream of stopping in – the architecture was spectacular. There were many touts in this area, all trying to sell us something, but we’re getting quite good at ignoring them or just walking away from them (we smile and say no thanks to the nice ones). We got some lunch at a street stall that appeared very popular with the locals – always a good sign – and it didn’t fail – a tasty snack for a cheap price.
After our lunch we continued walking along a route suggested by the Lonely Planet which takes in the beautiful historical buildings, and there were many of them (all from the British era). I won’t mention them all but they were very impressive; my favourite being the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station (formally known as Victoria Terminus). This magnificent building is a UNESCO world heritage site and is just spectacular – words cannot describe how grand and beautiful it is – but I spent some considerable time looking at it! This was the last building on our walk, one that took us 3 hours and around a large part of the city; we were shattered at the end of it, especially in the heat, and walked back to the hotel. This city is definitely an architect’s dream and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in buildings.
In the evening we got a tuk-tuk back to the Gateway of India where we saw it all lit up, then went for a pizza – sometimes we need something different to curry! We enjoyed our meal then returned to the hotel for a good nights sleep. Nighty nite xxx
04/02/2015 – Elephanta Island
We got up quite early and set off to go to Elephanta Island which is about 9km of the mainland coast and has caves cut out of the rocks from around the 6th century AD (mostly Hindu but a couple of Buddhist ones too). We got a boat from the Gateway of India, all squashed on with dozens of other people, and set off towards the islands. The journey was quite long, about an hour, and hot, but the worst part was seeing the terrible pollution in the sea; there was rubbish floating everywhere and at some parts it looked like thick sludges of mud just below the surface; I had read that the sea here is ‘toxic’ but to see it in such a state was both worrying and sad.
We got to the island and once of the boat paid our entrance fee and got a small train to the bottom of the stairs that takes you to the caves. There were stalls selling touristy tat all along the steps and we couldn’t move without being asked to buy something. We did buy a bottle of lemonade but after only taking a few sips we were confronted by a monkey who started growling at us and was becoming aggressive – I threw the bottle at it and it ran off to drink it; funny – it wasn’t interested in the water!
We got to the caves and were very impressed with them – the first one was huge with temples inside and places that were used for meditation; they were elaborately decorated with carvings in the pillars and sculptures cut from the rock. Apparently, the caves were carved from the ceiling downwards so that scaffolding wouldn’t be needed. Some of the caves were unfinished but were still good to look at, and of course there was the ‘security man’ who would show you something and then expect a tip for it! We had a good chat with some young people from China; it’s great who you meet on your travels.
After looking around the caves we walked up a steep hill that promised spectacular views and a canyon; the views were spoilt by a haze that drowned out the views. We stopped for a drink, again getting a lemonade, and after drinking most of it set off to the top where the canyon was. We had only gone a short distance when a monkey appeared and again behaved aggressively, obviously wanting the lemonade, but Dave refused to give it to him – the monkey growled and bared its teeth and I was sure it was going to attack us – it was terrifying. Finally, after I had to shout at Dave, he threw the bottle at the monkey and it ran off with the bottle; I was so angry with Dave, he would have rather I got bit than give a bloody monkey a drop of lemonade!
We looked at the canyon – nothing spectacular and not well looked after then made our way down to the bottom. Half way down, just before the beginning of the steps, were some women selling fruit and corn; there were monkeys around trying to get the fruit but the women were using catapults to scare them away. One of the monkeys climbed along a cable and when it was over the fruit stall it urinated all over it – the woman scared it away but didn’t wash the fruit – we’ll make sure we never buy fruit where there’s monkeys around!!!
We got to the bottom, got the small train back to the boat and just managed to get a boat as it was setting off, again squashed up with loads of other people. Once we got back to the mainland we had lunch from the local food stall again – good food and drinks at a cheap price. We got a taxi back to the hotel – he put the meter on for us but it was the most expensive yet, it must have been rigged; Dave was getting really pissed off at the taxi’s ripping us off, the prices ranged from 50 rupees to 160 rupees for the same distance – go figure!!
After a rest we got another taxi to a restaurant we had seen but after looking at the menu we decided it both expensive and not very good western food, so we went to another one a few doors away. This one was an Indian restaurant on two floors and was already nearly full; it was nearly all men in there but they were respectful and didn’t bother me. The food was delicious, the service great and the price very reasonable too. Back to the hotel and bed, nighty nite xxx
05/02/2015 – Post office and train station
We sorted out our luggage this morning and made up a bag of things to send back home; it doesn’t matter how carefully you think you’ve planned what to bring you always brings things you don’t need! Armed with our plastic bag of unnecessary items, a couple of birthday cards made from a leaf (belated one for Nadine and one for Aaliya) and a handful of postcards we set off for the post office.
The small local post-office sent us to the main one further down the road, we had to get a taxi to get there and once we arrived we were impressed with the building (another architectural wonder from the British years). As we walked towards it we were approached by a man who took us to an office where our belongings were weighed, then he took us back outside and across the road where he had a desk on the side of the road! He left us sitting on stools and went away to find a box; when he returned he packed our belongings in it and taped it up; he then covered it in canvas cloth and stitched up the sides with thick thread – very impressive. We filled out the necessary forms and paid him for his work, very reasonable for the work he put into it, then went back to the post office to send off our package and buy stamps for the cards and postcards. Now – jumping ahead a little – in Nadine’s card I put a little brass Ganesh in a small plastic bag for her birthday – when she received it the Ganesh wasn’t there, instead she received some diabetic pills – wtf???? The mind boggles!!!
We walked to the train station to book tickets for our next trip to Aurangabad; it was very difficult trying to find any information as to where to buy them, the staff were unhelpful when we found them, but a muslim guy stopped and asked if we needed help and pointed us in the right direction. I have to say that the Muslims have been the most helpful and honest since we’ve been in India; it makes me mad to still see people posting hateful messages about them – so ignorant! We got our train tickets and went back to the hotel to book an hotel for Aurangabad – the one we wanted to stay at was fully booked for the first night so we ended up booking 2 hotels.
After a rest we walked back to the train station to get a train to an area where they do all the washing (Dhobi Ghat in the Mahalaxmi area). Apparently it is the world’s largest laundry where there are hundreds of workers here washing thousands of items in deep pens and then hung out to dry. We queued to get tickets and asked for the area we wanted to go to, the guy threw a ticket at us and moved on to the next customer. When we looked at the ticket it was only to the central station so we thought we’d get the train there and look for the next one. Unfortunately the signs were all in Indian and no-one wanted to help us, so we gave up and walked into the city instead. Looking back we should have just got a taxi there; I was very sad to have missed seeing it.
We had a coffee then a walk around which took us to a park – there was a dog there that I stroked but it took a liking to Dave – he wasn’t impressed and shoed it away! On the other side of the park was the library, another lovely building, and just up the road the restaurant we ate at the previous night. I got told off from a soldier with a gun for taking a photo of the Indian mint centre (money – bank) and had to delete my photo (another guy told me to take the pic further up the road!), then we went to eat dinner; the restaurant was nearly empty as we had arrived earlier – the Indians don’t tend to eat until after 7pm, usually later. Again the food was good; contented we went back to the hotel. Nighty nite xxx
06/02/2015 – Train to Aurangabad
We spent the morning in the hotel room and packed ready for our train trip to Aurangabad. Dave had the runs, I have a feeling he is getting anxious again when we are going on longish journeys but didn’t want to make a big deal of it. We stayed in our room until we had to check out then got a taxi to the train station; this one was quite a way out but we managed to get a honest driver (we think it was the same one we had the first day in Mumbai). We found the platform the train was departing from then went for something to eat before getting onto the train.
The journey was about 6 hours long and didn’t go too bad, although my bum was numb by the time we arrived. We got a taxi to the hotel we had booked. The guy on reception was horrible – he was very rude and examined our passports and hotel voucher very closely, then made us wait for ages, serving other people before finishing with us. The room wasn’t brilliant, and when we pointed out we asked for a double bed the 2 singles were just pushed together! We had room service (there was no restaurant), the food wasn’t brilliant but we ate it. We then went to bed – thank goodness we were only stopping one night here! Nighty nite xxx
07/02/2014 – Tour of Aurangabad
We had breakfast in our room but it was so terrible we couldn’t eat it. We were picked up at 11am by a tuk-tuk and moved to our new hotel – this was much better, both the service and the room. We then went to the train station to book our tickets to the next destination – we’ve learnt that you have to book as soon as possible or else the trains are full.
After finishing our chores we set off for a tour of the city, we came to a gate (a large brick one over the road) called Mahamood Gate (there are 52 gates in the city). There was a traffic jam as there was only enough room for single lane traffic but everyone was fighting to get through all at the same time. We got out of the tuk-tuk and walked around the traffic to the other side where we went to visit a place called Panchakki – this is a medieval water mill that used to grind grains for the pilgrims and has its own water channel where the water source is about 8km away. Within the complex is a mosque and an old Bayan tree overlooking the large water tank. It was a lovely peaceful place which blocked out the noise from the bust road.
Next we went to the Aurangabad caves which are Buddhist caves cut out of the rock overlooking the city (a great view). These aren’t as well known as the caves in the surrounding area and were very quiet with only a few students and local tourists there. One of the security guys there showed us some of the caves using a large board covered in what looked like tin foil – this made a great light when deflecting the sun into the caves. We gave him a tip and moved on to the caves at the other side. The locals were fascinated with us and once again we spent quite a lot of time posing for photos with them! They were all very friendly. The only downside of these caves is that due to the lack of security there is a lot of vandalism (mainly tagging) which is a shame.
Our next stop was Bibi-Ka-Maqbara which is nicknamed the ‘mini Taj Mahal’. This is a beautiful mausoleum which is believed to have been constructed by Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother (Rabia-ul-Daurani, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb) between 1651 and 1661. This looked beautiful from a distance and very much how we imagine the Taj Mahal to look; once we managed to get past all the people who wanted photos with us (there were many, including school groups) we walked around the gardens and then took a look at the mausoleum itself. Up close it didn’t seem as impressive, although some of the decorations were beautiful. It was probably good that we saw it before the actual Taj Mahal as we may have been disappointed – however, we enjoyed it!
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a road-side chai shop and made arrangements for the next couple of days – we had decided to go with a driver to the sights around as they were quite a way out; we could have caught the buses but it would have added a lot of time onto our journeys. In the evening we went to a restaurant that had been recommended to us; when we got there it only served thali, this is a selection of dishes served in small metal dishes – they are okay but we prefer to have a dish that we can chose ourselves – we don’t always like some of the dishes in a thali. After dinner we went back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep (the beds were comfy). Nighty nite xxx
08/02/2015 – Ajanta Caves
We had an early start this morning as the trip to Ajanta caves was quite a distance away. We stopped for breakfast on the way at a local café which appeared popular with tourists. Once we got to the caves we left our driver in the carpark and had to take a bus to the entrance; these buses were very old rickety things but they managed to get us there (it was only a short distance). At the entrance were loads of locals all wanting us to visit their stalls on the way back (there was lots of them) and lots of people trying to sell us booklets on the caves (we already had one). Thankfully, once we got to the caves there was no-one allowed to sell items.
Ajanta is an historical monument recognised by UNESCO. There are 30 caves in Ajanta of which 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas and the rest are monasteries. These caves were discovered in AD 1819 and were built up in the earlier 2nd century BC-AD. Most of the paintings in Ajanta are right from 2nd century BC-AD and some of them about the fifth century AD and continued for the next two centuries. All paintings show heavy religious influence and centre around Buddha, Bodhisattvas, incidents from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas. The paintings are executed on a ground of mud-plaster in the tempera technique.
We had to climb up steps to get to the caves and then it was quite a walk around the complex. The caves are in a horse-shoe shape carved high into the rocks with a temple built high in the middle on a separate sort of island. There were porters available who would carry you around the complex on a chair held up with poles; we saw a few people use these, usually the elderly. There was a professor who was giving talks to students (very long and detailed ones) who used the porters – he was very upper class English but what we heard from him was very intelligent and certainly knew everything about the caves.
The caves were beautiful with colourful paintings inside most of them. The carving were also amazing, as have all the carvings n the caves been. There were many caves with temples with Buddha inside; there were a group of monks that were going around and praying then leaving money – unfortunately the security guards and cleaners stole this money after they had left, much to the disappointment of Dave. After walking around in the blistering heat we made our way back to the bottom where we were instantly rushed upon by the stall holders – we ignored them and headed straight for the bus.
Once back at the hotel we had a rest then a walk around the city before having dinner and then bed – another early start in the morning. Nighty nite xxx
09/02/2015 – Ellora Caves and Daulatabad Fort
Another early start, a stop for breakfast and then we were at Ellora caves. The Ellora Caves are an impressive complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples built between the 6th and 10th centuries AD near the ancient Indian village of Ellora. The caves have a slightly less dramatic setting than those at Ajanta, but more exquisite sculptures. Ellora is a World Heritage Site and the most visited ancient monument in Maharashtra State. The caves at Ellora were carved out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills between the 6th and 10th centuries. The carving work began around 550 AD, about the same time the Ajanta Caves (100km northeast) were abandoned. The Ellora Caves were built at time when Buddhism was declining in India and Hinduism was beginning to reassert itself. The Brahmanical movement was especially powerful under the patronage of the Chalukya and Rashtrakuta kings, who oversaw most of the work at Ellora - including the magnificent Kailasa Temple built in the 700s. The last period of building activity took place in the 10th century, when the local rulers switched allegiance from Shaivism (Hinduism devoted to Shiva) to the Digambara sect of Jainism. The coexistence of structures from three different religions serve as a splendid visual representation of the prevalent religious tolerance of India. For this reason and others, the Ellora Caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
We paid our fee and walked up to the first cave – wow – it was magnificent! Words cannot describe how this looked – it was a huge. It is actually a temple, not a cave and was carved from the solid rock. It contained many buildings, most 2 stories high. It represents Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. It is believed to have been started by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (756-773). The construction was a feat of human genius – it entailed removal of 250,000 tons of rock, took 100 years to complete and covers an area double the size of Parthenon in Athens. We spent quite a lot of time exploring this temple, there was so much to see then we moved on to the other caves. Although the other caves were magnificent they couldn’t beat this first one.
We had to find somewhere for a drink half way through, it was very hot and we hadn’t taken enough fluids with us. After seeing the caves near the entrance (which took a few hours) our driver took us to another part with even more caves which are about 2km away. These are Jain caves dating from the 800s and 900s and aren’t as big as the other caves but contain exceptional artwork.
After finishing looking at the caves we drove to a small town called Khuldabad and stopped at a mosque. We wasn’t sure why we stopped here but walked through the gate and followed the directions of some men there. We were taken to a small mausoleum in the corner where there was a tomb (we later found out it was Emperor Aurangzeb whose wish it was to be buried simply). The guys didn’t appear to be interested in telling us about the tomb, or letting us see the rest of the mosque, only to get a tip from us as they kept saying ‘we not paid, not government officials’; we felt quite uncomfortable to left pretty quick.
Our next stop was Daulatabad Fort, a 14th century fort that was never defeated in battle. It is built on a cone shaped hill and rises to about 190 metres. Even after walking around the caves for most of the day, and feeling tired and aching, we really wanted to climb to the top of this fort. The fort itself was a grand structure, and as we started to walk through we saw lots of langurs just sitting round watching us. We started to climb stairs then had to walk through a dark tunnel full of bats then up more stairs. There were lots of school groups who wanted to take photos of us on the way up. We also chatted to a woman who must have been at least in her 70’s, she was from Scotland and was travelling on her own through India – what a woman (and I had to smile at myself that some ‘young’ people would only book tours as they were scared to travel independently!). We kept climbing, stopping at structures with canyons and views and then kept climbing – it seemed that we were never going to get to the top. But we eventually did, and the achievement, as well as the views, was worth it. Then for the climb down! I managed to stumble down, my knees really giving way, but we made down to the bottom in one piece.
We went back to the hotel, had dinner then bed – we were very tired! Nighty nite xxx
10/02/2015 – Being sick and missing Lonar
Well, not a good night – had been up for most of it with the squits; I think it was an ice-lolly that I had yesterday at the fort. I didn’t feel well at all in the morning so made the decision to stay in bed while Dave went on the trip to Lonar. I was disappointed as it was somewhere I wanted to see.
Home to the Earth’s only hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock, Lonar is named after the demon, Lonasura, and is ringed by fascinating temples, including one with erotic sculptures reminiscent of Khajuraho. The crater was formed fifty-two thousand years ago, when a meteor crashed into the earth at an estimated speed of 90,000kmph, weighing 2 million tonnes. It gouged a hole that was 1.8km wide and 150m deep. Over time, the jungle took over, and a perennial stream transformed the base into a tranquil, green locale.
Dave enjoyed his trip out to see it. We didn’t have any dinner that night as my stomach was still a bit funny, and Dave couldn’t be bothered (he did while he was on his trip). We packed our belongings and got picked up at 11pm to gt the night train to Tadoba. Night nite xxx
11/02/2015 – Night train to Tadoba
Not too bad on the train – we were in the carriage with 3 rows of bunks; unfortunately we weren’t in the same compartment but I could see Dave from where I was. I was in the bottom bunk in the aisle which meant I could watch out of the window while I was lying down; there were no curtains from the bunk to the carriage which meant everyone could see me but nobody seemed to bother too much. There were lots of snoring, smelly feet and farting going on but I managed to get quite a bit of sleep.
The morning arrived and we got a cup of chai and sat together on one of the bunks. The journey was about 14 hours in total and we arrived at our station mid afternoon. The station was called Majri Junction and on the web site for the place we were staying it said this was the closest station to the city. When we got off we found ourselves in a tiny little village which was obviously a place for trains to pass through. We went to the office to book our next journey – they were very unprepared for foreign visitors and spent about 15 minutes checking out our passports with someone on the phone. Once we got our tickets we went to find a taxi – haha, yeah right!
We walked up the steps of the bridge and Dave went both ways to see what he could find but there was nothing. I stayed o the bridge while Dave went to ask at the station about a taxi – they told him there weren’t any! So we thought we were stuck in the middle of nowhere! Thankfully, one guy said he could take us to the city but we would have to wait; he got 2 plastic chairs for us and put them outside his house. The village consisted of a block of very small concrete houses and half a dozen tents the villagers couldn’t resist coming past us for a look! We sat and waited, watching the guys family coming and going and making several phone calls; the guy then went off in his car and shortly after came back with his son from school. After about 50 minutes we were told to get into the car (an 8 seater) with Dave in the very back and me in the middle – then all his family started getting into the car, all dressed in their best – there were a total of 12, plus our luggage all squashed in, but to make it worse they stopped for one of the aunties on the way making it 13!!
We told them where we wanted to go but they said (in very broken English) that it would be closed at that time s it was a national park; they would not listen to us when we told them that was where our accommodation was. Instead they took us to an hotel to check into but we explained to the guy there where we wanted to go. After a lot of debating the driver took us to a 5 star hotel where they spoke perfect English; when we explained where we wanted to go he told the driver who then understood, but instead of taking us he took us to someone he knew with a taxi. We eventually got to our accommodation after many hours and a lot of money. The guy from the village charged us a lot (and probably spent it on treating his family to a slap up meal) and then the taxi driver charged us loads too. But we were finally there – yahoo!!!
Our accommodation was great – it was a complex in the national park (so in the middle of nowhere) and had 15 large tents. These were no ordinary tents, there was an entrance with a table and chairs where we could sit and eat or watch the outside, then there was a bedroom with a king size bed (a proper one, and the most comfiest we have had in India), with a tv, then there was a dressing room and a bathroom with a proper toilet and hot shower. We settled in, had a shower then got some dinner. We asked the manager about a safari; he said that we should have booked one before we came but he would try to sort out something for us. He later came bac and said we could do one the following afternoon then the following morning and afternoon – 3 in total. We went to bed shattered but happy we had managed to get there! Nighty nite xxx
12/02/2015 – Safari and getting stuck behind a gaur
Had one of the best nights sleep in ages, the bed was so comfy, especially after the hard ones we had lately. Our safari wasn’t until the afternoon so we relaxed around the site; we couldn’t wander too far away as wildlife was known to come into the area. I found a small watering hole beside the camp and found lots of different birds with the aid of the binoculars (a great bargain buy in Chennai) and got some great pics of them. It was very hot outside (apparently it is the hottest part of India in the summer) so I didn’t spend too much time outside – I didn’t want to get dehydrated and sick again.
At last the time had come to go on the safari – a jeep had come to pick us up and the manager and one of the staff from the hotel also came along (the inflated price probably paid for these too). We got to the Tadoba Tiger Reserve gates and had to wait for 3pm for them to open, along with a line of other jeeps. When the gates opened we went into the reserve and began looking around for any signs of the tiger. We went along a narrow roadway with a jeep in front of us and came upon a gaur (Indian bison) on the road with a stork walking along with it. It was explained that the gaur was blind in one eye and therefore unsure of its footing – it went from one side to the other, unwilling to go down the small ditches and into the jungle.
The gaur continued like this along the road; more and more jeeps were piling up behind us but we couldn’t pass the gaur – it is one of the rules that the wildlife takes priority and no-one can pass or make it move. It finally stopped walking but still didn’t want to go into the forest; it turned around to go back the way it came but was unable to due to all the jeeps in the way. It was obvious at this point that the only solution was for the jeeps to reverse and take a different route, allowing the gaur to go where it wants to – but the Indians are very stubborn and bull-headed, and once they have a thought it can’t be changed – so instead the jeeps took turns to try to get close to the gaur to scare it into moving – I’m sure this isn’t in the rules either, but they were determined to make it move. We must have been there for about an hour and a half – if the jeeps had reversed it would have taken 20 minutes tops.
The gaur eventually moved into the jungle, obviously anxious and distraught and we were able to move on, but it was time to leave the reserve (there are strict times) so the jeep raced through the reserve at break-neck speed; the only thing we saw went past in a blur! A very disappointing trip, and extremely frustrating, not because we didn’t see much but because a lot of what happened could have easily been avoided.
We got back to the camp, had a good scrub in the shower (we were covered in red dust, our clean clothes were now already filthy), had dinner and went to bed, we had to be up very early the next morning. Nighty nite xxx
13/02/2015 – Tigers and jeeps
I have mixed feelings about this place - we did 3 safaris here, 1 yesterday morning and 2 in the afternoon. The first one we got stuck behind a gaur on the road that was blind in one eye and was struggling to go into the jungle; there were at least 20 jeeps and the local bus behind it and they were all bull-headed about trying to make it move instead of reversing and leaving it in peace (it became very anxious). When it finally moved it was time to leave the park and we sped off at neck break speed to leave the reserve.
The following morning we were lucky enough to see a tiger, at first it was at the other side of the lake laying in the shade then it sauntered around to where we (and dozens of other jeeps) were - it wasn't fazed by us at all and came within about 10 feet of us. We were delighted that we had seen the tiger, and the guide actually pointed out other wildlife, though we didn't go looking for anything else.
The second afternoon safari - a tiger was spotted again by the lake, walking along the road, but there were at least 40 other jeeps following it so we didn't even get a glimpse of it. Not only that but we sped past other wildlife; I like to see everything the reserves have to offer, not just the 'main attraction'. When I pointed this out the guide appeared surprised that I wanted to see anything other than the tiger and made an effort to show us other creatures.
Maybe most people do come to see the tigers but they shouldn't presume - we spent 2 of our 3 safaris looking at the back of other jeeps - frustrating and disappointing.
Once back at the tent my stomach was playing up again, I don’t know what's going on with it! I did without dinner but Dave went for some. Nighty nite xxx
14/02/2015 – 17/02/2015 - Relaxing in Nagpur
I’m not going to go into any details about these next few days, simply because there isn’t really any! We got a taxi to Nagpur where we stopped at a lovely hotel with a pool. We relaxed, swam in the pool, ate good food, charged up our batteries and planned what we were going to do for the next few weeks. Bliss – we really needed this! Nighty nite (x3) xxx
17/02/2015 – To the delights of Delhi
After getting ready and having breakfast we set off for the airport to go to New Delhi. No delays this time – yah! Once at New Delhi we were picked up by the hotel van and taken to the hotel where it took ages to check in (India have very stringent rules about information needed for foreigners, but the manager also tried to sell us some tours!). We finally got to our room and just got comfy when we heard lots of noise coming from outside. On looking out of our window we saw that there was a parade coming down the street so we dashed down to the bottom just in time to see it pass us. It was a public holiday to celebrate Lord Shiva; we hadn’t known this and had been trying to catch some sort of festival in India since arriving so we were lucky to be in the right place this time.
The parade consisted of floats with beautifully dressed and decorated men, women and children on them, men on decorated horses, bands playing and dancing and the odd ‘Charlie Chaplin’ character. There were 2 very large metal pots across from the hotel with rice and curry in them that everyone – members of the parade and the public, stopped to get some to eat; further down drinks were being handed out. I managed to get lots of photos – of course! We followed the parade down the street once it ended and watched it disappear in the distance.
At the bottom of the road there was a massive traffic jam; we decided that we might as well explore the area a little more so walked along until we came to the New Delhi train station and turned up a road across from it that looked busy. This appeared to be quite a touristy area with lots of shops and stalls selling clothing, jewellery, arts, crafts, sleeping bags, sunglasses and other objects tourists usually need. We walked right to the top then turned off a smaller side street with more local shops and stalls; there was some beautiful displays of spices and one young guy told us about them, bringing out saffron from under the counter; he looked disappointed when we didn’t buy anything from him. We continued on past fruit and veg stalls and then past a chicken shop where there were live chickens outside and ones that had been freshly butchered (one live chicken was being carried around by its neck right in front of the butchered ones, poor girl!). After a longish walk around the area (and lots of photos – it was a photographers dream) we returned to the hotel and had a rest.
In the evening we got a tuk-tuk to a restaurant called Moti Mahal; this was the place that the dish ‘butter chicken’ was born and Dave had read some good reviews on it, so we decided to go. We had to travel quite a way to come to this restaurant and the tuk-tuk driver kept telling us we could pay him more because we were rich and he was poor! When we arrived at the restaurantwe noticed that it was a little run down with a large damp patch in one corner and the table cloths not very clean. The service was great, very attentive and polite; the food was also good - we did have the butter chicken as one of our dishes and it didn't disappoint. What really let this place down was that when the bill arrived they had charged us for a full chicken dish each (when it was obviously 1/2 a chicken - I don't have a large appetite and managed to finish it) making the final bill much more than we expected. We did question this but couldn't argue with it as we didn't specify whether we wanted half or full. Then the waiter had the cheek to tell us outright that service charge wasn't included and please give generously! A very expensive meal that left a bitter taste in our mouth!!
Once we had finished our meal we went to look for a tuk-tuk to take us back; it wasn’t long before one found us and he gave us a very good price (nearly half of what we paid to get there – there are honest people about in India). We had just set off when the tuk-tuk stopped and he couldn’t get it going again. He spoke to another driver, obviously asking him to take us for the same price – but he refused, then a second driver agreed to take us. We thanked the original driver, he was a very good man, and went back to the hotel. We gave the driver a tip (only the equivalent of $1); he was delighted and went on his way grinning – it’s good to make someone happy! Night nite xxx
18/02/2015 – New Zealand Embassy and planning
Today was a planning day; first we had to find out if we could get our visa sorted in India – it states that we have 6 months but is split into 2 90 days meaning we have t leave the country before 90 days but are able to re-enter. We had heard that if we went to the police station or another agency they could waive this, which would be easier for us. So, we went to the New Zealand embassy in a tuk-tuk!!
When we arrived at the embassy we had to show our passports at the gate and sign in, leaving our camera at the gate. We were looking forward to hearing the good old Kiwi accent again but as we stepped into the reception we were greeted by an Indian lady and then seen by another Indian lady! Not a Kiwi in sight, how does that work? There was photo of Donkey (John Key to non Kiwi’s) on the wall though, I was so tempted to turn it around! Anyhow, the lady we saw said we more than likely wouldn’t get our visa’s sorted out and it would be cheapest to go to Nepal for a few days. She gave us contact details of the agency for visa’s but we went to see them and they said a definite no, we would have to leave the country.
So, now we knew what we had to do we could plan properly – we went back t the hotel where we spent the rest of the day planning and booking.. We had wanted to go to Rajasthan next but wouldn’t have enough time to do it properly, so we decided we would do Agra, Gwalior, Khajuraho and Varanasi before returning to New Delhi and flying out to Nepal for a week. We also wanted to book a trekking trip in Nepal but the bloody internet in the hotel wouldn’t let us – in fact it wouldn’t let us do much – we ended up going to an internet café to book our flights. Oh yes – another farce – when we tried to book our flights the visa card wouldn’t go through – I rang the bank up (second time this month) and they explained some companies won’t pass it through security if booking from overseas as usually they are stolen. The lady at the ban was very helpful and sympathetic and was able to disconnect the security for 72 hours – so we wanted to book everything that we could before this time ran out! So – flights booked, hotels booked, tomorrow we would finish booking everything else.
We found a local restaurant for dinner; it was in a side street just below our hotel and looked like a small squalid place, but it was full of locals which is usually a good sign. We sat down with the locals watching us in amusement, and ordered the speciality ‘kaju mushroom’ and a mushroom masala with naan bread and roti’s. The waiter must have got confused as only the kaju dish arrived with roti’s so we shared it – have to say it was delicious, one of the best we have had in India – it had mushrooms (obviously) and cashew nuts in a rich gravy. We didn’t do much in the evening. Nighty nite xxx
19/02/2015 – Red Fort, Bazaars, Temples and Mosques.
As soon as we had breakfast we went to the train station to book our train tickets for the next 2 weeks. New Delhi train station is massive and is also well known for scams. We had already read up on them so were prepared but nobody tried to stop us and we got to the foreigners booking office without difficulty. We also managed to book our trains with no problems, we’re getting a dab hand at this now! Next we went to an internet café where we booked our trekking trip in Nepal. Everything now booked for the next 3 weeks – wow, we have never booked so far ahead before (but it’s unavoidable in India). We dropped our tickets and passports back at the hotel and set out to finally see some of Delhi.
We got a tuk-tuk to the Red Fort – this was built as the fortified palace of Shahjajanabad, constructed by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648. When we arrived we were impressed by the red walls that surrounded the fort and paid our admission (again we had to pay 25 times the amount of what the Indians do – but more of that later) and went inside. We were very disappointed by what we were able to see – we were only allowed to see the buildings in the middle – the rest that were by the wall appeared to be used as offices or something. The start was okay – we went through the Chhatta Chowk which means covered bazaar and is still used as such today with Indian craft shops along the way. After that it all went downhill – we either couldn’t access some of the buildings or the ones we could were in a state of disrepair. There were a couple of buildings that were interesting but nothing like we imagined. There was a museum that we looked at, this was mostly items from the world war which included lots of artillery and also a New Zealand uniform; the Indians loved the guns – I have not seen them as interested in anything as much as that before.
After seeing the fort we walked across the road to an area called Chadni Chowk; this is a very busy massive shopping bazaar which keeps all of your senses working overtime and covers a lot of streets. We walked straight ahead resisting going into the shops and came to a place called Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. This is one of the nine historical gurdwaras (a place of worship for Sikhs) and was established in 1783 by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, where he was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, for refusing to convert to Islam. The present structure was built in 1930 with the trunk of the tree which the Guru was beheaded, and the well he took a bath in being preserved.
Firstly we put our shoes into a store room (we were given a booklet explaining the history of the Guru)then went into the temple; we had to put scarves on our head as a sign of respect (everybody’s head has to be covered). Everybody is made welcome, whatever their religion. Inside was beautiful, the mad noise from the street disappeared giving a sense of calm, a patterned red carpet covered the floor, the walls were white with carved balconies and the ceiling had gold mirrored panels that held the lights. People were sat praying while 3 men played traditional music. We sat at the back so not to disturb those praying, taking in the atmosphere and feeling a sense of calm pass over us.
After a while we left and made our way to the ‘Langar’ which is like a large canteen which serves free food and has a great philosophy - to provide training to engage in Seva ( selfless service – work or service performed without any thought of reward or personal benefit) and an opportunity to serve people from all walks of life and to help banish all distinctions between high and low or rich and poor. Again we were made very welcome and were able to look around the large kitchen area which had giant pots cooking veg curry and rice and a machine making chapattis with another guy ‘fluffing’ them on a very large hot plate. Just outside the kitchen was the store room which had hundreds of sacks in, then a little further were about half a dozen people cleaning the plates. We went into the dining area where there were rows of matting in which the people sat crossed legged to eat, in the corner more giant pots where the food was being distributed to smaller containers that were then put onto the plates. We were offered food which we accepted and sat down – though I had real problems sitting cross-legged! The food was pretty decent – it is vegetarian so anybody can eat it whatever their dietary requirements.
We left the langar and went to get our shoes, leaving a donation (we were never asked once to give one). I am very impressed with the Sikh community, they are generous, giving people who do not distinguish between religions, race, gender, caste or class and make everyone welcome – other religions could take a leaf out of their book!
Next we wandered around the streets of the bazaar – I could honestly take in all these wonderful sites all day – there is so much going on. We explored a little side street and found a guy sat at the side of the road mending shoes; I asked if he could mend mine (my VERY expensive Keen shoes had already worn away at the inside heel after only 2 months) and he took them and fixed them beautifully – all for less than $5. He took pride in his work and took his time – it was great to watch him.
We carried on wandering the streets until we came to the Jama Masjid Mosque. This great mosque of Old Delhi is the largest in India, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 devotees. It was begun in 1644 and ended up being the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The highly decorative mosque has three great gates, four towers and two 40 m-high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble.
We had to take our shoes off before entering and put on ‘robes’ – these were more like dresses for women and skirts for men (I looked like a washer woman!). We looked around the courtyard, the various gates and then got tickets to go up one of the minarets. We walked up some stone steps, across a balcony that looked out over the courtyard and the city beyond on the other side then came to the start of the steps up the minaret. The steps were very narrow and winding and totals 130 of them – I felt very dizzy when we got to the top – but that wasn’t the end of it – at the top was only a small narrow ledge around the top, and it was already nearly full of people (there were only about 10 people but it filled it). There was only a cage like structure that stopped us falling out onto the courtyard on the outside but there was nothing to stop us falling back down the stairs! We carefully edged our way around part of it to see the views (which were spectacular) but neither of us were wanting to go over the stairs, especially as we would have had to climb over other people. We walked back down and felt safe once we hit solid round again!
After looking at the outside of the actual mosque itself (where they do the praying) we went back out to the street and found a tuk-tuk to take us back to the area we were stopping at. We had dinner and called it a night - a very busy but eventful day. Nighty nite xxx
20/02/2015 – Nikon, Metro and Qutab Minar
We decided to go and get our camera sorted this morning – a small black smudge had been showing up on our photos over the last few weeks and we thought some dirt had got inside the lens. We had seen a camera shop at Connaught Place which was about a 20 minute walk so we set off towards it. As we passed the train station we were approached by a guy who appeared to be just walking in the same direction as us. He started making general conversation with us, asking where we were from, saying what a beautiful country NZ is, talking about the cricket etc. and saying what a lovely couple we were, etc. Then, as we approached Connaught Place he suggested we go to the ‘tourist office’ where we could get a free map; we told him we didn’t want one and carried on – he then said nothing was open in the direction we were going in, but we carried on anyway, now realising it was a scam of some sort. He eventually left us alone but he was replaced a few minutes later by another guy with the same sort of spiel – we ignored him again but he was adamant that nothing was open in the direction we were going in (it’s funny how they seem to know where we are going!). We went into a book shop to shake him off but on coming out another guy replaced him. We were both getting sick of this now and after we had got rid of him and another guy began to approach Dave turned to him, spoke loudly and quite aggressively in a ‘foreign’ language (Swahili I think!) and pounded his chest – the guy looked horrified and ran away – yes! Lol, at first I was surprised but then I couldn’t stop laughing!
We arrived at the camera shop but they were unable to help us; they gave us the address and directions to get to the Nikon service centre and we set off to the metro station to get there. Jeez – why hadn’t we used the metro before now? It was so easy and cheap; we got to where we were going in no time without the hassle of having to barter with the rickshaw drivers and putting up with the dust on the roads.
Once at the service centre we were seen by the receptionist – she was very professional and helpful. We had expected to have to leave the camera there and come back for it either later in the day or another day, but she said it would be ready in half an hour and even offered us a hot drink while we waited! As promised, the camera was ready in half an hour – and the best part – it didn’t cost us anything, even though it wasn’t under guarantee in India! We couldn’t have asked for better service.
We returned to the metro and got a train to Qutab Minar station where there was the monument “Qutab Minar’ in the Qutab complex close by. We fought through the tuk-tuk drivers and walked the 20 minutes to the attraction. Qutab Minar is the 2nd tallest Minar (73 metres) in India , made of red sandstone and marble and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps (not accessible) and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1193 by Qutb – ud – din Aibak and was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. In 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed the fifth and last storey. It is surrounded by other ancient and medieval structures and ruins.
The complex was lovely with beautiful ruins that were well looked after in a quiet setting. We wandered around looking at all the monuments, probably spending a couple of hours there. Once we had finished we went outside to get a tuk-tuk to a shopping mall close by. Most of the drivers rushed at us and either gave us a ridiculous price or tried to persuade us to go to a local market instead. We approached a guy who was sat quietly in his tuk-tuk and asked him for a price; before he could answer another 3 guys rushed to us asking where we were going – we politely told them we were speaking to this gentleman and they left – ah!! This guy gave us a very fair price and drove us straight to the shopping mall, no trying to stop at other shops on the way. We gave him a tip and thanked him – he went away happy – why can’t they all be like this and stop trying to rip us tourists off? We get absolutely sick of being scammed and ripped off, it makes our travelling hard work and gives the country a bad name. We’re not rich like most think we are and are trying to make our money stretch as far as we can – LEAVE US ALONE!!!
At the shopping mall I bought myself a pair of pants and a pair of jeans (they shortened them within half an hour). We looked at getting dinner here but the food was either expensive or junk so we passed. We got a tuk-tuk to the metro (again he tried ripping us off, quoting 40 rupees then telling us 100 once we got there – we threw the 40 at him and told him that was all he was getting). Back close to the hotel we went to a café that sold burgers – I got a chicken one and Dave got mushroom and spinach (we were both in the mood for a burger) but we were disappointed with them. Oh well, we’ll keep on dreaming of pie and chips, fish and chips, and roast dinners – we’re now starting to miss them badly, no matter how good the curries are! Nighty nite xxx
21/02/2015 – Mehrauli Archaelogical Park
We set off after breakfast and caught the metro to the Mehrauli Archaelogical Park. This is off the tourist trail a little but it’s right next door to the Qatab Minar. The only directions I had to get there was through the back way – we followed them to the letter and had to go up a dirt road, through an old gate, through a field which housed a small community living in tents, climb over a large fallen tree, and then we were there! The park is spread out over 200 acres and has over 100 monuments.
The gardens were well kept but a lot of the monuments had seen better days and didn’t seem to be looked after well. The first monument we came to was the Tomb of Muhammed Quli Khan that was constructed in the 17th century. It still had some of the glazed coloured tiles on which were beautiful, and had a large dome inside. We looked at a couple more monuments in that area, one of which were steps onto the roof where we could see over the park and the long wall surrounding it, but these were in a bad state – what a shame they aren’t looked after, they’re a big part of Indian history.
We walked through the park and came to Jamali - Kamali Mosque and Tomb, which was built in 1528- 1529. As the title suggest it is a mosque and a tomb (where the brothers Jamail and Kamali are buried). We looked around the mosque then 2 security guards open the gate for us to see the tomb and the courtyard. The tomb was locked but we could peep through the ornate walls – it was beautiful inside, ornately decorated with coloured tiles. Off course, once we had finished looking the security guys asked for a tip!
We continued looking around, through large ruins and parts of the garden, then we started looking for a geocache that was close by. We found the monument it was supposed to be in and the area; it was supposed to be in a niche in one of the walls – we looked in everyone we could find (I closed my mind to the spiders, and possibly snakes, that could have been there) but couldn’t find anything. Our hands were filthy once we finished.
We couldn’t get back into the main area we had come from as they were fixing the large gates and had shut them, so we walked down the dirt track at the side instead. This was definitely not a touristy area, even though there were some very old monuments peppered around – one large on had a family sleeping on top of it! The area was part of a small village and the locals were looking at us very strangely. We spotted a wild boar and when it spotted us and looked as if it might charge we backed up slowly! We also spotted some monkeys with red bums!
Once we had seen enough we returned to the main road and walked to the metro station where we got a train back to the hotel. Later we went to the small local restaurant for dinner and had another fantastic tasty curry – the whole meal cost us about $6. I will have to look for a recipe of the dish I have been having – kaju (cashew based). Nighty nite xxx
22/02/2015 – Humayun’s Tomb
We went to Humayun’s Tomb this morning on the metro (my new best friend). This is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayan which was commissioned by his first wife Bega Begum in 1569-70. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and has since undergone extensive restoration work (there was a display which showed the magnificent work). Besides the main tomb enclosure there are several smaller monuments that are off the pathway leading to it. Even though they are smaller they are just as grand.
We enjoyed looking around this complex at the different tombs, mosques, gardens, walls and other buildings; it was fairly quiet and we felt relaxed as we walked around. When we came to the main tomb it was a ‘wow’ moment – we walked through a gate to come upon a magnificent monument, it looked a little similar to the Taj Mahal (but smaller) and even has the water courses around it. This architecture was to set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture, including the mighty Taj Mahal. We wandered around admiring the structure and decorations, looked a display showing what restoration work had been completed and how this has benefitted the local community then we got a tuk-tuk to the metro back to our hotel. Nighty nite xxx
23/02/2015 – India Gate
I felt very tired this morning so we chilled out for a few hours then we decided to go to see the Indian gate and the Parliament buildings. We got the metro to the area and walked up to Parliament and the government buildings. There’s quite a few of them and pretty impressive, Parliament is a circular building designed by the British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912-1913. This is in the area where there are other government buildings with lovely gardens and fountains linking them. Unfortunately there was smog covering the city (New Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world) so it was difficult to see the building from a distance – including the India Gate which would have been superb to see from here.
We walked up to the Presidential Palace; as we approached it I noticed a guy waving at me, I ignored him at first then realised it was the Chinese guy and his girlfriend we had helped at the train station. We had a chat and our photos taken together but then all the locals wanted photos with all of us; as soon as we could we made a getaway!!
We walked down the road and thought the gardens towards the Indian Gate; I was starting to feel very tired and achy didn’t want to miss seeing this now we were so close. It is very similar to the ‘Arc De Triomphe’ in Paris and is 42 metres high. It commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the North-western Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.
As we got closer to the gate the road was getting busier of pedestrians and stalls. The road is closed off at the actual gate and at this point it was full of locals, tourists and people trying to sell something. There was a large fountain where some children were stripped down to their underwear enjoying climbing through the water on the different levels. We looked around, took the photos then I really had to get back. I was aching so much it felt like my bones were being crushed, especially my joints. It was painful to walk so we got to the road and got a tuk-tuk to the metro.
At the other end in New Delhi Station we had to go through security, up some long steep steps, over the bridge ad down more steps. We then had a 10 minute walk through the hawkers and crowds and busy roads to get to the hotel – it nearly killed me!! We got back to the hotel where I went straight to bed. Night nite xxx
24/02/2015 – Train to Agra
At breakfast we met a couple from the UK who had just arrived in Delhi and were going on a 2 week motorbike tour with 12 others on Royal Enfields – how cool would that be? We’re hoping we will see them back in Delhi to see how they liked it.
We packed our things and chilled out in our room until it was time to go to the train station. When we tried to get a tuk-tuk to take they all refused so we started walking, then we realised why they refused – there was a massive traffic jam at the bottom of the road towards the station, it would have taken them ages to get through for a small fare. We fought our way through ourselves, not very easy when you have luggage pulling behind you and a backpack on your shoulder, but we finally managed to get to the station.
When we arrived it showed our train was delayed for an hour, so we fought through the traffic again and went to a café for a drink. Our train finally arrived and we boarded, finding our seats and putting our luggage under them. We were on the sleeper carriage which means there are 3 bunks that are used overnight, but during the day the middle one is put up so 3 people can sit on the lower one with the exact same opposite. Not long after we sat down a very large group of older Indians boarded with all sorts of packages in their hands/ on their heads; it looked as if they had been to some sort of celebration or religious festival. They hadn’t got tickets for the train and just piled up on any seat they could find – we had about 12 on the two seats in our compartment, all squashed up. One youngish guy sat across from us (in a legit seat) shouted out ‘this is India!’ which highly amused us. The group got off again so we took a big sigh of relief, but not long after they got back on! Squashed up the train set off; luckily the group got off at the next station (about 20 minutes) and we could spread out. A group of either police or army men got on and sat in the seats next to us and on the aisle; they had brought a large box with them and when they opened it, it was full of guns! They wouldn’t allow us to take a photo of it, closed it and played cards on it!
I sat looking out of the window on the journey; some of the scenery was beautiful as we went through the countryside, but at other times is was quite depressing – there were many slums and massive piles of rubbish everywhere. Again, we saw waterways that looked like black sludge, obviously highly polluted. As we pulled in at Agra we were approached by a young girl begging who couldn’t have been older than seven; she was carrying a child of about one/ one and a half and both were filthy with matted hair and wearing clothes that were torn and grey with dirt. It hasn’t been the first time this has happened but I have managed to turn my mind off to it to some degree. However, these children really got to me and I felt so miserable for them; it took all I had not to cry. It isn’t sensible to give them money as they don’t get it – it goes to whatever scum of the earth adults are controlling them, and as more people give them money then the longer this practice continues. It’s absolutely heart-breaking; I just wanted to take them with me, give them a good scrub, feed them and cuddle them – very basic needs that they don’t get. India is full of these little mites while the rich turn away and ignore them – it’s a very hard country!
At the station we got a pre-paid taxi – these are usually fairly priced and reliable, but after paying a good sum (and realising we had been ripped off when the hotel wasn’t far away), then a guy from the office getting in the front seat and continuously tried to sell us a very expensive tour the day after, we realised it would have been better getting a tuk-tuk!
I still wasn’t feeling one hundred percent so we had dinner and a quiet evening. Nighty nite xxx
25/02/2015 – Taj Mahal
We had set our alarm early so we could be ready to go to the Taj Mahal before the crowds arrived. We had finally made it to the icon of India and we were determined to enjoy it. We went for breakfast but there wasn’t much choice and they wanted a lot of money for it, so we skipped it, then we enquired how far it was to walk there as we thought we were staying quite close, but it turned out we were over 5km away! We went outside to find a tuk-tuk and luckily there was one parked close to our hotel. He gave us a good price then as we set off asked us if we wanted a tour of the city, again giving us a reasonable price, so we accepted.
We went to the Western Gate (I think!) which didn’t open until 8am – we arrived there at 7.45am and were the first ones there – yes!! A guide asked us if we wanted his services and we accepted – this was one place we wanted to know the history and secrets of. Once the gates opened we were searched by security – they took my selfie stick and bouncy ball (I know!) of me; the guide made sure he put it somewhere where I could get them back later.
In the courtyard the guide introduced us to another man, an older Muslim guy, and said he would be our guide – we were a bit miffed at first but the guy spoke really good, clear English and had a good sense of humour. We set off and walked from the courtyard through the gate where we could see the Taj Mahal. Well, all I can say is wowee!!! I had read it was special but I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular from a building, but as soon as I saw it my heart skipped a beat – it was magnificent!! It loomed large and brilliant in front of us with the fountains and gardens in the forefront, and we didn’t have the crowds there to spoil it. Although it was a little misty you could see all the details, and that was from a distance. Our guide took a few photos of myself and Dave together in front of it and then we moved on. This is the history of the Taj Mahal – it is very romantic and that feeling is still in the air of the grounds!
The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for reasons more than just looking magnificent. It's the history of Taj Mahal that adds a soul to its magnificence: a soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse, and love again. Because if it was not for love, the world would have been robbed of a fine example upon which people base their relationships. An example of how deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she remained but a memory, he made sure that this memory would never fade away. This man was the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was head-over-heels in love with Mumtaz Mahal, his dear wife. She was a Muslim Persian princess (her name Arjumand Banu Begum before marriage) and he was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. It was at the age of 14 that he met Mumtaz and fell in love with her. Five years later in the year 1612, they got married.
Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of his beloved wife that Shah Jahan built a magnificent monument as a tribute to her, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran, and it took approximately 22 years to build what we see today. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. The monument was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees, Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653.
It was soon after the completion of Taj Mahal that Shah Jahan was deposed by his own son Aurangzeb and was put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife. Moving further down the history, it was at the end of the 19th century that British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908, as a measure to restore what was lost during the Indian rebellion of 1857: Taj being blemished by British soldiers and government officials who also deprived the monument of its immaculate beauty by chiselling out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. Also, the British style lawns that we see today adding on to the beauty of Taj were remodelled around the same time. Despite prevailing controversies, past and present threats from Indo-Pak war and environmental pollution, this epitome of love continuous to shine and attract people from all over the world.
We walked around the grounds and the Mahal, our guide giving us lots of interesting facts and pointing out lots of things we would have missed without him (for example – one of the precious stones used for the decorative flowers – none are painted – light up when a torch is passed over it). We were lucky enough to catch the sun’s rays on the building, lighting up some of the decorations like gold. After the tour he left us to wander around by ourselves. I honestly thought Dave might propose to me here, but no, it wasn’t to be – I’m giving up, it’s never going to happen!!
The air began to clear and the sun made an appearance – it gave the Taj Mahal an even more spectacular appearance. We enjoyed looking at every part of it before going back to the West Gate where our guide met us. He showed us into a shop (surprise!) where he had kept my confiscated belongings and were shown some beautifully made boxes with the same materials used as the Taj Mahal; they explained how they were made and didn’t get pushy when we said we couldn’t buy anything; a refreshing change.
We found our tuk-tuk driver and asked him to take us somewhere for breakfast; he found us a lovely little restaurant with a rooftop courtyard and we had porridge – delicious! We sat and watched the world go past us, an interesting place to do it from!
After breakfast we went to the Agra Fort. The Red Fort of Agra is a powerful fortress founded in 1565 by the Emperor Akbar (1556-1605). This bastioned fortress, with walls of red sandstone rising above a moat and interrupted by graceful curves and lofty bastions, encompasses within its enclosure walls of 2.5 km, the imperial city of the Mogul rulers. Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort, from which he had a view of the building erected for his deceased wife. Shah Jahan is said to have died in the Musamman Burj, a tower with a beautiful marble balcony.
The fort was fantastic, so much better than the Red Fort in Delhi. It contained many beautiful palaces, reception rooms and halls as well as two mosques built from marble. We spent quite a lot of time in here and got an audio guide to explain the history and buildings. There was a view of the Taj Mahal from a lot of the places but unfortunately it wasn’t too clear as the air was still misty (or polluted!).
After our tour of the Fort we again found our tuk-tuk driver and went back to the hotel; we asked him to pick us up at 5pm so we could go across the river to see the sun setting behind the Taj Mahal. He came on time and we set off; it was quite a distance to get there and we had to cross the bridge. There was so much rubbish flying through the air, dust, small black flies, pollutants and even ash from the funeral pyres on the river. My eyes were feeling very itchy and irritable – I had got some eye drops earlier but it didn’t seem to make any difference.
We got to the other side of the river and parked up with the other tuk-tuks, taxi’s and coaches (we had read it was quiet without many tourists – yeah right!) and headed to the garden after paying our entrance fee (yet again greatly inflated from the Indian prices). The gardens were lovely and well maintained and we walked towards the river. As we did a fly got into my eye; Dave managed to get it out but it had got stuck right at the top and irritated it further.
At the river we walked to a central position to see the Taj Mahal full on; there was a couple trying to set up their camera to take a photo of both of them so I offered to take it for them. I asked where they were from (they looked Asian) and said they were from the UK (but originally from Vietnam). They were then joined by a lot more people who we started chatting with. They were all from the Rotary Club and were in India to give children Polio immunisations after fund raising. This was carried out 3 times a year (various different people from the Rotary coming out). It was very interesting to hear their stories about the slum areas they had been into to give the immunisations; one guy told about a mother who had given birth to twins just 2 days previously, she climbed the steep wooden stairs to the second level room, brought down one twin who had the drops, went back up and came down with the second one. They also spoke about no matter how poor these people were they were always immaculately dressed.
The actual sun setting wasn’t that spectacular – it didn’t set behind the Taj Mahal but to the right of it and disappeared behind the polluted smog before it hit the horizon. But we did enjoy chatting with the group so it was worth the trip. I also forgot to mention that while we were waiting there were a few groups of children that kept asking if we wanted to take photos of them – I desperately did but knew they were only after money so said no. It was good to see that everybody else was doing the same – the less people do it the likely it is the children will stop asking.
We went back to the tuk-tuk after the sun had set and asked him to take us to a restaurant for dinner; somewhere local that was fairly cheap. After going back over the bridge he pulled up in front of a very posh looking restaurant; we knew instantly that this was beyond our budget and asked him to take us somewhere cheaper. He stopped at another restaurant; it looked a bit cheaper than the first but not the local one we imagined. We did eat there, the food was good but it was expensive compared to what we had been having; we told the driver this but he wasn’t interested – he probably got some commission for bringing us there!
We went back to the hotel tired after a busy day. We decided we would go for a game of golf the day after as the course there was cheap to play on and had views of the Taj Mahal. The course was maintained by the Indian army which was interesting. Nighty nite xxx
26/02/2015 – Infected eye
So, a bad night – my eye had swollen up and was both painful and irritating causing me to wake often during the night. In the morning we had to make the decision not to go to play golf and instead see a doctor. We asked at the reception where would be the best place to go and lo and behold there was a small hospital next door! The doctor usually arrived at 10am and the receptionist would call us.
At 10.30 we went to see if he had arrived and the receptionist had disappeared so we went to the hospital. We were told to wait in the waiting room where there were already quite a few locals waiting; the doctor hadn’t yet arrived. He arrived at about 11am and asked us to go into his office first – I pointed out that there were people here before me but he insisted – I felt very uncomfortable about ‘pushing in’. I was directed to a chair next to the docs and Dave to a seat opposite his desk. After explaining what the problem was and looking at my eye he mainly spoke to Dave, as if I was insignificant, even after he knew I was a nurse. He sent his assistant to get the prescription and when he arrived back there were 4 small bags each with 3 types of medication in – one for each day; plus some eye drops – he also gave me some antihistamines. He explained to Dave, in really simple terms the instructions for the medication – I gave up trying to talk in the end!
Once we got back to the room I checked out the medication, he had given me folic acid (wtf??), a strong antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory tablet. I threw the folic acid out straight away and took the other 2 along with the eye drops.
We didn’t do much else that day. We bought some cereals and milk for breakfast and some curried mushroom pasties for lunch. For dinner we went to Pizza Hut; it was surprisingly tasty but we got an extra surprise at the end – what should have been a 695 rupee meal turned into 950 rupees after tax and service charge – plus we got taxed on the service charge!! Nighty nite xxx
27/02/2015 – Train to Gwalior
Another bad night – because of the antibiotics I had diarrhoea and was up to the toilet every ten minutes. Not only that but my eye was still sore. I felt terrible in the morning but had to pack and get the train to Gwalior. The train was an hour late, nothing new for Indian trains, but thankfully my urges for the toilet had slowed down. I had only cereal for breakfast and kept the fluids up. The train ride to Gwalior wasn’t too long, about 2 hours, but the toilets on it were disgustingly filthy – the first one I went into, the ‘western’ toilet had shit all over it, including the seat, and the second one was only a slight improvement. After I had been I found there was no water so couldn’t even flush my mess away – yuk!!!
The train was quiet, thankfully, and we had seats to ourselves so could spread out. Once at Gwalior we got a tuk-tuk to the hotel which was pretty decent and made arrangements with the tuk-tuk driver for the day after. After relaxing in the room we went for dinner at the restaurant – it was lovely and had a large variety of food on offer. I chose a lovely curry which I enjoyed, but knew I had made a mistake as soon as I finished – yep, shits again all night! Nighty nite xxx
28/02/2015 – Tour of Gwalior
We had breakfast (omelette and toast) then set off on a tour of Gwalior with our tuk-tuk driver. First we went to Surya Mandir, also known as Sun Temple, which is the replica of the famous Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa. It is set in some lovely gardens but the temple itself isn’t anything spectacular; it is quite new and looks it, with moulded decorations rather than proper carvings – it’s also pretty small. We had a look around but the most interesting thing we saw was the wildlife in the park – there was a peacock, parrot, a dove and about a dozen chipmunks all eating seeds from the ground together; and we saw a pair of interesting birds in a tree.
Next visit was the sandstone mausoleum of the Afgan prince, Ghous Mohammed, which was an old building with beautiful stone screens (windows) that had pierced decorations – a little like lace, and all different designs. Alongside this was the Tansen’s Tomb in which the father of Hindustani classical music, the great Tansen, one of the ‘nine jewels’ of Akbar’s court, is buried. These buildings aren’t very well looked after which is a shame, and the tombs there are covered with filthy cloth.
The next place we stopped at was the Jai Vilas Palace; I won’t give you any details of this because we didn’t go in! The price was ridiculous, and again 20 times the price for Indians. I was also starting to feel tired and my stomach was cramping again – I did use the toilets at the palace!! We went back to the tuk-tuk and headed for the Gwalior Fort.
We had asked the driver to take us to the Eastern Gate as we had read there are spectacular views walking this side, but instead he took us to the Western Gate (typical Indian not listening – it’s so maddening!). He dropped us off at the bottom as tuk-tuks aren’t allowed up the road (everything else is). This side has Jain Rock carvings and statues in the side which were pretty amazing – some of the statues were about 30 foot high (all naked), although some of them were missing faces and genitalia (not sure if it was the moguls or vandalism).
The fort itself was okay, although confusing. We got to the top and paid 100 rupees which we thought was the entrance fee; then we walked to a courtyard and was told we had to pay another 250 rupees to see the buildings there. This fort doesn’t appear to have been looked after well, with the buildings being bare and weathered. It was interesting to see the different floors and labrynths, especially those underground. The wall of the fort was decorated with a frieze of yellow ducks in blue water. The outside wall is 2 miles long and 35 feet high which overlooks the city from a high hill.
I had to use the toilet a couple of times at the fort, which wasn’t good as again it didn’t have any water. Feeling tired and a little weak we went back to the hotel. I stopped taking the tablets – I couldn’t go on like this, and we had a long train journey ahead of us the day after! Nighty nite xxx
28/02/2015 – Extra notes and important decisions
Okay, I’m going to write a few things that have been on my mind for a few days. We have been in India nearly 3 months now and had some great adventures, seen some amazing things and met some awesome people. But the last few days both myself and Dave have started to feel ground down by the not so good side of India. In no particular order (and probably poverty should be on the top of the list) here goes:
Firstly there’s the rubbish and dirt – in most places there’s piles of rubbish everywhere, the Indians don’t know what buns are and how to use them; we’ve seen hundreds of times rubbish been thrown out of train windows and on roadsides. The animals (cows, dogs, goats and rats) forage through the rubbish for their meals and leave their own waste with it. We’ve had Indians very surprised when we’ve put our rubbish in our bags to dispose of properly later. Education is needed around this – the Indians are just ignorant about the effect it has on the environment and the diseases it contains.
Secondly, the smell – there’s a smell of urine in every town and city, some places stronger than others (we have both actually gagged at some sites). The men use the streets as toilets, peeing up the walls, in the ditches, in fact anywhere they fancy. Train stations are the worst; when sat on a train you know you’re approaching a station because the smell of urine gets stronger! I have to say though, I read an article that 52 % of Indians don’t have a toilet and they have to do their business outside, including defecating – communities line up to take turns in fields (we saw this happening in Taboda). This is very sad in these modern times and there are charities trying to raise money to enable everyone in India to be able to have access to a toilet.
Third, pollution – we have been through over half off India now and have not yet seen any body of water (river, lake, ocean) that isn’t polluted. And I don’t mean just a little – most of them are full of rubbish and dark black sludge substances in the water. The rivers stain the sides black as they flow – these go into the sea. The sea in Mumbai was described as toxic in the guide books (we saw the sludge here too, even far out from the coast) and in Chennai I was horrified at what I saw going towards the sea. But nothing seems to be getting addressed about this; it’s very scary – can you imagine what the pollution is like and how much it is spreading? It’s going to kill off everything in the rivers and oceans and possibly start to have an effect on our health too. Terrifying thoughts! As well as the pollution in the waterways there’s the pollution in the air. In Agra the pollution is measured and displayed at the Taj Mahal (apparently the pollution is causing it to turn yellow). I can’t remember the exact figures but it was about four times over the safe levels. As we drove around Agra in the tuk-tuk we could see all sorts floating in the air – no wonder I got an eye infection!
Fourth, poverty – this is everywhere in India and it’s very depressing. Every day we have to see mothers, children, old people, begging for money just to survive. Most of the children are sent out by their parents to bring in the money for their family instead of going to school; or inscrutable people who send out the kids (some only 5 or 6 years old with infants on their hips) and take the money of them giving them only the basics they need to survive (these poor children have no love in their lives and become hardened very quickly). I have heard that some of these terrible people will cut off children’s limbs or pluck out their eyes as they bring in more money – I know this happened in the past, I surely hope it doesn’t happen today. But givig these children money doesn’t help them – it stops their parents sending them to school or letting charities help them, so we don’t give them money and have to send them away. It breaks my heart. It’s not only the children, women have to beg for their children and themselves as their husbands drink away any money they earn. My heart broke again when I saw an old women bent nearly double selling food on a train, she must have been at least 80 and still had to provide for herself; there is no pension in India. There’s only so much we can block our mind to, but this really does get to you.
Fifth – this isn’t as bad as the others but it really makes me grind my teeth! The men don’t take the women seriously. They will talk to Dave to ask me a question, or completely ignore what I say! Sadly women still come second best in India and are seen as ignorant by the men (we saw this first hand when we saw a doctor about my eye – even though he knew I was a nurse and Dave worked in a bar he still explained everything to Dave and gave me ridiculously simple instructions for taking tablets! To the men of India – women are stronger and more intelligent than you – deal with it!!!
So, with all this on board and continuously feeling dirty and smelly (we sent clothes home that had been washed and the kids said they could smell ‘India’ on them), and having both lost quite a bit of weight (the food is beautiful, just not nutritious) we decided we would leave India for Nepal and not return for the next 3 months, instead we will go to Thailand where we will spend a day in the spa getting scrubbed and polished, a few weeks on the beach relaxing, and then we will go to the UK to catch up with people we haven’t seen in nearly ten years. Exciting!
I have to stress though – while everything I have wrote above has got to us, India is an amazing country. I guess we’re not strong enough, or young enough, to cope with it long term. Don’t let it put you off from visiting; the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages – just be prepared! xxx
01/03/2015 – Long journey to Khajuraho
We were getting the train to Khajuraho today but it wasn’t until the afternoon. The hotel very kindly let us stay in the room for an extra hour then they provided a car (large 4x4)to the station; I have to say, it was great being in a proper car again, smooth over the potholes and no dust flying at us.
At the station we found that our train had been delayed an hour so we sat in a waiting room for ‘upper class’ passengers. This stunk of urine but there was a TV in there that was showing the NZ v Sri Lanka cricket match (world cup). There were groups of policemen that would come in, sit and watch the match then move on – what a job! As we waited we kept an eye on the screen for the trains, our train was delayed further, then again and again, until by the time it arrived it was over 2 hours late (and because we were early at the station it meant we had waited for a total of 3 hours in the station before our journey even started.
As the train pulled up we could see that most of the sleeper carriages were pretty empty; unfortunately, when we got on ours we were sat with a group of 4 lads and there was a large group of schoolchildren in the compartments around us (the compartments are open). They made a right racket, and were on the train for about 2/3 of our journey (we were travelling for about 7 hours on the train). 3 of the lads got off at a stop and we were able to spread out a bit more. The lad left started chatting to us and treat us like celebrities – he wanted photos, videos and autographs of us!! As the sun started setting the train began to get cold, we wrapped with what we had and tried to close the windows, but there was a gap in all of them letting in the cold air.
We eventually got to Khajuraho at about 10pm, cold, tired and hungry – we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We got a tuk-tuk to the hotel, shared with 2 young lads from the UK and charged a ridiculous rate. At the hotel we were shown our room and went down to the restaurant where I ordered fried rice – when it came it had so much salt in it I couldn’t eat it; Dave’s curry was okay. I went to bed hungry again – I’m losing so much weight it’s unbelievable – the jeans I bought about 2 weeks ago are hanging off me already! Nighty nite xxx
02/03/2015 – Khajuraho Temples and cultural dance
It rained all night. I was woken by an American guy on his phone at 6am, followed by another guy coughing his lungs up in that nasty flemmy noise. The hotel we were staying at had an inside courtyard surrounded by the rooms which made it like an echo chamber, and all noises were amplified, which made it sound like everyone was outside our room. After a good breakfast of porridge with bananas and pancake with banana and chocolate sauce (I was starving) we went to see the Khajuraho Temples whch were only 5 minutes from the hotel.
The Khajuraho Temples are a group of Hindu and Jain temples that were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty and that the site had 85 temples by the 12th century, though only 20 survive today. The temples feature many art work, mainlky sculptures, including erotic sexual carvings – these are what the temples are famous for and what most people come to see. Some people think that these are tantric sexual practices while others think that they are a part of Hindu tradition of treating kama (desire, wish, longing) as an essential and proper part of human life. These sculptures only make up less than 10% of the total sculptures and are placed within the rest. All of the sculptures are beautifully made with intricate details, such as the muscles on a ladies back as she stretches sideways, or the fine undergarments on other statues. We hired audio guides which explained the history of the temples and pointed out specific statues of interest. The temples were within an enclosure in a garden area that was well maintained.
After seeing the temples we went for lunch at a restaurant with a balcony that overlooked the temples. We could see lots of Indians in their best clothes passing by and wondered what could be happening as it was a Monday. After lunch we walked along the street and followed the Indians – there was a fairground with various stalls around it selling lots of colourful items such as jewellery and textiles, along with kitchenware and toys. The rides were very old and basic – there was a small kiddies ride that was 4 plastic cars on a large turntable! The bigger rides were run by diesel engines and large belts – very scary!!
We had a walk around and came across the ‘wall of death’ – the proper old fashioned version that was built from planks of wood in a circle with a viewing platform on the top. We paid our 10 rupees and climbed the steps then stood behind a group of women with their babies. The show started – a young guy on a motorbike set off and in no time was circling the boards ad climbed to the top, letting go of his hands and doing some fancy moves. Then came a car – shit, never seen a car do this before! Again it took no time to circle and climb to the top. The driver opened the door then half climbed out of the window, all the time keeping the car going straight around the top. As the car and bike passed us we could feel the boards give way and wondered if it was all going to collapse on us! Thankfully we lived to tell the tale – it was very exciting and would never be allowed in modern countries with health and safety!!
We could see storm clouds coming towards us so we went back to the hotel which was just behind the fairground; we got back just in time to see a large downpour, but it didn’t last long.
We chilled for the rest of the afternoon then in the evening we went to see a cultural dance show. The guy at the hotel arranged the tickets and transport (ripped off again!) and we got to the place ½ hour early – surprise, surprise – there was a large shop next door which we were directed to. The shop sold all the usual stuff we had already seen across India; we looked around but of course didn’t buy anything. We then went to see the show. This was quite amateurish with a group of young adults dancing to stories; it would have made it better if they had sung the songs themselves and played the instruments, instead all this came from background music. We have seen much better but it was good to see the dances and costumes.
Back at the hotel we went to the restaurant for dinner; when it came mine again was too salty to eat – I was far too tired and pissed off to complain so I went hungry again – 2 nights in a row. Oh well, just think how good I’ll look in my bikini!!! Nighty nite xxx
03/02/2015 – Wrong day!
We got up this morning thinking we were flying to Varanasi. We asked the guy at the hotel if we could stay in the room for an extra hour after check-out but he refused – miserable bugger! Dave was sorting through some things and suddenly realised we weren’t flying until the following day – we had got mixed up with the dates! We had pretty much seen everything that Khajuraho had to offer so we had a relaxing day. We went for breakfast at the hotel restaurant – I was looking forward to the porridge, but when they brought it, it was a yellow/green colour and it didn’t look like oats, or taste like them; I couldn’t eat it, so bloody hungry again!!
We went to a café/restaurant that served good food for an early lunch, at last I had some decent food. We had a walk looking for the post office which was at the bottom of the town on the ‘backside’ from the hotel. The Indians use that word a lot instead of behind – it always tickles me! While we were walking a young lad started chatting to me; I knew he would want something eventually but I enjoyed his conversation. He told me that the fairground and market was there for a 15 day festival to celebrate Shiva, which explained why there were so many people around. He also spoke about village life and that his family were farmers. Of course, at the end he asked me to go to his shop – I declined politely and thanked him for his time.
We chilled out for the rest of the afternoon then went back to the same restaurant for dinner – I got a chicken soup followed by a chicken leg with veggies and banana fritters not quite a roast dinner but better than a curry! Nighty nite xxx
04/03/2015 – Varanasi
Today was the actual day we were flying to Varanasi so we had breakfast (I played it safe and had pancakes and fruit salad) and packed our belongings. We had a few hours to spare before our flight so we left our luggage and went for Dave to get a shave. There were some guys by the small local market that shaved the locals; Dave sat in the high chair and let the man go to work, much to the amusement of the locals! Dave had a thorough shave, then a facial, neck and arm massage, his hair trimmed, cream applied to his face and hair, finished by a hair massage – not bad for just a shave! It was really good though I don’t think Dave was quite happy with the water they used – it looked as if it came from the lake full of rubbish!
Looking like a new man we had a wander around town, some lunch then went back to the hotel for our tuk-tuk (we had got one ourselves instead of letting the guy at the hotel get one – he was a big rip off merchant!!). We got to the airport just after a large tour group of French had arrived; check in and waited – and waited – and waited – the plane was over an hour late arriving, and an hour and half setting off (Indian time!).
Once we arrived in Varanasi airport (it was a large international one) we got a prepaid taxi and set off for our hotel. We were at the other end of the city which is very large and busy; we had to fight our way through the traffic and eventually got to the area we were stopping in after about an hour and half. The driver stopped on the road and said we had to walk the rest of the way as it was a narrow side street. We got out and started walking, luckily a guy heard say where we were going and told us it was in the other direction. He was kind enough to show us the way, but he was talking crap while he walked with us. The bloke who owned the place we were stopping at shooed him away!!
The guest house we were stopping at was okay, the rooms were basic but clean; what really made it was the family who owned it – they were very friendly, helpful and honest, a rarity in India. The guy had a great sense of humour too! We were stopping very close to the Ghats (Assasi Ghat). We settled into our room then walked to a restaurant the owner had recommended; we had to walk through small lanes with rubbish, shit and cows in, but we didn’t get lost! We had a lovely meal (veg curries) then went back to the hotel for bed. Nighty nite xxx
05/03/2015 – The Ghats and the burnings
Had a lovely sleep last night, it was great! After breakfast we walked down to the Ghats; we were only a five minute walk away from Assi Ghat. From what we had read we were expecting lots of crowds all along on the steps, hundreds of people bathing in the Ganges River (also known as the Ganga) and hordes of people trying to sell us something or take our money from us in other ways. What a surprise we had! It was very quiet with only a handful of people walking in our direct sight, and the only people who approached us were those asking if we would like a boat ride, when we said ‘no thank you’ they didn’t persist. The sun was shining and it felt very calm and relaxing.
The river was full of rubbish at the sides, but it didn’t look as dirty as I thought it would. There were beautiful buildings all along the sides, some looked like old palaces, some like forts and others were temples; there were steep steps up to these and in the monsoons the water covers the steps. We walked along quite contentedly and came to the area where they burn the bodies. As we stopped to watch some guys in the river sieving the ashes we were approached by a guy who started to tell us about the process of the funerals (he said ‘burning is the learning’!). So, this is what happens: When someone dies they have to be burnt within 7 hours; they are brought to the area by their family (there are 2 areas, one for Hindus only, the other for any religion). 300kg of wood is needed to burn a body. There are 3 types of burning – the first is for the rich people and this takes place on a raised stand just above the river, the second is for the poorer ones which takes place at the side of the river (the most popular) and the third is for the very poor who cannot afford the wood needed to burn (money is raised for this) and takes place on the steps! The body is brought wrapped in orange foil and cloth and is submerged in the river to make it pure (all hair is trimmed prior, including the moustache, eyebrows etc.). A male relative (in special cases where a male isn’t available a female does this) submerges himself in the river then changes into white clothes; he then goes around the body, clockwise, five times for the five elements (wind, fire, earth, water and the soul). While this is happening a guy is undertaking the service. Most of the wood is placed underneath the body then the rest covers the top; this is then set alight. Now, the guy reckons that for the males everything is burnt except the chest which remains intact (flesh as well), and for the females the hips are left intact. These are thrown into the river where the fish eat the flesh; if the person’s soul is pure then the fish will be reincarnated as a human in its next life. Now, the guy reckons they do nothing to ensure these body parts remain intact and from what we have seen there is nothing left after the burning; so I reckon it’s just a fable.
There are people who aren’t burnt; these are – holy men, children under 9 years of age, pregnant women, people with small pox, and lepers who have limbs missing. This is because these people are seen as pure already, so instead of burning they are weighted down and taken to the middle of the river where they are thrown in. I had visions in my head of all these corpses floating at the bottom of the river – ugh!! Also, at one time, the poor couldn’t afford enough wood to burn the bodies properly, so the remains were thrown into the river which meant these were floating along. This practice has now been stopped thankfully; can you imagine being on a relaxing boat trip and seeing a leg or a head floating past? After the bodies are burnt and the families have gone (only men are allowed by the burning bodies – they reckon the women become too emotional and throw themselves on the fire) then the family who runs the ‘burning’ business sieve the ashes for remaining jewellery which they sell and use the proceeds to help the poor buy their wood. The wood is quite expensive at it is brought all the way from Hampi.
It’s very surreal watching the burnings; they are there for anyone to see and we saw them at all the various stages, from the wrapped bodies being brought to the river (and some of them left alone while the family prepare), to the fires being lit, to seeing bones within the fire, to the bodies being burnt and the leftover wood being submerged in the river to put it out. They do ask that you don’t take photographs out of a sign of respect.
After we had spoken to the guy we continued walking and stopped at a roof-top café, which overlooked the Ganges, for a drink and a snack. As we approached the café a group of children had coloured balloon bombs and asked us for money; when we refused they threw the bombs at us which hit me and missed Dave – I had a big patch of blue on the bottom of one pant leg and a purple patch on the top of the back of my top and in my hair (it looked quite good in my hair). I was cursing them as these were my best Indian clothes and we had bought some cheap clothes for the Holi colour festival the day after.
After our snack we went into the old town which was just behind the café; we had a look through the small lanes and past the shops then decided t get a cycle rickshaw back to the guest house; this was a great way to see the area, even though our heads kept banging the metal frame of the hood on the rickshaw!
After a rest we changed into the clothes we had bought for Holi (we didn’t want any more of our good clothes ruining) and had another walk along the Ghats. It was lucky we had put those clothes on as we were once again attacked by kids! We had dinner on a rooftop restaurant and back for a good night’s sleep. Nighty nite xxx
06/03/2015 – Holi, the Colour Festival
We got up early and dressed in our white clothes we had bought for Holi; we were very excited at experiencing this festival as we had seen many pictures which looked great fun. The festival starts the night before with a burning of an idol which represents the goddess Holika who was evil and attempted to kill the demon king’s son Prahlada, but ended up killing herself on a fire. The fires and celebrations signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, the end of winter and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.
Just as we were about to go out of the gates a Dutch couple who were staying at the guest house were just coming in; they said that they had been out and that nothing was happening yet, everywhere was quiet and they had been told it starts at 8.30am. So, we all sat and ate breakfast together and decided we would go out as a group. After breakfast the guy who owns the guest house sprinkled us with pink powder and off we set.
We first went to the Ghats; there were a group of young men who were obviously drunk and dancing around, one of them completely naked and shaking his (very small) penis at us. Apart from this group there was no-one else around so we decided we would walk along the road through the town. There were families whose children would come out and throw, or shoot from water guns, coloured water. There were also people on roof-tops who were throwing coloured water bombs down at us; we were starting to get some colour! We had also bought some coloured powders and put this on the children.
No colour party could be found so we headed back to the Ghats and walked along them. There were a few more people and colours started to be spread around. The tradition is to put coloured powder first on the forehead then on each cheek, then you hug each other (although colour is thrown around a lot more, especially by the children). Most people were in good spirits and were very respectful but there were some groups of youth that had been drinking most of the night and were ridiculously disrespectful; they would put lots of colour all over your face then when going in for a hug would grab a breast or a feel of the bum. It got to the point we refused hugs as we didn’t know who was going to do it. I have to say, I gave a few good slaps across the face of those that did it to me but they didn’t care; I really felt like grabbing their balls, twisting and asking how it feels like, but you don’t know how nasty they are going to get.
We carried along the Ghats and stopped at a restaurant/ café we had been to the previous day but it was closed; they did let us use the bathroom though. When we walked back to the Ghats I could see there were lots of unruly youth ahead so I said I wanted to turn back; I didn’t feel totally safe and certainly didn’t want feeling up any more. The Dutch couple left us to find some party or celebrations and we walked back (when they did return they said it was quite bad so I was glad we made that decision). It was very surreal when we got to the area where they do the burnings; people were celebrating and throwing colour around while others were burning their beloved family member (there were 5 going on when we passed) – mind blowing! On the way back we got covered with more colours and when we returned to the guest house we were covered head to toe.
We jumped in the shower as soon as we got into our room; it took us ages and lots of scrubbing to get relatively clean – we still had large marks of red all over us and in our hair and fingernails (the red didn’t come out of my hair at all). I scrubbed our underwear, shoes and bag; the rest of the clothes were beyond rescuing and thrown away. We then spent the rest of the morning watching others return full of colour.
We were going to go out and have a snack later in the afternoon, but when we got to the reception area the owner and his wife had put on a special Holi spread for us of Indian food. In the afternoon communities visit each other houses and food is offered to them. Bless, his wife had been up most of the night making the snacks; some were really delicious, others not so, and others were good but spicy! We sat with others and enjoyed chatting and listening to the owners’ funny sense of humour and wit. They were such a lovely family and made us all feel very comfortable and welcome.
After sitting for a couple of hours we went to get some proper dinner. We went back to the rooftop restaurant, again sitting inside. There were 2 young Japanese girls who were trying to decide what to eat so we offered them a taste of our curries; they were very grateful and bowed a lot to us as the beautiful Japanese do. After a delicious meal we went back to the hotel, played a game of Uno and went to bed. Nighty nite xxx
07/03/2015 – 08/03/2015 – we’re a chillin’ again!
Okay, we were feeling a little tired and was beginning to feel fed up with India; I’ve spoken earlier about the filth in India and Varanasi was the worse city where we had seen this. We had to walk down small lanes to our guest house, and although the area outside the house was kept clean some of the other parts were filthy with rubbish and shit everywhere. The same was for the Ghats and the lanes in the Old Town (there were lanes that were just wide enough for 2 people to pass and these were full of large cow pats, dog shit and stinking rubbish) and the streets surrounding us. I got so frustrated with it all; it wasn’t much fun going out. We didn’t even want to imagine what was in the river – sewerage, ash from dead bodies, dead bodies decomposing, scum from people washing themselves and their clothes, shit from the animals, as well as general rubbish just thrown in. We would have a walk, a drink in a café, play Uno at the guest house, chat to others, and just generally relax. We did go on a boat ride along the Ghats; we tried to ignore the pollution and did actually enjoy it, even though the guy rowing was chewing the special tobacco in leaves and spitting out the brown gunge into the river! We actually started to want to leave the country now; it’s getting hard work. We’ve spoke to other people who have done a lot less time than we have and they also are looking forward to leaving. So, the countdown has begun! Nighty nite xxx
09/03/2015 – Back to Delhi
We were up early to set off to the airport – we were on our way back to Delhi. Our taxi picked us up at 7.30am after our lovely hosts at the guest house made us tea and toast. It was a relief to be leaving Varanasi behind and get back to some sort of normality.
The plane journey went without a hitch and we were met by the hotel car. As we drove to the city we realised how much cleaner Delhi was. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the local area looking for some clothes, but I’m useless at shopping and need someone with me for advice – Dave isn’t that person! In the evening we went back to the small local restaurant we had been to a few times for their delicious curries. As we were waiting for the meal to arrive one of the staff chased a rat down the stairs! It didn’t put us off our meal though; we had eaten here a few times already and had never got a funny tummy. One more day to go! Nighty nite xxx
10/03/2015 – Last full day in India
Our last full day in India! We spent the first hour of the morning after breakfast getting forms and documents printed out that we needed to get our Thailand visa in Nepal. We then went to the metro station to go to Chandri Chowk where the large bazaar is. We had a look around some of the shops and stalls, first of all the sari shops (we didn’t buy a sari but we did get a pressie for someone’s special birthday), then the jewellery lane where I bought some anklets. We then got a rickshaw to go to the spice market. The traffic was terrible with cars, motorbikes, cycle rickshaws and hand held carts all blocking the roads and junctions. We realise how tall we are when we’re sat in the rickshaws (cycle ones) as our heads squash up against the hood while the locals sit comfortably with inches to spare.
We got to the spice market, I could smell it before we saw it, and sauntered down the street looking at the various spices on display. I love taking photos of these, they’re so colourful and pretty! I could have bought hundreds of spices but it’s no good when we’re travelling and haven’t got cooking facilities. We did buy some masala tea though – a large pack!! The sides of the road were full of large white packages that were being delivered (presumably spices) with the people pulling the handcarts laying on them sleeping. It was chaos on the roads (and the pavements).
We fought our way back to the metro and after a rest went back to the local restaurant with the rat for our final meal. I had my favourite curry (Kaju mushroom) and we went back to pack for our flight in the morning. One more sleep – yah!!! Nighty nite xxx
11/03/2015 – Onwards to Nepal
We got up, had breakfast and packed; we were finally leaving India. Like I said before we were glad to be going now but have enjoyed everything we have experienced and would like to come back one day to see the parts we’ve missed. We decided to get the special metro train to the airport as we had been quoted 800 rupees for a taxi and the train was only 100 rupees each (and quicker). We walked to New Delhi metro and boarded the train – this is the fastest one in India and once on it we could have been in any major city; it was great. At the airport we were offered an upgrade for the equivalent of $20 so took it – we had a lot more leg room and could go through security and immigration with the business/ first class.
The flight went well; as we came in to Kathmandu the scenery was spectacular; we could see the Himalaya’s across the horizon with smaller peaks in front of it and large deep river beds cut through the ground – my heart gave a little jump at the sight. As we approached the runway we could see Kathmandu city – it was massive! I always imagined it as a small city/ town on the edge of the mountains but I was very wrong.
We got a taxi to the hotel in the Thamil area – a popular tourist spot. The hotel was lovely, a small Nepalese boutique house with basic but quaint rooms; and they serve tea and coffee free all day (we might not go out!). But, after sorting out our luggage and having a cuppa we went for a wander around the area; it was full of shops selling clothing and cultural items. We had some dinner at a local café – chicken chow mein and chop suey with spring rolls – soooo yummy after 3 months of curry and spicy food, and it was cheap. Back to the hotel where there was no electricity (a common thing here) and to bed. Nighty nite xxx
12/03/2015 – The Thailand embassy in Nepal
We had breakfast in the garden then got a taxi to take us to the Thailand Embassy; being the unprepared, forgetful couple that we are we didn’t remember that you needed a tourist visa if you were going to Thailand for over 30 days – we had booked for 37! Luckily, it appeared quite simple to get one from the embassy in Nepal so off we set (we looked at getting one in Delhi but it was a rigmarole and took some time). The taxi we got looked like an old battered car that was ready for the junk yard, but so did the rest! The driver said he would take us, wait for us then bring us back – great.
Once at the Embassy we found the right door (at the side) and luckily there was no-one waiting before us; we gave our application forms, documents and photocopies (we did research that properly and had them all) to the lady behind the counter. Once she had a look at the application form she asked if we had the passports from our previous trip to Thailand from last year; we replied that we hadn’t as we had renewed our passports and left the old ones at home. She said that our application might be turned down but she would go and talk to the man in charge; we sat down and waited obviously worried we wouldn’t be let into Thailand (we had booked all our flights, including the one to the UK from Phuket).
After waiting what seemed like an eternity the lady came back out and said that she had told the man that we weren’t young kids (thanks!) and because we lived in NZ why would we want to stay in Thailand when we had such a beautiful country to go back to (very true); the man then agreed to give us our visas – yah!!! The lady told us we needed to go to the bank to make our payment then return with the slip; she gave us directions and off we went. Guess what? Yep – we got lost!! We walked for about ½ a mile up the road then back down and for a further ½ mile before we realised where we needed to go. We paid our fee returned to the Embassy and put in our application; we had to pick up our passports in a few days which worked out well as we would be returning from our trek that day.
Our very patient taxi driver took us back to the hotel where we had a lovely cuppa (they were all free which was great). We then went for a look around the shops; I wanted a padded coat, Nepal style, and had looked at them in India but waited until we got to the source of them. We looked in a few shops and tried some on, they were beautiful and very warm (I wouldn’t need one I Asia); I eventually bought one later that day.
We had to go to a meet-up at the headquarters of our tour company, Intrepid, to meet our guide and any other travellers that would be going with us. When we arrived our guide wasn’t there and other staff were frantically trying to find him. When he eventually arrived he spoke to us very quickly with details we already had and the meeting was finished (there was nobody else there so we thought we would be doing the trip alone). We wasn’t impressed with the meeting and thought we might have made a mistake booking this.
We went for some dinner then back to the hotel for more chai (am addicted) and packed our bags ready for our trekking trip the following morning. Nighty nite xxx
13/03/2015 – Trekking in Nepal
We had an early start, managed to get some breakfast before setting off and walked to our meeting point. Our guide was waiting for us and said the van would arrive very soon to take us to our starting point. When we got into the van there was another woman already in there, her name was Aisha and she was also doing the trek with us – great!! She originally came from Holland, had lived in London for 7 years and now lives in Australia with her Irish husband. Like us she had enough of her stressful job and decided she would do some travelling.
We got to the starting point (a town called Sunderijal) and put our packs on our back; we also had a porter with us who carried our pack with the stuff we didn’t need during the day; I have to say we must have been a bit greedy as the trek we did in India we only had our day packs for 3 days but now we had our day packs and another large back-pack!
The first part of our trek was lots of steep stairs which took us into the mountains. I knew these were here and thought I was prepared for them, but after only a short time I felt really weak and light-headed and had to stop; I was mortified that I would be spoiling the trek for everyone else but they were very kind and said they didn’t mind. I started going again but had to stop yet again – I really didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. I was also worried because I have never been like this when trekking before. I persevered and finally got a pace going (albeit a slow one); we had about 5 hours of climbing these stairs and they were relentless. Our guide took my backpack to make it easier for me – bless. We had a few breaks on the way then stopped at a tiny village for lunch (Mujkharka). I wasn’t hungry, just thirsty, so Dave ordered some noodles which I would have a bit off and we ordered drinks. The woman came back with 2 large plates of noodles, one for each of us – I tried to eat them but they had a funny taste to them and I still didn’t have an appetite. I felt guilty for leaving them and tried to explain as best I could that I wasn’t hungry and hadn’t ordered them but I don’t think she understood.
We set back off, climbing yet more stairs; the pay off was the beautiful views we had and the lovely little villages we passed through with the loals going about their daily business. We saw lots of locals climbing the steps with large plastic containers on their backs, apparently they carry wine in these that they sell in the towns and cities, some of them weigh 50kg!! We eventually got to the top of the stairs at a place called Boralang Bhanjyang (2472 meters) which was covered in prayer flags; I gave a little cry of happiness and sat down to admire the views we had worked hard for – we could see the mighty Himalayas with snow covered peaks as a backdrop to the smaller mountains in front of it. Aisha had a fitness app that calculated how far we had climbed – we had walked 13.88kms and climbed 223 floors!
We hadn’t yet finished, so after a break we carried on our trek; we had a few more stairs to climb down then carried on until we arrived at the village we were staying in, Chispani (it means cold water). It is a small place with about half a dozen ‘tea houses’ (hotels) and a few local houses perched on top of a hillside. We were taken to our hotel and shown our rooms – they were very basic with only 2 beds in (very hard ones) and a big, thick, heavy duvet. We had a shared, squat toilet and shower (which was cold). We weren’t impressed with this, not because it was so basic but because we had paid a lot of money for this trip and there were rooms with ensuite western toilets and showers; other hotels also had ensuite, and hot showers. It became apparent that our guide hadn’t booked in time and had made some mistakes.
We had a cup of tea then after wrapping up warmly (it was getting very cold) we had a look around the village; there were some cheeky kids who loved having their photo taken and locals playing games. We looked at the Himalayas as the sun began to come down then watched the sun set; it was all very beautiful. I had a quick shower (well, more of a lick and promise in the cold water) and put on all the clothes I had with me – it really was freezing (it gets to about minus 5 overnight). We had dinner with Aisha and 2 other trekkers, one of them has come to Nepal for the last 3 years and teaches girls at a very remote school in the mountains for a few months then goes trekking and cycling independently high into the mountains (how on earth do you cycle in these mountains??!!); I was very impressed with her. We had a game of Uno then retired to bed (with our clothes and hats on). Nighty nite xxx
14/03/2015 – Long trek to Nagarkot
I was awake and up early and went onto the rooftop to see the sun rising. Aisha was already there with her camera ready. We got a little confused as to where the sun would actually come up as there was red sky in many places – we edged our bet on one spot and got it right – yah! The views were spectacular with the snow-capped mountains having firstly a blue hue to them which slowly turned to pink then crisp white, the valley coming to life with the light and the ghostly shadows of the smaller mountains tiered against each other. After numerous photos we went for breakfast then set off on our trek to Nagarkot.
This trek wasn’t as difficult as the previous day as it was mostly flat with only gentle hills to climb and descend. We continued walking with the amazing views, now turning into valleys of tiered farmland. We walked down a long dusty hill passing local farms and houses interspersed along the road and finally, just as we thought we were going to collapse with hunger we reached the village we were going to stop at for lunch. Myself and Dave ordered rice pudding each but the bowl was massive and we could only manage to eat half of it – again we would have been better sharing one. While we were eating lunch we watched the locals going about their business – children playing with and eating flowers (it was rhododendron season with plenty about) while stopping to take gorgeous photos; an old man snoozing at a table across the road; a group of women sitting and catching up with the gossip; the most adorable baby being carried on the back of her mother with eye-liner on (the baby, not the mother); a woman feeding a very cute cow (it kept giving us the most quizzical looks); and trucks and bikes passing along the road. After finishing lunch and massaging our aching muscles and feet we set off again.
We were in farming land now and as we walked we could see the locals tending to their land as hawks flew above us. Women were carrying larger heavy baskets on their backs while climbing dusty steep hillsides with children in tow while the men dug and sowed the land. Most of the people carry their baskets (and other heavy items) by attaching it to some cloth that sits on their forehead and holds the weight – ouch!! At one point we could hear loud house music; after a while we approached an area where there was a field at the top of a hill where lots of youth were having a house music party – in the middle of the day! They were loving it. We passed areas full of prayer flags attached to the trees, a typical Nepalese sight that we were wanting to see, past schools (closed for the weekend) and villages and finally came to a village that was at the bottom of a very steep hill on which our hotel sat at the top. We stopped for a rest and a drink and again enjoyed watching the local life – a woman who looked 120 years old sat smoking and grinning at us; children chasing a silver deflated balloon; other children playing happily with a rug and a wheelbarrow, and yet more children eating flowers!
Reluctantly we set off for our final stage of this days journey; we were all tired and wary at this point. After dragging ourselves up steep embankments we thought we had finally arrived at our hotel but our guide said it wasn’t ours – we weren’t happy. Luckily, our hotel was only a 5 minute walk away and when we arrived we were amazed at where we were stopping – it was a large 5 star hotel overlooking the valley and mountains ( the 3 main ones being Langtang at 7234 meters, Dorjelakpa at 6966 meters and Ganesh Himal at 6250 meters – on a clear day Mount Everest can be seen but unfortunately it wasn’t clear enough for us) – it had hot running showers, a proper restaurant and bar and comfy beds, each room with a balcony overlooking the views – fantastic!! We all got our keys and went for a well needed hot shower – bliss. Our room was down 4 flights of steps; our aching muscles could feel every one of the steps as we climbed up and down them. After having our dinner we returned to our room and enjoyed getting into a clean, warm bed.
We had walked 25km, over 33000 steps and 80 floors. Nighty nite xxx
15/03/2015 – Last stretch to Bhaktapur
Up very early again to see the sunrise – mother nature was very kind to us and cleared the skies over the mountain enough to be able to see them – and what a performance! First we got to see the faint orange glow over the shadows of the mountain as the sun slowly climbed over the backs, then we got the crisp blue/ white peaks showing in the distance; next the clouds separated so that we could see the peaks as the cloud stayed below in the valley. Following the burnt orange glow came the bright yellow rays, turning the distant clouds and peaks pink. Finally, the sun peeped over the mountains and showed us it’s glowing beauty (I should be a writer hey?!!). The clouds in the valley (or we think it could have been pollution – shame) managed to thin enough for us to see the valley floor, giving it an eerie feel. Once the sun had risen fully the sky turned a beautiful pale blue with wispy clouds above; unfortunately it still wasn’t clear enough to see Mount Everest.
We had breakfast, packed, and started our final leg of the journey to Bhaktapur. As soon as we set off we walked through a village, first coming to a small hut in which 2 men were making masks – they had them hanging from the ceiling and the walls – one guy was working on a large Buddha mask as we walked by. We then passed an old man sat crossed legged on a mat on the floor with an old Singer sewing machine tailoring a suit! A lady passed us wearing a beautiful red and gold sari and high heeled shoes, apparently this would have been her wedding sari and she has to wear it for the following week (I think?). We passed the local dairy (a hut with large metal canisters and urns), and tiny little huts made from corrugated iron in which there were more old Singer sewing machines (complete with trestle). Children came out to the street dressed in their school uniforms happily posing for photographs. Some of the kids did ask for sweets but went away if they weren’t given any.
At the end of the village we walked down a small dirt slope; children were coming the other way, the younger ones stopping for photos, the older ones hurrying them along. Three women came along behind us, wearing saris and carrying baskets with plants in, the baskets were as tall as they were but they carried them from their foreheads. One of the ladies looked pretty old and as she got to us she said ‘rupees, photos – rupees’ and held out her hand. We gave her some notes; she looked at them in disgust and carried on her journey!! We continued on with the snow peaked mountains in the distance and the tiered farm land surrounding us.
We walked through more villages, most of them farms; there were goats everywhere and chickens in baskets (I wonder if that’s where the name for the meal comes from), and occasionally cows – some being chased from the fields for eating the crops! We passed a guy sitting in a field surrounded by long yellow flowers – I thought he was picking the flowers until Aisha pointed out he was actually doing his ‘business’ in the field – that was the moment I stopped looking! In another village we had to pass close to a house with a bit of a porch way on the front – there was a woman sitting on a commode with her pants around her ankles, obviously she had been put there and left. What about her dignity? Obviously they didn’t know much about it in Nepal!
After passing through an Hindu temple we came to a village, we were given the option of climbing a very steep long hill to a temple at the top, or getting the local bus to Bhaktapur. Luckily we all agreed we had done enough walking, we were all aching everywhere and Dave had a cold. We waited for the bus and were the first ones on it. The locals began to fill it up and at one stop 2 oldish women got on carrying sacks with their foreheads; they plonked the sacks down and sat in the middle between us all – they had so much character and made us smile through the journey.
The villages turned into towns, the towns got bigger, and after about 40 minutes we had arrived at Bhaktapur. I was expecting a normal, average Nepalese town but as we walked through the gates we saw a fantastic historical town – a large one!! Located about 20 km east of Kathmandu in the Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is known as the 'City of Devotees', the 'City of Culture', the 'Living Heritage', and 'Nepal's Cultural Gem'. It is one of the 3 royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley. The others are Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and Patan. Bhaktapur is filled with monuments, most terra-cotta with carved wood columns, palaces and temples with elaborate carvings, gilded roofs, open courtyards. The city is dotted with pagodas and religious shrines. Lying along the ancient trade route between India and Tibet, Bhaktapur is surrounded by mountains and provides a magnificent view of the Himalayas.
We walked through the town to get to our hotel; we were blown away by the buildings and history, and even more so by the locals and the photo opportunities; I forgot to mention that Aisha loves taking photos as much as I do which was great as I didn’t have to feel guilty at stopping every 2 minutes!! We got to the Taumadhi Square, one of the famous squares in the town and found that our hotel was right in the middle of it! We were booked in and taken to ur rooms – ours was the very top one (no lift), but once we got our breath back we realised we probably had the best views in the hotel, we could actually sit on the toilet and see the square with its monuments and temples! The room was lovely too, with comfy beds and a good shower, and a TV that had the footie on for Dave!
Once we had settled we met at the reception for a tour of some of the sights of the town. Our guide, Rashid, wanted us to get the best experience possible – we started in Durbar Square where there are many temples, palaces and museums – I won’t bore you all with the details of each one of them but they were magnificent. Dave was sniffling through all of this and decided he wasn’t up to any more sight-seeing, so he went back to the hotel to have a lie down. Poor bugger – he could have waited to get his cold once we were in Thailand!!
The next place we visited was the Lama Thanka Centre – school of Thanka painting. A Thanka (or Thangka) is a Tibetan Buddhist painting usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene or mandala and were intended for use for personal meditation or monastic students. The school teaches students how to paint the Thankas, but before they can start to paint they must learn the meanings behind each painting. We were given a brief description of the paintings and the meanings behind them; it was very interesting. The one that interested me the most was the Mandala – a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism representing the universe; it had a fascinating meaning behind it and the picture itself was amazing (we were shown one painted by a master with real gold paint and another by a student – the difference was astounding). It looked even more spectacular when put in front of a light. We were asked if we asked if we would like to buy one, the price was relatively low compared to what you would pay outside of Nepal, but still out of our budget.
After the school of painting we walked towards another part of the town but on the way we stopped to see some children performing a dance in a hall. The girls had heaps of make-up on but were all very beautiful. We only caught the end of the performance but enjoyed it anyway. Just outside the hall were 3 women, 2 of them holding a large loom and the third putting threads through a large metal separator comb thingy (sorry, don’t know it’s name!). The ends of the threads were put onto 2 metal poles which we in the ground pulling them taut, altogether it was about 30 feet long. The women weren’t young, one of them looked very old, but they managed to keep the spool upright while the 3rd woman sorted out the threads.
We carried on making our way through the town and came across some work men in a deep hole in the road – the locals were all crowded around watching as if they had never seen anything like this before – of course we had to stop and look too!! We spotted a girl sliding down a slope next to some steps to an ancient water well, it looked so much fun I had a go too! There were sights everywhere, architectural, historic and local characters; myself and Aisha were in our elements with our cameras.
We eventually arrived at the place we were going to – the wood carving centre. There were 4 people carving intricate designs into wood, but what was really fascinating (and cringey) was that they used their feet to steady the wood while using the chisels and mallets – if the chisel had slipped – ouch!!! We noticed a café attached to the entre which sold coffee and delicious looking muffins so we made a mental note to return the next day.
Next to visit was Dattatreya Square and past a pottery square (not the famous one in Bhaktapur but in my opinion better) and into the paper factory. There are 5 floors here and paper is made by hand; not everything was working when we got there but we had a quick tour around. The place was dark and very damp inside, the workers must have had bad respiratory diseases from working here. The roof top (flat) had a temple with Buddha inside and great views over the city. At the bottom was a shop selling the finished paper products.
We doubled back on ourselves and went past our hotel where in the surrounding area was now the local market selling fresh produce – it all looked very colourful. We walked past to the pottery square where ceramics are made on a massive potter’s wheel and then put into the special kilns. The kilns are made with a base of bricks at the bottom then straw at the top; the pots are wrapped in straw and put inside the rest of the straw and mud/dust is covered over the straw, a fire is then lit underneath the brick which gives enough heat to set the pots. A woman tends to the fires to make sure they are going strong enough – the poor lass is surrounded by smoke.
We went back to the hotel after this where we had a rest then went out for dinner (myself, Dave and Aisha). It was pitch black as there were no street lights (in fact there was no electricity until 9pm). We found what looked like a good restaurant and sat outside with a lovely painted backdrop. Unfortunately the food didn’t look, or taste, as good as the place did, but it filled us. Back to the hotel and bed, nighty nite xxx
16/03/2015 – Morning in Bhaktapur, mad dash to the airport and Kathmandu
Not a great sleep last night – the prayer bell rang every few minutes from 3am – apparently the old people can’t sleep so go to pray! After managing to catch a few hours sleep I woke up at sunrise and jumped out of bed while leaving Dave sleeping – I wanted to get out and catch the locals before the bus loads of tourists arrived. Unfortunately, a large group of Chinese tourists with large expensive cameras had the same idea and were everywhere!
There were lots of locals setting up their stalls for the market selling some beautiful veggies and herbs; the Chinese would just point their cameras at them and take photos but I would ask them first which they seemed to appreciate – it must be terrible having your picture taken all the time without your consent. I went to the small temples scattered around and sat watching the locals come to pray, taking a few photos inconspicuously when I could. It was interesting the rituals they go through when praying, going from one statue to another with their powders and flowers. A woman sat and threw lots of seeds for the birds – dozens appeared from nowhere!
I continued on to another square which was quieter and bumped into Aisha, she had exactly the same idea as me! After taking more pics we decided to go for a coffee; once in the café Aisha ordered cake too and made me (no, forced me!) to share it with her – at silly O’clock in the morning! After watching the locals (and having a few children trying to beg from us) we went back to the hotel for a rest and breakfast then met up again later with Dave. We went for another wander around the town – there was so many interesting things to see here, finding the café we spotted earlier and went for a coffee and muffin – they were absolutely delicious! In one of the squares there were groups of schoolchildren; I asked if I could take photos of some of them and they willingly agreed. They then started asking me lots of questions which I happily answered for them – they were all very polite and well behaved – I loved it.
We returned to the hotel to pack our belongings; our transport was due to pick us up and take Aisha to the airport as she was going on another expedition. We sat outside and waited, and waited, and waited – no sign of the car. Our guide was on the phone and he promised it was on its way, then he disappeared! We continued waiting; Aisha was starting to panic but we still had plenty of time to get to the airport; then we waited some more. Eventually we all started panicking, especially as our guide appeared to have done a runner! Time was getting very tight now and soon it would be too late for the flight. After what seemed like an eternity (in fact it about 1 ½ hours) a car pulled up with our guide in it; we threw all our luggage inside and jumped in – it was going to be a mad dash to get to the airport in time. We eventually got there after fighting through lots of traffic and Aisha ran into the airport with the guide – she only just made it in time!!
We returned to Kathmandu and to the hotel we stopped at before. After dropping our luggage in our room we went to find a taxi to take us to the Thailand embassy to pick up our passports and visas. They were all ready for us when we arrived and it was a relief to see the visas inside. We returned to the hotel, had a cuppa, a rest then went out for dinner. Dave was still full of cold so we had an early night. Nighty nite xxx
17/03/2015 – First year anniversary in Kathmandu
So, today is our first anniversary of when we set off on our great adventure – and what an adventure it has been so far! We have been to places and had experiences most other people have not had the good fortune to; but what makes us ‘lucky’ enough to be able to do it? It’s not luck at all, it’s a matter of realising that life is very, very short and you have to follow your dreams NOW or it will be too late. We both realised that material possessions aren’t important, the more you have the more you have to work hard and long hours for; what is important is doing the things you want to – the only person holding you back is YOU!!! People say I must be rich to do this – haha, if only they knew my background and where I started from – I started with nothing and from a poor council estate; I worked hard, studied hard and fought for what I wanted; I followed my dreams with a steely determination and now I am fulfilling my lifelong dream – to travel to places I once thought were out of my reach. So, if you’re reading this and have something you want to do or accomplish in life, don’t be scared – do it now!!
Okay, enough of that – so what did we do on our last day in Nepal? Well, I spent most of it on the bloody toilet!! Squits again; I don’t think it’s from the food or dehydration, I reckon it must be something else, maybe my iron levels? Dave has had the same as me and isn’t suffering. Oh well, at least I didn’t have them while we were trekking! Nighty nite xxx
18/03/2015 – One night in Bangkok (well 2 actually!)
We were leaving for Bangkok later in the day so we had a wander around the shops and I managed to buy a couple of items of clothing (amazing!). We have really enjoyed Nepal and 10 days here definitely isn’t long enough, we thoroughly loved the trekking and would want to come back to do some more, next time maybe higher in the mountains? Kathmandu is really a base for some of the treks; talking to other people we have missed doing so much in other parts of the country – we’ll add it to our list of ‘come back to’!
We got a taxi to the airport and checked in; there’s nothing fancy about the airport and once you’ve got through the security checks there’s not much to do but sit on the uncomfortable chairs. We were delayed for a while too so were bored for a bit longer. Our flight went smoothly and we landed safely in Bangkok in the evening. By the time we got the train and metro to our hotel it was late and we were tired – but the first thing I did was fill the bath (which took about 20 minutes) then soaked and scrubbed myself – it felt bloody good, and you should have seen the colour of the water; it didn’t matter how well you showered in India and Nepal the dust was grime was so bad it was ingrained into our skin. We had treat ourselves to an apartment with a separate bedroom and lounge with a settee; it was fantastic to sit in a robe on a settee and chill – the little things in life we miss hey? We got into the wonderful large comfy bed and was asleep before our heads hit the pillow. Nighty nite xxx
19/03/2015 – Spoiling ourselves in Bangkok
Wonderful – that’s how I felt after a good night’s sleep. Our day in Bangkok was all about pampering ourselves and treating ourselves to the things we’ve missed, so after breakfast and lazing around for a while we went to the shopping mall, had a wander around then had lunch in the food court – there was so much choice we had a difficult time deciding what to have! Dave chose his favourite – Pad Thai and I had a noodle dish. After a few more wanderings we went back to the hotel to sit on the settee – yes! I then went for a massage; I chose a relaxing oil massage and it certainly did the trick – I was slobbering and nearly snoring! Dave went and got his back waxed, then after a bit more relaxing we went to a pub for a good old English nosh up! I got a steak and ale pie while Dave had sausage and mash; I stuck to water while Dave thoroughly enjoyed a pint! We went back to the hotel where I had another soak in the bath and we went to bed very happy. Nighty nite xxx
20/03/2015 – Grrrr - big angry day!!!!
We were catching a flight to Phuket in the afternoon so we had a lie in, another bath then we wandered up to the mall for lunch – I had the amazing beef Pho, one of my favourite dishes in the whole of Asia (Vietnamese). After lunch we got our luggage and set off or the airport – now I have to tell you at this point that I left all the arrangements to get to the airport to Dave, something I haven’t done before, but Dave reassured me he could manage. So, we got on the metro, Dave wasn’t sure which station to get off so I looked and found the station for the airport line – but when we got off it was for the wrong airport! There wasn’t even a train line to the airport we were going to and when we enquired we were told we had to get a train to a different station then a bus to the airport – this took a minimum of 1 hour – we had 40 minutes before check-in closed! I wasn’t happy – Dave had reassured me he had researched properly but obviously he hadn’t – we should have set off at least an hour before we did! Fuming, I dashed down to the main road and found a taxi; I explained to him that we needed to get to the airport quickly, and when he discovered what time our flight was he panicked too – bless him, he put his foot down and raced to the airport – though I was scared we wouldn’t get there alive! We got there just in the nick of time and gave our taxi driver a good tip then checked in.
Our flight left on time and we were sat next to a Chinese woman (probably about 30ish). She had some fixed views on the Japanese and was completely loyal to her country. She also spoke a great deal about seafood and was very excited by what she could eat in Thailand, though I wasn’t too impressed with what she said her friends did on a new beach in China (eat turtle eggs).
We land in Phuket and paid for a shared minibus to Patong; we shared it with 9 other people and had to wait a short time for them all to get on. En-route the bus pulled into a travel agents and we were told we all had to get out to give them the details of our hotel for the driver – red alert – I knew this was some sort of scam straight away! We went into the travel agents where a woman guided us to a table and chairs and asked us what we were doing in Phuket and did we want to book some trips – it must have been the way I answered her that she didn’t push it any further with us! But – some of the other poor people were drawn straight in and started planning with them. We were sat on the bus waiting for them – after 30 minutes I had enough and told Dave to let me off so I could tell them we hadn’t paid to sit in a bloody car park (it was already quite late in the evening). Dave wouldn’t let me off the bus which made me even madder –especially after the airport disaster earlier – steam was coming out of my ears!! After about 40 minutes everyone was back on the bus – I shouted my displeasure at the driver and everyone went quiet but I didn’t care – I’ve had enough of bloody scams and waiting around!!!
We eventually got to our hotel where I dumped our luggage and went to bed – I was too bloody angry to even eat!!! And this was supposed to be our relaxing leg of the journey!!Nighty nite xxx
21st-26th/03/2015 – Patong
Okay, not going to bore you too much with details while we were in Patong as we didn’t do too much – we are here to relax. The first day we went to the beach, but the sea is filthy, a very different picture to when we came in 2005 when it was lovely and clear, so we went back to the hotel and the pool (thank goodness we had booked a hotel with one). We spent the 5 days chilling, walking along the beach and through the town, getting pampered and treating ourselves to a great meal – I had a long awaited steak (Wagyu, med/rare) with my first alcoholic drink in 3 months (2 glasses of wine) – it was the best meal I have had in a long time; Dave had ribs which he enjoyed with a beer. The majority of the time we spent by the pool relaxing and cooling down.
Have to say we were disappointed in Patong, it wasn’t the same place we visited in 2005; at that time it was the first anniversary of the devastating tsunami and was just in the beginning of rebuilding itself. Now, it’s overbuilt, expensive, lots of people wanting to take your money of you and forever badgering you to do so, and just generally too full of bars and shops. Oh, Dave thinks the nice young Thai girls are very kind looking after the old European men ;-) Not our kind of thing anymore (especially as I can’t really drink). But, it was good to be able to relax and do nothing, so mission accomplished there! Nighty nite xxx
27/03/2015 – Boat to Koh Lanta
Up early this morning, quick breakfast and then we were picked up by a mini bus to go to the ferry. We stopped to pick a group of 6 Indians up (about our age) – it seemed that they were about an hour late and the driver had to go back for them, he wasn’t happy about this but the Indians didn’t care; they were very loud and shouting to each other across the bus for the whole trip – made us realise that not returning to India was a good idea!
We got to the ferry (luckily the Indians were getting a different one to us) and we dragged our luggage on and found a seat outside. The journey was about 3 hours in total with a stop at Koh Phi Phi; we did consider going to Koh Phi Phi but the reviews said it was a disaster of its own success and it sounded worse than Patong. We landed at Koh Lanta and easily found our hotel – it was 5 minutes from the ferry terminal!
We had lunch – there’s some lovely cheap restaurants here and walked along to the beach; it had such a laid back feel to it, nobody bothered us to buy anything and it was quiet and clean. The beach was empty (there were a couple of people sat by a hotel complex further up) and the sea was beautifully clean, clear and blue/green. It was absolutely red hot so we cooled down in the sea and lazed around for a while – bliss. We went back to the hotel, showered, changed then went to see the magnificent sunset on the beach before having dinner at a restaurant overlooking the sea.
We are only here for one night as we get another ferry to Koh Jum early tomorrow morning, but we decided we would come back here. Nighty nite xxx
28/03/2015 – Koh Jum
Up early, too early for breakfast, and went for the ferry. The ferry was going to Krabi Town but we were getting dropped off at Koh Jum – well, when I say dropped off I mean a longboat from our hotel picks us up from the ferry in the middle of the sea – our luggage is passed over and then we climb over – great fun! Koh Jum is a small island with only a few small resorts hidden in the hills. We chose to stay at a place called Ting Rai Bay resort and wasn’t disappointed with it. There are only 17 bungalows; ours was up the hill with a private balcony and views over the garden and down to the beach. We booked in and had breakfast.
We spent the rest of the day cooling in the sea, reading and eating. In the evening we sat on the beach watching the sun set over the Islands opposite us, then we saw a meteor burn up in the atmosphere – it was very large and surreal (and magnificent) – though I was afraid at first it was another plane crash (thank goodness it wasn’t). Dinner then bed – it’s a hard life! Nighty nite xxx
29/03/2015 – 01/04/2015 – relax, don’t do it.
So, 4 days of total relaxation, there’s really nothing much to do here, but this is what we did: sunbathe, swim, snorkel – one day I was lucky to see a large shoal of fish in a big ball and I was able to swim in the middle of them –then a little later I saw a smaller shoal of beautiful yellow and black fish and was able to follow them, watching them eat and clean themselves on the coral – I was in my element! We also read lots, slept, and went on a walk to the ‘town’ – this compromised of about a dozen houses, some doubling up as cafes/ shops or hairdressers. It was very hot the whole time we were there, so the sea was a favourite spot of ours. We loved our time here and felt so much better for relaxing totally – would love to come back in the future. Nighty nite xxx
02/04/2015 – Krabi Town
Off again – got taken by the longtail boat to the ferry and onto Krabi Town. We were dropped off at our hotel just on the edge of town – lovely hotel room. We had a wander around the town and got a really good feel about it; it wasn’t touristy at all and felt like an authentic Thai town. We walked to the river and along the promenade where we were asked if we wanted a boat ride but it was too hot and we decided we would return later when it was cooler.
About an hour and half before sunset we went back to the river and took a longtail boat trip – this took us passed the mangroves (I love these), down to the karsts where we stopped at a cave – these had models of cavemen and Japanese soldiers in them as well as a couple of skeletons – strange! We then went to a floating village and a fish farm where a young guy showed us the fish they kept; he then got 2 puffer fish (a large one and a small one) out of a tank and made them blow up which I thought was cruel, but I’m guessing he shows all the tourists this. We sat and had a drink while I watched the mud crabs and mud skippers (funny sort of fish that can breathe out of water and walk on their 2 fins – reminds me of the first creatures on earth!) – I am fascinated with these.
We returned to the shore and walked along the promenade where we saw the statue of the giant crabs – I tried to make it look as if it had caught me while Dave too a pic but it didn’t turn out quite how I expected it to! Dinner then bed, nighty nite xxx
03/04/2015 – Khao Phanom Bencha National Park
We hired a scooter and set off to Khao Phanom Bencha National Park. The national park is pretty big but we headed for the popular part of it where there are waterfalls and nature trails. We paid our entrance fee and parked up then headed to Huai To waterfall – the area is very well kept and there were women sweeping the paths and rocks by the stream! The walk to the waterfall (the bottom of seven tiers) was about 500 metres up steps and across rocks; it wasn’t a particularly difficult walk but it was very hot and humid and we were dripping with sweat when we reached the pool. So – we stripped off to our swimwear and got into the beautiful cooling water. There were a few other people there when we arrived but they just took photos and then went – what a waste of a walk! The water cooled us down beautifully and we sat there for some time, sometimes sitting under the falls themselves.
Once we had cooled down we walked back down towards the entrance and spotted a walk called ‘Dog Slide nature trail’; it sounded interesting and not meadows of flowers, gentle streams etc.) so we set off. It started off gentle with decorative butterflies flying past us and lovely trees and shrubs; we carried on enjoying the nature and started to climb. Then we climbed, and climbed and climbed!!! It got steeper and the track was quite difficult to climb – we had to pull ourselves up with tree roots and branches. We finally reached the top (1650 metres) sweating and tired then realised we once you got up we had to go down! We started down, again clinging on to roots and branches and trying our best not to slip and fall. Dave was in a terrible mood so I left him to walk on his own! We finally got to the top of the waterfall and again stripped off for a dip in the deliciously cool water – it was heaven. The views were spectacular and once we had cooled down and relaxed we found we had actually enjoyed our trek – though we didn’t see any wildlife (we did hear a monkey, birds and something very large crashing through the bushes) it was lovely to see another side of Thailand. We walked down the side of the waterfall and stopped again at the bottom pool for another dip!
We had a quick lunch then drove to Ao Nang which is a big tourist beach area. The tide was out and the water was shallow for metres; we had a dip and a rest but quickly got bored. The town of Ao Nang is full of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops – it reminded me a bit like the back streets of Blackpool (but with cleaner sea); we were very glad we hadn’t booked to come here. We drove back to Krabi then went to the night market for dinner. The night market had street carts along the edges of the carpark with seats on either sides of them – good cheap food. Nighty nite xxx