Fiji, Bangkok, Laos

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I am now in Laos with a keyboard that doesnt rerally work so expect some more spelling mistakes. Since the last entry in Christchurch it feels like we have dome so much...

After the last entry we went to the cricket, England lost but this was not our purpose here. We had our banners with us, seven in total and got them up in some good spots and got some good photos with them, including ones in the street with people protesting, with the police, stewards and also a bus driver stopped the bus to take one as well- thank you very much. We sat and watched the cricket with the Kiwis who take sport very seriously, there was a lot of banter fying around all good natured as well as a lot of drunk kiwis, the rain caused an early finish but it was a good day and we got our banners up but not sure if we made the tele. We had a bit of a quiet night after that as we had two flights the next day.

We got up early, always the same and went to the airport, we flew from Christchurch to Auckland and then changed planes to go to Fiji. Some idiot at the airport got his sums wrong and they had to take some bags off the plane to balance the fuel or something like that. Mine was left behind which was annoying. We arrived in Fiji to guitars at the airport and made our way to our hostel. We only had a short amount of time so booked up our island trips, two days in Mana and two days in Beachcomber. I ended up havig to go to the airport to collect my bag but at least it got there. The Fijians go by Fiji time which basicaly means they can just be as late as they want picking you up- its cool in a way but also annoying. We got up early not knowig about Fiji time to go to Mana, our lift was two hours late, obviously and the boat ride was rocky as anything, I nearly threw up but didnt, someone did but at least it wasnt me. We arrived in Mana to a welcome song again and the place looked very surreal, there were tin huts, shanty houses and dogs, cats and children running around everywhere. Our room stank of wet and was pretty dingy, the showers were a hole in the wall with a tap coming out. At these places you pay a set fee and get all your food included, lunch was baked bean sandwiches, we chilled for a bit and had a look round, the dinner was a little better but the views and the ocean made up for it, they were amazing. We had a walk up the beach where there were a ferw more shanty bars, we were refused service in one as we werent Japenesse- racist in a way. We had a good chilled out night and went to our lovely room. The next day we went to the local school which was a church run school that welcomes visitors to the island, we went to the school and were warmly welcomed, there were three classes each with three year groups in so thats a lot of work. We joined in with the kids singing and clapping, helped the kids with their work, we then spoke with the headteacher and he said someone had donated a computer but they didnt know how to use it, we set it up, got Brittanica Encyclopedia up and running and sorted the printer out for them. Some of the kids had never seen or used a computer before so it was a lush feeling to do something that would help the friendliest kids going. After this Ray and I went to the beach, we were messing around when we run in to two of the Mackems we had met in New Zealand, we had planned to meet in Beachcomber but it was good to see them. In the evening we watched a fire show which was cool but I was feeling a bit ill so I went to bed in preparation for a couple of nights in Beachcomber.

We got a smoother boat over to Beachcomber which is an island you can walk around at a slow pace in ten minutes, the sea was amazing and there is a seventy bed dorm as well which we stayed in. We met some sound people and just relaxed all day and chiled in the night, learnt the Bula dance and just had an amazing couple of days on the beach. It was good to just chill and after the three days two nights there we got a ferry back to the main island, we met up with some girls from back home in the main island and chilled with them and then got up early AGAIN for a massive day of travelling.

We got to the airport for our nine am flight to Sydney, the flight was boring but watched a good film- irrellevant. We landed in Sydney and had five hours to our next flight. The flight to Bangkok was over 8 hours and the teles kept breaking which was annoying slept a bit and then arrived in Bangkok. We messed around in the airport which was massive and then got a taxi, a Mitsubishi Evo if you're asking to our hotel. We were both knackard so just feel asleep. We got up early the next day through jet lag this time I reckon and had a very productive day, we got a tuk tuk for 15p to take us around the whole city, we went to temples, to a lush taylors where we both got two suits made, to the Thai Tourism Office and booked our trips, we did loads of shoppig paying two pounds for t shirts and boxers and stocked up on fakes. We went out in the evening and experienced a night out in Bangkok which was MENTAL...

Woke the next day and had time to kill so did more shopping, got a massage for three pounds for an hour- not a mucky one either if thats what you are thinking. We had another good day and then got picked up for our bus to the capital of Laos where we have come to go tubing, it was an over night bus which we expected to be rubbish bit it turned out to be better than the buses in Australia and New Zealand. We slept alright and got to the Thai border, we swapped buses to something more like what I expected. We had another 5 hour bus journey to follow our 10 hour one and then arrived in a city in Laos where we wil be going tubing which is like rubber ringing down a river where you get pulled into bars for the day, we are doing that tomorrow. On the way to Laos we saw some different living styles to that back home and it realy opens your mind.

The tubing should be fun and after that we are going to some of the Thai islands, I will let yoy know how that goes...

Lots of love.

x

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