Catherine G

Only 11kms of the four hour journey to the Laos border were tarmaced but as I was only sharing a row of seats meant for 3 people with just 4 it all seemed relatively luxurious in comparison to my last two journeys. Two wooden shacks in the middle of nowhere turned out to be the Dongkalaw border between Cambodia and Laos. Normally border towns smell incredibly unpleasant but here it just stunk of weed. Parting with a one dollar bill was necessary in order to leave Cambodia and another one was required for the "administration fee" to enter Laos despite it already being essential to have a 40$ visa in advance. At least he had to stamp each passport four times so had to work for his money however I was probably just paying for his ... read more

Phnom Penh smells. It smells of rubbish, sewage and decay. Ridiculously expensive, shiny black land cruisers rule the chaotic roads whilst thousands of motos carrying heavy loads or numerous other passengers weave in and out of tuk-tuks, hand drawn carts and the odd ox cart not caring if they are on the right side of the road or not. Some streets are separated by manicured lawns or lined with magnolia trees whilst others are strewn with rotting rubbish. Some elegant, newly renovated colonial buildings shine in the sunlight whilst others crumble and ugly blocks of flats are black with damp. The waterfront with its billowing flags is lined with restaurants and bars where you can eat anything you desire but a few streets away families beg on the streets in order to eat and survive. Amputees ... read more

Simple...well the 6am train to the border was relatively simple once I found a seat in one of the very full but spotlessly clean 3rd class carriages. Who needs to pay extra for air con when you can simply have the windows pulled down? Plus, I had already splashed out 80 pence for my 5 1/2 hour journey. My breakfast, a croissant, was half that price. Monks sat listening to their ipods, men sat around drinking beer and chatting, students played on their laptop and families of four somehow sat comfortably on seats meant for two whilst I, much to everyone's amusement, took pictures of the Thai countryside passing us by and showed them to the little boy opposite who was amazed by the technology. Sellers past through the train with cold drinks, fruit and home ... read more

After meeting friends from my South America trip in Christchurch for some last minute sightseeing it was time to leave the Land of the Long White Cloud. Two months had gone very quickly indeed. After initially feeling somewhat guilty because after South America New Zealand posed no challenge as a travel destination whatsoever and after initially resenting its normality I realised that travel doesn't always have to be tricky and normality can bring benefits, small things like drinking fresh milk, not having to worry about having currency in small notes or even just putting loo paper down the loo. Travel can also be about gazing at wonderful views which after all is always good for the soul. Plus with the laid back Kiwi style it was impossible not to be relaxed here. A bus driver had ... read more

The ferry across the Cook Straight was wonderful. I was amazed at how long we hugged the coastline of the North Island before seeing the South Island. It wasn't clear at first where we would enter the island but we were soon in the Tory Channel and the beautiful Marlborough Sounds surrounding by forested hills. The rather huge ferry seemed to glide effortlessly through the water. I felt at home already before the boat had docked in the South Island. Considering Picton is the gateway for so many to the South Island it was surprisingly small. I found a bed in a lovely hostel called The Villa which also arranged my three day Queen Charlotte trek in super quick time. The hostel was also willing to lend me a tent on the condition I checked that ... read more