CharityBarnes

So after a nightbus that felt like a prisioner transfer (it had no windows!) I arrived bright and early into Siem Reap. Now one of the most popular places on the planet (over 2 million visitors a year!) Siem Reap attracts us there by the presence of Angkor Wat and the neighbouring temples. The town itself gets somewhat over shadowed by the temples but in itself has much to offer from the tree lined streets, slow flowing rivier and old French shops/houses. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world and is the Khmers national symbol. Like the other temple mountains of Angkor, Angkor Wat replicates the spiritual universe in minature. The central tower is Mt Meru with its surrounding smaller peaks bounded in turn by continents and the ocean (the moat). The Cambodian ... read more

So first impressions of Cambodia were not great...our bus that dropped us into 'town'after our river trip across the border bumped us on the outskirts of town that apparently was not on any of our maps and did not have a name. So therefore our only option was to pay one of his tuktuk friends to take us into the centre......this was not what we had paid for! luckily there was a group of us who united to tackle these scammers and after standing our ground and not letting the bus drive away the driver made a few phone calls and low and behold we got the tuktuk ride into town for free.....mmmmmmm Anyway, I had then arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city. First on my list of things to do however was to sort ... read more

Hue was where is finally got warmer and I could get my shorts out again! Originally the capital of Vietnam Hue is only a fraction of the size of the now capital Hanoi which also results in far fewer motorbikes on the road! Hue is the home to the old Citadel which the Emperor built back on 1804. It was where all the offical functions took place. It feels very similar to the Forbidden City in Bejiing except it is not polished and painted like they have done in China. Here there is moss growing everywhere and paint chipping away from the brick and woodwork, it feels less like a film set and more authentic and is very pretty. The other must thing to do/see in Hue is a motorbike tour of the other sites which ... read more

So after two short flights we arrived in Livingstone which is named after David Livingstone who was the first white man to explore the area. It is also the home of Victoria Falls which is on the Zambezi river. An enjoyable taxi drive dicussing English football teams soon had us arriving at our waterfront campsite to start getting a feel for the next week of sleeping under canvas.....and with various wild animals around.....namely monkeys and baboons at this site! Our first night in tent was a bit more luxourious than what was to come as the tents actually had framed beds in and an electric bedside lamp. With mum and dad sharing, I was able to have my tent all to myself! Before we got too comfortable in them though we booked ourselves onto a sunset ... read more

Sorry about the long leave of absence...I haven't forgotten about you I have just had very little computer access!!! South Africa....What a contrast to South America! The main things I had to adjust to was not needing to thank people in Spanish and actually being able to put loo paper in the toilet! Its crazy how things become habit so quickly! So for my first couple of days in cape town I explored the city. The waterfront is a very developed shopping and restaurant area and has a great vibe to just wander around or sit down and have a drink in the sun by the docks. all the time you can look back in awe at the back drop of table mountain. I also discovered the city centre with the green market craft market, the ... read more