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Page 4 of Chris and Laura Travel Blog Posts
March 2nd 2008
We got a 7.30am bus from the beach resort of Sihanoukville back to Phnom Penh where we got a connecting bus to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) getting there at about 9pm. The border crossing was less stressful than the previous one as the bus company took care of most of it and we already had our visa but it still took a long time! We only had 2 full days in Saigon but that's probably enough as it's a mad city!! 10 million people and something like 8 million motorbikes!!! No joke! Crossing the road is an adventure in itself! We have been told a few tricks - always keep a local between you and oncoming traffic (even if it is a mother and baby!!) and never run! If you walk slowly across the road, ... read more
February 28th 2008
We decided to spend some time on the beach in Cambodia as we had a few days spare! Unfortunately Chris got some sort of bug/food poisoning and was ill for all 3 days! It meant we did nothing but relax which was good! We didn't leave the room on the first day (I went out to have dinner on my own!) and we only ventured out for breakfast the following day before Chris had to make a dash back! However by the third day he was feeling a bit better so we went to the beach! There were lots of women and children selling things and offering massage and manicures. We held out for about an hour but then we bought some bracelets, a threaded gecko and I got a manicure!! ... read more
February 25th 2008
We got a 6 hour bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Our tuk-tuk driver had called his friend to give him our business so he was there when we got off our bus with a big sign 'Welcome Chris Smith and Laura Sully'. We were happy to have him there to save us from the scrum of other tuk-tuk and moto drivers trying to get our business (and bags!!). The following day we were picked up by Mr Ya for our city tour! First stop was the Royal Palace which was not as ornate as the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The present King lives there so for security you can only walk around some areas. Then off to Phnom Wat which is a temple on the highest hill in Phnom Penh. We were then meant ... read more
February 22nd 2008
Our tuk-tuk driver picked us up at 8.30am to drive us out to the temples. We bought a 3 day ticket so had plenty of time to see all of the temples at a leisurely pace! Not that we saw them all, as there are loads, but we saw the main ones!! We started at Angkor Wat - the main event! As the tuk-tuk pulled up we were surrounded by children trying to sell us things. I made the mistake of telling them our names so from then on it was, "Laura will you buy water, Chris please buy a book" "If you don't want one now, remember me for when you come out and are thirsty" "It would mean I could go to school, please Laura". It was like this for the next few days ... read more
February 21st 2008
We left Bangkok on the 05.30am bus to Aranyaprathet where we got a tuk-tuk 5km to the Thailand border with Cambodia. We had heard lots of horror stories about this crossing and so I was a little anxious about it! It turned out to be a very adventurous border crossing and car journey and we finally arrived in Siem Reap at around 4pm. Going through Thailand departure caused no problems, but then the fun began! We had to argue with the visa people as the visa is meant to be $20 but they claim it is 1000 baht ($30) or $25 or we would have to wait 4 hours! We knew about this scam so were expecting it so we refused to move from the window until he dealt with it! They kept shutting the window ... read more
February 13th 2008
Whilst waiting for our Vietnam visa (5 days) we decided to head back down south to go to some of Thailand's islands. We got a night bus from Bangkok to Chumphon, which stopped for about 2 hours at 5am in a bar (not fun when everyone is trying to sleep!!) before getting a ferry across to Ko Tao. This ferry crossing was awful and I was yet again very seasick!! In Ko Tao we spent our time chilling out on the beach and reading lots of crappy books!! It was a well needed break from sight seeing! We also went on a day's snorkeling trip around the island. In Ko Pha Ngan we stayed in a quiet part of town in a bungalow right on the beach. We literally did nothing for 3 days, eating at ... read more
February 7th 2008
We caught a sleeper train from Butterworth in Malaysia to Bangkok in Thailand. This took 21 hours but was a very interesting experience!! The trains are like normal trains for the daylight hours and then at about 9pm, the conductor comes around and converts them into an upper and lower bunk. We had bought 2 lower bunks but Chris felt sorry for the old lady trying to get up in her upper bunk so he swapped!! It wasn't a bad night's sleep, though the sidewards rocking motion was difficult to get used to and we were all woken up at 7am to put the beds away! We were the only westerners on there and drew attention to ourselves with all the photo taking!!! Going to Bangkok was mostly to get things done for the next stages ... read more
January 30th 2008
Melaka We got a bus from Singapore headed to Melaka, Malaysia. The causeway to Malaysia was a lot wider than I thought it would be, but the bus journey across the boarder went without any problems. We went through many toll booths along the way and passed lots of people travelling in the back of trucks. The view from the bus of the jungle, plantations (rubber/latex) and mountains was spectacular the further you got into Malaysia and to our first stop - Melaka. When we arrived the first things I noticed were the big drains/crazy traffic/the bumpy roads and lack of pavements/the many religious buildings and a fat rat wandering next to us!! Our hostel was pretty basic with the mattress on the floor, but was clean and run by a sneaky-sneaky man (for anyone who's ... read more
January 27th 2008
We landed in Singapore and got the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) to a station right next to our hostel. The first things we noticed were the humidity (something like 85%) and the cheapness!!! The MRT goes all over the island and only costs about 30p. Our first experience of the local cuisine was a noodle and rice dish plus drinks for 1.50 pounds each - bargain!! The language barrier was a little tricky but we got there in the end. On our first day we had a wonder around the CBD area of the city, crossing the river to the North bank to see Sir Stamford Raffles Landing Site from 28th January 1819, the cricket ground, Parliament house, the Supreme Court and St Andrews Cathedral. We had a look in Raffles City, a big shopping Mall, ... read more
January 22nd 2008
After spending a day in Alice Springs we flew to Perth in Western Australia for our last 5 days before we left Oz. We went on a walking tour of the city to orientate ourselves before getting a train to Cottesloe to have fish and chips whilst watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean. The following day we went on a winery tour in the Swan Valley. The tour involved visiting 5 wineries (trying 45 different wines), 1 brewery and a chocolate factory! Each winery supplied a cheese platter with the tastings and we had a lovely lunch at one of them making the day very self indulgent! We had an excellent day and Chris got to join me in getting drunk as he didn't have to drive! Whilst in Perth we also went to Fremantle ... read more
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