DnH

The stench of rotting flesh got our adrenaline pumping, as we rolled down the car windows. The cat had to be close. Behind the twisted buffalo carcass, 20m from the road, H could spot a pair of eyes observing us. D took a bit of time to be convinced that the cat was actually there. A few moments later there was no doubt. The big male lion emerged slowly behind the buffalo. We could hear him breathing heavily, too full of buffalo meat to really be able to stand up. He took a quick peak at us, turned around and laid down behind the half-eaten carcass, barely visible from our angle. We had entered the Kruger Park through the Phabeni gate the day before, with low expectations. It only took a couple of hours for those ... read more

Saigon seemed "same same but different" at our second visit. It's hard to point out why, but it was maybe not with the same excitement we came to Saigon this time. After a 14 hour bus journey from Sihanoukville in Cambodia (), via Phnom Phen, we stepped on Saigon soil again. Before our trip we had heard horror stories about tricky boarder crossings between Cambodia and Vietnam, with people having to pay for extra health forms to the exact same amount as they were carrying cash. What a coincidence! However, both times we crossed this border, at two different locations (Chau Doc and Bavet), it was really smooth. Much easier and efficient than many western boarder crossings, and they still managed to do the nesseccary checks. Maybe we have something to learn here? We had our ... read more

It's not fair, because there so much else to see, but the fact is that most people who come to Siem Reap () do so to see the temples, Angkor Wat being the most famous, and so did we. So, when our Tuk Tuk-driver who got the job to drive us from the bus station to the guest house, for a lousy 1,000 Riel ($0.25), stopped half-way there to ask if he could be our driver to the temples the next day it wasn't like we didn't need the service, but his sales method carried a bit of scam warning on it. After all we had agreed a price for the ride to the guest house, nothing else. We explained this to him and after that he was very reasonable, drove us to the guest house ... read more

Our first taste of Asia - Singapore - was a gentle introduction to the culture, customs and hot and sticky weather of Southeast Asia. After a 30 min air-conditioned metro ride (why can't London tubes have A/C???) from the Airport to Bugis MRT-station (Mass Rapid Transit) we arrived at Bugis Backpackers Hostel, in central Singapore. Stepping out on the street, even at night, was a chock. The humid and hot air hits you instantly, like stepping into a sauna. Luckily our room had a maybe too efficient A/C. Straight to bed after a long flight. Tomorrow is shopping day. Sim Lim Square is not really a square, but a square 5-story building, full of shops selling electronic stuff. H was hunting for a new mp3 player and D for a new lens. The shopping experience was ... read more

23 celsius, at 22.30, as we stepped of the plane in Sydney, after 38 hours of continuous travel from Santiago, Chile, via Lima, Peru, and Los Angeles, US, was just the start of a great fortnight Down Under. Swiftly taken to our hostel in Kings Cross (a slightly less seedy version of the London namesake) by the airport shuttle, we landed a room with panoramic views of what must be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Waking up a bit later than usual, at 11 (due to a tiny jet-lag), we set out to explore Sydney by foot. Soon we discovered that all the places had very familiar names. Wait a second, they've just stolen all of them from London - Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Paddington, Kings Cross, etc. Couldn't they've been a ... read more