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 [View Full Entry]

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So, we went to the the peak to enjoy the view and take some photos. After a 10 min steep tram ride up the hill we arrived the Peak Tower and went to the viewing area. The scenary is magnificent and it gets even better when it gets dark. We stayed for a while to take som photos. After a while a security guard told us that we were'nt allowed to use a tripod and that tripods could only be used from the slighlty raised "balcony" area behind the main viewing area. Odd rule, but ok. Packed away the tripod. a [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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Phnom Penh (PP) 6 o'clock at night, when we arrived, is hot and sticky. At noon the heat is suffocating, even though midday temperature is "only" around 35 celsius. It has to be experienced, can't be explained. Can we please go back to Singapore () for some cool air? ;-) Some snow would be even better. Thank whoever for cold showers - and there's nothing else to be found, at least in budget accommodation. Hello, moto? is the first thing you hear as soon as you step out of your guest house in Lakeside, the backpacker district in PP. Now we [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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- Sorry, we thought you were going to arrive yesterday. We were waiting for you, said the very friendly receptionist at Yellow House Hotel (YHH) in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, Saigon from now on). - Now we're fully booked. What a nightmare, arriving in a new country, late at night, with nowhere to stay! - Wait, she said, I'll make a phone call. - The hotel next door have a room for you, do you want to see it? We went next door, and a little bit less cheap Vu Chau seemed to be even better than YHH. [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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Eight am, checking out from a sweaty Singapore (). A couple of SG$ and 40 minutes later, on the bus, at the Singapore/Malaysia border. Now, where do we find the bus to Malacca (or Melaka in Malay)? 20 min by taxi across the border town, Johor Bahru (aka JB), and we then had 10 min to buy a ticket and jump on the bus. Perfect! After a 3.5-hour pleasant, air-conned, bus journey we finally arrived in Malacca, the capital of the Melaka province. "Wanna room?" A school of hostel agents surrounded us at Melaka Sentral, the main bus station. With some [View Full Entry]

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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. [View Full Entry]

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On the wrong, sorry, left side of the road again, we steered north from Sydney () along the New South Wales (NSW) coastline. Airconditioning in cars should be law in this country. Luckily we had one with, in the +30 celsius heat. Nevertheless, we quickly felt the urge for a dip in the ocean and maybe a wave or two. Anna Bay came up shortly after and we stopped. Tide was too low, and the the small waves were breaking on the beach, but the view and the warm water - niiice! We stayed for a couple of hours, trying to [View Full Entry]

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